Self-made 3D footage sounds exciting and even more so when shooting it with a device you always have in your pocket. The HTC EVO 3D is one handset capable of exactly this and we didn’t miss our chance to test its recording capabilities at CTIA.
Video captures is aided by the dedicated shutter button which activates the camera. Transition between your standard 2D and the third dimension is performed by a simple move of a switch located right next to the shutter. And when it comes to the quality of 3D videos, we’re looking at up to 720p HD resolution. On-screen controls allow you to control what you see, and you also have auto-focus. You can find a quick walkthrough of some of the recording features of the EVO 3D below, so why don’t you check it out for yourselves?
We couldn’t resist snapping a few images and a video with the 3D mode on the LG Optimus 3D at the CTIA show. Having control over the third spatial dimension from a phone in your hand that is commercially available to purchase just as you would any other phone, is a sci-fi addict dream come true.
While the frame was only of the booth and the expo floor, the 3D imagery can give you a hint what to expect from the stereoscopic dual lens 5MP camera on the back. Who would have thought that 3D can be as noisy in low-light conditions as plain vanilla 2D pictures and video? We kid, but the heritage itself is somewhat comforting, easing our way into the unknowns of the third dimension.
We uploaded some 3D stills taken with the stereoscopic camera for your viewing pleasure, which you can download from here.
Bear in mind they are in the .JPS format, so you have to Google for one of the free .JPS viewers out there in order to see the 3D photography in its full swing. On a side note, the LG Thrill 4G that is coming for AT&T is a rebadged version of that same Optimus 3D we are testing here, so expect its camera samples to look quite similar to these.
Have a look at the 3D video we shot with the LG Optimus 3D below, and prepare to watch cross-eyed, or with your old pair of red&blue paper glasses we are sure is tucked somewhere in your drawer. It’s not perfectly superimposed, but the quality is more than acceptable, considering the conditions we shot the video at.
We came across in Orlando at what seems to be the final version of the LG Revolution, one of the hotly anticipated smartphones for Verizon’s newly-crafted 4G LTE network.
The handset has changed since we handled the prototype, both inside and out. On the design front we will now have an entirely different battery cover. Back in black is what’s in store for the retail version of the LG Revolution. The silver back cover from the prototype will be gone for good to give the Revolution a more streamlined black look, as per the rep’s opinion. The metal strip in the middle of the back cover that seems to be a trademark for LG’s high-end Android handsets lately, is still here, and still painted in black. It just gets lost in all the blackness of the phone’s back.
And as all high-end LG handsets lately, the Revolution sports an HDMI port, below the volume rocker on the right side, for mirroring your phone’s display on a big screen TV, although the phone has DLNA, too. Until DLNA-enabled TVs are the norm, and the standard is flawless, cabling up your phone to a larger display is an easy way to watch movies or play games on your TV via a smartphone, so we welcome the port’s inclusion on the LG Revolution…
Ah, the HTC Merge, that elusive handset, which has been making random appearances in our news section since… August 2010… We’re now more than excited to be able to finally hold it in our hands! As you know, the Merge got official recently, about a month ago, but although it was heavily rumored to be the next big thing in Verizon’s lineup, HTC didn’t mention which carrier/s will get to offer it. However, we do know that it’ll end up carried by “multiple North American carriers begging in spring 2011.” So it was about time we got to play with one!
To tell you the truth, the HTC Merge reminded us of the EVO Shift 4G (which is a good thing for the most part). Typically for HTC, the phone is solidly built all around, with a bit of noticeable heft to it because of the physical QWERTY keyboard. Speaking of the keyboard, we found it pretty useable, nothing out of the ordinary, but still good enough, with normally-sized keys, which are well spaced apart…
Not to be outdone by Apple, Samsung rushed back to the drawing board when it realized how thin Cupertino managed to make the iPad 2. The two skinny products of its labor we got our hands on at the CTIA 2011 are the reworked Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the all new Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, with the numbers indicating the screen size.
The Apple iPad 2 is already way ahead with 60 000 + applications written specifically for the tablet’s screen real estate, whereas Android 3.0 Honeycomb is just now spreading its wings. Software and apps count aside, we decided to insert some of the important specs in a table, so as we can clearly see the specifics of the three thinnest slates ever announced.
We are comparing the basic Wi-Fi versions, as there is still no carrier announced for Samsung’s tablets, although their cellular versions do HSPA+ 4G at 21Mbps, faster than the Apple iPad 2, but HSDPA speeds are more for bragging rights, since no network can currently provide the peak speeds. Sammy’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Tab 8.9 have higher screen resolutions and better rear cameras, which are able to record Full HD video, if that’s your thing, and also offer expandable storage via microSD card slots to store those large video files.
Samsung’s tablets are also a hair thinner and lighter than the already slick iPad 2, with the weight kept in check due to the plastic construction. Still, it is amazing what Samsung did for slimming the chassis on such a short notice, showing that it perfectly understands the market drivers, and has the capacity to innovate under competitive pressure.
