Perhaps as part of a New Year strategy, Sony has made the Sony Tablet S, their 9.4-inch Honeycomb tablet $100 less, making it $400 for a 16GB model and $499 for a 32GB model. So they’re lowering prices to try and make demand — a practice seen with Samsung, Toshiba, and even ASUS tablets. Via: Sony
Android · HTC · Mobile · Reviews · T-Mobile
First the sensation, then came amazement. It is a pretty awful pun on the Sensation 4G being the former to the Amaze 4G, but it stands perfectly on its own. What the Amaze 4G has done is simply raise its HSPA+ data speeds to 42MBps, a faster 1.5GHz dual-core processor, new styling, and a better sensor in the 8 megapixel camera, capable of 1080p HD video recording (same specs for the camera, just better quality on the Amaze). To top all of that off, the Amaze 4G has a fantastic design reminiscent of the Sensation 4G (obviously), but alos the HTC Legend, an Android handset so old (by Android’s standards) that it is only a legend by now. Sorry, HTC just makes it easy to make puns out of the names of their products.
Full review after the break. And it’s the last LM review for 2011.
It may not be earth-shattering numbers, but Andy Rubin and the rest of the Android team members must be happy to hear that 3.7 million new activations occurred during the Christmas period this year (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). This comes as very jolly news, as Android currently sees at least 700,000 new activations on a daily basis.
On the flipside, analytic firm Flurry published some more stats: 6.8 million new iOS and Android devices went live on Sunday (Christmas Day). App downloads also exceeded any previously known levels for the year, jumping to 242 million on the 25th. Good times. Via: Andy Rubin (Twitter), Flurry
Android · Mobile · Reviews · Samsung · Verizon
The Samsung Stratosphere is a little bit of the Droid Charge and the Galaxy S II handsets. It’s got a speedy 1GHz Hummingbird single-core processor, 4G LTE data speeds, a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. It’s some pretty decent hardware, and right off the bat uses Android 2.3.5 on Touchwiz 4.0 (a special ROM for this device, apparently) and operates smoothly under most circumstances. The data speeds are awesome, usually clocking in at above 12MBps for download speeds (up o the 20s) and up to 10MBps upload speeds (and then some). The 5-row, slide-out QWERTY keyboard that also lights up is a lot like the Epic 4G’s that I reviewed and mostly liked, and overall gets the job done, much the like the Droid Charge, which I also reviewed several months back and shares much of the same specs.
The 5 megapixel camera is decent enough to take the kinds of photos you’d post on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, and the video is reasonable. The front-facing camera is your usual 13 megapixel front-facing with a few grainy pixels here and there, but overall is clear.
For a mere $149.99 on a 2-year agreement, it makes getting into the 4G LTE relm pretty easy for a consumer who doesn’t want a entire 5-star, dual-core package and doesn’t want to spend the equivalent amount.
If you’ve patiently been waiting for the Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 update for your GSM Nexus S, then today’s your lucky day — the update starts rolling out today, with all users receiving the update by the end of the month. As for Sprint 4G Nexus S users: the update should be coming, but at a later date (perhaps this year, we haven’t heard anything concrete on this bit of information, however). That all being said, Android 4.0 is going to operate a a smaller resolution on the Nexus S (800×480 compared to the Galaxy Nexus’ 1280×720) but it still should look impressive.
Via: Google News (Twitter), Android (Google+)
Android · Breaking · Mobile · Samsung · Verizon
It’s about that time. Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus launches with 4G LTE on the 15th of December – tomorrow, for $299.99 on a 2-year agreement. Specs include a massive 4.65-inch 720p HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 32GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording support and an 1,850 mAh battery with CDMA and 4G LTE connectivity (resulting in a thicker casing than the GSM version but no matter). Best of all, the Galaxy Nexus sports the newest version of Android — 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is an amazingly good buy for the best Android handset on the market, so far.
Android · Mobile · Motorola · Tablets · Verizon
Not much to talk about (just kidding). The Xoom 2 or as Verizon Wireless puts it, the XYBOARD 10.1 and 8.2 will come out this month at Verizon stores. The XYBOARDs come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities for $530, $630 and $730, respectively, while the 8.2-inch model will ship with 16GB of storage for $430, or 32 gigs for $530. Also: a white DROID RAZR. Not bad for some mid-week tech, Moto. Press release straight from the source after the break.
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Android · AT&T · Mobile · Samsung
It’s that awesome $249.99 4G LTE AT&T Samsung smartphone some geeks talk about these days. An improved version of the regular 4G HSPA+ Galaxy S II, the Skyrocket uses LTE, and as of December 4th on AT&T, will come in white. End of story. Via: Samsung
This is the LG Nitro HD, a 4G LTE AT&T smartphone that will retail for $250 on contract. It sports a 4.5-inch “True HD” IH-IPS display with a 1280 x 720-pixel resolution (and a 500 nit brightness level), an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, 4GB of on-board storage, a 16GB microSD card and a dual-core 1.5GHz processor (!). The whole package measures 10.4mm thin. The full press release is after the break.
Android · Mobile · Motorola · Verizon
First of all, the amount of DROIDs (not Android phones, specially DROIDs) releasing because of Verizon is almost insane. There’s one almost every new quarter. So of course, if there’s a few new DROIDs on the block, the descendant to the grandfather Droid should show up as well — the DROID 4. Packed with a 1,2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4G LTE data connectivity, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard with lit-up keys, it will be a lot like the Droid Razr, except with a keyboard attached to it. Also, a taunting comparison shot of its specs can be seen at the source link. As for the release date, expect it around Christmas or early 2012. Via: Droid-Life
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