Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon’s German outlet has started listing LG’s two latest and undoubtedly greatest phones: the Optimus 2X (seemingly renamed the Optimus Speed here) and the Optimus Black. Both run Android 2.2 on 4-inch screens, with the former offering a dual-core Tegra 2 processor capable of 1080p video recording and HDMI output, and the latter cranking up the display brightness to a quite unreasonable 700 nits. The Optimus Black also has one of the thinnest profiles on a smartphone of its class at 9.2mm, and will be one of the first phones to offer WiFi Direct connectivity. Intriguingly, Amazon’s Optimus Speed / 2X listing also shows a brown color option for the handset, though only its black SKU is subject to a neat €50 discount bringing its price to €499, the same as the cost of the Optimus Black. We don’t know when either one will drop, but you can go and reserve yourself one (or a dozen) at the links below.

[Thanks, Julian]

Continue reading LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at €499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy

LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at €499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday’s leaked image of a purported Nokia tablet device seems to have been more informative than we initially believed it to be. An eagle-eyed forum member over on mobile-review has spotted the similarity between it and a reference platform for ST-Ericsson’s U8500 system-on-chip. Last we heard, that little powerhouse was running a pair of 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 cores, so excuse us if we find the prospect of it driving Nokia’s next flagship a rather exciting one. You can see video of the reference device in question after the break — it ends on the delicious and unequivocal assertion from the ST-Ericsson rep that Nokia has signed up to deliver the U8500 in an upcoming device. Bear in mind, however, that the video is from November of last year and we still don’t know for sure that the Nokia slate above is its MeeGo progenitor or just a prototype. Either way, the U8500 is expected in smartphones at some point in the first half of this year, which kind of fits Nokia’s roadmap, no?

[Image credit: Cor72z]

Continue reading Nokia’s leaked MeeGo device resembles dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500 reference platform

Nokia’s leaked MeeGo device resembles dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500 reference platform originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No big surprises here, unless you count that snowy white number up above. Yep, LG’s not only stolen a march on Motorola in introducing the world’s first dual-core smartphone, it’s also about to beat Apple to the white handset punch as well. The 1080p-recording, Tegra 2-wielding Optimus 2X is now available in its home market of South Korea and, if LG stays true to its roadmap, should be filtering through into Europe before this month is out. We don’t know if its white variant will ever escape the clutches of Korea (and we sure hope it does), but it should be making its bodacious debut over there in February.

Continue reading LG Optimus 2X goes on sale in Korea, teases white version for February

LG Optimus 2X goes on sale in Korea, teases white version for February originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 was tearing it up on the CES 2011 show floor in a host of new tablets, but unbeknownst to us, Qualcomm’s long-awaited dual-core Snapdragon made a pair of cameo appearances as well. The first was in ASUS’ Eee Pad MeMO, which showed off its pressure-sensitive stylus action on the floor, and the second is in the new Qualcomm reference design you see immediately above. According to a video released on Qualcomm’s website — which you can watch after the break — Qualcomm attempted to distract tech journalists from Verizon’s press conference by giving them a sneak peek at the HTC Thunderbolt here instead. Then, we like to imagine, the company brainwashed the lot into believing the 1.2GHz MSM8660 with Adreno 220 graphics is destined for a host of tablets and phones. Of course, if that’s actually the case, we’ll gladly join the throng. Where do we sign up?

Continue reading Qualcomm unveils dual-core Snapdragon reference handset at CES 2011

Qualcomm unveils dual-core Snapdragon reference handset at CES 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LAS VEGAS — This year’s Consumer Electronics Show is more about incremental upgrades than massive breakthroughs. And, of course, there are the tablets.

Check out this video for a quick, two-minute overview of the highlights.

We expect literally dozens of tablet manufacturers to release iPad competitors this year, and many are on display at CES this week. Toshiba, Motorola, Panasonic, Vizio, Coby and others are all planning tablet or tablet-like offerings in a variety of sizes and with a range of capabilities. It’s too soon to tell which of these will be worth buying, but they’ll definitely be hitting store shelves in a big way in 2011.

As for smartphones, geeking out is the name of the game. If bragging about your PC’s dual-core processor and high-speed L2 cache is your kind of thing, you’ll be happy to know that you can soon do the same with your smartphone. Phone makers are beefing up processing power in an effort to support increasingly demanding mobile operating systems and apps. That’s good news for those who live in and through their portable devices.

We’ll be bringing you more news from the show as it develops. Check out our CES 2011 full coverage page for all the stories from Vegas, or hit our CES 2011 top stories page for just the highlights.