Hasta La Gadget!

I’ve seen a couple of people with the Samsung Galaxy Note, and they all commented on how big the device felt in their hands. Well Samsung decided that it still wasn’t large enough and has announced an even bigger Galaxy Note.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 sports a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,280 × 720, making it just a hair larger than the original’s 5.3-inch display. Samsung has updated its UI and the overall experience, after the release of their latest products in the US, including the Galaxy Note 10.1 and SIII. The battery has almost doubled in capacity, from 1,800 mAh to 3,100 mAh, which is good news too.

The quad-core 1.6 Ghz processor, 8MP camera that’s capable of 1080p video recording, and the fact that it will be running Android Jelly Bean are all good updates for people looking to use this device on the go. The device has more S Pen functionalities that the previous model, and continues to improve upon what Samsung started with the first Galaxy Note.

The Galaxy Note 2 will be available with 16, 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, upgradeable with a microSD card. It will be launched in October in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and will be available in either white or gray. There’s no word yet when it will be launched in the US.

[via Mashable and Android Central]

Amazon is widely expected to introduce new Kindles at its event next week and it looks like we might be getting a sneak peek at the goods early. Here’s an image that supposedly shows a new Kindle Touch with Paperwhite. Yep, it looks like the Kindle is finally getting a front-lit display a la the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. More »

If you prefer a set of keys to power your mobile recording sessions instead of a guitar adapter of some sort, you’re in luck. The folks at IK Multimedia have just revealed the iRig KEYS portable keyboard peripheral for iOS devices and both Mac and Windows PCs. Packing 37 velocity-sensitive mini keys, the add-on touts a three full-octave range, modulation / pitch bend wheels, an input for a sustain / expression pedal and an assortment of controls for customizing your sound just so. Should you feel inclined, this iRig offering connects via USB to a computer for an “in-studio,” desktop tracking experience. The unit is Core MIDI compliant and sports plug-and-play functionality alongside the outfit’s SampleTank family of apps. Said software can function on its own on the PC side or as a plug-in for more robust offerings like GarageBand, Pro Tools, Cubase, Sonar and the like. Itchin’ to snag one? You’ll have to wait until sometime this fall, but when it arrives, the KEYS will set you back €74.99 ($94).

Continue reading IK Multimedia announces iRig KEYS portable keyboard for iOS devices, ships this fall for $94

Filed under: Peripherals

IK Multimedia announces iRig KEYS portable keyboard for iOS devices, ships this fall for $94 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week in Berlin at IFA 2012 we’re seeing a large amount of manufacturers bringing on touchscreens and convertible, transformable, or otherwise completely strange Windows 8 computers. There’s everything from a flipping screen to a flat horizontal interface, and so many tablets that we don’t know where to begin. One thing they’ve all got in common: they’re attempting to make use of Windows 8′s ability to work with interactive touchscreens and gestures galore.

Have a peek first at the Sony VAIO Duo 11 in our hands-on experience. There you’ll find what’s called a “hybrid sliding PC” that’s not entirely unlike the ASUS solution for a similar situation in the Eee Pad Slider – but here it’s working with Windows 8 instead of Android. And it’s a bit more chunky (as seen above). Next have a look at Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet 2 as seen below. It’s a tablet if you’d like as well, this time you pull it out and set it up in a keyboard dock rather than sliding.

The Dell XPS Duo 12 is a strange beast indeed – working with a flip screen on hinges – like a framed painting whose center can be turned around. There’s a keyboard in there somewhere as well. Have a peek at that below this paragraph as well – and note that we’ve only gotten “eyes-on” with this device so far, so there’s no telling how fabulous it’ll be in the near future.

The folks at HP have brought along several units to the show including a hybrid PC that runs Windows 8 and has the power of a full PC – rather than a tablet with “mobile power”. Here you’re working with what’s otherwise known as a tablet with a keyboard dock, but it’s described the other way around. Then there’s Samsung – they’ve brought out the guns with the ATIV Smart PC Pro sporting a very similar setup to the HP solution also in this paragraph. Here Samsung has brought on a lovely looking combo that’s not without it’s Ivy Bridge – another bit of hardware we’ve seen a lot of this year. There’s also an ATIV Smart PC that we got hands-on with as well.

Check out the rest of this awesome pageant of touch-friendly (and sometimes not so touch friendly) devices as they appear in Berlin in our IFA 2012 portal. And keep up with the Windows 8 tag as well through the future – some strange devices are afoot!

Windows 8 makes manufacturers touchy at IFA 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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The global edition of the still-unannounced Motorola Droid RAZR HD, also known as the XT925, was just seen getting FCC approval. This likely won’t come as a shocker to many, since this device (alongside its Verizon counterpart) has been the victim of numerous leaks. What we did find as a little surprise, however, was the inclusion of LTE radios, specifically in bands 4 (AWS) and 17 (700MHz). Of course, we’re not expecting to see AT&T (the US carrier that utilizes both bands) pick this particular device up — especially since it recently launched the similarly specced Atrix HD — but it’ll be great for importers. The presence of AWS LTE indicates we’ll likely be seeing the XT925 flourish in Canada, and the 2G / 3G bands will certainly make it a prime candidate for sales in other markets around the world. Head to the source link to take a look at the docs, and the More Coverage section to view the XT925’s User Agent Profile. We’re still expecting to see Verizon’s variant (the XT926) on September 5th, though we’ll likely see the global version pop up pretty soon afterward.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Motorola RAZR HD global edition hits FCC with LTE included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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