By 
It’s been discovered that Samsung has submitted another version of the Samsung Vibrant to the FCC with AT&T 3G bands suggesting AT&T could be preparing to migrate customers over to their network soon. This is unlikely right now considering the deal between AT&T and T-Mobile has yet to be approved and according to recent murmurs, it may be a long time before that actually happens.
Engadget speculates that it could be due to a Canadian carrier adopting a similar phone with the same looks and similar model number. We’d put more of our eggs into this basket than the one woven above.
In related news, T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S 4G somehow won best of show (for the mobile phone category) at CTIA Wireless this past week. As you know, devices that weren’t announced ahead of the show could not be nominated leaving out worthy contenders such as the T-Mobile Sidekick, the T-Mobile G2x, and Sprint’s HTC EVO 3D.
Still, there were phones such as the LG Revolution, the HTC Thunderbolt and the Motorola ATRIX 4G that could have all walked away with that prize easily. Don’t get me wrong, the Samsung Vibrant is a great Galaxy S phone and I’m glad they’ve added 4G radios inside, but I’m not sure how it won best of show when it’s a rehash of a series that’s been out for nearly a year.
CTIA put an emphasis on the word “innovation” at this year’s show and I don’t see very much innovative about throwing a 4G radio inside of a phone that’s been out for quite some time. That’s not to take anything away from Samsung, but I think other products deserved the nod more. [via Samsung Hub]
Lol. How did that even happen?? Ridiculous.
None of the phones announced really are innovative(in my opinion).
The thunderbolt is a slightly upgraded Evo so i don’t see that being innovative. That’s not taking anything away from the phone. Idk much about the lg revolution but i think the atrix is definitely a phone i could’ve seen winning the award. But the galaxy s 4g is t-mobile’s best device and a great device that is currently out(aside from thunderbolt, inspire and atrix). Just my opinion though.
If the Evo 3D was eligible it would have won hands down.
As the owner of an original Vibrant, I have to say that I’m still blown away by what it’s capable of. I modded it with an FFC, and now I have:
-Super fast Hummingbird Processor, with AWESOME graphics capabilities
-Beautiful 5MP HD Camera
-Video Chat
-AV Video Out
-WiFi N
-Bluetooth 3.0
-4′ Gorgeous Screen
-Super Thin with Gorilla Glass
-Android 2.2
Throw in 4G bands on T-MO’s blazing fast network, and that phone is still hot.
I feel the same way about my Vibrant. If it had the 4.3″ SAMOLED Plus screen on it the I wouldn’t even bee thinking about buying a new phone until Spring/Summer 2012.
Did they ever work out the banding issue with the FFC mod? I pulled mine out cuz I got tired of it.
Yeah, popping in the Vibrant 4G’s camera works perfectly. Apparently, there are grounding issues with the International camera.
Kelly Lewis is still working on the XDA for a fix in the Kernel, but if you need it to work now, the 4G camera is the way to go.
How could I obtain a SGS4G Camera?
Actually no. Kellylewis is working. But there is a revision 2 camera now. Mobiletechvideos
com has them
Lol yeah baby! I have the vibrant, so the 4g version is making me a proud father right now(tears):)
I would expect very soon that all TMO phones will include AT&T Bands, the cost to add this (I’d imagine it’s just different radio firmware) is extremely low and it effectively “future proofs” the phones for the AT&T acquisition (if it’s approved). If the AT&T deal falls through there’s no real downside.
In fact I dare say that the only reason why they haven’t been doing this all along is to disincentivise their customers from unlocking their phones and taking them to AT&T which has traditionally had the worst selection of Android phones (lest they make the iPhone look bad by comparison)
The radios are probably a part of the cost of the deal. “we’ll buy your company and its subscribers if you start selling phones that work on our network” Makes everything much easier and like you said simple to do and no real downside.
Hello!
First, let me compliment your writing and word choice, really great stuff and enjoyable to read! I really value Phandroid’s informaton, blogs and articles to allow me full use of my Android Smartphone.
I just upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S 4G from the Galaxy S Vibrant on TMobile. I don’t know how to explain this without sounding like I need medication, but the phone seems “smarter”.
For example, I have noticed with all of my Smartphones (Windows OS, Blackberry and Android), they learn my patterns and behavior. Android learned my patterns faster than any other Smartphone I have used, and the move from the TMobile MyTouch 3g to the TMobile Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant was amazing. The Vibrant learned my behavior and patterns in about 10 days.
The Galaxy S 4g is learning even faster.
My point being, that while competitors such as “Sprint’s HTC EVO 3D” were not eligible for CITA, we have to keep in mind that it was TMobile’s commitment to Android which made such an impact on the Droid Nation, and it is TMobile who continues to be a trailblazer for the Android Platform. Even if the competitor’s were eligible, how can they compete with the dedication TMobile has demonstrated in supporting the future of Android?
My only concern now is the impact that AT&T will have on the future of Android’s Innovation. Keep in mind, the iPhone Debacle of the East Coast where the network could not support the addition of iPhone’s in the New York area. AT&T may have good intentions, but I think we have seen some of the obstacles they bring to the table when dealing with the Droid Nation.
Thanks for the great blog! Keep up the great work!!
Sure, TMo may have shown the initial commitment to Android, but it was Verizon (with their multimillion dollar DROID marketing campaign) that really made Android a viable competitor to the iPhone. And any claims about TMobile supporting the future of Android are laughable, as there’s no guarantee that there will even BE a TMobile in the future – just ask all those Cingular customers.
Agreed on TMO future….. I am sad.
If not for TMO taking a chance on Android, Android wouldn’t exist nor would the other carriers be able to profit off the coat tails of TMO being innovative. Sorry, but over a year after the G1 and Verizon launched a campaign for Verizon solely. One Motorola was enough for me. I’ll stick with HTC, LG or even Sammy. No thanks, Moto or VZW.
Android didn’t really need Verizon to make it.. Although I am glad that they gave it a chance.. There was a time when the rest of the world was already enjoying Androids, and here in the US we had 1 phone on 1 network.. We in the US have this strange system where we are depending upon the carrier to decide what phones to sell.. Verizon with their phones technology that is only used in the US is the biggest offender of propitiatory hardware.. but if it makes you feel fuzzy about them, well yeah, I’m happy that they looked beyond their own backyard, and saw what was possible.
“devices that weren’t announced ahead of the show could not be nominated”
That rule needs to change. The whole reason they don’t announce the phones beforehand is so that CTIA can be the platform to do so.
EVO 3D would have easily won, even without 3D
umm i think the vibrant 4g should have won the atrix and thunderbolt are trash iin comparison
and a classmate of mine has the v4g its FASTTTTTTT
Why are all the good phones not coming out on verizon. We are getting like one generation crap while everyone else is getting next generation stuff. Little angry