An image of an unannounced Android smartphone from Sony Ericsson code-named “Nozomi” has been published on a Chinese forum along with limited preliminary details. The smartphone reportedly features a 720p HD display and a dual-core processor, but additional specs remain a mystery. From the image, it looks like the phone features a display sized above 4 inches, and we can also see a unique lighting feature near the bottom of the device. The Nozomi is currently being tested by a carrier in Hong Kong according the forum user who posted the image, though a release could still be several months away. Earlier reports suggested that the Nozomi features a 4.3-inch 720p HD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread.

[Via Engadget]

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The Thrill 4G is the second Android smartphone in the United States capable of recording and displaying 3D video and photos without the need for special glasses. We first saw the phone during CTIA earlier this year and, after delays, it will launch soon on AT&T for $99.99. I spent the better part of the last three weeks carrying the LG Thrill 4G everywhere I went. Are the 3D effects useful and fun or are they just a lame gimmick? Does the “4G” in its name equate to faster data speeds or does it surf on a par with 3G phones? All of this and more is answered in my review, so hit the read link to get started.

Hardware

The LG Thrill 4G is identical to its European cousin, the LG Optimus 3D, in nearly every way. It’s equipped with a 4.3-inch 800 x 480-pixel screen that’s capable of displaying both 2D and 3D content on the fly. Measuring in at 5in x 2.7in x 0.47in and with a weight of 5.9oz, the Thrill 4G is a bit bulkier than other high-end smartphones on AT&T, such as the Infuse 4G, but it’s not terrible.

Despite its plastic back cover, the Thrill 4G feels very study just like its LTE counterpart, the LG Revolution. The front of the phone has black faux-brushed metal accents around the screen and AT&T ditched the matte gray back on the Optimus 3D for a more attractive matte black design with a faint cross-hatch etching. The back of the Thrill 4G is also home to two camera lenses capable of recording 3D content, and a single LED flash. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the Thrill 4G and microUSB and mini-HDMI hatches on the left side of the device. A single button on the right side of the phone can be pressed to quickly enter the phone’s “3D Space” application, and I wish it was a camera quick-launch button instead. AT&T also included an HDMI to mini-HDMI cable, which means you’ll be able to connect the phone up to your TV right out of the box.

The Thrill 4G is a nice package overall but I noticed two yellow splotches towards the bottom of the screen. The discoloration was most noticeable while accessing the web, since most websites have a white background. The defect is too subtle to see in the various images in this review, but it’s there. At first I assumed this was just a one-time flaw with my unit, but I noticed the same problem on my European Optimus 3D and confirmed the discoloration with another journalist, too. Perhaps the screen is responsible for AT&T’s delayed launch of the phone, although that is not confirmed. (Update: A second device from AT&T didn’t have this issue so it was clearly limited to my phone or at least an early batch.)

Software

The LG Thrill 4G runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) out of the box but AT&T has promised an Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) update is on the way. Android ran smoothly and I rarely saw any lag thanks to the phone’s dual-core 1GHz processor. LG overlays Android with its own lackluster and ugly user interface. There aren’t any worthwhile widgets aside from a decent third-party weather app, and the icons that infiltrate the status bar and the main menu are too colorful and toy-like for my tastes. The entire UI reminds me of LG’s experience on feature phones, which was never a good thing. Thankfully there are free applications such as LauncherPro that can rid your phone of the ugly icon and UI problem, but I wish LG had left this a “pure Google” experience as it did with the T-Mobile G2x. LG also added several 3D-specific applications and I’ll go over them in the following section.

3D

3D. Whenever I hear the term I immediately think I’m being sucked into a gimmick no better than a holographic trading card. I won’t even go to a 3D movie. You may remember my impressions on 3D when I reviewed the Nintendo 3DS; the display wasn’t impressive and it took away from the gaming experience in a number of titles.

The Optimus Thrill 4G definitely has a superior screen compared to the 3DS though, and since 3D is optional for the most part I, oddly enough, enjoy using it. LG included a full 3D menu that allows you to quickly browse 3D YouTube videos, 3D pictures and videos in your gallery, and fast access to 3D games.There are a couple of decent games that definitely suck you into the 3D experience. I liked playing Let’s Golf 2 in three dimensions and Fragging in Nova was also decent fun, but it wasn’t much better than playing in 2D. Additionally, there aren’t a lot of games pre-loaded, so you’ll need to buy more to keep the experience going. While there’s a YouTube application with dedicated access to 3D videos, I spent most of my time showing off the pre-loaded videos to friends and strangers in bars. The response was nearly always “that’s cool, but who cares?” And that’s the problem: who cares? 3D is somewhat exciting and it works, but at the end of the day it’s totally unnecessary.

Camera

The Thrill 4G’s camera is capable of shooting in both 2D and 3D modes. In 2D mode you can capture 5-megapixel photos and record video in 1080p HD. The stereoscopic 3D cameras are also capable of snapping 3-megapixel 3D images and recording 720p HD video in 3D. Videos came out well. In fact, here’s a video of a Jane’s Addiction concert on YouTube that was filmed entirely in 720p 3D video with a number of LG Thrill units, if you want a better sample of the camera’s quality.

The tricky part with the camera is that if you aren’t in the right light or aren’t careful enough when snapping a photo, there’s actually an overlap of two images and it looks like a blurry 3D mess. When I was careful to steady the phone and snap a photo of an object in a well lit area, the photos came out pretty well. If I held the phone in a darker area, to avoid any glare, the images didn’t appear to pop off of the screen. A shot of chips, salsa, and plates on a coffee table came out really well, as did a picture of a coffee mug on a bookshelf. Other shots, such as those taken down my street, weren’t as impressive. You’ll need to really get up close to your subject in order for it to appear to pop off of the screen. Otherwise the image looks like it has a lot of depth but it doesn’t pop off of the screen.

Another cool feature: you can take shots in 2D and then view them in 3D, although the effects are much better if you take the pictures in 3D originally. Worse, 2D pictures were often on the blurry and washed-out side (see above). Overall, I liked snapping photos better than recording video; the results came out better. Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to a 3D TV to see my home videos blown up.

Call Quality and Data

Call quality on the Thrill 4G was good during my tests. I used the phone daily for a solid two weeks to place a number of phone calls and didn’t have any complaints. I was able to hear the callers on the other end loud and clear and they said I sounded “crisp.” I dropped a couple of conversations but that’s par for the course on AT&T in New York City. One issue I did notice: the signal strength indicator would frequently jump around between two and four bars. The icon doesn’t always reflect the actual signal strength, but there could be issues with the phone’s ability to maintain a solid signal.

As its name implies, the LG Thrill 4G runs on AT&T’s HSPA+ “4G” network. I ran a number of tests with the Speedtest.net application in my apartment, where I usually run my tests, and rarely saw the phone peak over 1Mbps while running a download test. Instead, I averaged about 750Kbps, which is slower than I’ve seen with a number of 3G phones. The phone’s upload speeds were solid, however: I averaged 1.6Mbps in my upload throughput tests.

Battery

I was able to get through a full day with the Thrill 4G without a problem using the phone moderately. Obviously your mileage will vary if you’re spending more time using the 3D display or streaming video, but generally the battery was on a par with the Infuse 4G on AT&T, which is one of the longer lasting Android devices out there.

Conclusion

I like the Thrill 4G because LG tried to differentiate itself with a device that could display and record 3D content. It’s a fun concept and works in practice, but it’s hard to recommend a phone simply because it offers 3D as an option. The third dimension, as it stands in mobile, is purely for entertainment purposes, and the problem is the phone has so many other faults.

The Thrill 4G has a solid build, despite its plastic accents, but it’s far bulkier and heavier than many of its competitors. Call quality was satisfactory, but I had issues with its download speeds in New York City.

Overall, the LG Thrill 4G is just a mediocre device. You might be better served picking up a Motorola ATRIX 4G for the same $99.99 price, as it still packs a mean hardware punch. If it’s power your after though, my advice is to stick around and see how Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S II handset for AT&T turns out.

Research In Motion announced via its official Twitter account on Monday that AT&T will launch the BlackBerry Torch 9810 on August 21st. We recently had hands-on time with the Torch 9810, which is nearly identical to the Torch handset that came before it, but appreciated the first-class keyboard and updated BlackBerry OS 7 operating system. The Torch 9810 is also equipped with support for AT&T’s HSPA+ network and has a 640 x 480-pixel display, 8GB of storage, a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p HD video, and a 1.2GHz processor. AT&T confirmed on its Facebook page that the Torch 9810 will cost $49.99 with a new two-year contract.

[Via MyDaily-Gadget]

Read [AT&T] Read [RIM]

AT&T announced early Wednesday morning that it will offer three new BlackBerry smartphones this year. It will first launch the 4G HSPA+ capable BlackBerry Torch 9810 in August. AT&T promises to then launch the 4G BlackBerry Bold 9900 later this year, as well as the full-touchscreen BlackBerry Torch 9860. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 packs a 1.2GHz processor, a dual-microphone, a 640 x 480-pixel display, 8GB of storage, 768MB of RAM, HSPA+ support, a digital compass and a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p HD video. It’s unclear at this point what pricing will be unfortunately, and AT&T didn’t provide branded images or a complete spec list for either of the other two BlackBerry devices it announced. Thankfully, we’ve already shown you exclusive leaked images of the Torch 9860 and we published a hands-on look at the Bold 9900 back in May. We also have a feeling we’ll be getting up-close and personal with these new devices again very soon. In the meantime, read on for AT&T’s full press release.

AT&T ANNOUNCES 4G BLACKBERRY PORTFOLIO

Exclusive 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810 to Precede 4G BlackBerry Bold 9900 and New, 4G, All-touch BlackBerry Torch 9860

DALLAS, Aug. 3, 2011 —

Key Facts

• AT&T* today outlined plans for its future portfolio of 4G BlackBerry smartphones including the exclusive 4G BlackBerry^® Torch™ 9810, planned to be launched in August.
• Also planned for 2011, AT&T customers will have the opportunity to select the 4G BlackBerry^® Bold™ 9900 and the 4G, all-touch, BlackBerry^® Torch™ 9860.
• AT&T’s premium BlackBerry lineup will be capable of speeds up to nearly four times the network speed capability of previous models, so you can talk and surf even faster on the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network.

4G BlackBerry Torch 9810

Exclusive to AT&T customers, the next-generation 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810 is faster and more fluid with high performance hardware features and the new BlackBerry® 7 OS delivering an enhanced multimedia experience. It features the signature BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard that easily slides out to allow fast typing and a full touch screen display, and delivers high-speed 4G capabilities. The 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810 is planned to be available in August.

The new 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone boasts significant hardware improvements including a 1.2GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera with HD 720p video recording, 8 gigabytes of onboard storage and a high resolution, 3.2-inch touch display powered by BlackBerry Liquid Graphics™ technology to deliver an incredibly fast, smooth and responsive visual experience.

A powerful evolution of the BlackBerry software, BlackBerry 7 OS delivers speed, efficiency and UI enhancements and enables new hardware capabilities, including HD video recording, more fluid and responsive graphics, digital compass, and augmented reality. Browsing with the new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones is up to 40% faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to 100% faster than BlackBerry® 5 based smartphones**.

AT&T BlackBerry Smartphone Portfolio

In addition to the 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810, AT&T plans to also add even more 4G-capable versions of  BlackBerry smartphones to its portfolio later this year including the 4G BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the 4G, all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9860, which will be AT&T’s first all-touch BlackBerry smartphone.

Moments ago Verizon Wireless announced that its customers can now pre-order a 4G LTE version of Samsung’s brand new Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. The device is powered by Android 3.1 (Honeycomb), sports a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor clocked at 1GHz, offers a 3.2-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p HD video, and more. It will be available in “metallica gray” or “glossy white,” in 16GB and 32GB flavors. The 16GB Galaxy Tab 10.1 will set you back $529.99 while the 32GB one will cost you $629.99. Verizon is offer four different tablet plans: $20 for 1GB of data per month, $35 for 3GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB. The carrier said it expects the tablet to ship in the next 4-6 weeks.

We exclusively reported details of Google’s first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone — either a Nexus device, or a “pure Google” flagship handset from one of Google’s key partners — and we now have more information surrounding the world’s most anticipated Android phone. We reported that the handset would nix physical menu keys going forward, and would feature a monster 720p -resolution display, and we have now confirmed with our source that the screen itself is branded as a “Super AMOLED HD” display. The branding confirms our suspicions that Samsung will indeed be the manufacturer. We have also confirmed that the processor in the upcoming device will be an OMAP4460, just as we originally reported. Hit the jump for more.

This upcoming superphone will not have any carrier preloads or OEM customizations, which goes without saying for a Nexus phone or a reference/flagship Android offering. The current codename is “Prime”, and our source believes it’s possible that the phone could launch as the “Google Nexus Prime.” We also have information that Google’s onslaught of high-end Android devices isn’t going to stop anytime soon. With the Motorola DROID and Motorola XOOM, Google launched its flagship Android devices with one carrier and one OEM, but we’re hearing things might be switched up this time around. Our source indicated that Google could be working with multiple carriers and multiple OEMs on their own “exclusive” Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) halo devices, and that they may all launch around the same time.

Imagine flagship releases from Motorola, HTC, and LG with Ice Cream Sandwich available on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint all at practically the same time… in addition to a Google Nexus handset from Samsung. The summer’s going to be hot, but it looks like the fall might get even hotter.

The DROID Incredible 2 recently landed on Verizon Wireless, and it has some tough shoes to fill. When the original launched, it was BGR’s favorite Android phone to date despite stiff competition from the Motorola DROID, which launched at the same time. The DROID Incredible 2 packs some decent hardware, like a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p video, and more, but its specs — and data speeds — don’t match those of phones at the higher end of Verizon’s portfolio. Is the DROID Incredible 2 a worthy successor to the original or does it fall short? Read on to find out!

Hardware / Display

I remember reviewing the original Incredible and feeling a sense of loss the day I had to send it back. It had a unique race-car inspired design and HTC even had interchangeable red and white covers for the back panel that you could buy separately. The whole idea was that HTC was totally tweaking the industrial design of the phone to really get consumers turned on to the sexy designs possible with a mobile device. There’s less shock value with the Incredible 2. The red battery compartment is gone, the contours aren’t unique anymore, and the whole device feels too similar to the original to be exciting.

The phone feels excellent in the hand, though, and the soft-touch black finish provides good grip. The volume keys are in easy reach on the top left hand side, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top across from a power button, and the back is home to an 8-megapixel camera and a dual-LED flash. I love that the menu, home, search, and return buttons automatically rotate so that they’re displayed correctly in both landscape and portrait view. HTC should definitely carry that feature into other phones.

The most noticeable difference on the Incredible 2 is its larger 4-inch 800 x 480 resolution display. I like that it’s bigger than the original 3.7-inch screen on the first Incredible, which was a hair too small, but I’m disappointed that HTC ditched the AMOLED display panel. Text looks decent on the screen, but the colors don’t pop in the way they did on the original Incredible. The trade off is that the current display is much easier to view under direct sunlight, however.

I’ll discuss the rest of the hardware in various parts of this review, but here’s a quick rundown of the raw specs: the DROID Incredible is powered by a 1GHz processor — that’s the same clock speed as the original — and it has an 8-megapixel with a dual-LED flash, a 1,450 mAh battery, a 1.3-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chat, and a 16GB microSD card pre-installed.

Software

The Incredible 2 is powered by Android 2.2.1 (Froyo) with HTC’s custom Sense user interface running on top, and its 1GHz powered through it all just fine. Unfortunately, the phone is not loaded with HTC’s new revamped version of Sense, which will make its debut on the T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G any week now. I’ve always been a big fan of Sense. It’s one of my favorite Android user interfaces, but it’s hard to recommend software that’s already being replaced. The DROID Incredible 2 also runs Android 2.2 (Froyo), too, instead of the newer Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS.

Thankfully, there’s relatively little bloatware installed, save for V Cast Apps, V CAST Media, V CAST Music, V CAST Tones, and V CAST Videos. Verizon has pre-installed some other software, including 3G Mobile Hotspot, Blockbuster, Amazon Kindle, Lets Golf 2, NFS Shift, Skype Mobile, NFL Mobile, Slacker, and more, but those applications are often very popular Android apps, too, and I’m a big fan of many of them. The 3G Hotpsot application will allow you to share your 3G connection with other Wi-Fi enabled devices, and I used the Incredible 2 hotspot during an entire workday without any connection drops.

Calling / Data

Calls on the DROID Incredible 2 were solid, as is typically the case on Verizon’s phones in New York City. During a test call, the other party said I sounded “clear” while walking on the streets of New York City, and she said she couldn’t make out the background traffic. The speakerphone was a bit watery but the volume was sufficient. As far as data, the Incredible 2′s data speeds were just OK. I averaged 1.2Mbps on the downlink and 1Mbps up, which is good enough for a 3G phone but a far cry from Verizon’s brand new 4G LTE network which offers download speeds that are nearly 20 times that.

Camera

The Incredible 2 packs an 8-megapixel camera, just like the original, and can shoot 720p HD video. I was satisfied with the images I snapped — they look great on the phone itself and just as solid blown up on a computer screen. Unlike some newer phones, the Incredible 2 isn’t capable of auto-focusing while shooting video, though, which was a bit of a disappointment. Similarly, it lacks an HDMI-out port, so you won’t be able to show videos or photos on your bigscreen TV, another feature that’s supported by many other high-end devices.

Battery Life

During my few days of testing I didn’t have any problem getting through a full day of moderate use before the 1,450mAh battery ran out on the Incredible 2. Verizon rates it for 6.5 hours of usage, though, so you’ll want to bring a charger along if you’re planning to watch movies during a long plane ride or car trip.

Wrap-up

The DROID Incredible 2 is a good phone — there’s nothing inherently wrong with it — but I don’t think it brings the Incredible brand forward at all. In fact, there really isn’t anything “incredible” about it. The phone is very similar to the original, save for a larger screen and some small tweaks like a forward-facing camera, but at $199.99 it costs just as much as dual-core smartphones like the DROID X2, and it’s $50 shy of Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones that offer much, much, faster data speeds. Is it a solid follow-up to the original? No. In fact, I like the original better.

Oh, you haven’t heard? Having a display with 326 pixels per inch (ppi) was so last year. In 2011, 367ppi reigns supreme. At this week’s SID 2011 conference, Japanese company Toshiba showcased a 4-inch LCD display with a 720 x 1280 pixel resolution and an impressive pixel density of 367ppi. The screen, which will come to market sometime this year, has a contrast ratio of 1000:1 and is capable of displaying video in native 720p. Much has been made of screen pixel-density, thanks in part to Apple coining the term “Retina display” with its launch of the iPhone 4. Apple’s latest smartphone features 326 pixels per inch, making the new Toshiba offering — with 41 extra pixels for every inch — better (or at least denser). What handset will be knighted with the new, ultra-crisp screen? We’re not sure, but we can’t wait to find out.

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Verizon’s second 4G LTE smartphone, the Samsung DROID Charge, is finally available. Here’s a quick refresher of the phone’s spec sheet: it offers a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 32GB microSD card, and an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p HD video. We recently reviewed the DROID Charge, and with data speeds that hovered regularly around 20Mbps in New York City, we called it the 4G LTE “phone to beat.” You can pick up the DROID Charge in Verizon Wireless stores and online for $299.99 with a new two-year contract.

The Samsung Infuse 4G, with a radio capable of achieving peak rates of 21Mbps, is being marketed as the fastest smartphone currently available from AT&T. It’s the big brother to the Samsung Captivate, and fits just between that device and Samsung’s Galaxy S II when it comes to hardware specs. The Infuse 4G packs a gorgeous and massive 4.5-inch display, a thin and light form factor, and a solid camera. AT&T’s first HSPA+ “4G” phones fell flat when it came to data — neither the HTC Inspire 4G nor the Motorola ATRIX 4G could hold a candle to the 3G download speeds available on the iPhone 4, and we won’t even discuss the upload speeds. Is the Infuse the AT&T 4G smartphone you’ve been waiting for? I’ve been trekking along with it for more than a week and have penned my impressions, so check out the gallery below and then hit the jump for my full review.

