Xperia Z goes on sale at the US Sony Store for $630, Xperia ZL gets a price cut

Xperia Z goes on sale at US Sony Store for $630, Xperia ZL takes a price cut

Americans wanting one of 2013’s Sony flagships have had access to the Xperia ZL for awhile, but they’ve had to chase down an importer if they wanted the glass-backed chic of the Xperia Z. Sony has quietly put that dilemma to rest by offering the Xperia Z through the US Sony Store. For $630, locals can get an unlocked version of the flagship in black, purple or white, albeit only with HSPA+ 3G for carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile; there’s no LTE to be found. Those who do want 4G speeds won’t have to pay a premium, however, when Sony is selling the LTE-equipped ZL for the same $630. While neither deal will be quite as tempting as subsidized phones at major carriers, those willing to pay full price for Sony gear can now afford to be a little picky.

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Via: Xperia Blog

Source: Sony Store

AMD FX-4350 and FX-6350 offer improved speeds, keep prices down

AMD FX-4350 and FX-6350 offer improved speeds, keep prices down

Although AMD hasn’t had much recent success at the higher end of the processor spectrum, it’s clear the company is very much interested in attacking the budget realm. Witness its two new lower-tiered FX-series processors: the quad-core FX-4350 and six-core FX-6350 bring noticeable (if modest) improvements over the FX-4300 and FX-6300 chips they effectively replace. Both unlocked CPUs up the base clock speed to 3.9GHz, while the Max Turbo speeds jump to a respective 4.3GHz and 4.2GHz each. The FX-4350 further trumps its ancestor by doubling the Level 3 cache to 8MB, albeit with a higher power draw. More importantly, prices aren’t budging much at all in spite of the brisker performance. When the FX-4350 and FX-6350 cost just $122 and $132 each, they’re cheap enough that DIY builders shouldn’t weep when the bills are due.

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Via: AMD Unprocessed

Source: AMD

HTC One Unlocked Version Available For Only $574

HTC One Unlocked Version Available For Only $574

The HTC One was officially made available in the U.S. on AT&T and Sprint last week with the 32GB version priced at $199 with a two year agreement and is expected to hit T-Mobile later this week for only $99 down payment.But what if you would rather buy the phone yourself and not deal with extending your carrier’s contract? HTC is now making an unlocked, contract-free version of the HTC One available to purchase, and its price is surprising.

We’ve seen some expensive unlocked smartphones in the past, but the HTC One comes in at a pretty standard price of $574.99 when purchased on HTC’s website. The unlocked version of the HTC One will bring everything to its buyer that you would expect from the carrier-based version and is available in its 32GB version. When compared to the HTC One Developer Edition, which is a $649 variant that offers more control over the device as a way to make it easier to develop for, the unlocked HTC One certainly doesn’t push the envelope in terms of its pricing.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony Offers 10% Discount For Europe, LG Optimus G Pro Confirmed For U.S. Debut On May 1 In NYC,

    

HTC’s One available from its online store, 32GB unlocked model priced at $575

HTC's One pops up on its site with unlocked SIM and bootloader for $575

Alongside its developer model, HTC now has an unlocked One for the rest of us. The fetching 4.7-inch 1080p device is in stock at HTC’s US store with 32GB of storage and the same powerhouse specs we saw earlier: 1.7Ghz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 4-megapixel “UltraPixel” cam and Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5. You’ll also get a SIM-unlocked model, but unlike the 64GB equipped, $650 developer edition, it won’t come with a liberated bootloader — though it’ll cost a touch less at $575. So, if you’ve been biding your time for a carrier-free version of the svelte aluminum-bodied handset, you can place your order at the source.’s

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Via: GSM Arena

Source: HTC

HTC One available from its online store, 32GB unlocked model priced at $575

HTC's One pops up on its site with unlocked SIM and bootloader for $575

Alongside its developer model, HTC now has an unlocked One for the rest of us. The fetching 4.7-inch 1080p device is in stock at HTC’s US store with 32GB of storage and the same powerhouse specs we saw earlier: 1.7Ghz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 4-megapixel “UltraPixel” cam and Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5. You’ll also get a SIM-unlocked model, but unlike the 64GB equipped, $650 developer edition, it won’t come with a liberated bootloader — though it’ll cost a touch less at $575. So, if you’ve been biding your time for a carrier-free version of the svelte aluminum-bodied handset, you can place your order at the source.

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Via: GSM Arena

Source: HTC

Archos dips into smartphones with the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum

Archos dips into Android smartphones with the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platnium

While Archos has long held dreams of expanding into smartphones, we’ve seen it run into its fair share of roadblocks along the way. Thanks in part to a sharpened corporate focus, that vision is at last becoming real with the company’s first, honest-to-goodness smartphone range. The 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum all cater to the budget, carrier-independent crowd with common foundations of unlocked 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G, dual SIM slots (only one being 3G) and stock Android. We also see a rather skimpy 4GB of storage, although a microSD slot on each phone helps make up for the difference.

What you’re mostly paying for is performance and screen size. The 35 Carbon ships with an HVGA 3.5-inch screen, a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon S1, 512MB of RAM, VGA cameras and Ice Cream Sandwich; move up to the 50 or 53 Platinum and you’ll get their respective 5- and 5.3-inch qHD screens, a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Play, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera and Jelly Bean. No, we’re not bowled over by the performance any more than you are — but the respective contract-free prices of $100, $220 and $250 may have at least some trying Archos’ first effort, even if the company’s late May launch will only include Europe at first.

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Source: Archos (1), (2), (3)

PSA: T-Mobile’s iPhone 5 pre-orders start rolling today

PSA TMobile iPhone 5 preorders start rolling today

If T-Mobile’s recent event cussed you into wanting one of its tweaked A1428 iPhone 5s with LTE, AWS HSPA+ and no contract strings attached, you can now order one up. Apple’s flagship can be had through the carrier for $99 down and 24 payments of $20 for a total of $579 — a snappy $70 savings over buying one directly from Cupertino. Meanwhile, T-Mo’s Simple Choice plan starts at $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data, with an additional 2GB for $10 and unlimited 4G data for $20. Just remember that should you opt into an iPhone 5 through T-Mobile then decide to opt out of your contract, the device will stay carrier locked until you pay it off or trade it back — unless you’re willing to skirt the law, of course. Hit the source to make your reservation.

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Source: T-Mobile

Existing iPhone 5 handsets cannot have AWS support enabled, but Apple is shipping the new A1428 carrier-unlocked on April 12th

Existing iPhone 5 handsets cannot have AWS support enabled, but Apple's shipping the new A1428 carrierunlocked on April 12th

Starting April 12th, Apple retail shops as well as Apple’s online store will begin selling the new and gently tweaked A1428 model of the iPhone 5. For those paying attention, that’s the same model number as AT&T sells today, but Apple’s enabling support of the AWS bands from the factory on the new guy — and sadly, Apple affirmed to us that it’s not something that can be enabled via a simple software update for A1428 iPhone units already in circulation. To say that another way, existing iPhone 5 owners on AT&T cannot simply apply a software patch to have AWS support added. You’ll need to buy a new phone next month.

That said, the A1428 edition of the iPhone 5 that Apple will start hawking on April 12th (in lockstep with T-Mobile’s launch date) will arrive unlocked out of the box. By default, Apple will sell these at full MSRP in a “SIM-in unlocked fashion,” as confirmed to us by an Apple representative here at T-Mobile’s event in New York City. Of course, those wishing to pay T-Mob’s advertised $99.99 up front price will also be able to do so right at an Apple store, but eager jetsetters that are simply looking for a frictionless way to purchase an unlocked iPhone 5 that works on both AT&T and T-Mobile’s LTE bands have but a few weeks to wait.

Oh, and yes, we confirmed with Apple that the new A1428 will indeed support AT&T’s LTE network. In other words, your T-Mobile iPhone 5 will run uninhibited on AT&T’s LTE network if it’s unlocked. To boot, Apple is quickly phasing out the existing A1428 hardware, and will soon replace all of them with the new, AWS-enabled model. In theory, that would mean that iPhones purchased through AT&T (after April 12th) would also ship with the appropriate firmware to let AWS support run free, but of course, then you’re up against AT&T’s far less friendly unlocking policy. For US users anxious to snag a truly unlocked iPhone 5 that’ll hum along on pretty much every LTE band in the developed world, Apple informed us that its 24-hour locations will begin selling these promptly at 12:01AM on 4/12. For those who order from Apple’s online site, you’ll need to phone up T-Mobile to have the unlock applied.

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HTC One Developer Edition announced, $649 with SIM and bootloader unlocked

HTC One Developer Edition announced, $649 with SIM and bootloader unlocked

HTC is getting into the Developer Edition trend — a compromise necessary since CEO Peter Chou’s plan to stop locking bootloaders entirely didn’t stick — as it’s announced tonight that a variant of its new One that will be available with both SIM and bootloader unlocked. Due to arrive in the US at the same time as the standard carrier versions, it will keep the same powerful specs and slick design (no, the case is not transparent) we loved in our review, but without the restrictions. One thing it’s missing? AWS HSPA/WCDMA access, which should limit its opportunities on T-Mobile until it rolls out LTE service. The price is $649 up front and it will ship in “limited quantities,” so we’d figure that’s just one more thing to keep in mind before the next Galaxy S is announced on Thursday.

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Source: HTC Blog

BLU Products ships Studio 5.3 II, rugged Tank 4.5

BLU Products launches rugged Tank 45, dualSIM Studio 53 II

BLU Products is leaving no niche uncovered, it seems. Just a week after the Quattro line surfaced, we’re seeing two more budget smartphones arrive that fill in what few gaps are left. The Tank 4.5 seen above is a rare rugged entry for BLU that’s dust- and water-resistant, yet still reasonably slim for a toughened phone at 0.38 inches — it’s the 4.5-inch qHD screen, dual-core 1GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera and 4GB of expandable storage that keep the price in check. The Studio 5.3 II (below), meanwhile, is a direct sequel to last year’s Studio that takes on the improved processor and resolution of the Tank 4.5 while throwing in a better 8-megapixel camera. Regardless of the phone, you’ll find Jelly Bean and roaming-friendly dual SIM slots with unlocked HSPA 3G. Both are shipping now to the US for $199, which could be just low enough to catch travelers who want a simple smartphone for that late winter vacation.

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Source: BLU Products