The Teen First Look: Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Sep 24th
At an event late last week in New York we had a chance to check out some really cool things coming out over the next couple of months. One of those cool new things was Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 2. The Galaxy Note 2 is the successor to Samsung’s popular Galaxy Note “phablet” (phone/tablet) that was released earlier this year on AT&T and a few months ago on T-Mobile.
The new Note 2 looks to take this giant superphone to new heights, with a 5.5 inch HD Super AMOLED screen (up from 5.3 inches on the original Note), 1.6 GHZ quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM (so anything you do– text, watch YouTube, check Facebook, play a game– is fast and doesn’t freeze or lag), 8 megapixel back camera with 1.9 megapixel front camera for HD video chat, NFC and 4G LTE support, and 16 GB of built-in storage (with room for another 64 GB through microSD). Oh, and the Note 2 will also launch with the latest and greatest version of Android, version 4.1 Jelly Bean.
After playing with it for a few minutes we gotta say, it is one very nice phone. Read on for our Teen First Look of the Galaxy Note 2.
Verizon’s iPhone 5 Comes Unlocked, Will Be Able To Work Internationally Right Away
Sep 21st
If you were looking into getting an iPhone 5 on Verizon but were waiting because you were planning to take a trip abroad you can stop waiting now. As the website iDownloadBlog found out today, Verizon iPhone 5s are shipping unlocked, meaning you can use it with any GSM network around the world– including AT&T or T-Mobile in the US if you so choose. All you have to do is swap out the Verizon nano-SIM with one from a carrier in the country you’re in and you’ll be all good to go.
Now a couple quick things to note. Not all LTE networks are the same and a phone that works on Verizon’s LTE network might not work on AT&T’s. This is because each carrier has their own frequency, or “bands”, on which to broadcast their LTE signal. Some phone’s have support for multiple LTE networks (like the iPhone 5), others don’t. It’s the same reason why the iPhone didn’t work on T-Mobile’s 3G/4G network for all these years, it just didn’t have the right bands inside to use it (this is another reason why T-Mobile is changing their 4G network to a band the iPhone supports). So in this case of the Verizon iPhone 5, you’re only guaranteed to have 4G LTE on the Verizon network or in other countries with similar LTE bands like England, Germany, Japan etc. (as the Verizon iPhone 5 supports the 1, 3, and 5 bands those LTE networks use). The Verizon iPhone 5 won’t work on AT&T’s LTE network or the LTE networks in Canada (which use the 4 and 17 bands that the Verizon/Sprint iPhone 5′s don’t support).
If you’re planning on studying or travelling abroad check Apple’s site here to see which countries and carriers offer LTE for the iPhone 5.
Now don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you’re new iPhone 5 won’t work, it only means it might not have 4G LTE. Luckily, all iPhone 5s– both the AT&T and Verizon/Sprint versions– have support for many of the bands carriers around the world use for their fast 3G/4G HSPA+ networks (with the notable exception being the 1700 Mhz band T-Mobile uses for much of its current 4G HSPA+ network). This means that internet, texting and calling should all work fine.
We don’t yet know if the Sprint or AT&T iPhone 5s are also coming unlocked, or if Verizon plans to leave these unlocked, but we’ll be sure to let you know more once we do. In the meantime, check out this video after the break of a Verizon iPhone 5 working on AT&T’s 3G/4G network.
Info via iDownloadBlog, MacRumors
Top 5 New and Upcoming Verizon Phones: Fall 2012
Sep 20th
So you’re on Verizon, you’ve got an upgrade coming up sometime over the next couple of months and while you like some of the phones already out there, you really wanna know what Verizon’s got coming out during the next few weeks or months so you don’t go out and buy something only to really regret it a week later. While not everything here is confirmed (some are just our best guesses based on rumors we’ve been hearing), here are 5 phones that are here or said to be on their way to Verizon and that any Verizon user with an upgrade should be really excited for.
Nintendo Finally Gives The Wii U A Price And Release Date: Coming November 18th Starting At $300
Sep 16th
The next generation of game consoles are almost upon us. Last year, Nintendo previewed the first of these new next-gen systems, the Wii U (Microsoft and Sony still haven’t talked about the next Xbox/Xbox 720 or PS4 but both are expected to be announced next year). Now though we finally have a price and release date. Nintendo has announced this week that the Wii U will be available starting on November 18th, for either $300 for the basic bundle, or $350 for the deluxe bundle.
The $300 basic bundle includes a white Wii U console with 8 GB of internal storage, one white GamePad controller (the tablet like controller you see above), AC adapters for both the console and controller, a sensor bar and a HDMI cable. The $350 Wii U deluxe bundle comes with a black Wii U as well as black versions of everything in the basic set plus the Nintendo Land game, increased console storage capacity of 32 GB, a console stand, GamePad charging cradle and a stand that allows users to place the GamePad vertically on a table. The deluxe bundle buyers will also be enrolled in the “Deluxe Digital Promotion,” which lets you receive points for each digital download and redeem those points for future downloads from Nintendo’s eShop.
Nintendo also revealed 51 games that will be available around the launch, including: Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants, TRANSFORMERS PRIME, Assassin’s Creed III, ZombiU, Rayman Legends, Just Dance 4, Madden NFL 13, FIFA Soccer 13, Mass Effect 3, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, NBA 2K13, Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, Wii Fit U, LEGO City: Undercover, BAYONETTA 2, and The Wonderful 101. Nintendo Wii U games will cost $60, or similar to the current price for most Xbox 360 and PS3 games.
For more info on the launch games see Nintendo’s site here, and for all the info on the Wii U, see our original post here.
iPhone 5 Now Available For Online Pre-Orders
Sep 14th
Sold on the iPhone 5 and want to make sure you have one the first day they’re available? Well, as promised, you can now pre-order the iPhone 5 online with an expected delivery date of next Friday, September 21st (or the day when you can actually buy the iPhone 5 in stores).
AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and the online Apple Store are all currently accepting pre-orders, while Best Buy, Radio Shack and Walmart will be taking pre-orders in stores once they open later today. The online sites for Sprint and AT&T were having problems earlier today dealing with the large number of pre-orders (though they both look to be holding up now), so if you really want to make sure you get the iPhone 5 right when it’s available we recommend you order soon.
Also be careful– if you upgrade on Verizon to get the iPhone 5 at the cheaper 2 year contract price (the one that starts at $199 for 16 GB) you will lose your older unlimited data plan, and be forced to switch to one of their new family data plans. If you want to keep your unlimited data plan you’re going to have to buy the iPhone 5 out of contract (which starts at a much more expensive $650 for 16 GB and goes up $850 for 64 GB). Unlimited users on AT&T should also be careful of this, though we were able to upgrade online (through the online Apple Store) to the iPhone 5 at the cheaper 2 year contract price and still keep our unlimited data.
So, who’s upgrading?
UPDATE: It now looks like the ship date on the online Apple Store has been moved to 2 weeks. Sprint, AT&T and Verizon all still show a delivery date of the 21st, so you if you want it then you should pre-order soon (or go into a store– like Best Buy, Walmart, Radio Shack etc.– when they open and pre-order there).
UPDATE 2: Well as of 1:30 PM, it looks Sprint is the only one still showing a delivery date of September 21st when you pre-order. AT&T pre-orders will now come between “14-21 business days” while Verizon is promising delivery by September 26th. If you really want the iPhone 5 on day one and haven’t yet pre-ordered you may now just want to get up early and wait on line.
Here Are Some Of The Cities Getting Sprint 4G LTE In The Coming Months
Sep 13th
Excited for the new iPhone 5? On Sprint and already have the Galaxy S III or HTC EVO 4G LTE and want to know when you’ll actually be able to, you know, use that super fast 4G LTE?Well, your in luck as Sprint this week announced a huge list of cities slated to get their new, much faster 4G LTE network.
