Slatedroid info

Today we have another unique handset to share with everyone from the folks at Verizon Wireless and Pantech. This 4.8-inch 720p display rocking smartphone is called the Pantech Perception and recently became available on Verizon for those on a budget. With specs similar to the Galaxy S III, and some features we’ve seen on the S4, it was worth a quick look so take a peek below.

This isn’t the first time we’ve mentioned the Perception, and it went up for sale just a few days ago on April 25th. While the biggest downfall is Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich (yea, really) and not Jelly Bean of any kind. We’re hearing an update is already in the pipes and coming soon. Lets talk about that hardware.

The Perception offers a 4.8-inch 1280 x 720p HD display, so not bad, although it is considered mid-range these days. Under the hood we have the Snapdragon S4 dual-core 1.5 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. So similar to the Galaxy S III. Then we get 16GB of internal storage, micro-SD slot, a 2,020 mAh battery and even an 8 megapixel camera on the rear. Still with us? It’s pretty decent all around, has a front facing camera, and can be yours for just $99 from Big Red.

We’ll dive into it more in our full review, but essentially it has some specs that match the SIII, with some of those motion controls we saw on the GALAXY S 4. Pantech calls it Motion Sense and you can scroll through images, change or pause music, and all sorts of stuff all without touching the display. It’s a little bit of a gimmick, but could be useful. Get a better idea of the specs, hardware, and those motion controls in our quick hands-on video below.

Overall we have some mixed feelings about the Pantech Perception, but those might change the longer we spend with some of those features. Like previous devices from the manufacturer, they’ve covered Android with some changes that aren’t so pretty. Hopefully the update to Jelly Bean won’t be so intrusive, but don’t hold your breath.

While it certainly isn’t a Galaxy S III, it comes pretty close in terms of hardware, look, and even the plastic feel. Give us this device 4-6 months ago for the same $99 price point and we’d be happy, but now it might just be a bit too late to the game. Overall the hardware feels quite nice and durable, the OS is pretty smooth, and once we spend more time with the handset we’ll deliver our thoughts in a full review.

Stay tuned and let us know if you have any questions on the Perception by dropping us a comment below.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Perception

Manufactuer : Pantech

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : April 23, 2013

Release Date : April 25, 2013

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.8 Inch
• Resolution : 720×1280
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.236 Inch
• Width : 2.755 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 137 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 2020 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 280 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 4.0.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• 3GP
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS
• IM

Hardware

CPU : MSM8960 Snapdragon S4

CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

CDMA Band:
• 850
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• A2DP
• Bluetooth 4.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

So we have some good news, and some bad news. The good news was reported this morning which is the fact that AT&T’s locked down Samsung GALAXY S 4 smartphone was hacked. Popular Android developers went to work and managed to hack and completely unlock that locked bootloader in just two days. The bad news, they won’t be releasing the unlock tool for another month.

Why you ask? Blame Verizon. Not really, but the developers behind this newly discovered exploit on Samsung’s GALAXY S 4 are correct in assuming that Verizon will also lock it down themselves. So in an attempt to save himself, and the developer community some time and hard work, they won’t be releasing the exploit method in hopes that it will work for all versions.

It’s a smart move, but sadly this little cat and mouse game with the carriers and manufacturers needs to stop. When Steve Kondik confirmed the S4 on AT&T was locked, he made some clear reasons as to why it does them no good. Dan (the man behind the hack) hopes that by not releasing the exploit, Samsung won’t close the exploit in time for Verizon to release the phone on May 30th. Which means his method will work on it too. They’ll patch it eventually, but hopefully not before we get a path to full access.

The developer behind the unlock, djrbliss, was nice enough to answer some questions over on XDA and basically confirmed these details. Stating he won’t be releasing this until after Verizon’s GALAXY S 4 hits the streets. He actually posted an entire Q and A sessions about the lock, so if you’re interested we have provided that at the via below. So in the end yes the S4 bootloader has been unlocked. And no, you can’t have it yet. Stay tuned!

