Hasta La Gadget!

First, they ported Ubuntu to the Nook Color, and now the intrepid hackers at the XDA Developers Forum have overclocked its stock 800MHz processor to run at speeds up to 1GHz. The mod allows users to have their cake and eat it too, as the custom kernel ups the speed of the CPU while running it at a lower voltage, which means longer battery life — though we don’t know exactly how much longer. Apparently, the developer who wrote the code found that the system became unstable at the 1GHz level, but there were no such problems at 950MHz and below. Hit the source link to download the kernel and see for yourself what a supercharged Nook Color can do.

Nook Color gets overclocked, further blurs the line between tablet and e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung did say it’s ready to supply all US carriers with 4G phones, not just Verizon, and we may already be looking at one of those devices before us. Billed as a T-Mobile exclusive, the Vibrant 4G looks to be a gentle refresh of the current Vibrant handset, with the notable upgrades being the inclusion of 21Mbps-capable HSPA+ connectivity — to speed your mobile broadband up into T-Mobile’s definition of 4G speeds — and a front-facing camera paired to Qik video chat software. The onboard version of Android is 2.2 and internal specs seem to generally match the earlier-released namesake. Speaking of the original Vibrant, these leaked docs also show it’s sold over one million units in its time in the US and is the nation’s best-selling Galaxy S variant. Great, now can someone please leak it to Samsung that Android 2.3 is already out?

[Thanks, Brian]

Samsung Vibrant 4G appears in leaked docs, touts 21Mbps HSPA+, front-facing camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As technology advances, so do babies. Seriously, it’s amazing how often we see toddlers finding their way round smartphones and tablets these days, but according to Rullingnet founder Dr. Dan D. Yang, a lot of these products or apps are either too predictable or too dull to inspire the younglings, especially her own two-year-old daughter. As such, Dr. Yang came up with the Vinci tablet, which is essentially a seven-inch Android Froyo tablet bundled with educational 3D games, music videos and animated storybooks for ages of three and under.

The prototype we saw was actually a Galaxy Tab housed within a rubber frame, but Rullingnet is working with Samsung to produce a similar-looking 1.3-pound device sporting a flush spill-proof housing, an unnamed Cortex-A8 processor, a 3 megapixel camera on the back, and a microSD slot. Wireless components are removed to reduce radiation exposed to children, but parents will be able to install or upgrade apps via the micro-USB port. Expect to see a late Q1 or early Q2 release for about $479. For now, have a look at one of the preloaded games after the break.

Continue reading Rullingnet’s Vinci tablet is a rugged Galaxy Tab for babies, we go hands-on (video)

Rullingnet’s Vinci tablet is a rugged Galaxy Tab for babies, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android tablets aren’t exactly in short supply at CES 2011, but the Espert Identity Tab stands out — despite hailing from a manufacturer we’d never heard of before the show. Espert’s got two slick 7-inch slates on the floor, and while the E201 mostly cribs from Samsung’s WiFi-only Galaxy Tab — right down to 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird chip — the flagship Espert E301 pumps up the pixel density with a 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, adds an all-metal case, a mobile DTV antenna, and 3G connectivity. We poked and prodded these tablets all over and got a peek at the full spec sheets, so after you peruse our gallery below, hit the break for details!

Continue reading Espert Identity Tab E301 and E201 hands-on preview

Espert Identity Tab E301 and E201 hands-on preview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been raining tablets here at CES 2011. No seriously, it as if the sky has opened up in Vegas and dropped touchscreen slabs with Android and Windows 7 operating systems on our heads. It’s been nearly impossible to keep track of the number of tablets released and the details we’ve learned about them… until now, that is. After the break you will find a complete list of all the tablets we have heard about as well as a few key details about ’em. You’ll notice that most of the tablets listed plan to run Android 3.0 — if you’re looking for more on Google’s not-yet-released tablet OS, you’ll want to check out our guided tour and our interview with Google’s Matias Duarte. The show isn’t over yet so expect us to add more tablets over the next couple of days, but without further ado, we give you the official Engadget tablet chart of CES 2011.

You’ll also note that we’ve denoted our favorites in bold, so pay closer attention to those and make sure to click through to hear why they’ve impressed us so much. Enjoy!

Continue reading Tablets at CES 2011: Honeycomb, Windows 7, and all the rest

Tablets at CES 2011: Honeycomb, Windows 7, and all the rest originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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