Let’s be real: it should come as little surprise that Sammy — a company with multiple Android phones on Verizon already — would be joining LG, Motorola, and HTC in prepping a new model for its LTE network. Sure enough, Gizmodo has scored an alleged shot of said phone, showing Froyo (Android 2.2.1, to be specific) along with a front-facing camera and a model number of SCH-i520; it’s said to feature TouchWiz (as most non-Nexus S Android phones from Samsung tend to do) and, fortunately, lacks the Bing integration that Verizon’s been pushing on its low- and midrange smartphones lately. Given the company’s iffy track record on getting Froyo deployed in a timely manner to the Galaxy S line, we’re not sure how we’d feel about buying a new Froyo model when Gingerbread’s now available — especially with all these other LTE models that Verizon’s going to have on top — but options are good, we suppose.

Samsung LTE phone with front-facing camera headed to Verizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re horrible at getting gifts and cards to their recipients on time, usually showing up in mailboxes at least a day late. Samsung, it seems, is in a similar boat with its Epic 4G. According to Phone Arena, Android 2.2.1 (you know, Froyo) will begin rolling out to the handset on December 26. For real this time. Like, really real. Given all that history we’re a little bit skeptical about this happening on that date, but don’t let that stop you from setting some milk and cookies next to your charging stand on the 26th. Worst case: morning cookies for you on the 27th!

Samsung Epic 4G getting post-Christmas Froyo treat? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pantech‘s bringing a new wrinkle to the mobile hardware space with its newly announced Vega Xpress handset. This 4-inch Android 2.2 beastie will come equipped with an unspecified amount of DDR2 RAM — yes, the stuff that usually goes into x86 laptop and desktop computers — which Pantech will have you believe is going to blow the competition out of the proverbial water. The company claims the new phone doubles 3D graphics performance relative to its previous best, while power efficiency is also said to be two to three times better. Other specs include a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 802.11n WiFi, an 800 x 480 resolution, and a 1500mAh battery. Yours, provided you’re anywhere near Korea, some time soon.

Continue reading Pantech Vega Xpress comes with DDR2 memory, extravagant performance claims

Pantech Vega Xpress comes with DDR2 memory, extravagant performance claims originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good news: Dell’s unlocked Streak has just plunged down the pricing charts with a neat $180 discount taking it to a palatable $400 level. Bad news: you won’t get yours shipped until the 10th of January, according to Round Rock’s web outlet. Android 2.2 won’t come preloaded, you’ll have to snag the OTA update, though you do get a wide palette of colors to choose from, including black, noir, nero, preto, and schwarz — pick wisely!

[Thanks, Xelaenil]

Dell lowers Streak price to $400, but will make you wait until January to get it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good news for those early adopters burdened by an underperforming Sony Ericsson’s LiveView: help is on the way. According to the official Sony Ericsson Product Blog, the company will roll out an update via its SE Update Service in January that should address connection issues between the wrist-worn display / remote control and Android phones. Other “minor issues” will be solved with updates to the LiveView Application in the Android Market, though SE isn’t clear on when those might be made available — hopefully soon because we can’t wait for this device to finally achieve its potential.

Sony Ericsson LiveView getting much needed January update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android trademark lawsuit tossed out, Google in the clear originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 03:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re looking for something a little smarter than Tonino Lamborghini’s Spyder series of luxury phones (and we mean “smarter” in the operating system sense, not the wisdom of purchasing such a device), look no further than the Evoluzione. This puppy runs Android 2.1 (Froyo might be available in the future), but falls well short of its automotive namesake by sticking with a middling HVGA display of 3.2 inches and a 600MHz processor. Can you picture a Murcielago with a V-6? We can’t. Good news is that it costs a whole hell of a lot less, too: S$788, which works out to about $600.

Tonino Lamborghini’s Evoluzione runs Android, shares little with an actual Lamborghini originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We had our doubts the last time we encountered an HTC EVO Shift 4G, but it looks like they were mostly unfounded — here’s Sprint’s new QWERTY slider in the flesh — armor finally shed — revealing a chrome bezel beneath. PhoneArena obtained these pics from an anonymous tipster, who says the device has an 800MHz processor much like the T-Mobile G2, and while we can’t infer much more about the internals than we have before, there are a few new things to note: HTC Sense is alive and well, there’s a particularly large camera module buried in the smooth plastic back and a headphone jack up top, and it appears there’s a pair of status LEDs for Caps Lock and Function Lock right above the keyboard. See two more pics of the device at the source link below, while we wait for Sprint to own up.

HTC EVO Shift 4G spotted in the wild, said to have 800MHz CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the Optimus 2X was announced a few days ago, North America was conspicuously left out of the nebulous launch plans mentioned in the press release — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not coming. RCR Wireless says it has it on “rather good authority” that LG’s beastly Tegra 2-powered Android phone will in fact see a US launch, and that said launch will be on T-Mobile in late February (which would be right after MWC) or early March. Considering how aggressively T-Mobile has been pushing Android dating all the way back to the G1, we tend to believe it — and between the dual-core processor, HSPA+, and the promise of a Gingerbread update in the works, this could easily hang with the HTC Mechas and Motorola Olympuses of the world (likely launching on Verizon and AT&T, respectively) over the next few months.

LG Optimus 2X coming to T-Mobile USA by March? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rest assured that we’re working on a full analysis of the FCC’s major net neutrality decision today, but the Commission hasn’t actually released the full text of the order yet, and we just came across something in the press release we wanted to break out: one of the specific reasons the FCC gives for regulating wireless broadband more lightly than wireline is the release of Android. Seriously — the release says that only “measured steps” to regulating wireless are necessary because “open operating systems like Android” have been released, and that it wants to see how Verizon and other 700MHz spectrum winners handle the hotly-contested openness requirement when building out 4G. Here’s the full quote:

Further, we recognize that there have been meaningful recent moves toward openness, including the introduction of open operating systems like Android. In addition, we anticipate soon seeing the effects on the market of the openness conditions we imposed on mobile providers that operate on upper 700 MHz C-Block spectrum, which includes Verizon Wireless, one of the largest mobile wireless carriers in the U.S.

In light of these considerations, we conclude it is appropriate to take measured steps at this time to protect the openness of the Internet when accessed through mobile broadband.

Now, we obviously love Android, and there’s no doubt that Google’s OS has been part of some wonderfully furious competition in the mobile space recently. But we’re not sure any of that has anything to do with net neutrality — it doesn’t matter how open your OS is when you’re stuck with a filtered and throttled connection, and it’s a pretty huge stretch to think Android’s openness (however you want to define it) has anything to do with network access itself. And let’s not forget that the primary proponent of the 700MHz open-access rules was Google, which promptly flip-flopped on the issue when it became Verizon’s policy BFF after the Droid launch — and if we were slightly more paranoid, we’d be pretty sure there’s a link between the FCC’s Android mention and the combined furious lobbying of Google and Verizon. Nice try, boys — but how about you make with the actual rules now?

FCC: We didn’t impose stricter net neutrality regulations on wireless because Android is open originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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