Back in 1999, MIT professor David Miller showed Star Wars to his students on the very first day of class. After showing the scene where Luke jousts with a floating droid, the professor told the class that he wanted them to build those droids. Lo and behold, they did, and thanks to the Department of […]
The Samsung Conquer 4G may be appealing to a lot of folks craving a mid-range Android device with WiMAX, but what if that extra G just isn’t all that important to you? Sprint has a little extra room to spare in the lower end of its lineup, so it’s tossing in the Kyocera Milano. The device is rumored to run on Gingerbread and may include an 800MHz CPU with 512MB of RAM, a 3-inch display, a 1,340mAh battery, a 3.2 megapixel camera and a slide-out keyboard. It’s likely to be hitting Sprint on September 9th for $50, just in case you’ve always wanted a phone with an uncanny resemblance to the cookie of the same name.
Kyocera Milano coming to Sprint September 9th for $50, looks nothing like Alyssa originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 01:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Beginning today, when mobile enthusiasts think of Runnymede, it won’t be the Magna Carta that immediately comes to mind, but rather one of first phones to emerge from HTC’s collaboration with Beats. Unlike the rumored Sensation Special Edition 2, the Runnymede 2 shares greater similarity with the Titan — the 4.7-inch beast with a single-core 1.5GHz CPU and 9.9mm profile — that was announced earlier today. Diverging from the Titan, however, the Runnymede 2 will be an Android handset with 768MB of RAM and an option for 32GB of built-in storage (along with the base level 16GB). Beats headphones are also rumored to be bundled with this bad boy, and HTC seems to take its imaging prowess very seriously with an 8 megapixel sensor and f2.2 lens that smacks heavily of the MyTouch 4G Slide. Of course, this all sounds very tempting, but it leaves us wondering what the hell happened to the Runnymede 1. Perhaps Mr. Chou decided this one was good enough to skip a generation?
[Thanks, ZedeN]
HTC Runnymede 2 looks to lay down the law with 4.7″ display and Beats audio originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Heads up, PowerDVD fans, a new streaming solution is in the Android Market that’s designed specifically for your Honeycomb-powered tablet. It’s known as PowerDVD Mobile for Android, but don’t let the name fool you, because smartphones need not apply. The software allows users to stream media from PowerDVD on their computer directly to the tablet, share media between tablets, and stream media from the tablet to DLNA-certified TVs. Additionally, users will find CyberLink’s all-in-one media player that combines support for videos, photos and music, along with the ability to touch up snapshots and create slideshows. If you’re looking to hop on board, the software sells for $20 in the Android Market, although users of PowerDVD 11 Ultra may activate a free version with a code that’s provided in the desktop version of their software. As usual, you’ll find the full PR after the break.
Continue reading PowerDVD Mobile for Android brings streaming media to your Honeycomb tablet
PowerDVD Mobile for Android brings streaming media to your Honeycomb tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In a recent report from Nielsen, Google snagged 40 percent of the smartphone market, while Apple captured approximately 28 percent — up just barely .01 percentage point from last year. This report coincides with findings filed earlier this week by ComScore, citing Google with 41.8 percent market share and Apple with 27 percent, up one whole percentage point from last year. Diving a bit deeper, Nielsen found that around 33 percent of people planning to buy a smartphone in the next year want an iPhone, while another 33 percent would prefer an Android. The tie between those who want an Android v. an iOS phone fluctuated when Nielsen asked the “early adopters” within the group what kind of phone they are hoping to cop. 40 percent of “innovators” said they would like a phone on Google’s OS, while 32 percent want a bite of the Apple — leaving a mere 28 percent of self-proclaimed tech junkies desiring something else, like a BlackBerry or Windows Phone. Perhaps these figures are an indication that Google will remain on top for 2012, or will there be an upset? Only time will tell.
Nielsen confirms Android on top, buyers split on next smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google’s Android platform is shooting for the moon.
NASA sent two Android-powered Nexus S smartphones into space with the last manned space shuttle, Atlantis, on the STS-135 mission. The duo of smartphones were used to test and investigate how humans and robots can coexist in space more efficiently.
