Hasta La Gadget!

T-Mobile’s selected CTIA 2010 this week as the venue to launch its customized version of Dell’s Mini 10 netbook that’s been infused with — you guessed it — T-Mobile-compatible 3G service. It’s got a 10.1-inch WSVGA display, 1.3 megapixel webcam, three USB ports, VGA port, Windows 7 Starter Edition, and an Atom N450 core humming along at 1.66GHz with a claimed battery life of “up to” eight hours using a six-cell 56WHr pack. In terms of frequencies, you’ve got quadband EDGE alongside quadband (yes, quadband) 3G with support for Bands I, II, IV, and V, which means you’ll be able to roam in 850 / 1900MHz markets and internationally. It’s available starting tomorrow in “select T-Mobile retail locations” in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Los Angeles as well as through the carrier’s site and sales hotline for $199.99 on a two-year deal.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with T-Mobile webConnect launches tomorrow, $199.99 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can you feel the tension? Opera is now in the throes of the App Store approval process. The wait is on to see if Apple will loosen its grip and approve the fast (very fast) Opera Mini browser for iPhone app that we checked out at MWC. Remember, Opera Mini relies on Opera’s servers to render and compress pages before sending them back to the iPhone for display. As such, there’s no code interpretation being done by the software — a definite no no for approval. So the only thing that could cause Apple to reject the app would be a perceived duplication of core iPhone functionality even though it already approved several WebKit-based browsers. Whatever happens, this is going to be good.

Update: Opera just threw up a counter tracking how long the approval process has taken. You know, ’cause everyone likes to be backed into a corner. Makes you wonder if Opera is serious about this or just doing it for the publicity — one of several angles we mulled earlier.

Continue reading Opera Mini for iPhone submitted to Apple for approval (video)

Opera Mini for iPhone submitted to Apple for approval (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We heard from 9 to 5 Mac that Apple was due to begin selling a contract-free variant of the iPhone in the near future “at list price.” And guess what happened when we inquired to an Apple store? That’s right folks — you can now pick one up for $499 (3G), $599, or $699 (3GS). We’ve confirmed this info at no less than five stores, so you should be hearing the same message at your local Appletorium. Given the current unfriendly climate between Apple and Google, this could be seen as nasty jab, though the devices are still carrier-locked to AT&T, so you’re not being given much freedom… and it’s certainly not much of a statement. In many parts of Europe (France and Poland, for example) you can pick up the carrier-unattached device (and we mean totally unlocked), but that doesn’t appear to be the case here.

Update: We’re getting mixed reports on the unlock status of these phones. One store says yes to the unlock, while others are saying they’re still AT&T-locked devices being sold off contract. We’re digging for more info on this now, so stay tuned.

Update 2: It’s looking like those initial reports of unlocked devices are inaccurate. It sounds like these devices are still locked to AT&T — so you’re just looking at an off contract pricing scheme. Which is also totally lame.

Official: Apple now offering iPhones contract free (updated: not unlocked) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At long last, the protracted wait for Sony Ericsson’s first Android phone is coming to an end. T-Mobile‘s web store has this morning added the Xperia X10 to its stable of mobile devices, though it requests 10 days’ worth of patience before getting the handsets out to their impatient new owners. Pricing is surprisingly higher than that associated with the HTC Desire — the £15 per month two-year contract that nets you the Nexus One clone for £129 ($194) requires a steeper £191 ($287) for the X10. Mind you, with that delivery delay dragging you into April, you might want to hold out a tiny bit longer to see what propositions Vodafone may have in store for prospective purchasers of the X10.

[Thanks, Jay]

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 finally arrives in UK, T-Mobile will deliver it within 10 days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It must be getting close to April 3rd because the iPad news is hotting up. Today we get our first glimpse at Amazon’s free Kindle app for the iPad. We’ve also got a Barnes & Noble iPad app on the way, courtesy of a report in the New York Times, that has been completely redesigned by a team of 14 developers working since January to allow for custom fonts in multiple colors and quick page turns with finger swipes. The Kindle app, meanwhile, features a redefined core screen and reading experience, slow page turns, and new ways to view your eBook library. One view, pictured above, presents your books as large icons against a silhouetted figure under a tree — the sun changes position in accordance to the time of day. Of course, the app also gives you access to the Kindle bookstore (assuming Apple approves) and saves your reading position so that you can pick up any Kindle app (or device) and continue reading right where you left off.

Fortunately, Amazon’s Kindle App will be targeting tablets beyond the iPad. We’re also hearing that Skiff is almost certainly headed to Apple’s tablet, and we suspect as many competitors as possible given the plethora of devices demonstrated to us at CES. So seriously, we ask you, in an age where content is king, are you really going to buy an eReader dedicated to a single store?

Update: The Barnes & Noble app, not the Kindle app, is being worked on by a team of 14 developers.

[Thanks, Jason D.]

Kindle for iPad and tablets makes the scene originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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