Hasta La Gadget!

As you may have noticed, here at Engadget we’ve stepped down hard on the gas pedal when it comes to reviews. We’ve been putting a lot of time and resources into delivering more product reviews at a faster pace, so you guys can know just exactly what you’re getting into when it comes to the gear that we cover. In support of those efforts, today we’re happy to introduce our review scorecards. We wanted to find a way to deliver a snapshot of our reviews in a really simple, glanceable manner, and also make those snapshots available to sort and search through. So starting immediately, we’ll be including scorecards in any new review that goes up, and those cards will appear on our new reviews sorting page. Right now we’ve got some simple sorting options in there, but we’re working on more in-depth sorting options that will allow you to drill down on specifics, so you can find exactly the product you’re looking for. We’re also in the process of moving backwards through our older reviews and getting cards in place, so if you see a few holes here or there, don’t be surprised.

Some guidelines you should consider for these cards: firstly, the cards are based on our review at the time the post was published, meaning they’re not relative to one another (unless the products were reviewed in the same category at the same time). That means that the G1 can have a higher rating than the Droid X, even though right now it’s obvious that the Droid X is a superior phone. The Droid X is being reviewed now, and the G1 was reviewed then. Also, we want to provide a scale of what these numbers mean, so that there isn’t any confusion. A 0 rating you’ll likely never see. It means that the product was so bad we couldn’t even rate it. 1 means the product is pure crap, 2-3 means that the product has a few redeeming qualities, but is not very good. 4 is an okay product, but not something we could recommend. 5 is fair; not great, but not horrible. 6 is a decent product with a few issues, 7 is a strong product with some minor flaws, 8 is a great product with few flaws. 9 is nearly perfect, and 10 (which we haven’t handed out yet) is perfect.

As with any big addition to the site, we’re really interested to hear what you guys have to say. If you have any input, positive or negative, sound off below in comments!

Introducing review scorecards! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve waited and waited and, let’s face it, waited for this day to arrrive. Now Pixel Qi’s 10.1-inch display is available for DIY types looking to swap out their LCD for a dual-mode reflective Qi display capable of slipping into a power-sipping e-paper mode that’s visible even in direct sunlight. It’s only certified to work with Samsung N130 and Lenovo S10-2 machines but we’re sure you’ll figure out how to slide this pup into the Acer or ASUS netbook of your dreams. On sale now at MakerShed for $275, the swap reportedly takes about 5 minutes using only a screwdriver. So get out of here — stop waiting for the majors to introduce a Pixel Qi netbook, it’s time to build your own and put those claims of a 20+ hour laptop to the test.

[Thanks, Philpax]

Pixel Qi netbook display replacement kit finally on sale originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re learning this afternoon that Microsoft’s Kin line, for all practical purposes, is riding off into the sunset just a few short weeks after its release. Sources close to Microsoft tell us that Andy Lees has rolled Kin into the Windows Phone 7 team and has canceled the existing product’s launch later this year in Europe on news that sales weren’t as strong as expected. Speaking of sales, Verizon’s already-launched Kin One and Kin Two are soldiering on for the time being, but for how long is anyone’s guess. Here’s Microsoft’s official statement:

“We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned. Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones.”

Interestingly, CNET is reporting that Roz Ho — the exec who masterminded Kin under the codename “Pink” following Microsoft’s acquisition of Danger — will “oversee” her team’s move over to Windows Phone 7 before taking a to-be-determined role elsewhere in the company. For what it’s worth, we didn’t think much of the Kin when we reviewed it — to be fair, we’re not the product’s target demographic, but it certainly seems as though the phones got no love from the tweens, teens, and twentysomethings it sought to win over, either. It’s hard to say how the Kin’s untimely (or is it timely?) death ties into Robbie Bach and J Allard’s departure, but since Lees has his hands more closely wrapped around this project than he had in the past, it stands to reason that there’s a link there. After all, just how bad do sales have to be to kill a project mere weeks into its retail launch? And for NVIDIA, what does it mean that they’ve yet to release even a single blockbuster, wildly successful Tegra device?

Update: What killed the Kin?

Microsoft Kin is dead originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s US team held a swanky event in NYC this evening to launch all four of its new US-spec Galaxy S phones in style. If you haven’t been brought up to speed on Samsung’s stateside Android invasion, the Captivate is headed to AT&T, the Fascinate to Verizon, the Epic 4G to Sprint and the Vibrant to T-Mobile. Each of the phones have 4-inch Super AMOLED screens, 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 CPUs, and cams that can capture 720p video. We’ve already got detailed hands on impressions of the Captivate and Epic 4G, but stay tuned for Fascinate and Vibrant previews tonight. In the meantime, check out the family all together in the pictures in the gallery below.

Samsung’s American Galaxy S phones pose for family portrait originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been receiving numerous tips over the last hour that Nexus One owners on AT&T bands are receiving an over-the-air update for Android 2.2 FRF85, otherwise known as the “bulletproofed” Froyo build. No confirmation at this point, and since you’re asking, no word yet either on an update for the larger T-Mobile N1 install base (though we’ve had at least one report of a user on FRF50 getting the OTA today). We’ve pinged Google for answers, will let ya know what we hear.

Update: Thanks to a few readers, we’ve now got a direct link from Google’s servers to update from EPE54B to FRF85.

Update 2: Tipster Christian R has sent us a picture of his T-Mobile-banded Nexus One with FRF85, apparently updated from Android 2.1 build ERE27. Has the T-Mobile rollout begun? Not for us, at least.

Update 3: And now we’ve got a direct link to download a FRF85 build that’ll supposedly work for any Android build. We can safely say that it worked for us on a T-Mobile device with 2.1 / ERE27. Download from Google here, and if you need direction on how to do the update yourself, take a cue from our commenters. [Thanks, MRCUR and afinite]

Update 4: And now it’s official. Keep an eye on that notification bar if you’re itching for the OTA method. So that’s one phone down, quite a few to go! [Thanks, cl]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Android 2.2 Froyo FRF85 now available for Nexus One (update: official) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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