Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve been hearing that China Telecom would be grabbing hold of Palm and RIM’s respective stables of smartphones since early last year, but at long last we’ve some official quotes to prove those whispers correct. According to a new report over at the Wall Street Journal, Chairman and Chief Executive Wang Xiaochu has affirmed that it will offer an undisclosed amount of BlackBerry devices in China this May, while Palm’s Pre (no word on the Pixi) will hit this July. These deals could certainly bode well for the carrier; as it stands, it’s going up against China Mobile — which already sells BlackBerry handsets — and China Unicom, which is home to Apple’s iPhone. Unfortunately, pricing details weren’t available, but we’re guessing those will pop sooner rather than later.

China Telecom launching Palm Pre, BlackBerry handsets this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, we know you haven’t exactly been champing at the bit to make use of Windows 7’s Device Stage, but that might just be because you haven’t had an opportunity, as manufacturers have to proactively register their hardware to let you make use of the streamlined device management service. Thankfully for mobile broadband users, Sierra Wireless has just volunteered. Starting today, all Sierra Wireless AirCards will automatically integrate with Windows 7 to allow you one-touch access to connectivity, support and firmware updates — with the tradeoff that it also provides carriers a branded spot on your computer that “can be remotely updated to support marketing campaigns.” We’re not terribly worried about Verizon and kin selling us new phones, to be sure, but we’re always a wee bit cautious of providing another back door into our road warrior lives.

Sierra Wireless pledges undying affection, support for Windows 7 Device Stage originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What you’re looking at on the left is 64GB. That’s a 32GB MicroSD card on the right, as comparison. At CTIA Wireless today, SanDisk showed off their latest high-capacity portable memory, including the new $199 32GB MicroSD that’s now on sale.

What does this have to do with Windows Phone 7? Well, as we learned last week, WP7 devices won‘t be allowed to have removable memory. That doesn’t mean WP7s have to lack storage, though. The chip on the left is a variety of SanDisk memory card that can be embedded in a phone – and where standard MicroSDs top out at 32GB, this one can hold up to 64GB.
That means Windows Phone 7s – and any other phone, for that matter – could be implanted with up to 64GB, provided the manufacturer is willing to spring for it. What would you store in 64GB on your phone?

Pic via Sanmooku

On my trips to Germany and Hawaii last year I kept seeing these Kent Nanotek cigarettes in duty free. Now that they’ve been released in Japan, I’ve come across a few of these really cool LED vending machines that only sell the Nanotek and play ads. They look great at night!

Thought AT&T’s Zero charger was going to cruise along with no competition? No sirree. Ventev has shown up here in Las Vegas to launch its (seemingly superior) competitor, the EcoCharge. Designed to (nearly) eliminate vampire power draw when no device is connected, this here charger one-ups those “other guys” by having room to invigorate a pair of mini-USB / micro-USB devices (one of those, plus a full-size USB at the top), and best of all, it won’t take up 1.5, 2 or 2.5 slots on your power strip. The company claims that its approach to cutting down on vampire power drain — the energy that’s wasted when you leave a charger plugged in with no peripheral connected — is better than other solutions out there, as a unit that completely kills the power when it’s left alone requires an on / off switch or a “wake up” period before it storms into action. The EcoCharge continually pulls 0.025 watts, while Energy Star chargers can go up to 0.3 watts when not in use. Oh, and did we mention that it’s shipping right now? Indeed it is — in micro-USB or mini-USB flavors for $29.99 a pop.

We stopped by the company’s booth tonight at CTIA’s MobileFocus event, and we learned that an Apple-centric version is just weeks away from shipping. As you’d expect, the bottom plug will be a dock connector, though the USB port behind the flip panel will remain all the same. We’re told that the company will be doing its best to get the charger into Apple’s sales channels, but you’ll be forced by pay $5 more for that version over the other guys. Guess that 10 percent Made for iPhone tax hasta be paid by someone, right?

Ventev EcoCharge whacks vampire draw, charges two devices for the price of one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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