Hasta La Gadget!

Yep, as pretty-much-confirmed this morning, the newest iPhone will be able to ride the fastest cellular data out there, meaning web, streaming video, and all of your downloads will be ten times as speedy—with 8 hours of battery. More »

Family trees are monstrous wonders of genetic distillation, alternately yielding grotesque and delightful offspring. And, as is nature’s wont, it’s within the strongest of these “carriers” that dominant traits are passed on, ensuring a continued legacy for a specific branch marked by beauty, brains or beastliness. And so the same rings true for the RAZR lineage: a once forgotten, but now revived brand that’s helping to define the new Motorola (as experienced through Verizon). Tucked safely under the protective wing of Google’s guardianship, the manufacturer’s embarking on a wireless renaissance and soldering that second chance at relevance to the Kevlar back of its latest Droid progeny. But as with all litters, there’s bound to be one runt and here that distinction belongs to the Droid RAZR M.

Known internally as the Scorpion Mini, this ICS handset’s barebones build can deceive the eye into believing it’s smaller than it actually is. But really, its screen is the same 4.3-inch, qHD, Super AMOLED Advanced affair as that of the original RAZR reboot — just without the considerable bezel. So Moto’s engineers have trimmed some fat, but this cosmetic overhaul also goes below the surface. Keeping it fairly current is a gently skinned version of Ice Cream Sandwich (soon to be upgraded to Jelly Bean) that’s powered by a souped-up 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 and 1GB RAM. And really, that’s about as modern as the RAZR M gets. Put down on paper, that mild spec bump might not seem compelling enough, but let us tantalize you with the device’s most attractive tidbit: $99 on-contract pricing. Yes, folks, this formidable Droid RAZR redux has a retail positioning ace up its sleeve, but does that alone warrant two years of Verizon’s chains? Can a slimmer form factor, unchanged display and faster processor lure in the style-conscious on a budget? Or are you better off holding out for its bigger bodied (and batteried) Droid RAZR HD siblings? Stick with us as we pass judgment on Moto’s little leaguer.

Continue reading Motorola Droid RAZR M review: a very good ICS handset in a small, Kevlar-wrapped package

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Motorola Droid RAZR M review: a very good ICS handset in a small, Kevlar-wrapped package originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xcom Global has been busy carving out a reputation as the world traveler’s best friend, but that globetrotter has always had to make do with 3G even if there was 4G back home. As of September 20th, frequent roamers of the sort will have access to LTE when abroad — at least, if they’re planning a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. A deal between Xcom and EMOBILE will let visitors to Japan get up to 75Mbps by renting a Huawei GL01P hotspot to the tune of $18 a day, up slightly from Xcom’s usual $15. The pocket router won’t work in other countries, but it will supply dual-carrier HSPA+ 3G if travelers wander outside of the fastest coverage areas. Not planning a trip to Osaka? We’re told Xcom plans to expand its LTE option to Europe at some point in the future, starting with the UK — good timing, that.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking, Mobile

Xcom Global launches LTE data for travelers at $18 a day, starting in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EarthLink has been laying low since its Philly-wide WiFi project failed all those years ago, but now it’s back in the limelight with Clearwire’s 4G network under-arm. The companies have struck a deal for EarthLink to access Clearwire’s WiMAX infrastructure, initially to offer wireless, in-home broadband. This is expected to launch in early 2013, with mobile and small business markets being future goals. An LTE network is also in the pipeline, don’t forget, and when it goes live, EarthLink is likely to expand the agreement to cover it. The ISP is obviously putting its eggs in the 4G basket, because no one wants wires anymore, do they?

Continue reading EarthLink inks deal with Clearwire to use its 4G WiMAX network

Filed under: Wireless, Networking, Internet, Mobile

EarthLink inks deal with Clearwire to use its 4G WiMAX network originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confirming those early rumors, Nokia’s new Windows Phone 8 flagship will come to the UK exclusively on Everything Everywhere’s newly re-branded EE LTE network. The 4.5-inch Lumia 920 will launch on the freshly announced carrier later this year, along with the Lumia 820, Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, Huawei Ascend 4G and HTC One XL (if the on stage demo is anything to go by). We’re still waiting for the full list of hardware to be confirmed, along with availability details, but for now, you can start deciding your weapon of choice.

Update: We’ve just added the press release, which confirms the HTC One XL is among the launch handsets.

Update: Looks like that GS III will be an exclusive “titanium grey” color running Jelly Bean out of the box, according to Pocket-lint. Also, EE just confirmed to us that — as rumored — it has exclusivity over the Lumia 920.

Continue reading EE confirms Nokia Lumia 920, 820 and Samsung Galaxy S III among first handsets on new LTE network (updated)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

EE confirms Nokia Lumia 920, 820 and Samsung Galaxy S III among first handsets on new LTE network (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 05:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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