Verizon Wireless Samsung Stratosphere review, 4G LTE at an affordable price

by Robert Nazarian on Nov 9th 2011, 10:57am
tagged 4G, keyboard, LTE, qwerty, review, Samsung, slide out, Stratosphere

With most Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphones debuting at $299 for a 2-year contract, its difficult for some consumers to jump on the “lightning fast” bandwagon. Samsung is looking to change that with the Stratosphere. These specs aren’t high end, but for most consumers, they’re more than satisfactory. Priced at $149 makes this affordable for everyone and brings the speeds of 4G LTE to the mainstream. Here is a more in depth look, but you can also checkout our initial hands on video.

Design

This is a mid-range phone so don’t expect it to be thin. It comes in at .55 inches thick (about 14mm). Part of the reason is it has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Fans of physical keyboards are going to love this one as it has 5 rows and the keys are spread out nicely. I found it very easy to type.

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[Leak] RAZR-like Motorola DROID 4 pictures appear

by Robert Nazarian on Oct 27th 2011, 11:59am
tagged droid, droid 4, keyboard, motorola, qwerty, RAZR, slide out, thin

The DROID keyboarded series has been one of the most popular Android phones, but the DROID 3 hasn’t wowed us enough, mostly because it lacks 4G LTE. Personally, I have always loved the Motorola slide-out QWERTY devices, but with 4.5-inch phones that are less than 9mm thick, it is hard to go back.

The DROID 4 could be what the doctor ordered because it looks to have the same styling as the DROID RAZR along with 4G LTE. We all know the RAZR’s top feature is that it’s only 7.1mm thick. No world on what the DROID 4 will come in at, but if this beast comes in close to 9mm, this could be as popular as the original DROID.

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Samsung Stratosphere unboxing and initial hands on [Video]

by Robert Nazarian on Oct 25th 2011, 12:02pm
tagged 4G, LTE, qwerty, Samsung, slide out, Stratosphere, Verizon, verizon wireless

I just got my hands on the Samsung Stratosphere which spec-wise is not jaw-dropping, but enough for most people. It comes with a 4-inch (800 x 480) Super AMOLED screen, 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, and Android 2.3.5. What makes this phone appealing is that it’s 4G LTE compatible. With most LTE phones on Verizon priced at $299, this phone is a steal for $149.99. It’s a little thick, coming in at 14mm, but for those that like a QWERTY keyboard, this is more appealing than the DROID 3, which lacks LTE. Check out my quick hands on, and look for a full review shortly.

[Deal] Xperia PLAY Just £149 From O2 UK With Pay & Go

by Justin Routhier on Oct 15th 2011, 12:40am
tagged android 2.3, deal, gamepad, games, Gingerbread, O2 UK, playstation, slide out, sony ericsson, Xperia Play

UK mobile telecommunications provider O2 is offering Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY at the rock-bottom price of just £149 in either white or black. The device is offered on O2’s Pay & Go plan, which means no monthly contract and 10% back on your top-ups every three months with O2 Rewards. The phone’s features include a 4-inch touchscreen, PlayStation slide out gamepad, access to 50 games at launch and it runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Hit the break for a link to the offer.

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AT&T announces Samsung Captivate Glide

by Robert Nazarian on Oct 11th 2011, 12:01pm
tagged AT&T, Glide, keyboard, QWERY, Samsung, slide out

Remember that Samsung Slider we so back in July that we thought was a Galaxy S II variant? AT&T finally announced this slide-out QWERTY phone as the Samsung Captivate Glide. It features a 4-inch (800 x 480) Super AMOLED screen, Tegra 2 CPU, and 8MP camera with 1080p recording. It will also appeal to business professionals as it has enhanced Exchange ActiveSync support. No word on availability or pricing, but we will let you know as soon as we hear more.

Full specs:

UMTS 850/1900/2100
GSM 850/900/1800/1900
4G HSPA+ 21 Mbps (Category 14)
1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 AP20H dual core processor
1GB RAM/1GB ROM/8GB Internal microSD™ to 32GB (not included)
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
4-inch 480×800 WVGA Super AMOLED™
Dual camera – 8MP Autofocus w/LED + 1.3MP front
Full HD 1080p video camera + HDMI playback
Enhanced Exchange ActiveSync® (EAS) to sync email, contacts, calendar and tasks
Device and SD card encryption
Virtual private network support
Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Full press release after the break:

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Cricket announces the Samsung Transfix with slide-out QWERTY keyboard

by Robert Nazarian on Oct 11th 2011, 10:02am
tagged cricket, keyboard, qwerty, Samsung, slide out, Transfix

Today Cricket announced the Samsung Transfix (SCH-R730), which available now for $179.99. It features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 80oMHz processor, 3.2MP camera with video capabilities, microSD slot for up to 32GB of storage, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

“We are very pleased to bring the Samsung Transfix to Cricket customers,” said Matt Stoiber, vice president and general manager, devices for Cricket. “The Transfix features an easy-to-use slide out keyboard that makes messaging a breeze. Combined with its affordable price we believe the Transfix will be attractive to our customers looking for an Android device.”

Full presser after the break:

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