Hasta La Gadget!

Europeans who were slightly disappointed that the Xperia V would be shipping with Ice Cream Sandwich a year after the OS first appeared will be glad to know that at least one Sony division shares their feelings. Sony France says it’s pushing back the launch of the 4.3-inch smartphone from late this year to the end of January so that it can ship with Jelly Bean from the start — unfortunate, but possibly worth the wait. The company is simultaneously dropping the off-contract price ever so slightly from €549 to €529 ($704 to $678) to make the delay that much more palatable. We’ve reached out to learn whether or not other European countries are on a similarly adjusted schedule, although it’s less likely that our Gallic friends will be singled out while everyone else gets their device earlier and waits for an upgrade.

Update: As Mobiltelefon.ru notes, Sony Russia claims it’s still on track to ship the Xperia V by the end of the year. While that’s not technically Europe, it suggests that Sony may not wait until 2013 to put everyone on the same page.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

Sony France says Xperia V pushed back to late January to make way for Jelly Bean (update: not universal) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gauging the quality of a restaurant or store through star ratings is often just slightly more reliable than picking blindfolded; one undercooked stir fry may tank the ratings for what’s otherwise a stellar eatery. In that sense, Foursquare’s revamped Explore for iOS users is a long-overdue replacement for an old concept. Rather than let the overly emotional guide our decisions, the update assigns ratings from a 10-point system based on how many people check in, how many are regulars and the number of tips or likes — in short, the degree to which people actually like to visit. Imagine that. Foursquare hasn’t said when Android and other platforms will see the Explore switchover, but it shouldn’t be too long before everyone knows where the local hotspot is without a few exceptions spoiling the rule.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

Foursquare Explore for iOS rates places by check-in popularity, doesn’t see stars originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LTE. LTE. More LTE. That’s what’s currently roaming the minds of wireless carriers in the US of A, and while Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are at the forefront of it all, smaller networks are also looking to get a piece of the “real 4G” pie. The latest one to flip its own Long Term Evolution switch is Kentucky-based Bluegrass Cellular, which was accomplished in large part thanks to Verizon’s LTE in Rural America program and is a culmination of an agreement inked back in 2010. With the initial rollout phase, Bluegrass Cellular’s expected to cover more than 348,000 folks in cities such as Bowling Green, Glasgow, Radcliff, Bardstown and Elizabethtown, offering subscribers in these areas speeds of around 12Mbps down and 5Mbps up. Naturally, Bluegrass plans on bringing LTE to more of its covered markets, with the outfit noting that it “will continue to expand 4G LTE to additional areas in 2013.”

Continue reading Bluegrass Cellular starts rolling out 4G LTE network with a bit of help from Verizon

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Bluegrass Cellular starts rolling out 4G LTE network with a bit of help from Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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European LTE deployments might just be getting started, but the European Commission is already trying to head off any bandwidth problems at the pass. The organization has ordered that 120MHz of normally 3G-only spectrum around the 2GHz band has to be reusable for LTE and other 4G networks by June 30th, 2014. Once the airwaves loosen up, the Commission sees its home continent having an advantage over an LTE-happy US: it expects to have as much as 1GHz of spectrum available for 4G, or potentially twice as much as what Americans might claim. Officials are also mulling plans to repurpose extra slices of 2GHz spectrum that haven’t even been used for 3G and could offer that much more headroom. While an edge over the US in bandwidth might not last after policy changes, it’s hard to complain if the EC move leads to future smartphones whose downloads stay speedy.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

European Commission clears 2GHz bands for LTE use by 2014, claims 4G pipes wider than the US originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone fans in the Great White North shouldn’t have to wait long to get their hands on HTC’s latest piece of kit — a internal Bell document obtained by MobileSyrup pegs the 8X for a November 15th launch. The reported Canadian launch date trails T-Mobile’s availability by a mere day, noting that pre-ordered devices could ship out as early as November 9th. Not too surprising, considering the phone just skipped through the FCC with support for the entire north American continent. No word on pricing, but the page’s listed specs nicely match the brightly colored 4.3-inch, 1.5GHz dual-core slab we reviewed. Not a Bell customer? Don’t worry — MobileSyrup is hearing murmurs that the same date applies to Rogers, as well.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

Bell gearing up for November 15th HTC 8X release originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Nov 2012 20:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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