Feb 18

Chumby prototype with Marvell innards spotted at MWC 2010

Posted in: hands-on, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, prototype, Today's Chili

Even though they don’t make retail devices, the booths of component makers like Qualcomm, Broadcom, TI, and Marvell at trade shows are often great venues for actually seeing retail devices — these guys have to help showgoers make the connection between a boring chunk of silicon and an end product if they’re hoping to score orders, after all. Indeed, Marvell’s tent at MWC this year is a veritable cornucopia of Good Things, and we couldn’t help but notice that they’re showing what appears to be one of Chumby’s not-for-sale reference designs sporting an 800 x 600 display with an 800MHz Marvell Armada core (hence the appearance here in the booth). For the record, we’re told this is a successor to last year’s reference platform known as “Silvermoon” that had been running on a 1GHz PXA168 and that there’s a chance it’ll be available in retail form later this year. The UI’s attractive, but not really as multi-functional as Sony’s Dash — you can think of this as more of a giant Chumby One, really, with some extra screen elements designed to take advantage of the significantly higher resolution. There’s no guarantee this’ll ever be produced — or if so, when — so for the time being, our video UI tour after the break is about as close as you’re going to get.

Continue reading Chumby prototype with Marvell innards spotted at MWC 2010

Chumby prototype with Marvell innards spotted at MWC 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 18

MWC: ARM Wont Admit Theyre In Apples iPad

Posted in: Apple, arm, ipad, mwc, Today's Chili

Apple’s secrecy around their products is famous, paranoiac, and frequently infuriating. Some of it makes sense: they stop leaks to maximize the surprise potential of new product announcements. But some of it doesn’t make as much sense, for instance refusing to release basic details about the capabilities of their existing products.

For instance, take the iPad. The iPad has an “Apple 1Ghz” processor in it, and it’s running iPhone OS 3.2. The iPhone OS, at least up until now, has been written for ARM processors; Samsung makes the one in the iPhone 3GS. So the iPad also has an ARM, right? Right?

ARM executives interviewed today at Mobile World Congress not only wouldn’t confirm that there’s an ARM processor in the iPad, they wouldn’t even confirm that Apple is an ARM licensee, or that Apple acquisition PA Semi was.

The reason the iPad’s processor architecture is important is because it directly impacts performance. Apple quotes it as a “1 Ghz” processor. But 1 Ghz ARM11, Cortex-A8 or Cortex-A9 processors would be very different speeds – and we’re not even talking about the graphics hardware yet.

I guess we’ll just have to wait until the teardown firms get iPads and tear them apart with an electron microscope. Of course, things could be much worse. Unlike the Reuters investigative reporter checking out Apple’s suppliers, I wasn’t actually assaulted by any guards.

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Feb 18

Slack-Off in Meetings With Kindle for Blackberry

Posted in: BlackBerry, e-books, kindle, Phones, Today's Chili

kindle-for-blackberry-tcg-right-animated_v202460734_Amazon’s Kindle reader is spreading to one more device: The BlackBerry. Like the iPhone version, you sign into your Amazon Kindle account and you can read any books you have bought for Kindle. The beta application will also talk to Amazon’s Whispersync service to keep your place across all your devices.

Kindle for BlackBerry (another awesome bit of naming, guys) joins Kindle for PC, iPhone and Kindle for Kindle, and the soon-to-appear Kindle for Mac. We like what Amazon is doing here: you buy a book once and you can read it on pretty much any device you have. And because many of these phones, iPod and computers can be loaded up with several other e-readers, you aren’t locked in to the Kindle store (unless, ironically, you actually bought a Kindle).

But the best thing about Kindle for BlackBerry is that you can now read erotic fiction in business meetings, and all the other suits will assume you’re just checking your email. Email that makes you flushed and flustered, but email nonetheless.

Kindle for BlackBerry [Amazon]


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Feb 18

Sony Ericsson CEO: Google asked us to build the Nexus One, we refused

Posted in: Android, Google, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, NeXus, nexus one, NexusOne, smartphone, Smartphones, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili

Aw, why don’t these CEOs say stuff like this in press conferences? Sony Ericsson’s head Bert Nordberg has shared with Swedish publication Sydsvenskan the rather salacious news that his company was asked to build the so-called Google phone before HTC… and it turned down the opportunity. Fearing brand dilution or something equally crazy, Nordberg states that Sony Ericsson is committed to building only its own-branded hardware and will not be a subcontractor to anyone. Haughty words from a company whose own Android device is still a good couple of months away from hipsters’ pockets, but we’re sure Bert knows best. After all, it’s not like HTC got a ton of positive press and brand awareness out of its partnership with Google, and it’s exceptionally clear that SE doesn’t need a dime of additional revenue. Oh, wait.

