Hasta La Gadget!

Today the folks from Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8 in all its glory here live in San Fransisco. Along with many announcements and improvements we were able to grab a quick hands-on with what appears to be one of the best Windows Phone 8 phones coming soon. That being the impressive 4.8-inch Samsung ATIV S. This isn’t quite a Galaxy S III caliber smartphone, but it’s as close as you’ll get with Windows Phone 8 so lets take a look.

For those that missed the original details on the ATIV S that leaked back in August, Samsung’s built an impressive smartphone running Windows Phone 8 — and has equipped it with some top tier specs. The screen is bigger than the new Lumia 920, as well as the Windows Phone 8X by HTC “signature handset” of WP8. Here’s the full rundown on this sleek all aluminum smartphone.

The Samsung ATIV S comes with a bright and crisp 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor by Qualcomm. You’ll get 1GB of RAM (vs 2GB on the Galaxy S III) 16 or 32GB of storage based on carriers, an 8 megapixel rear camera, and 1.3 front shooter for Skype video chat. Under the hood Samsung’s equipped this 4.8-inch beast with a large 2,300 mAh hour battery (compared to the HTC 8X’s 1,800) and it will rock the usual 4G LTE radios where available, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and more.

The Samsung ATIV S will be available in one color, that being the gorgeous and durable brushed aluminum silver shown here, and is protected with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2 on the front face. The brand new Samsing ATIV S takes some subtle hints from the Galaxy S III, right down to the menu and back buttons neatly placed around the physical home (or start in this case) button in the middle. The entire device is actually just barely bigger than the HTC 8X in size, a little thinner, and comes with a much larger 4.8-inch display. Feel free to check out our in-depth Windows Phone 8 Review. Until we hear more on the Samsung ATIV S enjoy a few quick photo’s and Windows Phone 8X by HTC comparison pictures below.

Samsung ATIV S Windows Phone 8 hands-on is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s Windows Phone 8 day and Verizon’s brand new Nokia Lumia 822 is up on display for all to see and touch. This unit works with Windows Phone 8 of course and will have 4G LTE upon launching, right here we’re seeing specifications – and a aesthetics – that are rather similar to the Lumia 822 that exists in GSM form for both AT&T and T-Mobile as the Nokia Lumia 820 or slight variations therein. This device will be appearing with a lovely 4.3-inch display at WVGA 480 x 800 resolution and you’ve got a replaceable back cover that’ll allow wireless charging if you pick the right one.

Also inside this device is 1GB of RAM, and 8 megapixel camera on the back, and a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. Have a peek at our original 820 hands-on for more comparisons, then hear this: Verizon will be offering up this device for $99 attached to a 2-year contract. That’s a fabulous deal if you love Windows Phone 8 and want a Carl Zeiss lens on the back to back up your 8 megapixels of fury.

Of course you’ve also got Nokia’s own City Lens augmented reality explorer app, free streaming radio, and more from both Nokia Drive+ and Nokia Music. The device will be appearing soon, and very soon, since the global versions of many of the Windows Phone 8 smartphones we’ve seen this week will be available this weekend. With a Windows Phone 8 device on Verizon – this of course also the first of its kind – you can expect either a brilliant flare of sales or a complete lack of interest.

We’re expecting the first of these two options, especially since Microsoft is pushing so extremely hard at the advertising angle. Like Microsoft’s own Steve Ballmer said this week at the Windows Phone 8 reveal event – you won’t be able to turn on your television or click a webpage on the internet soon without seeing Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8 somewhere or another. With that we’re going to guess that bright lights will soon be descending upon us – just wait!

Nokia Lumia 822 hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you were planning to buy an iPad mini and wanted it to arrive on launch day (November 2), then you were no doubt camped out in front of your computer at midnight with your credit card in hand and repeatedly tapping the F5 key. However, it seems that wasn’t too necessary, since the black version of the device just now sold out. And since the iPad mini is now completely sold out of launch day shipments, the tablet is selling for huge bucks on eBay.

Of course, you can still order an iPad mini if you’d like, but you’ll be waiting a couple more weeks for your unit to arrive on your doorstep. The white version sold out quickly — almost instantaneously after Apple flipped the switch to begin the pre-order process. However, the black model remained available throughout the day.

This goes to show just how popular white versions of Apple products are. When Apple first introduced white products starting with the iPhone 3G, we thought it wouldn’t catch on as much as the company’s tried and true black versions, but it seems customers really like the color of purity when it comes to mobile devices.

While some critics and potential buyers of the iPad mini scoffed at the $329 price tag, it seems most people aren’t too bothered by it. iPad minis are even selling for greater than the $329 price on eBay, and I even spotted one that sold for $900, with the seller claiming that he could ship the device “ASAP” since he works at Best Buy and ended up snatching one early. We’re not sure how illegal this is, but it goes to show that some people will spend almost $1,000 to get an iPad mini early. However, most eBay auctions for iPad minis are selling for over $400, which is a bit more reasonable than $900, but still pretty crazy.

[via eWeek]

iPad mini shipments delayed two weeks, selling for big bucks on eBay is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Have you ever been in the midst of cooking, mucked up hands and all, and needed to get to spices? Pull open the drawer and try to find the one you need. Next thing you know you are trying to open that new jar of paprika by stabbing it with a massive chef’s knife only to have butterfingers take over and yep – paprika shower. Dealing with those little spice jars stinks. Having spices readily accessible and easy to measure definitely makes a difference.

Take the hassle out of dishing out spices with the Auto Measure Spice Carousel from Kitchen Art, $27.51 on Amazon.com. First, fill up the 12 removable spice compartments. Each offers shaking and pouring options or use the auto measure dial. Simply twist the dial to measure out a ¼ teaspoon. No more need to pour spices into a measuring spoons. Keep them where they belong! Also included are 55 different compartment labels so you can easily identify the spice. Place the carousel on the counter or mount it under a cabinet. And for those that have more than 12 spices (me!) buy a couple carousels and stack them up.  So don’t let your cooking prowess be deterred by pesky spice jars. Get yourself a carousel (or two).

[ Organize Your Spices copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

It’s taken its sweet time showing itself but we’ve finally got to handle Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 device, the ATIV S (not to be confused with the similarly-named Windows RT tablet). At Microsoft’s launch event for its new mobile OS, the phone’s 4.8-inch AMOLED display certainly helps to make the most of those colorful tiles — this time around a higher resolution (1,280 x 720) screen kept everything looking sharp. Aside from the screen, the hardware doesn’t pack a unibody build, but it does offer the power user both a 2,3000mAh battery and the microSD slot — a combination that’s looking pretty rare among debut Windows Phone 8 devices. On the other hand, Samsung’s brought its (admittedly divisive) glossy plastic shell of its Android Galaxy phones, although there is some cosmetic differences. We take a tour of the hardware — and that freshly minted OS — after the break.

Continue reading Samsung ATIV S: Hands-on with Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 device (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung ATIV S: Hands-on with Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 device (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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