Samsung Epic 4G now on sale at Sprint (update: save $50 at Amazon)

We told you it was coming, now the Samsung Epic 4G is on sale at Sprint for a cool $249.99 plus two year life commitment. In other words, it’s time to let Sprint know whether this Galaxy S variant (with — gasp — working GPS) is worth the $50 premium over HTC’s EVO 4G. Well, is it?

Update: As usual, Amazon’s offering a discount showing a $199.99 listing for new contracts. It still shows a pre-order status (with 2-3 weeks ship time) but that’s likely to change any minute now.

[Thanks, Jonathan P. and Jason J.]

Samsung Epic 4G now on sale at Sprint (update: save $50 at Amazon) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LG’s E900 said to have 1.3GHz Snapdragon inside, handsome looks outside (video)

Wherever it is that Mr. Blurrycam calls home, Poland isn’t it. Android.com.pl has the best pre-release shots of the 3.7-inch LG E900 yet, replete with some titillating specs. We’re told that the upcoming Windows Phone 7 device will be driven by a 1.3GHz Qualcomm QSD8650A system-on-chip — basically a Snapdragon with the training wheels taken off. It promises better 2D and 3D graphics acceleration, integrated GPS, HD video recording and playback, and multi-mode UMTS and CDMA 3G connectivity. As to the handset itself, light and proximity sensors have been spotted on its body, along with a miniUSB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Navigate past the break to see some more of that tantalizing WP7 UI.

Continue reading LG’s E900 said to have 1.3GHz Snapdragon inside, handsome looks outside (video)

LG’s E900 said to have 1.3GHz Snapdragon inside, handsome looks outside (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung Fascinate launching on September 8?

We’ve seen these kinds of Verizon launch decks before, so we tend to believe the September 8 date we’re seeing for the Fascinate here is legit — granted, Wednesday is an odd day to launch a phone, but not a lot weirder than the Thursday, September 9 date we’d had before. Either way, it’s looking like a sure thing that we’re going to see this on shelves come next week, completing Sammy’s impressive four-way coup to get its high-end Galaxy S line launched on all of the US nationals. Like the Droid 2 and Droid X, the Fascinate will feature Blockbuster Mobile to let you download full-length movies on the go — in other words, that’s a feature that won’t be a Droid brand exclusive — and Bing search will be installed out of the box, giving Microsoft a fun little foothold in Google’s kingdom. So, who’s buying? And while we’re on the subject, why isn’t this thing called the “Droid Fascinate?”

[Thanks, Bryan]

Samsung Fascinate launching on September 8? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Custom Droid X ROMs starting to break loose, eFuse be damned

Despite Motorola’s best intentions to the contrary, the Droid X has been making steady progress toward viable custom ROMs, first with root access, then with a recovery method… and now, at long last, we’re starting to get the first few glimpses at legit cooked firmware. The two options we’re seeing so far are Sapphire — originally designed for the Droid of old — and a so-called “FlyX” ROM from longtime contributor Birdman. In both cases, the benefits of eschewing Motorola’s standard builds are pretty obvious: you get Froyo, root, and a host of apps and capabilities preferred by the superuser crowd like surcharge-free mobile hotspot access. The process is a little involved to get these bad boys installed at this point, but with time, we’re willing to bet it becomes a pretty painless endeavor. Follow the break for a quick video of Sapphire booting into stock Froyo on the X — a tantalizing sight, indeed.

[Thanks, Clift]

Continue reading Custom Droid X ROMs starting to break loose, eFuse be damned

Custom Droid X ROMs starting to break loose, eFuse be damned originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung Wave 723 announced, Bada keeps chugging

The original Samsung Wave — which happens to be the first production Bada device — sports some pretty awesome specs, which probably doesn’t make much sense for a proprietary platform that walks a very fine line between the smartphone and feature phone labels, has an immeasurably small fraction of the market uptake Android has, and isn’t available in any form in the US. To that end, Sammy’s toning things down a bit for round two in the form of the oddly-named Wave 723, which eschews the original’s Super AMOLED display for a 3.2-inch TFT LCD but still manages to squeeze in 802.11n plus a 5 megapixel AF cam with LED flash. The phone’s based on Bada 1.1, which adds UI auto-scaling — in other words, Samsung’s prepping developers to make sure their bountiful Bada apps work seamlessly across devices of different resolutions. No word on pricing, dates, or regional availability at this point, but it’s reasonable to say that it’s devices like the 723 that’ll make or break Bada in the long term. Why this thing isn’t just an Android 2.2 phone with TouchWiz 3.0, though… well, only Samsung can answer that one, we suppose.

