This week the LG Optimus G Pro appears to have popped its head up with AT&T 4G LTE in mind as the FCC approves with a resounding thumbs up. What we’re seeing here is an FCC approval process posting with what’s said to be the code-name for the LG Optimus G Pro, just a few characters away from the original Optimus G. This device, if indeed coming to AT&T this Spring, will be a competitor for the also-giant Samsung Galaxy Note II (and possibly III) the whole year long.
As it’s been discovered by Engadget, the LG Optimus G Pro phantom is running on the bands that AT&T does indeed use. That’s 4G LTE and all, ready to rock with all the Optimus G Pro excellence we’ve seen come out of this device just this past month internationally. When we had a look at it, we made sure to test out what LG let us know it was very proud of in its photography skills.
The LG Optimus G Pro works with a massive 5.5-inch display that’s sharp as a tack – 1080p and working with the Qualcomm Snadragon 600 quad-core processor. That’s the same beast we’re seeing work some real magic in the HTC One, this time also packing heat with 2GB of RAM and Android 4.1+ Jelly Bean up front. We’ve seen this device in white and in black – and they’re both rather fabulous.
We’ve known for several weeks that Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus would be updated to the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but today the news is official, and Verizon has announced that the rollout will begin today. Verizon has noted that they’ll be rolling out the update “in phases,” so you may not get the update right away.
The update includes a slew of new features, including Photosphere, which is a camera feature that allows you to take 360-degree panoramic pictures. You can also take advantage of new tools in the camera app in order to add filters, borders, and other photo-customization options. There’s also a new gesture keyboard that comes with the update, allowing for Swype-like typing.
We were first hinted at an Android 4.2.2 update for the Galaxy Nexus last month, when GSM versions the device were receiving the update over the air, but no official announcement was made yet. Then later on, we were able to snag an unofficial version of the update for Verizon’s model of the device. However, it looks like the carrier is finally pushing out the update to all.
The Galaxy Nexus is one of Google’s many Nexus devices that released in late 2011 as the successor of the Nexus S, but it was eventually succeeded by the Nexus 4, the company’s latest Nexus handset. The Galaxy Nexus was manufactured by Samsung, and while most Nexus devices are branded as Google products, the Galaxy Nexus was one of the few Nexus devices to be branded as a Samsung product.
It’s time to get minimal with Google’s newest update for the Gmail app for your Android 4.1+ Jelly Bean devices – complete with notification pull-down menu buttons for reply and archive! This update shows the message (as you’re seeing in the first image here) in extremely short form along with Archive and Reply buttons, this giving you super-quick access to your mail and a way to bust out of viewing every single message as you’d have to otherwise. This update works for devices working with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or newer and there’s been no comment as yet on similar features being pushed to iOS.
With the iPhone you’ve got the ability to tap a notification of a Gmail email and get into that email in full form, but a quick reply or archive are not presently up for grabs. The Android update coming your way today also adds some advanced search functions for “faster search and better search suggestions” for greater ease in finding messages both online and when you’re nowhere near a web connection.
This update also allows you to work with existing notification features so you can tell your Android device which messages should be popping up for you as a notification and which shouldn’t. According to Google:
So if you filter and label all the messages from your mom, you could set a ringtone to let you know you received a new mail from her and then quickly reply (because we know what can happen when you ignore your mother!).
Listen to your mother! And reply to her quickly with a notifications pull-down tap with this newest update today. You can head to the Google Play app store for the Gmail update right this minute or simply wait until you’re notified of an impending update automatically – whichever you choose.
Sony fleshed out its revamped smartphone lineup on Monday, announcing two new handsets: the Xperia SP and the Xperia L. The pair sits clearly downmarket of Sony’s flagship Xperia Z, which was launched back at the Consumer Electronics Show in …
Sony today announced in Europe two new Xperia smartphone models to join its 2013 line up – the Xperia SP and Xperia L. The Xperia SP delivers 4G LTE performance and an exceptional viewing experience, with a razor sharp HD screen housed in a beautiful design. The Xperia L provides class leading camera technology with HDR for both photos and videos complemented by a high quality screen.
Xperia SP – High Definition brilliance in a premium design The Xperia SP utilises expertise from Sony’s BRAVIA …
With the Samsung GALAXY S 4 the company has focused on four key areas that they’ve found are most important for everyday life fulfillment, the first being Enjoyment. Creating and nurturing relationships is the second, Everyday Convenience is the third, and the fourth and final pillar is Health and Wellness. With this release, Samsung isn’t just creating a smartphone that you’ll integrate into your life, they’re creating a conduit through which you’ll be living your life in a more pleasant, healthy, and convenient way.