Hardware / Display

The very first thing you will, and I did, notice about the Infuse 4G is its huge 4.5-inch 800 x 480-pixel resolution Super AMOLED Plus display. It’s the same screen technology that’s on the DROID Charge from Verizon Wireless, and it’s hard to describe just how beautifully colorful, bright, and sharp it is. We first saw Samsung’s last generation Super AMOLED displays on its Galaxy S devices, and the Super AMOLED Plus improves on that panel in a number of ways. It’s easier to read under direct sunlight, and the blacks are even darker and inkier. Everyone needs to see this screen, even if you’re not on the market for a new phone. But I digress.

Despite having such a large display, the Infuse 4G is shockingly light at about 5 ounces. It’s thin, too, and measures just 0.35-in thick. The touch sensitive buttons for menu, home, return, and search all worked well during my tests. The power and volume buttons are all located within reach and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the phone. With a capable camera on board though, I wish Samsung added a camera quick-launch button, too.

Speaking of cameras, the Infuse 4G has two of them: a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter for video chats, and an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording full 720p HD video on the back. There’s also a single-LED flash, something the Captivate lacked. The back of the phone looks sharp and has a textured finish that blends nicely with the imitation metal border that wraps around the whole device. However, the textured back battery panel is flimsy. The HTC Inspire 4G, by contrast, has a rock solid unibody design. While I appreciate the Infuse 4G’s lightness and its aesthetic, it does feel a bit cheap.

Under the hood there’s a 1.2GHz processor, 16GB of storage built in, a 2GB microSD card, support for 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi networks, a 1,750mAh battery, and more. That’s not a huge jump from the hardware that the Captivate offered, and I wish the phone packed Samsung’s dual-core Orion processor that’s inside the Galaxy S II. All of the aformentioned hardware powers Android 2.2.1 (Froyo), with Samsung’s last generation TouchWiz user interface. Let’s get into that now.

Software

The Infuse 4G runs Google’s previous-generation Android 2.2.1 operating system. That’s not a huge deal, given that just 4% of phones are powered by the newer Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, but it’s still odd to me that new devices are hitting the market with an outdated version preloaded. Here’s what really gets me though: Samsung’s previous-generation TouchWiz user interface.

I’ve spent time with Samsung’s new TouchWiz 4.0 on the DROID Charge, and I like what the firm has done to improve it compared to earlier versions. The UI feels faster, has several new and fun zooming features, and has an improved widget interface. Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t include that on the Infuse 4G, and I can’t figure out why. TouchWiz 3.0 is too colorful and cartoonish, and the widgets waste too much space. Thankfully the 1.2GHz processor kept everything snappy, though, so it never felt too sluggish. User interfaces are a matter of taste, and I’ve met plenty of people that prefer TouchWiz to competing UIs. For me personally though, it’s not a good fit.

As I’ve said in the past, I’m not a fan of the black background in the e-mail user interface, and don’t like Samsung’s default keyboard. There’s the option to use Swype on the Infuse 4G, which worked pretty well, and you can switch to the default Android keyboard, too. One software issue in particular that stood out was the sluggishness of the web browser. On multiple occasions it would lock up while I was trying to access a new website or pan around a page. Sometimes it would just stall for a few seconds, and then work properly again, but this is an issue I’ve typically seen with lower-end devices — not 1.2GHz “superphones.”

Last, but not least, the Infuse 4G is the first phone on AT&T to allow for side-loading of third-party applications. That means you can load up an .apk file on the phone, access it via your file manager of choice, and then install it. Before you can start side-loading apps, however, you’ll have to visit Settings > Applications, and check the box next to “Unknown Sources.”

Calling / Data

The data speeds on the Infuse 4G are awful and are just barely better than what I’ve seen on the ATRIX 4G and the Inspire 4G. I averaged 3.07Mbps on the downlink and a pitiful .11Mbps on the uplink. That’s a solid 3G download speed, but overall the throughput is pathetic for anything with a 4G moniker. Verizon’s 4G LTE network consistently offers downlink speeds of 20Mbps with phones like the Samsung DROID Charge; that’s more than six times faster than AT&T’s 4G network. I hope AT&T issues a patch that fixes the speeds, and it’s upsetting the carrier is advertising this as its fastest phone yet — with theoretical 21Mbps peak download speeds — when even 5Mbps seems unachievable and the “3G” iPhone 4 regularly sees faster download speeds.

Calls on the Infuse 4G were decent, but nothing to call home about. I didn’t have a single dropped call during my tests in New York City, but voices did sound a bit watery during a few conversations. The speakerphone volume was more than sufficient. One friend said he could tell I was using a speakerphone but that I sounded “pretty clear.” Overall the call quality of the Infuse 4G sits around average in my book.

Battery Life

I was easily able to get through a full workday with moderate usage on a single charge of the Infuse 4G’s 1,750mAh battery. That’s an improvement over the Captivate, which frequently died on me before 5:00 p.m. Using the phone as my primary device, checking email, surfing the web, and listening to music, drained the battery noticeably faster, but I was also impressed with its standby time. Overall the Infuse 4G’s battery life was among the best I’ve seen on a high-powered Android phone yet. If you’re looking for a bit longer, I’d suggest checking out the ATRIX 4G, which managed to muster through a full workday with heavy usage.

Camera

The Infuse 4G’s 8-megapixel took stellar photos, especially in good lighting conditions. Shots taken around New York City came out clear, and the sky on a sunny day was deep blue. On particularly bright days, I noticed that the sky would bleed a bit into my subjects, and shots came out overexposed altogether. Low light pictures came out OK, but just like the DROID Charge on Verizon, street lights really bled into my images, even with the anti-shake option enabled. I took a few more images while watching the Kentucky Derby in a dark pub, though, and the flash did a good job when I took a picture of my dinner plate.

The Infuse 4G’s camera is capable of recording 720p video, and the results were impressive, but on a par with what the Captivate was capable of shooting, too. I didn’t see much distortion, even while panning around. The camera also continuously auto-focuses, which is a nice touch.

Wrap-up

No, it’s not the 4G phone you’ve been waiting for, but it’s still a solid device. I’m shocked that AT&T can get away with calling this a 4G phone, however, because I have yet to see data speeds that push the boundaries of its network. But if AT&T making good on its “4G” claims and delivering solid data speeds isn’t a necessity for you, the Infuse 4G is worthy of your attention. The screen is incredible, I like the thin form factor, and the solid battery life was definitely appreciated. Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface isn’t for everyone either, but I still highly recommend you consider reserving a spot in your pocket for the Infuse 4G when it launches on May 15th for $199.99.

I’ve spent more than a week living and breathing alongside the Samsung DROID Charge, Verizon’s second 4G LTE smartphone, and and it had some pretty big shoes to fill following Verizon’s first 4G LTE smartphone, the HTC ThunderBolt. The DROID Charge is loaded with all the trimmings you could ask for, including a huge Super AMOLED Plus display with colors that will blow your mind, an 8-megapixel camera that can shoot HD video, and of course, support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. But do all of these features make it worth the $299 you’ll have to drop in order to own one? Hit the break for my full review to find out.

Hardware / Display

Samsung told me that the “pet name” for the DROID Charge was the “Stealth,” and that’s certainly an accurate description of its industrial design. The area below the phone’s large 4.3-inch screen tapers down to a small chin, and its rounded edges, glossy mirror gray finish, and sharp accents around the camera lens definitely add to its fighter-jet style. Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus display is one of the clearest, brightest, and sharpest screens I’ve ever seen on a smartphone. The display offers even deeper blacks than the Super AMOLED screen on Samsung’s Galaxy S phones, which is really saying a lot. Colors are stunning and you really just have to see it to understand the beauty, but a beautiful screen this size comes at a cost; the DROID Charge definitely has a bit of heft at just over 5 ounces, but at just 0.46-inches slim it easily slid into my pocket.

Unlike the Galaxy S devices before it, the DROID Charge has hardware keys below the screen instead of touch-sensitive buttons. The keys have nice bounce and each has a soft white backlight that illuminates while the screen is activated. Under the hood the DROID Charge runs on a 1GHz processor, which is a bit lower powered than the dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 devices that have started to infiltrate the market. Still, there’s 512MB of RAM that helps speed things up a bit, and our unit came with a 32GB microSD card so there’s more than enough space to store videos, music, and photos. A 32GB microSD card runs about $60 on Amazon, so I’m starting to see why the DROID Charge is priced as high as it is.

One feature that I really enjoyed using was HDMI-out. You can purchase movies from Media Hub for about $9.99 each, or move files over to the phone using your USB cable, and then output them to an HDTV using a mini-HDMI cable. There were a few hiccups in the frame rates, but otherwise the movie played without a hitch. I’ll revisit this a bit more in the camera section of the review.

Software

Here’s where things get a bit stale: The DROID Charge runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Samsung’s custom TouchWiz user interface on top. I’m not a big fan of TouchWiz — it’s too cartoony looking, the widgets are always larger than necessary, and they don’t use screen real estate efficiently. There are several useful features, like the ability to sync Twitter or Facebook with your address book, but generally TouchWiz turns me off. Thankfully, the DROID Charge’s processor hummed along just fine despite the UI, which can slow things down just a bit on other devices. There are  also other small issues that drive me mad about TouchWiz, though — like its black e-mail interface — and at times I just wish Samsung had stuck with a vanilla version of Android on the Charge.

The Charge’s virtual keyboard mirrors those on Samsung’s Galaxy S devices, and I’m not a fan. The space bar is too small and seems to be positioned too far to the left; half the time I try to type a space I end up hitting the period button instead. This, of course, is where third-party developers come in, and I definite;y recommend installing your third-party keyboard of choice on the Charge.

There’s a fair amount of bloatware on the phone including VerizonApps, a Guided Tour, VZ Navigator, TuneWiki, City ID, Bitbop, and more. Thankfully, though, Verizon chose to use Google as the default search option on the DROID Charge, which is a welcome change from the Fascinate.

Calling / Data

The call quality on the DROID Charge was clear during my tests and I had no issue with dropped calls in New York City or during a trip to Orlando for BlackBerry World. Friends and family on the other end of the line said I sounded good, and the ear speaker was loud enough even while walking on busy streets. The speakerphone had adequate volume as well, but voices were distorted at higher levels. Callers said I sounded fine on speakerphone and they couldn’t tell I wasn’t directly talking into the handset.

