There are several signs that this is a budget model, targeting the entry-level in Samsung’s expansive tablet line-up. For a start, the main camera is fixed-focus, and has no LED flash; the front-facing camera, meanwhile, is VGA resolution rather than the more typical 1.3-megapixel or above. It’s also 10.5mm thick, not vast in the grand scheme of things, but still chubbier than other recent slates Samsung has produced.

That comparative heft is used to accommodate WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS and – likely optional – HSPA+ connectivity. There’s also either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, plus a microSD card slot for augmenting that. A 4,000 mAh battery rounds things out, though Samsung isn’t saying how long that should last for.

Software, meanwhile, is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich – the first Samsung slate to come preloaded with ICS, it seems – with TouchWiz modifications, the various content hubs, ChatON IM app, KIES Air and DLNA support. Pricing is unconfirmed, as is availability, though we’re assuming the Galaxy Tab 2 will be cheaper than the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

[via SammyHub - thanks Kote!]

Hardware

While the key components of the Web Cube may be the same as your average, pocket-sized mobile hotspot, the device as a whole is much bigger. Almost a 10cm cube (it’s 9.5cm high) it’s a distinctive addition to your desktop, with white base and top plates sandwiching a frosted midsection that reveals a fluted inner pillar. An array of blue LEDs cause the whole thing to glow when a device is connected via WiFi.

Physical controls are limited to a single button on the top, which doubles as a WPS pairing key and, with a longer press, a power button to shut the Web Cube down. Three of the top edges have tiny hatches, one sliding out for the SIM card, another hiding a reset button and external antenna port, and the last a microUSB port used for firmware updates. Unfortunately you can’t plug an external drive into the USB connection and share its data across the network.

Inside the Huawei-made device there’s a HSPA+ radio supporting up to 21.6 Mbit/s downloads and up to 5.76 Mbit/s uploads, network depending, along with a WiFi b/g/n router supporting up to five WiFi connections at any one time. 3G signal strength is shown via blue LEDs on the top panel.

Setup

Three is aiming for plug and play simplicity with the Web Cube, and the most confusing part is probably going to be loading the SIM. The quick-start guide shows where to slot it in, though hopefully in-store sales staff will do that for most users; then it’s just a case of plugging in the mains power lead and watching the Web Cube load up automatically.

Both the SSID and WPA2 encryption key are preconfigured, each printed on the base of the Web Cube as well as on the back of the quick-start guide. We were connected and surfing in sixty seconds from plugging the modem in, in fact.

As with most routers, there’s a browser-based control panel for checking status and accessing more complex settings. The home view shows data connection, upload/download speeds and a data counter, along with icons for signal status and how many WiFi clients are connected; you can also turn off the main body light. There’s also text message support, including incoming and outgoing messages; it’s worth noting that any WiFi user can access this and send SMS billed to your account. While you can’t turn off text messaging or lock it down with a passport, you can put in an incorrect service center number and block the functionality that way.

Log into the admin pages, and the Web Cube’s true router abilities become visible. It may look toylike but there’s most of the advanced settings and options that you’d expect from any wireless hardware: a DHCP server, static routing, MAC filtering and optional WiFi bridging, a firewall (sensibly on by default) and IP filtering, virtual server support and a DMZ. If you want to lock down the Web Cube to only support visiting certain sites, you can do it.

Performance

Mobile broadband download speeds are obviously dependent on carrier coverage, and the Web Cube’s 110cm cable doesn’t give you a huge amount of flexibility to move the modem around. Still, the integrated signal strength meter does make positioning easier, though we’d recommend doing some online speed tests just to see where the best results can be had.

Shifting the Web Cube one meter closer to the window saw download rates double (to 4.06 Mbps) and upload rates more than quintuple (to 1.72 Mbps), for instance, so there are significant benefits to be had in experimenting. At least, unlike most wired home broadband connections, you can take your pick of locations, as long as they’re near enough to a power socket. Moving to the other side of the building saw download rates jump to 5.89 Mbps and upload rates to 2.74 Mbps.

As for WiFi strength, we had no problems keeping a connection even with three walls (one external brick) and solid wooden doors between us and the Web Cube. In fact, our test computer was still showing full signal strength at the time. This could be the Web Cube’s biggest advantage over traditional mobile hotspots, which generally suffer from relatively short range WiFi radios.

Pricing

Three offers two options for Web Cube data packages. If you’re willing to commit, you can get 15GB of data per month on a two year £15.99 agreement, and pay nothing upfront for the modem itself. Those feeling more flighty can opt for a £15 month-to-month package, getting them 10GB of data instead; they’ll also have to pay £59.99 for the Web Cube.

There’s no unlimited data option, however, and Three tells us the target audience wouldn’t really want it, though we’re not so sure that’s actually the case.

Wrap-Up

It’s easy to be dismissive of the Web Cube, at least at first glance. Three’s HSPA+ can deliver reasonably speedy burst rates but still lags behind top-tier wired broadband connections, while you also miss out on the battery-powered portability of a traditional mobile hotspot. Unlike the carrier’s own WiFi Hub – which shares a USB modem’s connection over WiFi – you don’t get wired ethernet either, and the Web Cube is even larger.

Where the Web Cube begins to show merit is in its ease of setup and WiFi performance. Ignore the advanced settings – as most users will – and you can be up and running moments after plugging in. It’s portable enough that you can take it on holiday with you, and the data plans, while missing an unlimited option, are probably enough for casual users. The dramatically stronger WiFi range than a battery-powered hotspot singles the Web Cube out for semi-fixed usage too.

