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May 21

Hands-on with the Coolpad Quattro II 4G and 8920

CTIA 2013 seems to be dedicated to some of the lesser-known names in the US wireless industry, so it’s fit that Chinese manufacturer Coolpad should take advantage of the situation to steal the show. Indeed, we were able to take a look at the phone maker’s upcoming stateside model, the lower-end Quattro II 4G. In the past year, its predecessor cranked out roughly a million units on MetroPCS, and Coolpad is hoping to build upon that success to get a foothold in the US. This sequel, which offers stock Android 4.1.2 with a 4.5-inch qHD TFT display, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8930 chip, 5MP rear camera and VGA front-facing cam, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage and a 1,800mAh battery, isn’t going to satisfy the tastebuds of power users or high-end flagship seekers, but it’s a quality option for those who aren’t planning to spend a ton of money on a decent handset. Given the intended audience, the device is perfectly solid with reasonable performance; we appreciated the company’s use of a textured back cover. One nitpick: despite our best efforts to get rid of fingerprints, smudges remained with no hope of removal in sight.

Coolpad wasn’t able to give many details on pricing or availability, but reps confirmed that it should arrive on C Spire in late June / early July, with it likely hitting other regional prepaid carriers after. Given the original Quattro’s $80 price point on MetroPCS last year, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the next-gen version offered for around the same cost. The company’s still working to expand its presence on some of the larger networks, but it hopes to make its debut in the postpaid world early next year.

Gallery: Coolpad Quattro II 4G hands-on

Gallery: Coolpad 8920 hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Feb 03

BLU Products unveils Tegra 3-running Quattro 4.5, 4.5 HD and 5.7 HD

Posted in: Today's Chili

It was just weeks ago that BLU Products’ smartphones were largely dual-core models like the Vivo 4.65 HD. The company clearly wants to ramp things up, as it’s kicking off the Quattro line based around Android 4.0 and the quad-core, 1.5GHz Tegra 3. At the entry level is the $250 Quattro 4.5, which includes a qHD display at its namesake size as well as a 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of built-in storage and a microSD slot. The next step is, unusually, the biggest: the $300 Quattro 5.7 HD (what you see above) keeps the same storage, but jumps to the extra-large category while upgrading to a 720p display and an 8-megapixel camera. BLU sees the $350 Quattro 4.5 HD as the real darling. It beats its non-HD cousin with a curved, 720p screen touting Gorilla Glass, and throws in a larger 16GB capacity as well as a more light-sensitive 8-megapixel camera. The two smaller models ship to the US early this month, to be followed by the 5.7-inch behemoth in late March. When they arrive, every one of them will carry unlocked HSPA+ 3G that supports both AT&T and T-Mobile.

Gallery: BLU Quattro 4.5, 4.5 HD and 5.7 HD

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: BLU Products

Feb 02

BLU Products announce new Quattro range of smartphones

Posted in: Today's Chili

I know that the moment the word “Quattro” crossed my mind, I would think of Audi and their delectable range of high-powered, precision German engineering rides that are tantalizing to the eyes and make the heart skip more than just a beat. Well, BLU Products must surely have figured out that there is a possibility of folks thinking about Audi when they decided to name their new range of smartphones under the “Quattro” banner. Ah well, different strokes for different folks. What can we say about the new Quattro Series of smartphone devices? All of them will be powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, which comes with a fifth battery saver core. Expect the Quattro Series to deliver flagship smartphone performance alongside console-quality gaming, amazing graphics, speedy applications and fast multitasking capabilities.

Unfortunately, you will not find the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system accompany the new range of Quattro smartphones, but rather, you will be “stuck” with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Fret not though, as BLU Products has released word that they do plan to offer an upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in due time. All the new Quattro Series devices will feature quad-band GSM and penta-band 21Mbps HSPA+, including 1700MHz AWS for the US.

First of all, the Quattro 4.5 HD  will sport a stunning aluminum and glass unibody, and your eyes will be more than pleased with the vivid Advanced Super View 4.5-inch HD 326ppi display that delivers unparalleled viewing angles and contrast ratio, which are protected by the marvelously curved scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. Other than that, there is an 8-megapixel camera featuring an f/2.4 large aperture lens, HD video recording capability, 16GB of internal memory, and 1GB RAM.

