Hasta La Gadget!

Rumors have been circulating that HTC was planning a mid-cycle replacement for the One V, the Proto, that would keep the line relevant in the face of some noticeably tougher competition. It may be more of a reality than a notch on the roadmap. As long as The Verge‘s press renders are authentic, the Proto should be an almost straightforward, international edition of the previously China-only New Desire V (T328w). HTC wouldn’t be reinventing the wheel — it would reportedly add a much-needed second core to the 1GHz processor but keep the same 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of storage and 7.2Mbps 3G as the smartphone’s early 2012 prequel; though we’d imagine the second SIM slot would be nixed. If, where and when the Proto shows up is still left to the imagination, though. Next week’s IFA show is a tempting target for a late 2012 release, but there’s no hard and fast rule that any introduction has to coincide with a major event.

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Proto breaks cover, brings the New Desire V out of China originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know you’re doing well when even your warmed-up, older smartphone is triggering queues before it’s on sale. Xiaomi has just promised that the Phone 1S will reach the market on August 23rd, but with 200,000 units to share — a slight shortfall when there are 1.3 million reserved phones. The company hasn’t said how quickly it will catch up to the backlog for its revived Android flagship. We hope it’s soon; it wouldn’t do to have customers still waiting for the 1S by the time the Phone 2 rolls around in October, after all. We’d say it’s a nice problem to have, and it bodes well for sales of the true sequel.

Filed under: Cellphones

Xiaomi Phone 1S ships August 23rd with avalanche of backorders originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Laser tripwire security systems can be expensive propositions that don’t always work as planned — just ask Raytheon, which saw its $100 million Perimeter Intrusion Detection System for JFK International Airport undermined by one wayward jet skier. Taking that as a form of dare, Justin Huynh and teammates at Liquidware have devised a much cheaper (if also much smaller) tripwire of their own. Any interruption of a laser pointer’s beam is caught by an Arduino light sensor that promptly sends the alert to an Android-running BeagleBoard xM; if a toy like Bruce the shark dares cross the line, the BeagleBoard sends a Twitter message to let the authorities, or at least Huynh, clamp down on the trespasser. The invention won’t replace Raytheon’s handiwork anytime soon, although Huynh notes that additional or more powerful sensors could theoretically catch real, muscle-bound sharks and not just their plastic counterparts. The supply checklist and source code are waiting on the company’s project page below, so those who’d like to ward off miniature invasions can get started today.

Continue reading Liquidware team crafts laser tripwire that tweets intruder alerts, keeps fake sharks at bay (video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Liquidware team crafts laser tripwire that tweets intruder alerts, keeps fake sharks at bay (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already deconstructed Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 on a metaphorical level, and now it’s iFixit’s turn to go the literal route. The DIY repair outlet found the pen-friendly tablet to be one of its easier tablet teardowns in recent memory: just about everything inside that frame can be swapped out individually. It’s even possible to replace the relatively cheap glass that sits on top of the considerably pricier LCD, just in case the slate plummets face-first but leaves some chance at salvaging its screen. While largely coming back with good news, the investigation also explains Samsung’s decision to go with a modest 7,000mAh battery — stuffing all those components into a 0.35-inch thick frame doesn’t leave much room for the lithium-ion pack that gives them life. Still, if you’re itching to understand what defines a truly repairable tablet, or just want to get a peek at those Galaxy S III-derived roots, the full surgical procedure is available at the source.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 teardown shows easy fixes, skimpy battery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Extra-large phones often skew towards the, shall we say, pricey side. Micromax is keen to democratize this desire for the gigantic with the Superfone Canvas A100 (shown here on the left). A 5-inch LCD puts the Android 4.0 smartphone fully in phablet territory, but the inside is reasonable enough that those in the company’s native India won’t break the bank: an 854 x 480 resolution, 5-megapixel rear and VGA front cameras, a dual-core 1GHz processor, 4GB of built-in space and a microSD slot keep the dual-SIM phone down to Earth. Micromax also has us covered if we want a slightly more hand-portable size. The Superfone Pixel A90 touts a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 Super AMOLED screen and brings in the added punch of an 8-megapixel rear camera on top of the A100’s baseline hardware. Either comes with the designer’s Siri-alike, AISHA, and should already be on Indian shelves with a slight twist in pricing — the bigger Canvas A100 is the more affordable of the two at a modest 9,999 rupees ($180) off-contract, while the A90’s slightly more exotic technology carries a 12,990-rupee ($234) price.

[Thanks, Kishore]

Filed under: Cellphones

Micromax intros supersize-on-a-budget Superfone Canvas A100, more moderate Pixel A90 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Aug 2012 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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