Samsung says GPS is 'tested and validated' on Epic 4G, our testing agrees

If you own a Galaxy S anywhere in the world or you're thinking of buying one, you're probably well-acquainted at this point with the GPS issues it's been suffering that prevent you from getting anything close to a precise lock on your location -- it might not be a deal-breaker for some, but for anyone planning on using their phone for turn-by-turn nav or fitness tracking (for instance) it's a big deal.

Samsung's already committed to updating released versions of the phone in September, but what about the upcoming Epic 4G? Our testing suggests that it's functional -- Google Maps was able to give us extremely precise positions very quickly -- and a statement we've received from Samsung seems to corroborate that:

"We have tested and validated both Network Assisted (indoor) and Autonomous (outdoor) GPS on the Epic 4G. With regards to Vibrant and Captivate, we are currently testing software updates which will optimize GPS performance. We expect to be able to make the updates available in September and will communicate more information and download instructions in the next few weeks."

In other words, the Captivate and the Vibrant have the bug and will be fixed next month; the Epic, meanwhile, should be good to go when it launches on the 31st. Cheers to that, we say.

Via : engadget.com

Motorola Charm hitting T-Mobile on August 25 for $75

T-Mobile USA just dropped the knowledge on Twitter that it'll be carrying the Motorola Charm starting next Wednesday, August 25 -- but what it failed to mention is pricing.

For what it's worth, the company does specifically say that it'll be "affordable" -- and although a marketing department's definition of "affordable" can be very different from ours, we're encouraged by a handful of previous rumors that there would be ways to get it for free on contract.

If you need us to jog your memory, the Charm is a cute little portrait QWERTY Android device with a Kodak-branded 3 megapixel cam and landscape display, giving it a rare form factor that could very well appeal to a whole new audience (read: BlackBerry folks). So, how much would you pay for it?

Via : engadget.com

Blackberry Bold 9650 arrives through U.S. Cellular

U.S Cellularwas seen offering the highly elegant HTC Desire to mobile aficionados more recently. Now the network carrier revealed the availability of yet another device namely Blackberry Bold 9650 for U.S. consumers. This stylish and feature-rich smartphone offers several web-based services like business and personal email, Internet and social networks through U.S. Cellular’s nationwide 3G network.

The handset supports super fast EV-DO. A networks in North America and UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM abroad. Users can browse and download images and videos from web at 3G speeds and further watch it in a 2.4” HVGA+ screen. Equipped with a 3.2MP camera with auto-focus, users can share high-quality images on various social networking sites effortlessly. Also, with an additional microSD or SDHC slot they can maximize their storage capacity up to 32GB and save unlimited pictures, videos and music.

Edward Perez, vice president of sales and marketing operations for U.S. Cellular, explained, “When you combine the BlackBerry Bold with our industry-first programs such as Overage Protection and Battery Swap, our customers can have a powerful smartphone with a unique wireless experience. The international voice and data capabilities of the BlackBerry Bold give our customers options while traveling for business or with their friends and families.”

With a full QWERTY keyboard and optical trackpad, users can instantly type long messages and scroll menus and icons smoothly. The Blackberry email and Messenger exhibit the smartphone’s connectivity features and delivers an enriching experience to users. With built-in Wi-Fi support, users can access the Internet over wireless hotspots as they move around in homes, offices or other locations. While junketing through unknown places, they can employ the built-in GPS system alongside Blackberry Maps to receive step by step directions.

An array of U.S. Cellular applications can be accessed through the handset like My Contacts Backup, Tone Room Deluxe and Your Navigator Deluxe. To enjoy more applications, users simply download it from the Blackberry App World. The device includes Blackberry 5, though it has been designed to work with Blackberry 6 OS as well. It is claimed that the new operating system will be made available on the handset only after U.S. Cellular’s official approval.

Users can now grab the Blackberry Bold 9650 from U.S. Cellular’s official website. Though the official pricing details are yet not revealed.

Via : mobiletor.com

BlackBerry Bold 9650 Coming to U.S. Cellular

Research in Motion has been getting a decent amount of much needed hype thanks to their recently released BlackBerry Torch handset complete with their new BlackBerry 6 mobile operating system and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. However, to keep the hype pushing towards the goal, RIM needs to continuously push out their higher end smart phones in an attempt to get them into the hands of more consumers.

Today, U.S. Cellular has announced that they will be getting the BlackBerry Bold 9650 ready for consumers tomorrow, August 18th. There aren’t many out of this world features on this device besides the fact that it is BlackBerry 6 ready and it features 512MB of RAM, a 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, EV-DO, UMTS/HSPA, EDGE, GPRS and GSM.

If you’re looking to get down with the BlackBerry Bold 9650, expect to part with $230 after a 2-year contract and a $70 mail-in rebate.

Read More @ mobilewhack.com

BlackBerry Bold 9650 Coming To US Cellular, Available August 18th For $230

US Cellular originally announced the upcoming availability for the BlackBerry Bold 9650 by way of Facebook back in late July, and at the time they called for an early August release. Well, they may not have hit the early part, however the BlackBerry Bold 9650 will come available for purchase tomorrow August 18th.

As for the pricing, the Bold 9650 will be $230. It should also go without saying, however this also comes along with a two-year agreement. And in addition, it was also mentioned that US Cellular will also be offering the Bold 9650 with a $70 mail in rebate. Which sounds good, especially considering you can grab the same phone with Verizon for $99.99.

Pricing aside though, the specs are what we have seen with the Bold 9650 in the past. That said, this does seem to be a nice addition to the current overall and more specifically, to the current BlackBerry lineup with US Cellular. In addition, US Cellular is also offering the BlackBerry Curve 8530 in either red or black as well as the Pearl Flip 8230. In other words, the Bold 9650 will make the higher end of the BlackBerry device lineup.

In terms of specs, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 comes sporting a 2.4 inch HVGA+ display, full QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad, 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, GPS and will be running BlackBerry 5 in terms of the operating system. And as far as operating system upgrades, US Cellular did mention they had plans to update the handset to BlackBerry 6 “in the coming months.” And while it would be nice to have that narrowed down a little, I suppose knowing the update is coming is better than the alternative.

Otherwise, the Bold 9650 also has support for the US Cellular 3G network as well as support for carrier specific apps such as My Contacts Backup, Tone Room Deluxe and Your Navigator Deluxe. And of course, full access to the BlackBerry App World is also available.

Via : nexus404.com

Samsung Epic 4G Finally Launching on August 31st

Sprint's Samsung Epic 4G, which has seen several delays and missed launch dates already, is finally confirmed to launch on August 31st.

The device has been available to pre-order and will start selling on the 31st.

Sprint's latest addition to its 4G line of smartphones is manufactured by Samsung, and is part of its Galaxy line of devices. The Epic 4G is a unique device in the South Korean manufacturer's line-up and is one of the only large-screened Google Android smartphones with a full QWERTY keyboard.

The screen of the handset is a large 4" Super AMOLED display with Wide-VGA resolution. The display technology used should give it great visibility in sunlight as opposed to standard AMOLED.

Read More @ phonereport.info

Samsung to Offer Galaxy 3 and Galaxy 5 in the Indian Market

Samsung has launched its two mobile devices, such as the Galaxy 3 as well as Galaxy 5 in India. Both handsets are considered to be Android based devices. The cell phones are supportive to Swype text input and are enabled with Touchwiz 3.0 UI as well.

When talking about the Galaxy 3, one should say that it features a 3.2-inch WQVGA 16M TFT screen. Apart from that the handset boasts of a camera that is available with autofocus. One can also take advantage of the Wi-Fi connectivity. The handset comes with a 1500 mAH battery

and offers 130MB of internal memory that you are able to expand up to 32GB with the help of microSD cards. In case you would like to have more apps on your mobile device you are always welcome to download them from Samsung Apps store.

With the help of ThinkFree Office Mobile, users are able to view, create and also edit word documents, PowerPoint presentations as well as spreadsheets. One should also mention that it is supportive to the following file formats: MPEG4, Xvid, DivX, and WMA. It is also possible to listen to FM radio. The price tag of the handset is Rs.12,300.

The Galaxy 5 is equipped with a 2.8-inch QVGA TFT screen and features 2MP camera. Among connectivity options one can use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, as well as 3G HSDPA. There is also a 3.5 mm jack. Moreover, the handset integrates A-GPS and FM radio. The internal memory of the handset is 90 MB. The Galaxy 5 is available for Rs.10, 200.

Via : thelatestnews.in

Samsung Epic 4G the best smartphone

Samsung Epic 4G is being viewed by the analysts as the best smartphone available today. The phone comes with Sprint’s data plan $69. It is a. 4g phone (If you are in the coverage areas) and it also has Android OS, considered as the best OS on the market today.

However, if you are looking for the disadvantages of this phone, it can be said that its 4g coverage is not everywhere. Thus, you will be paying extra $10 per month for nothing if you are in one of the non-4g areas. At the same time, you are still saving $50 plus dollars a month compared to AT&T or Verizon.

Some experts say that Samsung Epic 4G is the bulkiest of the Galaxy S phones and also the priciest. It also requires a costly data plan. But some people say that they like this phone as they can save a total of $1,800 a year because they can got rid of iPhone, which people take more of an entertainment phone, than an organization phone.

Via : abcnews.in

LG talks up Optimus smartphone line: 10 devices by year end, NVIDIA's Tegra for high-end model, tablet will be 'productive'

LG's Ally might be scratching at the boring end of the Android landscape right now, but LG certainly isn't stopping with one smartphone on the market in 2010.

LG stated on Wednesday that it's pouring some mega cash on R&D and marketing to play catch up, and it plans to release a whopping 10 smartphones by the end of the year, projecting sales of 5 million units in that time.

The low-end Optimus One kicks things off in September with a whopping 120 carriers globally, but LG also said it has a dual-core Tegra based handset in the works for the performance minded.

It's unclear if this is a replacement chip for the supposedly Snapdragon LU2300 Optimus Q (pictured) or the innards for another handset entirely, but 10 phones is a big quota to fill (at least for anyone who isn't LG or Samsung), so hopefully it's the latter. Finally, LG reiterated that it's working on a tablet for Q4. "It's going to be surprisingly productive," said LG's Chang Ma, attempting to set it apart from the iPad in that regard.

So, LG's for-serious about Android, but is it too late? According to Mr. Ma, who may or may not have slowly donning a pair of really hip sunglasses at the moment, "The race hasn't started yet."

Via : engadget

Colorware freshens up BlackBerry Pearl 3G and Flip UltraHD with bodacious new paintjobs

Say, are you finding your 3G-equipped BlackBerry isn't looking quite so Pearlescent now that the Curve has also gone 3G and BlackBerry 6 seems to have moved things along (a bit)? Maybe it's time you gave that zany bunch at Colorware a call, as they've just started taking orders for repainting Pearl 3G (aka 9100) handsets into whatever shade of awesome you desire.

Prices are still ludicrous, starting out at $165 for a respray or $640 for a brand new phone, though if you want some more affordable customization, you can opt to send in your Flip UltraHD for a $50 change of hue (or grab a new one for $260). Sure, none of it makes much fiscal sense, but then blinging out your gear was never about rationality anyway.

Via : engadget.com