Hasta La Gadget!

That pool looks cool and refreshing, and all of the kids are having the time of their lives. Problem is, it’s in an exclusive club, leaving you to stare at it longingly from the opposite side of a chainlink fence. We know the feeling, and it ain’t fun — yet, the state of LTE in the US over the last year has had just a pinch of elitism due to its high cost of entry and exclusion from most rural areas. Devices running on the near-miraculous speeds haven’t exactly been cheap, with handsets like the Samsung Droid Charge and Motorola Droid Bionic at an asking price of $250 to $300 on contract. Needless to say, lots of customers have felt the underlying feeling of inadequacy because their wallets may come up a Benjamin or two short.

The Pantech Breakout is the fifth phone in Verizon’s LTE lineup, and the first clear departure from the piggy bank-busting prices that its predecessors command. With Big Red boasting a 4G lineup full of monotonous 4.3-inch behemoths, we’ve been anxiously awaiting something different. Something — anything — that could likely appease a different set of customers eager to take advantage of this speedy network. The 4-inch Breakout certainly is capable of appealing to a wider demographic, but with an uncharacteristically low $100 price tag with a two-year commitment, does it ooze cheapness or is it a fair bargain? Follow us after the break to find out.

Continue reading Pantech Breakout review

Pantech Breakout review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Continue reading T-Mobile and Walmart offer 4G with no long-term contract, avoiding the pain of divorce

T-Mobile and Walmart offer 4G with no long-term contract, avoiding the pain of divorce originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Walmart  | Email this | Comments

It looks like T-Mobile is getting a seven-inch stablemate for the incoming Galaxy Tab 10.1. According to these shots from TmoNews, Huawei’s dual-core MediaPad will arrive in magenta clothing, though branding is limited to a few apps and an additional press shot, included after the break. Aside from a 1280 x 800 IPS display and 4G goodness, details remain sketchy, though pricing is expected to be around $200 with a two-year agreement. No word either when it’ll go on sale, but if Huawei’s earlier promises of end-of-year availability apply to carrier-branded versions, you can expect to get your hands on it at some (vague) point between now and 2012.

Continue reading Seven-inch Huawei tablet headed to T-Mobile, priced at $200 on contract?

Seven-inch Huawei tablet headed to T-Mobile, priced at $200 on contract? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  TmoNews  | Email this | Comments

We’re not sure how much longer it’ll be before the tiny fraction of Americans that can take advantage of AT&T’s LTE network will actually be able to put the HTC Holiday in their hands, but we imagine it won’t be too much longer. It looks like the dual-core super-phone just stopped by the FCC to have its radio checked out, and we’re happy to report the PH39100 came out unscathed. Though photos and specific branding were missing from the filing, we’re pretty confident that this 1700/2100/700 LTE device from HTC is, in fact, the Holiday. We’re also certain that Ma Bell is working like mad to get this 4.5-inch beast out the door real soon. Hit up the source link if you’re into things like RF exposure reports and label placement diagrams.

HTC Holiday hits the FCC, ready to deliver AT&T’s LTE to 3-percent of Americans originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  FCC  | Email this | Comments

It’s easy to get caught up in the wireless major leaguers legal kerfuffles, but let’s not forget the little guy. MetroPCS is shipping out a “chic,” second LTE handset to surf along its contractless radio waves — LG’s Esteem. Formerly codenamed Bryce, the phone is pretty much the carrier’s repackaged version of Verizon’s Revolution — specs, and all that 4G jazz — but let’s not be the debbie downer at this network’s party, the handset’s packing some solid internals. In case you needed a refresher, the phone runs Android 2.3 with a sprinkling of LG’s custom UI atop a single-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and includes 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing / 5 megapixel rear shooter (capable of 720p video capture) and a micro-HDMI port. Your untethered hands can snatch this one up now for $250 after taxes and a mail-in rebate, of course, you still have to opt-in for one of those 4G LTE service plans. Official PR after the break.

Continue reading MetroPCS takes a good look in the mirror, unveils the LG Esteem

MetroPCS takes a good look in the mirror, unveils the LG Esteem originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments