Hasta La Gadget!

A few months back an anonymous tipster gave us a candid look at the Verizon-bound LG Spectrum 2, but after a couple more sightings here and there, the trail eventually went cold and Big Red’s unannounced smartphone fled back into seclusion. However, a recent website posting by Best Buy has brought this mobile Sasquatch out of hiding and back into the mainstream media. While this listing is mostly a refresh confirming our source’s shared specs, it notes the Spectrum 2’s unsubsidized price as $650. Now, before you would-be buyers start directing your browser to the retailer’s webpage in hopes of making a quick purchase, it should be noted that the device is listed as “sold out online.” Still, we can’t help but notice the pictured device’s homescreen carries a date of November 3rd, which could be a nod to when the Spectrum 2 might officially show up on store shelves.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

Best Buy listing reminds us that the LG Spectrum 2 is still on its way to Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 02:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, Apple finally announced its highly anticipated iPad mini. This 7.9-inch “little tablet that could” will be available from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint with shipping starting “a couple of weeks after” WiFi models go on sale on November 2nd. Available in black and white for $459 (16GB), $559 (32GB) and $659 (64GB), the company will begin accepting pre-orders on October 26th. So, if you plan on calling dibs on one of these little guys, we suggest that you plan accordingly.

Continue reading iPad mini coming to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in mid-November starting at $459

Filed under: Misc, Apple, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T

iPad mini coming to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in mid-November starting at $459 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To say that the launch of Isis has felt drawn out would be a mild understatement. The alliance first signaled its intentions two years ago, detailed its first markets one year ago and faced a last-minute delay. All the ducks are finally in a row, however, and residents of both Austin as well as Salt Lake City can tap to pay (or score discounts) at the “hundreds” of locations that accept NFC-based purchases through American Express, Capital One, Chase and Isis’ own cash card. Launch day brings app- and SIM-enabled access for nine devices spread rather unevenly across AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon: only the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is confirmed working for Verizon subscribers, while the rest are divided more equally between multiple Samsung Galaxies and HTC devices like the Amaze 4G and One X. Over 20 phones should be Isis-aware before the end of the year. It’s a potentially strong start to one of the few truly cross-network mobile payment systems in the US, but we see a long road ahead before Isis gives Google Wallet some jitters — there’s legions of banks, cities and stores needed before Isis is widespread, and we’re not counting on that ever-elusive universal hardware support.

Continue reading Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile

Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may be having a freak-out session right this minute over a set of “spy shots” released to the press via Android Central – if you’ll have a closer look, you’ll see some photoshop magic. These images show the HTC DLX with a 5-inch display, 4G LTE from Verizon, Beats Audio integrated, back-facing camera with single LED flash, and a rather thin/tall body overall. All of this photoshopped nonsense doesn’t disprove, on the other hand, that Verizon could be planning their next big DROID Incredible device.

The name HTC DLX is an extension of what we’ve seen in Japan with the HTC J Butterfly, a 5-inch smartphone with rather similar specifications to the one we’re seeing here. This USA version of the device takes the name DELUXE_J from the code-name given to the J Butterfly and turns it into DLX for Verizon. It’s not yet known whether Verizon will keep this name or extend their DROID dominance over their chosen ones here in the States. Expect a possibility of the name DROID Incredible X as well.

As far as how real/false these images are, you’ve only to compare them to the images of the HTC J Butterfly that has been offered up for hands-on experiences over in Japan already this past week. The ease in which one could forge these photos is too much to ignore. That lovely little rectangle near the main lens is also rather telling on the back of the handset. That said, again, we’ve heard enough about this phone to believe that these mock-ups are close enough anyway – thusly, let the rumors continue.

This device has been tipped to be working with a display that’s comparable in sharpness to the iPhone 5, has a 12 megapixel camera on the back (perhaps 8 megapixels for the USA, given the trends), and a 2 megapixel camera on the front. The processor inside is almost certainly going to be the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro as we’ve seen in the LG Optimus G, and 2GB or RAM has been displayed inside – just enough of a motor to play all your favorite racing games very, very wide.

HTC’s first Verizon phone in many moons here in the HTC DLX will be rolling out with 16GB of internal storage, almost certainly a microSD card slot for expansion up to 64GB extra (or 32, you never know), and you’ll have at least a 2500mAh battery inside – removable, of course. Inside you’ll have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Sense 4+, and one whole heck of a lot of pixels up front.

HTC DLX phablet teased in photoshopped forgeries is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last week, we got a peek at HTC’s J Butterfly Japan-only Android phone, with a huge 1080p 5-inch display that manages a crazy 440ppi pixel density, and today, Android Central (via The Verge) is claiming a new North American HTC flagship phone coming to Verizon will offer the same screen on our shores. The HTC DLX, as the report claims it’s called, appears to share both design and specification cues with the J Butterfly, and would be Verizon’s first One-series smartphone.

Specs according to Android Central include the 1080p 5-inch display, as well as either an 8MP or 12MP rear shooter, as well as a quad-core processor (possibly the Qualcomm Snapdrago S4 Pro at 1.5GHz according to an earlier leak by xda-developers forum member Football) and 2GB of RAM, plus 16GB of internal storage and a 2,500 mAh non-removable battery. Android 4.1.1 with Sense 4+ will be on-board in terms of software, according to the leak, and it’s also an LTE capable device. The report also says we should see this launching with Verizon sometime around Thanksgiving.

HTC reported earlier that the J Butterfly’s display would make its way out to other markets, and we’ve previously heard that such a device was on its way and possibly headed to Verizon, so there’s good reason to believe this is real. Also, the specs are in line with that Japan-only smartphone, so it could essentially be a reworked design of that device aimed at the North American market. And if, like me, you’ve been very impressed by HTC’s recent offerings, there’s good reason to get excited about such a possibility, too. But not too excited, now that we’re living in the days of elaborate 3D renders that can do a damn good job of fooling the naked eye.