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Aug 18

XBMC for Android available in nightly builds for that risky media fix

We only just learned in earnest that XBMC was coming to Android last month, and yet we’re already looking at workable builds. Kermonine96 at the XDA-Developers forum has started offering his own, unofficial nightly versions of the media center front end, both for regularly supported devices with Neon processor code (most often HTC and Samsung devices) as well as Neon-free hardware, like phones and tablets carrying Tegra 2 chips. Needless to say, the alpha-grade code shouldn’t be used as the heart of a mobile media center: hardware decoding isn’t functional, battery life is low and even a stable picture isn’t guaranteed. That said, anyone who’s willing to risk a skip-heavy movie or miss out on plugins now doesn’t have to receive the XBMC crew’s blessing to get a preview of its Android efforts.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablet PCs, Software

XBMC for Android available in nightly builds for that risky media fix originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 14:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 09

NVIDIA Q2 earnings bounce back through Tegra: $119 million profit on $1.04 billion in revenue

Posted in: Today's Chili

NVIDIA’s fiscal performance in its second quarter shows the rewards of patience in the mobile sphere. It just saw its profit double versus a glum first quarter to $119 million, even though the company only slightly edged ahead in revenue to $1.04 billion. In explaining the success, the company is quick to point to a confluence of events that all worked in favor of its bank account: a slew of Tegra 3 phones and tablets like the Transformer Pad TF300 made NVIDIA’s quarter the brightest, but it could also point to a much-expanded GeForce 600 line on the PC side and the shipments of the first phones with NVIDIA-badged Icera chips. The graphics guru expects its revenue to climb more sharply in the heat of the third quarter as well — between the cult hit Nexus 7 tablet and a role as a major partner for Windows RT, NVIDIA has at least a temporary license to print money.

Continue reading NVIDIA Q2 earnings bounce back through Tegra: $119 million profit on $1.04 billion in revenue

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablet PCs

NVIDIA Q2 earnings bounce back through Tegra: $119 million profit on $1.04 billion in revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 27

ZTE Grand X reaches UK shops a tad early through Phones4U

Posted in: Today's Chili

Virgin Mobile had originally promised the UK version of the ZTE Grand X for early August. The carrier just can’t contain its enthusiasm: it’s letting retail partner Phones4U sell the budget smartphone as of today. While you’re busy skipping the start of the Olympics, the store will give you a Grand X for free if you’re willing to spend at least £20.50 ($32) per month on a tariff instead of opting for the £190 ($299) pay-as-you-go hardware price. As we saw in China, the appeal of the Grand X is in those numbers — it’s more the temptation of stock Android 4.0 in a low-priced (if capable) suit than the hardware. Phones4U does hope to sweeten the pot through a contest. We hope you like the musical styles of Professor Green, as the British retailer is giving early Grand X adopters a chance to win both a custom Professor Green case as well as tickets to a private concert.

Filed under: Cellphones

ZTE Grand X reaches UK shops a tad early through Phones4U originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 18

ZTE Grand X coming to UK for £190 pay-as-you-go: 4.3-inch qHD, microSD, stock Android 4.0

Posted in: Today's Chili

If this is the “advanced gaming smartphone” that ZTE teased a few days ago, then we can’t help but feel a little miffed. It’d be fairer to describe the Grand X as the most advanced phone in ZTE’s growing budget line-up, and if you look at it from that perspective then it’s rather more impressive. For £190 PAYG with Virgin Mobile in the UK, you’re getting a 4.3-inch qHD LCD touchscreen, dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor (no Nexus 7 guts here unfortunately), microSD expandable storage (plus 4GB built-in and 512MB RAM), 5-megapixel rear camera and VGA front-facer, sub-10mm thickness and — ta-da! — stock Ice Cream Sandwich, albeit accompanied by legacy Gingerbread navigation buttons. We’d have liked to see the proper, up-to-date Android 4.0 button layout, but in any case the absence of ZTE’s Kanzi skin or indeed any other customization is a welcome change, because Google juice tastes fine served neat.

Now, we already did an early hands-on with this phone in June (not to mention its previous incarnation, the Mimosa X) and noted its fluid operation, solid build quality and capable display, and all of those things remain true in the retail-ready handset we’ve seen in the UK. The budget scene has certainly come a long way since last year, but do we expect the Grand X to have an easy ride on the market? Probably not — at least not when a phone like the Orange San Diego are offering a more modern processor, more RAM and better pixel density for just £10 more. That said, if a pure and uncluttered version of the OS is a priority, and if you can get this phone on a great deal when it arrives at Phones4U and Virgin Media stores at the beginning of August, then the Grand X is certainly worth a look.

Gallery: ZTE Grand X UK version