Hasta La Gadget!

T-Mobile has already made an odd pair of decisions around its approach to the Nexus 4, namely its choices to ask $200 on contract and $500 up-front for a smartphone that costs $349 unlocked. It might be time to add a third quirk to the list, if a forgivable (and not entirely surprising) one. The carrier has confirmed to TmoNews that it won’t be offering WiFi calling through its edition of Google’s flagship; if cost or coverage makes cellular voice a scarce resource, VoIP might be the only viable backup. We weren’t assuming that T-Mobile would suddenly layer the Nexus 4 in custom features when the very point is to run an unspoiled Android 4.2, but the strategy leaves us even less of an incentive to submit to long-term commitments when a virtually identical, unfettered Google Play model beckons. November 13th is looking better every day.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG, T-Mobile

T-Mobile says its Nexus 4 won’t provide WiFi calling, makes a stronger case for going unlocked originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP couldn’t help but harsh the mellow of cutting-edge workers when it revealed the ElitePad 900 wouldn’t ship until January. Still, there’s less chance of any setbacks now that we know the FCC has rubber stamped the Windows 8 tablet. The version passing through the agency is a 3G model for mobile road warriors and touts the 850MHz, 1,700MHz and 1,900MHz bands we’d expect to for HSPA on AT&T, T-Mobile and Canadian networks. Few other surprises exist; we’re mostly happy to know that NFC exists alongside dual-band 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. No, the approval won’t be much consolation to the suits and ties wanting a tablet of their own as of yesterday, but it should be a relief to IT managers planning a much more creative use of the company budget in 2013.

Filed under: Tablets, HP

HP ElitePad 900 travels to the FCC, brings pros closer to Windows 8 tablet utopia originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 01:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phew! It does seem as though a fair number of phones are being announced today, and T-Mobile does not want to lose out in the news race with Verizon when it comes to the availability of new handsets – this time round, it would be the flagship LG device known as the LG Nexus 4 that so happens to be the first time both LG and Google have collaborated to work on a Nexus branded device, after the Internet search giant worked with HTC and Samsung in the past for their Nexus family of smartphones. Of course, T-Mobile did not forget about folks who rock to Windows Phone 8 either, having made sure that both the Nokia Lumia 810 and the HTC Windows Phone 8X will also be part of T-Mobile’s portfolion this coming holiday season. Will you be picking up the LG Nexus 4 when it arrives Stateside on T-Mobile, or would you rather rock on to Windows Phone 8? I guess you would have to fork out the usual premium for a high end handset like the LG Nexus 4, and $199.99 on a 2-year contract sounds just about right.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: T-Mobile cancels their event in NY as well due to the weather, T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 has LTE radio built-in,

If you didn’t get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, T-Mobile announced the price and release date for the Optimus L9, carriers were announced in Canada for the ATIV S Windows Phone and ZTE released a low-priced Android smartphone for Virgin Mobile in the UK. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of October 22nd, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of October 22nd, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, LG, T-Mobile

Mobile Miscellany: week of October 22nd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note II is coming to America, and unlike its predecessor, it’s not being as quiet about the move. In a completely unprecedented feat, the mammoth smartphone not only won over the hearts of four national American carriers and one regional network, it did so without having to make sacrifices in its design, specs or even its name. This is a considerable amount of progress when taking into account the fact that only two mobile operators adopted the original Galaxy Note — the inaugural phablet, if you will — and they did so months after its global launch. Heck, T-Mobile released its variant of the Note just three months ago, which likely will be a sour point to early adopters for a long time to come.

As you may have seen in our review of the global Note II, there’s a reason for all of the buzz circulating around this new flagship device; it’s good. It’s very good. Once you get used to the idea of a 5.5-inch smartphone with an included stylus S Pen, you’ll take heed of the incredibly fast quad-core processor, the latest version of Android, the high-end camera and the litany of other top-notch features that have helped the device become worthy of our praise.

This review, as you see it today, discusses our impressions of T-Mobile’s version of the Note II and how it sizes up against the global model (the N7100), but we’re changing things up this time around. Since there will be very few differences across the five different versions offered on US carriers, we’re simply going to add our reviews of each carrier-specific unit to this space as we go along. The idea is that this review will encompass every Galaxy Note II sold stateside. Enjoy the galleries below, and continue past the break as we dig into Samsung’s latest flagship… again.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile review

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, T-Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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