Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung’s got a new Galaxy in town, and it’s the Victory 4G LTE on Sprint. Available on the Now Network this upcoming Sunday, the device packs Android 4.0 (ICS), a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 Lite SoC, 1GB RAM, Google Wallet and a 5 megapixel camera paired up with a 1.3MP front-facing cam. Additionally, the phone takes advantage of a 2,100mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0, 4GB internal storage and a microSD slot. It also throws in a few features seen on the Galaxy S III, such as S Beam and AllShare Play. Lastly, the Victory weighs 4.9 ounces and is a ghastly 12.7mm thick. The price? $100, after a $50 mail-in rebate. We don’t see this thing selling like pancakes at that pricing tier, so what is it a victory over, anyway? Check the press release below the break for more info.

Continue reading Sprint announces Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE, available September 16th for $100

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Sprint announces Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE, available September 16th for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patchy coverage; fragmented frequencies; tight-lipped and cautious carriers: the iPhone 5‘s LTE may be one of the headline features, but it’s also causing the most confusion. As predicted, Apple threw in support for LTE networks across the globe in the new smartphone, though it was forced to use three different versions to do so. Even those three may not be enough to satisfy everyone, however: there are some significant holes for high-profile carriers.

Beyond the usual color and storage capacity options, there will be three different types of iPhone 5. Each will cater to different carriers in different geographies: Model A1428 (GSM) with the AWS and 700b LTE bands (4 and 17) for AT&T in the US, and Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada (including Virgin, Fido, and Kudo, their respective sub-brands).

Model A1429 (CDMA) supports the most LTE bands, with 2100, 1800, 850, 700c, and 1900 (bands 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25), though ironically Apple is positioning it for the fewest carriers: only Verizon and Sprint in the US, and KDDI in Japan. Finally, Model A1429 (GSM) handles most places outside of North America, with LTE service for Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, the UK’s EE, Australia’s Optus, Virgin, and Telstra, Japan’s Softbank, Korea’s SK Telecom and KT, Hong Kong’s SmarTone, and Singapore’s M1 and SingTel.

That leaves plenty of carriers either with 3G-only support or planning LTE networks with no band support in any of the three iPhone 5 models. As Engadget highlights, UK carriers Vodafone and O2 may well be readying their own LTE push, but they’ll be using 800MHz (band 20) and 2.6GHz (band 7) for their 4G and thus won’t actually work with the iPhone 5.

To counter that, some carriers are offering a get-out-clause of sorts partway through the typical two-year agreement. O2′s new “4G Handset Promise” will mean iPhone 5 buyers will be able to upgrade to a device compatible with the carrier’s LTE network, it told The Inquirer, mid-contract when that network launches. Vodafone, meanwhile, is simply pushing its 3G network with the new nano SIMs needed for the iPhone 5, as is Three.

Even those with LTE on their carrier of choice may find they’re unable to use 4G while they’re in another country. With no direct LTE roaming between the North American GSM iPhone 5 and the European/Asia GSM model, those hoping to hop between continents with seamless high-speed data will be disappointed.

Somewhat comically, given CDMA’s history of being limited in terms of roaming, the CDMA iPhone 5 may be the best bet for international roaming, as it supports the same three bands of the Euro GSM version. Verizon told ArsTechnica that it would be “surveying which markets line up best with the frequencies available in our version of the iPhone 5″ when global roaming is enabled “in the future.” However, the three models don’t only vary by LTE bands; the UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA bands they each support are different too.

It’s worth noting that this 4G headache is nowhere near a problem limited to the iPhone 5, though it’s likely to be Apple’s handset that draws the greatest attention to the fragmented condition of LTE roll-out. Existing Android LTE phones, on sale for some time now, are also limited to 4G in specific markets, so even those with so-called “global roaming” support max out at 3G when abroad.

Despite hopes for a seven-band LTE radio based on Qualcomm technology, it seems size and other limitations have forced Apple’s hand when it comes to catering to the most territories with the least number of versions. For now, it’s worth doing some research if you’re hoping to use your new iPhone 5 with LTE in more than one country.

More on the iPhone 5 in our full hands-on!

The 4G migraine: iPhone 5 highlights scrappy LTE is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Brits ready to stake their preorder claim this Friday might have a harder time deciding between the myriad of networks offering the device. While all of the major UK carriers will be ready to offer you the iPhone 5, that LTE radio will only be working on the newly-christened EE from the start, with Three likely to use that purchased spectrum (after getting the okay from Ofcom) to similar effect in the near-future. Unfortunately for Vodafone and O2, the forthcoming Ofcom spectrum auction is gearing up to sell off the 800MHz (Band 20) and 2.6GHz (Band 7) frequencies — neither of which are found on Apple’s multiple iPhone 5 models, and the latter being a bigger problem in Europe and Asia, where LTE networks already make use of the 2.6GHz frequency. However, Apple have followed up an initial phone launch with additional network-specific models before — so there’s a slim chance we could see another model at a later date. All the UK carriers are keeping their contract prices a tightly-guarded secret at the moment, but we’ll update as soon as we hear more. Meanwhile, those on that little European isle can expect to pay £529 for the entry-level iPhone 5 from the source when pre-orders start this Friday.

Update: Pocket-lint‘s been told that those looking to grab the EE iteration will need to initially register with either Orange or T-Mobile, with your service bizarrely migrating across on a later, as-yet unconfirmed, date. This is because its new 4G network won’t be ready when the iPhone 5 first hits shops on September 21st. Before that, you’ll have to make do with HSPA+ speeds.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

LTE iPhone 5 coming to EE and Three in UK, but not O2 and Vodafone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has a tradition of timing FCC filings for new wireless mobile devices so that they appear just as soon as they’ve been announced, and it’s not about to let up now. We’ve got a trifecta of approvals on the way for 2012 that start with the iPhone 5. What’s hard to miss is the absurd number of cellular bands at work: as Apple had to make separate iPhone 5 models to cover every LTE carrier it supports, on top of the usual alphabet soups for CDMA and GSM, the filing combining the two devices is one of the largest we’ve seen to date. The addition of 5GHz WiFi support only compounds the situation.

A pair of iPods also made their appearances today, and they’ve been given the regulatory once-over as well. The iPod touch has the 5GHz WiFi band included and isn’t special by itself, but the new iPod nano is noteworthy simply for showing up at all — the inclusion of Bluetooth means a spin past the testing facility in addition to some wireless audio. We’re still digging to see if the iPhone or new iPods have any surprises, although you can have a first-hand look through the source links.

Brad Molen contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile

iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As expected, Apple today revealed the iPhone 5. The new iPhone 5 is the first significant update to the iPhone line in 2 years, after last year’s incremental iPhone 4S release, and just in time for iPhone 4 users’ contracts to expire. Perfect timing again, Apple.

Starting off with the hardware changes, the new iPhone has a 1136 x 640 (326 ppi) resolution, 4″ multitouch display – for the first time offering a true 16×9 display ratio – ideal for viewing HD video content. This bigger screen also buys you one extra row of apps on the home screen. While Apple has already upgraded its bundled apps for the taller screen, existing apps will be centered on the screen with tiny black bars above and below. The new display is also much thinner, and touts 44% more color saturation than the previous model.

From the front, the iPhone 5 doesn’t look dramatically different – though the camera has been centered above the speaker at the top of the phone, and it looks a little stretched out thanks to the larger screen. On the backside of the unibody aluminum case, you can see a two-toned matte finish which looks nice and is should be way less susceptible to breakage than the all-glass back of the last generation. The iPhone is 7.6mm thick and it weighs 112 grams, making it the thinnest and lightest iPhone yet – 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the 4S as a matter of fact.

Under the hood, the iPhone 5 has an upgraded processor, the A6, which Apple says is twice as fast as its predecessor in both the CPU and graphics departments. And thank goodness, Apple has finally jumped on the 4G bandwagon, offering 4G LTE high-speed connectivity. Assuming you live in a 4G coverage area, this is reason alone to upgrade. The phone also supports HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA wireless technologies. Wi-Fi has also gotten a boost, with 802.11a/b/g/n and dual channel 2.4/5GHz support.

Despite the upgrades to CPU and wireless, Battery life is rated at 8 hours on an LTE connection, and 10 hours on Wi-Fi, which I assume they achieved thanks to the new low-power display. Word is that the battery is only a 1440 mAh model – in comparison, the Droid RAZR MAXX has a 3300 mAh battery – but it also has a much larger screen and older display tech.

The iPhone 5′s camera sounds like no slouch, and it has to live up to the stellar camera in the iPhone 4S. It’s got an 8 megapixel sensor with backside illumination, a hybrid IR filter, five-element lens and an f/2.4 aperture. A new dynamic low-light mode provides 2 extra f-stops of performance compared to the 4S too. The new camera also is faster by up to 40%, and offers a spacial noise reduction algorithm in its new image processing chip. The camera also supports a panorama mode similar to the one found on Sony cameras, shooting massive 28 megapixel widescreen images.

Video mode offers 1080p HD capture with improvements to image stabilization, as well as face detection, and the ability to snap stills while shooting. The front-facing FaceTime HD camera offers 720p resolution, with backside illumination, face detection. You’ll also be able to use FaceTime on cellular networks now. Also upgraded is the audio system, with three microphones (front, back and bottom), as well as improved speakers. In addition, you’ll note that the headphone jack has been moved to the bottom of the phone.

One major change is the switch from the long-standing 30-pin dock connector to a new all-digital, 8-pin connector, dubbed “Lightning.” While the new connector is more durable and 80% smaller to allow for smaller and thinner devices, it does mean you’ll need to start buying new accessories unless you’rewilling to deal with the use of an adapter.

Of course, Apple will gladly sell you some ugly, but necessary 30-pin-to-Lightning connector adapters for $29 a piece. One can only guess that Apple will make tens of millions of dollars selling these over the next few months.

As anticipated, the iPhone 5 will ship with iOS 6, which is loaded with lots of goodies, including improved phone call handling (such as sending a text or SMS when you can’t accept a call,) Facebook integration, upgrades to Safari, Mail, Facetime and Siri. Shared Photo Stream lets you share images with family and friends, and allows comments and likes as well.

The new Passbook app will let you organize tickets, coupons and gift cards in one neat digital wallet. However, it looks like Apple chose to forgo NFC (Near-field communication) technology for now, which certainly doesn’t help the fortunes of that budding technology.

iOS 6 also is the first release to do away with Google’s apps – so both the Maps and YouTube apps you know will be gone. Instead, you’ll get Apple’s new maps app, which features sharp, vector-based images, turn-by-turn navigation, traffic information, Siri and Yelp integration. The only real concern here is how accurate and up-to-date Apple’s mapping data will be in comparison to the years of information Google has collected. As for YouTube, just grab Google’s own new YouTube app now. It’s much better anyhow.

The iPhone 5 will come in three memory configurations: 16GB ($199 USD), 32GB ($299 USD), 64GB ($399 USD) with a 2-year contract.  All models are available in either black or white, with that sexy aluminum back. As a bonus, you can pick up the “old” iPhone 4S for just $99, starting today. 4G LTE Carriers for the iPhone 5 are as follows: U.S.: Sprint, AT&T, Verizon. Canada: Bell, Rogers, Telus, Fido, Virgin Mobile; UK/Germany: T-Mobile; Japan: Softbank and KDDI; Korea: SKT and KT; Hong Kong: SmarTone; and Singapore: SingTel.

The iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order starting this Friday, September 14th, 2012, and will land in stores and homes in North America, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore on September 21st. 20 more countries will get the phone next month. Keep an eye out on the Apple website for pre-order details and more specs.

With all the leaks from parts makers over the last few months, there were no real surprises in today’s announcement, but the iPhone 5 still looks like the most impressive phone Apple has made to date. Assuming battery life is as good as they say, and the 4G networks aren’t brought to their knees when it launches, I can’t see many reasons not to upgrade if you’ve got an iPhone 4 or earlier model.

[Image Credit: gdgt]