Definitely a niche gadget, then, but if you fit the target demographic then there’s plenty of appeal. We can see the Web Cube being ideal for broadband-shy grandparents or catering to a temporary office; it’d make a good backup option if your home broadband goes down. More advanced users will undoubtedly be able to find cheaper ways to share out a 3G connection, but if simplicity is your guiding star then the Web Cube will take some beating.

The Huawei MediaPad features a 7-inch IPS multitouch display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. The rear camera is capable of 4X zoom, AF, and 1080p Full HD video capture. The tablet also sports HDMI output and has a 4,100mAh battery for a six-hour battery life.

Although Huawei is set to launch MediaPads with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on board, this MediaPad for AT&T will not. Instead, it will running Android 3.2 Honeycomb with the ICS update likely to come over-the-air sometime this first quarter of 2012. It’s not clear if AT&T will be releasing a more consumer-targeted version in addition to this enterprise offering.

[via PRNewswire]

A WiFi SSID and encryption password are preset, and once you plug the Web Cube into the mains it automatically starts sharing its HSPA+ connection. Up to five wireless clients can be connected at any one time, and the range is around 30 feet.

Three says 2-5Mbps download speeds should be typical, though suggests peaks of up to 10Mbps could be achieved. Two packages will be offered, a month-to-month option at £15 with a £59.99 upfront hardware charge and 10GB of data, and a 24-month agreement for £15.99 per month with no upfront charge and 15GB of data.

The carrier is targeting students, renters, those who frequently move and people who don’t want the hassle of a landline for traditional wired broadband, though we can see the data cap being a potential issue if the Web Cube is your sole connection. Three intends to trial the modem in Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh before a broader roll-out across the UK this year.

What you’ll see here is that T-Mobile will not be getting a whole solid nation-wide map of pink but rather a selection of key cities that’ll bump them up in the minds of consumers. The midwest is mostly empty except for the coolest places in Minnesota (your humble narrator’s home stomping grounds) and essentially the whole southeast is forgotten about, but the western half of the states is pretty well covered. San Francisco, San Jose, Salt Lake City, and all the way back over to Washington DC, each of them will have a jump up in connectivity for T-Mobile customers in the very near future.

T-Mobile will have between 60 MHz and 80 MHz of combined AWS and PCS airwaves in the cities it’s picked up in this transaction. This will allow T-Mobile to make its HSPA+ 42 Mbps footprint an equitable one in this ever-growing market, and those of you with the pink carrier will find yourselves amping up just so long as you live in one of these areas. Meanwhile AT&T will continue to jam out their relatively new LTE network in states that they did not give over to T-Mobile as well as the one’s they did. Make no mistake, AT&T hasn’t sacrificed any location they can’t continue to cover otherwise – because that would just be silly.

[via GigaOM]

The Aspire A0722 packs a 1GHz AMD Fusion C-50 dual-core processor with Radeon HD 6250 graphics, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. It’s six-cell battery offers a long battery life, although the specific rating was not listed. It also comes with a webcam, three USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, and HDMI.

The A0722 is available now via www.att.com for $449.99 without an annual contract. But with a two-year service agreement that requires a 3GB monthly data plan, the netbook can be had for $39.99.

[via AT&T]

As for specs, you’ll find a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 32GB of internal storage, HDMI out, NFC (Near Field Communication), and support for 1080p HD video. The 4.3 inch display has a stunning 1280 x 720 HD resolution that looked great. It also sports a 12MP rear facing camera and 1.3MP front shooter.

It’s too bad the XPERIA S isn’t launching in the US, I would almost rather see it than the Ion LTE. Both phones were running Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) and have the latest version of their ‘Timescape’ UI. It is also said both should see Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) sometime in Q2. Also, don’t forget to check out our hands-on with the Ion LTE from earlier.

Both new Ascend models were running the same version of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and had the same bugs. It lagged at times, and you could really tell it wasn’t fit to ship quite yet. The P1 is very thin at 7.69mm and has a full-body plastic casing. It was no where near the build quality of the P LTE.

Other specs include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage, and a microSD slot capable of holding 64GB. It also has an 8MP rear camera and dual LED flash. No front facing camera included. And unlike the P LTE’s 2000mAh battery, this phone comes with a 1650mAh. For such a decently sized screen, a larger battery would have been expected.

In fact, Verizon reckons you can use the Jetpack in over 205 countries, more than 125 of which will deliver 3G speeds. The display is a low-power OLED panel and the buttons are touch-sensitive, while the WiFi is b/g/n with WEP/WPA/WPA2 and VPN pass-through support.

The whole thing measures in at a bag-friendly 3.49 x 3.49 x 0.70 inches and 4.7 ounces, and receives data allowance updates via SMS message that are then shown on the display. Verizon isn’t saying how long the battery will last, however, which gives us some pause for thought: most mobile hotspot devices average out at around two hours, but LTE does have a reputation for guzzling through power.

We’ll know more when Verizon confirms pricing, full specs and availability over the next few weeks.

Alternatively, you can grab the HSPA+ Nexus for CA$649.99, if you want to use a SIM you already have. It’s a pentaband model – supporting the 850/900/1700/1900/2100 UMTS/WCDMA bands – so if you decide to take a quick trip up from the US to grab one in Canada, you’ll then be able to use it on T-Mobile USA or AT&T when you get home.

