Hardware keyboard fans must feel like they're part of an endangered species -- there's greater uncertainty these days about software updates, let alone new smartphones. If you're part of that persecuted group, AT&T and Samsung have your back: they've just started rolling out Android 4.0 for the Captivate Glide. All of the features will be familiar if you've borrowed someone's Galaxy S II in the past few months, although it's hard to object to the better multitasking and support for Chrome. About the only catch is the need to use Kies to grab the update, but that's a small sacrifice we're sure many are willing to make.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
AT&T upgrades Samsung Captivate Glide to Android 4.0, keeps the QWERTY habit going originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Those of us who remember Nokia's late-stage MeeGo phone development will recall how the dreams fell apart: we got the N9 and the developer-tuned N950, but the future grew dark almost immediately as Nokia swung its attention further towards Windows Phone. If MyNokiaBlog's prototype leak is accurate, however, the engineers in Espoo had planned at least one more MeeGo phone for the general public: meet the Lauta, or RM-742. It would have been an "immediate" follow-up to the N9 that brought a tilting, sliding QWERTY keyboard to the party, with performance identical to its touch-only sibling. Nokia was reportedly committed enough that it had fully functional prototypes and had penciled in a fall 2011 release to give the N9 some company. We don't really know why Nokia scrapped the Lauta, although it's not difficult to surmise that the company wanted to simplify its lineup at a time when profits were falling fast. The real tragedy may not be so much the decision to axe the Lauta as the absence of a true heir to what it represented -- between Nokia's public silence and recent departures from the relevant software team, MeeGo's future is more in doubt than ever.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Unreleased Nokia Lauta QWERTY slider emerges, shows where MeeGo might have tread originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Just as we'd heard, today's the day that budget-minded (and not-so-shy) Kyocera Rise hits the Virgin Mobile USA shelves. Available now for a mere $100 -- without any contracts, of course -- this 3.5-inch, Ice Cream Sandwich device boasts some pretty run-of-the-mill features, including an HVGA, 480 x 320 LCD, a single-core, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 2GB of built-in storage which can be expanded to 32GB via microSD and, as you can see above, a full-on, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Naturally, Virgin Mobile's betting on folks to bundle the cheap handset with one of its unlimited data plans -- not to mention Kyocera's handset is yet another addition to the prepaid carrier's rising smartphone lineup. Those interested can give the Rise a better look down below, where a nice gallery filled with charming press shots awaits.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Kyocera Rise arrives on Virgin Mobile with ICS, 3.5-inch display and slide-out QWERTY keys originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The first-run Motorola Droid has developed a reputation as the Phone That Would Not Die -- while official upgrades stopped around Froyo, enthusiasts have been keeping the QWERTY slider alive ever since. Kfazz at the XDA-Developers forums has taken up the torch this time around with a port of Jelly Bean. Based on CyanogenMod 10, the build is surprisingly functional, if currently buggy. The only glaring holes are a sometimes-broken camera and the absence of Google Now. The main disincentives to waiting for a stable build are the slow performance and very limited remaining storage that result from trying to stuff a 2012 OS into a 2009-era smartphone: Kfazz can defy expectations, but he can't defy reality. It's thus more of a proof of concept, because-we-can port than a favor for holdouts keeping the Droid as their daily driver. If you want to keep a mobile ancestor feeling relevant for one more generation, however, the fountain of youth is waiting at the source link.
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Jelly Bean hits original Motorola Droid for the same reason we climb Everest: because it's there (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Call it the end to a brief chapter in the Windows Phone saga. While there had been murmurs that the HTC Arrive was on its way out soon, any doubt has been removed now that the smartphone has vanished from Sprint's website and is likely on the endangered list at retail stores. The QWERTY slider's retirement leaves Sprint without any sort of Windows Phone in its roster, cutting the number of major US carriers backing Microsoft's platform down to three. Before you ask, we honestly don't know if the CDMA provider has a replacement waiting in the wings anytime soon: rumors of a Sprint Windows Phone 8 model surfaced as early as March, but the Yellow Swoosh network was nowhere to be seen among the Windows Phone 8 launch partners slated for this fall. The gap is conspicuous enough that Sprint subscribers may need a heaping amount of patience if they're not willing to switch networks for a Windows Phone fix in the near future.
