Samsung Vibrant passes FCC again with AT&T 3G bands: a pre-acquisition tester? (updated)

This is out of left field, but bear with us — it all makes sense, in a creepy, business-y sort of way. First, the facts: a Samsung SGH-T959P just got FCC approval with 3G support on the 850 and 1900MHz bands (it might also support 2100MHz, but we can’t tell from the documents we’ve skimmed in the filing — and since it’s not a US band, the FCC doesn’t really care anyway). T-Mobile’s original Samsung Vibrant was the SGH-T959, and the Galaxy S 4G was the SGH-T959V — so you can imagine that this is another device in the same vein. Samsung SGH product codes that start with “T” and end with “9” are T-Mobile devices… but if this is for T-Mobile, where’s the AWS 3G support?

So here’s our wild theory: T-Mobile and AT&T may have fast-tracked a T-Mobile-branded device — in this case, an offshoot of the Galaxy S 4G — with HSPA+ for AT&T’s bands. AT&T has mentioned this week that one of the first fruits of its planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA will be a roaming agreement that allows T-Mobile customers to use AT&T’s network, and naturally, that would require devices that support AT&T’s spectrum; interestingly, this roaming agreement is going into effect whether the acquisition completes or not, so these guys have to deal with it. We’d doubt that either of these carriers would be keen on releasing yet another variant of the original Galaxy S as we move toward mid-2011 here, but it’s entirely possible that T-Mobile and AT&T employees could be getting these to test the network integration over the course of the year. Crazy, yes… but just crazy enough to be plausible.

Update: Here’s another thought. This could be an HSPA+ device (a la Galaxy S 4G) for a Canadian network, since several of those guys have also deployed Samsung devices that start with “T” and end with “9” — the model number exclusivity to T-Mobile is strictly within American borders. We’ll find out soon enough!

Samsung Vibrant passes FCC again with AT&T 3G bands: a pre-acquisition tester? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AKG wireless headphones latest victim of Bluetooth quality curse

We’d like these Bluetooth wireless headphones more if they didn’t come with a subpar plastic build and poor sound quality.

Researchers enable tactile feedback for e-readers using real paper, just like the olden days (video)

Brainiacs from Osaka University have created what they’ve called the Paranga — a device that fulfills the lack of tactile feedback of page turns when using an e-reader. It’s got a built in sensor that detects when the book is being bent and will rotate a roll of paper strips against your thumb. The force exerted against the device will control the speed of the paper roll. Although it’s not accurate enough to turn one page at a time, the researches believe that if foil is used instead of paper, the voltage will be discharged as soon as a page is turned, ensuring single-page accuracy. If you want to see a video of the Paranga imitate page-turning, press play on the embed below the break.

Continue reading Researchers enable tactile feedback for e-readers using real paper, just like the olden days (video)

Researchers enable tactile feedback for e-readers using real paper, just like the olden days (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Stories: Thursday, March 24, 2011 [Total Recap]

Tent Force One | Take a look inside the President’s ultra-secure, mobile communications facility

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Google Voice for Sprint hands-on (video)

Remember that Google Voice integration for Sprint we mentioned recently? Today at CTIA we got to see it in action, and it promises to take us one step closer to our robot overlords — well, those of us who are Sprint customers, anyway. The most exciting feature is that the integration works with almost any Sprint number and device, and is not limited to just smartphones or the newly minted Nexus S 4G. Basically, you can pick your Sprint number or your Google Voice number to be your mobile number, and switch between them if necessary. Either way, this is the number that appears on other people’s phones when you call them, and you still benefit from all the Google Voice perks. See it for yourself in our video after the break.

Continue reading Google Voice for Sprint hands-on (video)

Google Voice for Sprint hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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B&W Zeppelin Air with Apple AirPlay (review)

While the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air is as pricey as the earlier Zeppelin, Apple AirPlay support and improved sound quality make it a better value.

Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/speakers-speaker-systems/bowers-wilkins-zeppelin-air/4505-6467_7-34532717.html#ixzz1HYj4QFzq

Google Nexus S 4G for Sprint hands-on (video)

We finally got our hands on the elusive Samsung Nexus S 4G for Sprint at CTIA here today and it’s pretty much what you’d expect: a Nexus S with its GSM / HSPA radio swapped for a set of Sprint-compatible CDMA / EV-DO and WiMAX radios. While the Nexus S 4G lacks a SIM slot, it’s actually 0.3mm thicker than the Nexus S — that’s the thickness of a business card, and is meaningless for all practical purposes. The phone also features a 4G signal indicator in the status bar, along with a 4G sub-menu in the wireless settings. Our demo unit was running Android 2.3.4 (!) — a version we have not yet come across — but we were told that neither the hardware nor the software are final at this point. So don’t be surprised if the production model receives a few tweaks before launch. Perhaps a Sprint logo? Enjoy the gallery below, and hop past the break for our hands-on video.

Continue reading Google Nexus S 4G for Sprint hands-on (video)

Google Nexus S 4G for Sprint hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Color for iPhone and Android [App Of The Day]

Half the fun in taking pictures is sharing, right? Well, Color for iPhone and Android makes sharing all the fun. Except, you don’t get to choose who you’re sharing with. There’s no friending, no following, no privacy—just automatic sharing to the people around you. More »

Hercules diamond speakers: A girl’s best friend?

But really, who cares about the specs on the XPS Diamond speakers? Did you notice that they look like big diamonds?!

Google keeping Honeycomb source code on ice, says it’s not ready for other devices

Itching to put some sweet, crunchy AOSP Honeycomb on your hardware of choice? You might have quite a wait, as BusinessWeek reports that Google will not release the Android 3.0 source code in the near future, and we just received confirmation of the same. Google forwarded us the following statement, which pretty much says it all:

Android 3.0, Honeycomb, was designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes and improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization. While we’re excited to offer these new features to Android tablets, we have more work to do before we can deliver them to other device types including phones. Until then, we’ve decided not to release Honeycomb to open source. We’re committed to providing Android as an open platform across many device types and will publish the source as soon as it’s ready.

It’s fairly clear that the company’s motivation here is the same as it’s been all along — Google wants to restrict Android to the devices it was designed for. Though the company long insisted that earlier versions of Android were not for tablets, manufacturers quickly adapted the source code to slates anyhow, and we can imagine the company wasn’t thrilled some of the middling results. At that time, Google’s only weapon was to deny access to Gmail, Maps and Android Market, which it did liberally (with a few exceptions to the rule) but this time it sounds like it’s simply withholding the “entirely for tablet” source code instead of sending cease-and-desist letters out. Another explanation, however, could just be that Honeycomb’s not ready for primetime without some OEM help — last we checked, smartphone support was a far cry from final, and even the finished Motorola Xoom still has a few software kinks to work out. Here’s hoping a nice cold bowl of Ice Cream will smooth things over with the open source community before long.

Google keeping Honeycomb source code on ice, says it’s not ready for other devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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