Samsung Exhibit II 4G is a $30 Android steal for T-Mobile

Samsung is a company with a penchant for sequels, and just a few months after releasing Exhibit A, here comes Exhibit B: the Samsung Exhibit II 4G.
The specs are modest to be sure, and very similar to the original. It starts withAndroid 2.3 Gingerbread running behind a 3.7-inch WVGA touch screen and powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. There's a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing VGA camera. In addition to the usual Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth support there's also T-Mobile TV and the Samsung Media Hub.
Of course, there's also the speed. The Exhibit II 4G will run on T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network. A $29.99 price tag (after a $50 mail-in rebate) would already be a bargain price for a phone like the Exhibit II, but the 4G access is what really makes it such a steal. On other networks, a 4G-capable phone usually costs a premium.
That $30 price point is with the two-year service agreement, mind you, but the phone will also be available off-contract. In fact, T-Mobile is branding it the "first no annual contract 4G smartphone to be sold at most Walmart stores." That starts Thursday, October 27, for $199.99.
T-Mobile stores start putting the Exhibit II on display a few days later on November 2. Unlike the original, which came in black and violet, the Exhibit II is painted "marine blue."
Although it seems a little soon to see the Exhibit's sequel hit store shelves, the original was a likable phone that offered great value for the modest price, and I expect to see more reliability here as well.

Originally posted at Android Atlas

25 die in Himachal bus accident

At least 25 passengers, including five women, were killed and more than 30 people injured when an overloaded Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus rolled down a gorge near here on Monday evening.
Police said the toll was likely to go up. The accident occurred at 5.30 pm when a bus that was headed for  Bandla village developed a snag 4 km from Bilaspur town. In a hurry to reach home, stranded passengers, most of them Diwali shoppers, stopped another bus going to Bandla village and began boarding it.


Since the bus was already overloaded, some people climbed atop. The bus, which was parked on the roadside, began rolling backwards and fell into the gorge. The fortunate few who were still standing on the roadside said they could hear nothing except screams.

Most victims were from Bandla Gamna and Sera villages.

Bilaspur deputy commissioner Ritesh Chauhan and SP Santosh Patial rushed to the spot to supervise the rescue work that was hampered as darkness descended.

Ambulances from Bilaspur and nearby places rushed the injured to the civil hospital. Seven victims were referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla in a serious condition.

Chauhan said the toll could go up as the rescue operation was still on.

The HRTC authorities said that 40 passengers were travelling in the bus but eyewitnesses said the bus was already overloaded when more people tried climbing it.