In the mission, the phones were used to control SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites), small robotic satellites that were originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The SPHERES are used to do things like record video and capture sensor data, errands that once required astronauts. The phones are used to help control the SPHERES, which have their own power, computing, propulsion and navigation systems. The robotic devices have built-in expansion ports that allow a variety of additional sensors and devices, like cameras, to be attached.
Another group of researchers from Great Britain hope to send a smartphone powered satellite into lower Earth-orbit before the year’s end. This experiment differs from NASA, however, in that it’s primarily testing how well the guts of the smartphone can stand in the extreme conditions of space. And last year, a pair of Nexus Ones were sent 30,000 feet into the air as the payload of a small rocket. One was destroyed when its parachute failed, but the other safely glided to Earth, capturing two and a half hours of video footage.
In the future, the phones will be used to navigate and control the SPHERES using the IOIO board and the Android Open Accessory Development Kit.
Why Android over iOS, or another smartform platform? NASA thought an Android device would be a good fit since it’s open source. Google’s engineers even wrote a sensor logging app that NASA ended up using on the mission (and it can be downloaded from the Android Market, if you’re interested).
Check out the video below to see the Nexus S and the SPHERES in action.
The last time Google’s jet-setting smartphone took to space, it wasn’t exactly flying in style. Well, the Nexus S has ditched its styrofoam trappings for more respectable digs — specifically, NASA’s last manned space shuttle, Atlantis. Its mission: “explore how robots can help humans experiment and live in space more efficiently.” Affixed to a series of three robotic satellites, known as SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) the phones engaged in tasks usually done by their human travel companions, like recording sensor data and capturing video. A special sensor-logging app was customized by NASA to capture sensor data and is now available for download in the Android Market. To see the space traveling smartphone at work, hop on past the break, or hit up NASA’s project page at the coverage link below.
Continue reading Nexus S takes to space aboard Atlantis, does astronauts’ dirty work
Nexus S takes to space aboard Atlantis, does astronauts’ dirty work originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The HTC Jetstream will cost $699, plus a contract data plan through AT&T. Image courtesy of AT&T.
HTC debuted its new tablet product on Wednesday, the Jetstream 4G. It will be available September 4 for $700, exclusive to AT&T’s wireless network. The rest will have to pony up $850 for the device, sans contract.
The Jetstream will run Android 3.1 Honeycomb through the HTC Sense interface. The screen is a 10.1″ WXGA HD display with a 1.3 MP front-facing camera. The tablet comes with 32 GB of storange, and is expandable to 64 GB through MicroSD. For a limited time offer, customers who sign up now will recieve an HTC Scribe digital pen for free.
The unit weighs in at 1.56 pounds and measures just over a half-inch thick, making the iPad 2 look svelte by comparison.
For customers who forego AT&T contract ($35 per month for 3 GB of data), there are two options: $14.99 for 250 MB, or $25 for 2 GB.
If you thought you couldn’t get a real Android tablet from a brand you’ve heard of for less than $200, think again. Lenovo’s just announced the IdeaPad Tablet A1, a 7-inch Android unit that we got a sneaky first glimpse of back in July. Now it’s real, and it’s cheap, it’s running Gingerbread, and while it doesn’t hold a candle to the Galaxy Tab 7.7, it honestly feels like something far above its price point. Read on for our impressions.
Gallery: Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet A1 hands-on
Continue reading Lenovo announces IdeaPad A1, the $199 Android tablet, we go hands-on (video)
Lenovo announces IdeaPad A1, the $199 Android tablet, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Toshiba knew what we wanted at today’s IFA press conference, and naturally, it saved the best for last. The company unveiled its AT200 tablet at the show today, and really, as predicted, the thing does seem like a serious competitor to Samsung’s popular Galaxy Tab 10.1. The tablet is quite thin and well-built (it was on lock down, so we can’t quite attest to its “lightest” claims), unlike a number of its Android brethren. The brushed metal backing also adds a level of sturdiness lacking in the Galaxy Tab 10.1’s plastic rear. More details and a video after the break.
Gallery: Toshiba AT200 tablet hands-on
Continue reading Toshiba AT200 hands-on (video)
Toshiba AT200 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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