Samsung Exhilarate announced for AT&T; LTE-powered, eco-friendly smartphone for under $50

Here is a smartphone that is built with the environment in mind – the Samsung Exhilarate. Constructed from 80 percent recycled post-consumer materials, the device successfully meets a number of sustainability standards. That is why it has been given a Platinum certification by UL Environment – a group of folks that determine how “green” a certain product is.

At the same time, the Samsung Exhilarate should deliver a decent Android experience, and while we are not expecting to see any spectacular hardware under its hood, its front is occupied by a 4-inch Super AMOLED display. Both a front-facing and a rear camera are on board, along with an LTE radio for speedy access to the internet. The Samsung Exhilarate is planned to launch on AT&T in the forthcoming months, and getting your hands on one will not cost you more than $50.

Pantech Burst, Pantech Element & Samsung Exhilarate Affordable LTE Phones Announced at CES 2012:

Cellebrite Machine shows Samsung Epic 4G 2 coming

You might remember the Cellebrite machine as being the device used by carriers to move over information (like your contacts list) from one handset to another. According to a source for ACS Syndicate, Sprint's version of the machine displayed the Samsung SPH-D705, aka the Samsung Epic 4G 2. This would be the sequel to Sprint's first-gen Samsung Epic 4G and has nothing to do with the Samsung Epic 4G Touch. The latter, of course, is Sprint's version of the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Back in August, Pocketnow had a leaked image of the Samsung Epic 4G 2 and said that the model was due to be released in the third quarter of last year. Expectations were for a minor refresh from the original unit; the phone was expected to have a 4 inch display and a single-core 1.2GHz processor. The camera was to receive a bump to 8MP from the 5MP on the original device.

Obviously, the Samsung Epic 4G 2 did not come out in the third quarter and the picture of the phone from last summer obtained by Pocketnow might not look anything like the handset now. With a single-core processor under the hood back in June, we might see some upgrade to the phone's innards as well.

Amazon offering Samsung Epic 4G Touch for just $79.99 with new line

With its dual-core 1.2GHz Exynos processor and the 4.52 inch Super AMOLED Plus display, many consider Sprint's Samsung Epic 4G Touch to be the best variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II models available in the States, which might make it the best Android phone that money can now buy. After all, the model on AT&T might have the Exynos processor onboard, but the display is only (in comparison, of course, to the Sprint model) 4.3 inches. The T-Mobile version of the Samsung Galaxy S II has the 4.52 inch display but replaces the homegrown Exynos processor with a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm APQ 8060 processor. While the latter has a faster clock speed, many believe that the Exynos processor in the device performs better and produces no lagging.

What brings the conversation to the Samsung Epic 4G Touch is the sale that online retailer Amazon is offering for the model. New Sprint customers can buy the phone for only $79.99 with a signed 2-year pact. If you already are a Sprint customer and add a new line to an existing account, the Samsung Galaxy S II is just $99.99 with a 2-year contract. Have an upgrade you can use? For you, the handset is $149.99 with a 2-year contract. At Sprint, the Epic 4G Touch is still $199.99 on contract, so no matter which option you use, you are saving some bread.

There is no word on when this deal ends, so if you are interested you might want to take advantage of this pricing soon before it is too late.