First High-End Android Phone Coming Soon to AT&T June 18, 2010
Posted by Zev Rosenbaum in : Cell Phones , add a comment
So much for AT&T not having a high-end Android. AT&T announced has finally announced that they are officially entering the high-end Android game (meaning that they are finally launching an Android phone on par with Sprint’s EVO and Verizon’s Droid Incredible) by getting the Samsung Captivate on their side. And wow is the Captivate high end.
Running Android 2.1 with a custom Samsung interface (though one that is by far not as drastic as HTC Sense on the recently announced HTC Aria), the Captivate will also be the first AT&T Android phone to have a 1 GHZ processor (which Samsung calls “Hummingbird” and may be Samsung’s version of Apple’s A4 processor), which is a great particularly when you are running multiple apps. Among these AT&T firsts, the Captivate has a numerous amount of handy specs, such as:
- A 4-inch Super AMOLED multi-touch touchscreen– Remember those great AMOLED screens on phones like the Samsung Impression and Moment? You know, ones with insane clarity? Not only is this screen much bigger than those (it’s pretty much on par with the EVO’s minus .03 of an inch), this does all of that but in a much thinner design– which when you look at this phone you can tell it’s paid off, as well as fix one of the biggest problems facing AMOLED phones, the horrible quality they produce when in outdoor or bright light areas.
- 3G, WiFi and GPS– With the WiFi supporting the latest wireless N. Oh, and the Captivate also is loaded with Bluetooth 3.0, something we have yet to see a lot of (or pretty much at all) in phones (Bluetooth 3.0 should make for things like wireless transfer between say a computer and phone much quicker among other things, but we also have yet to see many devices take advantage of the new Bluetooth, so take that as you wish).
- 3D graphics with gyroscope for better gaming
- Support for Google Maps, YouTube, Android Market and other standard Android apps– Though we couldn’t tell if AT&T is allowing Google Maps Navigation to be put on the phone. Let’s hope they do.
- 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus and 720p HD video recording– On par with the iPhone 4
- 3.5mm headphone jack for listening to your favorite songs
- 16GB of built-in storage, with the ability to add another 16GB via a microSD
Wow is right. I personally am really excited for this over the upcoming HTC Aria because the captivate is AT&T’s first really good Android phone (just look at those specs!), and I plan to get it. Of course, we will have to wait until this phone comes out to see how the Hummingbird processor and Super AMOLED handles in real life and if this is more this just talk, but until then, my plans for the Aria have been shelved and I am waiting anxiously for this phone.
The Samsung Captivate will be coming out “in a couple of months, for an undisclosed price” according to AT&T. In the meantime, check out AT&T’s “Coming Soon” page for the Captivate here. So, anyone else planning on holding off on getting their AT&T Android fix Sunday with the Aria for this?
Live From IDF: Hands on with the Archos 9 Windows 7 Tablet September 30, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Computers, IDF , add a comment
The Archos 9 Windows 7 Tablet
For what seems like forever, there’s been talk of Apple making an all touchscreen tablet for the Mac. Now see, if you’re a Windows user (even though now there is talk of Microsoft making their own tablet…. but we’ll cover that another time), you can pretty much point and laugh at every Apple “fanboy” who freaks out with each Apple event and rumor hoping for said inevitable tablet—as thanks to Archos, you got a real, and really nice looking Windows tablet that’s ready to make full use of the upcoming Windows 7′s improved touch features.
Playing Hearts with your fingers!
At IDF, we made sure to stop by Archos’s booth and check out the Archos 9 for ourselves, and we came away pretty impressed. The Archos 9 tablet looks great and is insanely thin and light that taking it around wherever you go should be a breeze.
