Hasta La Gadget!

SwiftKey must be keen to finish its bout with Swype, as it just went for the knockout. It’s launching SwiftKey Flow, an extension of its Android keyboard that blends SwiftKey’s familiar word prediction with the hold-and-swipe gestures we most commonly associate with the company’s arch-rival. Speed-minded typists now just have to glide across the virtual keys and let go as soon as Flow makes a correct guess. They don’t have to pick a typing mode and stick with it, either, as both gestures and the usual taps will work at the same time. Prospective testers will want to sign up today for the SwiftKey Flow beta starting in the next few weeks. Everyone else, though, might want to watch from the bleachers — the new parallels between SwiftKey and Swype just made this fight infinitely more entertaining.

Continue reading SwiftKey Flow keyboard takes the fight to Swype with predictive gestures (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

SwiftKey Flow keyboard takes the fight to Swype with predictive gestures (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honeywell’s pulled back the curtains on its Dolphin 70e Black smartphone for folks in jobs where hardware needs to endure some rough and tumble. Pricing or detailed specs weren’t revealed, but the handset packs a 4.4-inch capacitive touch screen, an area-imaging scanner, up to 12 hours of battery life, weighs in at 7 ounces and measures up at 0.75-inches thick. Boasting an IP67 rating on its resume, the phone is dust-proof and can survive a dunk in water. When the ruggedized device ships in February, it’ll come pre-loaded with your choice of unspecified versions of Windows or Android.

Continue reading Honeywell unveils Dolphin 70e Black: a ruggedized smartphone that can take a wallop

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Honeywell unveils Dolphin 70e Black: a ruggedized smartphone that can take a wallop originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a good reason Foursquare has an Overshare badge. Still, that hasn’t stopped the location service from rolling out an update to Android users that simplifies broadcasting your position to the world. The Android check-in screen now matches that of the iOS app with a more streamlined appearance that more quickly shares updates with Facebook and Twitter; mentioning friends is easier as well. As long as your social circle doesn’t mind knowing that you checked into three different dance clubs in one night, Foursquare’s update awaits at the source.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Foursquare for Android updated for more social check-ins, shares club-hopping with the world originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those of us picking budget smartphones in the US seldom have the choice of a toughened smartphone, and it’s even more of a challenge when we’re not signed on to one of the top four carriers. US Cellular is offering the cost-conscious a (hardened) olive branch by shipping the Alcatel One Touch Shockwave. Skip past the creaky Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 display — a shock- and water-resistant shell as well as Dragontrail-based glass should keep the smartphone working through most forms of casual abuse. We also don’t mind having preloaded Amazon Appstore and media apps, although the frugal 2GB microSD card in the box won’t leave much room for any downloading. We’d at least keep the Shockwave on the short list when the $50 price and long-lasting design will leave ample funds for just about everything else.

Continue reading Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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