Jun 15

HTC pulls a 180, now says Gingerbread is coming to Desire

Posted in: Android, firmware, froyo, gingerbread, HTC, mobile os, MobileOs, smartphone, Software, Today's Chili, update

So, here’s the tally: as of June 14th, there’s just “not enough memory” in the Desire for Gingerbread to run properly. As of the 15th, however, there is. We won’t pretend to understand what changed so drastically in the past 24 hours, but what is clear is that the aforesaid handset maker is listening to its most demanding of users. While it’s safe to assume that the Average Joe (or Jane) wouldn’t be able to recognize the difference between Android 2.2 and 2.3, folks clamoring for the update seem to have coerced the company to make things work. In other words, it looks like the update is back on… now it’s just a matter of making it run well. Kudos HTC, and godspeed.

[Thanks, Frederik]

HTC pulls a 180, now says Gingerbread is coming to Desire originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 15

Droid 2 Global gets Gingerbread, customizable dock and more in latest update from Verizon

Posted in: droid, firmware, gingerbread, moto, motorola, ota, Software, Today's Chili, update, upgrade, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

Droid 2 Global users, your moment in the Gingerbread sun has arrived. Verizon’s put up a page with download instructions for a 103MB update, taking your QWERTY slider from version 2.4.330 to 4.5.600. Updating isn’t the most taxing of activities, you just look for a system update in the About Phone menu and then give your blessing for the download to commence. VZW will also be prompting tardy users to take their OTA medicine in due course. So what’s new apart from Android 2.3? Well, the big change is that the previously static phone, contacts and apps icons at the bottom of the UI have now been turned into a user-customizable dock, with three links of your choosing sidling up next to the App Launcher. There’s also a freshened up UI look, a Download Manager App, user-definable App Groups, encryption for data both on the device and its SD card, improvements in battery life while using WiFi and Bluetooth, and the obligatory stability fixes. If all that sounds irresistible and you have the requisite phone in hand, go get it!

[Thanks, Jon]

Droid 2 Global gets Gingerbread, customizable dock and more in latest update from Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 14

HTC Desire tries to catch Gingerbread, can’t keep up

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, HTC, Today's Chili

After months attempting to bring the Desire up to speed with Android 2.3, HTC is throwing in the towel, and it doesn’t have much more than a comments section full of disappointed handset owners to show for it. The UK branch of the phone manufacturer announced via its Facebook page that attempts to upgrade the Nexus One-esque smartphone to Gingerbread have proven fruitless, due to a lack of internal memory on the device. According to the company, the promised update just won’t play nicely with its Sense UI. Those desiring less official methods can always check out the leaked 2.3.3 ROM. Everyone else will have to suffer through the Froyo brain freeze.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC Desire tries to catch Gingerbread, can’t keep up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 10

Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?

Posted in: Android, att, BlackBerry, Google, mobile, NeXus, nexus s, NexusS, nfc, partnership, RIM, samsung, Software, Sprint, t-mobile, TMobile, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, video, vzw
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day — we dig deep into each topic’s history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.

engadget primed

The introduction of Google Wallet felt a little too good to be true, didn’t it? It’s magical, like the tech equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. In reality, the tech behind mobile payments has been around since 2003 on a much smaller scale using near-field communications, more commonly known as NFC. The idea behind Wallet (amongst other services, like ISIS) is contactless pay — using your phone as a credit card — and is just one of the many ways NFC can be useful in our everyday lives. In fact, we’re only scraping the surface of what’s theoretically possible.

Google is definitely not the first company to dabble in NFC, but it appears to be poised and ready to push the tech’s adoption forward at a rapid pace with the advent of Wallet and Offers. Until now the coals have been hot; but if a fire’s going to start, someone monolithic has to throw a few newspapers in as kindling — and Google volunteered. But what good is NFC if it’s just an acronym that causes our eyes to glaze over? Is El Goog the only instigator? After the break we’ll focus on what NFC is capable of, and why we want it on our phones as soon as yesterday.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?

Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 09

Nox Audio Admiral Touch prototype preview redux: now with more clever ideas and some bass

Posted in: Android, e3, headphones, headset, impressions, preview, prototype, samsung, Today's Chili

It’s been fully six months since Nox Audio’s everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Admiral Touch headset prototype wowed us at CES 2011, and boy, have things changed. That ugly metal band is gone, replaced by a handsome black and silver rig, with a neatly integrated adjusting strap for a comfortable noggin squeeze. Both sides of the Admiral Touch now sport buttons, including one to add the T-Pain Effect (we kid you not). More after the break.

Gallery: Nox Audio Admiral and Admiral Touch at E3 2011

Continue reading Nox Audio Admiral Touch prototype preview redux: now with more clever ideas and some bass

Nox Audio Admiral Touch prototype preview redux: now with more clever ideas and some bass originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 09

Motorola’s 4.3-inch Photon 4G brings Tegra 2, kickstand magic to Sprint (video hands-on)

Posted in: 4G, Android, gingerbread, hands-on, motoblur, motorola, Sprint, Today's Chili, video
You know something big is about to go down when you can get the CEOs from two major tech companies to sit down together for lunch. As suspected, today’s Sprint / Motorola event, presided over by Dan Hesse and Sanjay Jha, marked the debut of the rumored Photon 4G. The handset packs a 4.3-inch qHD display, 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in memory, and pre-installed Gingerbread — plus, for better or worse, the latest version of Blur. The skinny new smartphone’s got front and rear facing cameras (the latter of which is eight megapixels), a dedicated camera button, and micro-USB and HDMI ports, which will hook into a soon to be announced docking device.

