GSM Stories January 13, 2016
B&H offers the Unlocked LG G4 32GB Smartphone in Black Leather for $349.99 shipped. That’s $100 off the original list price, $69 less than Amazon’s current listing and the lowest we can currently find. It has a 5.5-inch IPS LCD multi-touch display, Android 5.1 Lollipop, Dual-Core Processor, and a 16 megapixel camera. Amazon shoppers gave it 4.4/5 stars.
GSM Stories July 31, 2015
YotaPhone 2 won’t be coming to North America, company refunding backers
Well, this is sad: despite a successful Indiegogo campaign which saw the company pass its funding goal in mere hours, Yota Devices just announced that the “two fronts” YotaPhone 2 with its secondary always-on ePaper display won’t be coming to North American shores. The Verge first reported on this news.
GSM Stories January 2, 2014
[tweet https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/418957387249119232]
The Ev-er reliable @evleaks’ latest leak? Some images of the LG Flex with some markings of the US GSM carriers. That’s right, if you are a T-Mobile or AT&T customer, you’ll soon have some ‘flexible’ options when it comes to Android phones. Sprint? Yeah there too. Verizon? Fashionable late as usual. expand full story
GSM Stories September 30, 2013
Smaller, more affordable Moto X variant passes through the FCC
Rumors of a lower-cost Moto X variant have been around for a while, but if recent FCC documentations are to be believed, the device is not too far away from being released (via Android Police). A recent revised Permissive Change filing with the FCC has revealed a couple of photos of the device, which looks nearly identical to the Moto X. The phone is referred to as the Motorola DVX and appears to have a slightly smaller screen than the Moto X, coming in between 4.3-inches and 4.5-inches.
The FCC documents show the DVX as being compatible with GSM 850/1900 bands, meaning that it lacks LTE and will work only with AT&T here in the states.
GSM Stories September 18, 2013
Moto X (32GB) developer editions now available for $650
The Moto X developer edition is available starting today through Motorola’s website in both black and white woven backs for a price tag of $650 with SIM included. There are two variants of the device available, both 32GB models: One works with GSM networks including AT&T and T-Mobile, and the other is for compatible with Verizon’s network. The device comes with an unlockable bootloader, 32GB, and “developer edition” stamped on the back, but otherwise it’s the same Moto X that’s been available through carriers and Moto Maker. You won’t, however, be able to customize the developer edition through Moto Maker, which is still exclusive to AT&T customers.
GSM Stories November 1, 2012
AT&T and T-Mobile begin initiative to discourage theft by merging databases of stolen devices
AT&T and T-Mobile recently announced they would start to share a combined database of stolen mobile devices that aspires to discourage theft and shield customers.
All the major carriers, through their wireless association CTIA and the Federal Communications Commission, first revealed plans in April to merge their respective databases, but AT&T and T-Mobile were the first to do so yesterday.
CNET specifically elaborated on how the joint database works:
The database went live yesterday, and allows either AT&T or T-Mobile to block a device from being used on either network. In order to do that, the companies ban a device’s IMEI number — a unique identifier that tells networks what the device is and who owns it — and effectively stop it from being able to place calls.
In the past, stolen smartphones were blocked by eliminating the use of a SIM card. However, in the GSM world, a phone can be used with any SIM card. So, if a thief stole a device and popped in a new SIM card, it would still work. By targeting the IMEI number, that’s no longer the case.
Sprint and Verizon are expected join the initiative by November 2013.
GSM Stories June 19, 2012
Unlocked 16GB Samsung Galaxy S III hits eBay for $649.99, free shipping
The unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III has not officially released in the United States, nor have pricing details, but at least one seller on eBay is offering the 16GB version for just $649.99.
The listing offers free standard shipping to the United States and Canada with a 30-day money back guarantee, and the top-rated seller has near-perfect feedback based on thousands of reviews. Hurry and purchase this off-contract device now, because the eBay page indicates “limited quantity available.” PayPal is the only form of payment accepted.
Check it out: New Samsung Galaxy S 3 I9300 16GB Unlocked GSM Phone Android 4.0 OS 8MP Camera
GSM Stories May 8, 2012
Google posts Galaxy Nexus panorama commercial
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbUZLbFMXo8&feature=youtu.be&hd=1]
Google just released a new commercial showing off Android 4.0’s panorama camera mode on the Galaxy Nexus.
GSM Stories May 6, 2012
During the Q&A of a recent interview, AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson said some interesting things about the Android ecosystem.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q3drI4yyiVw&start=2675]
His statements are confusing, because we have been— up to this point—lead to believe that there is a straightforward way this works:
In a response to the questioner, Stephenson blamed Google, saying, “Google determines what platform gets the newest releases and when. A lot of times, that’s a negotiated arrangement and that’s something we work at hard. We know that’s important to our customers. That’s kind of an ambiguous answer because I can’t give you a direct answer in this setting.”
He then goes on to explain how great Windows is and how he has been using it for a month. He also said Android needs to work on security.
While the questioner is speaking in the broader sense about getting his older Android device updated, it is possible that he is referring to the recent Galaxy Nexus that hit Verizon first in December. The GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus was available on AT&T before the release on Verizon (I was an early user) if you bought the phone without a plan. expand full story
GSM Stories January 16, 2012
It seems with any smartphone announced these days, users are yearning for a white version of the device, and two prime examples are the iPhone and Galaxy S II. Of course, it is not any different when it comes to the newest flagship Ice Cream Sandwich handset out of Google and Samsung, the Galaxy Nexus. Italian publication HD Blog had the chance to photograph the white version of the Galaxy Nexus. As you can see in the gallery below, the back and sides are completely white, while the front keeps the black look. The previous flagship, the Nexus S, follows the same formula.
Specifications for the white version of the Galaxy Nexus will remain the same and still ship in both a 16GB and 32GB version, HD Blog said. The white version will land in Europe (GSM) sometime in the coming weeks. It is not clear if there will also be a white version on Verizon Wireless, but there is always a way to get it in the United States through other channels. Looks good, eh?
GSM Stories December 13, 2011
Previously available on Amazon and a few other retailers, Samsung has made the Galaxy Nexus available on NewEgg for $700. Don’t get your hopes up however, this isn’t the Verizon Wireless version — rather the GSM version that works with a T-mobile or AT&T SIM card. NewEgg’s price cuts Amazon’s by more than $50.
We know the Galaxy Nexus will be launching in the US in the coming weeks exclusively on Verizon, and it’s not clear which carrier will get it (if ever) after Verizon. If you’re not ready to switch to Verizon and want the Galaxy Nexus — here’s your chance.
European readers, how are you liking ICS?
GSM Stories October 26, 2011
From 9to5toys.com:
Buy.com via eBay Daily Deal has the Samsung Galaxy SII unlocked phone for $489.99 with free shipping. That’s the lowest price we could find by about $100. This 4.3″ screen, dual core Android 2.3.5 smartphone will work on just about any GSM network in the worldwith a SIM card. expand full story
GSM Stories June 21, 2011
While we’re at it, check out the sharp decline of RIM’s once powerful BlackBerry platform.
It’s always a good idea to take whatever analysts are predicting with a healthy dose of skepticism. That said, Needham’s Charlie Wolf cites IDC data that portrays Android as losing ground to iOS in America. Android, of course, is the country’s leading smartphone platform which in the first quarter grabbed a whopping 49.5 percent of the smartphone market while Apple’s iPhone had 29.5 percent. The momentum cannot continue forever so it’s little surprise then that Android controlled 52.4 percent of the market in the quarter-ago period. Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt calls this Android’s “first sequential loss ever in any region of the world”, quoting Wolf’s Monday note to clients:
In our opinion, this is just the beginning of Android’s share loss in the US. The migration of subscribers to the iPhone on the Verizon network should accelerate this fall when Apple coordinates the launch of iPhone 5 on the GSM and CDMA networks. The iPhone could also launch on the Sprint and T-Mobile networks.
It looks like ol’ Charlie’s trying to offload some AAPL shares. He argues that… expand full story
