Hasta La Gadget!

Much ink has been spilled in the rumor mill about a coming Amazonian tablet, and now those rumors look to be confirmed. TechCrunch has apparently gotten some time with Amazon’s forthcoming slate, and reports that it has a 7-inch, backlit color capacitive screen and is bereft of physical buttons. Word on the web is that the hardware is already good to go, and Amazon is making the last few software tweaks before it goes on sale this November. The tablet is running a heavily skinned version of Android that was developed without any help from the folks in Mountain View. It apparently has a Cover Flow-esque UI, and is deeply integrated with all of Amazon’s services (Cloud Player, Instant Video Player, Appstore, and of course the Kindle app). Best of all, it will reportedly cost a scant $250 — not quite TouchPad territory, but well underneath the iPad’s $500 price. Let the next great tablet war begin.

Amazon tablet coming in November for $250? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like the folks at Archos are keeping our friends at the FCC busy this summer. Following in the footsteps of the mysterious A70S2 tablet and the coy A80S, the A100S internet tablet is now making its way through the regulatory gatekeeper. Like its predecessors, this filing hasn’t given us much to go on; it comes with the typical confidentiality requests, which means we won’t get any of the juicy bits until the FCC lifts the curtain on October 15th. Until then, we’ll keep our Ice Cream Sandwich dreams afloat. If FCC test reports are your thing, feel free to hop on over to the source link below.

Archos A100S tablet hits the FCC, does the opposite of a full reveal originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What secret could this Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 hold? Check out the little LTE logo hiding out on the back of the device. Yep, T-Mobile’s aggressively magenta-ed out IFA booth was showcasing this beauty, as a way of showing off the European carrier’s blazing LTE speeds. Hardware, it seems, was incidental to the company’s demos — but boy howdy do we care.

The T-Mobile reps didn’t offer up much in the way of information on that front (in fact, they mostly tried to move us along to the next LTE-capable device for more speed demos), but the company’s paperwork highlights the device’s 32GB capacity, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and Android 3.2 operating system. The hardware itself should prove quite familiar to anyone who’s ever spent time with a Galaxy Tab — same brilliant glossy screen, same smooth plastic back.

Not much is available, so far as pricing and availability, though the T-Mobile representative that we spoke with believes the thing will be hitting the network in Q4.

Update: AndroidOS.in is reporting that the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE will hit German airwaves in December.

[Thanks, TMO_lover]

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9 goes LTE for T-Mobile at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just in time for Tante Lulu’s birthday in Gstaad, Vonage launched its Extensions app for free long-distance calling from your Android phone. With a quick download, homesick relatives can tap into their existing Vonage VoIP service from a Google-powered phone to call globally without racking up terribly expensive additional mobile charges. The catch? It requires a VoIP international calling plan before you can start dialing friends worldwide. Also, pricing is subject to your existing calling plan and it doesn’t support messaging like some other similar apps, including Fring and Viber. For existing Vonage users, it’s certainly a sweet added feature, leaving you no excuse but to call Auntie Lulu.

[Thanks, Val]

Vonage launches Android app for free international calling, still no service to Brodo Asogi originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s Galaxy S II still reigns supreme in the eyes of many smartphone aficionados, but it’s now joined by a healthy collection of lesser Galaxy devices, including (in alphabetical order) the Wave M (Magical), M Pro, R (Royal), W (Wonder), Xcover, and Wave Y (Young) — all announced last month, but presented for the first time as a mismatched family here at IFA. There’s the wise, conservative elder (R), the speedy head of household (W), the rowdy, rugged, dirt-bike-sporting teenager (Xcover), the mid-twenties QWERTY typing champion (M Pro), and the slightly rebellious, underpowered preteen (Wave Y) following in its older sibling’s footsteps (M).

BlackBerry owners looking to make the switch to Gingerbread may find the M Pro most appealing, with its 2.7-inch HVGA touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, and QWERTY keyboard. The Royal steps things up with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4.2-inch “Super Clear” LCD, Gingerbread, HSPA+, and a 5 megapixel camera. The Wonder includes those last three features as well, but swaps in a 3.7-inch WVGA display and 1.4GHz processor. And the dustproof and water resistant Xcover sports a 3.65-inch HVGA LCD, 800MHz processor, and 3 megapixel camera.

With its small footprint, 3.2-inch HVGA LCD, 2 megapixel camera and relatively sluggish 832MHz processor, the Wave Young is probably enough to satisfy your pre-teen, but anyone on to their second or third smartphone will almost certainly be underwhelmed. It’s running Samsung’s new Bada 2.0 OS, like its Magical Pro sibling, which includes the same processor but jumps to a 3.65-inch HVGA display and 5 megapixel sensor. Both include Samsung’s new ChatON IM service as well. All in all, it’s not the speediest family in town — and there’s no US visa on order for a future trip to the states — but not everyone needs the top of the line, so skip on past the break and through the front door to meet the latest Sam fam.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy R, Wave M, M Pro, W, Xcover, and Wave Y hands-on (video)

Samsung Galaxy R, Wave M, M Pro, W, Xcover, and Wave Y hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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