Android and Me |
- Sony Ericsson is getting ready to add NFC support to its line of Android devices
- Rumor: Harry Potter Android device coming?
- Eco-users complain about solar charging on Samsung Replenish
- HTC Sensation 4G Review
- Poll/Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to be released tomorrow; is it the tablet for you?
- Is this the LG Maxx Q, LG Gelato Q or both? We put on our detective hats
- Burn the Rope makes its way to Android
- Video: Android team talks about the smartphone revolution, what it’s like to work at Google
- T-Mobile expands 42 Mbps HSPA+ network to new markets (Updated)
- Sprint HTC EVO 3D review roundup, America’s first 3D Android phone
| Sony Ericsson is getting ready to add NFC support to its line of Android devices Posted: 16 Jun 2011 04:45 PM PDT  Remember when we told you the Android world was about to be flooded by NFC-enabled devices? Well, Sony Ericsson just took a shot at the dam. The company is partnering with NXP–the same guys that build the NFC chip inside the Nexus S–with the goal of adding NFC support to its Android devices. Neither company specified whether all or just some future Sony Ericsson phones will have an NFC chip. When talking about which NFC chip Sony Ericsson will use, NXP said: Sony Ericsson intends to use the NXP PN65 NFC solution in their Android-based smartphones, which includes the NFC radio controller, the embedded secure element and NFC software.NXPNXP Press Release NXP’s PN65 chip is the same one used on Google Nexus S 4G. So presumably, Sony Ericsson’s fans will be one of the first to be able to take advantage of Google Wallet. Hopefully, Sony Ericsson won’t take its sweet time to release these NFC-enabled phones. Seeing how the technology is about to become a must-have feature, it’ll benefit Sony Ericsson to be one of the first companies to support it. Now we just need Motorola, LG, Samsung and HTC to jump on the bandwagon. With a bit of luck, most Android phones will have an NFC chip by this time next year. Google certainly hopes so. The company is working on a bunch of features for Ice Cream Sandwich that’ll use the NFC chip. But without NFC support, all these features will go unnoticed by most Android users. What do you guys think? Does NFC support make Sony Ericsson’s phones more attractive to you? Let us know in the comments.
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| Rumor: Harry Potter Android device coming? Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:46 PM PDT  Anything with the Harry Potter brand slapped on it will surely cause a stampede of fans rushing to the new product a la “Black Friday at Wal-Mart” (if not stronger). There are the books, of course, but along with that, J.K. Rowling has earned a fortune with all the other things this 7-book saga has created. Some examples include films, music, costumes, all kinds of school supplies, collectibles, etc. The list goes on and on, but what is this “Pottermore” that’s showed up on the interwebs? Many were hoping for some kind of magical book that succeeded the 7 others, but J.K. Rowling’s spokesperson states it will not be an 8th piece of literature. J.K. Rowling purchased this domain name 2 years ago. The addition of owls and “Coming Soon” sign, however, have appeared in conjunction with the cool-looking update to her YouTube page. Whatever this thing is, an announcement is coming soon. Next Wednesday at 8 PM PST, to be exact (according to the YouTube page). You may be asking why the hell we’re posting about this on an Android website. Well, simply because a secret tipster from Gawker.com claims to have inside information that proves this “new Harry Potter thing” will actually be a smartphone. Potterphone? Not much is specified, but the tipster mentions this phone will be manufactured by a company that isn’t a big player “anymore.” Due to the rumor, we can conclude this phone will not be iOS or BlackBerry related. What other platform would be better than Android for a project like this? Android is the most customizable, open and optimized mobile platform there is. And if this rumor is true, odds are that it’ll be an Android phone. You want more evidence? This tipster claims Pottermore isn’t jsut about a smartphone, but also involves a “portal for additional content for smartphones,” leading us to believe this appstore-like “portal” will not support only J.K. Rowling’s hypothetical device, but other smartphones as well. Third-party app stores are not well accepted by other platforms and are definitely not supported (at least not officially). Our beloved Taylor mentions it would probably make more sense if this were to be a Nook Color-like device where you could get all the Harry Potter-related content you could ever imagine. A tablet would allow you to comfortably read the books and maybe a news section, watch the movies, play games, etc. It would simply be ideal. But, this is just speculating and day dreaming. The tipster does mention it will be a smartphone though. We’ll keep options open, but focus on a possible smartphone for now. That said, this will probably be a phone with aesthetics that match the stereotypical Harry Potter look. Who knows? There might even be a design for each of the four houses! But as you may assume, the device might also be destined to have a customized UI. This could go either way, depending on how it is done; but, the fact is that most Android fans prefer Vanilla Android. This phone is not meant for Android enthusiasts, though. It’s meant for those eager Harry Potter lovers we all know. Yes, those who dress up to watch the movies at the theater. The ones who make huge lines at midnight to get the newest book and finish it overnight, before they go to school. Will it sell? Yes, it probably will. And it will sell very well, just like every other Harry Potter product. Stay tuned for more news about the phone (or lack thereof) in 6 days. Since we’re all excited about naming the now “unnamed MotoBlur,” why don’t we take a hit at this possible Harry Potter UI? What do you guys think it would be called? Let’s see what Android and Harry Potter fans can come up with!
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| Eco-users complain about solar charging on Samsung Replenish Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:38 PM PDT  You remember the Samsung Replenish, right? You know, that eco-friendly smartphone that dropped on the Sprint network a few months back? You don’t? Can't say we blame you, as the Earth-friendly Blackberry look-a-like phone launched with little fanfare as an entry-level Android device. Well, some people out there did in fact purchase the Replenish and are up in arms about one of the included green accessories. Samsung’s Replenish came with a solar charger, lettings users to utilize the sun’s rays to charge their phone without plugging into the wall. At least, that was the theory. Several users on Sprint’s forums are complaining that the solar charger simply doesn’t work, with a few going as far as to say the charger was actually draining battery from the device instead of charging it. One user reported: “Did a test of the charging system this weekend. Left it out in direct sunlight for about an hour. It got hot but DID NOT CHARGE ANYTHING. I actually lost battery life. Placed it on the dash of my car for an 1 1/2 hour drive and it almost went dead… I don’t know about this… Seems to be a rip-off to me…” You can read a few of the conversation threads here and here. Though personally I like the idea of solar charging, it’s unfortunate that the Samsung Replenish’s implementation seems to be missing the mark. Are you one of the affected Replenish owners experiencing issues with solar charging? If another device came along with fully-functional solar charging, would you be more inclined to buy? Sound off to these (and more) questions in the comments.
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| Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:03 PM PDT  Over the past ten days, we’ve had the privilege of using the HTC Sensation 4G. Now that the phone is officially available at T-Mobile stores across the nation, we’re sharing our thoughts on the phone to give you a closer look at the handset’s hardware and software.
HardwareThe design of the HTC Sensation 4G is truly unique. The exterior body is comprised of a removable contoured aluminum and plastic shell that wraps around the back and sides with a curved glass screen on the front. The 4.3-inch qHD display (960 x 540 pixels) is covered in Gorilla Glass, but also features raised edges to reduce contact when the handset is placed face-down. Below the screen are the standard four capacitive buttons, while the Sensation’s front-facing VGA camera is located above the screen to the right of the speaker grill.
The volume rocker and microUSB port are located on the left side of the phone. The right side has been left completely bare. The top of the phone features the power button and 3.5mm headphone. Flipping the phone over reveals the 8 megapixel camera (capable of recording 1080p HD video) and dual-LED flash in the top left corner and the speaker phone directly to the right. Removing the shell reveals the battery (1520 mAh), microSD card (8 GB included) and the SIM card. The remaining handset features include a Qualcomm 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 768 MB RAM, 4 GB internal storage (1 GB user accessible), GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n all crammed inside a phone measuring 126.1mm x 65.4mm x 11.3mm and weighing only 148 grams. Anyone who owns or has used the HTC EVO 4G or the HTC Inspire 4G will find that the Sensation 4G feels a lot smaller. The reason for this is the 16:9 aspect ratio of the 4.3-inch qHD display. This has allowed HTC to reduce the width of the HTC Sensation 4G by nearly 2.5mm compared to their older handsets with 4.3-inch displays. Some of you may have heard about the HTC Sensation’s “death grip” issues over the past few weeks. I have experienced them myself, but it’s certainly not an issue users should worry about. The HTC Sensation 4G loses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signal strength when the two plastic panels on the back of the phone are touched by a single hand. The issue is quite easy to replicate. But in the ten days I’ve used the phone, I’ve only experienced the issue twice during regular use. Software
The HTC Sensation 4G is the first phone to be released in North America with HTC Sense 3.0 running on Android 2.3.3. HTC Sense has been around for nearly two years, but the 3.0 iteration of HTC’s custom software has been packed with more eye candy than most people can handle. At first glance, HTC Sense 3.0 looks nearly identical to the previous version. That all changes once you start interacting with the UI. The first change users will notice is the new unlock screen. Users are able to customize the unlock screen to display the weather, stock, pictures and Twitter and Facebook updates (through Friend Stream), but we found the most useful feature to be its direct application launching capability. Simply select four of your most used apps to display at the bottom of the unlock screen and drag the icon into the unlock circle to immediately launch the app. The concept sounds extremely simple, but it saves valuable seconds if you’re the type of person who checks email and Twitter a few hundred times a day. Once you get past the lock screen, many of the widgets on the home screen may look the same, but HTC has added 3D layering on everything. Swipe from panel to panel and you’ll notice the flip clock has hinges on the side that hold it together or that the album art of the music widget is actually floating over the glass panel that’s behind it. The home screen still features seven panels, but now you can scroll through them in an endless loop or simply flick your finger to the left or right and watch them all rotate in a 3D caracole. For years, HTC has been flaunting their weather animations. (I have to admit I’ve always been a huge fan of them). With HTC Sense 3.0, they’ve gone back to the drawing board to create more stunning animation and a more robust application. The new weather application give users more details about the upcoming forecast with projected hourly temperatures, humidity and rain. We could spend another hour or so going over all the small UI improvements in HTC Sense 3.0, but my suggestion would be to spend some quality time with the phone and see them for yourself. PerformanceWhile the new lock screen and 3D graphics of HTC Sense 3.0 are exciting, it’s the 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor that really makes the HTC Sensation 4G a great phone. Benchmark numbers for the Sensation 4G typically come in at 10-15% lower than phones with NVIDIA’s 1 GHz dual-core Tegra 2 chip. But we need to take into consideration the extra strain the qHD display adds to the equation, since most benchmarks test 3D rendering on native handset resolution. That being said, the majority of my time with the Sensation was spent playing 3D games and watching HD video. Games like Gun Bros, Gorilla Bob, Pocket Legends, Dungeon Defenders and Nova HD played flawlessly. One advantage the dual-core Qualcomm processor has over the NVIDIA Tegra 2 is its ability to selectively throttle or even completely turn off one of the cores. This feature plays a huge roll in power management, since one of the cores is typically turned off when you perform menial tasks like checking Twitter or email. The HTC Sensation 4G’s battery life was actually quite surprising. A typical day for me includes constantly checking email and Twitter, 15-30 minutes of web browsing, two hours of music (usually Pandora) and about an hour of gaming. My G2 typically craps out after 10-11 hours, but under the same usage scenario the HTC Sensation has been averaging right around 14 hours. CameraAnyone who’s used an HTC phone running Sense in the past 6 months is probably pretty familiar with the Sensation’s customized camera app. Users have the ability to tweak image exposure, saturation and ISO, or even choose between a handful of filters before taking their shots. But since the HTC Sensation 4G is equipped with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, it has two new features not found on any other HTC handset. Have you ever pulled out your Android phone to snap a picture, but by time the shutter releases you’re left with an image that wasn’t exactly what you wanted? The new Instant Capture feature on the HTC Sensation shoots to fix that problem. Instant Capture allows your phone to capture the image you wanted as soon as you press the shutter button on your screen. The problem is, Instant Capture doesn’t always work exactly as you want it to. If you find yourself in a well lit area, the HTC Sensation captures your image in about one fifth of a second. Certainly impressive! But things aren’t so instant when you want to snap a shot in a low-light situation. The amount of time it takes for the Sensation to capture the image is directly affected by how dark your surroundings are. The slowest shutter response we’ve experienced was right around half a second. (Still a lot faster than most Android phones currently on the market). If you truly want to take advantage of the Instant Capture feature on the HTC Sensation, you’ll need to change the way you typically capture your pictures. Tapping the screen to select what you want in focus before pressing the shutter button dramatically decreases the shutter lag, essentially giving you an Instant Capture experience. The Sensation is also the first HTC phone capable of capturing HD video in 1080p. Media lovers will certainly appreciate the added resolution, but unless you’re planning to watch all your videos on a 40 inch TV, we’d recommend you set the Sensation to record in 720p. While the 1080p video looks great, things get pretty jumpy when you pan around–an issue that’s not present when recording at lower resolutions. The camera on the HTC Sensation 4G is still not good enough to replace your point and shoot, but it does rank high among camera phones currently on the market. Check out the gallery of photos and the videos below for some samples directly from the Sensation camera. GalleryVideo 1Video 2ConclusionWhen it comes to high-end Android phones, it’s really hard to select a clear winner. The HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile is certainly one of the most exciting and powerful phones to hit the U.S. market in quite some time. The dual-core Snapdragon processor has enough muscle to satisfy most of your gaming needs, and the handset’s camera is one of the best we’ve ever seen. Combine those two features with the Sensation 4.3-inch qHD display, and you’ve got yourself an amazing piece of technology that should keep you happy for years (or until you decide you simply have to have a quad-core powered phone). T-Mobile customers looking for an upgrade should definitely consider the HTC Sensation 4G as their number one choice for their next purchase. At Android and Me, we’ve never really given our phone reviews a point ranking. But if someone put a gun to my head and demanded a number, I’d probably give the HTC Sensation 4G an 8.5 out of 10. It’s a great phone, just not sensational.
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| Poll/Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to be released tomorrow; is it the tablet for you? Posted: 16 Jun 2011 11:47 AM PDT  Rocking all the specs we can expect in a tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been one of the most anticipated Android devices since Mobile World Congress. The tablet comes with a Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 10-inch 1280x800p WXVGA display and everything Android 3.1 Honeycomb has to offer. Unless you got your hands on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 at Google I/O, or at the sole New York City store that sold it starting June 8, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be available tomorrow, June 17. The tablet is available in both black and white, and the price varies depending on the internal on-board memory. The 16 GB version will go for $499.99, while the 32 GB one will cost you $599.99. (Both WiFi-only). Not too bad compared to other tablets from the big manufacturers like the Motorola Xoom ($600 for 32 GB WiFi-only) and the HTC Flyer (Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 16 GB, WiFi-only). So, what is it that makes this tablet special? If physical dimensions are a big thing to you, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is your best option. The only tablet to beat the Apple iPad 2 in thinness and weight, this bad boy is 8.6 mm thick and weighs 565 gram.s (iPad 2: 601 grams, 8.8 mm thick). Hit the press release button below for more details on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. And check out the “reasons why the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 should be yours” article. There’s also a new video Samsung put together for you to drool over, so take a look at that as well. As always, we want to hear