As for the Quattro 4.5 , it will offer plenty of bang for your buck with a 4.5-inch qHD display, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, HD video recording capability, 4GB of internal memory, and 1GB RAM.

Last but not least, the Quattro 5.7 HD  will deliver phablet-class performance with its 5.7 inch, 1280 x 720 HD display, an 8-megapixel shooter with HD video recording capability, 4GB of internal memory, and 1GB RAM.

The Quattro 4.5 HD, Quattro 4.5, and Quattro 5.7 HD will retail for $349.99, $249.99, and $299.99 in the US from this month onwards.

Press Release
[ BLU Products announce new Quattro range of smartphones copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Jan 16

Audi goes arty, crafts A4 replica slot cars for ‘quattro experience’ installation (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili

Audi and art? Those two worlds aren’t ones we’d necessarily lump together. But the luxury car-maker’s done just that, collaborating with Slot Mods USA to create the “quattro experience,” an installation replete with remote controllable A4 replicas and a custom track. Let’s be clear, though, this is no mere hobbyist recreation. As the accompanying mini-documentary shows, the team behind this project not only put great care into constructing the 20ft x 7ft custom track with the right bends, it also faithfully crafted the slot cars so as to mimic the Audi quattro’s all wheel drive mechanic.

So, how’d they do that? Through a combo of 3D printing, a four-wheel drive chassis and, most importantly, a calculated arrangement of traction magnets, the crew was able to get the cars up and running, and even outfitted with in-dash cams. And, in an appropriate modernist twist, there’s an app for all of that — a custom one designed by Audi that runs on the iPad and lets “drivers” steer via a POV feed and onscreen controls. Unfortunately, the whole shebang’s only on display in Toronto for the time being. So, unless you’re planning a trip to the Great White North anytime soon, the mini-doc after the break’s about as close as you’re going to get to the real thing.

Continue reading Audi goes arty, crafts A4 replica slot cars for ‘quattro experience’ installation (video)

Filed under: Misc

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Audi

Aug 24

Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 and LifeBook T902 convertibles show up with Windows 8, we go hands-on (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili

The annual Hong Kong Computer & Communications Festival is usually just flooded with discounted computer products and booth babes, so we were pleasantly surprised when we spotted a couple of unreleased Windows 8, dual-digitizer devices at the Fujitsu booth. Pictured above is the Stylistic Q702 “Quattro,” an 11.6-inch tablet-cum-laptop that was announced last month. This particular unit sported an Intel Core i5-3427U chip (capped at 2.3GHz instead of 2.8GHz), a vibrant IPS panel, a fingerprint scanner, front and back cameras, 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD — twice the announced capacity, for some reason. Much like the ASUS Transformers, undocking the tablet was only a matter of pulling the latch on the hinge, but we found the latch to be rather stiff to operate. Hopefully this is just a prototype issue. Other than that, we just wish the final keyboard dock will somehow get a slight weight reduction: for the screen size, 1.88 pounds isn’t too bad for the tablet alone, but together with the heavy keyboard, the Q702 could become a nightmare for regular travelers.

The second prototype lurking at the back of the booth was the bulkier LifeBook T902 “Tercel,” a 13.3-inch convertible laptop that was unveiled alongside the Q702 last month. According to its label, this swivel-hinged machine packed a Core i7-3520M, 8GB of RAM, 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive, Blu-ray burner, LTE radio and a 72Wh (6,700mAh) battery. Oh, and there’s also a fingerprint scanner below the display. While the software failed to reverse the screen rotation after we flipped the screen back to laptop mode, it was in general just as responsive as the Q702, though the hardware felt more solid and ready. With this in mind plus the Windows 7 label and Wacom label below the keyboard, we wouldn’t be surprised if the T902 comes out before the Q702. Until then, feel free to check out our impromptu hands-on video of the Q702 after the break.

Gallery: Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 hands-on