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Let’s be honest, ZTE isn’t exactly the best at keeping its upcoming devices secretly under wraps before eventually making them official — and, well, such is the case with the latest, unannounced Blade III. Finnish retailer Verkkokauppa’s currently listing ZTE’s purported Blade III as a 3.5-inch (800 x 480) slab that’s sporting Ice Cream Sandwich, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU (MSM7227A) and a 5-megapixel rear shooter. Still, as FoneArena points out, these alleged specs go against other rumors circulating around the web, which indicate the Blade III is boasting a 4-inch display rather than the smaller sized 3.5-incher listed on the Finnish site. Whatever it may be, let’s just hope ZTE’s next Android smartphone doesn’t come with any backdoor woes.

Continue reading ZTE’s alleged ‘Blade III’ smartphone gets photographed ahead of official announcement

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

ZTE’s alleged ‘Blade III’ smartphone gets photographed ahead of official announcement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 04:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know you’re doing well when even your warmed-up, older smartphone is triggering queues before it’s on sale. Xiaomi has just promised that the Phone 1S will reach the market on August 23rd, but with 200,000 units to share — a slight shortfall when there are 1.3 million reserved phones. The company hasn’t said how quickly it will catch up to the backlog for its revived Android flagship. We hope it’s soon; it wouldn’t do to have customers still waiting for the 1S by the time the Phone 2 rolls around in October, after all. We’d say it’s a nice problem to have, and it bodes well for sales of the true sequel.

Filed under: Cellphones

Xiaomi Phone 1S ships August 23rd with avalanche of backorders originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boost Mobile is in New York City today to take the wraps off of its new fall lineup, and in addition to the Galaxy S II 4G, it’ll be joined by the Samsung Galaxy Rush, a small (but slightly souped-up) smartphone that sports Android 4.0. Noteworthy specs include a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen and a 3-megapixel camera. While built-in storage is limited to just 2GB, users will find a microSD slot for expansion. The phone also sports a rather healthy battery, which weighs in at 1,750mAh. According to Boost, the Samsung Galaxy Rush will hit stores in late September for $150.

Additionally, Boost Mobile is also unveiling the Samsung Array, a feature phone with a sliding QWERTY keyboard. You’ll see it hit stores on September 4th for $60, and you can sneak a peek of it after the break.

Continue reading Boost Mobile announces Samsung Galaxy Rush with Android 4.0, available late September for $150

Filed under: Cellphones

Boost Mobile announces Samsung Galaxy Rush with Android 4.0, available late September for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos recently dropped a few hints about a Gen 10 tablet, and, just as promised, three weeks later the device is getting its official unveiling. Meet the Archos 101 XS, a 10-inch slate running Ice Cream Sandwich and a dual-core TI OMAP-4470 processor.

Staying true to the company’s budget-friendly rep, the 101 XS will go for $400 when it drops in November, and that includes the tablet’s main attraction: a keyboard dock that also acts as a cover to protect the 1,280 x 800 display. The so-called Coverboard attaches to the tablet’s body magnetically, and there’s a dock for securing the device when you want to type. The Coverboard sports a full QWERTY layout along with home, back and recently open buttons for navigating the Android OS. Speaking of which, Archos says the XS will be upgradeable to Jelly Bean in October. Other key specs include 16GB of internal storage, a 1.3-megapixel, 720p webcam and a 1.3-pound, 0.31-inch-thick design.

To complement its new slab, Archos has also announced several new docks and covers. The Boombox speaker dock will charge your 101 XS while you soak up 32 watts of music playback. If you’d prefer to hook it up to your existing system, the Cradle dock has audio-out ports alongside a pair of USB sockets that can be connected to portable hard drives — and more music. A selection of pouches and sleeves will also be up for grabs for anyone who’s willing to leave that Coverboard behind. Pricing info for these accessories is yet to come.

For more info, head past the break for the press release (and photos). We also have a full review of the 101 XS — check it out here.

Jamie Rigg contributed to this report.

Continue reading Archos announces 101 XS tablet with built-in keyboard dock, arriving in November for $400

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Archos announces 101 XS tablet with built-in keyboard dock, arriving in November for $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LTE doesn’t have to mean premium pricing — just ask MetroPCS. The budget carrier, notable for its recent launch of VoLTE, has announced the availability of a limited time promo service bundling unlimited voice, text and data dubbed Wireless for All. And to help give that initiative a proper public splash, the company’s tossed in some new kit: LG’s Motion 4G. That handset, a humble 3.5-incher, is actually the first Android 4.0 device to bow on the company’s lineup and bears a familiar dual-core CPU setup clocked at 1.2GHz, HVGA display, 5GB of internal storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD), a 5-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p video and 1,700mAh battery. As ICS handsets come, it’s certainly no big leaguer, but at $149, plus the addition of that all-you-can eat $55/mo plan, it’s hard to find fault with affordable. Skip on past the break to peruse the company’s official presser.

Continue reading MetroPCS outs LG Motion 4G in tandem with unlimited all-you-can-eat plan

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

MetroPCS outs LG Motion 4G in tandem with unlimited all-you-can-eat plan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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