Samsung sells one million Galaxy Tab units (update: confirmed)

Wondering just how well a tablet would do if picked up and marketed by all four major carriers in America? We’re still waiting for the breakdown within our borders, but there’s hardly a doubt that the unprecedented carrier arrangement has helped Samsung shatter its estimates on Galaxy Tab sales. Purportedly, the outfit has just passed the one million mark in global sales of the 7-inch Android tablet, but Information Week is quick to point out that Sammy’s not clear on whether that’s units in the sales channel or units in the hands of consumers. Either way, one million’s nothing to scoff at, particularly when you consider that only 600,000 had been sold as of November 22nd. The firm’s now hoping to move 1.5 million of ’em by the year’s end, and while that’s still well short of the estimated seven million iPads that have been sold to date, it’s a sales rate that we’re sure no one at Samsung is kvetching about.

Update: CNET heard from a Samsung representative that the company hasn’t officially announced the sales figure here, but hopefully we’ll get some clarification soon. It’s possible that the PR team simply isn’t ready to dish out the number in official fashion yet. We’ll keep you posted.

Update II: So, it’s just what we expected — the numbers are real, but Samsung wasn’t quite ready to come clean with ’em. According to Kim Titus, Director of Public Relations for Samsung Mobile, the company has “sold one million Galaxy Tabs globally.” Good on ’em!

Samsung sells one million Galaxy Tab units (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  sourceThe Chosun Ilbo, Information Week  | Email this | Comments

Google Reader gets native Android app

We’re surprised it took this long, but what good would it do to live in the past? Google Reader is now available to download as a native app for Android, care of Google Inc. itself. Multiple accounts are supported, preferences are synced, search is enabled, and since it’s native, you can send to other apps (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Bluetooth). Should make for a better experience than the web-only client, but hey, you be the judge.

Google Reader gets native Android app originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Download Squad  |  sourceThe Official Google Reader Blog  | Email this | Comments

Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes

We already knew the Nook Color was capable of something a bit more than its initial offering, having seen Angry Birds run fairly smoothly on a dev unit. In fact, it’s exactly what we want in between chapters of Animal Farm, and the xda-developers community, right on schedule, are providing pictorial evidence of its rooting conquests. So far we’ve seen the aforementioned game / addiction, a few other additions to the extras menu, and even Launcher Pro (image after the break). NookDevs has a page going with instructions, but even it admits to being a work in progress, so we’re gonna emphasis a little stronger than usual: don’t try this at home unless you’re absolutely sure what you’re doing — or don’t mind a broken tablet or two.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes

Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcenookDevs, xda-developers  | Email this | Comments

HTC Merge accessories in the wild — nope, still not official yet

Here’s what we know about the HTC Merge: it’s also been known as the Lexicon, it’s a dual-mode phone with GSM and CDMA heading to Verizon, it’s got a slide-out QWERTY, an 800MHz processor, Bing and Bing Maps (a popular trend these days), and now we know, too, that it has a Body Glove snap on cover available to protect its metallic exterior. Here’s what we don’t know: why no one’s yet to officially acknowledged this phone.

HTC Merge accessories in the wild — nope, still not official yet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central  |  sourceDroid Forums  | Email this | Comments

Ask Engadget: best Android tablet for under $200?

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 Pavel, who seems to be primed and ready to splurge on a bargain-bin Android tablet during the impending Black Friday rush. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’ve been looking into getting myself a tablet, but being a high school student, I don’t have the money to go buy an iPad. I was wondering if there were any good Android tablets under $200. If there were any expectations, it would be a 7- or 10-inch screen and that the OS doesn’t lag from basic tasks, because I’ve seen many of these tablets lag on the app drawer. Peace and love.”

Here’s our advice: “good luck.” Every sub-$200 Android tablet that we’ve touched lags somewhat, but it’s definitely possible to find some units that are more snappy than others. You’ve got a number of low-rate options if you’re cool with fighting the Black Friday crowds, but otherwise, have a listen at the readers below in comments. Keep things helpful, alright folks?

Ask Engadget: best Android tablet for under $200? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 22:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell US now offering Streak unlocked with Froyo, in Cherry Red

We knew good and well that Android 2.2 was sneaking out and making itself active on Dell’s unlocked Streak units, but now it seems that the backlog of older units has been cleared. That has made way for new stock over at Dell’s US site, with a 16GB Carbon Black unlocked Streak going for $579.99 with Froyo from the factory; the 32GB model is listed at $678.99. Curiously, that 16GB model is $30 more than what the unlocked Android 1.6 model went for back in August. Also, we’re left to assume that even the “unlocked” models will still be SIM-locked to AT&T, though Dell does play up the fact that unlocked Streaks can be used as a mobile hotspot for up to eight WiFi-enabled devices without ponying up extra to Ma Bell. In related news, the long-awaited Cherry Red Streak is also on sale in the US of A, but you’ll have to flip to page two down in the source link in order to find the 32GB and unlocked variants. Good luck wading through the options, champ.

[Thanks, Jar Jar Binks]

Dell US now offering Streak unlocked with Froyo, in Cherry Red originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Velocity Micro’s 7-inch Cruz Tablet now shipping for $300

Not kosher with ponying up $500+ for an Android tablet? You’ve got options, kid. Velocity Micro’s Cruz Tablet has finally hit the shipping stage, and sure enough, it’s doing so in the month that was promised back in September. $299.99 lands you a 7-inch Android 2.0 tablet with an 800 x 480 capacitive touch panel, 512MB of RAM, 12GB of total storage, 802.11n WiFi, inbuilt speakers, a headphone jack, mini-USB port and a rechargeable Li-ion good for around ten hours of use — or so they say. Of course, you’ll be stuck accessing the Cruz Market rather than the bona fide Android Market, and you can forget about embedded 3G. But hey, it’s three Benjamins sans any sort of life-altering contract. And that’s got to count for something, right?

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading Velocity Micro’s 7-inch Cruz Tablet now shipping for $300

Velocity Micro’s 7-inch Cruz Tablet now shipping for $300 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVelocity Micro  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy Tab price wars: US carriers face off

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. You know our thoughts on the device, so let’s assume you’ve passed the “should I buy it?” question and onto the more specific, “whom should I sign on with?” You’re certainly not bereft of choices: by the end of November, five of the six largest US carriers (sorry, MetroPCS) will offer the Android slate — but not all pricing schemes were made equal. Carrier-agnostics, we’re here to help!

While we’ve already bemoaned the $50 premium on AT&T’s model, we have confirmed there is no activation fee, which narrows the price between it and Verizon’s offering to just $15 (and Ma Bell, along with Sprint, seem to be the only two offering a $50 Media Hub voucher). On paper, US Cellular has the lowest two-year cost with $760 on contract, but $15 monthly for 200MB is pretty ridiculous when just $20 gets you an entire gig on Verizon’s network, or $30 for 2GB on Sprint. T-Mobile wins the award for the most insane disparity in data offerings: $25 for 200MB, or 25 times the data allotment (5GB) for just $15 more. ‘Twas the best of deals, ’twas the worst of deals.

If you ask us, there isn’t really a clear-cut winner, but we’d definitely contend Big Magenta’s got the most alluring on-contract value if 5GB is in the range of your data usage; the equivalent plan costs $60 on Sprint and $50 on Verizon, with the latter offering no discount for making a two-year commitment. Then again, if you’re the kind who prefers to be unrestrained and plan to spend $600 regardless, it’s Verizon with the most competitive data plans overall. And of course, your decision will undoubtedly be influenced by network performance in your area. Consider yourself informed.

Samsung Galaxy Tab price wars: US carriers face off originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sylvania’s 7-inch Android tablet now ready to disappoint, swallow your $180

Not down with coughing up serious cash for a serious Galaxy Tab? Great news, Bargain Ben: you’ve got options. Joining the raft of cut-rate, low-priced tablets is a new one from Sylvania, which is humorously described as a “7-inch MID tablet.” Details are scarce, but it’s rocking Android 2.1, an 800 x 480 screen resolution, six-hour battery, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of Flash memory, front-facing camera and a microSD card slot. You’ll also get 802.11b/g WiFi, a pair of mini-USB sockets, HDMI output and what we’re assuming is a resistive touchpanel. We’d say the chances of Android Market access are slim to none, but for just $179.99, who really cares if it functions?

[Thanks, Braden]

Sylvania’s 7-inch Android tablet now ready to disappoint, swallow your $180 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceKmart  | Email this | Comments

How would you change Sprint’s Epic 4G?

It’s the only Galaxy S variant to offer 4G connectivity, but it’s also the only one that requires a $10/month data surcharge to use. That boost in cost will undoubtedly bring higher expectations, and we’re eager to hear from early adopters on how their Epic 4G experience has been. For those who skipped over the EVO 4G in order to get this, we’re keenly interested to find out if you’ve been satisfied with the decision. How’s that slide-out QWERTY keyboard treating you? Would you have changed up the UI any? Would you have added any of the quirks from those other Galaxy S versions to this guy? Speak loudly in comments below. But not too loudly. More like a stern whisper.

How would you change Sprint’s Epic 4G? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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