Dish Network, Qualcomm team up on Snapdragon S4 chips for hybrid satellite / cellular mobiles

Posted on 11/06/2012 by Richard Lawler

Qualcomm's dual-core Krait S4 MSM8960 processors have already found friends in Samsung's Galaxy S III and HTC's One X thanks to their integrated support for 3G/LTE, and now Dish Network has announced it's working to use them in devices for its future network. According to the press release (included after the break), the new satellite air interface tech developed by Qualcomm called Enhanced Geostationary Air Link (EGAL), and will allow Dish to support "mobile handsets and other devices" in both terrestrial and satellite modes on the 2GHz / AWS-4 band. Of course, it's moving forward on this tech even while we wait to hear about the FCC rulings in play before it can launch LTE service, but if/when it does arrive there's a chance we could see satellite-boosted superphones sooner rather than later.

Continue reading Dish Network, Qualcomm team up on Snapdragon S4 chips for hybrid satellite / cellular mobiles

Dish Network, Qualcomm team up on Snapdragon S4 chips for hybrid satellite / cellular mobiles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mystery LG LE970 claims next-gen Adreno graphics, can’t quite prove it

Posted on 28/05/2012 by Sharif Sakr

Maybe our skeptic's goggles have fogged over with excitement, but there's something mightily interesting about an entry over at GLBenchmark. First off, the model number and listing info vaguely suggest it could be a variant of the LS970 superphone rumored for Sprint, aka the LG Eclipse, although the ICS build ("geeb_att_us-eng 4.0.4") indicates this 1.5GHz device is one of Ma Bell's. One of the more unusual specs offers some corroboration: the Adreno 320 graphics, which only come in the souped-up Pro or quad-core variants of Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon S4 chipset. That would make the LE970 a rare breed indeed, but unfortunately that's about all we can learn at this point. The actual benchmark scores tell us nothing about the handset's performance other than that it can max out the Egypt Standard test despite its 1280 x 720 screen -- making it impossible to compare it to regular Snapdraon S4 phones like the HTC One X on AT&T or the HTC One S. Oh well, where are those lens wipes?

Update: An earlier version of this post confused the benchmark results with the Egypt Offscreen test -- apologies for the error.

[Thanks, Ketul]

Mystery LG LE970 claims next-gen Adreno graphics, can't quite prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s Optimus LTE II ships this week in Korea, nails down a few more specs

Posted on 17/05/2012 by Richard Lawler

Just in case the world forgot which phone was first with 2GB of RAM, LG has pushed out another press release for its Optimus LTE II which ships this week in Korea, just as promised. The detailed specs reveal this version ships with a 4.7-inch True HD IPS LCD, and while many of its specs (8MP camera, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU) are identical to its predecessor, it weighs in at an extra 10g, likely owing to the larger 2,150mAh battery. As mentioned previously it also has support for wireless charging and, naturally, the Optimus UI 3.0 detailed earlier. There's still no word on when we'll see this one outside of Korea but for now a few specs and pictures will have to hold us over.

Continue reading LG's Optimus LTE II ships this week in Korea, nails down a few more specs

LG's Optimus LTE II ships this week in Korea, nails down a few more specs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 23:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei Ascend D1 hits the FCC with pentaband HSPA+

Posted on 14/05/2012 by Brad Molen

Of the trio of Huawei's Diamond-class smartphones announced at Mobile World Congress in February, the dual-core Ascend D1 got the least amount of buzz. Today, however, the handset gets its opportunity to bask in the spotlight, since it's the first of the group to obtain the FCC's nod of approval. No huge revelations were given, but the docs confirm quadband GSM and pentaband HSPA+ / WCDMA, a welcome treat for AWS fans. As always, we can't assume any carrier affiliation here, but at least we know the unlocked versions will work on AT&T and T-Mobile without a hitch. It looks like Huawei's still on track for a Q2 release -- let's hope the same is true for the D1's older siblings.

Huawei Ascend D1 hits the FCC with pentaband HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel’s first smartphone coming soon: Xolo X900 gets April 24 release date

Posted on 19/04/2012 by Mat Smith

Intel's first Atom smartphone is now available, and it's Lava's Xolo X900. It has managed to outpace both Lenovo's K800 and Orange's Santa Clara, arriving on the Indian carrier next Monday. When we handled the Xolo X900 in Barcelona a few months ago, the 1.6 GHz Atom Z2460 processor seemed pleasantly responsive, although we were less enamoured with the phone's middling build quality. The four-inch 1024 x 600 display is accompanied by a one-megapixel camera on the front, plus a primary 8-megapixel shooter on the back capable of burst-shot photography. Despite its plastic build, Intel's new mobile offering won't come all that cheap; the Xolo X900 by Lava is priced off-contract at around 22,000 INR ($420). At the moment, we're still waiting to hear how Orange and Lenovo will price up their own Medfield-powered offerings -- both are expected to emerge in the next few months.