The handset is the first from a US carrier to offer up global 4G connectivity, and it’s also got 3G support, should you need it (that’s CDMA / WiMAX in the US and GSM internationally). Enterprise functionality, traditionally a bit of an oversight with Android handsets, is present too, thanks to business-minded tools built into Blur and increased security, courtesy of the manufacturer’s acquisition of 3LM (“Three Laws Mobility” to its friends). Sprint’s influence shines through as well, with the inclusion of a built-in active kickstand on its rear, a first for a Motorola device. Flip it open, and the display will automatically switch to landscape mode for optimal viewing.

We managed to get a little hands-on time with the device prior to the announcement, and by and large, the touchscreen and software seemed quite responsive. The handset itself is both skinny and narrow and feels good in the hand, though the smooth back doesn’t offer much in the way of traction for those prone to dropping their phones. The buttons on the device were a bit stiff and sunken, though we’ll have to hold off on passing judgment on that front, since this is a pre-production unit — hopefully we’ll get out hands on something more final in the near future. The Photon 4G is set to hit Sprint this summer — an exact date and price point have yet to be announced.

Gallery: Sprint’s Motorola Photon 4G hands-on

Dana Wollman contributed to this report.

Continue reading Motorola’s 4.3-inch Photon 4G brings Tegra 2, kickstand magic to Sprint (video hands-on)

Motorola’s 4.3-inch Photon 4G brings Tegra 2, kickstand magic to Sprint (video hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 06

T-Mobile might launch Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart June 22nd?

Posted in: 4G, Android, gingerbread, Google, launch, leak, leaks, rumor, rumors, samsung, t-mobile, TMobile, Today's Chili
Millions of schoolchildren may be getting ready for three months of lazy summer days, but T-Mob’s just starting to get its hustle on. Samsung’s Gingerbread-equipped Exhibit 4G and Froyo-laden Gravity Smart have been officially confirmed for sometime in the month of June, but all is quiet about the exact date. If this leaked screenshot above comes to fruition, though, it means we’ll be seeing these two phones hit the shelves on June 22. The Exhibit 4G will tempt us with access to T-Mobile’s 21 Mbps HSPA+ network, while the Gravity Smart looks to be a splendid entry-level QWERTY slider. The pricing for either phone is still anybody’s guess, but at least the possibilities have been narrowed to $100 or less — a good idea, since it wouldn’t take any sales away from the Sensation 4G if it were any higher.

T-Mobile might launch Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart June 22nd? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 06

The Sony Ericsson Urushi leaks again: ST18i exposed

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, Google, leak, leaks, snapdragon, Today's Chili, xperia
Sony Ericsson Urushi ST18i

Remember that Sony Ericsson that leaked awhile back, the ST18i? Well, here’s the Urushi again, all fired up and ready for a few holes of Lets Golf 2. Inside is a 1GHz ARM processor with an Adreno 205 GPU which, if you’re on top of your SOCs you’d know, means there’s a single-core Snapdragon under the hood. It appears Sony put a meager 335MB of RAM on board — enough for basic use, but it’ll probably get bogged down under heavy multitasking. We can also confirm that this little guy is pushing Gingerbread, with the expected load of customizations, to its 854 x 480, 3.2-inch screen. Hit up the source link for a healthy dose of picage.

[Thanks, Jesper]

The Sony Ericsson Urushi leaks again: ST18i exposed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 04

Leadtek AMOR 8218 DECT phone with Tegra 2 Android tablet hands-on

Posted in: Features, gingerbread, hands-on, slate, tablet, tegra 2, Tegra2, Today's Chili

While combing through the show floor at Computex, our fortunate selves stumbled upon a new phone-tablet duo at Leadtek’s booth. Oh, don’t worry, this isn’t yet another phone-in-pad design; but actually a VoIP / home phone docked next to an Android tablet. Dubbed AMOR Multimedia Phone 8218, the idea here is that the docking station acts as both a DECT base and a WiFi router, but also packs ZigBee radio to relay data from compatible devices (for healthcare, home surveillance, home automation, etc.) to the web.

Alas, there’s no direct interaction between the phone and the tablet, but we were still intrigued by the latter’s specs: Android 2.3 (although this demo unit had 2.2), Tegra 2, 7-inch 1,280 x 720 LCD, HDMI-out, and a front-facing camera for video calls. For a home device, this is actually a pretty powerful package and certainly a significant upgrade from the AMOR 8210 announced earlier this year. No word on US availability, but Taiwanese buyers will be able to grab hold of an 8218 starting in September.

Gallery: Leadtek AMOR 8218 DECT phone with Tegra 2 Android tablet hands-on

Leadtek AMOR 8218 DECT phone with Tegra 2 Android tablet hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 03

Happy EVO 4G owners get Gingerbread update, right on schedule (updated)

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, Sprint, Today's Chili, update, upgrade
Right on schedule, Sprint made Gingerbread available to any and all EVO 4G owners willing to check for the update manually (and if you’re a fan of this site, we suspect you are). As a PSA, you won’t just be getting Android 2.3, but also Gmail and SMS fixes, and a tweak for the phone’s power management software. We’ve been getting a flood of tips from delighted readers in various markets who report the upgrade went smoothly. Can’t be bothered to check for updates? You’ll likely get a prompt to download it on Monday. So, Froyo, good night and good luck, and to everyone else, happy Friday!

Update: Many of you are reporting that the update rendered Netflix unusable. The company just tweeted that it’s aware of the incompatibility and is “investigating” the issue. No word on a fix just yet.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Happy EVO 4G owners get Gingerbread update, right on schedule (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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