Digital Tech News - Digital Technology & Consumer Electronics

DROID 4 Phone by Motorola available on Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network

Available now from Verizon Wireless, the new DROID 4 by Motorola is the thinnest and most powerful 4G QWERTY smartphone offered by Verizon Wireless. The phone measures less than half an inch thin, and offers a five-row QWERTY keyboard with edge-lit keys for easy typing in the dark.

DROID 4 runs on Verizon's 4G LTE network, and it features a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread - upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 4.0-inch qHD display with scratch and scrape resistant glass, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, Front-facing camera for video chat, and 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot support for up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

AT&T releases Pantech Element Tablet and Pantech Burst Smartphone deal

AT&T has announced a new deal for customers which bundles two new Android devices, the Pantech Element tablet and the Pantech Burst 4G LTE smartphone.  AT&T’s customers can now buy the Pantech Element for $249.99 and recieve the Burst phone for free. That's a savings of about $100 if you bought these devices separately.

The Pantech Element is unique in that it is a waterproof tablet device, so you can whip it out in the rain if need be. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, runs Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) and it features an 8-inch HD screen, front and rear-facing cameras.

Pantech Element features include:

• Vivid 8” HD capacitive touch screen, 4:3 display ratio
• Android 3.2 Honeycomb
• 4G LTE capability (700/AWS)
• Waterproof (IP57 rated) – submergible for up to 1 meter for 30 minutes (with all ports tightly closed)
• 1.5 GHz dual core processor
• 5 MP rear-facing camera with flash and 4x digital zoom
• 2 MP front-facing camera for video chat over Wi-Fi®
• 16GB internal memory
• Expandable memory slot for microSD™ card supporting up to 32 GB
• Bluetooth® v2.1+EDR
• Tabbed browsing, Adobe® Flash® support Vivid HD Video record and playback with a micro HDMI output (cable not included)

T-Mobile to release Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G smartphone in the USA

T-Mobile USA is preparing to release the new Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G smartphone, which features a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor with 1.5 GHz dual CPUs and a brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen. The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G will run on T-Mobile’s fast 4G network and it will offer a variety of pre-loaded entertainment features for enjoying movies, TV shows, games, music and more on-the-go. T-Mobile expects to make the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G available for customers later this year, you can find out more at http://www.t-mobile.com/GalaxySBLAZE4G.

AT&T to release Nokia Lumia 900 4G LTE phone exclusively in the U.S.

At the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, Nokia and AT&T announced that the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone-based smartphone featuring high-speed 4G LTE connectivity will be available exclusively from AT&T in the coming months.

Nokia Lumia 900 features:

- 1.4 GHz processor, 4G LTE, Bing, Internet Explorer 9, HTML5, Wi-Fi

- 4.3" AMOLED ClearBlack glass touchscreen, one-piece polycarbonate body

- 8 MP main camera, Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash, Auto Focus, 1 MP front camera, video calling

- All day battery life, up to 7 hours talk time

- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, Chat, SMS

AT&T releasing new Samsung Galaxy Note phone

AT&T customers will be the first to get their hands on this impressive new Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone in the United States. Available in carbon blue and ceramic white, the Galaxy Note will run on AT&T’s 4G LTE network, and the phone offers a 5.3” display with HD Super AMOLED technology, and it comes with an "S Pen" that lets you write on the display and select functions. Pricing and release dates to be announced.

Key specs:

- 5.3” HD Super AMOLED touchscreen (1280x800)

- Integrated S Pen

- Enabled for 4G LTE

- 1.5GHz dual core processor

- Android 2.3, Gingerbread

- 16GB onboard memory

- Expandable memory up to 32GB with optional microSD card

- 2500 mAh battery

- 8MP rear facing camera

- 2MP front facing camera

- Mobile HotSpot capable

- SAFE – Samsung Approved for Enterprise

Sony Xperia ion LTE smartphone sports 4.6-inch HD display

Sony has announced its new Xperia ion phone, the company's first LTE smartphone, which will be available exclusively in the U.S. from AT&T in the second quarter of 2012.  Xperia ion boasts a large 4.6-inch HD display (1280 X 720 pixels) screen and an HD camera that is said to go from standby mode to first shot in 1.5 seconds.

