Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on March 17, 2011
Samsung Announces Suite of 4G-Ready Gadgets
LAS VEGAS — Samsung climbed aboard the increasingly crowded 4G train with a trio of 4G LTE-enabled devices Thursday afternoon at CES 2011.
Among the devices are a new version of the Galaxy Tab. Along with 4G connectivity capability, the new tablet will have an upgraded 5-megapixel back facing camera, distinguished from the current models 3 megapixels.
Samsung didn’t announce when the tablet would be available. It will be exclusive to Verizons 4G network in the U.S.
In addition to the new tablet, Samsung also unveiled a new, yet-to-be named smartphone, provisionally called the 4G LTE. Its yet another launch of a mobile device with a massive super AMOLED screen — it measures in at 4.3-inches — debuting only days after the company had first announced its 4.5-inch Infuse smartphone.
Under the hood, the 4G LTE has a 1 GHz single-core processor. Just like the Infuse, the 4G LTE has an 8-megapixel back facing camera, with a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera for video chat. Both the 4G LTE and the Infuse will run Froyo. Like the tablet, there arent any pricing or availability details being made public yet.
And to round out the announcement, Samsung also introduced its aptly named 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot for Verizons 4G network. The device will work much like other hotspots do, acting as a wireless access point for up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices at once. Its also backward compatible with Verizons 3G network.
See Also:
- Official: Samsung Galaxy Tab $600 on Verizon
- How 7-Inch Android Tablets Can Succeed
- Verizon Mulling Wired Broadband Pricing Tiers For 4G Wireless
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on January 7, 2011
Android Froyo Update Breaks Gmail Sync on HTC Evo
After Google’s Nexus One, HTC’s Evo 4G phone is the first device to get upgraded to the latest Android 2.2 Froyo version of the operating system. But some users are not happy about it.
The Froyo update has broken the syncing of multiple Gmail accounts on the device. The results is that only the primary Gmail account is updated automatically. Second and third Gmail accounts have to be manually refreshed to pull in new e-mails, say Evo users on forums such as Android Central and Google’s Android support board.
“My two Gmail accounts have always worked great on 2.1. Moving to 2.2 my primary Gmail pushes instantly. My secondary Gmail account doesn’t sync at all. I have to manually sync to get it to work,” says ‘tommy m‘, an Evo user who first posted about the issue on the Android Central forum.
The problem also means that users don’t see new e-mail notifications from secondary accounts.
HTC hasn’t responded to a request for comment yet.
HTC and Sprint, the exclusive carrier for the Evo, started pushing out Froyo to customers on August 3. The update offers features such as voice dialing over Bluetooth, the ability to store apps on the external memory card and browser improvements including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash support.
The problems with syncing of multiple Gmail accounts flared up right after the Evo moved to Android 2.2. Some Froyo users have been offering homebrewed solutions on message boards including deleting the accounts and adding them again with a change to the mail setting of ‘notify once.’ But the solution hasn’t worked reliably for all users.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 10, 2010
4G WiMax Hot-Spot for iPads, iPhones
Once a novelty (a very handy and popular one, but a novelty nonetheless), MiFi-style personal hotspots are now popping as fast as new cellphones. But these 3G-data-sharing boxes are swiftly getting old. The new hotness is 4G, and the iSpot from Clear is one of the few around.
The iSpot uses Clear’s own WiMax network and allows up to eight devices to connect at a time. Weirdly, it is billed as working only with Apple devices (hence the white styling which matches all of Apple’s mobile products… Wait, no) but as it send the 4G signal out over WiFi, it should be fine with anything (it looks like USB-tethering to a laptop has been disabled, though).
As for specs, the iSpot will serve 4G at speeds of 3Mbps to 6Mbps down, and will do it for up to four hours. It costs $100 and you’ll need to be on Clear’s $30-per-month plan to get it. Perfect for adding 4G to your white iPhone. If it ever ships, that is.
iSpot [Clear via Slashgear]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 4, 2010
Samsung Launches 4G Phone on Sprint
The HTC Evo has competition. Samsung has introduced its first 4G handset, called the Samsung Epic, on Sprint’s network. The Epic will be the second 4G smartphone on Sprint, following the Evo 4G’s debut earlier this month.
The Epic 4G will have a 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard. Inside, the device packs a 1GHz ‘Hummingbird’ processor from Samsung, and two cameras: a five megapixel camera to shoot movies and photos and a front-facing VGA camera (0.3 megapixels) for video chat. The phone will run Google’s Android 2.1 operating system.
Samsung’s 4G phone is up against some strong rivals. The HTC Evo 4G has become the best-selling device on Sprint’s network. Meanwhile, Apple launched its latest iPhone, the iPhone 4, last week. Though the iPhone 4 runs on AT&T’s 3G overloaded network, the device has some features such as video chat and a luminous, high-resolution display that is drawing in customers. Apple sold 1.7 million iPhone 4s in the three days since the device’s launch.
The Epic is part of a new family of Android smartphones called Galaxy S from Samsung. The Galaxy S phones feature 4-inch screens, run Android and integrate social networking feeds from Twitter and Facebook, plus e-mail messages, calendars and contacts, into a single screen.
Sprint did not reveal pricing or availability for the Epic 4G.
When it comes to 4G services, Sprint is ahead of other wireless service providers in the U.S. Sprint’s 4G network is currently available in 36 cities. Sprint claims its 4G service can deliver up to 10 times higher speeds than existing 3G networks. Major areas such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. will get 4G connectivity later this year, says Sprint.
Verizon is testing its 4G ‘LTE’ network this year and expects to start rolling it out next year. AT&T is likely to start trials of its 4G service next year.
Not surprisingly, Sprint is pressing its advantage with 4G handsets.
Samsung’s Epic is largely comparable to the HTC Evo in its hardware, but it lags behind in a few areas. The Evo has a 8-megapixel camera, compared to the Epic’s 5-megapixel. The Evo can provide wireless access for up to eight devices as part of its hotspot capability, while the Epic an support only up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously.
But Samsung hopes to offer content that will put the Epic ahead. For instance, over the next few months, Epic users will have access to the Samsung Media Hub, a video store with movies and TV available for purchase or rental, says Samsung. A 4G network should help make downloads much faster, says the company.
The phone will also have a service called ‘AllShare’ to wirelessly exchange music, pictures and video with other devices. For business users, the phone supports push email, integrated calendar and Exchange ActiveSync.
Samsung and Sprint say the Epic will be upgraded to the latest flavor of Android, Android 2.2 ‘Froyo.’
As for other cellphone service providers, Samsung isn’t neglecting them. In the next few weeks, Samsung plans to offer Fascinate, a 3G phone running Android 2.1 OS on Verizon and Vibrant, an Android smartphone on T-Mobile’s network.
Top Photo: Samsung Epic 4G/Samsung
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on June 29, 2010
