Android Community |
- Samsung Galaxy Note review via SlashGear
- ZTE Warp for Boost Mobile travels to a lower price, now just $199
- Acer Iconia Tab A200 photo leaks
- Nook Color dropping to $199 soon, getting Hulu Plus support
- SwiftKey X Alpha gets multi-touch support, VIP users try it early
- Asus Transformer Prime’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor gets benchmarked
- Android distribution numbers hold steady, Honeycomb still under 2%
- Samsung confirms UK Galaxy Nexus launch date
- Swype OTA update coming soon, brings context prediction and more
- Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket hands-on and unboxing [Video]
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD in the works with 720p display
- HTC Vivid hands-on and unboxing [Video]
- HTC Rezound hands-on roundup [Video]
- Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet specs and pricing revealed
- HTC Rezound set to get Ice Cream Sandwich early 2012
- DROID RAZR commercial confirms November 11 release at 11:11 AM
- Meizu M9 and MX will receive update to Ice Cream Sandwich
- HTC Rezound official: HTC’s first 720p phone heads for Verizon
| Samsung Galaxy Note review via SlashGear Posted: 04 Nov 2011 10:57 AM PDT The Samsung Galaxy Note is definitely one of the most exciting devices headed to the market right now, and one of SlashGear’s UK editors got a hold of the smartphone-tablet for a full, in-depth review. You can head over to SlashGear to get the whole scoop, but since the review is appropriately massive, we’ll sum up the finer points below. To be succinct: it’s not for everyone, but if you’re already drooling at the prospect of a 5.3-inch 720p phone, the Note will not disappoint.
Chris Davies found the hardware to be typical of Samsung’s high-end offerings, light and solid, if a little bit on the plasticky side. Naturally the gigantic 1280 x 800 screen dominates the device and its interaction, but the real plus is its Super AMOLED panel. The screen uses it for a bright, clear display with the customary excellent viewing angles. Inside the Note is no slouch, either: a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, a full gigabyte of RAM and 16-32 gigs of storage put it in league with the best Android offerings, and thankfully it also includes MicroSD card slot. The size isn’t unveil and fits in most jean pockets fine, but holding it up to your head for a call is undeniably awkward, at least for the first few times. But the screen’s size isn’t the only thing that sets it apart. The Galaxy Note includes an old-school “S-pen” stylus in its own bay, but utilizes some very new-school tech to make it useful. The pen and screen use a digitizer from Wacom for accuracy and sensitivity. The reviewer found the pen a unique implementation, since it can be used interchangeably with your finger in all parts of the Gingerbread OS, unlike the HTC Flyer and its capacitive stylus. The S-pen also has a secondary button that lets you access more features in Samsung’s custom apps. OmniSketch, the Galaxy Note’s built-in art creation tool, was particularly well-recieved. The rest of Samsung’s cutomized TouchWiz apps take advantage of the S-pen as well, and the accuracy came in handy for business apps.
On the multimedia side of things, the Galaxy Note’s 8MP camera bested recent Samsung offerings by a considerable margin. Photos were bright and clear, showing good performances at all distances. Video wasn’t so great, with jagged edges and dificulty focusing cited as primary complaints. Playback, on the hand, was excellent, with a wide variety of formats and no trouble with HD 720p content. Quote Davies: “On resolution and scale, it's hard to imagine a better way to consume video on your smartphone than the Note.”
One of the most pleasent surprises about the Note is that even with its huge screen and hungry processor, the 2500 mAh battery can last for a full day of regular use. With basic web browsing on WiFi and 3G, plus calling and generally playing around with the apps and the camera, the Galaxy Note lasted a day and a half. The downside is that there may be some aggressive CPU throttling going on, but when the activity calls for it, performance ramps up. Call quality in London was fine, though positioning the Note’s speaker to your year can be awkward – many may opt for a Bluetooth headset instead.
Unfortunately, there’s still no concrete news of the Samsung Galaxy Note making its way to the US market any time soon. Though a model with AT&T wireless bands was recently spotted at the FCC, there’s no indication or leak pointing to an actual release. We’ll be waiting with bated breath Samsung – please don’t let us down.          Device Info
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| ZTE Warp for Boost Mobile travels to a lower price, now just $199 Posted: 04 Nov 2011 10:33 AM PDT Boost Mobile just recently launched their newest and best prepaid Android device in the ZTE Warp. Becoming available just two days ago on November 2nd, we have some good news for potential buyers although if you already picked this up you might not want to keep reading. Today Boost Mobile has decided after two days to lower the price, all the details are after the break.
Boost Mobile understanding these hard times customers want the best possible smartphone and price both. That is now what they are offering in the ZTE Warp. Being their highest end smartphone available it offers a 4.3″ display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1 GHz processor and a 5 megapixel camera. All of this completely contract free and on a prepaid plan for just $199 starting today. It was originally $249 and for the few that may have ran out and bought this come launch day, you might be feeling a little upset right about now but don’t worry, Boost Mobile has your back. For those that bought the new ZTE Warp on launch day or at the full price of $249, Boost Mobile will be giving out a one time $55 dollar credit to make up the difference. So basically don’t get too upset because they are making it up to you. I’d even try asking for a free car charger too but that might be pushing your luck. I seriously doubt after two days sales were low enough to warrant a price drop, so it appears this was just a good move by the folks at Boost Mobile. Head over to BoostMobile.com to get your own today. )
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| Acer Iconia Tab A200 photo leaks Posted: 04 Nov 2011 10:06 AM PDT A new Acer tablet has been spotted and is being called the Iconia Tab A200. It was leaked along with its Bluetooth certification. This is actually the first time we’ve heard of such device and to hear about it along with a not so blurry picture is an added bonus. Acer currently offers the A500 10″ and the A100 7″ Honeycomb tablets so with this being called the A200 we are expecting it to possibly be sized right in the middle and possibly at a decent price too.
At first glance it looks to be bigger than 7″ but 10 might be pushing it. This could be a 8 or 8.9″ tablet from Acer but sadly the Bluetooth SIG didn’t reveal too many details so we are still doing some digging. We’ve recently seen the A100 available in reddish color and you might think this is the same tablet, only the front camera is in a different location and these appear to be different devices. The design looks a lot like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 if you ask me. Losing the slight curves to the edges like previous Iconia tablets while getting much thinner in the process. So far I like what I’m seeing, especially if this will be the new design direction from Acer but for now we’ll have to wait until more details surface. At this point we have no clue if this will run on Android 3.2 Honeycomb or if it will in fact have the new Ice Cream Sandwich. We can hope for a Tegra 3 quad-core running ICS right? Stay tuned! [via Pocket Droid] )
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| Nook Color dropping to $199 soon, getting Hulu Plus support Posted: 04 Nov 2011 10:03 AM PDT The new Nook Tablet wasn’t the only thing recently leaked by Barnes & Noble. When the Tablet replaces the original Nook Color at its $249 price point, the Nook Color will drop down to $199 permanently, giving the company a model that directly competes with the upcoming Kindle Fire at exactly the same price. The Nook Tablet will be released on November 16th, which is presumably when the Nook Color will receive its price drop. It might also be reduced right after the official announcement on November 7th. It will also be getting a new software update, including Hulu Plus access.
The Nook Color gained notoriety among Android modders last year for its easy-to-root, easy-to-hack implementation of Android. A little MicroSD work was all it took to run the reader like a full Android tablet, albeit one running Android 2.1. The Nook Color currently runs Android 2.2, though ROM developers have put Gingerbread and even an SDK port of Honeycomb on the device. It comes with 8GB of on-board storage and a high-quality IPS screen – not bad for a little 7-inch tablet. The Kindle Fire is competing in the space that the Nook Color carved out already, and while the former is seeing some massive pre-order numbers, it will be interesting to see how the two will face off later this month. The new Nook Tablet’s impressive dual-core processor and full gigabyte of RAM should best the Kindle Fire on performance, but the value proposition might be somewhat lower, since Amazon’s tablet will have easy access to books, movies, music and a much larger selection of apps. So what do you think, tinkerers? Will a $50 price drop be enough to convince you of the Nook Color’s charms, or will you opt for the new Tablet or the Kindle Fire instead? Device Info
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| SwiftKey X Alpha gets multi-touch support, VIP users try it early Posted: 04 Nov 2011 09:29 AM PDT
For the present, TouchType is recommending that you not use the alpha as your only keyboard entry, because it disables some of the full version’s features and has considerable bugs. The alpha is for enthusiasts to try out, and will help the developers iron out the kinks in the new multitouch system. The app download will only be active for two weeks – after the testing period, both free and paid users will have to wait until the main app is updated in the Market. SwiftKey X has swiftly risen to the top of the virtual keyboard replacement crowd, and is currently sitting with a 4.5 review rating and an Editor’s Choice highlight in the Android Market. There are of course dozens of alternatives, but SwiftKey distinguishes itself with a custom text prediction engine. You can download a free version from the Android Market to try it out for a month, and the full $3.99 version will get you early access to the alpha. )
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| Asus Transformer Prime’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor gets benchmarked Posted: 04 Nov 2011 08:56 AM PDT Speed junkies, prepare to meet your next enabler. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is expected to be the first device to run Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor when it’s announced on November the 9th, and some eagle-eyed testers have the found processor and component speed benchmarks in the AnTuTu database. Needless to say, this thing is a beast.
The 1.4Ghz quad-core processor scored 7,596 points on the AnTuTu database. Specifics aren’t given, but it looks like the Transformer Prime is pushing near the 10,000 mark, easily besting all comers including the new Galaxy Nexus. It looks like the Tegra 3 is beating everything else except in one strange exsmple: 3D graphics. There, the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II and Optimus 2X look like they’ve got a better score, though that could be an error in testing or trick of the scaling bar. You can see the results for yourself – AnTuTu is a free download on the Android Market. As for when you’ll be able to get a Prime tablet for yourself, we know that Asus is planning an announcement on November the 9th, but there’s still no word on pricing or availability. In the meantime, curb your enthusiasm with a teaser video for the Transformer Prime, then one for the Tegra 3 processor. )
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| Android distribution numbers hold steady, Honeycomb still under 2% Posted: 04 Nov 2011 08:30 AM PDT When last we saw the distribution of the various Android versions, Gingerbread had nearly cracked 40% of the worldwide Android platform. This month it’s passed it, taking 43.9% and inching closer to the still-dominant Froyo. Android 2.2 is still running on just over half of all Android devices, nearly eleven months after Gingerbread’s release. Android’s tablet OS Honeycomb barely increased to 1.9%, up just two tenths of a percent in a month.
With the imminent release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which plays nice on both smartphone and tablet platforms, Honeycomb seems to be the odd man out. There’s still almost as many non-Honeycomb tablets being sold as there are which run Google’s tablet software, no doubt because the source code for Honeycomb still hasn’t been made availalble. At this point, it probably never will. Makers of cheap Android tablets or those who don’t wish to meet Google’s strict requirements for Honeycomb must use an earlier version. Speaking of Ice Cream Sandwich, the few Galaxy Nexus phones that are out in the wild aren’t enough to make an impact on the chart. It’s likely to stay that way for a while, too, with the Galaxy Nexus launching in late November at the earliest and only a few official Ice Cream Sandwich devices even rumored for 2011. Don’t expect ICS to make any sort of significant showing in the monthly charts until well into 2012.
Asus’ new Transformer Prime will probably still be rocking Honeycomb when it’s released, and HTC’s new flagship phone the Rezound will be released with Gingerbread on November 14th. HTC isn’t planning on updating the phone to Ice Cream Sandwich until early 2012. Most other manufacturers probably won’t be any faster, though Motorola has promised a six week turnaround after the source code is made available. Check out our hands-on look at Ice Cream Sandwich below: Ice Cream Sandwich Hands-on
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| Samsung confirms UK Galaxy Nexus launch date Posted: 04 Nov 2011 03:14 AM PDT A marketing sheet for Samsung surfaced this week that pointed to a launch date that was pushed back for the Galaxy Nexus smartphone until November 17. Samsung has now confirmed that launch date to be accurate, or at least reiterated what the leaked marketing sheet said. The launch will indeed be Thursday, November 17.
The smartphone will pack Android 4.0 ICS and sport a 4.65-inch HD super AMOLED screen. We already know the specs of the smartphone, but in case you live under a rock or just like to dream of holding the Galaxy Nexus in your hand I will run those specs down again. The smartphone will support 720p resolution and has a 5MP camera on the back. The smartphone is 8.94mm thick and has a 4.29mm thick screen bezel. This will be the first smartphone on the market running Android 4.0 and it has a ton of features that smartphone users will like. The device will pack in WiFi, NFC, and a web browser. It also has Face Unlock and integrated Google+. The smartphone uses a 1.2GHz dual core processor and will work on HSPA+ networks. The front camera is a 1.3MP unit and the smartphone will support 1080p video output. )
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| Swype OTA update coming soon, brings context prediction and more Posted: 03 Nov 2011 05:30 PM PDT The developers of Swype have been on a roll as of late and just last month announced the new Swype v3.26 BETA. Along with the update came tons of changes and even a new design layout for the keyboard. One of the biggest though, was automatic updates right to the device instead of all the fuss that we’ve had to deal with in the past with Swype. Today Swype has started the first OTA update for their BETA and users should see it soon.