[Thanks, Michael N]

Sony Ericsson CEO: Google asked us to build the Nexus One, we refused originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 18

Entourage Edge suffers month’s delay, minor price bump

Posted in: delay, e ink, e reader, e-book reader, E-bookReader, e-books, ebooks, reader, Today's Chili

It was kind of inevitable with all these e-readers competing for attention at CES that some of the manufacturers would overestimate their capabilities and make promises they could not fulfill. One early candidate for the newly inaugurated promise breakers’ club is the dual-screen Entourage Edge, whose February delivery date and $490 price have both been elevated, albeit slightly, to their new values of March and $499. The delay is clearly the most significant change, though we should note the careful wording, which states that “new orders will ship March 2010” and thereby leaves a glimmer of hope for early pre-orderers. The rest of us shouldn’t be too downhearted either, it’s a moderate time to wait, and we can just fantasize that the company’s busy filing away at that splendiferous bezel.

Update: Entourage have gotten in touch to let us know the extra $9 on the price is for the new (as of February 1) inclusion of the Documents To Go software, and pre-orders placed before January 12 will be shipped this month. Candidacy for promise breakers’ club is denied. Better luck next time.

Entourage Edge suffers month’s delay, minor price bump originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 18

Motorola MT710 quick hands-on

Posted in: hands-on, motorola, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, Today's Chili
We’ve already had a quick look at the Korean Motorola MOTOROI, and we figured it was only fair if we gave the Motorola MT710 a fair shake, too. The MT710 is running the Android-based Ophone OS on some pretty sweet hardware including an 854 x 480 FWVGA resistive touchscreen display — to help with Chinese handwriting recognition we’d bet — replacing HSPA 3G with TD-SCDMA for 3G, and a pretty slick housing accented in reflective and red metals. Of course the MT710 isn’t meant for our market, but we’re still encouraged to see how many Android sets are cropping up here at the show and indeed from Motorola.

Gallery: Motorola MT710 quick hands-on

Motorola MT710 quick hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 18

Motorola Backflip to land at ATT March 7

Posted in: Today's Chili

ATT announces the upcoming availability of its first Android device, the Motorola Backflip. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-10455631-251.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Android Atlas/a/p

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Feb 18

Android-powered Motorola Backflip headed to AT&T on March 7 for $100 on contract

Posted in: Android, att, breaking news, BreakingNews, Google, motoblur, motorola, Today's Chili

AT&T just got its first Android-powered smartphone (four more coming this year) in the HSPA 7.2-capable Motorola Backflip. The Motoblur device with reverse flip design and 3.1-inch touchscreen packs GPS, WiFi, and a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with flash and camcorder function that neatly integrates with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter or photo sharing sites like Picasa. It lands March 7th for $100 after $100 rebate and two-year contract with smartphone data plan. AT&T promo video after the break.

Gallery: Android-powered Motorola Backflip headed to AT&T on March 7 for $100 on contract

Continue reading Android-powered Motorola Backflip headed to AT&T on March 7 for $100 on contract

Android-powered Motorola Backflip headed to AT&T on March 7 for $100 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 18

Insurance Carrier: iPhone Owners Smashing Them to Get Upgrades

Posted in: iPhone, Today's Chili

Apple_iPhone_3G.jpg

An iPhone insurance carrier by the name of Supercover Insurance said that as many as four in six claims are “suspicious,” and that the rate gets worse whenever a new model appears on the market, according to Tom’s Guide. The carrier said that it saw a 50 percent increase in claims during the 30 days following Apple’s announcement of its latest iPhone 3GS model last summer.
“While most customers take out insurance because they value their iPhone, we started to notice increases in claims as new and upgraded iPhones were launched,” said Carmi Korine, director of Supercover Insurance, in the report. “For short periods around new model or upgrade launches, claims to replace lost, stolen or damaged iPhones go through the roof.”
In other words, some iPhone owners decide that they don’t want to wait for their two-year contract to expire in order to get upgrade pricing, and don’t want to pay full list for a new phone either–so they smash the phone, file a claim, and replace the phone with the latest model.
The carrier spokesperson said in the report that some destroyed phones received by the company were hit with a hammer at least six times, and one was even “dropped on the pavement and then run over by a car.” (Sorry about that, guys–oh wait, that was a different phone.)
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Feb 18

Jays to ship seven new earbuds this year, prestige x-JAYS included

Posted in: audio, earbuds, earphones, headphones, Music, Today's Chili

We hate to point out the obvious, but it’s been a hot minute (or two, actually) since we’ve seen any new gear from Sweden’s own Jays. Evidently the company’s been hoarding up its wares for a mass introduction, as seven new products were brought to the public’s attention this week. The new a-JAYS and t-JAYS are both slated to hit the market in Q1 of this year, with each series being available in three different styles with different sound features. Each will ship with a protective travel case, and for those with extra coin to spend, a gaggle of accessories should also be available. The x-JAYS (citing as the “prestige” model) will ship in Q2, and these are described as being the planet’s smallest in-ear headphones with a quadro armature. Mum’s the word on pricing, but we’re guessing they’ll be somewhere between “reasonable” and “are you kidding me?”

[Thanks, Anders]

Jays to ship seven new earbuds this year, prestige x-JAYS included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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