Hasta La Gadget!

We’d heard Google Instant was quietly popping up in mobile form for a lucky few, but it’s officially widespread now — the query-while-you-type search technology’s just hit open beta on Android 2.2 and iOS 4. Just go to Google in your favorite mobile browser and press the “Turn on” link, and you’ll be able to rush into the arms of your favorite technology blog with four fewer clicks. We maintain that it’s nigh-useless on most standard-sized mobile devices, as you can only ever see the top result without scrolling up and down, but it won’t cost you a penny to pick up your handset and form an opinion for yourself. Video demo after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Google Instant for Mobile goes live on Android and iPhone (video)

Google Instant for Mobile goes live on Android and iPhone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re LG, you wait until Android becomes a tablet-worthy OS before bringing out your Tegra 2 slate. If you’re Toshiba, you’re too busy shipping your 10-inch Froyo tablet to care. The Folio 100, powered by NVIDIA’s latest and greatest ARM SOC, is making its promised Q4 2010 arrival today, as it begins shipping all across Europe. There are still no release plans for the US, but Euros can now enjoy a 1024 x 600 resolution, 16GB of internal storage, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, mini-HDMI, USB and SD card-reading ports, and up to seven hours of battery life. €399 ($560) is the last price we heard for this Android Market-deprived slate, though we’d recommend trying one in person before letting go of that cash — our own impressions of the Folio 100 weren’t overwhelmingly positive.

Update: Toshiba has furnished us with updated pricing. Germany will have to pony up €429 for the 3G-less Folio 100 or €529 for the 3G-equipped SKU (available Q1 2011), whereas Italy gets both of them cheaper at €399 and €499, respectively, and UK buyers will have to find £329 for the thriftier model. All prices include local sales tax.

Continue reading Toshiba Folio 100 now shipping its Tegra 2-powered Froyo wares around Europe

Toshiba Folio 100 now shipping its Tegra 2-powered Froyo wares around Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surely you’ve heard of Qik by now, right? It’s most closely linked to Sprint’s EVO 4G, but it looks as if the video calling service is now siding with another “4G” carrier: T-Mobile USA. Shortly after T-Mob tossed off the gloves and proclaimed to be “America’s largest 4G carrier,” Qik has come forward with an interesting tidbit about the newfangled myTouch 4G. According to it, the “integrated T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik will be the first to offer integration into the native Android address book with the benefit of indicating live presence allowing customers to connect with friends and family through live video conversations and video messaging over T-Mobile’s network and WiFi.” We’re even assured that T-Mobile Video Chat will offer “dramatically improved video quality and frame rates compared to other video calling solutions on the marketplace through deep hardware integration,” and users can even see if folks in their contact book are able to video chat at a glance — no trial and error necessary. We’ll be testing this stuff out in our upcoming myTouch 4G review, but be sure to let us know how it’s treating you in comments below. You know, if you’re an “early adopter.”

Continue reading Qik integrates deeply into myTouch 4G’s hardware, Android contact book

Qik integrates deeply into myTouch 4G’s hardware, Android contact book originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos announced it was working on Android-based multimedia tablets in lots of form factors long before the iPad got everyone tablet-crazy. This week, the company began shipping its 4.3-inch and 7-inch models to customers in the US and Europe, while some Europeans may have gotten their 10.1-inch units early.

The Archos 43 is straightforward: 4.3″ FWVGA screen (480×854 pixels), Android 2.2 OS with an Archos skin, 1GHz ARM processor and 16 GB of flash memory for $250. (The tech specs say it also comes in an 8GB version, but that’s not an option now at the Archos store.)

The Archos 70 is a little more interesting, if only because it’s actually slightly more retro. It’s got the same guts as the 43, but a slightly lower-resolution screen (800 by 480) and a 250 GB hard drive (the kind that spins) option that’s forthcoming for $350. (Right now, only the 8GB flash model for $280 is available — which doesn’t seem like so much of an upgrade over the 43, with fewer pixels and less memory.)

Archos also has a 2.8-inch Froyo PMP for $100 — a nice little iPod Touch/Nano replacement — but most of its Android units are still officially unavailable. The 10.1-inch version was briefly reported to be shipping in Europe, but has since either been pulled or sold out. There’s also a 3.2-inch PMP with a video camera that’s still on the way.

That 250 GB hard drive reminds me that most of the companies releasing Android tablets now have been developing them for years — long enough that they were never really designed to compete with the iPad, but the iPod Classic and iPod Touch. It’s as if the iPhone’s touchscreen created an evolutionary fork in media players, with the slim, oversized iPad going one way and the square, high-capacity Archos 70 going another.

See Also:

• Archos 101 Android Tablet: iPad Rival or Giant Phone?
• Archos Unveils $500 Tablet
• Archos Promises Android-Packed Media Tablet/Phone
• New Archos Tablet Is a Kid's Toy, Not Suitable for Adults …
• Elegant New Archos Players To Come With 3G
• Your Froyo Tablet Probably Won't Support Android Market
• First Look: ELocity's Android Tablet Makes Great Media Player …

The story of the Galaxy Tab has been quite a saga, to say the least. In fact, it was actually back in May that we first heard rumblings of Samsung’s plans to unleash a 7-inch Android tablet much like its Galaxy S phones, but it was only after months of painful teasing — including a cruel look at just its packaging on the Engadget Show — that Sammy finally unveiled the Galaxy Tab to the world at IFA. The Tab certainly packed the specs — a 1GHz processor, full Flash support thanks to Android 2.2, dual cameras, support for up to 32GB of storage and WiFi / 3G connectivity — to put other Android tablets to shame, and our initial hands-on with it only had us yearning for more. Without pricing and availability, however, the story was at a cliffhanger. Of course, those details trickled out over the next few months, and here in the US, Samsung finally announced that all four major US carriers would be getting Tabs to call their own. Verizon then finally took the lead in announcing pricing, and revealed that its Tab would hit contract-free for $600 — Sprint followed with the same no-contract pricing along with a $400 two-year contract option.

Indeed, it’s been quite a long journey, but even after all of that, some of the major questions are still left unanswered. Does the Tab provide a more complete and polished experience than all the other Android tablets out there? How are Samsung’s specially tailored apps? And ultimately, has a tablet finally hit the market that can rival Apple’s iPad? We think it’s about time we answer those questions and finally open what might be the most important chapter of the Galaxy Tab story — the official Engadget review. We knew you’d agree, so join us after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab review

Samsung Galaxy Tab review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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