Hasta La Gadget!

Carrier rebate forms have a fun tendency to reveal unannounced hardware, since they cover several upcoming weeks when they’re published — and Verizon’s latest for the month of November is a particularly juicy one. Here’s what we’ve got:

• There are two SKUs listed for the Droid 2 Global, but only one for the Droid Pro, leading us to wonder whether it’ll actually be the Global that’s getting a cameraless version.
• Speaking of Motorola, the WX445 Citrus is in the mix for the first time.
• The Pre 2 is in the system with a $100 rebate.
• There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650, possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed.
• The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos.
• There’s a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we’re not sure what it is — we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of ’em (likely low-end considering it’s not a $100 rebate).
• More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here.

Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we’re not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who’s excited?

Verizon’s new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chalk this one up to wishful thinking. The Web this morning is awash with rumors about the Google Nexus Two, this morning, the follow up to the not-especially well-received HTC/Google team up, the Nexus One.

Now perhaps it’s precisely because of that device’s lukewarm reception that these latest rumors actually have Samsung producing the Nexus Two–A Galaxy S-like device. Given the evidence available at present, it’s hard to put too much stock in the rumor.

As if that weren’t enough to process this morning, here’s another weird level to the story: a site called ITProPortal is putting forth the suggestion that the Nexus Two is actually the rumored PlayStation Phone. It’s a two-for-one in the rumor mill this morning.

The suggestion (and, really, it can’t be called anything else–well, okay, “wishful thinking” works, too) is that Sony Ericsson, having been given–and subsequently turned down–the opportunity to produce the Nexus One, is now working on the follow up (because the first one did so well?). And that follow up is the PlayStation Phone.

What we know is this: those early leaks of the purported PlayStation Phone have the handset running some form of Android (Gingerbread, apparently). And, yes, it fair to say that Google is losing the casual gaming fight to Apple’s iPhone.

Oh, and Google did partner with Sony for one of the first Google TV units, “so don’t be flabbergasted if the Japanese giant goes ahead and extends its partnership with Google to the Playstation brand as well,” writes the rumor site.

It’s a nice thought, sure, but it’s not really based on any in particular–just some seemingly unconnected bits and pieces from around the Web.

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Brandon, who is fairly interested in ditching his cable subscription. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“Hey Engadget readership. I’ve been paying way too much for channels I never watch for way too long. I’m about ready to seriously consider my options for ditching cable. Problem is, I’ve got too many alternatives. Google TV, Apple TV and Roku stick out, but I’ve also heard of using a new Mac Mini along with Boxee. Given that I have a Netflix subscription to loop in, which of these would be my most satisfying option? Or is there another I’m not considering? Thanks for the assistance.”

We feel your pain. Loads of options, and not really one set-top that does it all. ‘Course, you could always whip up an HTPC to really cover your bases, but we’re sure you’ll get some fine input either way in comments below.

Ask Engadget: Google TV, Apple TV, Roku, or something else? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Traditionally, cameraless versions of smartphones designed for high-security work environments have been the exclusive playground of Windows Mobile and BlackBerry — the enterprise mobile platforms companies have rallied around the most over the past decade — but Motorola’s Droid Pro seeks to give Android some serious enterprise street cred for the first time thanks to that glorious portrait QWERTY keyboard. To that end, it makes sense that they’d want to release a second version sans camera — and a new leak speaking of “the new Enterprise-focused DROID phone without a camera” suggests that’s exactly what’s happening. Our trusted source says they’re “99 percent positive” that’s what we’re looking at here; not a product for everyone, of course, but if you work in the government lab where they keep all the alien corpses, you’ll probably be thanking your lucky stars.

Motorola Droid Pro coming in a cameraless version for security-conscious businessfolk? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, that’s right, just “Venue,” not Venue Pro — and from a glance, it looks to us like this might be the new name for the Thunder Android phone we played with a little while ago judging by this FCC filing that just crossed the wires. As far as we can tell, this thing is basically a carbon copy of the Venue Pro, except it’s running Android instead of Windows Phone 7 and drops the sliding portrait keyboard in favor of a full-touch setup. Notably, the curved glass 4.1-inch AMOLED display carries over, so that should make the design nerds in the audience swoon a bit. Additionally, turns out there’s a Bluetooth SIG certification under the same model name — V03B — that confirms the display’s specs and the fact that it’s a “smartphone” (whew!). Stay tuned on this one — something tells us we won’t be waiting terribly long for an announce.

Dell Venue hits the FCC: is this the Thunder’s new name? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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