Hasta La Gadget!

And just like that, it’s official. We heard back at CTIA that Nokia’s N8 would see an official reveal during April, and just a few short days after surfacing in Russia, that very smartphone has indeed been announced over in Espoo. There’s not much here we didn’t know about — it’ll be rocking a 12 megapixel camera (with Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash), 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, HDMI output, 16GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, HD video recording, access to Ovi Store apps, free Ovi Maps walk and drive navigation, and of course, the company’s new Symbian^3 operating system. The N8 touts multiple, personalizable homescreens “which can be loaded with apps and widgets,” native multitasking, support for multitouch gestures and integration with the Qt software development environment. It’ll also ship in a variety of lovely hues (read: five), with availability pegged for “select markets” in Q3 for €370 ($494) without any subsidies involved. Not like it’ll have any other competition up in its grille by that point or anything…

Update: Here’s a look at a few sample images from that 12 megapixel camera. Thanks, Matija!

Continue reading Nokia N8 goes official: 12 megapixels, Symbian^3, shipping in Q3

Nokia N8 goes official: 12 megapixels, Symbian^3, shipping in Q3 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The backstory of the lost fourth-gen iPhone prototype acquired by Gizmodo last week is certainly already the stuff of some legend, but hold on tight, because it just got even wilder: Giz editor Jason Chen’s house was apparently raided by California’s REACT computer crimes task force under the authority of a search warrant on Friday night and his computers and several other items were seized. That means a criminal investigation led by the San Mateo police and district attorney is almost certainly in full swing, which is, well, crazy. As you know, we published images of the iPhone prototype last Saturday, so we’re tracking this story as closely as we know all of you are. For now hang tight and we’ll share more info as we get it.

Update: TechCrunch reports that the investigation is on hold for now following claims by Gawker that Chen should be protected under California’s Shield Laws, meant to help protect journalists from revealing sources. The District Attorney will reportedly reevaluate whether those laws do apply, and as such will not go through the seized possessions until a decision’s been reached in the coming days.

Police investigating lost iPhone prototype raid Gizmodo editor’s home originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM has a longstanding track record of refining its hardware with near-surgical precision — from one generation of BlackBerry to the next, you almost always see a very careful, deliberate evolution, from the Storm2’s revamped SurePress tech to the Bold 9700’s optical pad and countless examples in between. “Evolution” is exactly how we’d describe the CDMA- and GSM-equipped Bold 9650, the Tour’s spiritual successor that ditches the old name to join forces with the remainder of the Bold line. Dimensionally, the Bold 9650 is a dead ringer for the Tour — it’s still 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.56 inches — but it packs on two-tenths of an ounce worth of weight in exchange for oft-requested WiFi support and an extra 256MB of internal storage (it’s now up to 512MB total). The other big difference, of course, is the replacement of the dodgy trackball with an optical pad, continuing a trend that has now permeated throughout virtually all of RIM’s lineup. Look for the Bold 9650 to hit American carriers — presumably both Verizon and Sprint — in May. Follow the break for a second shot and RIM’s full press release!

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9650 announced, targets Tour owners’ big complaints

BlackBerry Bold 9650 announced, targets Tour owners’ big complaints originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first European carrier for the Nexus One is all set to start offering Google’s superphone for free on two-year contracts costing £35 ($54) or more per month. Pre-orders are being taken today and full retail availability is slated for April 30. It’s kind of an anticlimax now that the Incredible has started stalking the American prairies, but we’re sure there’ll be plenty of Brits who’ve been waiting with bated breath for this. There’ll be 18- and 24-month contract options, with prices starting at £25 per month, and a 1GB 3G data allowance is included together with a 1GB WiFi allowance via BT Openzone hotspots. Not exactly the most generous price plans we’ve ever heard of, but then the handset’s looking eminently affordable with its zero cash up front requirement. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Nexus One launches on Vodafone UK this Friday, April 30

Nexus One launches on Vodafone UK this Friday, April 30 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Things must be getting a little weird at Palm right now, as every day seems to add a new piece to an already confusing puzzle. In just two weeks’ time the company has gone from a potential free agent, to a lone wolf, and then back to prospective purchase. Adding more noise to the proceedings, TechCrunch is now reporting that another senior staffer has hit the road, and this time it’s Caitlin Spaan, Palm’s VP of carrier marketing. Her name gets added to what looks like a growing list of recent Palm departures (not to mention that entire marketing department we hear has been canned). More troubling than that news, however, is a rumor which also appears on TC suggesting that CEO (and putative savior of the company) Jon Rubinstein may be on his way out as well. This report is pure hearsay at this point, but if true would be a major admission on Palm’s part that its plans to kickstart the ailing company nearly two years ago are failing (or have just plain failed). Of course, we need to stress that this is just rumor at this stage — the company offered no comment to Business Insider — and until we get more solid word, it should be treated as such. As for us, we’re hoping the company can pull something salvageable together from this mess and figure out a way to compete at a level of increasingly more difficult stakes.

Update: Apparently Jon showed up in a room of developers at the company’s currently-ongoing dev camp and said “I’m still here,” to big laughs. Hang in there, man!

Another Palm exec is out… and CEO Jon Rubinstein is next? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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