We guess it’s fair to say that pretty much all of the fuss about CTIA 2011 is reserved for some groundbreaking devices like the HTC EVO 3D and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, but let’s not forget that some not so hyped and rather humble gadgets are also here. That’s why we reserved a bit of our time to pay a visit to the Metro PCS-branded Samsung Galaxy Indulge – a handset that will go down in history as the first ever LTE smartphone released in the US.
The Samsung Galaxy Indulge is a spin-off from the original Samsung Galaxy S, and its specs are more mid than high-end by today’s standards. It doesn’t offer a Super AMOLED screen, but rather a 3.5-inch LCD one with a 320 x 480 resolution. The handset is made of plastic, but at least that makes it pretty lightweight and the chrome bezel surrounding the phone adds a touch of class to its design…
Acer might be the new kid on the block when it comes to tablets, but who isn’t anyway? Despite that, the company managed to pull off a well-designed 10.1-inch slate codenamed Acer Iconia Tab A501, coming not only on Verizon, but obviously to AT&T with support for the carrier’s 4G network as well. The brushed aluminum back on the Android Honeycomb tablet and its crisp screen will definitely appeal to many. Actually, if you take a closer look at the video, you can notice that the Iconia Tab A501 runs Froyo due to the early prototype unit we saw at CTIA, but the final version will feature the tablet-optimized Honeycomb…
CTIA has brought the 3D hype to the next level with two new devices featuring support for the third dimension, but in the light of the recent AT&T-Mobile merger AT&T’s LG Thrill 4G is what may end up in many pockets. You might be fooled by the new name, but the LG Thrill 4G is nothing else but a re-branded LG Optimus 3D, which you should be pretty familiar with. It uses the same glasses-free parallax display technology on a 4.3-inch screen with a pretty standard resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The dual 5-megapixel camera setup on the back will bring you 720p HD videos in 3D and 1080p full HD in 2D.
In an industry where outdoing the competition is prevalent everywhere you look, it really didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that people were marveled by the engineering wonder found with the iPad 2’s razor thin construction. Although they comfortably thought they were ahead of the curve when they unveiled the 10.1” Galaxy Tab last month, Samsung was somewhat blindsided when the iPad 2 was brought forth to the world. Fast forward to roughly over a month since MWC, Sammy has gone back to the drawing board and redesigned their tablet not to just meet the mark set by the iPad 2, but rather, to beat it and lay claim to one engineering wonder.
Enter the totally redesigned Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1” model that’s coming to market starting on June 8th for the price of $499 (16GB) and $599 (32GB). Literally a close shave thinner than the iPad 2 at 0.33” (8.6mm) thick, the new model is a stark reminder of how much different it is than the model announced at MWC. Remarkably thin is what undoubtedly comes to mind, but its new design approach is much more impressive thanks to its solid construction and premium set of materials. The metallic chassis seemingly complements its industrial design, but it’s nonetheless still wonderful considering that battery life isn’t compromised – which is still rated for the same 10 hours of video playback.
What is that you are saying, a phone with the pure Google experience? And this one’s on Sprint, and not T-Mobile? Well, yes, Sir!
The Nexus S 4G for Sprint joins the black and yellow ranks, bringing with it the unadulterated “with Google” experience, thanks to its stock Android 2.3 Gingerbread software.
At first look nothing is setting it apart from the Nexus S – same slightly curved shape, light weight, thin plastic profile, and the 4″ Super AMOLED Contour display with 480×800 pixels. The default snappy 1GHz Hummingbird chipset is purring inside the handset, and that same 5MP camera on the back winks at us with the LED flash by its side.
Self-made 3D footage sounds exciting and even more so when shooting it with a device you always have in your pocket. The HTC EVO 3D is one handset capable of exactly this and we didn’t miss our chance to test its recording capabilities at CTIA.
We couldn’t resist snapping a few images and a video with the 3D mode on the 
We came across in Orlando at what seems to be the final version of the 
Ah, the HTC Merge, that elusive handset, which has been making random appearances in our 
Not to be outdone by Apple, Samsung rushed back to the drawing board when it realized how thin Cupertino managed to make the iPad 2. The two skinny products of its labor we got our hands on at the CTIA 2011 are the reworked 
We guess it’s fair to say that pretty much all of the fuss about 
Acer might be the new kid on the block when it comes to tablets, but who isn’t anyway? Despite that, the company managed to pull off a well-designed 10.1-inch slate codenamed 
CTIA has brought the 
In an industry where outdoing the competition is prevalent everywhere you look, it really didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that people were marveled by the engineering wonder found with the iPad 2’s razor thin construction. Although they comfortably thought they were ahead of the curve when they unveiled the 10.1” Galaxy Tab last month, Samsung was somewhat blindsided when the iPad 2 was brought forth to the world. Fast forward to roughly over a month since MWC, Sammy has gone back to the drawing board and redesigned their tablet not to just meet the mark set by the iPad 2, but rather, to beat it and lay claim to one engineering wonder.
What is that you are saying, a phone with the pure Google experience? And this one’s on Sprint, and not T-Mobile? Well, yes, Sir!
