Samsung Galaxy S III drops to $99 on Amazon for a ‘very limited time only’

In the market for a Samsung Galaxy S III, but you despise dropping over two figures on electronics? First and foremost, we might suggest another hobby to you. We’d also suggest snapping up a half price $99 Galaxy S III from Amazon today, where it’s on sale “for a very limited time only.” Yes, you have to sign up for a new individual or family activation, but at least you can choose between Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T for that new contract. It’ll even arrive in two days, per Amazon’s free two-day shipping, and there are three different colors of the 16GB version to choose from. Hot dog!

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Samsung Galaxy S III drops to $99 on Amazon for a ‘very limited time only’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5: the rumor roundup

iPhone 2012 and iPhone 4S shells compared

We’re on the cusp of Apple’s sixth iPhone launch, and there’s very different expectations than there were last year. The 2011 rumor cycle left more than a few people burned: the later-than-usual October launch and repeated claims of a heavily-remade design led some to a disappointment when the iPhone 4S arrived, even though the final product had a slew of camera, speed and voice command upgrades. This year, the rumors have been grounded well before there was an event date in our hands.

There have been fewer instances of wild rumors. Instead, it’s been based more around pragmatism, using either tangible leaks or sources that have a solid track record. Think of the perennial leaks from the Wall Street Journal or the increasingly well-established sourcing from iMore and The Loop. Whether you’re conspiracy-minded or not, it’s been hard to ignore the sheer number of claims that have tamped down expectations rather than inflated them. It’s as though there’s a collective fear we’ll see a repeat of the 2011 hysteria and deal with fans (or detractors) complaining about missing features that were never promised in the first place.

Where last summer was full of uncertainty, this year there’s a mounting consensus as to what we’ll see, how we’ll get it, and when. Tracking everything that’s been mentioned may be a handful, however. With that in mind, we’ll dive in and gauge what’s likely to emerge from behind Apple’s curtain on September 12th — as well as what we can rule out from the get-go.

Continue reading iPhone 5: the rumor roundup

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iPhone 5: the rumor roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for Verizon Galaxy Nexus “soon”

“Soon” is a relative word, and if you ask owners of the Galaxy Nexus who are subscribed to Verizon Wireless, they will tell you that “soon” cannot come fast enough. Well, the pre-release version of Jelly Bean for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus was spotted at the end of last month, and even Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus had already started to enjoy Android 4.1 Jelly Bean goodness, so where has all the love for Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus gone to?

A Galaxy Nexus owner who figured out that there is nothing quite like a persistent spirit decided to bang on Verizon’s door non-stop, and along the way, might have uncovered possible internal insights concerning the Jelly Bean update process. It seemed that Verizon implied Samsung to be the party at fault for the Galaxy Nexus’ non-Jelly Bean status to date. Apart from that, an internal Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean update release date could very well be on the horizon, so I guess that all we can do now is sit down, hang tight and wait. Patience is, after all, a virtue, isn’t it?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Jelly Bean for Verizon Galaxy Nexus available (pre-release), Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean test firmware for Samsung Galaxy S3 revealed,

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 10, 2012

Welcome back to Monday, folks. We’re in the final stretch before Apple’s big event kicks off, and with just a couple of days left before everything goes down, the iPhone 5 is making a splash in a big way. The (hopefully) incoming handset was given the title of “biggest upgrade in consumer electronics history” by one enthusiastic analyst today. T-Mobile is offering an “Unlocked and Unlimited” deal for the iPhone even though it doesn’t carry the device itself, and we got word today that Apple suppliers have started shipping new 13.3-inch MacBook Pros with Retina Display and a new line of all-in-one iMacs.


In other news, it turns out that AntiSec may not have stolen all of those Apple UDIDs from the FBI like the group originally claimed, and the LG Escape was leaked shortly before being confirmed by the company. Toys R Us has a new tablet on offer, and it’s aimed directly at your children, while TTP is looking to give Google Glass a run for its money with some new specs of its own. Speaking of Google Glass, the headsets made an appearance at Fashion Week, with designer Diane von Furstenberg sending her models onto the runway while wearing them.

The FBI has rolled out a $1 billion facial tracking initiative, and it seems that GoDaddy’s network of hosted websites has been taken down by a lone hacker associated with Anonymous. Google says that 180 “fiberhoods” qualify for Google Fiber service after a lengthy preliminary sign-up period, and a new Samsung Galaxy Note II leak suggests that the new phablet will be launching at Verizon. The founder of The Pirate Bay has been deported to Cambodia, while Samsung’s hopes for a 13-megapixel camera in the Galaxy Note II were dashed when LG bought up most of the stock from suppliers.

Sony is launching the first installment in its new Wonderbook series in November, and today is the day that the Steam Big Picture Beta comes to televisions everywhere. Bethesda’s Pete Hines doesn’t see the need for a new generation of consoles just yet, some scientists are now thinking that Mars was too hot to support life in the past, and Nielsen has discovered that the number of teenagers who own a smartphone is on the rise, climbing faster than any other age group.

Finally tonight, we have a few original articles for you to check out. Chris Davies examines the LTE situation with the incoming iPhone 5, while Chris Burns makes the distinction between tablets and laptops when it comes to work and play. Finally tonight, we have a hands-on with the upcoming LG Intuition, so if you want a phablet-like device that isn’t the Galaxy Note II, you might want to take a look at that. Enjoy the rest of your evening, everyone!


SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 10, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


LG Intuition Hands-on

It’s time to take another look at the LG version of the in-between segment of smart mobile devices sometimes known as the “phablet” here in the Verizon-carried LG Intuition. We’ve got our hands on one of these lovely devices today after a short intro by LG in New York City where they’ve been so kind as to host us and a collection of other publications with the idea being that you’re assured the full LG story. The full LG story here is a play-by-play of the abilities and intents of this device as LG wants you to be aware – we’ll let you know this as well as the rest in a full review – for now, let’s have a hands-on look at the device here in its final form.

What you’ve got here is a rather boxy look at the smart device that, though it’s not the most elegant smart gadget on the planet, it certainly does appear and feel unique here in 2012. LG’s recent efforts have been in devices that have rounded corners and odd shapes – like the LG Lucid with its smooth back and tiny size. There’s also the LG Nitro HD with one of the most high-definition display-having devices on the planet at this very moment and a rubbery grip back. What we’ve got here with the Intuition, on the other hand, is a beast with a pen – a “Rubberdium” pen – and another rubbery grip back so you can hold tight!

The LG Intuition is currently the largest display-having smart device on Verizon that’s not considered a tablet, with the 7-inch Galaxy Tab line from Samsung being next up with a vibe that’s decidedly tablet-like. With the LG Intuition you’ve got a working machine rather than a play machine – tablets being mostly for play, no matter what anyone tells you. On Verizon this device has no parallel – on the greater smart device market, you’ve got the Galaxy Note and soon the Galaxy Note II, also both from Samsung. Until the Galaxy Note II (or Galaxy Note 2, however you want to type it) reaches Verizon – and it very well may, given the unconfirmed news from earlier today – this LG device has no competitor on Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

You’ve got ultra-fast data speed, a massive display, and a beast of a motor under the hood. LG has chosen the Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 dual-core processor to run this device, and it’s looking and feeling really nice here in our first few hours in general work and play mode. This isn’t the newest Snapdragon processor line – that’s the S4 – but it’s still lively – we’ll see if it continues to keep up in our full review.

Have a peek here at benchmark scores from the device right out of the box. Note also that there’s really no device that this can be compared to fairly with its display being the unique size that it is. It’s also always a good time to note that benchmark tests such as those used here on Android only really truly compare devices with one software build against the same devices with different software builds – or in some cases, the same devices with different processors.

Next have a peek at a few Speed Test scores from right here in New York City, and note that we’ve found almost exactly the same scores from downtown Brooklyn to JFK Airport back to LaGuardia over the past few weeks with several different Verizon 4G LTE devices. Have a peek at our review of the Motorola DROID RAZR M to see additional speed tests with Verizon in the Twin Cities in Minnesota as well as NYC and stay tuned to see if this LG device has the same results – our guess is that they’ll be essentially the same.

STAY TUNED FOR SPEED TESTS FROM AROUND NYC TODAY!

We’ll be doing a more extensive review of this device later this week – this week is also being run over by an Apple press event in which they’ll likely release the iPhone 5, this meaning there will be a LOT of news coming down from Apple. To make sure you’re able to see the LG Intuition in full before it’s inevitably pummeled down off the front page no matter when it’s posted, stick to our LG tag portal.

Meanwhile have a peek at the timeline below to see additional hands-on and feature posts on this device (and its international edition) and get pumped up about its final release!

