Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier this week the Eee Pad Transformer scored itself a sweet upgrade in the form of Android 3.1, and with it came USB host support. When we did our hands-on with the Honeycomb update we couldn’t demo the feature because, well, the Xoom doesn’t have any USB ports. But that Transformer keyboard dock has a pair of 2.0 jacks and someone was kind enough to post a YouTube vid of a PS3 controller and the ASUS tablet getting their game on. Theoretically, this should work with any USB gamepad, including those for the Xbox 360. The only drawback? You’ve got to be wired in — no Bluetooth support here. Follow the break to see it in action and satisfy your Android-loving curiosity.

[Thanks, Ben]

Update: We managed to have a quick go on the same setup at Computex, and the tethered PS3 controller worked perfectly. Unsurprisingly though, we had no luck with the Bluetooth connection. Quick hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Eee Pad Transformer caught playing nice with PS3 controller (update: hands-on video)

Eee Pad Transformer caught playing nice with PS3 controller (update: hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We were expecting some news out Archos this month and sure enough, here it is. The company has just announced that it will unveil its new Generation 9 Honeycomb tablets at a Paris event, on June 23rd. The company’s third Android slate, as you may recall, was originally expected to launch at September’s IFA trade show, but that date was later pushed up — meaning we’ll be able to catch a glimpse of its shiny 1.6GHz ARM A9 dual-core chip and so-called “revolutionary” 3G modem in just a few weeks. Archos certainly seems to have high expectations for the device, as well, having scheduled its debut at no less a prestigious venue than the Ritz Hotel. We’ll be there (in our finest threads) to cover the event as it unfolds.

[Thanks, Marien]

Archos puttin’ on the Ritz for its Generation 9 Honeycomb tablets, coming June 23 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That Toshiba Thrive tablet that surfaced on J&R’s site last month? Turns out, someone got a little excited — the company just confirmed the listing went up prematurely and that the price was wrong. But, we just got word that the Thrive will indeed debut as Toshiba’s first tablet for the US market, with pre-orders beginning June 13th at Best Buy, along with the usual “office superstores” and “e-commerce players,” and a mid-July ship date (we’re hearing the 10th). The 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) tablet runs Android 3.1, and comes in three sizes: 8GB ($429), 16GB ($479), and 32GB ($579). Not bad, when you consider the 16GB model undercuts the Galaxy Tab 10.1 by $20.

If you’ve been following along, you already know it’s powered by Tegra 2 and has WiFi, Bluetooth, full-sized USB and HDMI ports, an SD slot, a 2 MP front-facing camera, and a 5MP rear one. But the company also just unleashed a slew of other details. Head on past the break for a run-down, won’t you?

Continue reading Toshiba Thrive tablet with Android 3.1 ships in July, starts at $429

Toshiba Thrive tablet with Android 3.1 ships in July, starts at $429 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s here! We’ve received word that owners of ASUS’ shape-shifting Eee Pad Transformer woke up this morning to find a nice big hunk of an over-the-air Honeycomb 3.1 update awaiting them. We first caught wind of the Android upgrade at Google IO less than a month ago, and just one week later ASUS was boasting of a June rollout on its Italian Facebook page. If you need a quick reminder, 3.1 brings resizable widgets, support for a slew of USB devices, and new Movie and Books apps. Now isn’t that refreshing?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer gets Android 3.1 update right on schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At a time when ARM and Android are dominating the mobile computing world, Intel’s only just starting to catch up with some green robot-friendly prototypes, like these Oak Trail-based 10-inch tablets at Computex 2011. Starting from the left we have the Intel Green Ridge, Foxconn F150, Quanta QXZI, an unnamed Compal device, