Hasta La Gadget!

Acer’s UK press team has been atypically loquacious today in disclosing the expected launch window and Android version for its upcoming Liquid Metal handset. We’ve confirmed ourselves that the end of October is the period now circled on Her Majesty’s calendar, though we suspect the rest of Europe, if not the entire world, will be getting to grips with the Froyo-packing smartphone at about that time as well. The unconfirmed specs (gotta keep a little mystery, right?) include the same 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 as inside the T-Mobile G2, a 3.6-inch display with 800 x 480 resolution, Bluetooth 3.0 onboard, and the handsome backplate you see above, which seems to have been made out of brushed aluminum. So how do you feel, is there room for yet another contender on your smartphone wishlist?

Acer Liquid Metal handset confirmed for end of October in UK, has Froyo filling inside originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electric Pig  |   | Email this | Comments

Android-loving Japanese readers, your day has come. Mouse Computer is kindly bringing you the so-called LuvPad AD100, a 10.1-inch, 1,024 x 600 tablet running Android 2.2 on NVIDIA Tegra 2 internals. As is the way of Android tablets it is naturally just a rebrand of someone else’s product, which we’ve earlier seen showing up with a Hannspree logo and, before that, an Interpad logo. There’s the typical 512MB of internal memory paired with microSD expansion (8GB included), and it can be yours in a few weeks if you get that pre-order in for ¥48,250 — about $575. Need to see more before committing? Check out our Spanish colleagues’ hands-on with the Interpad version.

Mouse Computer brings the exciting and new LuvPad AD100 to Japan, Froyo and Tegra come aboard originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Akihabara News  |  Mouse Computer  | Email this | Comments

Continue reading Acer Liquid Metal wraps Android 2.2 in aluminum

Acer Liquid Metal wraps Android 2.2 in aluminum originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink A bit of technology  |  habrahabr.ru  | Email this | Comments

At last, T-Mobile just went official with its G2 QWERTY slider. As expected, this Android 2.2 device ships with Qualcomm’s MSM7230 Snapdragon silicon optimized for T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network with an 800MHz CPU and second generation application co-processor. Other specs include a 3.7-inch screen, 4GB of internal memory with pre-installed 8GB microSD card (supporting up to 32GB cards), Swype keyboard, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p HD video capabilities. Oh, and web browsing is supported by Adobe’s Flash Player. Look for this successor of the T-Mobile G1 to go up for pre-orders sometime later this month.

Update: T-Mobile has exposed a bit more of its G2. So, in addition to learning about a 1300mAh capacity battery and 4.7 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches / 6.5 ounce footprint, we’re also seeing a footnote related to price:

“†On approved credit. $125 down payment, plus 3 monthly payments of $125, required. 0% APR. Taxes & fees additional. Available only at T-Mobile-owned retail stores.”

Thing is, no pricing was announced so the footnote is premature to say the least. Nevertheless, it adds up to $500 before discounts and rebates. That alligns nicely with the rumored prices pegged at $199 with contract / $499 without.

[Thanks, Ollie]

Continue reading T-Mobile G2 comes out from hiding, pre-orders begin later this month

T-Mobile G2 comes out from hiding, pre-orders begin later this month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  T-Mobile  | Email this | Comments

Chinese telecom giant Huawei — which has been playing the Android game with major carriers around the world for some time now — has selected IFA to debut the Ideos, a new entry-level model running Froyo in a variety of colors. Huawei’s press release calls the Ideos “the world’s first affordable smartphone” — which seems like a bit of an overstatement (okay, a huge overstatement) to us — but really underscores the fact that this thing is going to be launching for somewhere between $100 and $200 unsubsidized in Europe, Asia, and both North and Latin America. It’s got 3G, WiFi, mobile hotspot capability for up to eight devices, and was apparently developed in direct partnership with Google, a sign that Mountain View is serious about taking Android 2.2 across the entire price spectrum.

We checked out the Ideos today and were pretty impressed; clearly, you’re not going to mistake it for an EVO, a Droid X, or a Defy, but Huawei has definitely put some effort into engineering this thing so that they were able to make it cheaply without making it feel like it would come apart in your hands. The company is quick to note that 2.8-inch capacitive displays aren’t very common — and though we could’ve definitely used HVGA instead of the Ideos’ QVGA, we were pleased with the responsiveness, both from a processor performance perspective and a touch sensitivity one. Add in the support for 7.2Mbps HSDPA and the stylish colors (black, yellow, blue, and purple) and Huawei might just have a winner here. More on this one when launch carriers start to come out of the woodwork. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Huawei Ideos hands-on

Huawei Ideos hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments