Hasta La Gadget!

Olivetti’s no carioca. It’s a bonafide Italiano electronics company, but that didn’t stop its latest round of tablets from making an appearance south of the equator. Shown off at the 2011 Eletrolarshow in Brazil, the 10-inch Olipad 110 made its second video appearance to strut its sleek NVIDIA Tegra 2-processing, Honeycomb-operating stuff. The successor to the Olipad throne also brought its little brother, the Olipad 70, to the party — rocking a 7-inch capacitive display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, WiFi and Bluetooth. Sadly, our penchant for bossa nova does not extend to Portuguese language fluency, so you’re on your own after the break.

Continue reading Olivetti’s Olipad 110 and 70 tablets stop by Brazil, say ciao (video)

Olivetti’s Olipad 110 and 70 tablets stop by Brazil, say ciao (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You read that correctly — Netflix streaming is about to get really real on impending Honeycomb tablets. One of the nuggets that makes Lenovo’s newly unveiled IdeaPad K1 so special is the internal DRM module that allows it to play nice with a fresh build of the Netflix app. As we saw back at MWC with the LG Revolution, future Android 3.x tablets (with an unspecified hardware inclusion) will not only support native Watch Instantly streaming over mini-HDMI / HDMI, but it’ll also enable something totally new: local storage. The fresh build of the app — which will remain exclusive to Lenovo for “a short while” — will have a heretofore unseen option that’ll let subscribers store flicks locally for offline viewing. We’re told by Lenovo that files can be stored on the internal flash as well as on microSD cards, and while we’ve yet to get a hands-on look at the app, we’ll be doing everything we can to change that.

Just to answer the obvious question: no, your existing Honeycomb tablet won’t be able to support this goodness through a firmware update. You’ll actually need a slate with the requisite hardware within to take advantage, and it’s hard to say at this point who will follow Lenovo down the path. We’re hoping that the added functionality won’t lead to a boost in Netflix’s monthly rate, but given the history of the app, we can’t say we’re too terrified about that possibility. So, how fast will the APK be ripped from the fabric of a K1 and thrown out onto the web? Somewhere between “quickly” and “you’ve got to be kidding me,” we’re surmising.

Update: So, it seems something has changed since our D9 meeting. There’s no offline viewing support, but the streaming is still here. Too bad, but we’re hoping it’ll be added (back?) in a future update.

Netflix to stream natively from HDMI-equipped tablets (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is the next major Honeycomb tablet play seriously coming from Lenovo? Sure looks it, as the company has just taken the (final) wraps of its IdeaPad K1. For all intents and purposes, the K1 is a LePad dressed up in Android — this one’s packing a 1.0 GHz Tegra 2 chipset, a 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) capacitive touchpanel, Android 3.1, a two-cell battery (good for “up to ten hours”) and a few minor software tweaks that may or may not appeal to you. The Lenovo Launcher is the first of those, acting as a five-pane launchpad that’s completely customizable by the user, and it’s one that can even be disabled if you so choose. The other is the introduction of the Lenovo App Shop, yet another venue to suck down applications for Google’s tablet OS. The reason for its inclusion? According to reps here at the show, it’s there to provide a secure, safe haven for people to download from — the software that makes the cut here has been tested in Lenovo’s labs for stability and security, though the company did confess that certain app developers may fork over a bit of cash to have their program(s) considered for inclusion. More after the break…

Continue reading Lenovo’s Android 3.1-powered IdeaPad K1 tablet hands-on (video)

Lenovo’s Android 3.1-powered IdeaPad K1 tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s the difference between a case and a cover? The Korean company Anymode is provoking just that question with a Galaxy Tab 10.1 case (cover?) that looks awfully familiar. The Smart Case, as it’s known, comes in multiple colors, protects the tablet’s front, and folds into a triangular stand. You might be thinking that sounds remarkably like Apple’s Smart Cover, and if so, you’re not the only one. Ah, but the plot thickens: 9to5mac reports that the maker of this blatant knock-off has strong ties to Samsung. Family ties, even, as their tipster claims Sang-yong Kim, the Anymode CEO, is the nephew of Kun-Hee Lee, Sammy’s chairman. We couldn’t confirm any blood relation, which could mean we’re dealing with a cover-clone conspiracy theory. Either way, we suspect this’ll lead to more billable hours for Cupertino’s lawyers.

[Update: Samsung has responded on its official blog, distancing itself from Anymode’s product:

As a general practice, Samsung Electronics reviews and approves all accessories produced by partners before they are given the “Designed for Samsung Mobile” mark.

In this case, approval was not given to Anymode for the accessory to feature this official designation. We are working with Anymode to address this oversight and the product has already been removed from the Anymode sales website. The product has not been sold.

Thanks, Phil.]

Anymode’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 case cops Apple’s fashion sense (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, remember 2010? Lady Gaga was all over the radio and all the kids were crazy excited about the upcoming Deathly Hallows movie. And then there was Froyo — it was never designed to be a tablet OS, but manufacturers defiantly went against Google’s wishes. EAFT is carrying that torch with the MagicTile Marathon, a 10 inch tablet doesn’t look too bad from a hardware perspective, with a Tegra 2 chip, 3G, 1080p video, and an HDMI port. The whole Android 2.2 thing makes the tablet seem downright archaic, however. Interested parties can pick the tablet for Rs. 26,999 (around $607) at launch and Rs. 29,990 (around $675) later. We hear it’s great for watching your favorite Charlie Sheen episodes of Two and a Half Men.

EAFT’s MagicTile Marathon tablet gets priced, opens up the floodgates of Froyo nostalgia originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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