Samsung Vibrant is official on T-Mobile, coming July 21 for $200

When it rains, it pours, ladies and gentlemen — and tonight, it’s pouring high-end Android phones from Samsung. Hot on the heels of the Epic 4G for Sprint and a dash of preliminary official info on T-Mobile’s flavor of the Galaxy S, the Vibrant is now 100 percent official with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor and 4-inch Super AMOLED display. Though the physical design of the phone is unique to T-Mobile — just as all North American versions of the Galaxy S are — the specs should be ringing a bell by now, and the trend continues through to the 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture and Samsung-skinned build of Android. It launches on July 21 for $199.99 on a two-year contract, though interested folks will be able to pre-order in Radio Shack locations starting July 1 for $50 (which gets returned to you in the form of a gift card). Oh, and don’t worry, entertainment buffs: you will definitely get both The Sims 3 Collector’s Edition and a little motion picture called Avatar pre-installed on a 2GB microSD card. Bonus! Follow the break for the full release.

Continue reading Samsung Vibrant is official on T-Mobile, coming July 21 for $200

Samsung Vibrant is official on T-Mobile, coming July 21 for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile offers up official Samsung Vibrant (a.k.a. Galaxy S) details

We already knew that T-Mobile’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S would be called the Vibrant, and it looks like the carrier is now starting to share a bit more not-too-surprising information about the phone in what they call an “early FAQ.” That includes the first official pictures of the device with T-Mobile branding, and details on some of the phone’s specs, including the somewhat interesting tidbit that while the Vibrant “benefits from enhanced speeds with T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network,” it is “not an HSPA+ device.” Otherwise, T-Mobile has simply confirmed that the phone will indeed come with Android 2.1, and that it of course packs a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor and that standout 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display. Still no official word on a launch date just yet, but T-Mobile is promising to share at least a few more details when its countdown reaches zero late tonight.

[Thanks, Brent]

T-Mobile offers up official Samsung Vibrant (a.k.a. Galaxy S) details originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Charm coming to T-Mobile with ‘enhanced’ Android 2.1 Motoblur? Update promised for CLIQ and CLIQ XT?

Usual rules apply — we can’t independently confirm this at the moment — but a tipster has sent us what appears to be T-Mobile training materials for an upcoming Motoblur-infused candybar smartphone, the Motorola Charm. Only this Motoblur is allegedly powered by Android 2.1 and boasts the same scalable widgets as we saw on Droid X, in addition to improved Facebook / Twitter integration (hello, Like and Retweet) and the usual Eclair refinements.As far as the hardware is concerned, there isn’t much to glean from it at this point, aside from a textured QWERTY keyboard reminiscent of the CLIQ and a “camera” button denoting some form of memory-capturing capabilities. Speaking of which, the materials mention that the enhanced Motoblur is heading to CLIQ and CLIQ XT. Let us bookend this entire post with another reminder that none of this is confirmed, but we do know more than a few T-Mobile users who would love to get their mitts on a candybar Android.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Motorola Charm coming to T-Mobile with ‘enhanced’ Android 2.1 Motoblur? Update promised for CLIQ and CLIQ XT? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile Announces Samsung Vibrant, 1 Ghz Smartphone

T-Mobile’s official Twitter account has been Tweeting up a storm about a new smartphone called the Vibrant, which I have on good word is a member of Samsung’s Galaxy S family. That means it will be a large, slab-style Android 2.1 phone with a 1 Ghz processor – the first true Android “super phone” available with T-Mobile branding. 

Samsung has said they’re trying to bring out Galaxy S phones on all four major US carriers, and the Vibrant is the second one announced, after AT&T’s Captivate. The official Galaxy S launch party is on Tuesday night, but here’s what T-Mobile has had to say about it so far:
“How about the Samsung Vibrant? 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, 4.0-inch Super AMOLED touch screen, 5 MP camera”
“The Vibrant’s 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor is optimized for superior media viewing and game play.”
“The Vibrant’s 5 MP camera is equipped with digital zoom and autofocus. Comes with an HD video recorder too!”
“The release date will be announced in the near future, stay tuned”
The carrier also has a silly rebus showing the phone’s name, but it’s clear much more information will come out soon. To whet your appetite, check out our hands-on with the Galaxy S from the official product line launch in March.

