The Gadget 411 – Gadget Reviews & Tech News

Verizon just let loose a press release (see below) finally confirming that we will, in fact, be treated to some sweet Android-powered 4G LTE goodness this week at CES. We won’t just be getting 1 device, no; Verizon says that we can expect a “suite” of devices, meaning expect devices built by HTC, Motorola,LG and Samsung. Yes, life is quite good.

The tech interwebs already have a pretty good idea what these devices will look like and be called, and in some cases, we know their tech specs as well. We won’t get into the details of these specs just yet, since they have not been confirmed by Verizon or the device-makers just yet. But you can bet that as soon as Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg takes the stage at CES on January 6th and releases the LTE storm upon us, we will get you all the info you need!

Here is the official VZW press release tease:

VERIZON WIRELESS SHOWS WHAT 4G LTE MEANS FOR CONSUMERS AT CES

Wide Range of Ecosystem Partners Demonstrate Products and Solutions that Take Advantage of the 4G LTE Network

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless said today that its first-ever exhibit booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will show off the consumer and enterprise capabilities of its new 4G LTE network with the products, services and solutions that take advantage of the blazingly fast speed and low latency of the new wireless network. On Jan. 6, the company will also offer a sneak peek at a suite of Android-based LTE consumer devices at a news conference.

Visitors to the exhibit booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, #35216) will see firsthand how the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network can fundamentally change how consumers manage their daily lives and how businesses interact with each other and with their customers.

Working with nearly 50 different technology ecosystem partners, the Verizon Wireless booth will highlight more than 40 new solutions that take advantage of the fast speeds and low latency of the new 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network. Demonstrations will range from connected home and cars to gaming and entertainment to consumer devices. The demos will also feature new ways to do mobile collaboration for retail, customer service and other industries; home and energy management; and consumer entertainment, including multiplayer gaming, all of which leverage the 4G network in innovative ways. Verizon Wireless and its partners will also feature remote security and health care options and a car that shows different applications coming from the automotive industry.
Many of the solutions being highlighted are the result of collaborations fostered at Verizon Wireless’ LTE Innovation Center. The LTE Innovation Center, established in 2008 and located in Waltham, Mass., provides an environment for dozens of diverse companies to work collaboratively to develop innovative products and solutions that leverage 4G LTE technology.

Sneak Peek at Consumer Devices
Verizon Wireless’ news conference will provide a sneak peek of a suite of consumer-oriented Android-based devices for its 4G LTE network and will include remarks from senior Verizon Wireless executives and key ecosystem partners. The news conference will be webcast live; visit www.verizonwebcasts.com/ces/2011/news to register.

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, launched in December 2010, is the fastest, most advanced 4G network in the United States, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network currently reaches one-third of all Americans, with plans to expand the network to the company’s entire 3G coverage area over the next three years.

For more information about the LTE Innovation Center and Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte. For more information about Verizon Wireless at CES, visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces and follow the company on Twitter at http://twitter.com/verizonwireless.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Thanks to Verizon Wireless we got our hands on the NEW Samsung Rogue. (check out the Press Release)

• To start this review out I loved the User Interface. Samsung has gave its users the ability to add widgets of all types to the home screen.

• Another thing  I liked about this phone, is the Camera Quality. Samsung built this one with 3 megapixels with flash. Also, So you’ll never run out of camera space they let you add up to 16gb on an external MicroSD card.

Internet browsing on this phone was excellent , With the added Tabbed browsing feature. Text messages are threaded when you text which allows you to easily to recall back to a old text message with out having to search for it in millions of texts.

• Another thing i liked on this phone is the 3.5mm Headphone jack, you can just plug some standard headphones in and GO!

Something that i thought Samsung could have changed on the Rogue is all the buttons around the whole phone a total of 6 i found useless except for the camera button.

Would i recommend this phone? Well its up to you , This phone is designed for frequent texters , so if that you then yeah. But for a business guy such as my self Im going to have to say no.

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Overall? Great Phone. Check it out on Verizon website

Popularity: 25% [?]

PRESS RELEASE: (Pictures below)

Samsung Rogue (Reviewed Here! ) <– Check out the review

The Samsung Rogue is a sleek messaging phone with a full touch display that provides an optimized messaging experience with a horizontal slide-out, four-row QWERTY keyboard, threaded messaging and one-touch access to popular social networking widgets, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Photobucket. The Samsung Rogue also features innovative speech capabilities powered by Nuance that allow customers to launch and control a variety of applications and services with simple voice commands as well as dictate text messages.

The Samsung Rogue will serve as the flagship phone for the company’s new data pricing option available to customers beginning today. The new data pricing gives Verizon Wireless customers more freedom to select how much data and the type of data they want to use. Samsung Rogue customers who want to check e-mail; surf the Web; and download applications, games or ringtones will be able to select either a 25 MB for $9.99 monthly access option or a 75 MB for $19.99 monthly access option to couple with their Nationwide plan.

Customers who want to watch full-length TV shows plus news, sports, weather and live entertainment video clips can also add Verizon Wireless’ new V CAST Video on Demand plan that gives customers access to unlimited basic video clips, ESPN MVP and unlimited megabytes for their V CAST Video usage for $10.00 monthly. The new V CAST Video on Demand plan replaces the $15.00 V CAST VPak. These changes will not impact existing customers.

Following are additional key features and specifications for the Samsung Rogue.

· Available in bronze/black color

· 3.1-inch ultra-brilliant touch screen

o Widescreen WVGA AMOLED (Wide Video Graphics Array Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) responsive touch screen results in one of the brightest and clearest displays on a mobile phone in the United States

o Slide out horizontally to reveal a four-row QWERTY keypad

· Full HTML Web browsing capabilities with one-touch access to social networking sites via shortcut widgets

· Full messaging suite including SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, Mobile Email and Corporate Email

· 3.0 megapixel camera with flash and video capture and on-device editing capabilities

· Supports Verizon Wireless services including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video, and Visual Voice Mail

· Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services, such as VZ NavigatorSM and Chaperone®, and more

· Pre-loaded games including “NEED FOR SPEED™ Undercover,” “Resident Evil: Degeneration,” and “Tetris® and Dice”

· microSD™ card slot with support for up to 16 GB (card purchased separately)

· File Viewer can view Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® Excel®, Microsoft® PowerPoint® and Adobe® PDF documents stored on a memory card

Samsung Intensity

The Samsung Intensity is a feature-packed phone that offers customers a convenient way to stay connected to family, friends, and anyone else their thumbs can get a hold of through its full line of advanced messaging capabilities such as Mobile IM; text, picture and voice messaging with threaded messaging feature; Mobile Email; and the Mobile Web browser.

Following are additional key features and specifications for the Samsung Intensity.

· Available in a Charcoal Grey color in all sales channels and available in Flamingo Red online only at www.verizonwireless.com

· 2.1-inch display with horizontal slide-out four-row QWERTY keypad with dedicated Messaging key and Favorites key for easily texting and calling friends and family

· Mobile Web browser for Internet access

· Music player

· Full messaging capabilities including Mobile IM; Mobile Email; Chat; and text, picture, and voice messaging

· 1.3 megapixel camera with Night Shot, Self Timer, Multishot and Shutter Sound selection

· Compatible with PC client for V CAST Music with Rhapsody (over-the-air downloads are not supported on the Samsung Intensity)

· Voice commands such as Voice Dial, Menu Readout, Digital Dial Readout, TXT Message Readout, Call Announcement, My Verizon, and Help

· Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services, such as VZ NavigatorSM, and more

· microSD™ card slot with support for up to 16 GB (card purchased separately)

Price and availability:

· The Samsung Rogue is available today for $99.99 after a $100.00 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement, and the Samsung Intensity in Charcoal Grey is available today for $29.99 after a $50.00 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. The Samsung Intensity in Flamingo Red is available beginning today exclusively online at no charge with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate as a debit card that can be used anywhere debit cards are accepted.

· Customers can purchase the Samsung Rogue and Samsung Intensity in Charcoal Grey beginning today at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores or online at www.verizonwireless.com. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Check out more Samsung phone deals at the Phones4u website, where you can get the right phone for you at the right price.

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Popularity: 34% [?]

The AT&T Samsung Omnia 2 cell phone has all the same specs except better processor, better camera/camcorder, capacitive screen. New Samsung Omnia 2 features include 800 MHz processor, a 3.7-inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, DivX/XviD video support, FM, 8/16GB storage memory up to 32GB and running Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro OS. The Omnia2 is a good consumer device.

(check out full specs below)

AT&T Samsung Omnia 2 Specifications:

- GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/1900 MHz, HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA5.76 Mbps
- 3.7-inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED touchscreen, Advanced R touch (Resistive)
- 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, dual LED flash, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, image
- 800 MHz processor
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP, standard microUSB port, standard 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS
- Memory: 8/16GB storage memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 32GB total)
- stabilization, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) and D1 video recording at 15 fps
- Accelerometer
- DivX/XviD video support
- FM radio with RDS
- DNSe
- Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, TouchWiz 2.0 UI with 3D effect
- Dimensions: 118 x 59.6 x 11.9 mm
- 1500 mAh battery

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Popularity: 26% [?]

Samsung has officially unveiled the next era in smartphones! The highly-anticipated, new Samsung Jet supports the latest smartphone features which include multi-task manager and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, bringing user-friendly menu navigations in a sleek and compact design.

The Jet’s pioneering 16M WVGA AMOLED display (3.1”) offers vivid and colorful full touch mobile experience available; the WVGA AMOLED screen provides a resolution that is four times higher than a WQVGA screen. The 800MHz application processor delivers breathtaking speed and stunning performance, making Jet the fastest full touch handset on the market today.

Samsung’s latest TouchWiz 2.0 user interface new features such as intuitive 3D media gate UI and motion-response UI, smart unlock, customizable widget screen. The Dolfin Web browser lets users surf the net and access popular websites, especially social networking sites, with ease and speed. The 5 mega-pixel camera, built-in GPS, DNSe & SRS Sound Effect technology for superior sound quality, and DivX and XviD video support for hassel-free video downloading and viewing.

The Samsung Jet Cell Phone Specifications:

- 2.5G: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
- 3G: 900 / 2100 Mhz , HSDPA 3.6Mbps
- EDGE/GPRS Class 12
- Battery Li-ion, 1100mAh
- Dimension: 108.8*53.5*11.9mm / 110g

- 3.1-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, 16M colors
- 5 megapixel AF camera, Dual Power LED
- 800MHz Application Processor
- TouchWiz 2.0 user interface with new features such as intuitive 3D media gate UI and motion-response UI, smart unlock, customizable widget screen.
- Full HTML Dolfin Web browser
- GPS
- DNSe & SRS Sound Effect technology
- DivX and XviD video support
- Microsoft Exchange support

Popularity: 18% [?]

Samsung has felt it’s time to make a 32GB Yepp P3 available as well. No firmware updates in time of this announcement like with the S9. Price for this high-capacity Samsung player is around $290 when converted. No release date has been announced. Makes me wonder when the cheaper brands will adopt the 32GB capacity in their line ups. It won’t hurt for a basic MP4 player to have enough capacity to play all those video codecs they ordinarily support, and a price that’s consistent–say, $150-ish–with what we expect of them, of course

Thanks to PMPtoday for this one!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Happy Earth Day. There’s lots going on, especially in Canada – Best Buy has pretty phat trade in incentives to get you to e-cycle your electronics and get new gear! These are in-store only, obviously – as it is a trade in deal. So if you are in the Canada, you get some lucky breaks.

US Best Buys have some recycling services, Energy Star rated appliances, and tech-trade in options here.

Here are the Deets for the Best Buy Canada trade-in deals:
Trade in your old tube tv and get $300 off a Panasonic 46″ 1080p plasma tv, or $50 off any 40″ or larger Sony flat panel HDTV.

Trade in your old laptop for $50 off a Toshiba laptop.

Trade in your old VCR, DVD player or portable DVD player and get $25 off Samsung 1600 Blu-Ray or Toshiba 7″ Portable DVD player.

Trade in your old camera or camcorder for these Canon incentives:
$30 off purchase under $298
$50 off purchase $299-$599
$100 off purchase over $599

Trade in your old mobile phone and get $25 off a new handset, or $25 towards accessories if you choose a free phone. Read the terms and conditions here.

Trade in your old MP3 player for $50 off a 16GB Zune.

Trade in your old remote – I know you have a million of them lying around – and get $50 off a rechargeable Harmony remote.

Trade in your old AM/FM radio and get $60 off a Sirius Sportster satellite radio receiver. LizMoney loves her some Sirius programming!

Bring in your old digital picture frame, 5″ or bigger, and get $25 off any new Samsung Digiframe. (no cracked frames are eligible for trade in though)

Bring in your home phone and get $30 off a Panasonic multi-handset cordless phone.

Deets from Best Buy here. They are running this till the 23rd.

So celebrate Earth Day – Reuse, Recycle, Re-stimulate the Economy.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Dell has been busy trying to break into the smartphone sector, and submitted two prototypes to the carriers for review. The results? Denied. Apparently Dell’s smartphone offerings, one which would have run Android, and the other WinMo, were too “Dell-like” and did not stand out when compared to the major players like LG, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, etc.

The bar is high to make VIP Smartphone status these days. Palm reinvented themselves and made a big splash, HTC is pumping out at least 3 more Android handsets this year, and of course, no one has come close in popularity to the iPhone. According to Kaufman Bros. analyst, Shaw Wu, Dell will still be plugging away at their attempt and will go back to redesigning their smartphone.

And what we all knew is now official. “Dell-like” = boring and nondescript.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Rumors, leaks and fuzzy pictures have been floating around about the upcoming Samsung handset to be running Android. The handset might pop it’s head up in Q3 of this year. It’s being compared to the HTC Magic, which leads us to believe that it will have a virtual keyboard, and use the 3.5 Qualcomm chipset.
The HTC Magic is expected to drop into the European market in Q2, and HTC has also committed to two more Android based devices for 2009. Motorola is also said to be gearing up for an Android range of handsets too, and we may see these as early as Q2 of this year.
I want to see more Android action. I will be keeping a close eye on these rumors.

Samsung 3.5G Android phone in Q3 claim sources | Android Community

Popularity: 11% [?]

Following on the trail behind the LG Renoir, Samsung answers back with the similarly named Memoir and is coming to T-Mobile.

The Memoir, an 8mp, touch screen phone features a full HTML browser, virtual QWERTY and focuses on multimedia and online sharing. Working on T-mo’s 3G network, you can directly upload photos to such services as Flickr, Photobucket, Snapfish or Kodak Gallery. The camera sports a 16x digital zoom, xenon flash, shoots video and expandable memory up to 16 gigabytes. No onboard memory has been specified as of yet.

The cons, though, is a lack of wi-fi capability, which is a strange oversight, as T-Mo’s 3G network is in it’s infancy, spotty, and they are touting the Memoir’s online sharing as it’s main draw. It’s also not a smartphone. The TouchWiz interface runs over Win Mobile 6.1, but there are no apps for it. It may not be a full-on smartphone, but if you live a lifestyle free of a virtual leash, this is a pretty dope handset.

Pricing and availability date have not been officially announced, but the is speculated to drop Feb. 25, 2009 for $299 with 2 year contract.

Shortlist of the specs:
- 8 Megapixel Camera with Xenon flash and 16X digital zoom
- microSD slot for storage capacity expansion
- A-GPS for navigation and location based services
- 240 x 400 pixels touchscreen display (262k TFT)
- Full HTML browser and POP3 e-mail support
- TouchWiz interface with customizable widgets
- 3G/EDGE/GPRS data access speeds compatible
- Wireless Bluetooth 2.0 technology (Stereo)

Popularity: 5% [?]