Hasta La Gadget!

Lawsuit fight! Two months ago, Apple sued HTC over 20 counts of patent infringement. This week, HTC is fighting back with a lawsuit of its own. The company has filed a lawsuit with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) in an attempt to “halt the importation and sale of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States.”

“We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones,” explained HTC’s vice president of North America, Jason Mackenzie. “As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible

Apple has yet to issue a response, though I imagine more lawsuits will likely arise. Back in April, HTC and Microsoft announced a “patent deal” that provided “broad coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio for HTC’s mobile phones running the Android mobile platform.”

Sprint on Wednesday announced pricing and availability for the hotly anticipated HTC Evo 4G. The phone will be available June 4 for $199.99 with a 2-year contract. Much is already known about the Evo 4G, the first 4G-capable phone released in the U.S., but these two details indicate the phone will go head-to-head with the next Apple iPhone.

A new iPhone is expected sometime in June; if history is any guide, the base model will likely sell for $199.99. PCMag mobile analyst Sascha Segan predicts it will be called the iPhone HD and will place an emphasis on recording and sharing HD video. Because the phone won’t be on a 4G network, it is unlikely Apple will call the device the iPhone 4G, a name that has been widely circulated because it will be the fourth generation.

The HTC Evo 4G is a monster when it comes to hardware specs and a giant when it comes to software. The device will include a 4.3-inch LCD screen, a 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel camera on the back, and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front. The phone will run Android 2.1 software with HTC’s Sense UI, a similar setup that we saw (and liked) with the HTC Droid Incredible. A full hands-on with the phone can be found here.

Sprint also announced that the Evo 4G will be the first device that will be able to stream YouTube videos in high quality mode. During an event in New York, Sprint showed off the Evo next to a Motorola Droid, which can only stream YouTube videos in standard quality, and the difference was stark–the Evo’s high quality stream looked bigger, brighter, and bolder.

Look out for a full review of the HTC Evo 4G on PCMag.com closer to the phone’s release date.

We’re still trying to wrap our heads around the idea that an aftermarket NIC can really improve your gaming experience, but time and time again Bigfoot Networks Killer line of network interface controllers comes through reviews with flying colors, and its latest, the Killer 2100, is no exception. Boot Daily took one for a spin and found that it “completely destroys the typical on-board LAN port in all the gaming tests.” Latency and UDP throughput were clearly improved, and the new software was found to be comprehensive and useful. We’re still not seeing this as a product for casual gamers, but if you’ve ever blamed lag for your inability to rack up the headshots then this is $129 well-spent — assuming you’ll be able to come up with some other excuse.

Bigfoot Networks Killer 2100 reviewed, ‘completely destroys’ on-board NICs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve argued that a Blu-ray player could soon be your only set-top box. These $200-$250 models, the four fullest-featured you’re likely to buy, all strive to be Swiss Army-like in their utility, but only one comes closest to the promise. More »

Is your Optimus Maximus feeling a little… dated? OLED keys just not quite doing it for you any longer? Looking for something a little different, and maybe a little smaller? That’s the Popularis, a product announced just about two years ago that the good folks at Optimus would like to remind you is still progressing quite nicely. Plans are to start production later this year with a release sometime in 2011. Like the Maximus, the Popularis will have full-color keys, but they are said to not be OLED-based this time, leaving us wondering. When it was initially announced the keyboard was set to retail for the bargain price of under $1,000 but, given the rate of inflation since then, we could be looking at an MSRP closer to $1,010. Better skip today’s Starbucks run.

Optimus Popularis keyboard is still on target, due next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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