Fellow Canadian carrier Rogers Wireless has already confirmed it will be offering the Galaxy Nexus from January 2012, meanwhile. That leaves us waiting on the LTE model for Verizon in the US, which earlier rumors tipped as arriving tomorrow, December 9, but more recent leaks indicate has been pushed back perhaps into next week.

More on the Galaxy Nexus in our full review.

[via Android Community]

As well as the Exynos processor – paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage – there’s a 4-inch 960 x 640 ASV display and an 8-megapixel f/2.2 backside-illuminated camera with LED flash, all in a phone 10.3mm thick. Connectivity includes pentaband 3G with HSPA+ support – Meizu uses a Micro SIM, just like the iPhone 4S – together with MHL-HDMI and USB Host, and there’s a pair of microphones for noise cancellation and a 1,600mAh battery.

Android 2.3.5 will initially ship with Meizu’s own customized Flyme OS, though the company has promised an update to Ice Cream Sandwich sometime next year. The MX will be priced from ¥2,999 ($470) when it goes on sale at the beginning of 2012. Any SlashGear readers in China looking to get the Meizu MX when it comes out?

[via Engadget]

The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus features a 7-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution touchscreen, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It also runs Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz UI on to of Android 3.2 Honeycomb and comes in either a 16GB or 32GB model.

For more details on the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus WiFi version be sure to check out a full review here. The version passing through the FCC today shouldn’t see much change in specs except for the addition of an HSPA+ radio and support for 850MHz and 1900MHz GSM bands. Since these are compatible with AT&T’s network it’s safe to assume that’s where it’ll be heading.

This week T-Mobile will be expanding their 4G network in the following cities: Bend, Medford and Corvallis, Oregon, Benton Harbor, Michigan, Bloomington, Champaign–Urbana and Springfield, Illinois, Columbus, Georgia, Hagerstown, Maryland, Montgomery, Alabama and Yuba City, California. If you live in one of these cities and want the T-Mobile 4G speed for yourself, make sure you ask your local T-Mobile representative which devices precisely will be capable of reaching them. We’ve reviewed more than a couple of the devices that will be running on this network, complete with all the information you could possibly want on them to boot!

Have a look at the T-Mobile Springboard tablet if you want to go large and would like to experience a new piece of hardware from a company making their way into the USA on the mobile front piece by piece: Huawei. If you’d like to join the Galaxy train with Samsung, I’d recommend the Samsung Galaxy S II which is one of a line of best-selling smartphones for a reason – it’s sweet! Then there’s the HTC Amaze 4G, the most advanced HTC device on the T-Mobile network, working with no less than a sleek metal-intensive design and HTC’s Sense interface. Pick one!

Dell and Lenovo will use the Gobi 4000 series in their notebooks, meanwhile. The Dell Latitude E6420 already had LTE as an option, but will soon get the updated modem, while Lenovo will slot the Gobi into various models from its range. Novatel Wireless and Sierra Wireless, meanwhile, will use the new 3G/4G radios in their embedded modem products, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see them also show up in mobile hotspots too.

The new versions will go on sale alongside the 3G-only Gobi 3000 series. Qualcomm is also pushing the enhanced compatibility with its Snapdragon processors, including the upcoming S4 dual- and quad-core chips.

Update: Novatel Wireless tells us it will be first to market with devices using the Gobi 4000.

On the back there’s a 3-megapixel camera good for 720p HD video recording, while a 2-megapixel front camera is for video calls. There’s 16GB of onboard storage, plus a microSD card slot to add up to 32GB to that, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS.

The T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will go on sale November 16, priced at $249.99 with a new, two-year agreement and following a $50 mail-in rebate. You’ll need a data plan, obviously, priced from $29.99 per month, though if you’re already a voice subscriber with the carrier you’ll get a $10 monthly discount on the tablet’s plan.

On Verizon and other CDMA networks, meanwhile, the iPhone 4S is only capable of accessing EVDO Rev.A data or CDMA voice calls one at a time, not simultaneously. Apple could have worked around this by including LTE support – thus allowing 3G calls and 4G data to be used at the same time – but the company opted instead for longer battery life and less bulk by sticking with 3G.

Apple itself announced that first weekend sales of the iPhone 4S topped four million units, and supplies are now constrained to the point where would-be buyers face either 1-2 weeks delay for online orders or having to pre-book a handset for in-store collection. The demand contrasts with underwhelming sales for Apple in Q3, which CEO Tim Cook blamed on overwhelming media hype around the speculated iPhone 5.

Dear AT&T, as the first question is posed, please tell us: what is the difference? How will people know what to expect from your 4G network? Segan asked this question in so many words of big blue, to which we find:

“Our advertising makes it clear that “4G” (offered through our HSPA+ network) and “4G LTE” are different things. We are currently advertising 4G LTE only in markets where our 4G LTE service has launched. … 4G LTE offers real-world speeds faster than other mobile broadband technologies. While our HSPA+ network is faster than 3G, 4G LTE enables users to stream video, download apps, and send and receive e-mail even faster. In addition, 4G LTE has lower latency than other mobile broadband technologies, which means more responsive performance for customers when they want it most.” – AT&T

Next a couple of questions are posed on the proposed purchase of T-Mobile by AT&T. One on why AT&T wouldn’t just spend the $39 billion dollars it’ll be sending T-Mobile’s way on towers and cell sites instead, the other on why LTE gets different results in different cities.

