Hasta La Gadget!

We already knew that T-Mobile’s dual-core G2x won’t be arriving for another week, but it looks like some cheeky monkey managed to nab one early and promptly put it up on eBay. While the seller hasn’t posted photos of the actual handset, all the signs suggest that at least this sealed box is legit, especially the label on the back. If you’re willing to take the risk, then this Tegra 2 Froyo Android could be yours early for a cool $799, or maybe a bit less if you could work your magic on that “Make Offer” button.

Update: And it’s gone. Looks like someone really wanted this phone.

T-Mobile G2x shows up on eBay with $799 price tag, tests your bartering skills (update: sold!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our good friends over at PreCentral have just received a couple of juicy scoops, even for this time of the day. According to their proven tipster, what we’re looking at here is an upcoming webOS phone sans keyboard — a first for Rubinstein’s crew, as many of you might already know. While there’s not much detail to go with this pic, it appears that this here slate’s just slightly bigger than the Pre 3, and that the little spot above the screen could be either a front-facing camera or merely a proximity sensor. Following PreCentral’s logic, this could very well be the Stingray that showed up in the list of codenames back in November — the similarly sized Pre 3 is Mantaray, whereas the smaller Veer is Broadway, leaving Stingray and Windsor unclaimed. But of course, we wouldn’t place our bets just yet.

Speaking of the Pre 3, the same tipster also sent in a spyshot of said phone connected to Verizon. While we already know that this slider packs both CDMA and GSM radios, this is actually the first prototype seen running on the former. Alas, the mysterious tipster is again keeping a tight lip about this leak. Picture after the break.

Continue reading HP’s keyboard-less webOS phone and Verizon Pre 3 leaked?

HP’s keyboard-less webOS phone and Verizon Pre 3 leaked? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 02:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, would you look at that? The planet’s first GLONASS phone is now available, but it looks as if you’ll need to soar over to Russia in order to use it. Of course, if you’ve followed the GLONASS story at all you wouldn’t find that shocking in the least, and if you choose to pick up the ZTE-built MTS GLONASS 945 on your next trip, you’ll be treated to full-on GPS support back in the States. It’s a Froyo-based device with a 3.2-inch capacitive touchpanel, 2 megapixel camera, 130MB of memory, Bluetooth / WiFi and a price tag of just under 11,000 Rubles. That’s around $400 in real money, which you’ll probably find suits you best in your wallet if you’ve already picked up the all-too-similar Vodafone 945. Here’s hoping the world’s second GLONASS phone is a bit more compelling in the design and feature standpoint, yeah?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

World’s first GLONASS-enabled smartphone ships in Russia, GPS ponders a recalculation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following the catastrophic earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, surviving victims from the affected region are going to face a tough time over the coming months, if not years. Many of those who are more fortunate have been actively contributing in one way or another, regardless of distance, to help put Japan on its road to recovery. Back in the country, one such generous person is non other than Softbank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, who’s recently visited Tamura, one of the cities most affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. During that trip, Son announced that Softbank will cover a year’s worth of living costs (commute and food) and provide job positions for the 1,200 people to be relocated to Takeo in Saga, the prefecture where Son originated.

Additionally, Son is using Softbank’s “Let’s Do It” campaign site — a tracker for his “Let’s Do It” tasks posted on Twitter, each accompanied by a completion status indicator — to crowdsource requests for supporting earthquake victims. So far, these requests are mainly about ways to increase efficiency for donation efforts (like publishing a live list of item shortages for each shelter, and setting up new mobile networks at the shelters), but there were two that caught our attention. Last week, one of Son’s followers suggested that Softbank should provide orphaned children free phone credit for a limited time, so that they could contact their friends and other family members. Son then retweeted this idea and announced that all earthquake orphans will receive free phones, along with call costs waived until they reach the age of 18. Another gadget-related initiative came in earlier today with Son promising free replacement for all lost or damaged iPhones due to the earthquake, with details to follow later.

Obviously, anyone providing aid to Japan in any way, shape, or form deserves just as much credit, but Softbank’s extra mileage and cunning use of social networking is certainly praiseworthy in its own right. Here’s hoping that Son’s actions will inspire others for even greater causes.

[Thanks, Tres]

Update: It’s worth pointing out that Son said he’s also happy to help pay phone bills for earthquake orphans who are already on other networks, including DoCoMo. Good on ya, sir!

Softbank to offer free phones to earthquake orphans, free replacement for lost iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember the second-gen Apple Peel 520 we saw back in January? Yep, Yosion has now confirmed that this familiar-looking adapter will be available in China on March 28th, which happens to be this coming Monday. Like its predecessor, this new sleeve lets you send texts and make regular phone calls on a jailbroken iPod touch (including the latest FaceTime-loving model), but now Yosion’s also thrown in GPRS data connectivity along with some extra battery juice, all for the price of just ¥520 ($79) for pre-orderers and possibly around ¥598 ($90) when it’s out. Frankly, this isn’t a bad value proposition for those already clinging onto an iPod touch — just make sure El Jobs doesn’t catch you holding this Peel.

Yosion’s second-gen Apple Peel 520 arriving on March 28th, ready to cellularize your iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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