Instead of having to uninstall Swype and use the tiresome installer we now wont have to deal with that and instead updates will be pushed over the air, right to your device. Over on the Swype Beta Forum they’ve just announced the very first OTA update is on the way and brings a few great new features users have been asking for. The new update brings context-based prediction that will learn from the user and be able to better and more accurately predict words and spelling. While we’ve seen this before (SwiftKey X) this is a first and something we’ve been waiting for on Swype. We were hoping for that new black and orange color scheme we’ve been hearing about but sadly that isn’t coming just yet. For now this new context prediction is only available in a few supported languages but we can expect a few more OTA’s coming shortly that will add more to the list. Here is what to expect from the update 1: Features: It appears that Swype is about to get a lot smarter, but whether it will stand strong against other popular choices such as SwiftKey X remains to be seen. All the details are available from the source link below. This being their first OTA update we don’t know how fast it will roll out, but users should expect to see it between now and the next 3 days — Let us know how it goes. [via Swype] )
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| Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket hands-on and unboxing [Video] Posted: 03 Nov 2011 04:58 PM PDT November 6th will be a big day for AT&T customers, but today’s a big day for us: we’ve got our second AT&T 4G LTE smartphone in a row! The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is, as the name implies, a 4G LTE version of AT&T’s Galaxy S II variant. A hands-on look at the phone – and how it compares with the other launch device, the HTC Vivid – follows.
If you’ve managed to get your hands on a Galaxy S II, you know what to expect here. The Super AMOLED screen with its bright and vivid colors is the star here, dominating the device and making the interaction between phone and finger pleasurable. However, like the regular AT&T GSII, the 4.5-inch screen is a little too big for its britches – the 800 x 480 display seems stretched here, and you can definitely see some enlarged pixels. Outside the phone is pure Samsung: a slim frame with a side-mounted power button, volume rocker and not much else. Like the other US variants of the GSII, the Skyrocket has all four standard Android buttons in capacitive form. The all-plastic construction is light, if not particularly sturdy, and the phone feels comfortable in the hand. The phone has 16GB of on-board memory and a MicroSD card slot, but you’ll need to supply your own external storage.
Inside the package you’ll find the standard wall charger and micro USB cord, plus a headset with an in-line microphone and controls. The addition is appreciated, even if the earbuds themselves are nothing to write home about. The back panel is a little flimsy, and as you’ll see in the video, hard to get back on properly. Once you turn the phone on you’re greeted with the standard TouchWiz interface, if unfortunately burdened by an assortment of AT&T bloatware. With a 1.5GHz dual-core processor you’d expect this Gingerbread phone to fly (or blast off) but to my surprise, the TouchWiz homescreen was already showing signs of slowdown. On more than one occasion in just a few minutes the phone hung on a simple app transition. Not a promising start.
When compared with its launch partner the HTC Vivid, the Skyrocket comes up unfortunately short. While the Super AMOLED screen is brighter and easier to read in low light, the Vivid’s superior resolution wins out for sharpness and clarity. While the Vivid has a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor and an identical gigabyte of RAM, it didn’t choke during initial testing, and the HTC Sense interface is (in my opinion, at least) both more attractive and more functional. The Vivid is considerably heavier, but it makes up for the bulk in a quality feel. An all-metal back on the HTC phone is a nice touch, and though it’s already begun to scratch, it’s a lot easier to access the battery bay. I’ll hold judgement until I can put both phones through their paces, but for now at least, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is well behind its only competition, despite being more expensive. For a better look at the HTC phone, read our hands-on.
My workplace doesn’t have access to the AT&T 4G LTE network, but I’ll be making a trek to one of the (few) supported areas soon. Be sure to check back for our exclusive rundown of both phones’ LTE performance. In the meantime, check out the hands-on unboxing video below: The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket will be available on AT&T starting November 6th, for a price of $249.99 on-contract.               Device Info
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| Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD in the works with 720p display Posted: 03 Nov 2011 04:41 PM PDT Sony Ericsson is planning what we are hearing will be called the Xperia Arc HD with a brilliant 1280 x 720p display using their BRAVIA engine. Now we should probably just call them SONY since they bought out Ericsson’s half recently. So, Sony is prepping a new 720p smartphone to add to their lineup. We’ve heard rumors of the Nozomi packing a 720p screen and possibly a 1.5 GHz dual-core, could this be the same phone?
This would actually make sense given the recent pump from the Arc to the Arc S. Sony could then launch the Arc HD with a faster dual-core processor and a bigger 4.3″ 720p HD display and it would make a perfect upgrade. We are still a little blurry on details and these could be two completely different devices but are still digging for further details on the Arc HD and Nozomi both. With HTC just announcing the 720p HD Rezound and the Galaxy Nexus en route SONY would be wise to jump on the HD wagon as soon as possible. This would also be a good opportunity to come out with an HD smartphone running on the latest and greatest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but this early that is probably doubtful, although I’m sure we’ll be hearing about plenty ICS smartphones from most carriers very soon. One awesome feature about the Arc HD is while recording full 1080p video users can tap the screen and take full HD quality pictures at the same time, so they have video and a picture of that perfect moment — sounds awesome right? I’ll be looking for more details and let you all know what we find. [via GSMArena] )
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| HTC Vivid hands-on and unboxing [Video] Posted: 03 Nov 2011 03:38 PM PDT AT&T’s true 4G LTE network is still in its infancy, but Android fans are in luck: the first two phones to launch with access to the high-speed service are high-end Gingerbread handsets. One of these in the HTC Vivid, a 4.5-inch LTE phone formerly known as the Holiday. We got some hands-on time with it opposite the other phone launching with AT&T LTE support, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket. Initial impressions follow.
The moment you remove the HTC Vivid from its packaging, you know you’re handling a typical HTC high-end smartphone. That is to say it’s got an incredibly soldi feeling that the phone’s considerable heft only adds to. The fit and finish on the Vivid is exemplary in the best traditions of HTC, and it feels great in the hand. Externally the front is a typical slate, dominated by the 4.5-inch qHD LCD. It’s not as bright as I would have liked, but it’s very crisp and responsive, thanks to a 960 x 540 resolution that feels very much as home on this screen size. The screen is surrounded by ha hard plastic bevel that unfortunately attracts fingerprints very easily. The all-metal back also attracts fingerprints, albeit in a smudgy sort of way, but its reassuring rigidity reinforces the quality feel of the device.
Inside you get an enviable 1.2GHz processor and 1GB RAM that made the HTC Sense interface fly. It’s a sharp experience that wasn’t at all hampered by a considerable load of bloatware. With Gingerbread underneath, the phone feels rock-solid as far as the software goes, and a handset released so close to Ice Cream Sandwich will probably get an upgrade sooner than most. I had no issues after 20 minutes or so. While the Vivid includes 16GB of on-board storage, its MicroSD card slot is empty – not a deal-breaker for this $199 device, but another card to add to your collection could have been nice. Inside the retail package you’ll find nothing but a wall-wart charger and a MicroUSB cord.
Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, The HTC Vivid clearly comes out as the superior device. Its construction is much more solid and reliable, though the metal back was already showing some scratches by the time I finished shooting photos. While the screen (which is the same physical size) was noticeably dimmer than the Skyrocket’s, the extra resolution versus the Galaxy S II standard 800 x 480 was definitely noticeable, and made for a sharper experience overall. To put it bluntly, the Vivid feels a lot more expensive and high-end than the Skyrocket, despite the Samsung phone’s higher price. The determination isn’t helped by the latter’s tendency to lag under the load of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. I’m hesitant to draw any conclusions before my full reviews, but the Vivid is coming off as the clear leader initially.
AT&T’s 4G LTE network doesn’t extend to my location, but I’ll be making a trip into one of the very few cities that’s currently supported later this week. Keep an ye out for our exclusive AT&T 4G LTE speed reports. In the meantime, check out the unboxing video below: The HTC Vivid will be available from AT&T on November 6th for $199.99 on-contract.              Device Info
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| HTC Rezound hands-on roundup [Video] Posted: 03 Nov 2011 03:19 PM PDT As if we haven’t seen plenty of leaks already, the HTC Rezound was made official today at the HTC event in NYC. All the details can be seen here. Complete with a 4.3″ 1280 x 720p HD display and Beats Audio integration, both a first for HTC in the US. Powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and an 8 megapixel camera on the rear this will be the new flagship 4G LTE device from HTC on Verizon.
In case you weren’t following any live blogs or missed all the details regarding this new 4G LTE superphone I’ve nicely gathered a few hands-on for everyone to look over and get as much Rezound as they can handle. All the links above show the official specs, details, and launch dates so below will be dedicated to hands-on coverage. Before we get started check out the HTC Facebook page for tons of pictures (where most of these came from). Be sure to stay tuned to Android Community as we’ll have the Rezound in shortly for a full in-depth hands-on and review by yours truly. What’s up Dr Dre! In the mean time here is the hands-on from Tech Crunch, as you can see from some of their pictures this smartphone is definitely not the thinnest we’ve seen lately. Coming in around 14mm thick it sure is a fatty. Here is what Jordan Crook had to say:
Then you can check out a few pictures and hands-on video from The Verge if you feel like enjoying what that team of gadget lovers caught on video. Their own Chris Ziegler focused on the display and mentions just how pretty it really is.
Then LaptopMag also checks it out while also focusing on the display and how much better the display is over, say, the Bionic — but we already knew that was coming. Here’s what Mark Spoonauer had to say:
Then here are a few pictures provided from the HTC Facebook page linked to above as well as the brand new promo video for the HTC Rezound.            Device Info
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| Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet specs and pricing revealed Posted: 03 Nov 2011 02:49 PM PDT Well folks, it looks like the full specs and details regarding the new NOOK tablet have been leaked a bit early. The NOOK 2 announcement event is set for November 7th but apparently it will be called the NOOK Tablet and will be available come November 16th, just in time to compete with the Kindle Fire.
The new NOOK Tablet will complete with the Kindle Fire across all areas and that means price, size, weight, and availability. The new NOOK will feature a 1.2 GHz dual-core OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM, comes with 16GB of internal storage (and micro-SD support) all while being a little thinner and lighter than the original NOOKcolor. The new NOOK Tablet will be under a half inch thick at just 0.48″ and weigh only 14 oz. This device will connect over Wi-fi only and has the same 7-inch VividView IPS display as the NOOK Color. According to our sources it will look very similar to the original only it will be thinner, lighter, and much faster. So when can you get your own and for how much? The new NOOK Tablet event is November 7th but we already know the details. You can get your own starting November 16th for just $249 and pre-orders will probably start on November 7th. So now the question is — will you get the NOOK Tablet or the Kindle Fire?          [via SlashGear] )
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| HTC Rezound set to get Ice Cream Sandwich early 2012 Posted: 03 Nov 2011 01:43 PM PDT Today HTC and Verizon have joined forces and made the HTC Rezound official during the event in NYC. Along with showing off the new 4G LTE smartphone and detailing all its specs, they also mentioned a few important things regarding Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. HTC specifically called the Rezound “ICS ready” and mentioned they have a strick update plan set for early 2012.
While they didn’t announce anything specific regarding a date for this new 4.3″ dual-core smartphone packing an impressive 1280 x 720p resolution, it does give those potential buyers the added security of knowing the latest and greatest should be coming, and soon. For a breakdown of the event and what all was detailed you can see our official announcement here. With a 720p display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Beats Audio this looks to be an impressive handset.
The brand new HTC Rezound can be yours come November 14th for just $299 (with a new 2 year agreement of course). While we don’t have any specifics on an off contract price we expect it to be priced above $600 just like the equally impressive DROID RAZR. With 720p, 4G LTE, Beats Audio, and a promise of ICS what more could you ask for? Other than maybe the Galaxy Nexus. We will have the HTC Rezound in for review very very soon so stay tuned right here at Android Community for all the pictures you can handle.    Device Info
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| DROID RAZR commercial confirms November 11 release at 11:11 AM Posted: 03 Nov 2011 01:10 PM PDT If you were hoping for some confirmation as to when you’ll be able to get your hands on the new DROID RAZR from Motorola, it has now been officially confirmed for November 11th. Yes 11-11 and at no time other than 11:11 AM — nifty Verizon, but can I just get the phone already?