Archos did though do a couple things interesting with the tablet—for one, it doesn’t use a capacitive, more finger friendly touchscreen like those on the iPhone and iPod touch, instead going with a surprisingly very responsive resistive touchscreen (usually with resistive screens they only work well if you use a stylus or pen like object to tap the screen– but if we hadn’t known before that this was resistive we would have definitely thought it was a capacitive screen. That’s how good it is with just using your fingers! Though that lack of a capacitive screen also means no gestures like “pinch to zoom” etc). It also has a lot of the netbook type specs like 9 inch touchscreen, 1 GB RAM, 1.2 GHZ Intel Atom processor, 1.3 megapixel webcam, Bluetooth, 60-120 GB hard drive…, but all this isn’t a terrible thing, as Archos is planning to sell this at a very solid price of $499 when it launches with Windows 7 on October 22nd.
Oh, and if your worried about using an all touchscreen device like this to write long reports or take notes in school, don’t be. Archos plans to be selling a very thin wireless Bluetooth keyboard along with the Archos, which also is pretty solid and will definitely make things a whole lot easier.
For more info on the Archos 9, see Archos’s site here.
Blackberry Storm Out Now for Verizon! November 21, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
Those of you on Verizon waiting for the first ever touchscreen Blackberry Storm to come and challenge the touchscreen champ – the Apple iPhone 3G – finally have your day.
Yup, Verizon has finally let this one out for $199 on a 2 year contract and special Blackberry plan (similar to the deal for the 8 GB iPhone 3G). On a smaller note, the Storm includes an 8 GB microSD card in the box.
The early reviews of this phone aren’t 100% positive (see Cnet.com’s here which also has a video review). The “clickable” touchscreen is supposedly something that demands a real learning curve, but we’re curious to hear what you think from those who do get the Storm.
For a full recap of the Storm’s features see our previous post here.
What you waiting for! Go run down to your local Verizon store and pick one up if you’re so inclined (and we mean run because the rumor is supplies are very limited).
Also let us know in the comments what you think of this phone- is it worth the money, are you better off going for a LG Dare, Motorola Krave or LG Voyager or another Verizon phone altogether?
EXCLUSIVE: Sony Xperia X1, A Hands-On First Take November 17, 2008
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Cell Phones, First Look/Reviews , 1 comment so far
The absurdly shiny — and pricey — Sony Xperia X1
Alright everyone, here it is: The Sony Xperia X1. Ya I know, the $800 cell phone. Well, we here at TTB HQ actually got our hands on one for a few minutes. So here’s the lowdown: (more…)
T-Mobile G1 Out Today October 22, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 1 comment so far
Waiting for that new touchscreen, 3G, Google Android powered Sidekick-like device to finally launch for T-Mobile? If so, then run out now to your local T-Mobile store and pick one up because that day is finally here. Price is $179.99 with a 2 year contract on T-Mobile (with no need for a $70 plan like iPhone 3G!). For a recap of some of the features of this phone see our previous post here.
Oh, and if you do get this phone, let us know how it is (and if it lives up to all the hype and is better than the iPhone) in the comments.
New Info on 9 Upcoming AT&T Phones October 14, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 18comments
AT&T user looking for a new phone? Well, we got more info on 9 (!) upcoming AT&T phones, and boy do they look AMAZING. If you are an AT&T user, there is something here that is probably for you.
Blackberry Storm Officially Announced for Verizon! October 8, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 5comments
The newly official Blackberry Storm for Verizon!
Turns out all you Verizon users will have more than just some new Motorola phones to chose from this holiday season. After many long (and really just annoying) days of rumors on when Verizon would finally unleash the first ever touchscreen Blackberry– the Blackberry Storm– Verizon and Research in Motion (or RIM for short, the makers of Blackberry’s) just made it official, with an expected release coming in November!
HTC Dream Arrives- Pix not blurry this time! August 31, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 2comments
Remember that upcoming T-Mobile phone, the HTC Dream? Today, pictures–and as noted above, not the blurry glimpses we’ve encountered thus far (see previous link)– of the device came out and the phone looks pretty good. For all the details- with some pix, hit the more link. (more…)