Hasta La Gadget!

Verizon is one of the more common proponents of silly Android device names, in part through its insistence on that “Droid” prefix for some hardware. When its smartphone badges practically demand a pause for breath, you know there’s a problem. Android Central‘s purported copy of a Minimum Advertised Pricing list could show that there’s hope for the carrier yet. The chart shows the HTC DLX (6435LVW) skipping the rumored Droid Incredible X name in favor of Droid DNA — and that’s it. No superlatives, no arbitrary “4G LTE” tags to remind us of the network we already know we’re using. The 5-inch phone might have even been a reasonable launch, as the MAP shows a $200 contract price that would potentially take effect just before Thanksgiving.

Want more? Other smartphones are on the supposedly leaked MAP list as well, primarily focusing on Windows Phone 8 gear: the as yet unconfirmed Nokia Lumia 822 shows up with a $100 price and a mid-November release window, while Verizon’s take on the Windows Phone 8X is present with a $200 price and similar timing. Those who’d rather go for a Samsung phablet than HTC’s aren’t left out, either. The Verizon edition of the Galaxy Note II is on the list with a $300 price and availability that starts immediately — rather convenient, that.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Verizon

Verizon’s HTC DLX may be called Droid DNA, Windows Phone 8 devices get tentative prices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rara.com has been mighty busy since its luddite-friendly music streaming service launched at the end of last year, and now it’s reporting the outcome of those 10 months of toil. In addition to an improved web experience and new Android widget, an AirPlay-compatible app for iOS is now available, with software for Windows 8 arriving alongside its launch. Rara’s 18 million tracks haven’t only invaded other platforms, but other countries, too — residents of Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Africa and Portugal have joined the party, bringing the total number of compatible countries to 27. Lenovo is also getting a piece of the action, as a worldwide agreement means Rara software will now come pre-installed on the manufacturer’s Android tablets and Windows 8 gear. Want to hear more about Rara’s recent accomplishments? Then head for the PR after the break.

Continue reading Rara.com expands to iOS, Windows 8 and more countries

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Internet, Software, Lenovo

Rara.com expands to iOS, Windows 8 and more countries originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of Amazon’s subtler but potentially valuable promises for the Kindle Fire HD was its Kindle FreeTime mode — a fenced-off world that would give kids a simple place to play and their parents the confidence to step away for a few precious minutes. It wasn’t part of the initial launch, but a new update to the 7-inch model is rolling FreeTime into Amazon’s latest tablet. The upgrade gives as much flexibility as Amazon promised, letting adults introduce filters as well as cap the time their children spend with different kinds of content. Most of the remaining updates pertain to general fixes; that said, we imagine that most parents won’t mind the narrow focus once they know Junior can’t watch Kill Bill.

Filed under: Tablets, Amazon

Amazon Kindle Fire HD update brings Kindle FreeTime to tablet-craving tykes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 01:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s either a premature confirmation or one of the larger executive gaffes we’ve seen in recent memory, but it’s hard to ignore. LG’s Mobile Product Planning lead for India, Amit Gujral, just claimed in an interview with IBNLive that the “LG Nexus” will launch at Google’s October 29th event and ship to India “by the end of November.” He even stuck his neck out to offer specifications — the Nexus will reportedly have a very Optimus G-like 4.7-inch screen and quad-core 1.5GHz chip while throwing the unreleased Android 4.2 into the equation. Nothing’s official so far despite the statements, and we’re not expecting to Google to spoil its own party; if Gujral really does have the inside track, though, we may have been given a peek at the main attraction in Google’s playground.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG

LG exec claims Nexus due at October 29th event, ships to India one month later originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s about time. The HTC DLX has most often been rumored carrying a Verizon-style 6435LVW or Droid Incredible X name, and yet it was unveiled first in Japan as the J Butterfly; we really needed the photos just now surfacing at Android Central to remind us that the 5-inch, 1080p gigantophone could still come to Big Red. While nothing’s confirmed yet, the black-with-red-trim design and all too prominent Verizon labeling make a convincing case for the DLX’s ultimate US destination. A helpfully provided phone profile screen might be more interesting to some, as it hints that we might get the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM and 8-megapixel rear camera as in the J Butterfly — Verizon won’t pull a Droid Incredible 4G LTE and tone down the hardware, if this is true. Without any more details, we’re still left wondering just how soon Verizon could commit to launching the smartphone. There’s no guarantees that Verizon will follow KDDI’s schedule and ship in early December.

Update: We’ve been wondering whether the odd name was meant to be short for Droid Incredible X, i.e. “DIX” instead of “DLX,” but our friend @evleaks on Twitter just showed us a list of device PIDs that mentions the latter. @evleaks also suggests that DLX might be short for the codename “Deluxe” for the international variant, just as “ENRC2” was short for “Endeavor C2” (One X+).

Update 2: It turns out the J Butterfly has the codename “Deluxe J” in its bootloader menu, so there you have it. Thanks again, @evleaks!

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Verizon

HTC Droid Incredible X possibly spotted with Verizon badging intact (Update: DLX is short for ‘Deluxe’) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Oct 2012 01:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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