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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Jun 02

HTC Doubleshot slides through the FCC

Posted in: Android, dual-core, gingerbread, leak, leaked, leaks, qwerty, QwertySlider, sense, t-mobile, Today's Chili
HTC Doubleshot, aka MyTouch 4G Slide

Rumor has it that the HTC Doubleshot, aka the MyTouch 4G Slide, will be popping up in T-Mo shops across the country on July 6th. But, before consumers can turn in that paper they’ve been stackin’ for one, the handset has to make it by The Man. Well, the FCC just cleared an HTC phone with a QWERTY keypad and a 1700MHz radio inside, and there’s a good chance it just so happens to be that Sensed-up, dual-core Gingerbread slider we’ve been waiting for. Sadly, regulators don’t have any teardown pics for you to ogle but, hey, we’ve got an FCC tag — that’s gotta count for something… right?

HTC Doubleshot slides through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 02

T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, Google, hspa, samsung, t-mobile, Today's Chili


We’ve heard rumblings that Samsung’s Exhibit 4G would be making its way to T-Mob on June 8, but now the carrier has confirmed that the Gingerbread smartphone will be available sometime in June. The Exhibit will join Samsung’s Gravity Smart, both featuring grounded sub-$100 price tags (after $50 rebate) when they hit stores. T-Mob is displaying the Exhibit with violet and black finishes, and says you’ll see “theoretical” peak download speeds of 21Mbps on the HSPA + handset. As for the Smart, the carrier’s first Android-powered Gravity smartphone will launch with 2.2 Froyo, and includes a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, so you’ll be sending Group Texts to 50 of your closest friends with four rows of hardware keys. Both phones include 3 megapixel rear-facing cameras with flashes, while the Exhibit adds a front-facing cam as well, so that myTouch 4G girl may be hawking a new smartphone on your TV later this month.

Continue reading T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart

T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 01

EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you’re impatient)

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, Gmail, Google, HTC, leak, leaked, leaks, ota, rumor, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Sprint, Today's Chili, update, upgrade

Well, this was inevitable. After Sprint’s website snafu outing its Android 2.3 intentions for the EVO 4G, we’ve received evidence that points to June 6th as its release date. Better yet, if you’re willing to manually check for its availability, you might even find a happy surprise this Friday. In addition to Gingerbread, users will find SMS and Gmail fixes, along with a tweak to the phone’s power management software. Hopefully you’ve got WiMAX, because this update is coming over-the-air. Should everything go according to plan, users will have less than a week to say goodbye to Froyo. It’s a trusty companion for sure, but that spicy aroma is quite enticing. Hit the break for some corroborating clues.

[Thanks, Tone Bone]

Continue reading EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you’re impatient)

EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you’re impatient) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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