2.2 froyo

Samsung Gravity Smart review: The Gravity grows up

The words "Samsung Gravity phone" immediately conjure images of tall feature phones with funky-shaped keys, QWERTY sliders, and pronounced accents in flame or neon colors. Take the Samsung Gravity Smart, then, as the mature member of this fun-loving family for T-Mobile. It's brainier, running Android 2.2 Froyo instead of Samsung's own feature phone OS. It also veers away from electric blue and blow-your-eyes lime with color options that tend toward the more subdued--a lush berry is this handset's most pulse-quickening hue (don't worry, even the lunar gray color still has its bright elements.)… Read more

HTC Merge review: Rare CDMA world phone

In most respects, the HTC Merge for U.S. Cellular is a fairly standard Android 2.2 Froyo smartphone. It's got a decent but standard touch screen, a nice but not superlative 5-megapixel camera (with 720p HD video capture and playback, we might add,) and an unremarkable keyboard that's nevertheless sufficient.

The phone's primary point of difference lurks below the back cover, a SIM card slot that international travelers can use while taking the phone abroad. Even if you never step foot outside the continent, there are plenty of other features to keep you handy and connected. … Read more

Samsung Replenish review: Sprint's first Android eco phone

The Samsung Replenish may have the designation of being Sprint's first Android-powered eco-phone, but even if it managed to cinch closed a hole in the ozone layer, we still wouldn't recommend it if it didn't stand up to its rivals.Recommend it we do, especially to budget-conscious consumers who are looking for a capable but low-frills smartphone. At only $50, it sports Android 2.2 Froyo, a QWERTY keyboard, and an above-average 2-megapixel camera. On top of that, it has a roomy 32GB external memory and mobile hot-spot support (an additional $30 per month.)

Pros aside, the … Read more

Sleeker Huawei Ascend 2 coming to Cricket

Huawei quietly introduced a sequel to its Android-powered Huawei Ascend, the Huawei Ascend 2 for Cricket.

The Ascend 2 updates its progenitor in almost every way. It's sleeker, slimmer, and lighter in the hand. Gone is the trackball, and the hardware navigation buttons give way to four touch-sensitive buttons below the 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen.

The camera also sees an upgrade, from 3.2 megapixels to 5 megapixels in the Ascend 2. Everything is powered by an 800Mhz processor.

We're a little disappointed that the Ascend 2 runs Android 2.2 Froyo instead of Android 2.3 … Read more

Dell offering Streak tablet for $99 with PC buy

Consumers in the market for a new PC from Dell now have a chance to pick up the company's Streak 5 tablet for $99.

As part of a new promotion, Dell will kick in an unlocked Streak 5 for that $99 to any customer who spends at least $699 on a new PC. By itself, the Streak 5 normally sells for $99 with a two-year contract, while an unlocked version goes for $449 with its current discount factored in.

The Streak 5 offers a 5-inch WVGA display, placing it somewhere between most smartphones and tablets in terms of screen … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Indulge: Metro's first 4G smartphone (review)

There are two stories that star the Samsung Galaxy Indulge.

In one (the romance-adventure), the intrepid Indulge is MetroPCS' first smartphone foray into 4G territory. What's more, the humble Android 2.2 Froyo handset goes on to become the world's first commercially available LTE smartphone. Cue the crescendo!

In the other (the dystopia,) the Indulge is a good-but-not-great Galaxy S phone that's costly even for a non-contract phone. At least, it isn't sensational when compared to its premium cousins like the Epic 4G.

Our anti-hero's 4G also doesn't appear to be as fast in … Read more

Huawei Ideos X5 will please Android purists (review)

We first glimpsed the Huawei Ideos X5 at CES and declared it a good-looking, midlevel Android phone. It runs the standard version of Android 2.2 (Froyo), which means that it doesn't have any of the extra interface graphics that manufacturers sometimes add for visual flare and to differentiate their phones from rivals'. That's sure to please those campaigning to let Android be Android without additional skin modifications.

The Ideos X5 has very solid hardware specs, like a 3.8-inch capacitive touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, and 720p HD video capture and playback. It also has expandable memory … Read more

Samsung announces Android-powered Galaxy Ace, Fit, Gio, Mini

Samsung's global family of Galaxy S Android smartphones is growing. Today the cell phone maker announced four more members: Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Fit, Samsung Galaxy Gio, and Samsung Galaxy Mini. We won't get a chance to see the new global devices until Mobile World Congress next month in Barcelona, Spain, and the phones are all headed to Russia first (the Fit is available there now), with expansion to the rest of Europe, India, and China. The Galaxy Fit will eventually head to South American countries as well.

We do know a little about each device. Like … Read more

T-Mobile serving Samsung Vibrant Froyo on January 21

Samsung Vibrant owners may be getting sweeter later this month. T-Mobile will begin updating the Samsung smartphone from Android 2.1 to Android 2.2. Subscribers will begin seeing the long-awaited changes as soon as January 21, though the rollout will come in waves--not everyone will receive a call to update on the same day.

In addition to serving Vibrant owners some good new about the Froyo build, T-Mobile also put to rest a nasty rumor that Samsung has been purposely thwarting the Android 2.2 update.

Samsung's custom skin and T-Mobile's add-on apps are two complications behind … Read more

CES: Huawei Ideos X5 First Look (video)

LAS VEGAS--One of the most interesting (and possibly best) things about the Huawei Ideos X5 is what it lacks.

The Ideos X5 is one of a couple Android smartphones we've seen without a customized skin on top of the stock Android operating system. Not all of those skins are bad by any means, but Android purists will welcome the simple, straightforward interface. Take a look at the phone and its features in this First Look video from the CES show fly.