Sprint, unlike AT&T and Verizon, just launched their LTE network this year and as you’d expect, they cover nowhere near the amount of cities AT&T and Verizon cover. Currently you can find Sprint’s LTE network live in only a handful of cities like Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, and San Antonio, as well as some areas around those cities. That all will change soon however, as Sprint has promised to bring their LTE network to more than 100 cities– including many major ones like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago– in “the coming months.” Sprint also plans to have their whole network upgraded to 4G LTE by the end of next year.
Hit the more link for the full list of the cities expected to get covered in the “coming months.”
Apple Announces The iPhone 5—Everything You Need To Know
Sep 12th
As we all expected, Apple today took the wraps off their latest and greatest iPhone, the iPhone 5. And like the iPhone 4 was a major update to all iPhones that came before it, the iPhone 5 brings the iPhone to a new level.
There’s a lot to cover here, so read on as we breakdown everything you’re gonna need to know about Apple’s latest and greatest.
iPhone 5 with 4G LTE, New iPods Confirmed On Apple’s Site
Sep 12th
Apple’s big iPhone event is still a few hours away (it officially kicks off at around 1 PM Eastern, 10 AM Pacific), but it looks like some of the days surprises are leaking out a bit early.
The internet is buzzing this morning as some searches on Apple’s site reveal links to pages for the upcoming iPhone 5, as well as for a new iPod Touch (with a new design and larger screen like the iPhone 5), Nano and iTunes 11. The links themselves aren’t live yet, so we still don’t know all the details on what’s new with these iDevices (though we have some guesses for what the new iPhone 5 will be). We do though now know one feature that will be in the new iPhone: 4G LTE. A quick search for LTE iPhone shows yet another not yet live link for LTE on the iPhone.
As always stay tuned, things here are just getting started. We’ll have more from Apple’s big event later today.
The iPhone 5 Is Coming Tomorrow– Here Are Our Guesses For What We Can Expect
Sep 11th
Tomorrow Apple is expected to finally take the wraps off of the next iPhone, rumored to be called the iPhone 5. Ever since the iPhone 4 was announced two years ago, the rumors of what we could expect in the iPhone 5 have been crazy. And they’ve only been getting more intense.
So, what can we expect tomorrow? Here are our best guesses for what we think will be new in the iPhone 5.
AT&T Makes Officially Unlocking Your iPhone Even Easier
Sep 9th
Earlier this year AT&T announced that they would begin officially unlocking customers iPhones for free, assuming they met a short list of requirements. And while this was a win for anyone looking to use their iPhone on a different network, like T-Mobile, or overseas (and a much better option than trying to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone yourself), the process wasn’t the easiest. Previously you would have to call AT&T directly, with no way to unlock the iPhone in store or online.
Well, now AT&T has made the process a bit easier, allowing any current, former or even non-customer (assuming you have the phone number of the person who previously had the iPhone) to get your iPhone officially unlocked online. All you have to do is go to AT&T’s site here and fill in all the information (the IMEI number can be found in Settings, About on your iPhone).
As we’ve said above, you also will need to meet AT&T’s pretty simple requirements to be eligible to have your phone unlocked by them: your iPhone cannot be tied to any current contract (meaning you can’t go out and buy a new iPhone with a 2 year contract and then have them unlock it the next day. Your phone has to be active for at least 60 days), and you can’t currently be owing AT&T any money (meaning you’ve paid your bills). Oh, and your iPhone can’t be one that’s been reported lost or stolen (pretty common sense). All this information is on AT&T’s site.
Assuming you’ve met those requirements you can then submit your request online and expect AT&T to unlock the iPhone 5-7 days later (if you call directly you can have the iPhone unlocked immediately). All in all, if you’re on AT&T and looking to unlock your iPhone, this may be the best and easiest way to do it.
