Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re secretly wearing Spandex bicycle shorts underneath your suit for on-the-fly workouts between conference calls, then perhaps Jabra’s new Sport bluetooth headset is for you. Of course it allows you to answer calls, but what’s cooler is the built-in FM radio and A2DP technology for wirelessly connecting to your MP3 player — claiming to be the first headset to handle both. The company also threw in a free download of the Endomondo Sports Tracker for iPhone, Android or BlackBerry — which is kind of like the Nike+ app, tracking runs and giving speed and distance updates. This $99 device will be sold by Sprint, Apple and T-Mobile, and available sometime in September along with a corded version, aptly named the Jabra Sport-Corded, for $69. Get ready to tear away those wool trousers and check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Jabra Sport bluetooth headset lets you work the Thigh Master during concalls

Jabra Sport bluetooth headset lets you work the Thigh Master during concalls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s Galaxy S II still reigns supreme in the eyes of many smartphone aficionados, but it’s now joined by a healthy collection of lesser Galaxy devices, including (in alphabetical order) the Wave M (Magical), M Pro, R (Royal), W (Wonder), Xcover, and Wave Y (Young) — all announced last month, but presented for the first time as a mismatched family here at IFA. There’s the wise, conservative elder (R), the speedy head of household (W), the rowdy, rugged, dirt-bike-sporting teenager (Xcover), the mid-twenties QWERTY typing champion (M Pro), and the slightly rebellious, underpowered preteen (Wave Y) following in its older sibling’s footsteps (M).

BlackBerry owners looking to make the switch to Gingerbread may find the M Pro most appealing, with its 2.7-inch HVGA touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, and QWERTY keyboard. The Royal steps things up with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4.2-inch “Super Clear” LCD, Gingerbread, HSPA+, and a 5 megapixel camera. The Wonder includes those last three features as well, but swaps in a 3.7-inch WVGA display and 1.4GHz processor. And the dustproof and water resistant Xcover sports a 3.65-inch HVGA LCD, 800MHz processor, and 3 megapixel camera.

With its small footprint, 3.2-inch HVGA LCD, 2 megapixel camera and relatively sluggish 832MHz processor, the Wave Young is probably enough to satisfy your pre-teen, but anyone on to their second or third smartphone will almost certainly be underwhelmed. It’s running Samsung’s new Bada 2.0 OS, like its Magical Pro sibling, which includes the same processor but jumps to a 3.65-inch HVGA display and 5 megapixel sensor. Both include Samsung’s new ChatON IM service as well. All in all, it’s not the speediest family in town — and there’s no US visa on order for a future trip to the states — but not everyone needs the top of the line, so skip on past the break and through the front door to meet the latest Sam fam.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy R, Wave M, M Pro, W, Xcover, and Wave Y hands-on (video)

Samsung Galaxy R, Wave M, M Pro, W, Xcover, and Wave Y hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beginning today, when mobile enthusiasts think of Runnymede, it won’t be the Magna Carta that immediately comes to mind, but rather one of first phones to emerge from HTC’s collaboration with Beats. Unlike the rumored Sensation Special Edition 2, the Runnymede 2 shares greater similarity with the Titan — the 4.7-inch beast with a single-core 1.5GHz CPU and 9.9mm profile — that was announced earlier today. Diverging from the Titan, however, the Runnymede 2 will be an Android handset with 768MB of RAM and an option for 32GB of built-in storage (along with the base level 16GB). Beats headphones are also rumored to be bundled with this bad boy, and HTC seems to take its imaging prowess very seriously with an 8 megapixel sensor and f2.2 lens that smacks heavily of the MyTouch 4G Slide. Of course, this all sounds very tempting, but it leaves us wondering what the hell happened to the Runnymede 1. Perhaps Mr. Chou decided this one was good enough to skip a generation?

[Thanks, ZedeN]

HTC Runnymede 2 looks to lay down the law with 4.7″ display and Beats audio originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a recent report from Nielsen, Google snagged 40 percent of the smartphone market, while Apple captured approximately 28 percent — up just barely .01 percentage point from last year. This report coincides with findings filed earlier this week by ComScore, citing Google with 41.8 percent market share and Apple with 27 percent, up one whole percentage point from last year. Diving a bit deeper, Nielsen found that around 33 percent of people planning to buy a smartphone in the next year want an iPhone, while another 33 percent would prefer an Android. The tie between those who want an Android v. an iOS phone fluctuated when Nielsen asked the “early adopters” within the group what kind of phone they are hoping to cop. 40 percent of “innovators” said they would like a phone on Google’s OS, while 32 percent want a bite of the Apple — leaving a mere 28 percent of self-proclaimed tech junkies desiring something else, like a BlackBerry or Windows Phone. Perhaps these figures are an indication that Google will remain on top for 2012, or will there be an upset? Only time will tell.

Nielsen confirms Android on top, buyers split on next smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last time Google’s jet-setting smartphone took to space, it wasn’t exactly flying in style. Well, the Nexus S has ditched its styrofoam trappings for more respectable digs — specifically, NASA’s last manned space shuttle, Atlantis. Its mission: “explore how robots can help humans experiment and live in space more efficiently.” Affixed to a series of three robotic satellites, known as SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) the phones engaged in tasks usually done by their human travel companions, like recording sensor data and capturing video. A special sensor-logging app was customized by NASA to capture sensor data and is now available for download in the Android Market. To see the space traveling smartphone at work, hop on past the break, or hit up NASA’s project page at the coverage link below.

Continue reading Nexus S takes to space aboard Atlantis, does astronauts’ dirty work

Nexus S takes to space aboard Atlantis, does astronauts’ dirty work originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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