Hasta La Gadget!

The low-end LG Optimus S that wowed us earlier the other day has a magenta twin — the LG Optimus T, headed to T-Mobile with very similar hardware. Considering that both carriers’ phones will come in similar shades of purple and black, you could easily be excused for confusing the two — aside from a prominent logo and the physical button arrangement, they’ve got the exact same build. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, as it means the Optimus T is similarly solid as a rock, but there are a few differences here and there, like the lack of dedicated camera and voice buttons this time round. Whether it’s extra bloat (of which there’s some) or a slower chip, the T’s also not as wonderfully lag-free as the S, though both phones would handily beat most of the other low-end Androids we’ve seen.

The 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen’s just as responsive, though the physical buttons here aren’t quite as nice — we prefer Sprint’s distinct, textured keys to the slick plastic rocker for Home and Back and the Menu and Search buttons here. We weren’t able to download Quadrant on the T for benchmarking like we did for its sister phone nor verify the same exact specs inside, but paging through menus we spotted mobile hotspot functionality and WiFi calling, just as originally foretold, not to mention support for old-school FM radio. Now we just wait to see if T-Mobile follows Sprint’s lead and offers the phone at a similarly fantastic price.

Update: It’s a bit of a shame, but LG just informed us the Optimus T won’t have WiFi calling after all — it was originally considered for the device, but the software we saw was apparently a old, out-of-date build. T-Mobile reps wouldn’t confirm or deny that, but told us that the option is something they’d like to bring to more devices later on, though they said it might require Android 2.1 or higher to function properly.

LG Optimus T hands-on (update: no WiFi calls) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that didn’t take long. Just days after the official Skype application finally landed in the Android Market, along comes an .apk that’s far more salacious for Americans. Thanks to xeudoxus over at Droid Forums, a tweaked version of the app is now available to download and sideload (sorry, stock Aria owners), promising the same functionality but without that nasty 3G block. It’s really as simple as that — hit those source links to get the unquestionably superior version, and feel free to let us know how your carrier’s network holds up in a test call.

[Thanks, Gardo]

Skype’s Android shackles are broken, 3G calling hacked into reality originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jailbreak-proof, you say? Sounds like a challenge, right? And what modder doesn’t like a good challenge?

That’s the word on the new T-Mobile G2 Android handset. How does the phone accomplish such a feat (something that no doubt leaves Steve Jobs drooling at the mere prospect)? Turns out that if you attempt to mod the thing, it automatically restores to its original factory settings. Tricky.

Back in July, the Library of Congress declared the act of jailbreaking phones legal–much to the chagrin of carriers and handset manufacturers everywhere. Of course, just because you can’t be arrested for messing with your phone’s software doesn’t mean that phone manufacturers can’t do everything in their power to make sure you don’t.

Modders, the ball’s in your court.

Nearly five months after Google announced its first Android-based set-top box  software, Logitech has announced the details of the device based on it with hopes that the gadget will soon become a part of living rooms nationwide.

Logitech’s box for Google TV is called the Revue and will cost $300. It will combine cable programming with access to video from the web, photos from Flickr, games, and music from sites such as Pandora and Rhapsody. It will include HD video calling capability, Netflix, Chrome browser and an app that lets you use your iPhone or Android phone as a remote for the device.

The box is currently available for pre-order on the company’s website, Amazon.com and BestBuy.com. It will be in retail stores by the end of the month.

Google first announced its set-top box platform, Google TV, at the company’s developer conference in May. Since then, it has partnered with content creators such as HBO, CNBC, Turner Broadcasting and the NBA.

So far, Logitech and Sony have agreed to build the hardware for Google TV.

The Logitech Revue is a slim device powered by an Intel Atom CE4100 processor and a keyboard controller. To use it, consumers will need a broadband connection. With the bundled HDMI cable, users can link the Revue to the port on their TV, while another HDMI cable connects the Revue to the cable TV box.

Logitech’s thin, lightweight but rather clunky keyboard controller lets users interact with the device, search and choose what they want to watch.

But if you are wondering why the equivalent of the remote has so many buttons on it, Logitech says it chose a keyboard layout so anyone can just pick up and use it without going through a “learning curve.”

The controller also has a rather smooth touch pad with scroll and buttons such as back and home. Logitech has included buttons that control the TV, A/V receiver and DVR, which explains why the entire device looks so complicated. After all, it combines the TV remote and a computer keyboard into a single package.

Video calling from the sofa

One of the interesting features of the Logitech Revue box is the ability to make HD quality video calls from the TV. The accessories–Logitech TV Cam and Logitech Vid HD–lets consumers connect to the the Revue using USB and make calls without the need for a computer.

The TV cam has a wide-angle lens so it can capture the entire living room. And it includes 5x digital zoom so consumers can get up, close and personal, if they want.

The TV Cam and Vid HD software enable high-definition video calls of up to 720p. It includes some neat features such as call notifciation. For instance, if you receive a video call, the TV cam will blink to alert you of an incoming call.

If your TV screen is on, you will hear it ring and have the option to pick up or miss the call. The software also ensures that the TV lights up when you’ve missed a call – even when your TV is off.

Overall, the Logitech Revue seems impressive with its hardware specs (1080p, 60 frames per second output, two USB ports, Wi-Fi and ethernet connectivity). It will be interesting to see if Google TV can go mainstream, something that Apple with its Apple TV has failed to do so far.

See Also:

• Google TV Announces Network and App Partners, New Website
• Logitech Google TV Box Embarrasses Apple TV
• Google TV: Google, Sony, Intel Team-Up to Make Television
• Boxee CEO: Google TV Could Boost or Crush Us

Photo: Logitech

The low-end Android game just got real, folks, with Sprint’s introduction of the LG Optimus S, a $50 (on-contract, post-rebate) Android slatephone running Froyo on a 3.2-inch HVGA screen, with mobile hotspot functionality for up to five devices, 802.11 b/g WiFi and a 600MHz processor to run the whole shebang. As you’d expect in a world of 1GHz smartphones at the $200 price point, it’s not quite up to spec, but that doesn’t keep it from having a super-solid build, durable and weighty, that belies its low price. It honestly feels much like a Nexus One in the hand, though with nice big physical buttons instead of capacitive function keys, and of course a lower-quality LCD screen. There’s an auto-focusing 3.2 megapixel camera on the back and a fairly responsive capacitive touchscreen up front, and though browsing was a little painful on the low-res screen, the Android 2.2 device sped through the UI without skipping a beat. If this device impresses as much after we throw it through a barrage of tests, I’ll be hard to imagine ever spending a cent on a regular ol’ featurephone again.

Update: We’ve just been informed that the Optimus S has 256MB 512 MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, an MSM7627 chipset and Bluetooth 2.1, but there’s more — it pulls a respectable 430 in the Quadrant benchmark thanks to Qualcomm Adreno 200 graphics, and we’ve got visual proof. See some direct-from-device screenshots and a couple sample pics from the Optimus S’s camera in our second gallery below!

Update 2: Video after the break!

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading LG Optimus S, first hands-on! (update: video)

LG Optimus S, first hands-on! (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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