Hasta La Gadget!

New pictures have just leaked of Pantech’s second 4G LTE device for Verizon Wireless. What you’re looking at below is their new Pantech Star Q, complete with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and decent mid-range specs. The new budget offering hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the folks from AndroidandMe received the picture below confirming its existence.

What you’ll get from the Pantech Star Q is an overall decent mid-range smartphone. It runs on Verizon 4G LTE, and packs the same 1.5 GHz dual-core S4 processor as the Galaxy S III, but that is where the good news ends. Most likely it will be a free device, or around the $49 mark — otherwise I doubt many will be buying it.

It rocks a 4-inch display, 3 megapixel camera on the rear and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Sadly for some reason Pantech’s UI changes to Ice Cream Sandwich makes this phone look like something from 2009. The low WVGA resolution screen and measly 3 megapixel camera (without flash) will keep this phone on the low end of the price spectrum, that is for sure. It has a 5 row hardware QWERTY keyboard for fans of those, and will most likely be a very budget friendly phone. Now all we need is a price, release date, and official announcement. We’ll update when we hear anything more.

Pantech Star Q leaks for Verizon, rocks 4G LTE and dual-core S4 is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This one still isn’t completely official just yet, but Android and Me has managed to obtain some pictures and fairly complete details for the Pantech Star Q headed for Verizon — a device that was first spotted in FCC filings back in April. As you can see, it’s a QWERTY slider, and it’s said to pack Android 4.0.4, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, front and rear-facing cameras (just 3-megapixels ’round back, though), LTE connectivity, and a 4-inch WVGA display. About the only key details missing are a price and release date, but Android and Me surmises it’ll run $99 on-contract with a launch any time now — both of which seem like safe guesses.

Filed under: Cellphones

Pantech Star Q for Verizon surfaces, offers QWERTY, LTE and Snapdragon S4 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android and Me  | Email this | Comments

Despite the sweltering heat waves, our spirits are high at Engadget, and for good reason: it’s time for our summer edition of the smartphone buyer’s guide. Here, you’ll find our top recommendations for the best smartphones across several US carriers, along with the best QWERTY and budget alternatives. In many ways, it’s now easier than ever to find a world-class smartphone, but unless you’ve developed a strong brand preference, choosing one is likely more difficult than ever before. It’s no secret that the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III have firmly cemented themselves as the premier smartphones of the day, but if you’re torn between the two, we’ll reveal our preference in this latest installment.

Summertime also brought a bit of a shock, as Microsoft revealed that Windows Phone 8 apps won’t be compatible with the current generation of Windows Phone hardware. For this reason, we’ve excluded all Windows Phone handsets from consideration in the latest buyer’s guide. While the future of Microsoft’s mobile platform looks incredibly bright, a purchase now would guarantee obsolescence in the short-term. Instead, all prospective Windows Phone purchasers must wait for the next generation of handsets to become available — you’ll regret it otherwise.

Naturally, there is no shortage of rumors surrounding the next Apple iPhone, and given the handset’s current lack of LTE connectivity, the iPhone 4S is certainly showing its age. While cautious purchasers may choose to bide their time, the iPhone remains top-notch in many other respects, and its arrival at a number of prepaid carriers brought a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stagnant environment.

If you’re curious to see how it all unfolded — and we know you are — join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: summer 2012 edition

Filed under: Cellphones

Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: summer 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The 4.5-inch Vega LTE is not eight months old and the 4.8-inch Vega Racer 2 is still properly wet behind the years. But, the flow of progress abides by no calendars, so welcome the Pantech Vega S5 to the world. It steps up to a full 5-inch IPS LCD with a 720p resolution in a phone that, thanks to a “zero bezel” design, actually has a smaller footprint than the Samsung Galaxy S III. There’s a whopping 13 megapixel shooter in there with zero lag, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 16GB of internal storage and a 2,100 mAh battery that’s said to deliver 11 hours of talk time. If that sounds like a good combination indeed it could be, but don’t spend too much pining — this handset is destined only for Korean shores.

Pantech Vega S5 does Android 4.0 on a 5-inch LCD, facemask not included originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink IntoMobile, SlashGear  |  Pantech (translated)  | Email this | Comments

We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site. Since we couldn’t possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we’ve gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!

Continue reading FCC Fridays: June 29, 2012

FCC Fridays: June 29, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments