Hasta La Gadget!

The Droid’s slated for a second helping of Froyo, the Droid 2 came with one, the Droid X will see Android 2.2 by early September — when’s Droid number four getting its due? According to Mashable‘s anonymous sources, August 18th will be the day Verizon begins the Droid Incredible’s OTA rollout — which lines up pretty well with what we heard a couple weeks back, not to mention the fact that HTC just released the handset’s Android 2.2 source code. As always, dates slip and Verizon often dishes out small batches at a time, but now you’ve got a ballpark estimate to assuage your troubled mind. And hey, you can always go shoot something in 720p if you get tired of waiting.

Droid Incredible getting a spoonful of Froyo on August 18th? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s the Engadget Podcast….to go! Would you like a little Joanna Stern with that? Easy on the Ziegler, buddy – and 86 the Paul, please. All that plus a special toy for kids ten and under that manage to listen all the way to the end.

Update: If you’ve been unable to download the podcast in iTunes or Zune, it’s because we had a naming issue — it’s since been fixed and should download properly once the cache breaks. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel
Guests: Joanna Stern, Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: California Gurls

00:01:30 – The Engadget Show – 011: Peter Molyneux, Fable III, Milo, BlackBerry Torch, Windows Phone 7
00:01:40 – BlackBerry Torch review
00:12:48 – Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone
00:18:38 – Microsoft to open mobile games studio, develop and incubate Windows Phone 7 titles
00:24:42 – Exclusive: Upcoming Apple TV loses 1080p playback, gains apps… and will be renamed iTV
00:36:10 – iPod touch coming in a ‘few weeks’ with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber
00:39:49 – CDMA iPhone in engineering tests, may arrive in January, says John Gruber
00:43:05 – Plastic Logic kills QUE, ‘shifts focus’ to second-generation ProReader
00:43:56 – Notion Ink Adam delayed, this time investors are to blame (updated!)
01:47:00 – Notion Ink Adam priced at $498, lives up to promise of being below $499
00:50:20 – Dell Streak on sale August 13 for $300 on AT&T contract, $550 without
00:51:14 – Off-contract Dell Streak is still SIM-locked to AT&T, wrongs still being done in the world
00:52:40 – Exclusive: Dell Thunder prototype rumbles into the wild (video)
00:57:05 – Motorola Droid 2 (and R2-D2 edition!) finally official: Android 2.2, Swype, $200 on contract
00:57:50 – Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing
00:58:30 – Motorola’s Droid 2 in the wild, looking as blue as ever
01:04:18 – Motorola’s Jha says MOTOBLUR brand will fade from view
01:05:22 – Epic 4G coming August 31st for $249.99 on contract (updated)
01:06:14 – HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns over sexual harassment investigation (updated with liveblog!)
01:07:35 – Former HP CEO Mark Hurd rewarded with a $40m severance after being forced to resign over fraudulent expense reports
01:09:42 – HP tells employees webOS tablet coming Q1 2011
01:11:20 – Pre designer Peter Skillman latest to leave Palm, entire senior staff now in exodus
01:14:56 – Google and Verizon announcing something policy-related at 1:30PM ET — we’re liveblogging right here
01:16:00 – Google and Verizon publish joint policy proposal for ‘an open internet’
01:17:00 – Google and Verizon’s net neutrality proposal explained

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Continue reading Engadget Podcast 208 – 08.13.2010

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 208 – 08.13.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even by mid-2010 standards, Verizon’s original Droid still looks and feels thoroughly modern — after all, it set a pretty high benchmark for the upper end of Android’s product portfolio when it launched late last year, and Motorola has managed to keep it updated through two major revisions of the platform along the way (in fact, it’s still just one of a very few devices running Froyo commercially at this point). That said, it’s got a handful of minor design flaws, none of which are really showstoppers in and of themselves but add up to make the phone a little less enjoyable to use than it could’ve been.

That’s where the Droid 2 comes in: a phone that’s less of an all-new, blockbuster product like the Droid X or EVO 4G and more of a genuine “version 2.0” type of effort — hence the name, we suppose — targeting some specific pain points we all experienced with the first-generation device. And just because it doesn’t have the beastly, in-your-face appeal of the Droid X doesn’t mean Verizon isn’t considering it an important device; quite the contrary, actually, rolling out a big new ad campaign and making it the first Droid model to be offered in an official R2-D2 version (and let’s be real: you can never downplay the significance of a gadget with a good Star Wars angle).

To put it plainly: on the heels of the Droid, the Droid 2’s got some big shoes to fill. Let’s find out whether they’ve pulled it off.

Continue reading Droid 2 review

Droid 2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like Verizon and Motorola have finally come clean with the release dates on that sweet Droid 2 R2-D2 edition — a poster next to that demo unit at the Star Wars-themed Celebration V convention in Orlando says it’s due to arrive on September 30. Unfortunately there’s no word on how much more this thing will cost over the regular Droid 2, but hey — Artoo’s worth it, right? Check a couple more high-res shots at the source link.

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition coming September 30 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC’s Droid Eris phone is getting a second lease on life as a tour guide in a Disney amusement park. Disney has taken the smartphone, added a frame around it to turn it into a device running an app that shows wait times for rides, offers discounts and indicates show times at the park.

The repurposed Eris also gives out tips and tricks and coupons for use in the park.

HTC launched the Droid Eris in November as a $100 smartphone (with a two-year contract) on Verizon Wireless. The Droid Eris had a 3.2-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and GPS capability. It also used HTC’s Sense custom skin for Android. In June, Verizon said it has retired the Droid Eris.

Meanwhile, last year Disney also launched its Mobile Magic app for mostly feature phones and non-Android smartphones. The app gives users detailed information about the different Disney theme parks in the U.S. Now with the Android version of the app running on the Eris, Disney hopes to connect with those users who are already at the park.

Check out the video to see the Mobile Magic app on the Droid Eris

Ultimately, the Eris phone running the app may be offered as a free or “low cost add-on” for visitors on the trip, says the MickeyUpdates site.

See Also:

• Now, a $100 Android Smartphone in the HTC Droid Eris
• Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ Features USB, Wi-Fi Tethering
• Motorola Droid Rules Android
• Bloatware Creeps Into Android Phones

Photo: Mickeyupdates.com

[via Engadget]