T-Mobile USA’s Samsung Galaxy S to be called ‘Vibrant’

So, we know AT&T’s version of the Galaxy S is called the Captivate — but what about T-Mobile? Earlier rumors that it’d be called “Vibrant” are all but confirmed today thanks to a carrier-run site that’s slowly revealing a rebus puzzle… and so far, we can clearly see Sam + Sun + G and Viking – King + [unknown] + Ant. So yeah, that pretty much locks it up — and with a Super AMOLED display on board, we’d say the name fits perfectly (and TmoNews claims to have the original image anyway, where the unknown portion is Bee + R). We’re expecting some sort of US-focused Galaxy S announcement out of Sammy next Tuesday, so we imagine this’ll be it.

T-Mobile USA’s Samsung Galaxy S to be called ‘Vibrant’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Behold II finally gets Android 1.6 update

Yes, yes, we know you’d rather get Eclair or Froyo — but sometimes you’ve got to be happy with what you’ve got, and this is one of those times. As far as we can tell, Samsung hasn’t budged on its commitment to sunset the Behold II’s upgrade path with Donut, but at least 1.6 is finally trickling into the hands of owners this week via a rolling over-the-air update that should wrap up on the 25th. There are a few bug fixes in the mix, too — so unless you’ve got a rooted Behold II running 2.2 already, you probably want in on this action. Or… you know, dump this inadequately-supported piece for something running 2.1 out of the box.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung Behold II finally gets Android 1.6 update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile expands HSPA+ footprint, now covers over 25 metro areas

The nation’s number four carrier is once again pressing ahead with its big HSPA+ expansion, announcing today that speeds of up to 21Mbps (theoretically, of course) will be available in over 25 metropolitan areas covering more than 75 million folks by the end of the month. In conjunction with the expansion, that means that T-Mobile’s webConnect Rocket USB modem will be available in the newly-upgraded markets, which include LA, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Tampa, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and New Orleans, among others. Interestingly, the carrier isn’t shying away at all on its questionably-truthful “4G speeds” talk despite some pooh-poohing from rivals, so we’ll have to see whether the claims hold up once the networks start to build up a little saturation. Follow the break for T-Mobile’s release.

Continue reading T-Mobile expands HSPA+ footprint, now covers over 25 metro areas

T-Mobile expands HSPA+ footprint, now covers over 25 metro areas originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S outed by way of FCC?

We’ve already heard enough talk — both from our own tipsters and other publications — to say with some level of confidence that T-Mobile plans on unleashing the mighty Galaxy S at some point in the next month or two, but is this the smoking gun? There’s now a phone called the SGH-T959 in the FCC’s certification database that features AWS 3G support, and while external photos are rudely left out, the device’s outline clearly mimics that of the generic, unbranded Galaxy S that we’ve been seeing since its unveiling back in March. At any rate, we’ve got this Samsung Android event coming up stateside here in a couple weeks, so we should figure it all out then.

T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S outed by way of FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile celebrates Father’s Day with one-day ‘every phone is free’ event

We’d heard a rumor this was coming, and T-Mobile has now made it a reality — the carrier will be offering a one-day-only, every phone is free event on June 19th to celebrate Father’s Day. Yes, that really means every phone T-Mobile offers (including the brand new myTouch 3G Slide and Garminfone) and the only “catch” is that you have to either switch to a family plan or add a new line to an existing plan — and, of course, sign a two-year agreement. The deal is only available in T-Mobile stores, however, and the carrier warns that phones will only be available “while supplies last,” so you’ll likely have to deal with a line if you’re looking to get in on the savings.

Continue reading T-Mobile celebrates Father’s Day with one-day ‘every phone is free’ event

T-Mobile celebrates Father’s Day with one-day ‘every phone is free’ event originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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20 Android Phones You Can Buy Today (or Soon)

Updated 06/15 to include the latest version of Android OS on the phones and added MyTouch Slide.

Less than two years after Google introduced the first Android phone, the free, open source operating system has turned into a juggernaut. There are 17 Android phones available today, and three new devices will hit retail stores in the next few weeks.

The latest Android phone is the HTC Aria. AT&T revealed the Aria on Monday as a mid-range phone that will run Android 2.1, have a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.2-inch display and a slower processor than the Nexus One or HTC Evo 4G (the Aria’s CPU clocks 600 MHz, compared to 1 GHz on the latter).

Aria is not the last Android phone from AT&T this year. The company has said it will have five Android devices in 2010 and is likely to announce yet another Android phone soon.

Google debuted the Android operating system in 2008, and the first handset to use it was T-Mobile’s HTC G1. Since then, the four major U.S. wireless service providers — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint — have embraced the OS. AT&T’s Android portfolio, though, is the weakest, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering its exclusive deal with Apple: Thanks to the success of the iPhone, AT&T has less reason to explore Android alternatives.

From the $50 LG Ally on Verizon to the most advanced handset available today — the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint — there’s an Android phone for almost every price range and level of use.

So if you are looking to switch to Android or upgrade your existing device, check out our list of all the Android phones available by wireless carrier. Prices mentioned below are those listed on the website of the carrier, with a two-year contract, except as noted.

For more details on each of these phones, click through to the carrier sites: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

  • AT&T
  • Motorola Backflip
  • Android 1.5 (upgradable to 2.1), 5-megapixel camera, 528-MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A processor, 3.1-inch display, 4.7 ounces, $100.
  • Google Nexus One
  • Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm 1-GHz processor, 3.7-inch display, 4.6 ounces, Not available subsidized. $530.
  • HTC Aria
  • Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 600-MHz Qualcomm MSM 7227 processor, 3.2-inch display, $130. Available June 20.
  • Dell Aero
  • Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 624-MHz Marvell chip, 3.5-inch display, Pricing not disclosed. Available this summer.
  • Sprint
  • HTC Evo
  • Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), dual cameras includes 8-megapixel camera and 1.3-megapixel front camera, Qualcomm 1-GHz processor, 4.3-inch display, 6 ounces, $200.
  • Samsung Moment
  • Android, 3.2-megapixel camera, 800-MHz Samsung S3C6410 processor, 3.7-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $100.
  • HTC Hero
  • Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 4.5 ounces, $80.
  • Motorola i1
  • First ruggedized push-to-talk Android phone, Android 1.5, 600-MHz Freescale ARM processor, 5-megapixel camera, 3.1-inch display, 4.63 ounces. Pricing not disclosed. Available this summer.
  • T-Mobile
  • Google Nexus One
  • Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm 1-GHz processor, 3.7-inch display, 4.6 ounces, $180.
  • HTC G1
  • Android 1.6, 3.2-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7201A 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $100.
  • HTC MyTouch
  • Android 1.6, 3.2-megapixel camera, 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 5.9 ounces, $180.
  • Motorola Cliq
  • Android 1.5, 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7200A 528-MHz processor, 3.1-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $130.
  • HTC MyTouch Slide
  • Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 600 MHz processor, 3.4-inch display, 5.8 ounces, $180.
  • Samsung Behold II
  • Android 1.6, 5-megapixel camera, 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch OLED display, 4.2 ounces, $100.
  • Garmin Asus Garminfone
  • Android 1.6, 3-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 3.5-inch display, 4.9 ounces, $200.
  • Verizon
  • Motorola Droid
  • Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 5-megapixel camera, 550-MHz ARM processor, 3.7-inch display, 5.9 ounces, $150.
  • HTC Droid Incredible
  • Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 8-megapixel camera, 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.7-inch display, 4.6 ounces, $200.
  • Motorola Devour
  • Android 1.6, 3-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7627 600-MHz processor, 3.1-inch display, 5.9 ounces, $80.
  • HTC Droid Eris
  • Android 1.5 (upgradable to 2.1), 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7600 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 4.3 ounces, $50.
  • LG Ally
  • Android 2.1, 3.2-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7627 600-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $50.

Photo: Android mascot (Esti/Flickr)