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Showing posts from July, 2012

Pantech Marauder is official for Verizon, priced at $50 after rebate

Pantech has been a little absent from Verizon's smartphone lineup lately, excluding last year's Breakout, and now they have put another handset into their lineup. Pantech is now releasing the Marauder on Verizon for $50 (after $50 mail-in rebate) with a 2 year contract on August 2nd. The Marauder is a QWERTY keyboard smartphone that is geared towards the first-time smartphone buyer. This new handset has a 1.2GHZ dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 3.8 inch WVGA display, a 5 megapixel camera, the ability to act as a mobile hotspot, a five-row keyboard, LTE connectivity, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. As the price and specs show, you are not buying a very high-end handset with the Marauder but these specs will definitely satisfy the target demographic. A noteworthy feature of this phone is that it can switch between two different UI's, Starter mode and Standard mode. The Starter mode has a simple UI, and is basically a simplified version of Android for the first-time bu

T-Mobile is getting the Samsung Galaxy Note August 8th

T-Mobile has already  confirmed the Samsung Galaxy Note   but now they have released the pricing and release date of it. The T-Mobile flavor of the Samsung Galaxy Note will come out on August 8th for $250 (after a $50 rebate) on a two year contract. This pricing is a little too much for the Note considering the Samsung Galaxy S III can be found for $200 on all of the American carriers, except for T-Mobile. The Galaxy Note still has the same specs as last year's international model. For the high price of the Note, T-Mobile should have refreshed the internals of the phone with probably a Snapdragon S4 processor and a slightly better camera. These refreshed specs might come in the rumored Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that should be announced soon, but the Note 2 can not come to T-Mobile as late as the Note did. If the Note 2 comes as late as the Note, then the lack of refreshed specs and the high price will not be acceptable. Why would a person pay more money for a smartphone that is slowe

Hands-On with the 2012 13 inch Apple MacBook Air

The MacBook Air was a big game changer when it came out. The MacBook Air was really the first "Ultrabook", and the first to have a really thin design.Today, we have already had our impressions with the MacBook Pro with Retina display, but that was not the only MacBook that Apple refreshed this year. Here we have the 13 inch MacBook Air (there is also the 11 inch model) which Apple has not done any design refreshes, but has done many internal refreshes. Does the new MacBook Air live up to the standards that its predecessors and the new Ultrabooks have made? Is the Air still the best ultraportable on the market. Find out the answers to these questions and more in our full hands-on with the 13 inch model of the MacBook Air. Hardware The 2012 MacBook Air still has the great tapered aluminium design as the older models. This design has an incredible feel and is incredibly solid. The only gripe we have about this design is that it can get scratched up easily, so we recommen

Hands-On with the Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display

This is one of the greatest lines of laptops in the world, the MacBook Pro line. It is Apples greatest laptop lines and pushes out some of the greatest laptops every single year. This year, Apple ushered in some big changes with the removal of the optical drive and the inclusion of the Retina display. Does this laptop live up to the expectations its predecessors made? Is the MacBook Pro still one of the best laptops on the market? Keep reading to answer these questions and more in our hands-on with the Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display. Hardware This new MacBook Pro has almost exactly the same unibody aluminum construction as the MacBook Pro's before. The one exception with the Retina Display model is that it is slightly thinner at 0.71 inches thin. This makes it only a little thicker than the MacBook Air's widest point. The MacBook Air is ultimately thinner though, because the Air tapers down to 0.11 inches while the Retina Display Pro stays 0.71 inches thro

Qualcomm debuts Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor

Earlier today, Qualcomm unveiled their new Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor on their developer tablet in San Francisco. This processor is the successor to the S4 processor that we see on many of today's flagship mobile devices (ex. HTC One X, American Samsung Galaxy S III's, HTC One S, Motorola Atrix HD, etc.), and is one of the greatest mobile chipsets on the market. Based on the scores we have seen from  Engadget , this new processor seems amazingly  fast. This new processor blows away the competition and beats every other mobile device you could imagine in every single benchmark category. This processor is like a Bugatti Veyron drag racing against a Smart Car. We can not explain how much faster this device is compared to the devices that are out right now. This new processor leaves every single top mobile product in the dust. The Snapdragon S4 Pro beats the AT&T HTC One X, all of the Samsung Galaxy S III's, the Nexus 7, the international HTC One X, and probably

Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus marked down to $99.99

Some people may want to get their Android pure, but want to have it on a carrier instead of it being unlocked. If you are on Verizon and looking for an inexpensive smart phone, then we have great new for you. Verizon has now made the Samsung Galaxy Nexus $99.99 on a two year contract. This is a great buy for people who want a high-end smart phone, but do not want to pay the $200-$300 that it usually costs. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus may not be a "true" nexus, but it still has some admirable specs with its 4.65 inch 720p Super AMOLED display, dual-core 1.2GHZ TI-OMAP processor, and its Verizon LTE radio. Yes it has battery life that is worse than the competition, an average camera, and it has the Verizon branding, but the handset is still a great smart phone. At $99.99, this device is easily the best smart phone on Verizon for around $100. We are not sure if this is a permanent price drop, or if this is temporarily discounted. If you want the best bang for your buck and are on

Nexus S receives an over the air Jelly Bean 4.1 update

Did you buy the second generation of the Google Nexus line, A.K.A the Nexus S? Have you been wanting your Jelly Bean update ever since Google announced it at Google I/O? We have good news for you, if you are this such of a person, because Google just pushed out the Jelly Bean 4.1 update to your device. The update will go out to the Nexus S's that are on T-Mobile, Rogers, Vodafone, Wind, Mobilicity, and Three. This update also applies to not only the European T-Mobile network, but also T-Mobile here in the United States. On T-Mobile U.S.A., the 114 megabyte update is only available over WiFi as of now. If you are an owner of a Nexus S or Samsung Galaxy Nexus, tell us how your Jelly Bean update is working for you. If you do have any device with Jelly Bean on it, tell us if you like it over Ice Cream Sandwich. Need more information on Google's latest sugar-coated update? Check out the source link below for more information.

ASUS confirms that the Asus eee Pad Transformer Prime, Transformer Pad TF300, and Transformer Pad Infinity will get a Jelly Bean update in the coming months

Do you own an ASUS eee Pad Transformer Prime, Infinity Pad TF700, or Transformer Pad TF300? If you do own one of these great ASUS tablets, then we are glad to tell you that these select ASUS tablets are getting an Android Jelly Bean 4.1 update in the coming months. ASUS is only promising a Jelly Bean update to the Transformer Prime, the Infinity Pad, and the TF300. ASUS has not yet confirmed that the original ASUS eee Pad Transformer will get the update to Jelly Bean. It has not been said whether the update will have all of the special Jelly Bean features, like Google Now. Hopefully, ASUS will make this update like their other updates by having their very few changes to the operating system. We have very good expectations about this update and think that it will actually come in the next few months. Want more information on ASUS's next tablet update? Then check out the source link below for more information.

Windows 8 will be launched on October 26th

Were you extremely excited when Microsoft first introduced their new upcoming Windows 8 operating system? Have you been staring at Microsoft's blogs to be the first to get the Windows 8 update? If you are this kind of person, then we have good news for you because Windows 8 will be launched to the consumers on October 26th. A short time after Microsoft announced Microsoft Office 2013, Microsoft pulled this announcement during their annual sales meeting and this was posted on the Windows blog soon after. This launch date is for the upgrades for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 computers and the CD version that has the operating system on it. When Microsoft announced Windows 8 to us they said that it will come out in October, and it is nice to see a company make their launch date because we have not seen a company do that in a long time. Microsoft has not confirmed whether this date is for a Global launch or if this launch is for the United States. Our opinion on Windows 8 is that

