Sharp Aquos SH-12C 3D smartphone hands-on (video)

Towards the end of our recent trip to Taiwan for Computex, just as the hustle and bustle was winding down and we’d settled on a bit of sightseeing, we stumbled upon a rare beast — a smartphone unicorn of sorts — the Sharp Aquos SH-12C. This 3D-capable Android handset for NTT’s Docomo network was imported from its native Japan by a Hong Kong resident who was also attending the epic trade show. Like the HTC EVO 3D, this device features twin cameras and a glasses-free stereoscopic qHD display, so we decided to combine work and play by getting some hands-on time with this mysterious phone right on the observation deck of Taipei 101. Take a look a our gallery below — complete with foggy views from the 89th floor at dusk — and hit the break for our hands-on video, first impressions and some camera samples.

Continue reading Sharp Aquos SH-12C 3D smartphone hands-on (video)

Sharp Aquos SH-12C 3D smartphone hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola says Droid 2 Global Gingerbread update isn’t ready after all

Verizon said otherwise earlier this week, but Motorola has now finally chimed in to say that a Gingerbread update for the Droid 2 Global is not, in fact, rolling out at the moment — as Droid 2 Global owners have probably noticed. Unfortunately, it’s not provided any indication as to when such an update will start rolling out, but it does seem like you can rest assured that it’s still a question of “when” not “if.”

Motorola says Droid 2 Global Gingerbread update isn’t ready after all originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 20:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp Aquos Phone SHI12 visits the FCC, flaunts its 3D camera in drawings

It’s rare that we see Sharp’s Aquos phones here in the US, but one model, at least, could be making the long journey stateside. A handset dubbed the CMDA SHI12 just cleared the FCC, and after comparing the drawings in the report to shots of devices already on the market, we’re pretty sure it’s the IS12SH that Sharp announced for Japan a few weeks back. Though the report is typically terse when it comes to specs, it does confirm that the phone has an 8 megapixel 3D rear-facing camera, Bluetooth, FeliCa, GPS, and tri-band CDMA (B0 / B3 / B6) connectivity. And though it’s not in the filing, if this is indeed the IS12SH, then it also has a 4.2-inch qHD display and runs Android 2.3 (or so we’d hope, anyway). Of course, an FCC filing doesn’t mean this will ever reach a carrier or go on sale in the US, period. But in case it does, don’t say we didn’t give you a heads up.

Continue reading Sharp Aquos Phone SHI12 visits the FCC, flaunts its 3D camera in drawings

Sharp Aquos Phone SHI12 visits the FCC, flaunts its 3D camera in drawings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon video shows an unannounced tablet, could it be the Xoom 2? (update: it’s back!)

Oh Verizon, did you just spill confidential information all over your YouTube channel? The guys over at Droid-Life spotted a VZW ad starring a mysterious new Honeycomb tablet, which to our ninja-trained eyes looks to exhibit many of the design elements of Motorola’s Xoom. It could, of course, be just about anything, given that Verizon yanked the video almost as soon as the above screengrab was lifted, but the rear of this 10(ish)-inch tablet looks very much like a Xoom designed to be used in portrait orientation. We know Moto has a Xoom 2 cooking in the oven and it’s not unreasonable to surmise that Verizon is putting together the finishing touches on a promo campaign for it. Now if only we could get a look at that video with our own eyes…

Update: The video is back! Watch it after the break.

Continue reading Verizon video shows an unannounced tablet, could it be the Xoom 2? (update: it’s back!)

Verizon video shows an unannounced tablet, could it be the Xoom 2? (update: it’s back!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid 3 official in China under Milestone 3 moniker, packs 4-inch qHD display

The Droid 3 is upon us! Well, it is if you live in China and don’t mind calling it the Milestone 3. A new XT883 model has just been made official by Motorola during China Telecom’s CDMA Summit, touting the tagline “the third Milestone” and a new five-row slideout QWERTY keyboard. The salient specs include a 4-inch touchscreen with qHD (540 x 960) resolution, a dual-core Tegra 2 processor capable of driving 1080p video recording, an 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, up to 32GB of built-in storage, and of course, Android 2.3 as the shipping OS. A pretty compelling package, we think you’ll agree. It’s coming to China this summer, though Moto could still be crafty enough to squeeze the US launch in before actual units start shipping to Yao Ming’s homeland. Because, well, who’s ever heard of a Milestone coming before a Droid?

Continue reading Motorola Droid 3 official in China under Milestone 3 moniker, packs 4-inch qHD display

Motorola Droid 3 official in China under Milestone 3 moniker, packs 4-inch qHD display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO 3D review

The first time we saw the rumored Supersonic we were blown away. HTC and Google had just wowed us with the Nexus One, and here we were looking at something even better — a 4.3-inch phone with WiMAX wrapped in a white body. This prototype was buggy and had abysmal battery life, but it was real. Four months later it landed in our hands at Google I/O. We’re of course talking about the EVO 4G which went on to become a runaway hit for HTC and Sprint as the first ever 4G smartphone in the US. And here we are a year later with the HTC EVO 3D, the legitimate heir to Sprint’s mobile kingdom — at least until the Motorola Photon 4G comes along. When we first played with the 3D-capable handset at CTIA we were suitably impressed, but we left with a lot of unanswered questions. How do the 1.2GHz dual core processor and qHD display affect battery life? Is 3D a compelling feature or just a gimmick? What is 2D camera performance like with the lower specced camera? Is the EVO 3D a worthy replacement for the EVO 4G? Find out in our review after the break.

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HTC EVO 3D review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO View 4G review

It’s not often that we feel a keen sense of déjà vu while writing a review, but here we are. The EVO View 4G ($399.99) is a first, but also something you’ve most definitely seen before. This tablet is, for all intents and purposes, the HTC Flyer: it has the same 7-inch display, aluminum build, single-core 1.5GHz processor, Gingerbread-plus-Sense-combo, 32GB of storage, and stylus for pen input. But, it also happens to be Sprint’s first WiMAX tablet to go on sale in the US, with a 4G radio promising download / upload speeds up to 10Mbps / 1Mbps on Sprint’s network. And, at the risk of spoiling our review, the View’s connection is, indeed, zippy. But does this have any bearing on the tablet’s overall value? Join us past the break to find out — we’ve got some revisiting to do.

Continue reading HTC EVO View 4G review

HTC EVO View 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

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

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

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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