Paradigm Shift joins the tablet crowd with Android-based EMT-10AB/W

It’s not doing it any favors with its selection of press photos, but Paradigm Shift has just let our word about its new Android-based EMT-10AB/W tablet, which joins the company’s recently-announced, equally-nondescript pair of e-book readers. Set to be available in your choice of black or white, this one packs an 800MHz Marvel PX166 processor (slightly faster than the Camangi’s), along with a 1,024 x 600 touchscreen (no word if it’s capacitive or resistive), 2GB of flash storage standard (upgradable to 16GB), built-in WiFi, VGA out, an SD card slot for further expansion, and even the option of built-in 3G. Look for this one to hit the US sometime this March with an MSRP of $369.95.

Continue reading Paradigm Shift joins the tablet crowd with Android-based EMT-10AB/W

Paradigm Shift joins the tablet crowd with Android-based EMT-10AB/W originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATT Plans 5 Android Smartphones in 2010

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LAS VEGAS — There’s no stopping the Android army now as AT&T, the telecom carrier that has lagged behind in Android adoption, hops on the bandwagon.

AT&T plans to launch five Android-based devices from a range of handset makers including Dell, HTC and Motorola by first half of 2010. Three of these — the Motorola smartphone, Dell’s first Android smartphone currently available only in China and Brazil, and a new HTC smartphone — will be exclusive to the AT&T network. The company made the announcement at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show.

CES 2010

The move is a big win for the Google-designed open source Android operating system that made its debut in October 2008. Android launched on the HTC-designed T-Mobile G1 phone. Since then, at least 10 Android phones have hit the market including devices from handset makers such as Samsung and LG. Even Google has launched its own Android phone. The Google Nexus One phone designed by HTC arrived Tuesday.

Meanwhile, telecom carriers have rushed to add Android handsets to their network. The four major U.S. carriers — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint — all have Android phones in their portfolio. Last year, Verizon introduced the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris, both running the Android operating system.

AT&T could be trying to diversify from the iPhone. The carrier has an exclusive deal with Apple for the iPhone but that relationship could end next year, unless Apple chooses to renew it. Offering consumers greater choice in operating systems and handsets could help offset the loss of the iPhone for AT&T.

But diversity of devices is not enough, says Jack Gold, a telecom analyst with consulting firm J. Gold Associates. “AT&T’s problem is their network,”  he says. “These new phones don’t hide the fact that its network is sub-par.”

AT&T consumers have become increasingly vociferous in their complaints about problems with connectivity. Last month, Fake Steve Jobs, the immensely popular character created by journalist Dan Lyons, even called for an “Operation Chokehold,” a mob uprising that would try to choke the AT&T network for a few minutes. That attempt failed but it underlined the extent of consumer unhappiness against AT&T.

Having more smartphones in its portfolio could make the network worse, says Gold. “If you are going to have more consumers with these data-intensive phones on the network, you are going to have more complaints too,” he says.

For handset makers like Dell though, AT&T’s support will bring greater visibility. Dell’s Mini 3 smartphone unveiled in November has a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen and evokes the iPhone form factor in its design. Dell initially planned to offer the phone only in emerging markets.

AT&T is also adding Palm’s WebOS support to the bag. It plans to introduce two Palm devices in the first half of the year. Currently, Palm phones, the Pre and Pixi, are available exclusively on Sprint, though Palm is expected to make an announcement this week about bringing the devices to the Verizon network.

Photo of HTC Dream Android phone: Kenn Wilson/Flickr

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Vodafone promises Nexus One ‘in a few short weeks’

Nexus One’s vague Europe-bound release window has tightened up quite a bit. A Vodafone spokesperson said the Google Phone is coming first in the UK and — here’s the kicker — within “a few short weeks.” France, Germany, and a few other unnamed companies are following after later in the year. Enjoy your new Android device across the pond, ladies and gents.

Vodafone promises Nexus One ‘in a few short weeks’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Mini 3 headed to AT&T running Android

We’ve already seen it in China and Brazil, now Dell’s first modern smartphone — the Mini 3 — is headed to the US in the loving arms of AT&T 3G. We expect the specs to remain pretty much the same: 3.5-inch 640×360 display, Bluetooth, 3 megapixel auto-focus camera with flash, microSD, and GPS, though we’ll have to wait to get that confirmed. And from the looks of that pic of a prototype supplied by Direct2Dell, this Android handset will be custom skinned for AT&T. Look for it to hit sometime in the first half of 2010. Bonus pic after the break.

Continue reading Dell Mini 3 headed to AT&T running Android

Dell Mini 3 headed to AT&T running Android originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saygus Android Phone Promises Easy Video Calls

Saygus Android Phone

LAS VEGAS — It’s not easy to find an Android phone that hasn’t been churned out by the HTC factory. The Saygus Vphone is a smartphone from a Utah-based company that promises a nifty handset with one unique feature: the ability to make two-way video calls even on an EDGE network.

“We have designed our own proprietary video calling software that’s optimized so you can get three to four hours of video calling capability on extremely low bandwidths,” says Chad Sayers, founder and CEO of Saygus.