[via XDA]

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy S 4 (Qualcomm)

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : AT&T T-Mobile

Announced Date : March 14, 2013

Release Date : April 24, 2013

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 5 Inch
• Resolution : 1080×1920
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.37 Inch
• Width : 2.748 Inch
• Depth : 0.31 Inch
• Weight : 130 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 2600 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• 3GP
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS
• IM

Hardware

CPU : Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T

CPU Clock Speed : 1900 Mhz

Core : 4

Ram : 2000 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 13 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n
• 802.11ac

Bluetooth:
• A2DP
• Bluetooth 4.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

Twitter rolled-out the big v4.0 update back in early-April. That update brought what was described as being a brand new look and feel. Perhaps key here though, that update brought an app that was more polished looking and in general, an app that was a bit nicer to use. Despite releasing a bug fixing update shortly after, there has been one item that remained missing.

Well, that item had been missing until today. The latest Twitter for Android app update has landed in the Google Play Store and it has added a menu button. Basically, the Twitter app now has a menu button which will allow for quick access to your Accounts and Settings pages. While that seems to have been the most welcomed addition this time around, there were some other items mentioned in the changelog.

The folks at Twitter have said users will now be able to “enjoy a smoother experience” courtesy of some bug fixes and other improvements. Those bug fixes and improvements weren’t detailed, however as a general rule, the fewer the bugs the better the experience. Not to mention, we think many will agree that the smoother experience came along with the earlier v4.0 update.

Additionally, the changelog also mentioned the ability to see what’s happening near you or around the world by viewing Trends in hundreds of locations. Bottom line here, this may not have been the biggest Twitter app update we have seen recently, however it should be welcomed by those using the app with multiple accounts. As always, the Twitter for Android app can be found in the Google Play Store.

It’s update season over at Verizon Wireless and we can now confirm one of their mid-range handsets from Pantech is getting a quick software update this week. It looks like all those rocking the aging Pantech Breakout will be happy to learn that some bugs will be fixed, and some of that Verizon bloatware removed.

The last update for the Breakout was back in December, which still didn’t bring a new version of Android, and sadly this update won’t be updating you to a tasty new version either. We’re still stuck on the same OS flavor, but at least you’ll be getting some bug fixes and such. Here’s what we’ve learned from the Verizon support page.

The update is quite tiny, and while it doesn’t actually list any bug fixes surely there are a few in there somewhere that should improve performance. However, all those pesky Verizon apps wasting valuable internal storage will be gone. Pantech and Verizon are removing Verizon Apps, VZW Video, Rhapsody, and even the Blockbuster app. I don’t think those stores are even around anymore.

The low memory notification issue has been fixed, and that could be due to them removing those worthless apps above. Then as usual we can expect some security improvements and key Google security patches, but that’s seriously all that Verizon posted regarding the update. It’s minor, but you Pantech fans should be on the lookout as it most likely will arrive sometime this week. Head into settings and check for updates yourself if you’d like.

[via Android Police]

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Breakout

Manufactuer : Pantech

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : July 01, 2011

Release Date : September 22, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4 Inch
• Resolution : 480×800
• Screen Type : TFT

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.00 Inch
• Width : 2.53 Inch
• Depth : 0.47 Inch
• Weight : 138 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1500 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU :

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 1

Ram : 512 MB

Internal Storage : .390 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

This isn’t the first time we have heard about Android handsets coming available for use by employees in the Pentagon, however it looks like the Department of Defense is just about ready to issue an approval. The catch here comes in with which devices will receive the approval. Right now, it is looking like those will include Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Or more specifically, Samsung Galaxy smartphones that are running the Knox security software.

As for the requirement of the Knox software, this is said to conform with the Pentagon’s Security Technology Implementation Guide, which would allow for things to include the sending and receiving of internal emails. The official go ahead has yet to be granted though, as of now The Wall Street Journal is reporting the Department of Defense approval is “expected in coming weeks.” Basically, it is looking like Samsung Galaxy handsets will soon be competing in a world where the BlackBerry is still one of the top players.

Aside from Pentagon employees having a bit more freedom when it comes to choosing a device to use, this could also mean good things for Samsung. Not only would they be placing themselves in another market, but this Department of Defense approval could eventually lead to a shift in decision from other security minded customers.

Otherwise, in addition to the Samsung Galaxy smartphones, an approval is also expected for the iPhone and iPad. These two devices would need to be running the latest version of iOS. Unlike Samsung devices and the approval for sending and receiving internal emails, it looks like the iOS approval will be limited to nonclassified communications such as email and web browsing.