It was originally confirmed for the 10th and now we are hearing those that pre-ordered will receive them on the 11th, as they’ll be shipped come the 10th. For more confirmation check out the official 11-11 announcement commercial below. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the DROID RAZR will be $649 off contract or $299 with a new 2-year agreement. DROID RAZR 11-11 For more details on the new sleek and powerful DROID RAZR you can see the official announcement here and then plenty of hands-on videos from the live event by clicking here. Then like most recent Motorola phones it will also ship with accessories such as the Lapdock 100, 500, car docks and more and we have hands on of that too, right here. Get out those RAZR’s and credit cards because come November 11th you could have this extremely thin and sexy smartphone in your hands and enjoy it to the fullest. As an added bonus check out the video and specs detailed below. Motorola DROID RAZR hands-on: Device Info
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| Meizu M9 and MX will receive update to Ice Cream Sandwich Posted: 03 Nov 2011 12:56 PM PDT While I’m sure the news for all things Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will keep coming in over the next few months, we are now getting confirmation from another company, Meizu, that their line of smartphones will be updated to the latest and greatest. Earlier this week Meizu CEO Jack Wong casually mentioned on their forums that many of their top devices will receive updates to ICS.
Included in that list were the main phones like the Meizu M9, MX and others. It seems Jack Wong enjoys breaking news on the forums because that is also where we heard the first rumors regarding the Meizu MX quad-core smartphone. Along with the announcement for ICS to be delivered as soon as possible Wong also mentioned the original release date for the MX, set for December, is still on track. No other details were revealed but at least we now have confirmation of another smartphone set to receive Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich once it becomes open source and available for all. For more details on ICS check out our 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Q and A session. Then even though its on the Google Nexus, enjoy our hands-on video below so you know what to expect from ICS when it arrives for Meizu phones. Although most likely they’ll add a few UI enhancements and changes. Ice Cream Sandwich Hands-on [via Engadget] )
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| HTC Rezound official: HTC’s first 720p phone heads for Verizon Posted: 03 Nov 2011 12:47 PM PDT At an HTC event in New York City today, the manufacturer announced its latest and greatest Verizon 4G LTE phone, the HTC Rezound. The phone has been leaked to blazes and back, but it’s good to finally get confirmation on this piece of high-end hardware. The 1.5Ghz dual-core Gingerbread smartphone is HTC’s first with a 720p display, stretching 1280 x 720 pixels across a 4.3-inch screen. The Rezound was previously codenamed the Vigor.
On the inside you get 16GB of built-in storage plus a 16GB MicroSD card and HTC’s latest version of Sense 3.5 running on top of Android Gingerbread. Sadly the Rezound won’t run Ice Cream Sandwich at launch, but HTC says the phone is “ICS ready”, and they’re planning an update for early next year. 1GB of RAM should give the software plenty of room to breathe. Sense gets you 5GB of free Dropbox storage automatically. The HTC Rezound is the first US phone to take advantage of HTC’s Beats acquisition, and will include hardware and software to take advantage of the high-profile audio company. The stylized “B” logo adorns the back in red, to match the red capacitive buttons below the screen, the red speaker grille and the camera ring. A free pair of Beats headphones with an in-line music remote is included. HTC is opening the Beats API to developers, so look for third-party audio apps to take advantage of the hardware soon. HTC said that “music will be the heart and soul” of the phone. As far as media goes, the Rezound features the superphone standard 8 megapixel / 1080p rear camera, with a nicely detailed 2 megapixel front camera. The battery is a rather pedestrian 1620 mAh. That’s a little on the small side for an LTE battery, especially for a phone this large. Verizon did not mention an estimated battery life, but there is an FCC filing for a wireless charging battery cover. Special attention has been paid to the camera, which now features an instant shutter, panorama assist and an action burst, complimenting an f2.2 lens. The 1080p video camera will have integrated effects and slow-motion capture. Stylistically, the HTC Rezound seems to be a combination of the DROID Incredible and the ThunderBolt. It’s got the dramatic red-on-black color scheme of the former, made all the more impressive by the red-tinted buttons and battery bay, but the screen size and LTE connection (not to mention bulk) of the latter. It’s definitely a fierce looking phone, but I definitely prefer the construction and kickstand of the original ThunderBolt. The HTC Rezound will be available starting on November 14th, for $299.99 on-contract. Device Info
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