Samsung Series 9 (NP900X3A) laptop review

Back at CES, Samsung pulled out quite a few surprises, and no, we're not referring to its Zoll-infused press conference -- although, that performance still gives us the willies. Of all the Korean company's announcements at the show, which we'll remind you included an impressive new LTE phone and range of SmartTVs, it was its Series 9 laptop that left us the most stunned. And well, a glance at that picture above should explain why we found ourselves counting down the days until its March launch date. The 2.8-pound system is a complete and total 180 from Samsung's typical bulky mainstream systems, yet its 0.64-inch thick chassis still crams in quite a bit of horsepower with a Core i5-2537M processor, a 128GB SSD, and 4GB of RAM. It's also built from some of the toughest stuff on earth, has a backlit keyboard, and an incredibly high quality 400 nit LCD. You see, the $1,699 machine teeters on having the absolute perfect balance of beauty and brawn, and certainty has the core ingredients to compete with that other extremely popular and super thin ultraportable -- but when you get it home and out of its fancy box, does it truly have the chops? Or is this just yet another rail thin and expensive Windows laptop that falls short? The time has come to find out – hit the break for our full review. %Gallery-119808% %Gallery-119857%

Samsung Series 9 review

Samsung's original Galaxy Tab 10.1 renamed the Tab 10.1V, thicker Galaxy Tab 8.9 no more than a trade show dummy

Samsung certainly stole the award for best tablet at CTIA this year, but it didn't do so without confusing us a bit. Sure, its new rail thin Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 are impressive and we're loving those price points, but the company also had its older and thicker Galaxy Tab 10.1 on display to show off its TouchWiz 4.0 software. On top of that, it also had a heftier versions of the 8.9 on display at its booth for similar demo purposes. So, what happens to those older models? Well, the 10.1 will still be hitting Vodafone overseas, and as such it's being renamed the 10.1V. In fact, Pocket-Lint has heard that the UK won't actually get the new thin version, although we're guessing that could always change in the future. As for the thicker 8.9-inch model pictured above, Samsung was making it quite clear at its booth that it wasn't planning to release that product to the public. It even had that nice little sign up there to make sure it crystal clear to any onlookers. Whether that 8.9-inch tablet was intended for release and then scrapped after the iPad launch, we'll never know, but we will always have the pictures and video of it below. %Gallery-119710%

Thicker Galaxy Tab 8.9 hands-on

Google Nexus S 4G for Sprint hands-on

Kyocera pictures a world of deeply understanding phones

You know what just doesn't understand true feelings enough? Our phones, that's what. But it doesn't always have to be like that if you ask Kyocera. Sure, the company had its dual-screened Echo on display at CTIA, but it also had an interesting exhibit of concept phones, including the ones pictured above, which can change shape based on human emotion. The premise is that since the majority of our communications comes through body language, these handsets would physically morph to express the mental state of your caller. Don't ask us why Kyocera's future just doesn't have better mobile video chatting solutions for that sort of thing, but as you could probably creatively imagine, the black slab on the left would represent a good mood while the one on the far right is clearly all worked up about something. Not zany enough for you? How about some phones that morph in your hand to adapt to how you're holding the device? Okay, that one actually seems pretty awesome, as does the one that looks like a spider web, but we'll let you wrap your heads around the rest of the concepts the company had on display by hitting the gallery below. [Thanks, Evan B.] %Gallery-119646%

ZTE's Style S and LTE tablet coming to the US during the second half of the year

We've long covered ZTE products at Engadget, but hardly ever do we see the company's phones touch down on a US carrier. Well, that's all going to change very soon. While the Chinese company isn't sharing exact carrier partnerships, it did reveal that its new Style S and LTE tablet will be coming stateside in the second half of 2011. The first of those two is that 4.3-inch Android 2.3 handset up there. Unfortunately, the Style on display at ZTE's booth was just a mockup, but we're certainly digging the large screen and soft back of the device. According to the placard, it will have dual cameras (a .3 megapixel shooter on the front and a 5 megapixel cam around back) and a 1350mAH battery. That aforementioned LTE tablet was also on display on the showfloor, albeit behind glass. The Honeycomb slab, which we hear will be aggressively marketed, has a 1280x800-resolution 10-inch display, two cameras, a 6800mAH battery, and an 1.2GHz processor. Unfortunately, that's all we've got for now, but check out the gallery below and expect to hear more during the second half of the year. %Gallery-119633%

Kyocera concept phone display

ZTE Style S and LTE tablet hands-on

Wysips hands-on

Tunebug readies the Rumble, adds speakerphone capabilities to its SurfaceSound speakers

Back at CES we took a look at Tunebug's Bluetooth Shake and Vibe speakers, which for those that need a quick refresher, turns any surface into a speaker with SurfaceSound technology. Well, now the company has landed here at CTIA Wireless with a more mobile focused product -- the Rumble. The package actually includes that aforementioned Shake (although, in this case it's being called the TuneRing), which is the triangular shaped part that turns any surface into an impromptu speaker, but the TunePad is really the key addition. That's the base part that you're peering at above, and not only does it provide a surface for the Shake, but it also now has a microphone to morph the package into a Bluetooth speakerphone. We got a look at the whole shebang on display here at the show, and while we couldn't get a handle on the sound quality in a room full of rowdy tech journalists, it did seem surprisingly loud. The $149 kit also comes with a 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack, USB to 3.5mm charging cable, and a helmet mount. Ironically, the Rumble isn't actually ready to rumble yet -- you'll have to wait for this summer, but hit the gallery below for some hands-on shots. %Gallery-119533%

HTC EVO View first look

HTC EVO 3D first look

Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 get some competitive price tags, starts at $469

Now we're talking, Samsung! In a surprise move, the company decided to come clean with the pricing of its new Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 this morning, and it's incredibly competitive. The WiFi version of the 10.1 will be up for grabs on June 8th in the US, and as you can see from that lovely chart above, the 16GB version is set at $499 and the 32GB at $599. Did you really have any doubt that Samsung was going after Apple here? The company is being a bit more vague on the Galaxy Tab 8.9 availability, only promising an early summer arrival at this point, but the WiFi version of that one comes in at a bit less. The 16GB option is $469 and the 32GB $569. You'll want to check out our hands-on with the two new tablets, but with this pricing now in our bag, we're certainly getting excited for the summer.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and new Galaxy Tab 10.1 hands-on: thinner than the iPad 2, dual-core power, TouchWiz 4.0

You know who took the iPad 2 launch pretty seriously? Samsung, that's who. Just as we had heard, the company's executives were impressed by Apple's ability to slim down its tablet and, well, it turns out that it took it as a challenge to come up with some thinner tablets of its own. That's right, in addition to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 that we have seen repeatedly teased over the last few weeks the company's announcing a totally revamped Galaxy Tab 10.1, and both slates are incredibly thin yet very well spec'd. On top of that, both will be the first Honeycomb tablets to stray from the pure Android 3.0 experience and add what Samsung's taken to calling its TouchWiz UX or TouchWiz 4.0. We've got all the details and some hands-on impressions waiting below, so hit the break! Updated: Samsung came clean with the pricing at its press conference this morning. The WiFi 10.1 will hit on June 8th -- the 16GB version will cost you $499 and the 32GB $599. The 8.9 is $469 and $569 for 16GB and 32GB, respectively. %Gallery-119459% %Gallery-119457%

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 hands-on

Samsung TouchWiz UX for Honeycomb

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung priced at $99.99 with a two-year contract, we go hands-on

Ready for some serious Sidekick 4G news? We thought so. First up, we've finally got the official pricing details from T-Mobile. That's right, come this spring the revived Sidekick will be hitting the likely-to-be-acquired carrier for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and two-year contract with unlimited data -- those that opt for the two-year contract but go with a lower-end data plan will have to pay $149.99 for the Android 2.2 handset. Sure, the pricing doesn't sound all that shabby, but how's the actual phone? There was no stopping us from getting our hands all over the first ever touchscreen-equipped Sidekick here at CTIA Wireless -- hit the break for our impressions and a hands-on video. %Gallery-119432%

T-Mobile's LG G-Slate priced at $529.99 with a two-year contract

Well, here ya go! T-Mobile has finally decided to come clean with the pricing on its 8.9-inch, 3D-capable LG G-Slate, and well, it isn't cheap. The Honeycomb, Tegra 2-powered tablet will set you back $529.99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate and that's only if you agree to a two-year contract. Of course, this thing can record 3D video, connect to T-Mobile's "4G" HSPA+ network, and output 1080p video, but that still seems like quite a bit of money when you consider you're also locked into paying at least $20 in data every month. Ready to grace us with the WiFi version, LG? Hit the break for the short press statement.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 specs and Honeycomb UI tweaks leak out before its official launch

You didn't have any doubt that Samsung was going to bring its new Galaxy Tab 8.9 to CTIA, did you? Well, this thing is definitely coming very soon. We snuck onto the show floor this afternoon, and while we didn't find the actual tablet, there was a serious amount of Galaxy Tab 8.9 signage. We couldn't get a close look at the placards, but the guys at PocketNow had better luck. Not only does the 8.9-inch display have a 1280x800-resolution, but the tablet itself is said to be incredibly thin -- it measures just .33-inches thick and weighs 1.03 pounds. It also looks like the 8.9 will be the first Honeycomb tablet with some noticeable interface customizations -- one of the signs showed a new "Live Panel" and a "Mini App" tray. All that certainly makes this one a bit more interesting -- we're assuming we will be hearing all the official details at Samsung's press conference tomorrow, so stay tuned!