Because one commercial for its Galaxy S line of carrier branded phones wasn't enough, Samsung has put out another Hollywood style production for the T-Mobile Vibrant (maybe you've read our review?).  It's great -- this is what commercials should be like, and 100 percent hairy palm free (ewwww) this time.  Check it out after the break.

Posted originally at Android Central

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We know all you T-Mobile fans are waiting with bated breath over what's going to be the carrier's first HSPA+ phone for its updated network.  One train of thought is that it'll be the as-yet-unannounced HTC Vision/Blaze. Let's throw something new into the mix. Above is what our tipster says is the myTouch 3G HD, and indeed it does seem to match the shape of that mystery T-Mobile HSPA+ phone silhouetted at TMo's website [via PhoneScoop].

But, wait, there's more. Source code for the HSPA+ site [via BGR] originally made use of the "Vanguard" code name, which we've seen before and was widely believed to have been the HTC Vision/Blaze. That Vanguard reference is now missing, which could mean that it was a true leak, or it could mean that it was just wrong. Or maybe it means what we see above is the Vanguard. Who knows?

But let's return our attention to that tall-drink of black-slab water you see above, which at least "feels" like more than a fan-rendered mockup (though that's still a possibility). That's definitely a sizable touchscreen, and the Genius button introduced on the myTouch 3G Slide is back, alongside physical home, menu and back buttons (matching what's on the myTouch 3G Slide, along with the trackpad). We're thinking that button on the side is slaved to the camera. And speaking of cameras, is that a front-facing job up there next to the earpiece?

Anyhoo, for now we'll have to wait and see what comes out of it all. Anybody licking their chops over this one? Thanks, C!

Posted originally at Android Central

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T-Mobile scored the very first Android smartphone with the G1. And now with the introduction of the Samsung Vibrant, it has one of the fastest and most powerful as well.

The Vibrant, as you know, is part of the Galaxy S line of Samsung Android smartphones, along with the Sprint Epic 4G, AT&T Captivate and Verizon Fascinate. Each remains the prototypical black slab, albeit with its own personality and customizations. And like its cousins, the Vibrant also sports one of the fastest mobile processors available, one of the best screens and some great software tweaks.

Need more prompting? After the break, we dive into the T-Mobile Vibrant and see what all the hubub's about.

(For more from the Galaxy S class, read our AT&T Captivate review)

Posted originally at Android Central

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This isn't the first time we've seen the fabled (and unannounced) HTC Vision, but this one looks a little more finished, and with T-Mobile branding to boot, and the tipster who sent it to Engadget notes that it may well be called the G1 Blaze when all is said and done. One big question still hanging over the phone's head is whether we're talking T-Mobile Europe or T-Mobile U.S. (And if it's the latter, will this be the rumored HSPA+ device?) Rumored specs are largely what you'd expected -- 3.7-inch WVGA touchscreen and 1GHz processor. And with that, we wait. [Engadget]

Posted originally at Android Central

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OK, handling so a dummy phone -- basically the shell with none of the fussy radios, microchips or any of the other important thing than turn a piece of plastic into a cell phone -- isn't quite the same thing as actually getting a hands-on. But it's a good way of seeing what the thing looks like in your hand. And the fact that T-Mobile stores apparently are getting dummy versions of the Motorola Charm probably is a good sign that they'll be out sooner rather than later. That said, our tipster confirms an earlier TmoNews rumor that the Charm has been delayed, saying that Motorola's had battery issues with the little square thing. So maybe we're getting closer to launch, or maybe someone wanted to wash their hands of some dummy phones. Time will tell. Thanks, @jeffnucci!

Posted originally at Android Central

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If you just got your hands on a new Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant or Captivate, you may have noticed some GPS issues. Samsung reportedly has as well, and may address this in a coming OTA fix.  In the meantime, it's not hard to fix the problem yourself -- provided you go slow and follow the instructions, which are detailed after the break.  [Xda-Developers via Intomobile]

Posted originally at Android Central

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With all the talk lately of Verizon's LTE and Sprint's WiMax, T-Mobile wants to remind everyone that it's aggressively pushing HSPA+ and its up-to-21MBps speeds (theoretical, of course) to compete with Verizon and Sprints's offerings. It now says 85 million people are already blanketed in 50 areas, with 185 million in 100 areas to be covered before 2010 is out. The newest cities include:

Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Waco, Texas; Baltimore, Md.; Baton Rouge and Lafayette, La.; Birmingham, Ala.; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville, Fla.; Greenville, S.C.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Indianapolis, Ind.; Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Portland, Ore.; and Wichita, Kan.

The just-released Samsung Vibrant was specifically named as one of "more than a dozen smartphones" to "benefit from enhanced speeds" when in HSPA+ coverage. In addition, TMO promises more information on their first fully HSPA+ capable phone "later this summer". T-Mobile also mentioned the launch of a new "webConnect Rocket 2.0" USB Laptop Stick with HSPA+ and a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with webConnect.

Check out the full press release (minus the boring legal stuff) after the break.

Posted originally at Android Central

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The T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant was the first of the Galaxy S line of Android smartphones to be released in the United States, and it's quickly becoming one of our favorites of the year. Its 4-inch screen is just about the perfect size. Not too large, and far from small. It sports a rounded design (as opposed to its more gangly cousin, the AT&T Captivate), and so it's easy to hold. It has the newfangled Super AMOLED touchscreen, which in addition to having some pretty darn good colors, is also pretty visible outdoors and might or might not produce a small puppy on command.

After the break, we take a walk around the block with the T-Mobile Vibrant, do a few side-by-sides with some of the other hot Android smartphones available today, and basically have ourselves a nice little lovefest. Let's go!

Posted originally at Android Central

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T-Mobile has pulled the Android 1.6 OTA update for the Samsung Behold II over signal issues, and offers up no word on when to expect it to return.  In case you don't remember or aren't familiar with the whole Behold 2 update debacle, have a look here to read about the whole mess. Hint -- there's even crazy lawsuit talk (of course there is). 

Let's be clear here -- there's no sense in continuing to roll out an OTA update that makes things worse.  We certainly don't like waiting for our Android software updates, but I think we would like new signal issues even less.  Let's all back off for just a bit and give T-Mobile some room to breathe and update us all accordingly.  [T-Mobile support forums via TmoNews]

Posted originally at Android Central

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The Motorola Charm's release on T-Mobile appears to be aimed at Aug. 25, according to a doc scored by TmoNews. Though there never has been an officially announced release date, it had been speculated that it would arrive earlier.

In addition, it appears that the phone will launch in two separate colors, Cabernet and Golden-Bronze. While the specs for the Charm do not match up to the Vibrant, it's an intriguing phone because its style is remarkably close to RIM's BlackBerry. BlackBerry users who have been hesitant to switch to Android may find the Charm an easy transition. [TmoNews]

Posted originally at Android Central

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