The DROID Charge is Verizon’s second phone capable of placing phone calls while surfing the Internet, and this feature worked perfectly during my tests. I looked up a quick place to eat lunch while I had a friend on speakerphone, and I didn’t notice any drop in call quality or data speeds. BGR Editor in Chief Jonathan Geller, in his ThunderBolt review, wondered if perhaps the poor voice quality on that phone was related to the talk / surf feature, and I’m glad to report that’s not the case with the Charge.

Data speeds on Verizon’s 4G LTE network regularly exceeded 20Mbps on the downlink in New York City, and I typically saw upload speeds around 4Mbps. The download speeds are faster than you’ll find on any other U.S. carrier hands-down and are even on a par with home network connections.

There are drawbacks to being an early adopter, however. During my first week of testing Verizon’s 4G LTE network, it went down for just over 24 hours. Users weren’t compensated for the downtime, and I couldn’t even access a 3G network during the outage. That’s a big deal, especially for business users or those of us who rely on our smartphones throughout most of the day. Similarly, while tethered to a laptop, I noticed that the signal dropped a number of times, and there are reports from some websites claiming the same issue — hopefully this is something that will be fixed in a future software update. I’m not dinging Verizon, though; it’s the first to roll-out such a high-speed network and there are bound to be small hiccups along the way.

Battery Life

The DROID Charge moniker is quite fitting as I found the 1,600mAh needed frequent charging under heavy 4G use. The phone offered up better battery life than the 4.5 hours Jonathan saw with the HTC ThunderBolt, but it still wasn’t great. Generally, I was able to go from about 7:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. with moderate usage on 4G.

If you need to save battery life, there’s an option under wireless network settings to use a CDMA network only. This let me place voice calls and use Verizon’s slower 3G EV-DO network for surfing the Web. It’s definitely a welcome change over the HTC ThunderBolt, which didn’t ship with that option, although an app is now available. With 3G enabled, I was able to get through a full work day with moderate usage. Unfortunately there isn’t a widget to quickly switch networks out of the box; that would certainly be a welcome addition, but I’m sure Android enthusiasts will whip something up to fix that.

Camera

There’s an 8-megapixel camera on the DROID Charge, and I used it to shoot a bunch of photos during a trip to Florida. Images were crisp and colors looked true in daylight. Photos look amazing on the Super AMOLED Plus screen, and they just had a little distortion when I pushed them out to my 32-inch TV using HDMI-out. Pictures snapped under incandescent lights had a decidedly orange hue to them, but were otherwise perfectly acceptable.

A night shot taken of a neon sign, without the flash, had brighter colors bleeding into the darker areas of the screen, even with the camera’s anti-shake feature activated. In lower light conditions, the single-LED  flash did a decent job grabbing our subject, too, but I prefer the dual-LED option on phones like the HTC ThunderBolt.

I shot several HD video clips in 720p, but the DROID Charge defaults to a 720 x 480 resolution, so you’ll want to be sure to activate the HD option for better video. The frame rates were fluid when I played the video back on the Charge’s display, and I was just as blown away when I watched the same clip on my TV using HDMI-out. The video and audio were both crisp and I didn’t notice any pixelation, even when panning the video around. One issue I did run into, though, is that the phone required a reboot when I unplugged the HDMI cable and then tried to plug it back in again to resume playback.

Wrap-up

If you’re looking for 4G speeds, the Samsung DROID Charge is the phone to beat — but you’ll need deep pockets. Sure, I’d take HTC’s Sense user interface over TouchWiz any day, but the DROID Charge offers a few things HTC’s ThunderBolt doesn’t, namely a gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus display and an out-of-the-box option to turn off 4G to save on battery life, which meant I was able to get through a full day with moderate usage when I didn’t need to surf the Web at blazing fast speeds.

The DROID Charge is priced at $299, which is $50 more expensive than its only 4G LTE competitor, the ThunderBolt. That’s for good reason, however. It offers better battery life, a killer display, clearer phone calls, and a much less bulky design — easily worth the $50 difference. Sure, Verizon has a number of new 4G LTE smartphones coming down the pipeline, but if you want in on the carrier’s blazing fast data now, the DROID Charge is your best bet, hands-down.

HTC enthusiast forum 911sniper has gotten its hands on a ROM from the HTC Kingdom, an unannounced Android 2.3.3 smartphone that we now know to be headed to Sprint. We’ve seen the Kingdom in a very blurry image before, but this time several full specs and other details have become available. The device reportedly has a Qualcomm MSM7630 Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 768MB of RAM, a 4-inch qHD display, and a camera capable of recording 720p HD video. The leaked ROM also reveals support for 802.11b/g/n and Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network. Sprint has yet to confirm the device’s existence, so we’re not sure exactly when this device will hit the market, but let’s hope it happens soon because it definitely looks like a nice incremental upgrade.

[Via Pocketnow]

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Qualcomm has released a few videos promoting its next-generation dual-core Mobile Development Platform, which includes its blazing fast MSM8660 Snapdragon processor. The video shows the platform’s Adreno 220 graphics processing unit chewing through 720p HD video. Similarly, Qualcomm’s single-core QSD8255 processor bests an LG Optimus 2X, powered by a a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, in a Flash load test. What’s so exciting about that? The MSM8660 Snapdragon chipset powers devices such as the HTC EVO 3D, headed to Sprint, and the HTC Sensation 4G for T-Mobile that will launch in the coming months. Hit the jump for two quick videos.

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After years of waiting from BlackBerry users, the ultimate BlackBerry has finally been made official. We broke the story on the next generation BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, and we even spent some one-on-one time with it, but there is nothing like an official announcement, right? As far as specs, it’s everything we reported it would be — 1.2GHz processor, 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, 8GB of onboard storage, and more. As far as availability, RIM said that the new BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 will be available from “carriers around the world” starting this summer. We’re hearing June / July still. Entire press release is after the break.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Bold Smartphones

New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones are the Thinnest and Most Powerful BlackBerry Smartphones yet, Featuring the Renowned BlackBerry Keyboard Together with a Brilliant Touch Screen and the New BlackBerry 7 OS

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today unveiled two new BlackBerry® BoldTM smartphones. The high-performance BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a stunning and iconic design that integrates an incredibly easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard with a brilliant, high resolution, capacitive touch screen. These exceptional smartphones are built on a new, performance-driven platform powered by the BlackBerry® 7 operating system and designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world.

“The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience.”

Thin, Sleek, Iconic Design

Distinguished by an iconic design and the industry’s best keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature the premium materials and finishes that characterize the BlackBerry Bold line. Both models have a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate. They are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet, at only 10.5mm. The quality materials and optimized design of the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones are instantly evident when held in the hand.

Performance-Driven

These BlackBerry Bold smartphones are built on a new performance-driven platform featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid GraphicsTM touch screen, and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks.

The Liquid Graphics touch screen, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7, delivers fast, smooth performance for highly responsive touch-based navigation, web browsing, pictures, video and graphics intensive games*. Offering up to 60 frames-per-second performance with instant UI action/response, Liquid Graphics gives customers a visually rich and immersive experience that’s responsive to the touch. In addition, the smartphones feature brilliant displays with an eye- popping 287 dpi to deliver crisp, stunning visuals.

May 2, 2011The new platform also provides support for 4G networks; the 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity, and the 9930 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA+ global roaming on GSM/UMTS networks.

NFC

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable many rich and exciting experiences. Through NFC, users will be able to, for example, pair the BlackBerry Bold to an accessory or read information such as a web link from smart tags by simply tapping their BlackBerry Bold to an NFC tag (eg. Smart Poster).

Augmented Reality

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a built-in compass (magnetometer) to support location-based services and augmented reality. APIs will allow third party developers to take advantage of the new functionality within their applications. The new smartphones will also include Wikitude, the leader in mobile augmented reality, which overlays contextual information on what the user sees through the smartphone’s camera viewfinder.

HD Video

The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones support up to 720p HD video recording and playback. Users can easily share their videos directly from the smartphone or sync videos, as well as music and photos, to their computer using Media Sync in the BlackBerry® Desktop Software.

BlackBerry 7

The BlackBerry 7 OS is designed to power the new performance-driven BlackBerry Bold platform. It provides an easier and faster user experience with improved browsing, voice- activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box.

The BlackBerry Browser has been significantly enhanced in BlackBerry 7. In addition to the general performance gains of Liquid Graphics, which helps deliver faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming, the BlackBerry 7 browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages. The new browser also includes support for additional HTML5 elements, such as HTML5 Video.

Building upon the Universal Search feature introduced in BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 expands the capability to include voice-activated search. This new capability makes it even easier and more convenient to search for content on the smartphone or web.

BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® BalanceTM, which separates personal content from corporate content on the smartphone, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the handset for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps while satisfying the very real need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls such as wiping only corporate data from the handset or blocking work related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts.

With BlackBerry 7 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, users will also get the full version of Docs To Go® with all “premium” features enabled out-of-the-box so that users can easily work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone. Docs To Go also includes a native PDF viewer.

Availability

The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer.

For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com/touchbold

APPENDIX

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Specifications

• 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, approximately 130 g • 2.8″ capacitive touch screen display – VGA (640×480), 287 dpi resolution • Ultra-easy QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad • 1.2 GHz Processor, 768 MB RAM • 8 GB on-board memory, plus microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards • NFC technology • 5.0 MP camera, supports 720p HD video recording • Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), Digital Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity Sensor • Built-in GPS / aGPS • Dual-Band Wi-Fi® – 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n at 5 GHz • Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support • Wireless Network support:

o 9900:Tri-BandHSPA+,Quad-BandGSM/EDGE o 9930:Dual-BandCDMA/EV-DORev.A,Dual-BandHSPA+,Quad-Band

GSM/EDGE • 1230 mAh removable, rechargeable battery

• BlackBerry 7 OS * Features OpenGL 2.0 support for developers.

About Research In Motion

###

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

A recent Adobe Flash Player 10.2 update has spilled the beans on Android 3.1. The update says that Flash Player 10.2 supports “hardware accelerated video,” provided that a user is running the unannounced Android 3.1 operating system. This should drastically increase video playback performance, specifically with HD video, on Honeycomb tablets. Google hasn’t yet announced Android 3.1, but we expect to hear more it during Google’s I/O developer conference on May 10th and 11th in San Francisco.

[Via Engadget]

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