T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st

TMobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st

T-Mobile US isn't letting Verizon bask in the spotlight for too long, as it just announced that June 21st will be the magic date it begins offering the Samsung Galaxy S III in stores. From what we can tell, this particular flavor of the device has seemed to escape a good chunk of carrier influence, with the traditional home button model staying intact. As we've been expecting, the GSIII will come in 16 and 32GB models (price is still an unknown at the moment, though $200 and $250 respectively seems to be the popular choice so far), run on a Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and offer an impressive 2GB RAM. It doesn't appear that T-Mo will be allowing pre-orders through official retail channels, but you can sign up for a reminder by going to the link below. But don't worry if you forget to do that -- we'll keep you posted on all the updates no matter what.

Continue reading T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st

T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

HTC refreshes Android update timeline, details which devices won’t get Ice Cream Sandwich

Image

Normally we rejoice when we see a manufacturer share updates with us on when Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming to its legacy devices, but HTC's latest blog post leaves us with mixed emotions. First, the decent news: we now have a slightly more specific timeline for each phone, with the targeted deadlines now updated to show specific months rather than quarters. And yes, there's bad news to go along with it: it's also added a list of devices that won't make the cut to receive Ice Cream Sandwich. That's right, HTC laid down the law for several phones and tablets, stating that "in general, devices with 512MB ROM or less will not be upgraded to Android 4.0."

Unfortunately, this means that owners of the ChaCha, Salsa, Wildfire S, Explorer "and others" will remain hopelessly stuck on Gingerbread -- without the help of unofficial builds and custom ROMs, at least. But that's not all: HTC also mentioned that the Flyer, EVO View 4G and the Jetstream won't be jumping up to Ice Cream Sandwich either. This has to be rather disappointing to anyone who shelled out $700 for the Jetstream on a two-year contract in September. One consolation to the heartbreaking news is that at least you no longer have to hold your breath and wait to hear it -- and HTC pledges to continue offering maintenance updates to the shunned devices -- but it's still a hard pill to swallow no matter which way you look at it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC refreshes Android update timeline, details which devices won't get Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Police  |  sourceHTC  | Email this | Comments

Which devices have Ice Cream Sandwich?

Image

It's mid-May -- do you know where your Ice Cream Sandwich update is? Six months after Android 4.0 made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, millions of owners of legacy Android devices are still anxiously awaiting the day the new firmware gets downloaded on their own electronic real estate. At least the scene today is much more pleasant than it was just a few months ago, as ICS is finally rolling out to several popular devices. But if you're shopping for a phone or tablet, how can you possibly keep track of which device has what version?

Amidst the confusion, we've put together a handy list of the legacy devices that have already been updated to Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as the ones that are promised an upgrade at a future date. Of course, many phones and tablets have ICS ROMs, leaked builds and other unofficial versions of the new firmware available, but we'll only discuss official downloads here. We plan to amend the list as the update rolls out to more devices, so be sure to check back from time to time. Head past the break to see how much of a reach Ice Cream Sandwich has.

Continue reading Which devices have Ice Cream Sandwich?

Which devices have Ice Cream Sandwich? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

HTC exec: we didn’t have much time with ICS when making Sense 4, but our skin is still better

HTC exec: we hardly saw ICS before releasing Sense 4, but our skin is still an 'improvement'

HTC's Drew Bamford is a long-time defender of the Sense UI, but in a fresh interview he's switched tactics and rushed headlong at the competition. He told Laptop that Sense 4 beats native Android 4 (as seen on the GNex) on a number of fronts, possessing a more inviting look, greater personalization of the lockscreen and wallpaper, plus faster camera performance. Of course, he would say that, but having spent many balmy evenings with both the One S and the One X we're inclined to agree that the latest version of the skin is lighter-footed and, actually, pretty nice. What's perhaps more revealing is Bamford's statement that HTC's software guys had "not a lot of time" with ICS before they released Sense 4, and had to build key components in isolation from the new OS. This could explain why HTC was forced to see sense (ahem) and tone down its custom layer. More broadly, if manufacturers are struggling to keep their handset launch schedules in sync with Google's in-house development, it's no wonder that Android skins seem so unsympathetic to the green robot's natural complexion.

HTC exec: we didn't have much time with ICS when making Sense 4, but our skin is still better originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechnoBuffalo  |  sourceLaptop  | Email this | Comments

AT&T confirms HTC One X to land May 6th for $199 (update)

AT&T confirms HTC One X to land May 6th for $199

If you were waiting for confirmation as to when you might be able to get your hands on the HTC One X in the US, circle May the 6th on your calendar. AT&T has just confirmed that this is when the flagship handset will launch, at a price of $199 (with a two year commitment.) It's the dual-core LTE version, of course, and is also the first phone to launch with Ice Cream Sandwich on the network. If you want a slice, pre-orders will be open from April 22nd, or head on down to the source link for more info.

Update: Looks like it'll go for just $149.99 if you pre-order from Radio Shack between May 6th and 12th. Proof's in the shot just after the break.

[Thanks, Marko]

Continue reading AT&T confirms HTC One X to land May 6th for $199 (update)

AT&T confirms HTC One X to land May 6th for $199 (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAT&T  | Email this | Comments

Motorola Webtop 3.0 beta captured on video, running off Droid RAZR with ICS

Motorola Webtop 3.0 beta captured on video, running off Droid RAZR with ICS
We were pondering Motorola's LapDock widget just recently, after seeing a similar Phone-becomes-PC concept based on Ubuntu. Now, due to some happy coincidence, a video has appeared on YouTube claiming to show a leaked update to LapDock's accompanying software -- Webtop 3.0 beta. This version is shown running off the Droid RAZR rather than an Atrix, and it's now based on ICS with a customized version of the stock browser instead of Firefox. There's a lot that's right about turning a smartphone into the engine of a more PC-like experience, especially as docking accessories get cheaper, so hopefully this is evidence that Motorola's software people really are about to try something new.

Continue reading Motorola Webtop 3.0 beta captured on video, running off Droid RAZR with ICS

Motorola Webtop 3.0 beta captured on video, running off Droid RAZR with ICS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhoneArena, PocketNow  |  sourceRevowii (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments