Hasta La Gadget!

So, by now you’ve seen the PlayStation Certified Qriocity tablet known within Sony as the “S1.” But that’s not the only tablet the venerable Japanese company is preparing to launch in 2011. We’ve been told by a pair of highly trusted and proven sources that Sony is also working on two rather unconventional tablet form factors including a dual-screen Honeycomb clamshell and newfangled Windows 7 tablet slider.

First, let’s look at the clamshell model sporting a pair of 5.5-inch displays — a device first hinted at in a 2010 Sony patent application titled “Electronic Book with Enhanced Features.” However, unlike the patent’s blocky illustration, we’re told that Sony’s clamshell — known as the “S2” internally — more closely resembles an oval cylinder when closed as depicted in the illustration above. Spec-wise, we’re told that it will be very similar in performance to the S1 with a Tegra 2 SoC and WiFi + 3G radio on the inside and front- and rear-facing cameras on the outside. And like the S1 tablet, the S2 will be focused on delivering Qriocity media to the consumer. Sorry, no word on whether the S2 is PlayStation Certified. Obviously, the S2 won’t be running stock Honeycomb — instead, Sony is currently optimizing the Android OS to make the most of those two displays. One source reports having seen Gmail running on a demonstration prototype where the list of messages is displayed on one screen with the body of the selected message displayed on the other. Maps, we’re told, will display the map graphic on one display with the detailed turn-by-turn instructions or Streetview displayed on the other. Likewise, the S2 will display a video and picture navigation menu on one half of the clamshell with the selected content blown-up to fill the screen of the other. We’re also told that these apps will work in a variety of orientations. Sounds interesting, to say the least. Regrettably, our sources are less than enthusiastic. Click through to find out why.

Continue reading Exclusive: Sony ‘S2’ dual-screen Android clamshell and 9.4-inch Windows 7 VAIO slider due this year

Exclusive: Sony ‘S2’ dual-screen Android clamshell and 9.4-inch Windows 7 VAIO slider due this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re almost there, almost to the release of the Native Client we first got wind of last May. It is, basically, a way to run native code within a browser — low-end stuff capable of delivering performance good enough for 3D games and the like. Christian Stefansen, a Google Product Manager, said that the stuff is getting closer to delivery, that the team behind it has reached an “important milestone,” that code will be “as portable and secure as JavaScript.” It was of course security, or the lack thereof, that derailed Microsoft‘s plans for this sort of functionality in Internet Explorer via ActiveX, a stigma that technology has still yet to escape from. Will Native Client do better? Will Crysis ever be available in the Chrome Web Store? Could a Cr-48 run it anyway? Questions questions…

Google’s Native Client almost ‘ready for takeoff,’ ready to make ActiveX look visionary originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you thought the lack of root on the Atrix 4G was going to save you a couple hundred bucks next week… well, we hate to break the bad news, but you’re going to need to find another excuse not to buy it (more on that in a second). Long story short, the phone’s already been rooted by a gentleman over on the ever-resourceful xda-developers forums, which means you can do all the normal things that require root access like enabling the standard Froyo mobile hotspot feature, using root apps like Titanium Backup (pictured above), and generally looking 1337 compared to your friends locked up in their walled gardens. Now, the bad news: the bootloader remains firmly locked and presumably encrypted given Moto’s track record, so custom kernels are still just a dream — but hey, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Keep the faith!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola Atrix 4G already rooted, and it’s not even out yet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s hard to say if Intel CEO Paul Otellini was simply misquoted the first go ’round, or if he really had a change of heart in the course of 48 hours. Either way, the most recent quotes coming from the highest of highs at Chipzilla paints a very different story than the one we first heard, and it’s beginning to look like Intel and Microsoft may eventually wage some sort of war — even if it’s one that remains strictly at the software level. Reuters is reporting that Otellini had this to say when questioned about Stephen Elop’s decision to select Windows Phone 7 as the future of Nokia’s handset business:

“I wouldn’t have made the decision he made, I would probably have gone to Android if I were him. MeeGo would have been the best strategy but he concluded he couldn’t afford it.”

That contrasts starkly with comments made just days ago, where he was quoted as saying that he would’ve made “the same or a similar call” if found in Elop’s shoes. Continuing on the topic of differentiation, Otellini noted that “it would have been less hard on Android, [but] on MeeGo he could have done it.” That said, he’s confident that Intel “will find another partner,” noting that carriers “still want a third ecosystem and the carriers want an open ecosystem, and that’s the thing that drives our motivation.” Now, the real question: which Paul can be believed?

Intel CEO Paul Otellini flip-flops, says he ‘would’ve gone Android’ if he were Elop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Current pre-orders appear to be looking at early March delivery, but AT&T has gone on record saying that folks that elected to pre-order the mighty Motorola Atrix 4G by the 17th will receive it on the 21st of February — next Monday — and if they chose to have their unit sent to a store, they’ll be able to get it there on the 21st as well. The rest of us will need to check out the store on the 22nd and hope for the best. We’ve gotten confirmation from a tipster that his pre-order has shipped with a scheduled delivery on Monday, so it’s looking like they’re on time. Who’s standing in line next Tuesday?

[Thanks, Shaun C.]

Motorola Atrix 4G pegged for February 21st pre-order delivery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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