Continue reading Samsung Wave 723 announced, Bada keeps chugging

Samsung Wave 723 announced, Bada keeps chugging originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Xperia X10 family’s Android 2.1 upgrade coming by end of September, says Sony Ericsson UK

When we talked to Sony Ericsson for the Xperia X10 for AT&T review, reps informed us that the phone is upgradeable but no further information could be provided. Now, we can’t say if this latest bit is global or just for those across the pond, but the official Twitter account of SE’s UK arm wrote today that Android 2.1 is “due for release before the end of September this year.” Certainly a step up from the Q4 2010 time frame we heard previously, but again, we’ve no clue if this applies to the US as well — we’ve messaged a stateside rep and will let you know what we hear. A blessing for some X10 family owners, just a cherry on top for others.

[Thanks, Henrik]

Xperia X10 family’s Android 2.1 upgrade coming by end of September, says Sony Ericsson UK originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Motorola XT300 mini portrait slider leaks out in clearer photos

We’ve been wondering about this oddly intriguing mini Motorola portrait slider since we saw it back in July, and a new set of leaked photos today hasn’t done anything to diminish our curiosity, since that keyboard looks pretty amazing. The reappearance of the red Droid eye seems to indicate this one’s eventually destined for Verizon, but we’ll see — we’re curious about the XT300 name being used in this photo set, which ties in with Moto’s GSM naming scheme, and Verizon’s reserved the Droid name for higher-end sets so far, while this thing looks like a mid-range Blur phone to us. Video after the break — and more photos and vids at the source link.

[Thanks, Thomas]

Continue reading Motorola XT300 mini portrait slider leaks out in clearer photos

Motorola XT300 mini portrait slider leaks out in clearer photos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Clearwire’s Rover service goes live, offers $5/day 4G service

Looks like the prepaid wireless data market is starting to heat up: Clearwire just launched its Rover service, which offers 4G wireless data for as little as $5 a day — with two free days included when you first sign up. That’s not bad if you just need a quick hit here or there, although you need to pony up $150 for that Rover Puck WiFi hotspot we saw at the FCC last month or $100 for a USB stick, and anything more than a day quickly becomes less of a deal at $20/week and $50/month. Oh, and it’s 4G-only, so if you’re not living or working in a WiMAX city you’re out of luck. Still, those prices aren’t terribly out of line with the competition, although we might be more inclined to choose Virgin’s $40/mo prepaid MiFi and settle for 3G speeds while getting more coverage. Decisions, decisions — what a wonderful problem to have. PR after the break.

Continue reading Clearwire’s Rover service goes live, offers $5/day 4G service

Clearwire’s Rover service goes live, offers $5/day 4G service originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dell Streak to get official Android 2.1 update on September 1st or 2nd, according to O2

Looks like things are going swell for Dell Streak owners in the UK — following the earlier Android 2.1 firmware leak, news from the grapevine is that O2 will be rolling out a final build of said update on September 1st, which would easily fit into the “early September” period as promised by the carrier. We double-checked with O2 and were informed that it’s actually targeting either the 1st or 2nd, so regardless, the eccentric tabletphone should be getting some sweet pastry later this week. We’ll let you know if something goes wrong in the oven, or if the buttery aroma manages to seep into AT&T’s upgrade path.

Dell Streak to get official Android 2.1 update on September 1st or 2nd, according to O2 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Reminder: Samsung Epic 4G launching on Sprint tomorrow

Reminder: Samsung Epic 4G launching on Sprint tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Next Page »