Hasta La Gadget!

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no secret that Samsung plans to bring the Galaxy Note II to many US carriers by mid-fall. Even so, getting there requires the FCC’s blessing — which makes us glad to see the regulator approve what might be three carriers’ variants of the giant Android phone. The SGH-i317 looks to be the model for AT&T and Canadian carriers, having been greenlit for their key 3G and 4G bands while lining up with a briefly available benchmark of the device sharing the Note II’s HD screen and use of Jelly Bean. The SCH-i605? Based on its inclusions of both CDMA and GSM, a lone 700MHz LTE band and a past screen capture leak, it’s a dual-mode Note II destined for Verizon. As for the SGH-T889, it’s even more conspicuous beyond what we’ve already seen: the T889’s HSPA includes the 1,700MHz AWS frequency that T-Mobile will still call home for a long while. LTE likewise exists on the 1,700MHz and roaming-friendly 700MHz bands in possible instances of futureproofing. While we rarely want to say a mobile device is confirmed until we see it first-hand, the convenient timing and natures of the three FCC approvals only help to fuel suspicions that Samsung’s pen-focused event on October 24th is all about the Note II’s American launch.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note II variants for AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon possibly caught at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Few of us who live outside of Asia or Eastern Europe know the potential convenience of a dual SIM phone. Own one and you can globetrot, or else keep separate home and work lines without the bulk of an extra device in the pocket. Sony is gambling that enough Americans have that multi-line desire by selling the Xperia tipo dual and its regular, single-SIM counterpart in the US as unlocked GSM models. Neither of the Android 4.0 phones is what we’d call a powerhouse with the same 3.5-inch screen, 3.2-megapixel camera and 800MHz Snapdragon inside, but both can latch on to HSPA 3G on AT&T, refarmed T-Mobile coverage and 2100MHz carriers abroad, even if the single-SIM tipo curiously has 900MHz 3G support that the tipo dual lacks. It’s undoubtedly price that Sony is counting on more than anything: at respective contract-free prices of $180 and $190 for the tipo and tipo dual, the pair of Xperias may be sold most often as travel-only phones for the jet set.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Sony Xperia tipo and tipo dual reach the US in unlocked form, give Americans a taste of dual SIMs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good news HTC One S users, if you bought your device from T-Mobile, there have been reports that the latest Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich has begun rolling out to you guys. There has not been any official word from T-Mobile just yet, so we’re not sure what sort of change will be made. However according to some users who have posted what they have noticed, the update has improved stability with connectivity across the board, such as WiFi, cellular data and even Bluetooth, aiding with signal fluctuation and whatnot. Since there has been no official announcement, there is a chance that this could be a soft rollout, or it could be rolled out in stages so fret not if you haven’t received yours yet. You can always try to pull it manually by going to your phone’s settings and checking for System Updates. In the meantime for T-Mobile HTC One S owners who have received the update, let us know in the comments below on how it is treating you!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC One S to be released by T-Mobile on April 22?, HTC One S spotted at the FCC, might be headed T-Mobile’s way,

If you liked the look of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 when we reviewed it back in May, but were holding out for a T-Mobile 4G variety, then your patience might soon be rewarded. A Tablet-shaped device from Samsung sporting the model number SGH-T779 has just popped up at the FCC. While that code name might not tell us much, the T-Mobile branding, and the 4G logo are a little easier to make sense of. There was another model, SGH-I497, that went through the FCC with the same ID — which had a distinct AT&T / Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 flavor to it — so betting fans might consider the odds of this being the same thing, but for another operator, as being reasonable. Those who prefer not to chance the hand of fate, likely only need wait a short while, however, for this to pop up on the network’s store to find out.

Filed under: Tablets

Samsung SGH-T799 tablet turns up at the FCC wearing T-Mobile’s 4G colors originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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