The great Steve Wozniak unveils what he carries inside of his travel backpack

Many tech people look up to the great Steve Wozniak. These people may look up to him, because he co-founded  a small company with Steve Jobs and called that company Apple. Today, Steve Wozniak showed the internet world what he carries around in his bag every single time he travels. He carries around every single item shown in the picture except these: 2 of the iPhones, an iPod nano, and an iPad that belong to his wife, Janet Steve Wozniak also carries around every single USB adapter and USB cable shown in his backpack with him at all times when he travels except these few cables: a Belkin AC tripler with dual USB that Steve carries in his suitcase a dual USB adapter that is from Janet's travel things the Canon battery charger is carried in Steve's camera bag the firewire HD he carries in his suitcase the Verizon 3G mifi adapter(Steve says that the standard micro USB screws up the mifi, so he has to use their awkward connector) The Woz also carries around much mo

T-Mobile U.S.A. confirms that the Samsung Galaxy Note is coming to the Magenta network

Are you on T-Mobile and have not found a smart phone that is big enough to satisfy your phablet needs? Did you weep at the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Note did not support T-Mobile's AWS 1700MHZ band? If you are that such of crybaby then we have good news for you, because America's favorite Magenta-colored carrier confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Note is coming to their carrier. T-Mobile revealed this news on their Twitter account and said that there will be, "more details to share in the coming weeks.". We are not sure if T-Mobile is referring to the original Note that came out last year, or rather hinting at the new Note that is supposed to come out in the coming months. The only thing we can hope for right now is for T-Mobile to deliver the Note a long enough time before the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 comes out, so people will not have to buy the first generation right before the second generation comes out. The Samsung Galaxy Note  just received an Ice Cream Sandwi

Hands-On with the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III

We have already handled with the  Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy S III   and now we have our hands on its Verizon counterpart. This version is different from the Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile versions by using only LTE bands for its 4G. Will this version wow us even more than the other versions, or will it disappoint us? Let's take a look at this carrier version of the Samsung Galaxy S III. Look and Feel The Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III looks exactly like the other models except for a Verizon logo and a 4G LTE logo. The version we handled was the white version, but it is also available in the brushed blue color. Both of these versions are made with a very glossy plastic that feels better than cheap plastic, but as we said in our Sprint version hands-on, this is Samsung's flagship and it should be made of more premium materials. This plastic may be glossy, but it probably will not slip out of your hands when your holding it except when your hands are greasy or s

Hands-On with the HTC EVO 4G LTE for Sprint

The HTC One series was HTC's marketing refresher for all those extra, unneeded phones that came out in 2011. This series includes the great phones that are the HTC One X, HTC One S, and the HTC One V. These devices made appearances on some networks mostly unchanged by the carrier. The HTC One X for AT&T is a great improvement over the international model, the HTC One S is almost completely unchanged on T-Mobile, and the HTC One V on Virgin Mobile is unchanged except for some bloatware. The HTC One X was turned into an EVO on Sprint with a new design. Is this EVO better than the original One X or is it another thing that the carriers messed up? Let's find out in our hands-on with the HTC EVO 4G LTE. Look and Feel The HTC One X was no slouch in design with the beautiful piece of polycarbonate that made up the back of the phone. The EVO 4G LTE has a much different design with the back being half metal, half black polycarbonate, and with the signature EVO kickstand. The

Hands-On with the Samsung Galaxy S III for Sprint

It is the Samsung Galaxy S III, one of the most talked about smart phones in the world and part of one of the most popular smart phone series in the world. This Galaxy S III happens to be the version for Sprint. This version looks exaaxctly like all of the other American carrier Galaxy S III's, even the international version. Let's take a look at this version of Samsung's flagship. Look and Feel The Samsing Galaxy S III is made of a glossy plastic that comes in either a white or brushed plastic blue color. These materials are not the materials that should be used with a company's flagship, but the plastics feel some what good in the hand and make it light. The plastics and the fact that it feels light do not make it feel cheap or premium, but a place in the middle of cheap and premium. The Samsung Galaxy S III is also a very thin smart phone at 8.6mm thin. In direct sunloght, the lighting up of the buttons make them harder to see on the white version. T