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LG Intuition Hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Intuition by LG hands-on: a pen-enabled competitor to the Galaxy Note for Verizon (video)

Intuition by LG hands-on

It’s a silly name as smartphones go (and one that conjures images of lady-focused razors), but regardless, LG’s Intuition is now officially a member of Verizon’s lineup. The 4G LTE device, shown off today at the manufacturer’s launch event, is nigh unchanged from the South Korean model we reviewed this past July (known as the Optimus Vu). With a 5-inch 1,024 x 768 True-XGA IPS capacitive display, dual-core S3 CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, 8-megapixel rear camera, NFC, 2080mAh battery and that Rubberdium pen, the only thing separating this stateside iteration from its SK Telecom cousin is the skinned Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS onboard and $199 on contract price. So how does it fare in this Big Red debut? Follow along as we attempt to find what’s been lost, if anything, in translation.

Continue reading Intuition by LG hands-on: a pen-enabled competitor to the Galaxy Note for Verizon (video)

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Intuition by LG hands-on: a pen-enabled competitor to the Galaxy Note for Verizon (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note II leak points to Verizon release

Samsung may be looking to offer its new Galaxy Note II at a variety of different carries, much like it did with the Galaxy S III. A new report from BriefMobile pegs the phablet as heading for a Verizon release, showing off a screenshot that sports the model number SCH-1605. As if that weren’t enough, BriefMobile’s sources say that the Galaxy Note II will be launching at most if not all of the major carriers in the US.


If that’s true, then it’ll be a big win for Samsung and consumers alike. After all, even though the launch of the Galaxy S III could have gone a bit smoother, the fact that it launched at so many different carriers is a big part of the reason Samsung can now boast 20 million Galaxy S III sales. Though we’re not expecting the Note II to hit that number (at least not as quickly as the S III did), launching at multiple carriers means that the Galaxy Note II will probably net a lot more sales than its predecessor.

Even more interesting is the claim that the Galaxy Note II will be launching at Verizon with its quad-core Exynos processor and 4G LTE capabilities. Having a souped up processor while at the same time taking advantage of 4G LTE networks is a rare thing for smartphones these days, and it would appear that Samsung is looking to change that with the launch of the Galaxy Note II. Get excited folks.

Other than that, the Verizon Galaxy Note II will be identical to the international version we went hands-on with at IFA 2012, aside from the expected Verizon branding. An announcement of this multi-carrier launch is likely coming soon, but you can expect that each carrier will have its own launch date for the Galaxy Note II. Keep an ear to SlashGear, as we’ll have more information for you as it develops!

[via Android Community]


Samsung Galaxy Note II leak points to Verizon release is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Rural Cellular Association rebrands as Competitive Carriers Association, mirrors its move to the big city

Rural Cellular Association rebrands as Competitve Carriers Association, mirrors its move to the big cityWhat’s in a name? Quite a bit, if you ask the Rural Cellular Association. It’s becoming the Competitive Carriers Association to reflect a membership shift from smaller providers that often serve the countryside to a much more urbane roster that includes Clearwire, Sprint and T-Mobile, on top of grown-up existing members. Not surprisingly given the advocacy group’s recent bedfellows, the name switch also emphasizes the attempt to resist a consolidation of power in US telecom — CCA membership is limited to carriers with under 80 million subscribers, which conveniently excludes heavyweights AT&T and Verizon. Although rebranding is a symbolic gesture first and foremost, the group is no doubt hoping the name will make its intentions clearer the next time a big spectrum swap rolls around.

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Rural Cellular Association rebrands as Competitive Carriers Association, mirrors its move to the big city originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid RAZR M Review: The Best Non-Giant Android Phone [Lightning Review]

Android phones have been getting bigger and bigger, and that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. As Motorola said at unveiling of the Droid RAZR M, “Some people just want a smaller phone.” Does this phone, designed to fill that niche, still deliver on performance? More »

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 headed for Verizon, and more [rumor]

Chatter about an impending Verizon Galaxy Note 2 has hit the web following the apparition of what briefmobile says is a screenshot from a Verizon version of the 5.5″ smartphone from Samsung. According to them, the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will be identical in specs to the international version, which means that it will have a quad-core chip (SoC) and LTE support.

That the Galaxy Note 2 comes to Verizon is not a surprise (AT&T should get one too…). We expected that. However Samsung previously used dual-core chips from Qualcomm to get support for LTE bands from US carriers for the Galaxy S3. Users were mildly happy about it, but in the end, the phone was still a success.

But the story gets better. the same source says that the Samsung Galaxy Note will come to every major US carrier, which is unprecedented. Heck, even US Cellular is going to have it (along with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint). Stay tuned. don’t miss out Samsung Galaxy Note 2 hands-on.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy S3 will be headed to five carriers in June, T-Mobile and AT&T Top Network Speed Tests,