Items tagged with unlocked
Apple iPhone X production has stabilized more than a month after the flagship smartphone was initially made available to customers. Shipping times that originally were estimated at 5 to 6 weeks have now shrunk down to just one week from the time an order is placed. That tightening up of the delivery window also means that Apple has now made available a SIM-free version of the iPhone X. As with previous generation iPhones, the SIM-free version of the iPhone X is compatible with both CDMA and GSM networks. In addition, you are not tied to any particular carrier, and are free to jump from carrier to carrier if you choose. In the U.S., that means that you can use the phone on Verizon Wireless, AT&T,...
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While unlocked, international versions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have been available for U.S. customers to purchase since day one, they came with two BIG downsides. First, the smartphones don’t come with a U.S. warranty, which means that you’re up a creek without a paddle should a hardware failure occur. The second issue is that international versions of both smartphones lack support for Samsung Pay in the U.S. That all changes today, as Samsung is now selling unlocked versions of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge that are specifically geared towards an American audience. The phones are compatible with CDMA and GSM networks, which means that they’ll work on all four major wireless...
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When ASUS released the ZenFone 2 Laser, the company’s goal was to offer a premium smartphone experience with strong camera performance at an affordable price. On the surface the ZenFone 2 Laser has many of the key features of a premium phone, including an octa-core SoC with Adreno graphics, dual active SIM capabilities, a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a 13-megapixel camera, and a removable battery. Given that many flagship Android phones sell for $599 and up for an unlocked version, ASUS’s price of $249 for the high-end 32GB model of the ZenFone 2 Laser is very reasonable. If you want to save some cash, ASUS is also offering this phone with 16GB of storage for $199. This phone is compatible with GSM...
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Unlocked smartphones are attractive to customers who are looking for ways to avoid a long-term contract with a carrier, replace a broken phone, or travel overseas. If you’ve shopped for an unlocked phone, you’ll likely have come across a company called Huawei. Huawei ships phones worldwide, though they aren't very well known here in the United States. Huawei has been taking a different approach than most mobile phone manufacturers in the United States by focusing on affordable, unlocked smartphones and selling these phones directly to customers, rather than working through the wireless carriers. By focusing on customers rather than the networks, Huawei hopes to become a progressive challenger...
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Amazon already gives away Android apps and games on a frequent basis, and starting soon, it will kick off a program that will dole out in-app purchases at no charge as well. According to a leaked internal presentation, the program is called Android Unlocked and it will offer a selection of paid apps for free, as well as remove the cost for in-app upgrades and purchases. You can think of it as a sort of Amazon Prime for Android apps. The leaked presentation, which was obtained by TechCrunch, features both games and apps, including Sega America's Sonic Dash, UsTwo's Monument Valley, MobiSystems' OfficeSuite 8 + PDF Converter, and Ultimate Guitar USA's Ultimate Guitar Tabs &...
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Word around the web is that Samsung had to push the retail release of its highly anticipated Galaxy Note 4 device to anxious buyers in the U.K. from October 10 (today) to October 17, the same day that it's supposed to launch in the U.S. and in select European countries. However, if you don't feel like waiting, it appears that you can order an unlocked version from Amazon right now. Credit goes to 9to5Google for spotting the unlocked models, which are being sold on Amazon by a third-party -- NGP_US_STORE. The unlocked and international models that are on sale come in black, white, and gold color options. As you might imagine, these unlocked devices command a king's ransom since you're paying for...
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It has been more than a year since AMD launched its last major update to the top end FX processor line -- the FX-9590. The company has been quiet in the face of Intel's high-end launches, but today AMD is shipping a new CPU that's aimed at multi-core performance enthusiasts who don't want a furnace sitting on their motherboards, and prefer more modest power consumption and quiet computing. The new FX-8370, FX-8370E, and FX-8320E are familiar in many ways. These cores are still based on the older Piledriver architecture that debuted in 2012, they can still process two threads per module and four modules total for eight CPU cores, and they still rely on AMD's Socket AM3+. AMD FX-8370 and FX-8370E...
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It has been more than a year since AMD launched its last major update to the top end FX processor line -- the FX-9590. The company has been quiet in the face of Intel's high-end launches, but today AMD is shipping a new CPU that's aimed at multi-core performance enthusiasts who don't want a furnace sitting on their motherboards, and prefer more modest power consumption and quiet computing. The new FX-8370, FX-8370E, and FX-8320E are familiar in many ways. These cores are still based on the older Piledriver architecture that debuted in 2012, they can still process two threads per module and four modules total for eight CPU cores, and they still rely on AMD's Socket AM3+. What's new today is the...
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Overshadowed by Microsoft's long anticipated Xbox One console launch today is the availability of unlocked iPhone 5S handsets. By "available," we mean that Apple is now accepting orders for SIM-free iPhone 5S devices to customers living in the United States, though new orders won't actually ship out for 1-2 weeks, according to Apple's website. Other than shipping without a SIM card, there's nothing different about these handsets from a physical standpoint. Some people opt to go the unlocked route to avoid being locked into a long-term service contract with a wireless carrier. These devices also come in handy if you frequently travel abroad, as you can hook up with a local carrier and avoid exorbitant...
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Of late, there has been quite a lot of hubbub -- even in the mainstream media -- regarding the issue of phone unlocking. In particular, a legal quirk involving DMCA regulations that would or would not allow someone to unlock their phone. It actually revolves around unlocking software, but the "in-practice" impact is that it prevents users from popping in SIM cards from rival carriers in order to make life easier when relocating or traveling abroad. AT&T has come under fire in particular, as the qualifications for unlocking one's AT&T phone are pretty strict. Strangely, the company saw fit to reach out on its own Public Policy Blog to reiterate a lot of what we already knew, but they sure...
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T-Mobile has enhanced its network in 10 new metro areas which include Miami; Phoenix; San Francisco; Mesa and Tucson, Ariz.; Modesto, Oakland, San Jose and Stockton, Calif.; and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. With the technology advancements in these areas, customers will get better voice and data coverage along with faster speeds on unlocked devices such as the iPhone. These 10 new areas are getting T-Mobile's faster HSPA+ network which uses the 1900MHz band. Since the iPhone is compatible with 1900MHz, it will be able to take advantage of faster speeds in these markets. However, in areas where T-Mobile doesn't offer HSPA+, unlocked devices that are compatible only with the 1900MHz band such as the iPhone...
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Not interested in standing in long lines? Still trying to make up your mind on the iPhone 5? If so, here's a bit of information that may sway you when it comes to selecting a carrier. As fate would have it, or something like that, Verizon Wireless' iPhone 5 has a secret: it's unlocked from the factory. That means that even those who buy one with a new or renewed two-year contract will get an iPhone 5 that's unlocked. And because of the LTE radio, there's space for a SIM card -- well, a nano-SIM card. Sprint and AT&T only sell locked iPhone 5 units, which means those cannot be used on other carriers. But the VZW model will accept any other nano-SIM from any other carrier, including AT&T...
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The original A-Series APU line-up didn’t feature any enthusiast-targeted products, but AMD quickly reacted to the A-Series’ mostly favorable reception with a new flagship, dubbed the A8-3870K Black Edition, which we’ll be showing you here today. In its default configuration, the A8-3870K is a slight upgrade from the A8-3850, thanks to a small increase in its default CPU frequency. The “K” in its part number, however, means the chip is unlocked, which makes for some interesting overclocking. When paired to the right motherboard, which features an updated BIOS / UEFI that fully supports the A8-3870K, this APU is able to hang with some of AMD’s fastest quad-core...
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When AMD initially released their Llano-based A-Series APUs, the company targeted cost-conscious consumers looking for highly-integrated, easy to assemble solutions for an entry-level or mid-range PCs. At the time of launch, the flagship model in the A-Series line-up was the A8-3850, which featured quad CPU cores paired to a DirectX-11 Radeon GPU with 400 active shader units. In our coverage of the A8-3850, we found it to offer decent performance for its price, especially in graphics-related workloads where the APU’s relatively powerful integrated GPU was able to stretch its legs. AMD Llano Die Shot... The original A-Series APU line-up didn’t feature any enthusiast-targeted...
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Today AMD is officially taking the wraps off its latest FX-Series of desktop processors, targeted at performance-minded PC enthusiasts and overclockers. The FX-Series is based on the processor core formerly codenamed Zambezi, which leverages AMD’s much anticipated Bulldozer microarchitecture. The flagship processor in the new FX-Series line-up is the FX-8150, an unlocked, 8-Core processor, with gobs of cache and peak Turbo frequencies that exceed the 4GHz mark. But there’s a lot more to the FX-Series than speeds and feeds. The Bulldozer microarchitecture is a completely new design, which was built from the ground up in an attempt to shed some weight and produce a modular, highly-efficient...
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When we sit down to arrange our thoughts and write an introduction for a new product launch, we typically want to put together some interesting and suspenseful prose that sets the stage for an exciting reveal of an as-yet undisclosed, eagerly anticipated product. No such luck this time around, as the product we’ll be discussing today has been one of the most talked about in tech circles for years—literally. Today AMD is officially taking the wraps off its latest FX-Series of desktop processors, targeted at performance-minded PC enthusiasts and overclockers. The FX-Series is based on the processor core formerly codenamed Zambezi, which leverages AMD’s much anticipated Bulldozer...
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Is everybody over the fact that Apple didn't announce an iPhone 5? Did it not bother you in the first place? Great, let's move on, because today's the day you can put your pre-order in, assuming iOS is what floats your boat. Undecided on a wireless carrier? Well hey, if your pockets run deep enough, you don't have to have to make a commitment, provided you can hold out until November. As you go through the pre-order page, Apple reveals that unlocked iPhone 4S devices will ship out sometime next month. Pricing is a good chunk higher when you sidestep signing a two-year contract -- $649 for 16GB, $749 for 32GB, and $849 for 64GB -- but at least you have the option, right? There is, however, one...
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While out at an event in AMD’s Austin offices a couple of weeks back, we got a chance to get up close and personal with the company’s upcoming Bulldozer-based FX-line of processors. Many of the details disclosed at the event are still under embargo, but AMD is allowing a bit of a sneak peek with today’s Guinness World Record announcement. One of the demos at AMD’s HQ consisted of an array of overclocked FX processors, using various cooling methods, including air, water, and phase-change hardware. But the real star of the event was a liquid-nitrogen / liquid-helium setup that allowed AMD’s overclocking team to push a pre-release AMD FX-8150 processor...
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Google's Nexus S smartphone has a lot of attractive features, but the one that attracts the most attention is the fact that this smartphone is the first to ship with the latest version of the Android smartphone operating system—version 2.3. Otherwise known as Gingerbread, this OS is said to be the fastest version of Android yet. In addition to Gingerbread, the Nexus S touts a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and 16GB of internal memory. Although the Nexus S is the sequel to Google's Nexus One smartphone, Google is taking a different approach with this product. Whereas the Nexus One was only offered through Google's website, the Nexus S is available through Best...
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Google's Nexus S smartphone has a lot of attractive features, but the one that attracts the most attention is the fact that this smartphone is the first to ship with the latest version of the Android smartphone operating system—version 2.3. Otherwise known as Gingerbread, this OS is said to be the fastest version of Android yet. In addition to Gingerbread, the Nexus S touts a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and 16GB of internal memory. Although the Nexus S is the sequel to Google's Nexus One smartphone, Google is taking a different approach with this product. Whereas the Nexus One was only offered through Google's website, the Nexus S is available through Best...
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You'll recall that just yesterday Vodafone managed to get an injunction against T-Mobile, charging that T-Mobile violated German law by selling the iPhone with a SIM lock and two-year contract. Well, be careful what you wish for.T-Mobile said on Wednesday it will offer the iPhone without a T-Mobile contract for 999 euros ($1,478) at its shops.It will also allow those customers who bought an iPhone since November 19 to unlock the device free of charge so it can be used with other SIM cards. However, that will not enable customers to make use of all the functions that the music-playing and Web-browsing device offers.$1,478? Software unlockers, don't go anywhere, as it appears we still need...
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Call it "Hot Coffee" take two, for Take Two games. You may recall the "Hot Coffee" mod that exposed, er. sexual content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas? This isn't quite as successful, but some of the AO content that was hidden rather than removed from Manhunt 2 has been unlocked.In "Manhunt 2," the player takes the role of a man who escapes from an insane asylum and goes on a killing spree.Take-Two edited parts of the game, including blurring some of the most gruesome killing scenes, to get the less restrictive rating.Hackers defeated that blurring on the version of the game for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable. The game is also available for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii...
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