[via Wall Street Journal]

The rumors have been getting pretty wild lately about what to expect from the folks at Motorola and Google now that they’ve joined forces. The X-Phone has been a hotly debated device, and we’ve seen a few fake benchmark results appear of the Google X phone too. However, today something a little more realistic sounding has appeared. Read on for our thoughts.

An unknown Motorola device being listed as the XT1055 has surfaced in the popular benchmarking applications AnTuTu. Now these are extremely easy to fake with a simple build.prop edit that any average rooted Android user can do, but this seems somewhat plausible. The Google X running Android 5.0.1 Key Lime Pie was obviously fake, and we’ve even seen a Nexus 4 LTE with Android 4.3 in here too. Again, that’s probably just a fake based off of recent rumors.

Now to get down to why this sounds a bit more realistic and reasonable to us. The DROID RAZR HD was model XT926, and others before it had even lower numbers in the title. We even saw a glimpse of a brand new Motorola design direction with the XT912A back in March. So what could this XT1055 be? The Motorola X-Phone? Maybe.

The leak doesn’t reveal a screen size but the hardware sounds pretty much like what we’d expect from Motorola right about now to follow the RAZR HD. That includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series quad-core at 1.7 GHz and 2GB of RAM. Just like the HTC One. Running on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, this could be a device in testing by Motorola, since Google hasn’t officially released the next version of Android yet.

Google’s own Eric Schmidt recently suggested some good things coming from Motorola soon, and even called them “phenomenal” and “phones plus”, whatever that means. If Motorola drops something similar to the 4.7-inch 1080p HD HTC One with a closer to stock version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and RAZR MAXX-like battery would you be interested? We’ll see in a few weeks as surely something will be revealed at Google I/O.

[via PhoneArena]

The latest International Data Corporation (IDC) report mentions how worldwide tablet shipments have continued to surge. According to the numbers, that surge would translate into a 142.4 percent year-over-year growth. Looking at that growth in another way, tablet shipments for the first quarter of 2013 are sitting at 49.2 million, which is more then the entire first half of 2012. Shifting away from the overall picture of the market and into specifics such as top vendors and top operating systems and things are looking slightly familiar.

Basically, that is to say Apple is still sitting as the top vendor and Android is still sitting as the top operating system. After Apple, the vendors move into Samsung, ASUS, Amazon and Microsoft. With these we have Apple with 19.5 million, Samsung with 8.8 million, ASUS with 2.7 million, Amazon with 1.8 million and Microsoft with 0.9 million. These are the numbers that account for the previously mentioned 49.2 million shipments for Q1 2013.

These millions of tablet shipments have Apple sitting with 39.6 percent of the overall market and Samsung with 17.9 percent of the overall market. Similar to how Samsung is a decent step down from Apple — ASUS, Amazon and Microsoft all take a significant step down from Samsung with 5.5 percent, 3.7 percent and 1.8 percent respectively. Moving away from the vendors and into the place we think the Android fans will appreciate a bit more, Android tablets currently have 56.5 percent of the market.

That is up from 39.4 percent of the market during the first quarter of 2012. Android had 27.8 million shipments in Q1 2013 and 8.0 million shipments in Q1 2012, which accounts for a year-over-year growth of 247.5 percent. Apple (iOS) on the other hand has seen a 65.3 percent year-over-year growth, which had them going from 11.8 million shipments in Q1 2012 up to 19.5 million shipments in Q1 2013. On the flip side, given the growth of Android tablets, the iOS tablet market share has dropped from 58.1 percent in Q1 2012 to 39.6 percent for Q1 2013. Rounding out the top five for operating systems and we see Windows with 3.3 percent, Windows RT with 0.4 percent and ‘others’ with 0.2 percent of the market share for the quarter.

[via IDC]

This is exciting stuff. We have an influx of excellent news for all you readers planning to get the GALAXY S 4. Just days after reports surfaced that AT&T’s GALAXY S 4 had a locked bootloader, it has already been cracked. Now this morning it also looks like one of the most popular and exciting custom ROM’s in Android, CyanogenMod, should be supporting the device. Check it out below.

What we have above is a screenshot from the one and only Steve “Cyanogen” Kondik already running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and CyanogenMod 10.1 on his GALAXY S 4. For clarity, this is on a T-Mobile version, and not the recently unlocked and hacked AT&T flavor. That doesn’t fully matter though, this is CM on the S4. Yay!

