Samsung ATIV S

The three OEMs down together

Rogers has pledged strong support for Windows Phone 8 through the announcement of both exclusivities and hardware that makes use of Microsoft's latest mobile system. This mirrors the strong carrier support we've seen so far here in the UK. We managed to get some hands-on action with said devices, so be sure to pop on past the break for all the photos.

Rogers has published a blog post detailing what hardware the carrier will be sporting from Microsoft for both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, as well as any exclusivities Rogers will hold on said devices. We're already aware of which Windows Phones the carrier will be taking, but the blog post also touches on carrier apps that will be pre-loaded.

Lots and lots of Windows Phones

UK retailer Clove is a strong supporter of Windows Phone, if its product listings are anything to go by. Not only is the retailer sporting the Samsung ATIV S, which we covered previously, but Clove also now has the HTC 8X, HTC 8S, Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 available online.

Earlier today Rogers Canada officially announced their Windows Phone lineup that included the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung ATIV S. While no pricing for these devices wasn't released, the Lumia 920 and HTC 8X have appeared on Rogers' Reservation site.

The reservation system is only for existing Rogers customers and is a way to hold one of the new Windows Phones once they become available. Which is listed as "in the coming weeks".

The Lumia 920 is available in black and the 8X is available in both 8GB and 16GB versions. Which gives a little more credibility to the rumor AT&T will offer the 8X with two storage options.

Source: Mobilesyrup

Today Rogers announced that they'll be the exclusive carrier for the Nokia Lumia 920, the HTC 8X, and the Samsung ATIV S. Apparently the 920 and the 8 GB 8X will be exclusives. Rogers will also be offrering the Samsung ATIV Windows tablet as well. 

Of course, there's no information on specific prices or dates just yet, but we'll keep our eyes peeled. Rogers president Rob Bruce says that the devices will be priced "competitively". We at least know that the 920 will be landing sometime in November, and we've had an inkling that the ATIV S would be launching in the same time frame. The 8X was also announced not too long ago, so not a ton of surprises here, but Rogers and Microsoft are definitely cementing their partnership today. Bruce said that there's going to be a big focus on Microsoft products from here on in, though they're still about offering as much choice as possible. We're at Rogers HQ right now, so with any luck we'll get some hands-on time later today (though I'm not holding my breath). 

Source: CNW

Today Rogers announced that they'll be the exclusive carrier for the Nokia Lumia 920, the HTC 8X, and the Samsung ATIV S. Apparently the 920 and the 8 GB 8X will be exclusives. Rogers will also be offrering the Samsung ATIV Windows tablet as well. 

Of course, there's no information on specific prices or dates just yet, but we'll keep our eyes peeled. Rogers president Rob Bruce says that the devices will be priced "competitively". We at least know that the 920 will be landing sometime in November, and we've had an inkling that the ATIV S would be launching in the same time frame. The 8X was also announced not too long ago, so not a ton of surprises here, but Rogers and Microsoft are definitely cementing their partnership today. Bruce said that there's going to be a big focus on Microsoft products from here on in, though they're still about offering as much choice as possible. We're at Rogers HQ right now, so with any luck we'll get some hands-on time later today (though I'm not holding my breath). 

Source: CNW

We haven’t yet seen this page launch from AT&T yet so it’s new to us and as far as we know it’s not linked to by AT&T on any of their other sites yet. But if you head to http://www.att.com/windows you can take a look at how the carrier will be promoting Microsoft’s new wares this fall.

We’ve been told through our sources that AT&T will be the only Windows 8 4G vendor to launch with the new OS. That means at least out the gate, Verizon and T-Mobile (forget about Sprint) won’t have tablets running the new OS. That could change later of course, but AT&T is the premier partner not only for Windows Phones but for Windows tablets as well.

The Samsung ATIV S in its glory

The Samsung ATIV S is heading to O2 UK, according to the coming soon section of the carrier's website. While no price or dates for availability are provided, it's good to see a UK operator step up and unveil Samsung's latest Windows Phone. Samsung has come under scrutiny by consumers who believe the manufacturer has done little for Windows Phone except release uninspired hardware.

UK retailer Clove has announced on its official blog the listing of the upcoming Samsung ATIV S. The Windows Phone is now ready to pre-order for £442.80, including VAT. Samsung unveiled the Apollo smartphone at the company's presentation at IFA 2012 in Berlin. Featuring a metallic hairline finish, as well as a minimal deisgn, the ATIV S is a unique device being only 8.7mm thick.

The beast of a handset sports a 4.8" S-AMOLED display (720x1280), dual-core 1.5 CPU, 16GB (plus expandable SD support up to 32GB), 1GB RAM, 8MP camera (1.9MP FFC), 2300mAh battery and comes with NFC and DLNA support.

We’re not sure where GSMArena managed to get a Samsung ATIV S, especially with no obvious handlers interfering, but they did and they have a nice 3-minute video tour of the phone. The video has some excellent production with ample light, allowing us to finally see the long missing Samsung Windows Phone.

The video also highlights what should be obvious: that 4.8” Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 2 is quite massive and not in a bad way. The device is clearly super thin (by comparison to other Windows Phones) but just a monster in terms of how big the view is on it.  For some users, that’s clearly a selling point and we could only imagine how nice it must be type on such an ample on-screen keyboard.