Integrating T-Mobile into AT&T’s network brings a whole lot of additional efficiencies and capacity gains that AT&T could not get just by building a lot of new cell sites, which would not be feasible in the same time period. Those include improved network utilization, channel pooling, the elimination of redundant control channels, and other efficiencies that effectively provide the functional equivalent of new spectrum. … There are many things that factor in to wireless network speeds—spectrum, geography, terrain, device, etc. It’s difficult to speculate on what might happen in the future, but our proposed merger with T-Mobile gives us more capacity and spectrum.

We find that AT&T plans to “offer a 4G LTE handset later this year (2011)” [LTE tablets are already popping up -- the HTC Jetstream, for one] and that they are “committed to deploying voice over 4G LTE as [their] 4G LTE footprint is built out further.” Finally, of course, the question (with no answer) everyone’s waiting to hear:

Q: All the major carriers are being criticized for imposing the same data caps on LTE as they do on 3G. Will data caps rise anytime soon, to allow for new higher-bandwidth LTE applications?

A: We can’t speculate on future offerings.

[via PCMag]

There’s also a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls, an SD card slot for up to 32GB cards, and GPS for navigation – either via Google Maps or T-Mobile’s TeleNav GPS Navigator subscription service. Preloaded are BLOCKBUSTER on Demand, Netflix and T-Mobile TV, while the HSPA+ supports up to 14.4Mbps, network depending.

As for the Samsung, that’s the 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 Galaxy Tab 10.1 we know already, running a dual-core 1GHz processor and offering a 3-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel front camera and now HSPA+ for mobile connectivity. Obviously there’s all the usual Android Honeycomb apps and access to the Android Market too.

Both slates are expected to go on sale in time for the holidays; pricing is yet to be confirmed.

The memo reveals that AT&T is currently working with Apple to update the network indicator to read “4G” and it seems as though Apple is open to the idea. The memo claims that the change will come in the form of an iOS update directly from Apple, although it did not say when the update would arrive.

However, Apple made it a point at its “Let’s Talk iPhone” keynote not to claim the iPhone 4S as a 4G device. Apple’s Phil Schiller treated the iPhone 4S as a 3G device but highlighted that the device was capable of 14.4Mbps speeds that was competitively fast. It’ll be interesting to see if Apple ultimately concedes. The iPhone 4S will be available starting October 14 with pre-orders kicking off today.

Other recent so called 4G devices marketed by AT&T include the Samsung Infuse 4G and the HTC Inspire 4G. The carrier will, however, be rolling out its true 4G LTE network to 15 markets by year-end.

[via Thisismynext]

In case you missed anything from camp Apple today it is all available at our Apple Portal. For those not following along the new iPhone 4S is headed to the main carriers here in the U.S. but T-Mobile. Yesterday they began sending around notes to staff to help teach how employee’s can explain what is best for customers needs, and why they should choose a T-Mobile smartphone running on 4G HPSA+ and Android. Here is part of what the notes had to say:

…engage in informative conversations with our customers. These conversations will include many details about T-Mobile Android phones and why our quality 4G nationwide network is a smarter choice for many customers. Use every opportunity to engage the customer, ask lifestyle questions and transition the conversation into ‘Why T-Mobile.”

Looking over the image above it appears customers will be told that they can still trade in their existing iPhones for as much as $200 in return for signing up for a T-Mobile contract. Staff are to try and steer the conversation to “why T-Mobile.” Most likely employees will be pushing buyers for new smartphones such as the HTC Amaze 4G as it will be available October 12th in stores. T-Mobile will most likely also be pushing potential buyers and those trading in their iPhone’s for the new Samsung Galaxy S II (Hercules) for T-Mobile that is also set to launch come the 12th of October. Personally the Galaxy S II would be my choice over on the Magenta carrier but that’s just me.

I’m sure more than a few T-Mobile customers aren’t happy about this news, or the fact that there isn’t an iPhone 5 that was released today. Either way these release notes from T-Mobile look like they’ve been planning on not having the next iDevice when it finally dropped. I hope they have a few things up their sleeve other than the Amaze 4G and Galaxy S II because they might need it — or do they?

[via TmoNews]

Inside there’s quadband HSPA+, WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth, along with GPS and – on certain models – NFC too. WiFi Direct is supported, and there’ll be two memory versions: 16GB or 32GB, with each also having a microSD card slot. On the back is an 8-megapixel camera with Full HD video recording, while up front is a 2-megapixel camera. The battery is 2,500mAh pack, squeezed into the Galaxy Note’s 146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65 mm frame.

There’s more on the Galaxy Note in our full hands-on report. The smartphone/tablet hybrid is tipped to be arriving on AT&T in the US, having been spotted crossing the FCC with the appropriate 3G bands earlier this month.

Of course, when T-Mobile USA says “4G” it really means HSPA+, so you shouldn’t expect speeds on a par with LTE. Still, it’s one of the cheaper ways to get online while mobile, while calls outside of the 100 minute allowance are charged at 10 cents per minute.

The new prepaid plan will launch on October 16 across Walmart stores and online. No details at this stage of which new T-Mobile handset Walmart will be offering, though we’ll update when we find out more.

The 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 mm tablet tips the scales at 345g with its 4,000 mAh Li-Ion battery, and will be available with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage; a microSD card slot will accept up to 32GB cards. In addition to triband (900/1900/2100) HSPA+ there’s WiFi a/b/g/n with 2.4GHz and 5GHz support, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 (including Host support) and both WiFi Channel Bonding and WiFi Direct.

