Hasta La Gadget!

Hey, remember how Microsoft released a very limited version of the Windows Phone 7 binaries for developers, and then it took about 34 seconds for someone to unlock them to open up all their hidden goodness? Well, MS has just the delivered an updated set of tools for developers to help them get a little closer to making millions on the Maketplace, and yet again it took no time at all for that release to be unlocked This time there are a few new goodies to take a look at and if you’d like to take a peek, and learn how to try them out for yourself, click on through.

Continue reading MS releases new Windows Phone 7 dev tools, we take ’em for a spin and you can too (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

MS releases new Windows Phone 7 dev tools, we take ’em for a spin and you can too (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 May 2010 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve just returned from a ride with the TomTom Go Live 1000. In general, the device met our relatively high expectations set by a purported flagship navigator from the likes of TomTom. Unfortunately, the prototype unit guiding our vehicle was limited to a scripted demonstration on pre-selected routes. And when we did veer off course thanks to an unhelpful, but rather posh, voice guiding us to turn left a bit early, it took about 8 seconds for the ARM 11 device to reroute — not bad but not exactly the 0 seconds we were promised during the pitch. Again, we were told that this was the result of using a prototype device… though it must be a near production-ready model given the summer launch timeframe. The unit also wasn’t equipped with the automatic volume adjustment that raises and lowers volume based on the ambient noise around it. We did witness the Webkit UI in action and it does seem significantly improved based on our brief 15 minute test ride with it. However, it was still cumbersome enough to give our tour guide (a TomTom quality manager) fits as he tried to jump between 2D and 3D navigation modes. And the capacitive touchscreen was a mixed bag: at times it seemed to require the kind of finger mashing usually reserved for resistive screens; at others it was a bit too sensitive to effectively target street names from a pick list while being jostled about on a Dutch road (accidentally brushing the display selected the entry either above or below the street desired). As bad as all this sounds, we had the good fortune to have a Garmin nuvi 1690 in the vehicle with us to go head-to-head, flagship-to-flagship, and the Go Live 1000 was the clear winner in getting us back to our starting location. Check the Go Live 1000 in action after the break.

Continue reading TomTom Go Live 1000 taken for first test drive (video)

TomTom Go Live 1000 taken for first test drive (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Observe, the rare BlackBerry Pearl 3G feeding in its natural habitat. Just look at the majestic display of vibrant colors as it attempts to court the journalist in a mating dance never before captured on camera! All kidding aside though, here’s a quick look at the user interface on the 20-key version of the Pearl 3G; it’s stock OS 5.0, so you’re not really going to notice anything fresh here, but what we did see worked smoothly and without delay — the delightful result of pairing a responsive optical pad, 624MHz processor, and what we would assume is a pretty well-optimized build of the platform. As we mentioned earlier, we’re pretty sure the keyboards on these things are going to be a polarizing experience for users — some will love them, others will hate them, still others will tolerate them at first and grow used to them over time. To be fair, the peak-shaped keys are probably an improvement over flat keyboards of Pearls gone by; when you’ve got five keys per row on a fairly narrow body, you need all the tactile help you can get. For some reason, we weren’t able to connect to RIM’s open WiFi network with the particular unit we were given — the Bold 9650 next to it fared just fine, so we’re not sure if the 802.11n-capable radio in this bad boy is a little dodgier than its cousin, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on. Follow the break for the video.

Continue reading BlackBerry Pearl 3G video hands-on

BlackBerry Pearl 3G video hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just wrapped up a quick play with RIM’s just-announced BlackBerry Pearl 3G, and our initial impression is a positive one — if you’ve currently got a Pearl 8100 series (or even an 8200 series flip, for that matter), this looks like a must-have upgrade. The phone’s UI is lightning fast, the optical pad is plenty responsive (as RIM’s optical pads tend to be), and 802.11n and HSDPA are obviously both welcome additions. The keyboards are a little funny, but that’s nothing new — Pearls have always had polarizing keyboards, dating back to the early days — but we think we prefer the 14-key just a smidge over the traditional 20-key. For whatever reason, RIM has chosen to give the 14-key version more rounded, curved keys, whereas the buttons on the 20-key version have angled tops that put a little more pressure on the fingertips (we’re sure you could handily get used to either version, of course). The company is quick to note that the numeric keypad is not using T9 — it’s using a flavor of SurePress — so… you know, don’t get it twisted. Hit up the gallery below!

BlackBerry Pearl 3G first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI’s Eyefinity has a real corner on the market when it comes to speedy, gamer-friendly multi-display setups for “real people,” and while plenty of ink has already been spilled on the HD 5870 card and the six-display experiences it can power, we just had a gander at possibly the most elite setup yet. The real key here are the Samsung SyncMaster MD230 displays we saw it demo’d with, which sport razor slim screen bezels and an easy-to-build, flexible 3 x 2 grid. Less in-your-face but equally as sexy is that BMW-designed Thermaltake Level 10 chassis (OK, it’s still pretty in-your-face). It’s a custom-configured iBuyPower system, which in addition to the $2k-ish display setup (an official price hasn’t been announced by Samsung) should swipe a few months of your salary without any trouble.

Too rich for you? Well, maybe you’d like to win one for free! That’s right, we’re going to be demonstrating this system on the Engadget Show this Saturday, and one lucky attendee is going to win their very own Eyefinity setup! You have to be there to win, of course.

Not convinced? Follow after the break for some of our hands-on impressions and a quick video.

Continue reading ATI Eyefinity hands-on: we played with the ultimate PC rig, and we’re giving it away on the Engadget Show!

ATI Eyefinity hands-on: we played with the ultimate PC rig, and we’re giving it away on the Engadget Show! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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