Hasta La Gadget!

Unrelated candid photo aside… it’s no lie: if you’ve managed to load Android onto your device, no matter how lame it may seem, you’re probably a good looking person. Not only that, but you might’ve built Touch Revolution’s NIMBLe, which is a billed as a Home Touch Phone, but runs the Android OS and holds a full 7-inch touchscreen. The most basic functionality is that of a speakerphone, but obviously Android — along with the built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity — opens this up to so much more functionality. Touch Revolution is actually dabbling in all sorts of hardware and software configurations, building a “Touch Device Development Platform” for farming out to companies for all sorts of purposes. Current builds include 600MHz StrongARM or greater processors, 128MB of RAM, 512MB of flash memory, SD card slots, 4.3-inch, 7-inch or 10-inch LCDs, 2 megapixel cameras and up to 800 x 480 resolutions. The unit we played with seemed responsive and only a little bit pointless, and we look forward to seeing this sort of thing hit the market — we know MC Hammer would agree. Action video is after the break.

Continue reading NIMBLe is MC Hammer-approved, brings Android to even the most boring of countertops

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

NIMBLe is MC Hammer-approved, brings Android to even the most boring of countertops originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve all heard about the prospects of Android in the mobile-phone market, but the NIMble is an Android phone meant for actual desktops.

By Touch Revolution, the NIMble features a 7-inch multitouch screen (800×400)—that’s roughly 4x the screen area you’d see in the G1 loaded with 2.5x the pixels. In person, that’s sharp enough to my eyes.

Other features include a 624MHz Marvel processor, SD expansion (to supplement unspecified internal storage), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

As for Android itself, that’s fully functional. But Touch Revolution has built their own software on top of the platform for entertainment and home networking stuff.
Operating the NIMble was speedy enough, though I had some responsiveness issues from the glass touchscreen. I’m pretty sure these issues will be fixed by the device’s September release, since Mark Hamblin, Product Design Lead on the original iPhone’s touchscreen, is busy ironing out the kinks. He explained that the touch gestures within Android need to be scaled to a larger screen.

So what about multi-touch? Hopefully the NIMble will have that capability at launch as well. But right now, Touch Revolution is busy building multi-touch architecture into Android itself. They’re also pretty eager for others to jump on the bandwagon.

The photos here aren’t of the final NIMble unit, but the finished product will look very similar…though we’re fairly certain that we’ll see a handset attached at launch. Coming this September, the NIMble will run $300, or free with a $10-$20/month phone home service contact.

Okay, yes, we were mad skeptical that the Agora would ever see the light of day, and you know what? This is one situation where we’re absolutely delighted to be proven wrong. Kogan’s homegrown Android handset just got pictured in the wild — the first time we’ve seen anything but a render — on its way to a supposed CES debut. Rest assured: if it’s really going to be meandering around Vegas this week, we will hunt it down.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Android-powered Kogan Agora meets Mr. Blurrycam on way to CES debut originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natalie “Kommodore” Thompson just joined the rarified ranks of Zune Guy and the BlackBerry Storm Cankle Man with her very own Android tattoo. While obviously a fan of the brand new mobile OS, she says she did it mostly to show her support of open source in general, and ol’ Tux lost out to the more-adorable little green bot (known affectionately around the Engadget HQ as “Marvin”). Add in that shutter shades t-shirt — for a 100x multiplier — and we’re likely dealing with our very first fit-for-society tattoo nerd. Too bad she only dates robots.

Filed under: Cellphones

Android tattoo girl originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did you accidentally flip the switch on that OTA update to RC30 on your G1 and currently find yourself stuck with a non-root lifestyle? Well thanks to forum member chavonbravo over at xda-developers, things are about to get awesome for you. You can now revert back to RC29 with ease by snagging the uploaded image, renaming, copying to your microSD card, and running through standard procedure for re-flashing the phone. We can attest that the hack does indeed work, so feel free to proceed. Word to the wise, though: getting up to a modded RC30 isn’t as easy as some might have you believe, so set aside a little time to walk through the steps (check out ModMyGPhone’s guide page for clear instructions).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Leaked G1 firmware lets you revert to RC29 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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