It looks like development has fully begun and is in overdrive, because he has this up and running rather quick. A post over on Steve’s Google+ page mentions everything is working, and the radio is all squared away too. He jokingly says “Definitely not supporting the S4.” Which clearly it looks like they indeed will be. Time to get excited folks!

Back in March some rumors were floating around that the CyanogenMod team might not support the GALAXY S 4 at all, which ended up being false. That rumor was debunked when Steve himself confirmed they only announce details on official pages, and once the builds are ready. So while this screenshot doesn’t mean CyanogenMod will be supporting the GALAXY S 4, it looks highly likely right about now.

[via +CyanogenMod]

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy S 4 (Qualcomm)

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : AT&T T-Mobile

Announced Date : March 14, 2013

Release Date : April 24, 2013

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 5 Inch
• Resolution : 1080×1920
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.37 Inch
• Width : 2.748 Inch
• Depth : 0.31 Inch
• Weight : 130 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 2600 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• 3GP
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS
• IM

Hardware

CPU : Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T

CPU Clock Speed : 1900 Mhz

Core : 4

Ram : 2000 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 13 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n
• 802.11ac

Bluetooth:
• A2DP
• Bluetooth 4.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

The Galaxy Note 3 rumors appear to be heating up once again. Yesterday brought what was originally thought to be an in-the-wild style image of the handset. Unfortunately, that device was later proven to be a Galaxy Note clone. Perhaps nicer though, earlier this morning brought mention of Samsung having three separate prototypes in testing. We haven’t seen much more than the basics on that, however it is now looking like the Galaxy Note 3 is going to be a real powerhouse.

Coming by way of yet another Galaxy Note 3 leak, it is looking like the phablet will be launching with an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU. Specifically, the leak is calling for the device to have an Exynos 5 Octa-Core processor and a Mali 450 GPU. Previous reports have said the processor will be clocked at 2.0GHz on four cores and at 1.2GHz on the other 4 cores.

The Note 3 should launch with the latest version of Android, which still seems to depend on what may be announced during Google I/O. That release has previously been thought of as Android 5.0, however now it is looking more like it will be Android 4.3. Shifting back to the hardware though, other still rumored specs for the Note 3 include 3GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5.99-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display.

Officially Samsung has been quiet in terms of the Note 3. We hope that will change soon, however rumors suggest Samsung will not be unveiling the Note 3 until IFA, which is set to take place in September. While the Galaxy Note has been proven to be a success in the past, we also realize that given the size — it is not a device for everyone. With that in mind, would anyone be convinced to check this out based solely on this latest CPU and GPU leak?

[via SamMobile]

Now that Samsung‘s popular new GALAXY S 4 has hit the shelves of multiple carriers, some of you are probably looking for a nice durable case. Well, how about one that doubles the battery life at the same time? We’ve seen them before but today ExoGear announced their all-new ExoLife 2,600 mAh extended battery case for the GS 4, so check it out below.

The GALAXY S 4 already has some pretty stellar battery life considering it rocks a 5-inch 1080p HD display and quad-core processor, but there’s always those enthusiasts that want to get a little more juice. Then Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 series has their Quick Charge 1.0 feature, but still, more battery life the better these days.

In case you’re wondering, the GALAXY S 4 does have a removable battery and comes out of the box with an impressive 2,600 mAh battery. Which is bigger than most devices of its size. The case being offered and available now from ExoGear is reportedly offering “double the battery life” as it comes with a similar 2,600 mAh battery integrated into their case.

Technically you could go a full 2-3 days without searching for a wall outlet with that. Sounds nice right? As you can see above, the case wraps around the device and also docks into that USB port on bottom to add the additional juice, and even offers a little LED indicator for battery levels while on the go. Sadly it certainly isn’t cheap and will run you $79.99 in either white, or black. It’s pretty sleek considering what is packed inside, get one today and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy S 4 (Qualcomm)

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : AT&T T-Mobile

Announced Date : March 14, 2013

Release Date : April 24, 2013

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 5 Inch
• Resolution : 1080×1920
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.37 Inch
• Width : 2.748 Inch
• Depth : 0.31 Inch
• Weight : 130 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 2600 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• 3GP
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS
• IM

Hardware

CPU : Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T

CPU Clock Speed : 1900 Mhz

Core : 4

Ram : 2000 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 13 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n
• 802.11ac

Bluetooth:
• A2DP
• Bluetooth 4.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :