Samsung has bought a 10 percent stake in South Korea-based mobile producer Pantech. The purchase of shares in the country's third-largest smartphone manufacturer, reported to be worth 53 billion won ($47.6 million), will make Samsung the third-largest stake holder, just behind Qualcomm and the state-owned Korea Development Bank.
Pantech has introduced another device in its range of Vega smartphones. The Vega Iron adds a minimalistic 2.4mm (0.1-inch) bezel to a five-inch 720p display, creating a mobile phone with a viewable area hitting 75.5-percent of the total area available on the front, something the manufacturer believes is the "world's best implementation."
Pantech has revealed its first smartphone with a full HD display, succeeding the 5-inch Vega S5 the company unveiled in July. The Vega No. 6 phablet has a 1920x1080-resolution IPS screen measuring 5.9-inch diagonally, which is claimed by Pantech be the first in South Korea of it's size to be able to use an LTE data connection.
An upcoming smartphone should be close to an official announcement as EVLeaks has, yet again, shared a live photo of the Pantech Magnus. The smartphone previously showed up undergoing FCC testing, so it should be ready for launch, with all indications pointing to AT&T offering it. The phone should be fairly advanced, offering quad-band LTE network support and a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor.
South Korean electronic companies LG and Samsung are rumored to release smartphones with 1080p displays in the first half of 2013, daily paper MK News reported. LG is said to use LCDs for its screen, while Samsung will reportedly go with AMOLED technology. Such displays will have a minimum pixel density of 440ppi, compared to the current Apple iPhone's 326ppi screen.
AT&T and Pantech have officially revealed an upcoming handset, the Flex. It will have LTE network support and sport a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor running two cores. The 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED touchscreen will show the increasingly more common Android 4.0 interface.
A new, beginner-friendly smartphone from Pantech, the 4G LTE-compatible Marauder, will arrive at Verizon on August 8, the two companies revealed on Tuesday. The horizontal slider sports a full hardware QWERTY keyboard and two modes of operation: Starter and Standard. The former gives new users a simpler interface, including four home screens, preset widgets, and a dialer that lets them make calls from the home screen.
The first images of the Verizon-bound Pantech Star Q 4G LTE handset have appeared online thanks to an anonymous source. The handset is due to replace the Pantech Breakout and was previewed by an FCC filing from earlier this year. The 4G-capable handset should come in at $100 on-contract at Verizon, though this is yet to be confirmed.
Pantech today unveiled the newest in its line of Vega smartphones, the Vega S5. The S5, with its 5-inch HD display, looks set to compete with the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Note in the phone-tablet hybrid sector. The handset will be released in South Korea, and there has been no announcement regarding an international launch.
Samsung officials in Korea have purportedly hinted that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III will get different chips for different markets. The comments were made by an unnamed exec after Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs admitted that the 28nm MSM chips were facing a supply shortage, The Korea Times reported. Qualcomm chips will only be used in the US, the Samsung exec said, not explaining why.
The FCC has approved the Pantech ADR910L according to a recent filing. Believed to be the sucessor to the Breakout, Pantech's budget LTE handset on Verizon, the Android 4.0 smartphone will use a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor.
InterDigital has announced that it has established new licensing agreements with Acer and Pantech. The latter companies have agreed to pay InterDigital royalties for several new products, such as tablets, that were said to be excluded from original agreements related to 2G, 3G and 4G technologies.
South Korean electronics maker Pantech has announced plans to soon bring out a successor to the Vega Racer sequel the Vega Racer 2, the country's Digital Daily reported. The early specs are aggressive and include a huge 4.8-inch touchscreen with a 720p resolution along with a dual-core, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4. There will also be an LTE radio onboard, along with a ceramic body which Pantech claimed is a world-first.
AT&T has published a list of several devices that are confirmed to be upgraded to Android 4.0. The carrier has already released an Ice Cream Sandwich update for HTC's Vivid, ahead of updates for LG's Nitro; Motorola's Atrix 2 and Atrix 4G; Pantech's Burst and Element; and Samsung's Captivate Glide, Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and Galaxy Tab 8.9.
Sony may be working on an NVIDIA Tegra 3-powered tablet codenamed the V150, an online NenaMark benchmark benchmark indicates. The quad-core device would run on Android 4.0 as well, and scored a 59.70 on the single test it's been run through. This compares to the nearly 60 average score of the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and the 42.7 scored by a Pantech P4100 tablet with a 1.5GHz Snapdragon CPU on a single run.
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission issued across-the-board fines on Thursday to domestic phone designers and carriers for price fixing. IT ruled that LG, Pantech, and Samsung, as well as three dominant carriers KT, LG Uplus, and SK Telecom, had colluded on the prices of phones. The group was accused of artificially inflating the prices of cellphones, only to pretend they were offering a discount for what was supposed to be a less expensive device.
A new Pantech smartphone has been revealed. The Japanese website ameblo has posted a reference to the Pantech IM-A830S that appeared on a benchmarking list. The phone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core processor and run Android 4.0.3, making it a clearly new and high-end phone.
AT&T on Monday outlined the next wave of its LTE network's expansion on Monday. Another 12 cities would get its truer 4G network between April and the early summer. Most of the coverage would include cities in states that until now haven't had AT&T's LTE available.
LG is teasing a new handset on the web, the Optimus Vu, which could make a debut at Mobile World Congress. The handset would be rather unique, and is LG's first to get a 4:3 aspect ratio for its large five-inch, 1024x768 IPS touchscreen. Otherwise, it shoud sport a 1.5GHz, dual-core Snapdragon chip and 1GB of RAM.
Two of the devices formally unveiled at AT&T's Developer Summit have shipped to stores as of Sunday. The Element is Pantech's first US tablet and focuses on its LTE-based 4G data and its water resistance as its selling points: the eight-inch Android 3.2 device can take splashes and most other common abuse.
South Korean cellphone maker Pantech revealed on Monday it is talking with Microsoft about if it should pay royalties for the patents the software giant holds on Android-powered devices. No specific details have been worked out yet, however, a spokesperson said. How much the patent license is worth hasn't been revealed either.
At a special event ahead of CES, AT&T has announced that it is set to launch six new LTE devices early this year. The offerings include Samsung's Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD and Exhilarate; Pantech's Element and Burst; and Sony's Xperia ion. The Note, a 5.3-inch device that fits somewhere between smartphones and tablets, was the subject of several recent leaks.
The splashproof Pantech Element tablet unveiled a few days ago is now available for pre-order at AT&T stores. The 16GB device should ship on January 22, though there are no examples in stores for demos as of yet, Engadget wrote. The price points of $300 on a two-year LTE data contract and $450 without one make this the least expensive tablet offered by the carrier.
AT&T should play host to at least one new tablet next week, based on a leak Wednesday. The Pantech Element seen by BGR would make water resistance and built-in LTE its selling points. With closeable ports, the eight-inch slate would be splash-proof and survive casual spills, though not a complete immersion in water.
South Korea's KT on Tuesday became the third carrier in the country to launch LTE-based 4G. Its Olleh 4G LTE service is starting up first with four phones, including the Pantech Vega and Samsung's Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy S II HD LTE, and Galaxy Note LTE. A unique trick of the new network is an adapative system known as Warp: KT can tie as many as 144 cell sites into one virtual station and dynamically put bandwidth where it's needed, potentially avoiding bottlenecks.
Pantech is reportedly preparing to launch an eight-inch tablet that will arrive in the US with support for AT&T's 4G LTE network. Although the company has yet to formally introduce the tablet, the information published by Korean news outlet JKN corroborates earlier reports pointing to benchmark tests for a Pantech tablet that carries the model number P4100.
A new smartphone from China's Pantech has just shown up at the FCC, and is significant as Pantech's second US phone with a 4G LTE radio. It has support for AT&T's 700, 850, and 1700MHz LTE bands. The handset is thus far known only as the P9070, but that's likely to change when and if it does show up at AT&T.
Verizon Wireless has just brought out holiday pricing and a number of new devices in time for Thanksgiving and the Black Friday holiday rish. It will get a new, red HTC Droid Incredible 2 and offer Motorola's 4G LTE-equipped Motorola Xoom tablet for $200 on contract. Both will be available online on November 24, 25, and 28, and in-store on November 25 only. The phone will be free with a new two-year contract, but only after a $50 mail-in rebate. The Xoom LTE will require a two-year contract with at least a $30 monthly plan for 2GB of data.
AT&T has announced that it will be releasing three additional smartphones in its Android lineup. The carrier will begin shipping the Samsung Captivate Glide and DoubleTime, and the Pantech Pocket, on November 20. All three phones carry a $50 price tag with a contract.
Korea's Pantech aims to make distinctive smartphones thanks to adding gesture recognition to its wares. Developed in conjunction with Israel-based eyeSight Mobile Technologies, the feature will come to the Vega LTE. The feature will allow answering calls and controlling music playback without ever touching the phone.
Pantech was steered into striking a patent licensing deal with Intellectual Ventures late Wednesday. The pact gives it use of 35,000 patents for defense against the growing rash of patent lawsuits and countersuits. The Korean smartphone maker's IP strategy leader Chadong Hwang spun the deal as one that let it "stay ahead of the curve" and keep making the phones it wanted.
Although Verizon has been focusing its attention on the upcoming Stratosphere handset this week at CTIA, several Pantech phones were also on hand at the expo. Electronista took a look at the Breakout, Verizon's budget-focused LTE handset. The device is one of the most compact LTE devices, with a feature set that is not far off from the expensive competition.
AT&T rounded out a slew of Android phones with a pair of more affordable models, including just its second for prepaid users. Regular subscribers get the Pantech Pocket, which carries an unusually wide four-inch, 600x800 display intended to improve browsing while staying small enough to be usable one-handed. The carrier is unusually short on performance details but does promise HSPA+ Internet access, a five-megapixel camera with HD video, and Android 2.3.
A new quick messaging phone, the Pantech Link II, is now available at AT&T for just $10 after a two-year contract and subsidies. The BREW Mobile 1.0.2-powered handset replaces the original Link but retains the hardware QWERTY keyboard for quick text messaging, e-mails, and IM chats. The handset is 10.7mm thick, including its rubberized back.
Pantech has taken the wraps off its latest Android smartphone, the Vega LTE. The device should keep Pantech on par with brand new LG and Samsung phones by carrying a 4.5-inch, 1280x720 display, on Android 2.3. Along with the 4G data from its name, it will stay on par with a dual-core 1.5GHz chip and 1GB of RAM.
Verizon has planned an unusual emphasis on design for a basic feature phone with the Pantech Hotshot. The touch-only device sports a thin, 0.35-inch profile more common to modern smartphones and gets a 3.2-inch touchscreen. There are three home screens that can be customized with contacts, photos and shortcuts.
The successor to last year's Pantech Jest will soon arrive at Verizon Wireless, the carrier announced on Tuesday. The Jest 2 has a slide-out hardware QWERTY keyboard and has quad-band GSM support for roaming in more than 200 countries. Web browsing on the 2.4-inch LCD is thanks to the preloaded Opera Mini app.
An unheard of device called the Pantech P4100 has been accidentally revealed by a NenaMark benchmark test. The device is likely a tablet and should arrive at AT&T. Processing power will come from a 1.5GHz Snapdragon paired with an Adreno 220 graphics core.
Verizon brought out its first 4G smartphone without a premium price on Monday by confirming the existence of the Pantech Breakout. The Android 2.3 phone still reaches the full 5-12Mbps real speeds of the LTE network and can even create a 10-device Wi-Fi hotspot. At just $100 on contract and with a rebate, however, it costs just a third the price of other 4G phones on the network.
Pantech's Breakout handset appears to have arrived at some Verizon locations ahead of the rumored launch date. Imaged posted by Droid-Life show one of the upcoming devices in the wild, complete with a Verizon badge. The Breakout is expected to be the carrier's first budget-priced LTE smartphone, as a cheaper alternative to the $300 Droid Bionic, $300 Droid Charge or the $200 LG Revolution.
Pantech's Breakout handset may be set to arrive at Verizon stores as early as next week, according to a specifications sheet that was posted by Droid-Life. The fresh leak corroborates earlier reports, suggesting the device will arrive as Verizon's first LTE handset aimed at budget-conscious subscribers.
Verizon on Tuesday confirmed intentions to take its $50 unlimited prepaid plan national this week. As of Thursday, prepaid customers will get unlimited voice, text, and data. New phone picks will be limited to basic phones like the LG Cosmos, Pantech Caper, and those from Samsung.
Two upcoming Verizon handsets were just leaked over at PocketNow. The Pantech Breakout LTE is the more advanced device, with LTE network support and a four-inch 480x800 screen. It will likely be a rare budget 4G Android phone and sport a 1GHz, single-core processor along with 512MB or RAM.
An AT&T roadmap surfacing Tuesday has given clues as to the network's non-iPhone launch strategy for the late summer and fall. Along with known quantities like the Torch 9860, it shows at least two Windows Phone 7 Mango devices. One fall release, the "Kupua," is Samsung's i937, is believed to mostly be a take on the Galaxy S II using Microsoft's OS. The other seen by PocketNow, the HTC "Bunyip," is most likely the Eternity 4.7-inch flagship.
South Korea's Ministry of Knowledge Economy deputy minister Kim Jae-hong stated late Monday that the country was looking to develop its own mobile and desktop operating systems to reduce dependency on outsiders like Apple and Google. A plan due to start before the end of 2011 would see Korean companies, presumably LG, Samsung, Pantech, and others, make their own open-source platforms both for mobile and a Chrome OS-like desktop. It would also hope to establish a "habitat," Kim told Yonhap and other media outlets, where locals were encouraged to pick their own OS over others.
AT&T started off the week with promises that much of its Android smartphone line would get Android 2.3. Starting with the just-live Atrix 4G update, every postpaid (regular subscription) phone would get the OS. The Inspire 4G was next with an August upgrade, but the Samsung Captivate and Infuse 4G, the LG Phoenix, and Pantech Crossover would all get the modern OS.
Apple, Amazon, Nokia, Research in Motion and several other companies are all violating patents related to GPRS networking, a new lawsuit alleges. The plaintiff is GPNE, a company based in Honolulu, Hawaii. GPRS is the basic data platform associated with modern GSM phone networks. 3G, in the form of HSPA, represents an additional layer.
AT&T finished the week by rolling out an upgrade to one of its core messaging phones. Pantech's Pursuit II switches to a vertical QWERTY slider design instead of the original's side slider, but its changes revolve mostly around its use of Qualcomm's Brew MP platform. The OS is built for basic feature phones but gives it more smartphone-like apps and a more accurate HTML-capable browser.
Pantech jumped to Android in the US for the first time on Tuesday with an AT&T model, the Crossover. The QWERTY keyboard slider is aimed at the budget set with a 3.1-inch touchscreen, a three-megapixel camera, and a 600MHz processor, but still promises more than basics. The design is ruggedized and comes with AllSport GPS out of the box for exercising.
Pantech has unveiled a new flagship smartphone that could give it a rare speed edge in the smartphone world. The Vega Racer should be the first to use Qualcomm's dual-core, 1.5GHz Snapdragon MSM8660 and outpace even 1.2GHz dual-core phones like the HTC Evo 3D. The chip's inherently much faster Adreno 220 graphics could give it an edge in visuals not normally associated with Snapdragon chips.