Xperia ion runs the Android platform 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, and it offers users access to entertainment content from the Sony Entertainment Network, Music Unlimited with 12 million songs, plus movies and TV from Video Unlimited. The Xperia ion is also able to connect with multiple screens to share content on a TV, laptop or tablet.

LG Spectrum smartphone for Verizon Wireless features 4.5-inch True HD IPS display

Verizon Wireless and LG Mobile have announced the new LG Spectrum smartphone at CES. Available exclusively on Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network on January 19, the Spectrum by LG will cost $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. A Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan for the LG Spectrum starts at $39.99 monthly, while a smartphone data package starts at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

The LG Spectrum is the first smartphone for Verizon Wireless to feature a 4.5-inch True HD In-Plane Switching (IPS) display, and it supports images and video in 720p HD. The 1280 x 720 resolution display is said to offer one of the brightest and sharpest displays available on a mobile device, with 500-nit display luminance and Real-Stripe RGB pixels for clear viewing in direct sunlight.

LG Spectrum smartphone features:

- Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core processor

- 8-megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera with LED flash to snap beautiful pictures and 1080p video capture

- Front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat

- SmartShare—share media wirelessly to DLNA-enabled devices

- HDMI mirroring capable via MHL

- SmartMovie HD app—create and edit HD videos right on the Spectrum by LG

- Mobile Hotspot capability—share 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices

- Bluetooth® Version 3.0

- 16 GB microSD card pre-installed with support for up to 32 GB microSD card

- 4.5-inch True HD IPS display provides natural colors and brilliant, undistorted HD images in 16:9 aspect ratio. Pictures and texts are incredibly sharp with 329 pixels per inch (PPI) screen density.

- Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, the True HD IPS display uses Real Stripe subpixel arrangement so images never get blurred.

- Android 2.3 Gingerbread (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade available the first half of 2012); support for Google Mobile Services including Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Search, Google Maps and access to more than 300,000 apps available to download from Android Market.

- Preloaded Netflix app allows Netflix subscribers to stream the latest movies in high-definition quality.

- Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core processor makes multitasking seamless. Customers can surf the Web, check email and update social networks effortlessly.

- ESPN’s ScoreCenter app offers the most comprehensive sports coverage available on an Android device whether you follow the NFL or Premier League, ICC Champions League or MLB, NASCAR or Formula One. Customers can follow teams from more than 500 leagues around the world with an exclusive 720p high-definition feed for Spectrum by LG while connected to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network or Wi-Fi.

- Spectrum supports Dolby Digital Plus, which allows users to maximize their HD multimedia experience. Dolby Digital Plus can stream up to 7.1 channels of surround sound through home entertainment systems.

New PRADA phone by LG 3.0 released in South Korea

We've seen the  first and second Prada phones, and customers in South Korea are now the first to be able to purchase the new PRADA phone by LG 3.0.  LG Electronics announced the release, and have scheduled shipments of the device for European countries and other parts of Asia in January 2012.

The PRADA 3.0 designer smartphone continues PRADA and LG collaboration efforts with a device that offers a bright 800-nit NOVA display, a full glossy 4.3inch screen touchscreen on the front and PRADA’s signature Saffiano pattern on the back of the phone. The smartphone is thin at only 8.5mm, and it comes powered by a 1.0GHz Dual-Core/Dual Channel processor, and Android Gingerbread OS which will be updated to the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS in the second quarter of 2012.

Galaxy Nexus Phone by Samsung from Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless, Samsung Mobile and Google have released the Galaxy Nexus phone, which is on sale now at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. The new Galaxy Nexus runs on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network with fast download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps possible.

This smartphone is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and it boasts the latest Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system, and Near Field Communications (NFC) functions. The Galaxy Nexus also features a slim 9.47mm design with a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED Contour Display with 720p (1280x720) resolution.

The Galaxy Nexus by Samsung requires a subscribtion to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan which starts at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package which starts at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Smartphone deals from AT&T

AT&T's Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals will go live for customers exclusively online starting on Black Friday, November 25th through Cyber Monday, November 28th, with select Windows 7, BlackBerry and Android smartphone devices starting one penny. That's right, they'll have some one cent deals for Motorola Atrix, Samsung Infuse, BlackBerry 9810, HTC Inspire and LG Thrill smartphones while supplies last, with free shipping and waived activation included as well.

Naturally, these offers will require a two-year service agreement, along with monthly Smartphone voice and data plans from AT&T.