Hasta La Gadget!

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.

Filed under: Desktops, AMD

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Via: AMD Unprocessed

Source: AMD

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

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Via: GSM Arena

Source: HTC

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.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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

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.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, AT&T, T-Mobile

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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.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: BLU Products