In the release of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 you’ll have noticed the look and feel of the device to be largely similar to what we’ve experienced before with the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Note series after the Note II. This is done to keep you in the Samsung natural-feeling aesthetic, one that’s proven itself to be monumentally successful over the past year in many products.
This device works with a 5-inch display and has had its bezel minimized – it’s smaller than it’s been on any Samsung device before. This minimized battery creates a feeling that you’re using one massive display rather than a display embedded in a smartphone. Covering the display you’ll find the most advanced reinforced protection with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3.
This viewing experience is enhanced to the max with Full HD Super AMOLED display technology. You’ll be working with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution, that’s 441 PPI across the 5-inch display and by far the sharpest smart device display offered by Samsung thus far. This is also one of the sharpest displays on a smartphone in the industry today, right up next to the HTC One (468 PPI) and the DROID DNA (440 PPI).
As for photography and videography equipment, you’ll be starting with a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera. These cameras work with a set of new software outlined in the timeline below, specifically in the “Enjoyment” section – a must-see!
Inside you’ll find that the battery is more powerful than before (2600 mAh, mind you) while the overall device is thinner than the Galaxy S III. The GALAXY S4 weighs in at 130g and is slim as ever with just 7.9mm to its name.
The GALAXY S4 is lighter than its predecessor and it’s more powerful “in all ways” as Samsung notes. This device works with a Qualcomm quad-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz as well as a Samsung Exynos 1.6Ghz “Octa” processor depending on where you get the device – you’ll know final location and hardware when release information is final in your area of the planet.
You’ll also be backed up by 2GB RAM per the standard fare in essentially every top-tier smartphone on the market today. The GALAXY S4 will be released in three different internal storage capacities, 16, 32, and 64GB, each of these coming with a microSD card slot for 64GB memory expansion. Depending on the carrier you’re working with, one, two, or all three versions will be available to you starting in early April, 2013.
As the GALAXY S4 supports HSPA+42 Mbps as well as 4G LTE, you’ll find this device released on many – if not all – of your favorite carriers around the world. Inside the USA we’ll see the device released on each of the top four mobile carriers as well as Cricket, the cutest of the USA carriers.
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean will be coming with the device right out of the box with the company’s newest version of TouchWiz integrated for a fully Samsung-friendly experience. For more information on the software side of this device, you’ll want to check out the four pillars of excellence mentioned in the first paragraph of this post. Each of these four pillars can be found in the timeline below – check it out!
This week the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has been revealed complete with a hardware design that’ll have the Apple-loving world baffled: it looks, at first, to be the same device as last year. With the Samsung Galaxy S III we had a device that introduced the nature-themed aesthetics of the Samsung universe still being used today on smartphones, tablets, and everything in-between. Now with the GALAXY S 4, we’re seeing that the company isn’t messing around with its winning design.
As far as specifications go for the hardware on the GALAXY S 4 as it compares the the iPhone 5, there really couldn’t be two more different devices. With the GALAXY S 4 you’ve got Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean (the newest Android on the block) and the company’s own TouchWiz user interface working alongside and within. The iPhone, on the other hand, has iOS – the only version of the software that exists for the newest wave of Apple mobile devices.
Samsung GALAXY S 4 Display: 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED 1920 x 1080 pixel display at 441 PPI Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / Samsung Exynos 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor – depending on market Cameras: 2 megapixel front-facing, 13 megapixel back-facing Dimensions: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g Storage: 16 / 32 / 64 GB internal storage, 64GB expansion microSD slot Battery: 2600 mAh
iPhone 5 Display: 4-inch Retina 640 x 1136 pixel display at 306 PPI Processor: A6 Cameras: 1.2 megapixel front-facing, 8 megapixel back-facing Dimensions: 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm, 112g Storage: 16 / 32 / 64 GB internal storage Battery: 1440 mAh
When you have a peek at our iPhone 5 full review, you’ll find that it’s an entirely different user experience than the Samsung GALAXY S 4 is shaping up to be. With the GALAXY S 4 you’ll be working with Samsung’s newest-in-new user experience as outlined in their four user experience pillars of greatness – you’ll see these in the timeline below as well. Android runs here as well with all the connections that operating system implies while Apple’s OS is in an entirely different arena.
