Hasta La Gadget!

Back in the early 90’s whilst playing our Atari Lynx — friendless and alone, of course — we couldn’t have imagined that a second-rate spinoff of the popular Gauntlet franchise would unlock the secrets behind the birth of Google’s Android OS. But, lo and behold, what has one of our faithful tipsters found down here, amongst the ruins of Gauntlet: The Third Encounter? That’s right, nearly irrefutable proof that the Android team (or at least its graphic designers) have plumbed the depths of Epyx’s not-quite-masterpiece for the iconic droid logo we’ve come to know and love. Sure, the top-down scroller provided all kinds of new character classes like the “Nerd,” “Punkrocker,” and “Pirate,” but only one of these fresh faces would provide the blueprint for Android’s public face. It’s hard to argue that there isn’t some level of appropriation here, given the multiple similarities between the two pieces of art, right down to the antennae, dotted eyes, general size and shape, and even the strip which cuts across the midsection of the bot. Oh yeah, and the character is named Android. We personally would like to hear what Google has to say for themselves in regards to this blatant theft of intellectual property, and as for the Epyx artists who slaved over a hot Amiga to bring this image to life — the taste of sweet justice is yours.

[Thanks, Davey]

Continue reading Shocker! Google’s Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title ‘Gauntlet: The Third Encounter’

Shocker! Google’s Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title ‘Gauntlet: The Third Encounter’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First came the onslaught of Android-based phones, and then came the rush of Android-powered tablet PCs. Now, we can all brace for the third major coming of Google’s mobile OS, as this PMP marks the second from Archos alone in the last week. Hot on the heels of the Archos 32 comes the Archos 28 Minidroid, a diminutive 2.8-inch (presumed, anyway) portable media player with inbuilt WiFi, Android onboard, a 3.5mm headphones jack, USB connectivity, an integrated microphone and a touch-sensitive array of front panel controls. Beyond that, the FCC’s database ain’t telling us much, but we suspect we’ll hear more as IFA approaches.

[Thanks, Steve]

Archos 28 Minidroid PMP surfaces at FCC: yet another Android-based PMP originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We suppose it could always be a glitch of some sort, but Argos isn’t typically the kind of retailer to add products to its library with no intention of hawking them. First spotted back in February (with a pleasing dose of steroids, might we add), Philips’ newest GoGear Connect is ditching the proprietary OS in favor of Google’s alternative, following Samsung’s Yepp-YP-MB2 into the mysterious world of Android-based PMPs. The product listing shows the 3.2-inch media player as boasting Android 2.1, 16GB of internal storage space, a battery good for 5 hours of video playback (and 25 hours of audio), FM radio tuner, a touchpanel and a microSD expansion slot. Curiously enough, GPS is also thrown in, as are a set of presumably lackluster headphones. It’s listed for a scarily inflated €264.99 ($340), but mum’s the word on an international release — ‘course, it’s not like Philips hasn’t ignored North America before, so we’d recommend not holding your breath.

[Thanks, Michael]

Continue reading Philips’ Android-powered GoGear Connect PMP seemingly on sale overseas

Philips’ Android-powered GoGear Connect PMP seemingly on sale overseas originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrome to Phone isn’t a new product — we’ve been using it since May, in fact — but Google’s second mobile announcement today (behind Voice Actions) is that its continuous client app is now “official” and available to all users (with Android 2.2 Froyo) via Android Market. As it was before, websites can be pushed from the Chrome browser to your Android device, with certain apps (Maps, YouTube) taking over for the browser when contextually appropriate. Additionally, the code is open, which we’re hoping means this Chrome extension will find its way to other browsers. The team is “looking into” bringing the capabilities to other mobile OSs (the iPhone was specifically asked), but don’t get your hopes up: nothing’s been submitted, and we didn’t get the feeling it was an active push. Incredibly useful? Yes, yes indeed.

Chrome to Phone now available in Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And that, folks, is our first in the wild look at Motorola’s second generation Droid. It’s not officially supposed to hit retail until tomorrow, but that obviously hasn’t stopped a delivery truck from unloading a few at a nondescript Sam’s Club. We’re still waiting to hear back on whether or not they’re actually being allowed out of the store today, but hey, tomorrow ain’t too far away.

P.S. – Nice Sony Ericsson mat.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Motorola’s Droid 2 in the wild, looking as blue as ever originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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