Hasta La Gadget!

Mobilicity’s much-needed 21Mbps network upgrade may be almost at hand… with a catch. A leak to MobileSyrup reportedly has the HSPA+ network arriving sometime next week in tandem with an $80 Huawei E366 USB modem to exploit the new speeds. However, the Canadian carrier might just slap an asterisk on the end of that “unlimited” tag it’s been using so far. Current customers may be relegated to a Basic Unlimited Data tier where any use past 6GB is potentially throttled; anyone needing full speed beyond that would have to either slap on a $20 Premium Data add-on or switch outright to a comprehensive $50 data plan, with both plans bumping the ceiling to 20GB. The two could remain better deals than for the major carriers, at least if you don’t mind eschewing LTE. Nonetheless, any truth to the offerings might take away one more choice for truly unlimited data in the True North.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Tip has Mobilicity’s 21Mbps HSPA+ network going live next week with throttling after 6GB originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So far we’ve had the opportunity to review the global edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note II — as well as get our hands on three of the five variants known to be making their way to the US — but tonight we got our first official look at Verizon’s particular flavor. Not that it’s much different than the rest of the crowd: it’s loaded with the same specs we’ve seen on the N7100 model (5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display at 1,280 x 720, 3,100mAh battery and a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.6GHz), with the exception of Verizon-specific LTE bands, and have the same button layout that we’ve come to expect. Of course, there’s that hideous Verizon logo on the main button, but that’s the only visual difference we could spot.

Software-wise, Verizon’s version of the Note II contains the built-in apps we’ve gotten accustomed to with its Android phones: VZ Navigator, My Verizon Mobile, and Mobile Hotspot. The device we picked up was running Jelly Bean, like its counterparts from other carriers. Sadly, no pricing or availability is yet available for the Note II on Verizon, with reps at the Samsung event we’re at saying that it’s up to Verizon to loose that news.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, Verizon

Samsung Galaxy Note II for Verizon hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffalo Japan has recently introduced a series of new wired and wireless mice optimized for Windows 8, the BSMBB10N wireless mouse and BSMBU12 wired mouse. The Buffalo BSMBB10N wireless mouse supports both Bluetooth and NFC, while the Buffalo BSMBU12 wired mouse features a USB connectivity and the touch surfaces that let you perform gestures. Both mice measure 60mm x 35mm x 100mm and weight 58 grams. The Buffalo BSMBB10N wireless mouse and BSMBU12 wired mouse are priced at 3,465 Yen ($31) and 2,089 Yen ($26), respectively.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note II is coming to America, and unlike its predecessor, it’s not being as quiet about the move. In a completely unprecedented feat, the mammoth smartphone not only won over the hearts of four national American carriers and one regional network, it did so without having to make sacrifices in its design, specs or even its name. This is a considerable amount of progress when taking into account the fact that only two mobile operators adopted the original Galaxy Note — the inaugural phablet, if you will — and they did so months after its global launch. Heck, T-Mobile released its variant of the Note just three months ago, which likely will be a sour point to early adopters for a long time to come.

As you may have seen in our review of the global Note II, there’s a reason for all of the buzz circulating around this new flagship device; it’s good. It’s very good. Once you get used to the idea of a 5.5-inch smartphone with an included stylus S Pen, you’ll take heed of the incredibly fast quad-core processor, the latest version of Android, the high-end camera and the litany of other top-notch features that have helped the device become worthy of our praise.

This review, as you see it today, discusses our impressions of T-Mobile’s version of the Note II and how it sizes up against the global model (the N7100), but we’re changing things up this time around. Since there will be very few differences across the five different versions offered on US carriers, we’re simply going to add our reviews of each carrier-specific unit to this space as we go along. The idea is that this review will encompass every Galaxy Note II sold stateside. Enjoy the galleries below, and continue past the break as we dig into Samsung’s latest flagship… again.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile review

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, T-Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Citing this as the “fastest upgrade rate in history — that we’re aware of,” Tim Cook has announced on stage in San Jose that 200 million iOS devices have been updated to iOS 6. If you’re still on the last version, are you feeling the peer pressure?

For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile

Apple: 200 million devices already upgraded to iOS 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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