Both devices are, on the other hand, connected to the major apps across the board – Facebook, Twitter, all your social networking goodness, and more apps to send messages back and forth between any device than you’ll be able to ever experience. What this decision will come down to, for you, is whether you’re going to pick up a device with a massive display and Samsung’s brand on its back, or if you’re going to go with the other most popular smartphone in the world, Apple’s iPhone.
Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the brand new Samsung GALAXY S 4 and remember to check the full iPhone 5 review out for just about as close-up a look as you’re going to get without purchasing the device for yourself – and let us know what you choose!
Now that the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has been revealed officially and the HTC One is out in reviewers’ hands, it’s time to do the first big battle royal between the two. With the GALAXY S 4 you’ve got Samsung’s continuation of a legacy with a device that looks rather similar to the Samsung Galaxy S III, not to mention the Galaxy Note devices that’ve been revealed in the time since the smartphone’s last iteration’s reveal. With the HTC One we’ve got what appears to be more of an utter re-vamp of the company’s wares from top to bottom – which approach suits you best?
Both devices work with Android Jelly Bean, though the HTC One’s update to 4.2 is coming soon (perhaps by launch time) while the GALAXY S 4 has its 4.2 version of the software ready on the device right here this week as it’s revealed. The HTC device has a user interface that’s extremely different from what they’ve offered before with a whole new app drawer for Android and a feature called BlinkFeed – learn more about HTC’s approach in our full HTC One review.
The Samsung GALAXY S 4, on the other hand, adds a collection of apps and features to its user interface with TouchWiz, leaving the UI in a more grand way pretty much the same as it’s been on the newest updates to both the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II. Have a peek at some specification comparisons here to see how the hardware differs, too:
Samsung GALAXY S 4 Display: 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED 1920 x 1080 pixel display at 441 PPI Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / Samsung Exynos 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor – depending on market Cameras: 2 megapixel front-facing, 13 megapixel back-facing Dimensions: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g Storage: 16 / 32 / 64 GB internal storage, 64GB expansion microSD slot Battery: 2600 mAh
HTC One Display: 4.7-inch Full HD Super LCD3 1920 x 1080 pixel display at 469 PPI Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor Cameras: 2.1 megapixel front-facing, 4 megapixel back-facing (Ultrapixels in both cases) Dimensions: 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm, 143g Storage: 32 / 64 GB internal storage Battery: 2300 mAh
The Samsung GALAXY S 4 has been pushed with a set of four pillars of user experience excellence while the HTC One was given a similar push with more feature upgrades than you can shake a stick at. In the timeline below you’ll be given a tour of our hands-on experiences with the HTC One and its features as well as a tour of the GALAXY S 4′s four pillars. You’ll find both approaches to be rather interesting if not utterly confusing until you actually have the hardware in your hands.
And here’s one of the biggest key differentiators between the two of these devices: the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has a removable, replaceable battery as well as a microSD expansion slot. The HTC One has neither.
If one thing is true about both of these devices, its that their makers aren’t holding back when it comes to putting features in full-force. Now we’ve got to see if the public will accept a whirlwind of software and hardware upgrades at once, or if they’ll opt to stick with the simpler approaches on the market that are already available.
As the fourth and perhaps most innovative pillar of the collection here with the Samsung GALAXY S 4, the “Health and Wellness” category introduces a brand new app: S-Health. The app ecosystem known as S Health has been introduced with the Samsung GALAXY S 4 with the ability to keep track, monitor, and provide information on your health activity. This app works with the sensors on the smartphone to show you pedometer information – how fast you’ve walked, where you’ve walked, and how long you’ve walked.
S-Health also shows you information on your environment – humidity and temperature – tracking these elements over time. You can also track your dietary habits – though in that case you’ll have to tell the device what you’re actually eating and drinking. That information can be tracked over time and, “based on a database,” you’ll have caloric consumption information.
You’ll have Adapt Sound and Adapt Display prepared for understand the type of content you’re consuming and will adapt speakers and display based on that content. Reading text will have the device “maximize the viewing experience”, making the display most comfortable for your eyes.
A set of accessories is also being introduced by the company with the S-Band, for starters, and a body scale and heart monitor to round out the collection. We’ll have a full hands-on look at these lovely bits and pieces for you sooner than later. Stick to the GALAXY S 4 tag portal for more!
Meanwhile you’ll want to head to the timeline below to see the full set of hands-on and news blast articles posted during the big Samsung GALAXY S 4 reveal event without a doubt. There you’ll see the device itself, full specifications included, as well as the rest of the full four pillars Samsung has presented for the device as an ideal new-world user experience for you!
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