what our readers have to say. Is this the tablet you’re going for? Do you have another one in mind? Please place your vote in the poll under the video and give us your reasoning in the comments section. Show Press ReleaseSAMSUNG Galaxy Tab™ 10.1, World's Thinnest Mobile Tablet, Makes Official Landing in U.S. Premium Android Honeycomb Tablet with Ultra-slim, Lightweight Design and Brilliant 10-inch Touchscreen Available Exclusively at Best Buy Union Square Store in New York City Starting June 8; Available Nationwide Starting June 17 DALLAS, June 2, 2011 – Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. , and Samsung Electronics America, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the upcoming retail availability of the Galaxy Tab™ 10.1, starting June 8. The WiFi-enabled tablet measures at just 8.6 millimeters slim, making it the thinnest mobile tablet currently available in the world. The 32GB version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition will be available for $599, while the 16GB version of the device will be available for $499. A limited quantity of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition will be available for purchase exclusively at the Best Buy Union Square store in New York City on June 8. Best Buy customers may also pre-order the Galaxy Tab 10.1 online or in-store beginning that day. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is powered by Android™ 3.1, Honeycomb offering faster and smoother transitions between different applications, more intuitive navigation to and from home screens and broader support of USB accessories, external keyboards, joysticks and gamepads. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the thinnest mobile tablet currently available in the world, measuring in at an ultra-slim 8.6 millimeters. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also boasts an incredibly light weight of just 1.25 pounds (565 grams) for outstanding mobility and comfort in the user's hands. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is designed with a brilliant 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display with WXGA 1280 x 800 resolution delivering vibrant colors and crisp clarity. This expansive screen is centered inside a narrow bezel to enhance the wide viewing angle. "Ensuring that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 launched with Android 3.1 Honeycomb was part of our constant commitment to meeting the needs of our customers," said Dale Sohn, President and CEO of Samsung Mobile. "The Galaxy Tab 10.1's ultra-thin design and 10-inch touchscreen are impressive differentiators in the tablet market place. We're going to make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 even more powerful, entertaining and secure through a series of upgrades coming to this device." The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will receive these new upgrades through a software update that customers can access over the air in the near future. Those upgrades are currently scheduled to include: FEATURES/SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH FUTURE SOFTWARE UPGRADE Customized User Experience "Samsung TouchWiz UX" In addition, the TouchWiz UX includes a "Mini Apps" tray of commonly used features such as task manager, calendar and music player which can be launched while other major applications are already in use. Samsung Media Hub Readers Hub & Social Hub Versatile Content Sharing ADDITIONAL FEATURES AVAILABLE AT PRODUCT LAUNCH Impressive Speed, Power & Battery Life Full Adobe Flash Player Compatibility Optimal Enterprise Solutions Quality Cameras and Sound Google™ Mobile Services Availability & Pricing 1 Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q1 2011 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports. About Samsung Telecommunications America About Samsung Electronics America, Inc. About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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| Is this the LG Maxx Q, LG Gelato Q or both? We put on our detective hats Posted: 16 Jun 2011 10:54 AM PDT  Something I’ve always loved about closely following the Android world is that I get to play detective from time to time. Today’s suspect is the odd LG phone you see above, brought to us via Pocket-Lint. As you can see, the phone has a display right in the middle of the keyboard. It looks like this screen will allow users to switch between different apps, but we’ve yet to see if that’s all it can do. The phone is supposed to land on T-Mobile here in the states. Aside from that, we don’t have any concrete details on it. We do, however, have a lot of clues, a search engine and a great desire to figure out this phone. Our investigation starts with the massive T-Mobile roadmap leak we covered last month. W know of three LG phones coming to T-Mobile in the near future: the LG Maxx, the LG Maxx Q and the LG “Gelato” Optimus II. Since the “Q” at the end of these names usually stands for “QWERTY,” we can assume the LG Maxx Q will probably have one. It is suspect number one. But wait! There’s more. According to a rumor from last week, Sprint has an LG phone coming soon named LG Optimus