Hasta La Gadget!

Don’t blink — you might just mistake ViewSonic‘s new G Tablet for the ViewPad that we handled back at IFA. This guy, however, packs a very different list of internal specifications in a 10-inch tablet form factor that’s beginning to look all too familiar. Showcased for the first time last night in New York City, this guy dumps Intel’s Atom in favor of NVIDIA’s Tegra 2, and rather than booting a pair of operating systems, it relies solely on Android 2.2 — a mobile OS that Google has specifically said isn’t tailored for use on slates. At any rate, there’s also 1GB of RAM, a 1024 x 600 resolution panel, USB / HDMI, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 16GB of storage, a 1.3 megapixel camera and a chassis that measures 9.96- x 6.5- x 0.5-inches. We’re told that it handled 1080p media without any trouble, and while the capacitive touchpanel was deemed “beautiful,” the ultra glossy coating will certainly turn off those who plan to visit the great outdoors. It’s expected to hit shelves in October with a lofty $529 retail price, and with that, we’ll simply wish it the best of luck and point you to the video past the break.

Continue reading ViewSonic outs 10-inch G Tablet: Android 2.2, NVIDIA Tegra 2 on the inside

ViewSonic outs 10-inch G Tablet: Android 2.2, NVIDIA Tegra 2 on the inside originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve just gotten to grips with HTC’s luscious new Desire Z slider (you’ll know it as the T-Mobile G2 in the US) and it is indeed a slab of finely crafted metal. That Z hinge that the company is touting feels pretty robust, requiring a reassuring amount of torque to get it to spring open. And it really is a spring, it flips from closed to open instantaneously. The QWERTY button array feels pretty terrific, giving us just the right amount of responsiveness, while separation between keys feels a lot more spacious than the images would lead you to believe. It’s also worth noting that, exactly as HTC promised in its keynote, the Desire Z has one of the most accessible top rows in the slider smartphone business. We honestly didn’t think there was a difference between typing on it versus any of the other rows. That’s quite the feat, and easily positions this as the best competitor to Nokia’s newly announced E7. Are we witnessing a QWERTY renaissance? We sure hope so. Check out the gallery below and hands-on video after the break.

Update: Added a second video to demonstrate the Z’s ridiculously fast startup and more under Android 2.2 Froyo.

Continue reading HTC Desire Z hands-on (update: more pics and video)

HTC Desire Z hands-on (update: more pics and video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thought the Boxee Box was the only turncoat at IDF 2010? You thought wrong — OpenPeak’s Moorestown-based tablet has dropped Linux (and Flash) cold turkey for a nice big helping of Android. The unit in front of you runs Android 2.1, but reps told us it’ll have Froyo by launch, which just so happens to be currently slated for the first quarter of next year. OpenPeak says AT&T made the decision to move to Google’s OS, and will shape the final hardware too, as the tablet manufacturer repeatedly reminded us it builds devices to its clients’ specification. As you can see, that hardware has already changed slightly since the last time we saw it run, with not only buttons that reflect its changed allegiance but also a ZigBee radio inside. The 7-inch capacitive touch screen, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G and 5 megapixel camera remain intact, though we couldn’t confirm the Moorestown chip is still clocked at 1.9GHz. That said, stock Android UI interactions were about as fast and responsive as we’ve seen. There’s no Android Market or Google Apps on the device quite yet, though the company’s still promising a custom UI layer as far as software goes — presently it’s testing a multi-user profile system that changes the available apps and background wallpaper when a user enters their pin. We’ve still no official word on price, though a rep guessed it might arrive at between $300 and $400, and subsidized on contract. It’s an interesting time to bring an Android tablet to market, and this is one to watch.

OpenPeak’s OpenTablet 7 sails towards a Q1 2011 AT&T launch with Android 2.2 on board originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time to get down and boogie if you think the Android fragmentation issue is overblown. Google has dropped its latest platform version stats and Android 2.2, aka Froyo, has managed to corner a healthy 28.7 percent of all active Googlephones (those that accessed the Market within the two weeks leading up to September 1), rapidly closing the gap on version 2.1 and nearly matching in number the handsets still stuck on the Cupcake or Donut diet. When you consider that back in May those pesky 1.5 and 1.6 versions were on a whopping 62 percent of Android mobiles, you’ll probably agree that phone makers seem to be getting their act together in terms of delivering Google’s latest wares in a timely fashion. Who’d have thought it, the more practice they have, the better they’re getting at their jobs!

Continue reading Android 2.x now on 70 percent of all active Android phones

Android 2.x now on 70 percent of all active Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hello, obvious! Anyone who has actually used an Android-based tablet for any length of time would probably tell you that the experience is far from optimal. It works, sure, but it doesn’t take a CSC major to understand that Google’s existing builds of Android were crafted for smartphones and nothing more. Thankfully for those who are tired of arguing the point, Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile at Google, is stepping up to the plate and giving you some backing. Quoted over at Tech Radar, Hugo noted that “Android is an open platform, and we saw at IFA 2010 all sorts of devices running Android, so it’s already running on tablets; but the way Android Market works is it’s not going to be available on devices that don’t allow applications to run correctly.” He followed up by proclaiming that “Froyo is not optimized for use on tablets,” and while he wouldn’t go so far as to affirm that Gingerbread would be built for use on the aforementioned form factor, he did say that the company’s working “to ensure our users have [the] right experience.” How’s that strike you, Galaxy Tab?

Google: Android 2.2 ‘not designed’ for the tablet form factor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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