Hasta La Gadget!

We just saw Archos’ Arnova 7 G2 make its debut in Hong Kong, and now a tablet carrying a strikingly similar appellative is popping up at the FCC. It might carry a familiar moniker, but the Arnova 7b G2 doesn’t share the same skin as its recently outed cousin. Unlike the textured body we saw in Hong Kong, this guy’s backside is a total fingerprint magnet, just like its predecessor, which we caught (official) wind of just two months ago. So what’s up with this G2 confusion, anyway? Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait and see, as that’s all she wrote for this dig through the FCC.

Archos Arnova 7b G2 makes its way through the FCC, we play the name game originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In this age of ever-expanding screen real estate, dual-core processors, and 3D cameras, the push to pack more features into every smartphone seems an irresistible force. But this technological ratcheting-up effect isn’t absolute, and in fact, there are plenty of people who prefer a more pedestrian device. One that simply gives them access to email, social networks, and apps without forcing them to pay an arm and a leg for hardware they’re in no position to appreciate. It’s these folks who Samsung’s after with its new Gravity Smart, as it gives you a bowl full of Froyo at a bargain basement price. However, the question remains whether Sammy can provide an agreeable Android experience at a sub-century price point. Read on to find out if this budget-minded slider is a worthy addition to the legion of phones powered by Google’s little green bots.

Continue reading Samsung Gravity Smart review

Samsung Gravity Smart review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FTC reportedly focusing on Android, search placement in Google probe originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like Archos’ summer of the sequels is just heating up. Less than a week ago, we spied the outfit’s 8-incher at the FCC, and now our brethren at Engadget Chinese are offering up a hands-on with two more second-gen Arnovas: the Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2. These made-over slates best their predecessors with Gingerbread and capacitive touchscreens. The original 7-inch tablet ran Froyo while its big brother came with Eclair; both sported resistive displays. The pair will also see a spec bump in the processor department, with the inclusion of a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 — likely the same processor found in their 8-inch sibling. While we do have Hong Kong pricing — HK$1,680 (or $215 US) and HK$1,980 (about $250 US) — we’ve yet to land a release date. So, for now, we’ll just stick with “coming soon to a retailer near you?” If the wait is too much to bear, hop on past the break for some hands-on love from our Chinese counterparts.

Archos’ Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2 tablets launch in Hong Kong, taste like Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s US prexy Chris Weber’s been making the media rounds lately, talking up the company’s Windows Phone near-future and offering a peek at the marketing blitz to come. In an interview with VentureBeat, Weber confirmed the death of Symbian and the N9’s North American release, but was much less straightforward when asked about the WP7 launch, saying only that a US focus is paramount to the OEM’s global success. The MS-blessed smartphones are set to debut “in volume” next year, at which point Nokia hopes to have ironed out its complex negotiations with carriers, bringing aggressively subsidized handsets to market. Nokia’s chief also engaged in a bit of mobile OS grandstanding, touting Microsoft’s live tile integrated approach as superior to the “outdated” app focus popularized by iOS and Android. And if you’re wondering just how the OEM plans to differentiate its hardware in this cluttered wireless market, expect to see phones with an emphasis on “state-of-the-art imaging technology and battery performance.” Here’s to hoping Weber’s words don’t come back to haunt him when his bet goes live next year.

Nokia’s Chris Weber promises US-centric push for Windows Phone 7 devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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