Continue reading Intel's first smartphone coming soon: Xolo X900 gets April 24 release date

Intel's first smartphone coming soon: Xolo X900 gets April 24 release date originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG renames Optimus LTE to Optimus True HD LTE, disses Samsung’s HD Super AMOLED

Posted on 14/04/2012 by Richard Lai

While the Optimus LTE's already made its way to South Korea, Japan and the US (in the guise of the Spectrum and the Nitro HD), LG's decided to give this dual-core handset a new name ahead of its Hong Kong launch at the end of this month. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Optimus True HD LTE. Alas, the "true HD" part here doesn't actually mean the phone's getting 1080p resolution on a 4.5-inch panel (which would be 490ppi; yet Toshiba's actually done it!); but we were told that 'tis really just a dig at Samsung's HD Super AMOLED technology -- you know, the magic behind that 4.65-inch screen on the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II HD LTE.

Simply put, LG doesn't think that 1,280 x 720 on PenTile counts as HD due to the lower number of sub-pixels; and while it's at it, the company also criticized AMOLED's over-expressed colors and higher power consumption in "normal user environment" -- for the latter, LG showed that its AH-IPS has a more consistent power consumption across varying levels of overall whiteness. You can see the relevant slides after the break.

Of course, we've already expressed (twice) how much we like the HD Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy Nexus. The clearness issue now is much less noticeable when compared to the original Super AMOLED; but as for color accuracy, many of us are indeed deceived by the vibrancy that we naturally enjoy -- except when you need to inspect photos, of course. Regardless, we're pretty sure that it's only a matter of time before Samsung strikes back with a, ahem, "true HD" Super AMOLED (Plus) panel -- hopefully in time for the upcoming Galaxy S III.

Gallery: LG renames Optimus LTE to Optimus True HD LTE, disses Samsung's HD Super AMOLED

Continue reading LG renames Optimus LTE to Optimus True HD LTE, disses Samsung's HD Super AMOLED

LG renames Optimus LTE to Optimus True HD LTE, disses Samsung's HD Super AMOLED originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC One X vs. One S: which phone is The One for you?

Posted on 05/04/2012 by Brad Molen

HTC One X review

HTC One S review

HTC Sense 4 review

Jet Li starred in a 2001 movie called "The One." In it, his character traveled to parallel universes and grew stronger as he killed alternate versions of himself. This continued on until there was only one other copy left, with the movie culminating in an epic battle between the two. We won't spoil the ending, but we were reminded of this movie when thinking about the One X and the One S: both are incredibly powerful phones that we'd be proud to use as our daily drivers, but the vast majority of us are only able to choose one One. (The One V is also a possible option but for the purposes of this feature we're laser-focused on HTC's two higher-end models.)

How can we make a sound decision? The two phones are considered premium devices with top-notch components and relatively few flaws. The major difference, however, is going to be the price. Naturally, the cost will vary depending on where you live and which carrier you choose, but make no mistake: the S is going to be less expensive. Is it worth spending the extra money to go with the top-shelf model, or will the little guy be plenty? Now that the two devices are officially on sale in Europe, it's time to pick a side. We can't decide for you, but our goal is to present each phone's pros and cons, going round by round. Which one is right for you? Read on to find out.

Gallery: HTC One X vs. One S... fight!

Continue reading HTC One X vs. One S: which phone is The One for you?

HTC One X vs. One S: which phone is The One for you? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC One X review

Posted on 02/04/2012 by Myriam Joire

HTC One X hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)

HTC Sense 4 review

HTC One S review

It's been a difficult year for HTC. After several successful quarters, things have started looking less rosy in recent months with the company facing stiff competition and suffering from apparent brand dilution -- the results of launching too many handsets with forgettable names, making too many compromises for the carriers, continuing to rely on Sense, and lacking an iconic flagship to take on Samsung's mighty Galaxy S II. We knew something important was coming for Mobile World Congress after HTC timidly revealed the Titan II at CES -- after all, the company has a long history of innovation.

A few days before flying to Barcelona and after being sworn to secrecy, we were quietly whisked into a San Francisco conference room with clear instructions: no pictures or video. There, in the middle of the table, was a white phone that instantly caught our eye -- the HTC One X. To write that we came away impressed after briefly using it is a massive understatement. This was obviously a halo device made for geeks like us, something designed to take on the Galaxy Nexuses of the world, something with the mother of all spec sheets, something running Ice Cream Sandwich with a significantly thinner and lighter version of Sense. Better yet, there were two other handsets with the same impeccable attention to detail -- the One S and the One V. HTC was finally showing some vision again with strong branding, gorgeous design and a polished user experience. While first impressions go a long way, there's a lot to be learned about a product by living with it for a few days. So is the One X truly HTC's comeback device? Are we still delighted? Is this the Engadget phone? Hit the break for our full review.

Gallery: HTC One X review