Samsung’s usual TouchWiz interface – as seen on the Galaxy Tab 8.9 we unboxed earlier this week - makes an appearance, complete with the various hubs for ereading, social media and video/music downloads, and there’s Android Market access too. No word on pricing at this stage, though we’re assuming it’ll be cheaper than the faster Tab 7.7 with its improved display.

Samsung says the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will drop in Indonesia and Austria from the end of next month before a gradual global roll-out that will see it launch inSoutheast and Southwest Asia, US, Europe, CIS, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Japan and China.

It’s unclear, however, whether this is a limitation of the iPhone 5 or of the China Unicom network itself. According to reports earlier this year, the Chinese carrier is not expected to roll out a commercial LTE network until 2013, instead focusing on 3G and WiFi hotspots to get its subscribers online.

Contrasting rumors have circulated for some time about whether Apple would include LTE support in the new iPhone. The company decided against the high-speed connectivity option when it launched the CDMA iPhone 4 on Verizon, suggesting at the time that the first-gen LTE radio chipsets were too bulky to be acceptable. However, more recently leaks suggested that Apple had delayed the iPhone 5′s release so that it could accommodate LTE, leading us to speculate that the Cupertino Town Hall venue for the launch event next week as selected so that the company could host its own 4G network.

We won’t know for sure until next week, so join SlashGear on Tuesday, October 4 at 10am PT for the full liveblog at http://live.slashgear.com/!

[via MacRumors]

I’m almost unsure of where to start I’m enjoying this phone so much. The Samsung Galaxy S II really is a pretty awesome smartphone. It has it all from a simple design that is sleek, thin and lightweight — while being extremely powerful and fast at the same time. For all the details you’ll need check out my hands-on and unboxing. We’ll start with the video hands-on overview below and then get into all the details shortly.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II hands-on

Hardware

The hardware we all know plenty about — plus was laid out in the video above but just in case here are a few more details. We have Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1.2 GHz Samsung Exynos processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage under the hood. Optional micro-SD support for extra storage, 8 megapixel camera around the rear with LED flash and a 2 MP front shooter for video chatting and more. All of that neatly packed into an ultra lightweight and thin design.

On the front we have a 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus display with a 480 x 800 resolution. The screen is bright, vibrant, and extremely clear and really just looks better than anything else on the market thus far although the qHD displays are looking better and better. Shown in the images below you can see the AT&T branding, 2MP front camera, earpiece, as well as the four dedicated capacitive touch buttons.

Moving along to the left, right, and top of the device we have a very clean and simple design. No bright aluminum buttons or volume rockers, no weird textures on them either, just a plane jane black style. Many might like the aluminum accents some smartphones offer and I do too, but the Galaxy S II just has a simple and clean elegance to it. The only bezels present are the aluminum around the camera and the 3.5mm headphone jack up top.

Software

Here we have Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and the latest Samsung Touch Wiz 4.0 to keep things pretty. With only a few slight changes to the entire Gingerbread look and feel this is a pretty stock device but features some added benefits. Nothing extremely crazy here like Sense UI, just a few added features and small changes. AT&T chose not to overdue it with bloatware either and for that — we thank you. We have a few dedicated AT&T applications and that is about it. The pre-installed apps other than AT&T specific things are Amazon Kindle, Live TV, Memo Pad, My Files, Qik, Quick Office, Words with Friends, and YP (Yellow Pages). Many additional apps such as another email app, video player, calender, file explorer, and a dairy application have been enhanced by Samsung’s Touchwiz to make the most of the 4.3″ display.

Samsung’s Touch Wiz also has a unique new feature with the just announced 4.0 for the Galaxy S II in the US and that is Motion Control. Once enabled, users can move icons on homescreens, zoom on images and webpages and more all by touching the screen and moving or panning the device rather than dragging multiple fingers. It’s quite neat and made moving icons from screen to screen extremely easy.

When first unveiled back in August our man Chris Burns was live at the Samsung event for some hands-on time with the SGSII. Below is a quick video of that coverage as well as a more detailed rundown of the changes to the software and user experience.

Performance

As usual we’ve ran a wide array of benchmarks and speedtests to see how this SGSII fends in the real world compared to other devices. Many other dual-core smartphones score well under 3000 in quadrant, especially stock devices with no tweaks or adjustments. The Samsung Galaxy S II with the in-house Exynos chip performs extremely well across all benchmarks and especially well in Quadrant. We’ve tried a few and were pleased to see the AT&T SGSII scored around 3800 in Quad — completely stock! Impressive if I don’t say so myself and you can really tell during day to day usage. My Sensation 4G gets around 2400 out of the box, big difference right?

Below are a few pictures showing just how well the SGSII also performs in Vellamo, and CF Bench, as well as a few quick tests on AT&T’s 4G HSPA+ network (no 4G LTE here).

I know benchmarks don’t tell the entire story, and many users don’t care to read about them and would just like to know about real world usage. I’m happy to report the Galaxy S II is really one of the quickest, most fluid and easy to use phones I’ve had my hands on to date. I’ve experienced no delays or lag during browsing, gaming, benchmarks, loading multiple images in the gallery or anything. Even downloading about 10 app updates at a time the experience was barely touched and the overall performance was stellar. From adding icons to different pages, to flipping through homescreens and the application tray there is no gitters or choppy moments that I’ve experienced yet. This is truly a great performing smartphone that will meet any users demand.

Battery life and Camera

The AT&T SGSII comes with a 1650 mAh battery under the hood and while every user is different I’ve managed to have better than average battery life. From using this smartphone over the past week or so the battery lasts a bit longer than most. My Sensation 4G has a similarly sized battery and it just doesn’t manage to stay powered as long. Many reviewers of the original SGSII from Europe mentioned similar results where the SGSII battery life seems to outmatch rivaling handsets. This could be in part to changes made by Samsung, and another thing worth mentioning is the highly efficient AMOLED display, it seems to consume less power and really helps. Stand-by time was not fully tested but I left the device untouched for over 3 days and it remained around 25% when I finally plugged her in. While I’ve not done any video loop tests I have however played plenty of Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, used Google+ allll day, and browsed the web off and on throughout daily tasks and the phone holds up extremely well in the battery department. The Galaxy S II battery life is above average and will last most users more than the average work day.

As for the camera we have an 8 megapixel shooter and just like the battery life — the Galaxy S II seems better than the rest in terms of overall camera performance. I’ve snapped a few shots around the house and outside so you can see low light and standard lighting results. Many phones currently offer an 8 MP camera just like the DROID Bionic, but the slow shutter speed and mediocre performance makes the Samsung shooter just that much better. Here are a few pictured taken with the SGSII.

We’ve also tested the 1080p video capture and the Galaxy S II does impress here also. Very smooth and decent in regards to video capture although you must remember this is a phone, but they are getting better and better as they come. Below is a short video demo of the kids (my dogs) playing and messing around just for an idea of real world indoor video capture results. (Isn’t the puppy cute?)

Quick Comparison and Accessories

I’ve quickly snapped a few photos of the AT&T Galaxy S II sitting next to the big bad DROID Bionic by Motorola and Verizon Wireless. While both are comparable regarding specs, the SGSII doesn’t feature LTE but does however have a faster processor. I’ll break down the details later but for now here are a few pictures of the two just for an idea on size and thickness for those that may be wondering.

Also thanks to Chris Burns and our sister site Android Community we have a quick video showing the Galaxy S II accessories that Samsung will be releasing here in the U.S shortly although details on pricing and availability remain unknown. We have a car dock, home dock with additional battery and a desk dock shown in the video below

Galaxy S II accessories hands-on

Wrap-Up

The AT&T Galaxy S II is essentially the same exact SGSII we’ve seen, known, and loved for the past few months. With the same screen size and specs as the international version the only changes are a few to the UI, and the capacitive touch buttons below. Having a winning combination of being thin, light, fast, and affordable the Galaxy S II is a clear winner for the US as well as Europe and outside of the US sales have already passed 10 million globally. With the AT&T version being the closest U.S. Galaxy S II to the original, what more reason do you need to get this amazing smartphone?

Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below and I’ll be sure to look them over and try to answer them as accurately as possible. More photos of the Galaxy S II can be seen below in the gallery. Look over the pictures, decide if this awesome smartphone is for you, and if so head down to a AT&T store on October 2nd and pick one up for just $199.

Earlier this month they announced the AT&T Impulse 4G by Huawei and that it would be offered for just $29 with a new 2-year contract, and that is exactly what we have here. Following right along with their outline saying it would be offered later this month the Impulse 4G is available now and we’ve received some hands-on with it already.

This is one extremely inexpensive smartphone that starts off right where most older Android smartphones began. We have a 3.8″ 480×800 resolution display, 800 Mhz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of ram and a nice little package all wrapped with an aluminum bezel on the front and a soft touch matte cover for the back. With a 5MP camera on the rear with LED flash and a 2GB micro-SD card included the only thing holding this baby back is the OS. We have Android 2.2 FroYo on board. While it is completely stock Android that many will enjoy, I’m sad they went with a pretty old version of Android instead of the popular and widely available 2.3 Gingerbread.

With hardly any bloatware included out of the box this is basically a standard and stock vanilla Android experience. This device is clearly aimed at a newcomer to a smartphone, kids, or someone that has been using a feature phone for a while and would like to try a smartphone for a change. Offering a great overall package, 4G speeds (HSPA+), and a great low price this little guy is destined for greatness — maybe. Compared to a few other entry level phones like the Wildfire S this appears to hold its own quite well but we’ll know more after a full review.

For now enjoy our hands-on and unboxing video, as well as a few pictures in the gallery below and expect plenty more to follow shortly.

AT&T Impulse 4G by Huawei Hands-on and Unboxing

That means you get a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display, HDMI connectivity and WiFi b/g/n, along with Bluetooth and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. There’s also USB 2.0, a microSDHC memory card slot and a 5-megapixel rear camera. NVIDIA’s dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 is responsible for keeping things moving.

Unfortunately, 4G in this case means HSPA+ not LTE, which will leave Iconia A501 owners on slower speeds after AT&T’s LTE network begins to spread later this year. You’ll have to particularly want that integrated data connection, too, since you can pick up a 16GB WiFi-only A500 for $374 at the moment.

Those specs are looking a whole lot less appealing several months down the line, however, as is the XPERIA Play 4G’s Adreno 205 graphics, 5-megapixel main camera and VGA facing front-camera. Still, if you’re an avid gamer and you demand dedicated controls then there’s not much else on offer: the Play 4G is still the only phone to have dedicated PlayStation buttons and a touch-sensitive analog pad.

Seven titles will be preloaded: Dungeon Defenders Second Wave, Asphalt 6 Adrenaline, Star Battalion, Madden NFL 11, The Sims 3, Tower Bloxx: My City and Crash Bandicoot. Meanwhile there will be 150 other titles up for purchase.

AT&T will be bundling the XPERIA Play 4G with the Sony Ericsson Multimedia Dock DK300 and MC100 music cable as part of its $49.99 package. You’ll need to agree to a two-year agreement with a mandatory data plan, of course.

This device has a 5 megapixel camera on the back with a 28mm lens, having an f/22 aperture and single LED flash on the back alongside a back-illuminated sensor. The front-facing camera on this device is rated at VGA, and the back again is capable of filming at 720p HD video. The battery is certainly a decent size at 1520 mAh, but then again when you think about it, no battery is the most fantastic in the world should you decide to use it to fly to Berlin and back calling people as you go!

Finally lets discuss for a moment the color options. There is two options, the first being Active White, this looking rather similar to a certain HTC tablet and another certain HTC handset that looks nearly identical to the HTC Radar here. But here’s the thing: if it aint broke, don’t fix it, and the HTC design and color scheme for their handset lines are certainly anything but broken!

Check it out and continue to follow along with us here at IFA 2011 for more fun.

We’ve previously experienced this most impressive bright and brilliant technology in the Super AMOLED Plus on the recently released Samsung Infuse 4G and as recently as earlier this week on several new models of the Samsung Galaxy S II as revealed in New York City. Compared to essentially any competitor’s smartphone or tablet display technology, Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus display ends up being the clear winner as far as clarity and overall abilities in brightness go.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes in a lovely metal casing with rounded edges for both a high-quality feel and a portability unmatched in the Galaxy Tab lineup thus far (at least as far as Honyecomb tablets go, that is.) This device will be working on your HSPA+ 21 Mbps network carrier for true mobile abilities, you able to access data and internet wherever you go quickly becoming the only way to fly, especially in tablet form. This device is powered by an unnamed 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, it’s display’s resolution sits at 1280 x 800 (WXGA) on a 7.7-inch screen, and its utterly massive 5,100 mAh battery should keep you chugging along for days on end, no problem. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, this newest tablet has a microSD card slot into which you can insert up to a 32GB card for memory expansion galore.

You’ll be working with the newest version of Google’s Android mobile operating system Android 3.2 Honeycomb with Samsung’s newest TouchWiz UX user interface working on top of Android to bring you a true Samsung experience. You’ve got full 1080p video playback, DivX included multi codec and Universal Remote Control functionality able to work with your TV, Set top box, DVD player, Blu-ray player, AV audio system, and more!

Like all recent Samsung releases, this device has access to Samsung’s several “Hub” access points for media including Game Hub, Music Hub, Social Hub, and Readers Hub. The newest of these is the Game Hub, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 being the first Samsung device to come with it out of the box, it containing social games, all the social games your heart could possibly desire. Finally there’s Voice and Video support – speak directly to your tablet in a video chat for clear video and voice or set your device for Receiver Mode for a more private talk.

Follow along with us LIVE for the rest of the Samsung Unpacked event at IFA 2011 for total coverage of every Samsung device we’ll be marveling over for weeks and months to come!

Inside is a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, with support for 1080p HD video playback. AT&T will preload its Family Map and Navigator apps, and there’s HTC Watch and the usual bevy of Android apps. Up front is a 1.3-megapixel camera, while on the back is an 8-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash.

The battery is a 7,300mAh pack, though HTC isn’t saying how long it will last, and there’s the new version of HTC Sense for tablets and a microSD card slot. The whole thing measures in at 7 x 9.87 x 0.51 inches and weighs 25oz. As on the HTC Flyer there’s Evernote integration with handwriting support.

AT&T will offer the HTC Jetstream with a new $35 data plan for 3GB of data per month. Alternatively there will be two contract-free options – tablet pricing so far unconfirmed – with 250MB for $14.99 or 2GB for $25.

There’s also a microSD card slot, for sharing up to 32GB cards with WiFi-connected clients, together with a battery good for up to 4.5hrs active use. Usefully, a new button shows the WiFi SSID and password on-screen, meaning you no longer need to take off the battery cover in order to check them and get new devices online.

The E586 also comes with a neat little charging cradle, which should encourage you to keep it topped up, and an updated web interface UI. No word on official pricing yet, though when it goes on sale in September we’d expect to see pre-pay and contract options.

While the 4G connectivity is the headline feature here, it’s also worth noting that the new version will also pack a faster processor. Rather than running at 1.2GHz, as in the existing TouchPad, the TouchPad 4G will churn along at 1.5GHz. It’ll also – in this particular configuration, anyway – have 32GB of onboard storage.

What Amazon doesn’t confirm is the release date, and all AT&T will say is that the new variant is expected in time for the back-to-school shopping season. You’ll need a separate data agreement to get online via the HSPA+ network, too.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Vodafone UK will be offering the Torch 9860 and Torch 9810, though release dates for the two handsets haven’t been confirmed. The carrier had already confirmed it would be offering the BlackBerry Bold 9900, though again there’s no sign of a release date on the carrier’s site.