CES 2010

Video conferencing is still a novelty in smartphones. It can guzzle bandwidth and carriers have been hesitant to support the applications. Saygus says its video calling software can change that. It won’t bog down the network and can run 18-22 frames a second on Edge network and up to 30 frames a second on 3G. Saygus estimates that 5GB of bandwidth can support 10,000 minutes of video conferencing on the phone.

Saygus also hopes to partner with Skype to bring Skype video calling to the phone.

The Saygus Vphone has a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and flash and also a forward facing camera. The phone runs a Marvel 624 MHz processor and has a 3.5-inch touchscreen (Complete specs.) Overall, the phone looks similar to Motorola’s Droid in its hardware design. But for the few minutes that we got our hands on it, the keyboard felt a lot more comfortable and easy to use than the Droid.

The CDMA Vphone is currently in carrier testing and there’s speculation it could make eventually be available on Verizon. As for pricing, all Sayers will say is that it will be “very competitive.”

Saygus Android phone 2

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Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


AT&T finally goes Android, confirms Dell, HTC and Motorola on board

We’re at the AT&T presser here at CES, but it looks like we know what to expect: the carrier just announced that it’s launching five new Android devices in the first half of 2010, including devices from Motorola, Dell, and HTC. The Moto device is described as having a “unique form factor,” and running Blur, so we’re guessing that’s the Backflip, and Dell just announced that’s it’s bringing the Mini 3 to the US, so that’s that. That leaves three devices for HTC, and our guess is at least one device with a keyboard and one without — AT&T says they’ll have an “exclusive” device, but that could mean a familiar phone with a new name and a tweaked case. We’ll see — and damn, things just got a lot more interesting in the Android game this week, don’t you think?

Continue reading AT&T finally goes Android, confirms Dell, HTC and Motorola on board

AT&T finally goes Android, confirms Dell, HTC and Motorola on board originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T’s First Android Phones: Five From Motorola, Dell and HTC

AT&T’s first Android phones are official. A set of five from Motorola, Dell and HTC.

• A Motorola smartphone, powered by MOTOBLUR, with a unique form factor and an AT&T exclusive
• Dell’s first smartphone, based on the Android platform and an AT&T exclusive
• A HTC smartphone, based on the Android platform, and an AT&T exclusive

Motorola’s is up top, which is gonna be a MotoBlur phone. It’ll be first out the gate, apparently. HTC’s phones, plural, are going to be revealed later, not today, though they’re all coming out in the first half of this year, so within the next couple of months. Dell’s is going to be the Mini 3, which is also a new class of phone, a “nice phone”:

This was inevitable. But the real question, after yesterday’s Nexus One event: Will they be superphones? [ AT&T, AT&T]

OnStar and Chevy show off Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone control apps for Volt

OnStar and Chevy show off remote control app for Volt
It was announced back in December and now we’ve gotten a chance to play with it. More importantly, you can play with it too. Chevy and OnStar have officially launched their suite of mobile applications for the Volt, a three-pronged assault on smartphone and automotive bliss set to be available for BlackBerry, Android, and the iPhone set to deploy with the launch of the car itself sometime between the end of 2010 and 2011. Want to see it in action? Click on through to read all about it — and see it in motion, too.

Continue reading OnStar and Chevy show off Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone control apps for Volt

OnStar and Chevy show off Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone control apps for Volt originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s Mobile DTV-enabled Moment hands-on

Samsung’s out and about this evening showing off its just-announced Moment with extra Mobile DTV circuitry stuffed in, and if you thought it looked an awful lot like a standard Moment… well, you’d be absolutely right. The only notable change is an articulating, telescoping antenna that screws into the top of the phone — a sure sign that this device is nothing but a trial unit since we’d assume retail devices would have a sexier way to stow it. Speaking of stowage, what do you do when you’re not watching TV? Pop off the antenna, collapse it, and screw it into the attached charm — “geeky” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Anyhow, we got a little video of the modded Moment in action — unfortunately, Samsung’s having reception issues with its private broadcast setup (there’s no Mobile DTV network here in Vegas, or anywhere, for that matter) but we were able to see how the UI’s going to work and learn a little bit about the system. Guide data will typically be pulled over the TV airwaves, though the company says that it’ll be up to the manufacturer and carrier if they want to supplement or replace that with a 3G-based feed; the video was coming down at 416 x 240 and can be shown full-screen on the Moment’s AMOLED display. Unlike MediaFLO, it’s completely free for users — and that might be just the kick in the pants mobile TV needs to take hold. Follow the break for our video!

Continue reading Samsung’s Mobile DTV-enabled Moment hands-on

Samsung’s Mobile DTV-enabled Moment hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rogers signed up to carry Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 as a Canadian exclusive

We still don’t know whether T-Mobile is going to take on-contract advantage of the X10’s AWS version in the States, but as far as we can tell, WIND won’t be taking advantage of it in Canada now that Rogers has locked it up as an exclusive. The bad news is that it won’t be launching until some time in the second quarter — but when you think back to the X1 and the excruciating 16-month delay between announcement and retail on Rogers, that ain’t half bad. Now, Rogers, just push HTC to rethink its decision not to move past 1.5 on the Magic and Dream and you’re doing alright by us (at least as far as Android gear goes).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Rogers signed up to carry Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 as a Canadian exclusive originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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