Hasta La Gadget!

The long wait is finally over! Joining the likes of HTC EVO 3D and Sharp SH-12C is LG’s very own Optimus 3D aka Thrill 4G for AT&T, which we first got our hands on back in February and again in March. The specs for this Android 2.2 device (yeah, we know) have remained untouched since we last checked: here we have a 4.3-inch glasses-less 3D LCD with 800 x 480 resolution, a 1GHz dual core TI OMAP4430 processor, 512MB of speedy dual channel RAM, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and a couple of 5 megapixel cameras on the back that can capture 3D 1080p video at 24fps, or 3D 720p at 30fps. Other tidbits include 14.4Mbps HSPA+ connection, an HDMI-out port, and a removable 1500mAh battery, all inside a 5.93 ounce package. Alas, no date’s been mentioned for the phone’s US launch, but the lucky Europeans will get to pick up this phone first, followed by the rest of the world “over the next several weeks.” Stay tuned while we keep our eyes peeled open for further news.

Continue reading LG’s Optimus 3D officially launched, debuting in Europe with dual lens and dual core CPU

LG’s Optimus 3D officially launched, debuting in Europe with dual lens and dual core CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is that 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255-powered Xperia Arc just too darn fast? We may have just the KIRF you’re looking for. A simple phone with a simple name: the “DR.” This petite pretender shaves 0.2-inches off of the Arc’s 4.2-inch display, adding only 0.03mm of thickness along the way. Forget that Adreno 205 graphics processor, this baby runs on a Meditek MTK6516 ARM compatible processor, a setup often mistakenly advertised as dual-core with a whopping 416MHz core for running Android 2.2.1, and a second 208MHz core dedicated exclusively for the wireless radio. For the record, radio-dedicated partitions are usually skipped on core counts. Wrap it up with premo luxuries like a 3.5-inch headphone jack and 2 megapixel camera, and you’ve got an Xperia knock-off that’s… well, pretty timid. But hey, it’s only 1000 yuan ($154), so at least you can get dangerously close to Xperia territory without shattering the bank. If that’s enough for you, check out a hands-on video (in Chinese) after the break.

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: Xperia Arc KIRF has KIRFy dual-core processor (video)

Keepin’ it real fake: Xperia Arc KIRF has KIRFy dual-core processor (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re live here at Motorola / Sprint’s press event in New York City, and while most of the folks are swarming around the newly minted Photon 4G, we wanted to give some love to the Motorola Triumph, the first Moto handset to land on Virgin Mobile’s network. While the 4.1-inch, Froyo-packing phone and its 2GB of storage might seem ho-hum to spec junkies, it’s a shockingly solid option for a prepaid carrier. And it comes Motoblur-free! How many Photon 4Gs have that to say for themselves? Take a stroll past the break for a tour, and see why we think the Triumph could actually be a pretty solid score for those who detest strings and fine print.

Continue reading Motorola Triumph for Virgin Mobile hands-on (video)

Motorola Triumph for Virgin Mobile hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does that bulky black plastic surround look familiar? It’s becoming standard uniform for Android tablets at the $250 price point like the Nook Color and now ViewSonic’s latest offering, the ViewBook 730. Basic specs also look pretty similar — the ViewBook has a 7-inch screen (albeit with a 800×480 resolution, lower than the Nook’s), 8GB of internal storage and an SD card slot. But the 730 does have some significant advantages over its older rival: notably a front-facing VGA camera and a faster 1Ghz Cortex-A8 processor (versus 800Mhz on the Nook Color) that claims to handle 1080p video and output it via an HDMI port. Plus there’s full Android 2.2 instead of the Nook Color’s walled-off ecosphere. Interestingly, the ViewBook also tries to distinguish itself with stylus support for note-taking — akin to the HTC Flyer. Goes to show you can’t judge a multi-function e-reader by its bezel. Hit the PR after the break to see if this budget tablet will tick your boxes when it arrives at the end of June.

Continue reading ViewSonic announces $250 ViewBook 730 tablet, steps on Nook Color’s turf

ViewSonic announces $250 ViewBook 730 tablet, steps on Nook Color’s turf originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d be lying if we said the Notion Ink Adam tablet wasn’t a major disappointment, but the tiny Indian company that brought us the slate hasn’t packed it in yet — this week, Rohan Shravan announced a new round of sales, and issued a massive software overhaul for all existing Adams to go along with it. We’ve been playing with the new software for over a day now, and we can attest that the Eden 1.5 UI is much improved — it’s less flashy, but far more responsive, less prone to crashes, and generally more useful.

We’d still call it a beta, mind you, as we still managed to find some nasty bugs and slowdown while browsing around, but we’re digging the new Chords music player, the new To-Do list, and the multitasking-friendly App Manager you see above. Notion Ink also claims we’ll see better battery life in this version, and we’re putting the Adam through a thorough drain test right now. We’re also hearing that Notion Ink is still working on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) builds. While you wait, why not click past the break for video of the new features in motion.

Update: We’re not sure about day-to-day use, but we’re not getting better results in our battery drain test — we’re still looking at under 6 hours of juice with the backlight at roughly 65 percent brightness.

Continue reading Notion Ink Adam update overhauls UI, provides a smidgen of extra stability (video)

Notion Ink Adam update overhauls UI, provides a smidgen of extra stability (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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