phablet

T-Mobile is first carrier to sell the Galaxy Note 2

T-Mobile is the first carrier out of the gate to bring its customers the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note 2. As of today, any T-Mobile user can snap up the device.

Rumors floated this week that the carrier was already receiving shipments of the "phablet" in its retail stores. Samsung had planned a Galaxy Note 2 launch event today, but until T-Mobile's announcement it was unclear when exactly users would be able to get their hands on the device.

T-Mobile will sell the phone for $369.99 with a new, two-year service agreement. That makes it the priciest … Read more

T-Mobile said to launch Galaxy Note 2 'phablet' on October 24

People may be able to get their hands on Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 "phablet" within a couple of days. According to Phandroid, sources say that T-Mobile will launch the much-anticipated device on Wednesday and that Note 2 shipments have already started arriving in stores.

Samsung has planned a launch event on Wednesday, but it has been unclear what exact date users will be able to pick up the device.

Five carriers will get the Galaxy Note 2, including U.S. Cellular, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. It is expected to sell for about $299.99. … Read more

HTC could launch 5-inch phone at September 19 event

September 19 could be the day that HTC answers the Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 with a 5-inch supersize smartphone of its own.

Rumors point to a 1,920x1,080-pixel "true" HD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and an Adreno 320 GPU.

We can also bet that the next smartphone up HTC's sleeve will run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with an HTC Sense 4.0 overlay, work with Beats Audio enhancements, and pack in a lightning-fast 8-megapixel camera with oodles of editing goodies.

Another option is that HTC will introduce … Read more

The ginormous 5-inch LG Intuition arrives on Verizon

Looks like the rumors were true.

Verizon's version of the unlocked LG Optimus Vu, renamed the LG Intuition, will be available online to U.S. customers starting September 6. It will be offered in Verizon retail stores starting September 10 for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

The Intuition sports a gigantic 5-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and 650 nits of brightness.

When I reviewed the Vu a few months back, the phone/tablet hybrid impressed me with its bright screen and slim build. CNET's own Brian Bennett got a chance to get his hands … Read more

Rumor Has It: Is the iPad Mini already in production?

As the leaves change from green to orange and brown, and children go back to school, it could only mean one thing: the iPhone 5 is a-coming. The rumor mill is swirling with speculations of a release date, what it'll look like, and whether it'll be joined by an iPad Mini. Oh yes, the zombie unicorn rumor that never dies.

Recent rumors suggest that an iPad Mini screen is already in production, leading some people to believe that this jibes with a fall release. Who knows! Apple always has tricks up its sleeves.

Also this week, sightings of … Read more

Smartphones with ginormous screens (roundup)

For some of you, there's no such thing as too huge when it comes to smartphone screens. The larger the display, the more space you have for reading e-books and news stories, playing games, and immersing yourself in photos and video graphics. Whether you have enormous mitts, the desire for a smartphone that performs tablet functions, or just a penchant for big, beautiful screens, these are for you.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon), October 24, 2012 The screen-size granddaddy of them all, Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 with its 5.5-inch … Read more

HTC working on phablet of its own, rumors suggest

HTC is ready to take on the Samsung Galaxy Note with a phone/tablet hybrid device of its own, according to recent reports.

A DigiTimes source advises that the HTC device features a 5-inch display with a 1,794x1,080-pixel resolution and is slated to arrive in September or October. That means the full resolution of the device could be 1,920x1,080 pixels with 126 vertical lines reserved for Android's onscreen buttons.

Whereas DigiTimes is not always the most reputable of sources, this new report matches up nicely with other rumors. Benchmarks for an HTC 6435LVW were recently … Read more

Verizon may carry LG Optimus Vu

With its mammoth 5-inch screen, the LG Optimus Vu is hard to miss -- and so is that Verizon logo.

According to Android Police, the "phablet" device has been spotted in the wild with Big Red's name emblazoned above the display.

In addition, the device runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich natively. This is a surprising upgrade since we nicked the Vu down a notch in our very own review because it came with Android Gingerbread out of the box.

Other than that, nothing much has changed. There are still the 8-megapixel camera in the … Read more

LG Optimus Vu review: A ginormous 5-inch phablet

It seemed like not so long ago, we were trying to wrap our heads around the Samsung Galaxy Note and its whopping 5.3-inch screen. Now it looks like LG has provided its own answer to the phone-tablet hybrid with the LG Optimus Vu.

The Vu's screen is slightly smaller at a perfect 5 inches, but its svelte frame is more squarish and the display has an odd 4:3 aspect ratio. The device also comes with a hefty stylus, called a Rubberdium pen, that's sturdy and feels similar to a real pen.

Though I like its decent 8-megapixel camera and crisp display, the Vu isn't without its drawbacks. This includes its outdated Android Gingerbread OS and its nearly $900 price tag. For the full review, read more here.… Read more