Vertu announces the Constellation Blue and Constellation Quest Blue

Vertu, in collaboration with Italia Independent, has announced two new phones, the Constellation Blue with a touchscreen and the Constellation Quest Blue with a QWERTY keypad.

As is usual for Vertu phones, both the devices are hand made and use exquisite materials such as blue carbon fiber composite for the back plate and the earpiece cushion, blue sapphire crystal for the keys, two-tone blue rubberized leather and polished blue PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) stainless steel.

The Constellation Blue weighs 155g, is 12mm thick and has a 3.5-inch, nHD AMOLED display with sapphire crystal cover, 8 megapixel camera, 32GB internal memory, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and even an FM Radio.

The Constellation Quest Blue weighs 170g, is 13mm thick and has a 2.46-inch, VGA display protected by sapphire crystal, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4GB internal memory.

As usual, both phones get Vertu's Concierge service. You also get exclusive ringtones played by the London Symphony Orchestra.

No price information on either of these phones but really, if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford them.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/vertu_announces_the_constellation_blue_and_constellation_quest_blue-news-4905.php

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ASUS VivoTab RT for AT&T goes official with Windows 8

Alongside the 11.6" Samsung slate we just told you about, AT&T announced the upcoming ASUS VivoTab RT Windows 8 tablet with LTE connectivity. Like the HTC One X+ for the US carrier, the ASUS offering will bring NVIDIA silicon and 4G LTE under the same roof.

ASUS VivoTab RT official photo

The ASUS VivoTab RT packs NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra 3 TE processor and a 10.1" multi-touch Super IPS display with ASUS TruVivid technology. The tablet features 32GB of built-in memory. In a typical ASUS fashion, the slate will come with available keyboard docks for enhanced productivity.

Like its Samsung counterpart, the ASUS VivoTab RT will offer trial version of Microsoft Office 2013.

From the short time we spent with the ASUS VivoTab RT, we came out really impressed with the metal finish and the overall build quality of the tablet. With its screen off, the VivoTab can easily be mistaken for one of tis top shelf Android siblings.

ASUS VivoTab RT live photos

The ASUS VivoTab RT will be available in time for the holiday season. Pricing is yet to be known.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_vivotab_rt_for_at_t_goes_official_with_windows_8_-news-4904.php

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AT&T unveils Samsung ATIV Smart PC with 11.6" display

AT&T added the Samsung ATIV Smart PC to its lineup of 4G tablets. The Windows 8 slate features an imposing 11.6" display, which makes it one of the most formidable around.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC official photo

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC is powered by an Intel Clover Trail 1.5 GHz dual core processor, and features 64GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded via microSD card slot. With an optional keyboard docking system, the slate is able to transform itself into a capable notebook.

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC boots Windows 8. It will come preloaded with a trial version of Microsoft Office 2013.

We did spend some quality time with the imposing looking tablet. Its build quality and finish struck us as practically identical with what we saw in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. With an 11.6" display on board, the slate is definitely not from the compact crowd - we guess that most users will choose it along with the keyboard docking system.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC live photos

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC will hit AT&T's shelves in time for the holiday shopping season for a yet to be known price.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/at_t_unveils_samsung_ativ_smart_pc_with_116_display_-news-4903.php

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Google gets Street View back on the iPhone via Web-based Maps update

If you're an iPhone user who's been missing Google's Street View feature since upgrading to iOS 6, you'll be pleased to know you can now access it via your mobile browser of choice.

Google has brought its Street View tool to mobile browsers, a move likely to please a number of iOS 6 users missing the function on their Apple device after the Cupertino wiped Google’s Maps app from its updated operating system, replacing it with its own version.

Rolled out on Thursday, the feature means users can now view a location through 360-degree imagery, something not available with Apple’s new Maps app.

“Starting today, use Street View on your mobile browser to check out a new shop across town or get a feel for the ambiance at a restaurant before you arrive,” Amanda Leicht, product manager of Google Maps, wrote in a blog post introducing the new feature. “To use Street View on your mobile browser simply go to maps.google.com and search for a location. Then click the ‘pegman’ icon at the bottom right of your screen to access Street View. And to view still more helpful imagery, such as a photos shared by users or interior panoramas, visit the business’ Google+ Local page.”

Apple’s decision to move into mapping was met with a mixture of curiosity and excitement when news of its intention first emerged earlier this year. However, when it launched with iOS 6 last month, many users complained of a lack of functionality and detail, and also pointed out a number of location errors. In one famous example, Dublin airport had been placed on a farm.

With an increasing number of complaints surfacing, Apple chief Tim Cook deemed the problem so serious that he was moved to issue a letter of apology to users, admitting that the company had fallen short of its commitment “to make world-class products.” A report this week suggested the company is planning to use its retail staff – not particularly well known for their cartography skills – to help improve its mapping data.

Google is reportedly working on bringing a new Maps app to iOS – possibly combining it with Google Earth. In the meantime, iPhone owners who’ve upgraded to iOS 6 and who were heavy users of Maps have been busy checking out alternatives such as Google’s Maps mobile Web app. These ones are also worth a look.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/google-gets-street-view-back-on-the-iphone-via-web-based-maps-update/

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AT&T is the first US carrier to offer the Samsung Galaxy Camera

AT&T Wireless announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy Camera today. As you probably know by now, the device is a marriage of a point and shoot camera and an Android smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Camera for AT&T official photo

The Samsung Galaxy Camera for AT&T is powered by a 1GHz quad-core CPU. It boots TouchWiz-ed Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with enough photo sharing features to make every social network junkie happy. The gadget runs on the carrier's 3G network - there's no LTE connectivity on board.

The rest of the device's specs are the same as in the international version. They include a 16MP BSI CMOS camera sensor with xenon flash and 21x optical zoom, 4.8" Super Clear LCD screen with HD resolution, and 8GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded via microSD card slot.

We've managed to spend some quality time with the Samsung Galaxy Camera at an event in New York City. Curiously, the gadget has no AT&T branding on it, save for some preloaded software. That aside, we did not encounter any differences with the international version, which we checked out at IFA.

Samsung Galaxy Camera for AT&T live photos

The pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Camera will be known when it hits the shelves in the coming weeks.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/at_t_is_the_first_us_carrier_to_offer_the_samsung_galaxy_camera_-news-4902.php

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HTC One VX hands-on photo gallery

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We go hands on with the HTC One VX, a new budget phone for AT&T.

Along with the One X+, today AT&T revealed that it will sell a new lower-end handset by HTC named the One VX. I was able to spend a few minutes with the One VX at an AT&T event in New York tonight and came away pretty impressed. This is definitely not a high-end handset, but at a lower $0-$100 price point (with a two-year contract), it might be worth consideration by anyone looking for a new phone on AT&T.

The phone is mostly identical in style and function to HTC’s One X handset, but the body is made of a cheaper plastic material, the Snapdragon S4 processor is only dual-core (oh heavens, no!), and it has a slightly lower pixel resolution at just 960 x 540. Most high-end handsets clock in at 1280 x 720 these days. But you know what? Few of these things matter. HTC has included its ImageSense chip inside the phone, so it should take great photographs (5-megapixel, f/2.0) like the One X. The front camera is a little weak at only 0.3 megapixels, so if you’re infatuated with yourself, this may not be your best option. Those who are vain should try the HTC Windows Phone 8X; it has a 2.1-megapixel front camera with a wide-angle lens). 

The One VX doesn’t have a final price or a firm release date, but it’s coming to AT&T sometime this autumn. 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/htc-one-vx-hands-on-photo-gallery/

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Sprint may start bidding war with T-Mobile for MetroPCS

It may have appeared like the T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger was imminent, but Sprint has started to prepare a counteroffer to outbid Deutsche Telekom for MetroPCS.

Sprint has sat firmly in the third spot on the list of biggest mobile carriers in the U.S. for some time. As of yesterday, that title received its first plausible threat at the announcement of a T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger. Less than 24 hours after the MetroPCS board of directors approved the move, Sprint decided to throw its hat in the ring as a potential partner. According to the Bloomberg BusinessWeek report, Sprint is preparing a counteroffer that would top the $1.5 billion deal from T-Mobile USA’s Deutsche Telekom.

With the T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger awaiting regulatory and shareholder approval, there is a penalty clause set if either company were to back out. Sprint will likely have to take this into account in their ofter. That said, when Sprint attempted to make a takeover of MetroPCS earlier this year, they were willing to offer over $8 billion. Sprint is desperate for new subscribers as it has been watching its customer base trickle away since the sloppy transition of it’s purchase of Nextel in 2005. The threat of a combined T-Mobile and MetroPCS may be enough to drive Sprint’s bid up dramatically.

T-Mobile has not commented on Sprint’s sudden–although somewhat expected–involvement except to say that it is prepared to change the terms of its current agreement if need be. Deutsche Telekom seems fairly committed to the merger between their T-Mobile brand and MetroPCS. That could mean we’ll have a bidding war on our hands, and there are unique implications for the mobile market depending on who the victor may be. Who would have thought that in a battle between the third and forth largest mobile operators, fifth place would be the big winner? 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/sprint-may-start-bidding-war-with-t-mobile-for-metropcs/

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