Filed under: Cellphones
HTC Arrive makes its exit, leaves Sprint with a Windows Phone-shaped hole originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Call it the end to a brief chapter in the Windows Phone saga. While there had been murmurs that the HTC Arrive was on its way out soon, any doubt has been removed now that the smartphone has vanished from Sprint's website and is likely on the endangered list at retail stores. The QWERTY slider's retirement leaves Sprint without any sort of Windows Phone in its roster, cutting the number of major US carriers backing Microsoft's platform down to three. Before you ask, we honestly don't know if the CDMA provider has a replacement waiting in the wings anytime soon: rumors of a Sprint Windows Phone 8 model surfaced as early as March, but the Yellow Swoosh network was nowhere to be seen among the Windows Phone 8 launch partners slated for this fall. The gap is conspicuous enough that Sprint subscribers may need a heaping amount of patience if they're not willing to switch networks for a Windows Phone fix in the near future.
Filed under: Cellphones
HTC Arrive makes its exit, leaves Sprint with a Windows Phone-shaped hole originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q might have missed the August 15th date mentioned in its leaked press shot, but a rumored name change would still put the future T-Mobile device in the running for the most convoluted phone name ever. Although there's a distinct lack of tangible evidence -- take this with a grain of salt -- the usually reliable TmoNews hears Samsung's TouchWiz-infused QWERTY slider will be called the Galaxy S Relay 4G when it ships. No, we're not feeling it, either. While there's no word on an updated release date, we'd at least like the earlier claims of a Snapdragon S4 to be true so that the phone is worthy of the respect the name isn't providing.
Update: Just in case there was any doubt, TmoNews has snagged a training document that shows the new name and mentions a 1.5GHz processor of an unknown make (likely the S4), a 4-inch display, S Voice and support for mobile hotspots.
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Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q may be renamed to equally awkward Galaxy S Relay 4G (update: image) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Gone are the days when $50 got you a flip phone that could make calls, send texts and shoot super-low-quality thumbnails. T-Mobile's myTouch offerings aim to provide all the functionality of a top-tier smartphone, coupled with the kind of hardware and software top-tier handsets were offering a year or two ago.
After letting HTC and LG have a go at the myTouch series, T-Mobile tapped Huawei to design its latest devices, the myTouch and myTouch Q, a garden-variety slab and a full QWERTY slider, respectively. This time around, the carrier chose phones with more expansive 4-inch, 800 x 480 displays, among other improvements to the design and internals. Unfortunately, software wasn't considered in the upgrade: both of these run the aging Android 2.3 OS. Suffice to say, skinned Gingerbread is likely to turn off some shoppers, but it's still worth asking if people on a budget might appreciate these devices when they go on sale Wednesday for $50, post-rebate. So are there any redeeming qualities to speak of, if not the software experience? Read on to find out.
Continue reading T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review: two budget-friendly phones, one aging OS
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T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review: two budget-friendly phones, one aging OS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We just saw some evidence a few days ago a new QWERTY slider from Pantech would soon be hitting Verizon, and it turns out that was indeed the case. The carrier has now officially announced the Pantech Marauder, an LTE-equipped device that will set you back just $50 after a $50 mail-in rebate (on a two-year contract) when it becomes available on August 2nd. Not surprisingly, that won't exactly buy you the highest-end phone around -- you'll get a 3.8-inch WVGA screen, a 5-megapixel camera, an unspecified 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, mobile hotspot functionality, and Android 4.0. Somewhat notably, the phone also offers you a choice of Standard and Starter modes, the former of which is apparently stock Android (or something close to it) while the latter provides a simplified UI aimed at new smartphone users. Assuming they aren't scared off by a name like "Marauder," that is.
Continue reading Pantech Marauder QWERTY slider gets official for Verizon, runs $50 after rebate
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Pantech Marauder QWERTY slider gets official for Verizon, runs $50 after rebate originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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