4G

58 '4G' stories June 2011 - August 2011

Samsung Impulse 4G images leak, could be AT&T’s first LTE 4G smartphone

Jordan Kahn Aug 23 2011 - 10:01 am PT

There are less than a ton of details surrounding this latest round of images, which, according to BGR, show AT&T’s Samsung Impulse 4G. Apparently this will be the carriers first LTE smartphone, and it also appears to be a lower-end, entry-level model, although we have no details on potential specs, pricing, or release date. Either way, this could very well be your first look at AT&T’s forthcoming 4G-enabled smartphone. We’re not sure if the Impulse’s specs perhaps popped up in that huge leak of Samsung devices we told you about last week. The image below shows a case that will give you an idea of the Impulse’s backside.

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First of US Galaxy S 2 devices to hit Sprint

9to5 Staff Aug 19 2011 - 5:10 pm PT

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According to SprintFeed, the Sprint Samsung Galaxy S2, dubbed Epic Touch 4G phone will be announced by Samsung on Auguust 29th and released by Sprint two weeks later on September 9th. But that’s not all…

Here’s what we’ve heard about the August 29th US launch:

Verizon will be a no show. There are likely still some kinks to be worked out in the LTE version of the Galaxy S 2 which will be announced at a later date.

Sprint’s phone called the Epic Touch 4G or the will be WiMAX and slightly thicker than the others with a grated plastic backing. 4.5 inch screen 480×800

T-Mobile’s version will also be 4.5 inch screen 480×800 and be the first phone to run on its (theoretical) 42Mb radio network. It will require a Qualcomm dual-core CPU unlike the other devices which will use Samsung’s own dual core processors.

AT&T’s will be the most similar to the international version at 4.3 inches.

All of them will have the Netflix app ready on launch – only some will have it pre-installed however.

Even these incredible phones pale in comparison to the rumors of a 720P Ice Cream Sandwich phone on the horizon however.

The sickest of them all has to be the I9250 superphone. Probably your next handset, it rocks a monstrous 4.65-inch SuperAMOLED display with native 720p resolution (1280-by-720 pixels), the obligatory five megapixel camera (what, no eight-megapixels?) and Android Ice Cream, the latest and greatest version of Android due for release in the fourth quarter of 2011.
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Sprint in a 4G LTE deal with LightSquared

9to5 Staff Jul 28 2011 - 7:02 am PT

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Carrier Sprint today announced a fifteen-year deal with LightSquared enabling them to offer 4G LTE services on their network. As you know, Sprint currently offers wireless broadband marketed as 4G through its majority stake in Clearwire, utilizing their WiMax technology. Sprint couldn’t have signed a better deal to joing the 4G LTE craze. LightSquared will actually pay the carrier $9 billion in cash over the course of eleven years to deploy an LTE network, spending itself $13 billion over the next eight years on boosting their network capacity. In return, the company will be allowed to sell their 4G service to Sprint customers. Sprint can tap up to 50 percent of LightSquared’s 4G capacity and a roaming agreement will be in place by 2012.

On the downside, LightSquared plans on launching its first 4G market in 2012 and finish commercial deployment by 2015. Compared this to AT&T and Verizon Wireless which already operate 4G LTE service in select markets and plan to commercially deploy their networks by the end of next year. However, Sprint is the nation’s third-largest carrier with 51 million customers as of June so the ability to host on their network an increasing number of 4G LTE smartphones will positively impact their bottom line and competitiveness. Plus. Sprint is rumored to have been testing a Sprint iPhone for some time, with Apple seeking a carrier engineer in the Kansas City area, where Sprint is headquartered.

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Gingerbread rolling out to Xperia X10, T-Mobile G2x, 4G LTE upgrade due for Xoom in September

9to5 Staff Jul 27 2011 - 9:00 am PT

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Motorola’s Xoom will get the promised 4G LTE modem upgrade in September, per corporate communication from Verizon Wireless sent to registered users, published by the Droid Life blog. The free of charge update promises a tenfold increase in network speeds, available to more than 110 million people in select markets where the carrier rolled out its 4G LTE network, with “coverage expanding every day”. The email notice reads:

Be on the lookout at the end of summer for an email with information about how to upgrade your Motorola XOOM to speeds up to 10X faster than 3G. In the meantime, learn more about what you can do to prepare for the 4G LTE upgrade to your Motorola XOOM by backing up data, encrypting, or resetting your Motorola Xoom tablet.

On a somewhat related note, T-Mobile and Sony Ericsson also began rolling out Gingerbread updates to the Xperia X10 and G2x

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Sprint to give Evo end of life status

Jake Smith Jul 26 2011 - 9:37 pm PT

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SprintFeed is reporting that the Evo will be given the end of life status, along with a few other phones on Sprint’s network, this fall. The White Evo will cease in September, and the black Evo and Samsung Epic will cease in October. The Evo was a breakout phone for Android and 4G technology, but it is certainly understandable as Sprint puts better phones in its lineup. Check out the rest of the phones in the image above. Anything you’re sad to see go?

Nexus S 4G update going out July 25th boosting data speeds

Jake Smith Jul 22 2011 - 2:02 pm PT

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Sprint announced on their blog that they will be unveiling an update to their Nexus S 4G. The update will include tweaks to increase data speed, Wi-Fi connectivity, speakerphone audio quality, and adds TTY support for the deaf and hard of hearing. The update will be dubbed Android 2.3.5 and will be available Monday, July 25th.

Engadget has exclusively received the update to test data speeds. As you can see in the screenshot above, speeds were improved — even enough Engadget says the speed change is noticeable.

Sprint offering the Nexus S 4G for $99 on two year contract

Jake Smith Jul 14 2011 - 8:53 pm PT

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Sprint is now offering the Nexus S 4G for $99 on a two year contract. The Nexus S 4G packs Android 2.3, 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, NFC technology, 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen, and 16GB of built in memory — making this arguably Sprint’s best phone. You may also be interested in HTC Evo 4G and HTC Evo Shift 4G, which are also available for $99.

via TechCrunch
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AT&T unveils two 4G LTE devices for the summer

9to5 Staff Jul 12 2011 - 11:23 am PT

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AT&T this morning announced first two devices 4G LTE devices, both Mac compatible: A 4G LTE mobile hotspot and a 4G LTE USB modem. If you live in any of AT&T’s five 4G LTE markets (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, with more coming by the year’s end), you can take advantage of 4G LTE speeds. Those living outside the initial 4G LTE coverage needn’t worry because AT&T, as they say, will have the only combo LTE/HSPA+ network and both devices feature HSPA+ support as a fallback technology. “Our customers will receive a more consistent mobile broadband experience that supports simultaneous voice and data connections and higher speeds than others can provide outside their LTE footprint”, AT&T argues. More on the devices, availability and price points after the break.

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HTC EVO 3D could be T-Mobile 4G bound

Jake Smith Jun 29 2011 - 8:33 pm PT

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The HTC Evo 3D has passed through the FCC’s desk packing AWS bands, reports TmoNews. Interestingly, these AWS bands point to T-Mobile’s 4G network. But as we have experienced before, something going through the FCC doesn’t necessarily mean its coming out anytime soon.

The EVO series has been exclusive with Sprint since the EVO’s release. This FCC filing definitely points to this device going to T-Mobile, breaking Sprint exclusivity. We’ll keep you updated if this phone actually hits or not, but in the mean time read our review of the device.
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Is a Samsung QWERTY Slider on its way to Verizon Wireless?

Jake Smith Jun 26 2011 - 2:41 pm PT

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Pocketnow has published exclusive pictures of what they say is a Samsung QWERTY slider on its way to Verizon Wireless. As you’ll notice, the device is very similar to the Epic 4G on Sprint. It is not clear yet as to whether this device will have 4G capabilities like the Epic 4G, but we are hopeful. More importantly, we’re wondering if Verizon is going to saddle this thing with Bing like it has its other Samsung (save the Droid Charge) and LG Android devices. If so…pass!

The device has the model number SCH-i405, following Samsung Continuum’s of SCH-i400, reports AndroidSpin. The device has already earned Bluetooth and Wi-Fi certifications, but has not made its way past the FCC. There isn’t any other information as to what’s actually inside the device. For those of you who can’t wait to get your slide on, this device should be hitting stores in a month or two.
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