Slider. The device’s code name is LG LS700/Gelato Q. This could mean one of the following. One: LG has four different Android phones in the works that include the LG Maxx, LG Maxx Q, LG Gelato and LG Gelato Q. Two: The LG Maxx/Maxx Q are simply T-Mobile’s versions of the LG Gelato/Gelato Q. If this phone does turn out to be the LG Gelato Q, then we already know a bunch of stuff about it. According to its WURFL XML file, the phone will launch with Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, a 800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (either the MSM7630 or the MSM7230) and a 480×320 pixels resolution screen. Those specs make the phone a pretty good contender in the low-end section of the market. What do you guys think? Is this the LG Maxx Q, LG Gelato Q, both or neither? Let us know in the comments. Gallery
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| Burn the Rope makes its way to Android Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:23 AM PDT  Big Blue Bubble (try saying that five times fast) has launched the Android version of their popular Burn the Rope application today. Burn the Rope is one of the top games on iOS, and with good reason; once you pick up this addictive platform puzzler, you’ll be hard pressed to put it down. Burn the Rope is a free application (with an in-app premium option we assume ditches the ads) that features an impressive 112 levels at launch, with a promise from Big Blue Bubble that more are on the way soon. The included levels are both fun and challenging, and there’s also a user-submitted level of the day in case you finish the included levels before the new ones arrive. Time will tell whether Burn the Rope is good enough to become one of the top casual games for Android, but the potential is certainly there. After spending 15 minutes with the game, I’m already feeling the urge to go back for more. Burn the Rope is available on the Android Market for most Android 1.6+ devices. We did notice this application is not available on the Motorola Xoom tablet (and possibly other Honeycomb tablets) and could not be found on HTC’s Thunderbolt. If you notice other devices, be sure to update us by leaving a comment below. If Burn the Rope does work on your device, let us know what you think of it in the comments.
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| Video: Android team talks about the smartphone revolution, what it’s like to work at Google Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:39 AM PDT  As Android fans, we’re always on the lookout for every piece of inside information out of Building 44 at the Googleplex. That’s why I was happy to see this morning that CNNMoney has a 1500-word article with all kind of facts and interesting details about how Android came to be. Even though Android now has more than 100 million users and runs on more than 300 different devices, not a lotof people at Google were confident the platform would be able to take off. In one instance, after Andy Rubin finished a speech at a strategy meeting, Eric Schmidt burst Andy’s bubble by telling him: “Andy, you have zero market share. You haven’t launched yet.” Ouch. However, there were two people that really saw the potential of Android from the beginning. Larry Page and Sergey Brin met Andy Rubin during a talk at Stanford University, where the three agreed to talk about Andy’s latest project: Android. Andy explained to the Google co-founders that “his new startup Android would build an open operating system that anyone could use,” and that he intended to “give it away.” Larry Page fell in love with the idea, and they decided to acquire Android. When talking about life inside Building 44, Andy Rubin says even though he’s been offered “bigger and fancier buildings,” he wants to maintain a startup atmosphere inside the Android team. Android still functions much like a small company inside Google, with long hours of nonstop coding and something called Bacon Sundays. As if that isn’t encouragement to work during the weekends! If you’re wondering how they manage to crank out Android updates faster than we can enjoy them, this is how: A bunch of hardcore engineers working overnight and during the weekends… and eating bacon. There are even more fun stories like the ones above in the CNNMoney article. It’s a must-read for any Android fan. There’s also a very interesting video (embedded below) with some of the guys behind our favorite mobile OS. Ten points if you recognize the guy responsible for the Honeycomb UI. Gallery
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| T-Mobile expands 42 Mbps HSPA+ network to new markets (Updated) Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:56 AM PDT  While the infamous possible acquisition is still in process, T-Mobile continues to expand "America’s largest 4G network." Today’s T-Mobile announcement revolves around the addition of 47 cities to their enhanced 42 Mbps HSPA+ network. These new cities, along with the 55 that were added last month, make a total of 102 markets with T-Mobile’s enhanced (42 Mbps) 4G network. While about 200 million users have access to T-Mobile’s 21 Mbps HSPA+ network, Magenta plans to give 42 Mbps HSPA+ access to more than 150 million users by mid-2011. Getting ambitious, are we? New cities with T-Mobile 42 Mbps HSPA+ coverage
Not all devices are compatible with this network, so don’t go rushing to try out your internet speed unless you have a Rocket 3.0 internet USB dongle (T-Mobile’s first and only 42 Mbps device). We should see more devices coming in the near future, though (hopefully Android smartphones). By that time, odds are that the network will be ready to go around your area. If you do own a Rocket 3.0, average download speeds are reported to be about 10 Mbps, with peak speeds of a whopping 27 Mbps. Anyone out there have access to these speeds? Is your city part of the new list? If so, let us know your thoughts and/or experiences on this. Update 1:Turns out we just received an updated statement from T-Mobile, and all the markets in Pennsylvania have been removed from the list. The updated statement mentions that there are 42 new markets on the current list. I am not a mathematician or anything similar, but I counted 40 on the new list. Some of the markets removed might be close enough to be considered one, though. After all, they are in the same state. Sorry, Pennsylvania readers, but it seems something went wrong. Hopefully T-Mobile will get everything back up for you guys soon! Update 2:So, it seems Reading Pennsylvania was put back on the list. At least we know that T-Mobile is trying to resolve the issues in this state. Press ReleaseShow Press ReleaseStatement: T-Mobile's 4G Network Now Even Faster in More Than 100 Markets Across the Country Bellevue, WA – June 16, 2011 Today, T-Mobile is doubling the speed of its 4G network in 47 additional markets including Albuquerque, N.M.; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Sacramento and San Diego, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah and San Antonio, Texas. Now, customers in 102 markets across the country have access to T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 network, enabling the fastest 4G speeds it has to offer, as well as increased network capacity and reliability. T-Mobile has seen average download speeds approaching 10Mbps with peak speeds of 27Mbps on the T-Mobile Rocket 3.0 laptop stick—the company's first 42Mbps device. T-Mobile expects more than 150 million American's to have access to these increased 4G speeds by mid-2011. Customers can choose from more than a dozen 4G devices, including: T-Mobile's 4G network (HSPA+ 21) already reaches more than 200 million Americans in 184 markets. T-Mobile 4G markets where HSPA+ 42Mbps service is launching today: Updated Press ReleaseShow Press ReleaseUPDATED Statement: T-Mobile's 4G Network Now Even Faster in Nearly 100 Markets Across the Country Today, T-Mobile is doubling the speed of its 4G network in 42 additional markets including Albuquerque, N.M.; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Sacramento and San Diego, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah and San Antonio, Texas. Now, customers in 97 markets across the country have access to T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 network, enabling the fastest 4G speeds it has to offer, as well as increased network capacity and reliability. T-Mobile has seen average download speeds approaching 10Mbps with peak speeds of 27Mbps on the T-Mobile Rocket 3.0 laptop stick—the company's first 42Mbps device. T-Mobile expects more than 150 million American's to have access to these increased 4G speeds by mid-2011. Customers can choose from more than a dozen 4G devices, including: 4G Smartphones: the Galaxy S™ 4G, the T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G, the T-Mobile® G2® with Google™, the T-Mobile Sidekick® 4G™, the T-Mobile® G2x®™ with Google™, HTC Sensation™ 4G and the upcoming BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900. T-Mobile's 4G network (HSPA+ 21) already reaches more than 200 million Americans in 184 markets. More details, including a list of the new HSPA+ 42 markets can be found here: http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/t-mobile-new-markets-faster-speeds
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| Sprint HTC EVO 3D review roundup, America’s first 3D Android phone Posted: 15 Jun 2011 08:55 PM PDT  Are you, like Richard Yarrell, obsessed with the upcoming HTC EVO 3D? Sprint’s follow-up to their best selling Android phone hits stores June 24th for $199, but the early reviews are already beginning to roll in. Edgar covered 7 reasons to trade in your EVO 4G for an EVO 3D, but does the phone actually live up to the hype? Read on after the jump to see what experts are saying. We already know all about the EVO 3D specs, so how is the overall user experience? I read through all the reviews, and it sounds like the 3D display is a gimmick, battery life is better than the EVO 4G, the dual-core Snapdragon offers speedy performance and the call quality has some issues.
If you’re on Sprint, please let me know what you think of the early reviews. Is this your next phone? Does it live up to the hype? Will all the 3D headache claims make you reconsider your purchase?
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