android 2.3

There are a couple of unique features that will help the announced, but not-quite-released, Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G stand out when it hits store shelves.

First, and most importantly, there's the 4G LTE compatibility for this Android smartphone. MetroPCS doesn't have a 3G network to speak of, so the speed differences between the 2.5G network and the LTE are significant.

Second, and equally important, is the price. At $200 off-contract, it'll cost $100 less than the LG Esteem. It's got the advantage there for more-price-conscious buyers who still want a premium smartphone, even if it … Read more

LAS VEGAS--ViewSonic is mostly known here in the states for its monitors and tablets, but did you know that trio of finches the company uses for a logo marks cell phones as well?

Chances are it's one that's still going to swim below most people's radar. Like so many of the phones we've seen here at CES, the ViewPhone 3 runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The company has added its own skin on it, which includes a rotating carousel of panels for you to easily switch among. One nice touch--each panel (for weather or the clock, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--I'm starting to think that LG has a thing for HD, and I'm not complaining.

Not long after launching the LG Nitro HD, LG and Verizon announced the LG Spectrum, one of two new smartphones to inaugurate Sprint's all-new 4G LTE lineup.

Although I didn't have as long as I would have liked to acquaint myself with the Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone (eventually upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich), I immediately liked it. In fact, I can say I clicked with it even more than the pretty lofty Nitro HD.… Read more

It's earning eco cred with its lower-impact packaging and build, but tree huggers aren't the only ones who will eye the Samsung Replenish for Boost Mobile.

Budget-followers will also gravitate toward Boost's first smartphone priced at about a hundred bucks, a rock-bottom cost for a market where prepaid smartphones typically cost between $200 and $300.

The Android 2.3 Gingerbread device has a candy bar shape that supports a full QWERTY keyboard. It also has a 2.8-inch touch screen and a 2-megapixel camera with video capture, among the other Android goodies like access to Google's apps and services.

The Replenish, which was initially released last spring for Sprint, also hosts Mobile ID, the offshoot of Sprint ID that offers packs of thematic apps, wallpaper, and so on to install on your phone in one fell swoop.

The Replenish becomes available for Boost on January 16, for $99.99.… Read more

Our mobile reviews team checks out a fair number of unlocked phones. It's fun to see what's available elsewhere in the world, and it's a window into models that might come out here soon with a carrier.

Unfortunately, these phones rarely perform as well as they would if they were tied to a network, especially a fast one. Still, there's much to glean from checking them out, even if their high prices keep us from recommending them to U.S. shoppers.

The Huawei Honor is a case in point. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread device is a midranger that looks pretty good and has some notable additions, like an interesting virtual keyboard. It also has a 4-inch screen, a 1.4GHz processor, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1,900mAh battery for longer life.

Call quality and data speeds were poor on the unlocked unit, and the cameras underperformed in some situations. Still, if the specs and design strike you, you'll also be able to check it out stateside as the Huawei Mercury for Cricket.… Read more

The weeks leading up to CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show, are usually slow, but a new Android smartphone, the Huawei Mercury, is heating things up for Cricket.

At least, that's what Cricket hopes will happen with the phone it's claiming as its most advanced ever.

Previously known as the Huawei Honor (see review) or Glory, the Mercury boasts a 4-inch FWVGA touch screen (480x854-pixel resolution), a 1.4GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera with HD video capture, and a front-facing camera (with a basic VGA resolution). The device has 2GB of internal storage. Cricket's new tethering plan lets you use the Mercury to provide an Internet connection to up to five other devices.

Although the Mercury ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Cricket apparently hasn't decided whether it will upgrade the device to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, according to a Cricket representative.

The Huawei Mercury is available now and costs $249.99 without a contract.… Read more

Verizon is doing two things: ballooning its collection of superpremium smartphones, and shrinking its feature phone and flip phone offerings. That leaves the carrier channeling budget-keepers toward middle-of-the-road smartphones, like the Samsung Illusion.

For $79.99, you get Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a 1GHz single-core processor, plus all of Google's services and Verizon's V Cast apps. It's a decent smartphone, thanks to hardware that can mostly hold up and software that's by now standard. The Illusion is pure utility; just don't expect to be wowed.

Watch the review, see the photos, and read all the pros and cons in the full Samsung Illusion review.… Read more

Owners of certain LG Optimus smartphones can look forward to a bite of Ice Cream Sandwich in the near future.

The mobile phone maker confirmed via its Facebook page today that it will be deploying the latest version of Android to select Optimus phones. Included in the upgrade will be the Optimus 2X, the Optimus Black, the Optimus 3D, and the Optimus LTE, all of which hit the market this past year.

LG is also examining Ice Cream Sandwich to see which of its other smartphones can run the new OS in an effort to upgrade as many users as … Read more

With all these high-priced, superpremium smartphones exploding onto the holiday shopping scene, it's nice to see that Sprint hasn't forgotten about the budget-conscious.

Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the candy bar Sprint Express has a portrait QWERTY keyboard and costs $19.99. It has a 2.6-inch touch screen, 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, hot-spot capability for up to five devices, and Sprint ID, which is software that can load various profiles with thematic apps, wallpaper, and so forth.

The Express is similar to the free Samsung Replenish, but the former runs Android 2.2 Froyo instead of the Express' Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. The Express is available beginning today.… Read more