2.1

General
July 20, 2010
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Unlocked Motorola Milestone XT720 debuts in the UK

By on July 20, 2010 at 4:33 AM.

Unlocked Motorola Milestone XT720 debuts in the UK

motorola-milestone-xt720

Originally announced in June, the Motorola Milestone XT720 has landed sans carrier in the UK today. The unusually-contoured handset sports an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 3.7-inch display with 480 x 854 resolution, 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash and 720P video recording, 10.2Mbps HSDPA, 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi, FM radio, and Android 2.1. The Milestone XT720 is available unlocked from online UK retailers Play for £359.99 ($550 USD) and Clove for £381.88 ($583 USD).  Anyone across the pond interested in this feature-rich handset from Motorola? More →

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General
June 30, 2010
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DROID X ad takes a shot at iPhone 4 antenna woes

By on June 30, 2010 at 3:21 PM.

DROID X ad takes a shot at iPhone 4 antenna woes

droid-x-bitch-slap-small

Apparently Motorola thinks the antenna issues that are plaguing the iPhone 4 are a laughing matter. Based upon this full page ad that was published in today’s New York Times, we’d have to agree.

“[...] And most importantly, it comes with a double antenna design. The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like and use it just about anywhere to make crystal clear calls. You have a voice. And you deserve to be heard.“

That’s gotta sting a bit, no? Hit the bounce to check out the ad in full-sized glory!

Thanks, A.! More →

215 Comments
Rumor
June 30, 2010
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Best Buy ends DROID X pre-orders due to low inventory levels?

By on June 30, 2010 at 1:07 PM.

Best Buy ends DROID X pre-orders due to low inventory levels?

DROID-X

Say it ain’t so! There’s a rumor going around this afternoon that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile were forced to abruptly end all pre-orders of the Motorola DROID X. As we understand it, the problem is that the number of units requested by Android-crazed customers greatly exceeded the number of handsets that will be on-hand come launch day. We’ve not been able to independantly confirm this, so does anyone have first hand knowledge of what’s going on? More →

71 Comments
Software
June 30, 2010
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Android 3.0 aka Gingerbread gets detailed

By on June 30, 2010 at 12:25 PM.

Android 3.0 aka Gingerbread gets detailed

Android-Gingerbread

It’s no secret that the next delicious chapter in Android will be made out of Gingerbread, but until today we didn’t have much of an idea about its ingredients. Thanks to Russian mobile guru Eldar Murtazin, we believe we now know. First and foremost, it’s important to note that Android 3.0 is designed exclusively for high-end devices. For the foreseeable future, everything else will advance no further than 2.1 or 2.2. As much as that might rub people the wrong way, there’s a very good reason behind it: 3.0 has a strict set of hardware requirement that must be met. Specifically we’re looking at a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, and a minimum display size of 3.5″ (presumably WVGA). If a manufacturer wants to build a Shaq-sized phone with display in excess of 4″, resolutions of up to 1280×760 will be supported. Curious to know what 3.0 will look like? Thanks to Google’s actually paying attention to updating the UI, 3.0 will expand upon the UI seen in the Photo Gallery on the Nexus One. That is definitely a redesign we don’t take issue with. Excited? Well you should be, but apparently you’re going to have to sit tight a while as Android 3.0 Gingerbread is said to be headed towards an announcement on or around the 15th or 16th of October, with the first handsets going on sale in time for Christmas. More →

102 Comments
General
June 29, 2010
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Sprint-bound Samsung Intercept breaks cover

By on June 29, 2010 at 1:31 PM.

Sprint-bound Samsung Intercept breaks cover

samsung-intercept

We’ve been waiting for the Samsung Intercept to show its face for quite some time, and here it is. The successor to the Moment, the Intercept will land on Sprint on July 11th. While much of its features are still a mystery, it is known that the Intercept runs Android 2.1, has a 3.2″ display, has a four-row sliding QWERTY keypad, Wi-Fi, GPS, and — if we’re lucky — an improved camera. More →

32 Comments
Retail
June 28, 2010
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T-Mobile Vibrant: $199.99 on July 21st

By on June 28, 2010 at 2:59 AM.

T-Mobile Vibrant: $199.99 on July 21st

t-mobile-vibrant

The Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant has been a long time coming, but today an official release date and pricing were finally announced. As of July 21st, T-Mobile will be selling the Vibrant for $199.99, that price of course assuming a new 2-year contract. T-Mobile might have a bit of a tough sell on its hands considering that AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and even U.S. Cellular will be offering the Galaxy S in one form or another, but T-Mobile has a trick up its sleeve: anyone who purchases a Vibrant will get a free copy of The Sims 3 Collectors Edition, and a 2GB microSD card pre-loaded with Avatar. Triple win, right?

More →

34 Comments
General
June 28, 2010
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Sprint announces the Samsung Epic 4G

By on June 28, 2010 at 1:40 AM.

