Tag Archives: handset

Samsung’s SHV-E170K has dual-core Snapdragon, LTE and an inferiority complex

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Samsung's SHV-E170K, has dual-core Snapdragon, LTE and an inferiority complex

We're sure Samsung isn't playing favorites... but after that rather extravagant product launch just the other week, it seems it's released another phone to market with barely a streamer nor slice of cake in sight. The phone in question is the SHV-E170K, and will be coming to South Korea's KT network. The handset was announced with minimal details, other than having a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD (960×540) display, LTE, 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel shooter up front. However, with a little bit of internet cunning (i.e. some discovered benchmark tests) SammyHub has determined that we're dealing with a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 on top of Android 4 (TouchWiz'd by the looks of things). It should be out later this month, again, alas, potentially in its sister's shadow.

Samsung's SHV-E170K has dual-core Snapdragon, LTE and an inferiority complex originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Republic Wireless now issuing invites for summer beta program: is your name on the list?

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Republic Wireless is now issuing the cellphone equivalent of Willy Wonka's golden tickets: an invite to its forthcoming beta. When you've been assigned a wave, you'll then be placed on a wait list, only told a week before you have to place cash on the barrel for a handset. Our tipsters have told us that the company is pitching (via a survey, of course) to hit three price points for customers, each fee buying a smartphone and the first month's service. All they could supply were the specs, so we've suggested some handsets that could fit the bill:

  • Entry Level: $199 gets a phone from an "unknown" manufacturer with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 600MHz CPU, 0.5GB of storage and a 5-megapixel camera -- which puts us in mind of the ZTE Libra or the iNQ Cloud Touch.
  • Mid-range: $299 will buy a handset from a "well known" manufacturer, 3.7-inch touchscreen, 1GHz CPU, 1GB storage, 5-megapixel camera and a VGA front-facer, similar to the Galaxy U, HTC One V or Huawei Vision.
  • Top Line: $499 gets you a 4.3-inch touchscreen phone with a 1.2Ghz dual-core CPU, 8GB storage and, weirdly, a 7-megapixel camera. We hope that last stat is a typo, since it rules out the vast majority of handsets at that level. If it was 8-megapixels, for example, we'd be thinking about phones like the Galaxy S II.

We reached out to the company for more details, and were told that it's simply in a discovery phase of sorts -- it's still trying to get a better grasp on exactly what phones would be desired. Unfortunately, that means that there aren't any concrete handset decisions to be shared just yet, but we'll be sure to pass those along as soon as we find out ourselves.

[Thanks, Matt]

Republic Wireless now issuing invites for summer beta program: is your name on the list? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China Times: HTC wants to develop its own processors for low-end phones

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China Times: HTC wants to develop its own processors for low-end phones

Encroaching into the semiconductor business might not seem the most obvious move for a phone manufacturer that's trying to unify its efforts. Nevertheless, China Times reports that HTC has signed a "memorandum of cooperation" with ST-Ericsson to co-develop a new dedicated chip for low-end handsets coming out next year. Since ST-Ericsson is a fabless chip designer, HTC won't risk getting silicon between its fingernails. Instead, if this agreement is what it seems, the Taiwanese manufacturer may simply want more direct control over its supply chains and to reduce its current reliance on ready-made designs from Qualcomm or NVIDIA. After all, it can't be easy for HTC's new CFO, looking on while others gobble up those margins.

China Times: HTC wants to develop its own processors for low-end phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Working Tin Can Handset Needs to Be Funded ASAP

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It’s not unusual to see kids using tin cans tied with a piece of string as a phone, but if Monkey Wrench Design has its way, you’ll see adults using tin cans to communicate. And not in a pretend way. You see, MWD has made The Can, a USB handset with a tin can case.

the can microphone speaker

The Can works just like tin can phones, except it actually works. Plug it to your computer, speak into the can and then put it to your ear to hear your chat mate’s response. If you’re a killjoy and refuse to put a can to your ear, just increase the volume on your computer and you should be able to use The Can as a speakerphone. MWD also made the Mini Can, a smaller version that plugs in via the 3.5mm jack, so you can use it on the go.

Call your friends and tell them to support The Can and Mini Can on Kickstarter. A pledge of at least $25 (USD) gets you a Mini Can, while a pledge of at least $37 gets you The Can. There are special variations and DIY kits as well, so go check it out.