Sony Tablet S Review: It’s Good to See You Again, Sony

Shaped like a folded over magazine, Sony’s Tablet S is maybe the weirdest looking tablet we’ve ever seen. But it’s also the most comfortable. More »

ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM

According to ComScore, out of the 82.2 million people in the US with a smartphone (up ten percent from last quarter), Android came in first as the biggest platform yet again, capturing a whopping 41.8 percent of the market like a boss. In a not-so-close second, Apple was able to snag 27 percent, followed by RIM in the third place spot with 21.7 percent — down 4 percentage points from last quarter. Pulling up the rear is Microsoft with 5.7 percent, and lastly Symbian with a grim 1.9 percent — both down when compared to the previous three months. As far as US hardware manufacturers goes, Samsung is still on top with 25.5 percent of the market, while LG got 20.9 percent and finally Motorola with 14.1 percent, down 1.5 percentage points from before. Apple was able to snag some standing in the OEM space with a 9.5 percent share, while BlackBerry-maker RIM only captured 7.6 percent. As the battle wages on, looks like Androids, iPhones, and BlackBerrys (oh my) are still on top — at least for this quarter. Check out the PR after the break for the full scorecard.

Continue reading ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM

ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox for Honeycomb UI shown off, inching closer to a tablet near you

Firefox on Honeycomb

The Mozilla team has been quietly toiling to bring Firefox to a mid-sized screen near you. It’s already a perpetual favorite on the desktop and has made a bit of a splash on Android phones, now the group has Honeycomb tablets squarely in its crosshairs. It’s still very much in the early stages of development but a few UI decisions have been made, including the choice to adhere pretty strictly to Android 3.0’s minimalist appearance. In landscape mode tabs will be represented as a persistent thumbnail bar on the left, but in portrait they’ll revert to the top with a more familiar appearance. The tabbed Awesome from the mobile version also returns. Check out the gallery below, as well as the source for more detail and more mockups.

Firefox for Honeycomb UI shown off, inching closer to a tablet near you originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceIan Barlow  | Email this | Comments

Samsung GT-i9220 confirmed as smartphone with dual-band WiFi, specs remain in rumorville

Samsung’s GT-i9220 has been swirling through the rumor mills for a while now, and we’ve seen tons of conflicting reports regarding this little monster. While its specifications remain shaky at best, a few solid tidbits courtesy of the Wi-Fi Alliance indeed reveal the GT-i9220 as a smartphone, which counters previous speculation that it was merely a media player. Additionally, this Sammy will feature dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi, the latter being an uncommon (though entirely welcome) feature for smartphones, and lending credence to its high-end specs. As for those details, the most plausible rumors suggest we’ll see a dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display at 720p along with an 8 megapixel camera. Obviously, internals like these are fightin’ words in the smartphone domain, so we’re forced to take them with a grain of salt until something more solid crawls out of the woodwork.

Samsung GT-i9220 confirmed as smartphone with dual-band WiFi, specs remain in rumorville originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceWi-Fi Alliance (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy S II Hands On: Say Hi to Your Next Android Phone

If you are going to get an Android phone any time soon, this is it. More »

Galaxy S II finally lands on American shores for Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but you fine folks living in the good ol’ U-S-of-A are finally getting blessed with Galaxy S IIs to call your own. Conspicuously missing from the party is Verizon, but Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T are all getting in on the Super AMOLED Plus action under the guise of the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint and just plain old Galaxy S II on AT&T and T-Mo. As we had heard earlier the Epic 4G Touch is sporting a slightly larger 4.52-inch screen as will the T-Mobile variant, while AT&T is sticking with the 4.3-inch panel found on the international model. Sprint customers will be first to get their shot at owning one on September 16th for $200, with AT&T and T-Mobile a little further down the road. Otherwise there are very few surprises here, with a 1.2GHz Exynos pushing Gingerbread and TouchWiz to each gorgeous screen. All are packing 16GB of internal storage and being pitched as 4G handsets — with WiMax on board the Sprint model and HSPA+ for T-Mo and AT&T. Ma Bell’s is specifically championing its variant as the “thinnest 4G smartphone,” which might have something to do with the smaller 1650 mAh battery inside (the Epic 4G Touch is sporting an 1800 mAh pack). Check back soon for some hands-on.

Continue reading Galaxy S II finally lands on American shores for Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T

Galaxy S II finally lands on American shores for Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1… fight!

We’ve seen it before, but not against one of its chief rivals: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Now here they are, sharing a little table space — but not getting along too well. On one hand the Tab 10.1 is thin and light on its feet. On the other, the ThinkPad Tablet is large and would very much like to be in charge of your corporate lifestyle. Due to Honeycomb’s limited customizations, Lenovo’s tackling this angle thanks in large part to some enterprise- and stylus-friendly software, much of which the device comes with pre-installed. Join us after the break for a quick demonstration, plus a look back at our first hands-on with the thing.

Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1… fight!

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1… fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Pro+ announced with Gingerbread, few other improvements


As it turns out, Plus is becoming the new Moto sequel. Soon after announcing the Defy+, a phone that offers a moderate bump in specs from its predecessor, HelloMoto is back at it again with the Pro+. This obvious follow-up to the Motorola Pro (or Droid Pro, as it’s known in the US) doesn’t bring much of an improvement to the table. It’s adorned with the same 1GHz CPU, 3.1-inch VGA (640 x 480) display, 512MB of RAM and five megapixel camera; the largest differences in the new model are the inclusion of Android 2.3, 4GB of internal storage, an improved battery (1,600mAh) and a rounded design — in contrast to the original’s squared look. It’s due in Asia and Europe starting in October, so keep an eye out… if that “Plus” is enough to excite you. Head below for the full press release.

Continue reading Motorola Pro+ announced with Gingerbread, few other improvements

Motorola Pro+ announced with Gingerbread, few other improvements originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cobra Tag review

Phone, keys, wallet. Discovering that you’re missing any of these three items could easily trigger a panic attack, yet they’re all so easy to misplace. How many times have you spent twenty minutes looking for keys that were buried between the couch cushions? The Cobra Tag may help you win that losing battle. Acting as a Bluetooth device that attaches to your key ring and connects to your phone, it gives you the opportunity to find the missing item if it’s less than 30 feet away. It can also send notifications when the two devices are out of range from each other. The concept sounds convenient, but how does it work in practice? Let’s find out.

Continue reading Cobra Tag review

Cobra Tag review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xiaomi Phone hands-on redux: dual partition system explained (video)

Not long ago Xiaomi, a Beijing-based company with around 250 staff, shocked the industry with the announcement of its conveniently named Xiaomi Phone. We’re looking at a well-built device packing a 1.5GHz dual-core SoC, 1GB RAM and 4GB ROM, 4-inch LCD, GPS plus GLONASS, and a generous 1,900mAh battery. Set at an extremely competitive price point of around $310 for October, this has no doubt made other local manufacturers — Meizu in particular — think twice about their current strategy.

But let’s ignore the competitors for now and focus on Xiaomi. Many Android enthusiasts might already recognize this small startup as the star behind the popular MIUI, an Android ROM that offers a vast range of user customization along with the promise of great performance. Alas, we only had a glimpse of this at the Xiaomi Phone launch. Worse yet, it turned out that due to some miscommunication, the prototype unit we handled with actually had a very old firmware, which didn’t do justice for the developers. Luckily, we were offered a second chance to take a closer look at a much more up-to-date device. Read on to see what we discovered.

Continue reading Xiaomi Phone hands-on redux: dual partition system explained (video)

Xiaomi Phone hands-on redux: dual partition system explained (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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