Hasta La Gadget!

Properly replacing one of the most popular, recognizable BlackBerrys ever made is no easy task for RIM, but it looks like they’ve done a respectable job in officially announcing the Bold 9700, a device we’ve seen rumored as the “Onyx” through much of 2009. The new model gently massages the original Bold’s time-tested formula by moving the camera up to 3.2 megapixels, giving the screen another 40 lines of vertical resolution (480 x 360, up from 480 x 320), and shipping with the brand new BlackBerry OS 5.0 out of the gate. Also notable is that the 9700 replaces the trackball with an optical trackpad –continuing a trend started by the Curve 8520 — and will ship in both 900 / 1700 / 2100 and 800 / 850 / 1900 / 2100MHz 3G varieties, making the phone a perfect fit for AT&T, T-Mobile, and a multitude of networks in Canada and Europe. RIM isn’t announcing specific carrier availability, but they’re teasing that it’ll be coming on “carriers around the world” starting in November. Follow the break for a quick teaser video from the boys and girls up in Waterloo.

Update: Engadget Germany is at the launch event with RIM’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. We’ll be back shortly with a hands-on.

Update 2: T-Mobile just announced its flavor of the Bold 9700 for the US which it says will be the first BlackBerry that allows voice calling over WiFi.

Update 3: And here comes AT&T, which says the 9700 will be out in the “coming weeks” for $199 after $100 mail-in rebate.

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 announced, launching globally starting next month

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

BlackBerry Bold 9700 announced, launching globally starting next month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Well, hello there! Those Dell MID rumors we’ve been hearing have finally received vindication in the form of a nice, picture-heavy leak courtesy of some industrious folks in Vietnam. What we know as of now is that there’s an 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen display (with multitouch zooming), WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G WWAN connectivity, all riding atop an Android 2.0 (aka, Donut Eclair) install. A dual-LED flash 5 megapixel camera adorns the back, and there’s a 1,300mAh battery to power all that goodness. See pics below and a video awaits after the break, where an old friend of ours plays with the jumbo smartphone.

[Via SlashGear; Thanks, Nicky N.]

Continue reading Dell Streak is a 5-inch Android 2.0 MID, packs 3G and WiFi (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Dell Streak is a 5-inch Android 2.0 MID, packs 3G and WiFi (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

For those of you not paying attention in class, SplitFish is a peripherals maker that, true to its name (or half its name, anyway), offers PS3 controllers that split the left and right hand controls into separate parts. The Dual SFX Frag Pro, its latest, comes with a 2,000dpi laser mouse to tempt those last few PC gamer holdouts to the dark side of consoles, and a three shoulder button-equipped directional pad for navigation. What can we say, it looks weird as hell, but the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to get our hands on a set to see just how games played with this unorthodox control scheme. Should you share our interest, you’ll also want to know that pre-orders are being taken now for a cent under $90 in the US or a penny short of £80 in the UK, and shipping starts November 10.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Gaming

SplitFish Dual SFX Frag Pro pairs button-enriched mouse with ‘fragchuck,’ ships November 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Almost unnoticed amongst Apple’s product updates yesterday was a new infra red remote control, a sleek new aluminum number which replaces the plastic one that has been around for the last few years.

As with many Apple accessories, the remote started off as a bundled extra with all consumer Macs, and then one by one the Macs started to ship without it. If you bought one of the first few generations of iPod, which came with a dock, FireWire and USB cables and a case, this will be familiar to you.

Still, the little remote is certainly very useful, although overpriced at $20. It lets you control Front Row, the Apple TV, iTunes, many third-party apps (the excellent and free VLC media player, for one) and even an iPod in a dock. I use mine (in my house they seem to multiply like USB cables) to control iTunes podcast playback while I’m cooking or getting oily hands while fixing my bike.

The new remote is smaller, of course – and amazingly for an Apple device – actually has more buttons. The play button has been moved from the centre to join the “menu” button below the main circle. It is backwards compatible with any Apple device with an IR port (introduced in 2005), and you can’t get it for free. If only Apple would fix the software so iTunes doesn’t “overhear” the commands when it’s in the background and you actually are trying to pause, say, a movie.

Product page [Apple]

Well, we just finished putting the Fitbit activity monitor through its paces, but it looks like Philips has now come out with a strikingly similar device of its own — which, like the Fitbit, promises to help you get more active by monitoring you all the time. From the sound of it, however, it seems that Philip’s so-called DirectLife monitor has a few more tricks up its sleeve, not the least of which is a full-fledged fitness program complete with its own online personal coaches (who contribute to the $12.50 a month cost). The activity monitor itself also seems to have a few advantages over the Fitbit, including some LED lights that show your progress at a glance, and a built-in USB plug that eschews the need for a dock. Then again, it does still make use of nothing more than a basic accelerometer to monitor your activity, which isn’t always the most foolproof option. It also packs the same $99 price tag as the Fitbit, but Philips will knock that down to $79 if you order this month, and even throw in a four-month membership for good measure.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables

Philips introduces DirectLife activity monitor / fitness program originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments