In just a few weeks, we're expecting Nokia to launch the first-ever LTE Windows Phone handset on AT&T's network with its Lumia 900. Nothing's set in stone, but we've seen March 18 fielded as one potential release date. With the phone's release creeping on up, Nokia's getting a few formalities out of the way, like seeing to it that the 900 gets its FCCcertification. This afternoon the agency published the 900's documents, including a manual and an assortment of images.
As a smartphone destined for AT&T's new LTE network, it's no surprise that we see the Lumia 900's documentation attest to LTE operation on the 1700MHz and 700MHz bands, as used by the carrier; of course, there's also support for AT&T's 3G frequencies. More interesting is the note that the 900 is capable HSPA+ on 1700MHz, in theory opening the door for operation on T-Mobile in the States.
With the 900's rumored release date starting to close-in, we'll hopefully soon get confirmation on the full launch details, including the potential for a very low on-contract price.
Back during the CES, we learned that Toshiba was planning to bring its 10.1-inch AT200 tablet to the United States as the Excite 10. While we had pricing information for the tablet, set to be available as a $530 16GB model or a $600 32GB version, we didn't hear any stabs at a US launch date more precise than sometime around the middle of this quarter. Today, Toshiba announces the tablet's availability as well as gives its name a slight adjustment.
Instead of the Excite 10, the manufacturer will now release the tablet in the States as the Excite 10 LE. Toshiba didn't give a reason for the name change, or explain if this really is some kind of limited edition, or if LE means anything at all. From the specs the company's provided, it still sounds like the very same tablet we've been expecting, so this looks like a change in name only, rather than a hardware variation.
As for when the Excite 10 LE will arrive, Toshiba's decided on March 6 for a launch date. With Apple just having confirmed March 7 for what will likely be its iPad 3 announcement, there's definitely a bit of hubris involved in Toshiba releasing its own tablet just one day earlier.
It's well-nigh impossible to look at Sony's Tablet Pwithout conjuring up some memories of Kyocera's Echo from last year. After all, both designs employ dual touchscreens in a convertible layout that lets you collapse the device while carrying it. Kyocera's attempt never caught-on in a big way, so we're anxious to see if Sony has what it takes to succeed where others have failed. We'll be getting our chance quite soon, with Sony announcing thatthe Tablet P is set to land on AT&T this Sunday, March 3.
Even when folded closed, there's no denying that the Tablet P is bit of a beast. Besides the large bezels surrounding each screen, the displays themselves are Note-level 5.5-inchers. All things considered, this guy probably won't be slipping into your pants pocket. That could be a problem, as needing a larger place to carry around the Tablet P seems to defeat the point of its folding construction.
The Tablet P is powered by a 1GHz Tegra 2, has a five megapixel main camera with VGA front-facer, and ships with Honeycomb 3.2 (an Ice Cream Sandwich update will come later). It made its international debut a few months back, with sales starting last November. AT&T will sell the tablet for $400 on-contract, or $550 free-and-clear.
In-development Ice Cream Sandwich ROMs haveleaked for plenty of Android smartphones, giving us early looks at what some official updates may hold in store, but there's been very little in the way of authorized distribution of such pre-release code. One notable exception is Sony, which back in December announced an early alpha build of ICS for a selection of its Xperia models. Today we get to see what the company's been up to since then, upon the release of a new beta version.
Like the alpha release, there's a lot of functionality missing here that's going to detract from the phone's usability. That means that while you might want to poke around this build to get a taste for ICS, it's still a way's off from being ready for daily use. This release enables the phone's modem for GSM operation, for instance, but WiFi and Bluetooth still don't work. You'll also notice the ROM doesn't include the standard assortment of Google apps.
If you've got an Xperia Arc S, Neo V, or Ray, and you've already used Sony's tool to unlock your phone'sbootloader, you're ready to check out this new beta release. Sony says that it's very interested in getting feedback on this build, so don't hesitate to let the company know what you think of your experience.
The latest in Verizon's Droid family is the Droid 4. Its rear-facing 8MP camera is set at the factory to 720P, but is capable of 1080P.
To give you an idea what kind of video you can expect when you get your Droid 4 I bumped up the resolution to 1080P, headed to my front yard, and shot a varied assortment of close-ups and distance, land and sky, all while holding the phone at about 18-inches away.
Take a look and let us know what you think of the quality in the comments below.
