Hasta La Gadget!

Broadcom is giving Google a lot of love of late, with the announcement of its second Android-ready processor in as many months hitting us today. The new BCM28150 is a big step up from its predecessor (released in December), and sports a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 at 1.1GHz; an HSPA+ modem doing 21Mbps; and Broadcom’s VideoCore IV VPU (vector processing unit). What’s more, it touts 12-megapixel camera imaging, 3D video and gaming at 1080p, HDMI out, and the obligatory Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS amenities. If the BCM28150 is your bag, Broadcom plans to demo the thing in Barcelona next week, but if a trip to Spain is too rich for your blood, you can always check out the PR after the jump (and keep it locked right here for our own MWC coverage, of course).

Continue reading Broadcom announces yet another Android-friendly dual-core processor

Broadcom announces yet another Android-friendly dual-core processor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At last, the webOS-empowered TouchPad, HP’s answer to the growing tablet market. And make no mistake, it’s coming in with guns blazing — specs-wise, the slate stands up pretty well to the competition currently in play (e.g. iPad) and the other up-and-comers not quite out the gate (e.g. Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook). Stacked side-by-side, it’s clear Apple’s entry is lacking a bit in both memory (256MB vs. 1GB for everyone else) and front-facing camera — not that we expect that to be the case for all of 2011. When it all comes down to it, what’ll set these slates apart will be the platforms and software themselves — should make for an interesting summer, no? In the meantime, for the nitty-gritty on technical specifications, venture past the break.

Continue reading HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape

HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey there. Yes, you. If you’re looking out for the Motorola Atrix 4G review — don’t despair. We just got our hands on the device yesterday (that’s us man-handling it up above), and we’re currently in the process of putting it through its paces (along with the laptop dock, HD / desktop dock, and all the accessories). We didn’t think 24 hours was quite enough of a window to tell you how we really felt about this monumental device, so we’re giving ourselves the space and time we think is necessary to properly review the phone and all its features. Don’t worry though, we’ll have the full, unadulterated Engadget review up in the coming days (probably by the end of the week).

Right now we can say that we’re pretty impressed with the device’s blazing speed and gorgeous screen, but our experiences with the laptop dock have been hit or miss. It’s clearly a mixture that takes some getting used to — but we’re excited about the prospect of trimming down our rig and traveling light. The two pieces could make for a powerful combo. Of course, we’re going to deliver a lot more detail in the review, so keep your browsers pointed at this page right here, and get ready to find out if, indeed, the Atrix 4G is your next phone.

Looking for our Motorola Atrix 4G review? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The British Broadcasting Corporation has made its iPlayer app plans that extra bit more official by announcing that iPad- and Android-specific versions of its software will be arriving by the end of this week. The iPlayer is a free TV catchup service hosting the best and most popular (those two being almost mutually exclusive categories) from the BBC’s catalog of recent programming, and the new native apps promise to bring that to your portable device in a touchscreen-optimized format with a “simple and intuitive design.” The finishing touches are being applied right now and the apps should be with us before the week is through, but the real cause for excitement is that the BBC plans to take the iPlayer out for an international walk, which will likely rely on such platform-specific apps for distribution and the collection of subscription fees. Then we can all watch Question Time together, yay!

P.S. – Take note, Android users, that you’ll need to have Froyo and Flash Player 10.1 installed on your phone or tablet in order to partake in the new app. Sort of a one step forward, one step back maneuver.

[Thanks, Jules]

BBC iPlayer app coming to Android as well as iPad by the end of this week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 04:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re looking for reasons not to jump on the Verizon iPhone bandwagon, here’s a pretty compelling, albeit unconfirmed, one: the Xperia Play may be headed to Big Red as well. In comparing Sony Ericsson’s thumb-friendly Android handset to the iPhone 4, Wirefly has listed VZW as the carrier for the Play. This is the first we’ve really heard of a US provider for the phone, though we’d hardly be surprised if Sony Ericsson opts to spam it out to all four major networks. It did as much in the UK, where every single operator will try to sell you one in April, and we don’t see why that strategy should change on US soil. The Xperia Play will be announced in full this Sunday, February 13th, when we might just learn more about its global availability… if we’re really polite and wear our PlayStation T-shirts, presumably.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play may be headed to Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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