However, UK retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U have announced that they will be offering the Bold 9900 from August 18; pricing will be from free on a £31 ($51) a month contract from Carphone Warehouse, and free on a £35 ($57) contract from Phones4U. Neither retailer is describing it as an exclusive, so we’re guessing Vodafone – and other carriers – will stock it at around the same time.

Update: UK carrier O2 has confirmed it will be offering all three handsets “later this year.”

More on the new BlackBerry smartphones in our hands-on reports from earlier today. Check out the Torch 9810 here and the Torch 9860 here.

Of course, what that also means is that there isn’t support for AT&T’s fledgling LTE network, the second strike in its 4G drive. Yesterday the carrier unveiled the first two modems for its LTE service, though only suggested that they’d go on sale sometime this summer.

Unfortunately there are no pricing or availability details for the Sony folder, with AT&T merely saying that the S2 is expected to hit shelves later this year. There’s also no word on which network will be providing the connectivity for the Sony S1, the more traditional slate that has also been spotted with WWAN abilities at the FCC.

AT&T will offer a range of monthly data plans for the S2, as well as bundling WiFi hotspot access across the US. The tablet is based on NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor, and will be one of the first to reach the market with a modified Android Honeycomb interface.

Both the USBConnect 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G feature triband HSPA+ roll-back for when you’re outside of LTE coverage, together with quadband GSM/EDGE for when your signal gets really spotty; there’s also GPS. The chunky USB modem measures 2.6 x 1.05 x 0.51 inches and supports up to 32GB microSDHC cards; it’ll work with PCs and Macs. Meanwhile, the mobile hotspot has WiFi b/g/n support, a 160 x 128 color status display, and an 1800 mAh battery good for up to eight hours use.

AT&T isn’t saying exact dates, but the USBConnect 4G will drop for $49.99 with a two-year agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate, while the Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G will be $69.99 with the same conditions. As for the data packages, they’re updated as follows:

• 50MB package for $24.99/month compared to the current 20MB package for $24.99/month
• 125MB package for $49.99/month compared to the current 50MB package for $59.99/month
• 275MB package for $99.99/month compared to the current 100MB package for $119.99/month
• 800MB package for $199.99/month compared to the current 200MB package for $199.99/month

In the UK, however, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will have quadband (850/900/1900/2100) HSPA+ support for up to 21Mbps speeds, network depending. There’ll also be quadband GSM/EDGE and the usual WiFi b/g/n. Samsung is promising a range of accessories on sale at the same time.

Meanwhile, Samsung has also confirmed that the Galaxy Tab 8.9 – with roughly the same hardware as the 10.1 model, but a smaller 8.9-inch display – will arrive in the UK later in 2011. No word on pricing for either tablet at this stage, though we do know that Vodafone UK will be offering the 10.1-inch 3G version.

The Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act, as it is called, will have carriers publish details on their minimum 4G speeds, their coverage, and their network reliability. Eshoo wants to create a standard framework of what 4G really means, at least at this moment in time, and ensure that consumers understand what they sign up for.

The International Telecomunications Union (ITU) had originally defined true 4G as being a theoretical peak of 100Mbps, which only some LTE networks can reach. And so far, only LTE-Advanced and WiMAX 2 are formally certified as 4G. And although no consumer 4G connections ever reach this number in the real world where other factors can cause a large variation in speeds, the term was abused by T-Mobile and AT&T to mean significantly slower speeds that are essentially enhanced 3G networks.

T-Mobile was first to start calling its enhanced 3G network, dubbed HSPA+, as 4G. Following suit, was AT&T, which released several so-called “4G” devices earlier this year that did not even meet HSPA+/HSUPA speeds. The devices included the Atrix 4G and the Inspire 4G. Customers complaint of capped speeds only to get a response from AT&T that the device did not support HSUPA uplink speeds. This was dubious since HSPA+ support usually means support for HSUPA. The carrier later admitted that it was simply not enabled. Sadly for consumers, the Infuse 4G was the first “HSPA+ enabled device on launch” from AT&T after months of defining 4G as HSPA+ and already selling so-called 4G devices.

[via CNET]

There’s also WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, support for 1080p Full HD playback and a battery which, Huawei reckons, is good for over six hours of battery life. That should put it roughly in line with the HTC Flyer, though of course the Flyer runs Gingerbread not Honeycomb. Huawei has also confirmed that Flash Player 10.3 is supported and that there’s 8GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot.

The Facebook and Twitter apps will be preloaded, as will Document To Go and Let’s Golf. Huawei will also be throwing in support for its Hispace cloud system, though full details are yet to be confirmed. Unfortunately there won’t be a WiFi-only model, Engadget reports, with Huawei apparently prioritizing carrier distribution.

US availability is tipped for Q4 2011, with pricing yet to be announced. The key difference between Android 3.1 Honeycomb and this new 3.2 version is supposedly that Google has tailored it to suit 7-inch slates. That should help Acer feel more comfortable about releasing the delayed Iconia Tab A100 later in the year.

[via Android Community]

The keyboard comes in for some praise as well, described as “amazing”, while the phone itself is said to be “surprisingly fast.” Weight is a little greater than the T-Mobile G2, though the keyboard feel is on a par, while there’s an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and a dual-LED flash on the back.

Formerly known by its codename, the HTC Doubleshot, the smartphone was spotted crossing the FCC at the start of the month. A July 6 release has been suggested, though not yet confirmed, by a leaked T-Mobile USA roadmap. Other specs are expected to include HSPA+ 4G and a dual-core processor.

[via Android Community]