Hasta La Gadget!

For the most part, HTC's Incredible 2 lives up to its name.  Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

I scoffed when HTC first released the Incredible 2. Not necessarily at its hardware or features, but rather for its presumptuous name.

But after spending some time with the device itself, I can safely say the phone’s title is no misnomer (if not a little overconfident).

The phone bucks the trend of the huge, power-hungry phones we’re seeing debut in today’s mobile market. At 4.75 by 2.5 inches and less than a half-inch thick, the phone’s size felt like the third bear’s bed from Goldilocks’ perspective: not too big, not too small, but just right.

It fit comfortably in hand, and the matte resin finish on its unibody design felt much nicer to the touch than the glossier plastic we’ve seen on other phones.

Moving on to the specs: Unfortunately, the Incredible 2 lacks access to Verizon’s 4G network. But considering the phone’s relatively compact size, it seems like less of a media-consumption device — like, say, HTC’s Thunderbolt — and more of a phone focused on making calls, so you may not need those high data speeds.

The phone’s major draw, for example, is focused mainly on globetrotters: The Incredible 2 is a so-called “world phone,” operating on both CDMA and GSM frequencies. So while you won’t be able to access Verizon’s 4G speeds, at least you can chat up your pals while you’re abroad.

That’s not to say that the Incredible 2 isn’t capable of showing off media. The phone’s 4-inch screen displayed images in crystal clarity, and despite a lack of 4G, YouTube videos played well running on Verizon’s 3G network. And with DLNA capability, you can stream video and audio to friendly peripheral devices, like your big screen. There isn’t, however, any HDMI output on the phone, limiting your media-out capabilities somewhat.

There’s also a number of subtle under-the-hood upgrades from the previous generation. For one, the Incredible 2 comes with an adequate 768 MB of RAM, compared to the Incredible 1’s 512 MB. Not a huge boost, but coupled with a 1-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, it seemed like enough to keep apps running smoothly.

Although the first Incredible also used a 1-GHz Snapdragon, the Incredible 2 features the second generation of the processor, which is manufactured using Qualcomm’s 45-nanometer technology. Essentially, that means increases in both performance and battery life.

The Incredible 2 also has a 1.3-megapixel, front-facing camera for video chat, which the first Incredible didn’t have. The mandatory back-facing 8-megapixel camera is capable of 720p video capture, and handles photos just like any other current smartphone.

One cool aesthetic plus — the orientation of the four home keys rotates as you switch between portrait and landscape mode. A minor tweak, but attention to details like this are what get Android users excited.

The biggest detractions for my taste — first, it’s not shipping with Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread), but rather 2.2 (Froyo). Nearly every phone I’ve tested this year (save the Xperia Play) has shipped with the last generation of Android on it, and frankly, it’s annoying. On occasion we’re promised future device updates, but we never see exact dates. Hopefully Android’s new cross-company partnership will keep future phones up to date.

The other qualm is the user interface. For the life of me, I can’t get past the custom skin HTC includes on its phones. Call me a purist, but I’m partial to stock Android, no frills. HTC’s Sense interface brings with it a bevy of cluttered menu screens, all filled with HTC’s take on regular Android phone apps (Twitter, for example, becomes “Peep” on a Sense-skinned phone). It’s mainly for HTC to differentiate its phones from the glut of other Android offerings out there.

But these aren’t glaring issues. If you don’t mind a skinned phone, they won’t affect usability in any major way.

Overall, I’d recommend the Incredible 2 to those who want a phone first, and a media player second, and especially if you want to stay connected while you travel abroad.

The Incredible 2's finish — a matte resin with a slight tooth — is pleasant to the touch. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Verizon's second 4G phone, the Charge, is Samsung's first offering to use the "Droid" brand. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

A new handset maker is joining Verizon’s Droid party: Samsung’s Droid Charge recently appeared on Verizon’s network, and we got a chance to take one for a test drive.

Android phone manufacturers in 2011 seem to regard bigger as better. The Charge sports a 4.3-inch screen, a size more common than ever in smartphone releases. This may be a welcome change for you, but only if you’re into big phones. A 4-inch screen suits most of my needs, so the extra space felt a bit unwieldy to me at first. But after tapping away on the very responsive capacitive-touch keyboard, the extra screen space grew on me.

I appreciated the size when I used Amazon’s Kindle e-reading app, which comes bundled with the phone. It’s difficult enough reading Jane Austen in any form, so more screen meant more space for my eyes to relax and focus on each “page.”

Despite such large dimensions, the Charge is surprisingly airy. At about 5 ounces, the phone feels lighter than you’d expect. Samsung uses mostly lightweight plastics in its Android phones — for instance, the Galaxy series of handsets all have a chintzy feel to them (my only major qualm with the Nexus S was its lack of sturdiness). I’ve always found the lightness strangely off-putting, and the lightweight Charge is no exception.

As the second 4G device on Verizon’s network, I had high expectations for the Charge’s download and upload speeds. Verizon’s flagship 4G device, the HTC Thunderbolt, blew us out of the water. Luckily, the Charge didn’t disappoint: Results on our speed tests averaged between 7.5 to 8.6 Mbps on download speed, and 5.6 to 6.3 Mbps up. That’s a far cry from the theoretical peak speeds Verizon’s site boasts, but still faster than most phones we’ve seen.

It almost goes with out saying that the Charge comes with two cameras — a 1.3-megapixel front-facing one for video chat and face pics and an 8-megapixel back-facing camera for everything else. Fairly straightforward stuff, though the test shots we took were better than what we’re used to. In the handful of photos we took, pictures came out crisp and properly exposed.

An interesting tidbit for smartphone modders: Blockbuster’s recent app comes bundled with the Charge and lets you stream movies directly to your phone (the more-popular Netflix is only available on a handful of Android phones at the moment). But if you’ve rooted your device (obtained superuser access and have full permissions to install any types of programs you want on your phone ), you’ll be blocked from using the Blockbuster app.

The app uses Widevine’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) software to restrict rooted phones from access. It’s not a huge surprise — the Android Market’s recently released movie-rental service is also restricted to those using rooted devices — but it’s still annoying to those who want to modify their phones.

Unfortunately, Samsung isn’t deviating from the trend of shipping phones that aren’t running the latest version of Android (Gingerbread, 2.3.4). The Charge comes with version 2.2 (Froyo), cluttered with a host of pre-installed apps that clog up the home screens. Most of those are related to Verizon, which come with the company’s “Droid” branding. Many users may find apps that let you check your monthly minutes or direct you to Verizon’s “V-Cast” proprietary app store helpful. I consider them bloatware.

And not to pour more fuel on the Apple vs. Samsung fire, but Samsung’s Android skin makes the app icons look a bit too iPhone-esque for my taste.

All in all, it’s a decent phone if you’re a Samsung loyalist. If not, HTC’s Thunderbolt or LG’s Revolution may sate your thirst for Verizon’s 4G network speeds.

You’ve probably already seen the leaked pictures of the Droid 3, but what you really want to know is what’s going on underneath that chrome trim. TechnoBuffalo claims to have the inside scoop and it sounds like the latest landscape slider from Motorola is packing a number of nice improvements. According to a tipster the screen has been upgraded to a 4-inch qHD panel and inside is one of those fancy dual-cores all the cool phones are rockin’ these days — presumably of the Tegra 2 variety like its Droid X2 cousin. As spied in the photos it also has a new 5-row keyboard layout and front facing camera for video calls, while the rear-facing shooter is getting bumped to 8 megapixels. There is one disappointing, but not entirely shocking, detail though — the Droid 3 will lack LTE. We can’t confirm these specs, but they’re perfectly logical assumptions and raise no alarms and no surprises.

Droid 3 details leaked: dual-core processor, 4-inch qHD screen, no LTE? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  TechnoBuffalo  | Email this | Comments

In case you need still more distraction from using your Nook Color to, you know, read, now you can have Hulu‘s extensive video library at your fingertips, thanks to a simple 19-step process. Replacing the standard Adobe Flash Player with a modified version seems to work for the Nook and some other devices; users at Android Central have reported success on the Epic 4G, Thunderbolt, and Droid Incredible. When you’re ready to trade One Hundred Years of Solitude for 1000 Ways To Die or 16 and Pregnant, hit the source link for detailed instructions, and see the tutorial video after the break.

[Thanks, Alex]

Continue reading Stream Hulu on your Nook Color, ditch Fitzgerald for Family Guy

Stream Hulu on your Nook Color, ditch Fitzgerald for Family Guy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 06:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android Central  | Email this | Comments

Motorola and Verizon have finally stopped teasing us and have made the Droid X2 official. This is a 4.3-inch Android (2.2, to be upgraded to 2.3) smartphone with a qHD screen resolution and a dual-core 1GHz processor. An 8 megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and HD video recording graces the back. The X2 will cost the usual $200 on contract and will be available to buy online tomorrow, May 19th, before making its way out to stores a week later, on May 26th. Leap past the break for the full PR.

Interestingly, we’ve also spotted the close proximity of the USB and HDMI ports on the side of the new X2. That arrangement is reminiscent of the one on Motorola’s Atrix, where the two connectors served to hook that handset up to its laptop and multimedia docks. We don’t know whether the Droid X2 will fit into the accessories designed for the Atrix, but it looks sure to be strapping itself into a dock of some description in the near future.

Continue reading Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th

Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments