Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Gadgets / Other, Transportation
Image credit: Vistingdc.com
If you have ever traveled in NYC subways, or any subway for that matter, then you probably know getting service underground is practically impossible. Carriers have been slow to adopt measures to add service underground, but two large American carriers recently signed 10 year agreements with Transit Wireless.
AT&T and T-Mobile USA’s agreement with Transit Wireless will take place in 277 of New York’s subway stations. Details of the contract allows each carrier to “renew the contracts four times in increments of five years each.” Expect an announcement from each carrier on this agreement to take place in about a week. It will be interesting to see if Verizon and Sprint look to add service to underground subway stations to keep on par with AT&T and T-Mobile.
Via [Bloomberg]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Reviews, Features, Originals
I have spent the past few weeks testing out one of Verizon's latest smartphones, the Samsung Fascinate. The Samsung Fascinate is Verizon's own Galaxy S smartphone and is the fourth and final version of the Galaxy S available on American carriers. The phone bears many similarities to the similarly spec'd Samsung Vibrant and Samsung Captivate, but doesn't feature the QWERTY slider keyboard or the front facing camera found in the Epic 4G.
What is it?
The Samsung Fascinate first burst on the scene on September 8, available for $199 on a two year contract and is available on Verizon Wireless with a special BOGO offer. Like the other Samsung Galaxy S phones, the Fascinate features the 4 inch Super AMOLED display, 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Processor, Android 2.1, Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 UI, and a rear view 5MP camera. Unlike the Captivate and Vibrant, but similar to the Epic 4G, the Fascinate features LED flash on its rear view camera. It sports 2GB of internal memory and 16GB of memory in a pre-loaded microSD card.
The Good
Having reviewed the Samsung Vibrant and the Samsung Epic 4G, I knew what to expect when I began eagerly tearing off the cover of the new Samsung Fascinate. I knew going into the review I was holding another great Samsung smartphone in my palm, one that would appeal to any Android enthusiast and would make a great addition to a Verizon lineup filled with Droids.
As with all Galaxy S devices, the Fascinate boasts the beautiful 4 inch Super AMOLED display, 1GHz A8 Cortex Hummingbird Processor, and Android 2.1. Switching between apps is handled well by the Fascinate, however, I do notice a few hiccups from time to time. The 2GB of on board memory is mainly useful for apps and other phone storage needs, but the 16GB pre-installed microSD card is great for loading music. Of course, a nice alternative to loading music on your device is the free Pandora app, which I use pretty much everyday. The external speaker produces good quality sound, but when placing the device flat on its side, the sound becomes muffled.
The Samsung Fascinate comes with 3G Mobile Hotspot, a feature that can be found on many Verizon high-end devices, but it does cost an extra $30 to your data plan. If you choose to purchase it, 3G Mobile Hotspot essentially allows other Wi-Fi capable devices to connect with your Fascinate. Be warned it does drain the battery quite heavily, but it useful when travelling and wish to access the web on a laptop or netbook.
In terms of messaging and inputting text, the Fascinate—like all Galaxy S devices—features Swype and the standard Android keyboard. The 5MP camera on the back takes clear and quality pictures similar to the Captivate, Vibrant, and Epic 4G. However, flash greatly helps taking pictures in low-light situations, and the Epic is the only other Galaxy S phone with flash. Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 is a simple UI displaying Phone, Contacts, Messaging, and Applications on the bottom of the touch screen. TouchWiz is a nice, simple, and user-friendly UI, but I do prefer HTC Sense especially with its leap view to TouchWiz. Samsung has often reiterated that Android 2.2 will shortly be available on all Galaxy S models. On the bottom of the phone—just below the Samsung logo—are the four soft-touch buttons: Option, Home, Back, and Search.
Since the Fascinate is on a Verizon smartphone, you can expect to find the common Verizon apps on the phone such as Bing, Blockbuster On Demand, Kindle for Android, Need for Speed Shift, Tetris, ThinkFree Office, and a few other small apps. Verizon also has special apps available through the Android Market such as the V Cast Video app, which does require a paid subscription.
The Bad
Like all other Galaxy S smartphones, there aren't many bad aspects about the phone. Perhaps the most frustrating part of the Fascinate experience is the fact that search is locked to Bing. Sure, Bing isn't a bad search engine, but I'm too used to Google to switch to Bing now. I'd prefer Verizon to allow Google Search at least as a default option, but again, Microsoft and Verizon are entwined in a deal.
With most smartphones, battery life is a constant issue and the Fascinate suffers from it as well. Using 3G Mobile Hotspot simply drains the battery and makes the back cover very hot to the touch. Otherwise, the battery performs decently well but I find myself charging the device after a day of moderate usage.
Lastly, I have noticed from time to time the Fascinate lags in opening up programs, but other than it, it handles tasks with efficiency.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Fascinate is another solid phone from Samsung and already fits in well with Verizon's strong lineup of Android smartphones. However, I think the other Galaxy S phones might sell a little better because they are on networks with weaker Android offerings, but overall, Samsung is definitely cashing in with marketing phones on the top four carriers.
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Web, Google
BlindType is a new software that allows users to input text without having to worry about accuracy. Essentially you type as fast as possible trying to hit as many correct keys as possible and the BlindType software will change incorrect spellings to correct words. It’s a nifty piece of software that have many skeptical, but for those who have tried it are thoroughly impressed. While BlindType has not yet been made available to the public, that could change soon because Google has recently acquired it. The short message posted by the BlindType dev team can be read below:
We are excited to announce that BlindType has been acquired by Google!
We want to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and positive feedback.
We know that typing on your mobile device can be a frustrating experience, which is why
we’ve worked hard to make touch typing easier and faster than ever - the way it should be.
We’re excited to join Google, and look forward to the great opportunities for mobile innovation that lie ahead.
The BlindType team
The logical reason for Google to acquire a text input software company is to integrate it with Google Android. The current Android keyboard is mediocre at best, while Swype is definitely the text input method software to beat. However, Swype isn’t available on every phone, so if Google could implement BlindType on every Android smartphone, users would definitely be pleased.
Via [BlindType]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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