Hasta La Gadget!

Much like the run-up to the previous flagship product launch, Qualcomm-backed Xiaomi has just announced that it’ll be selling a small batch of pre-production second-gen Xiaomi Phones, in the hopes to get some keen users to perform last-minute checks before mass production. To be exact, only 600 of these quad-core Jelly Bean phones will be made available online at local time 10am on September 22nd (that’s 10pm ET on the 21st); and even if you have CN¥1,999 ($310) to spare, you’ll still need to be one of the 1,200 expert members from the Xiaomi and MIUI online communities to be able to hit the “order” button. Nice hype drive, if you ask us.

Later on, successful buyers can simply swap their engineering units in for a final version of the 16GB or 32GB Xiaomi Phone 2 — the latter a new addition that co-founder Lei Jun announced on Sina Weibo last Saturday (where he also cheekily asked if anyone need a 64GB flavor). For those who qualify but would rather avoid the digital bloodshed next week, we suggest you wait until the official Chinese launch in the second-half of October; or try Taiwan by the end of the year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Xiaomi Phone 2 pre-production units available on September 22nd, limited to 600 lucky buyers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that didn’t take too long. As promised, Amazon’s entire line-up of new Kindles is now available to order on the retailer’s site (in the US, at least), from the basic $69 Kindle to the top-end Kindle Fire HD 8.9 with 4G LTE. Of the lot, however, that $69 Kindle is the only one that’s actually in stock (despite the September 14th ship date quoted at the event). The rest are up for pre-order, with the Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite 3G (with or without Special Offers) both set to ship on October 1st, while the new $159 Kindle Fire and 16GB 7-inch Fire HD ship September 14th, and the Fire HD 8.9 (with or without LTE) ships November 20th. Those interested in the 7-inch Fire HD with 32GB of storage will have to wait until October 25th. And, in case you were wondering, you can also still order the Kindle Keyboard and Kindle DX at their regular prices.

Update: No word on the rest of the line-up, but Canadians can now at least order the updated basic Kindle, which runs $89 (sans Special Offers) and is set to start shipping on September 12th.

Filed under: Tablets

Amazon’s new Kindle line-up now available for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you’re like us and really want to know what’s going on, then you’ve come to the right place. This past week was a bit slow, but we’ve managed to dig up a couple interesting MeeGo tidbits, along with an excellent utility for Nexus 7 / OS X users — something to help you in the pursuit of slack. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of August 20th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of August 20th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile

Mobile Miscellany: week of August 20th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer took the gadget world by surprise with its award-winning CloudMobile handset, and now it looks like the company’s finally ready to let consumers get their eager palms on that 4.3-inch, 720p slab. Per online retailer Expansys, Acer’s CloudMobile will be released in the United Kingdom on September 5th, with the site already taking pre-orders for the SIM-free smartphone at £285 — or about $447 in Yankee currency. Speaking of which, Expansys’ also taking early orders for the unlocked device on its US site, though it’s not listing a specific release date or even pricing info on that front. At any rate, parties interested can check out our hands-on, and see if it’s enough to get you to shell out some cash.

Filed under: Cellphones

Acer CloudMobile now available for pre-order in the UK, expected to be released on September 5th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hankering for a Drobo with Thunderbolt? They’re here… almost. Starting today, consumers far and wide can place their pre-orders for the Drobo 5D and the Drobo Mini. As a refresher, the former is a BYOD desktop solution with a pair of T-bolt ports and a lone USB 3.0 connector; just bring up to five 3.5-inch HDDs, and your RAID adventures are cleared to begin. The latter is a bantam option that promises the “power and flexibility” of the 5D, but in a miniaturized package that works with the 2.5-inch drives that typically find themselves within laptops. The 5D is listed at $849, while the Mini comes in at $649, and you can find the entire list of authorized partners in Drobo‘s blog post below.

Continue reading Thunderbolt-equipped Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini storage devices now up for pre-order

Filed under: Storage

Thunderbolt-equipped Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini storage devices now up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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