Sprint announces the Samsung Epic 4G

epic-4g

Sure it might have a laughably bad name, but there’s no way in hell you can laugh at the Samsung Epic 4G’s specs. A part of the Galaxy S family, the Epic 4G is Sprint’s second 4G WiMAX smartphone. To go on sale later this year for an undisclosed price, the Epic 4G has a 4″ WVGA Super AMOLED display, sliding QWERTY keypad, 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture, front-facing camera for video calling, GPS, Wi-Fi b/g/n, mobile hotspot support for five devices, six-axis motion sensor, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and 512MB RAM / 1GB ROM. It will come to market running Android 2.1 — with a bit of help from Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0, naturally — but Sprint has gone on the record as saying an update to Android 2.2 won’t be that far off once the Epic 4G is released. Good to know. More →

62 Comments
General
June 28, 2010
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Verizon enters the Galaxy S fray with the Fascinate, U.S. Cellular tags along

By on June 28, 2010 at 1:02 AM.

Verizon enters the Galaxy S fray with the Fascinate, U.S. Cellular tags along

Galaxy-S-GT-I9000

AT&T has the Captivate, T-Mobile has the Vibrant, and now Verizon Wireless has the Fascinate, it’s very own iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S. Featuring the same 4″ WVGA Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera and 1GHz Hummingbird processor as its siblings, the Fascinate also has a six-axis motion control for an enhanced gaming experience, Swype virtual keyboard, and comes pre-loaded with Bing Search and Bing Maps. U.S. Cellular also announced that it will be jumping on the Galaxy S bandwagon, although what its model will be named and what most of its tailor-made features will be are still a mystery. Then again, so are its price and release date. All we know is that it, just like the Fascinate, will be available this Fall. More →

23 Comments
General
June 26, 2010
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T-Mobile details the Samsung Vibrant

By on June 26, 2010 at 12:12 PM.

T-Mobile details the Samsung Vibrant

samsung-vibrant

AT&T is no longer the only American carrier to officially have a variant of Samsung Galaxy S coming soon, as T-Mobile has finally gotten around to admitting that it will be releasing the Android 2.1 smartphone under the name Vibrant. Sporting a chrome bezel that is reminiscent of the first three generations of iPhone, the Vibrant has the same 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 4″ WVGA Super AMOLED display, and 5 megapixel camera as the Galaxy S. No word yet on a release date or pricing, but we imagine we’ll learn next week, be it by press release or leak. More →

74 Comments
Retail
June 25, 2010
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DROID X pre-orders get underway at Best Buy

By on June 25, 2010 at 1:17 PM.

DROID X pre-orders get underway at Best Buy

DROID-X

We know that a lot of you are itching to get your hands on the Motorola DROID X, especially after checking out our glowing first impressions. And while the bad news is that you can’t have one to call your own until July 15th, the good news is that Best Buy is now taking pre-orders for the most badass Android smartphone to date. No money is required up front, and you’re guaranteed you’ll be able to pick up your shiny new toy on that magical Thursday without having to deal with any of those those stupid mail-in rebates. Win. More →

78 Comments
General
June 22, 2010
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Droid X camera samples leak out

By on June 22, 2010 at 12:32 PM.

Droid X camera samples leak out

droid-x-photos-sample

It might not be the most exciting leak surrounding the upcoming Motorola Droid X, but these sample photos taken with the phones 8 megapixel are intriguing nonetheless. Thanks to EXIF data we’ve been able to rule out that these images are a hoax. And that’s a great thing, because anyone who remembers how bad the original Droid was with photos in the early days surely will be beside themselves with joy over these snapshots. Hit the jump to check out another sample. More →

39 Comments
Retail
June 21, 2010
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HTC Aria now on sale through AT&T

By on June 21, 2010 at 7:00 AM.

HTC Aria now on sale through AT&T

att-htc-aria

It might not have the raw power or good looks of the upcoming Samsung Captivate, but the HTC Aria is the best Android smartphone offered by AT&T. On sale as of Sunday, $129.99 Aria offers specs which include a 3.2″ HVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. We don’t imagine it will be breaking AT&T sales records anytime soon (or ever, for that matter), but at least it’s more of a spirited effort than the BACKFLIP. More →

26 Comments
Rumor
June 21, 2010
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Samsung Galaxy S Pro specs emerge at long last

By on June 21, 2010 at 5:30 AM.

Samsung Galaxy S Pro specs emerge at long last

sprint-samsung-

There’s little in the way of proof that the following specifications are accurate, but according to one of Android Central’s “tried-and-true” tipsters, we now have the tentative specs for the Samsung Galaxy S Pro. Software wise, the Galaxy S Pro is said to be presently running Android 2.1 with Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 overlay. In terms of hardware, you have a WVGA Super AMOLED display (possibly the same unit found on the non-Pro Galaxy S), 5 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, front-facing camera, 512MB RAM, 8.2 GB of internal memory, and a custom 1GHz Cortex A8 processor. As for radios, it’s said that the Galaxy S Pro will run on both Sprint’s EV-DO and WiMAX networks, with a space for a SIM card indicating that we’re looking at HSDPA roaming for Europe and Asia. GPS isn’t mentioned but is surely a given, and the Wi-Fi chip will support the b/g/n protocols. Where build quality is concerned, the tipster did single out various components as feeling “plasticy”, although with the unit in question being a prototype, we won’t let that worry us just yet. More →

11 Comments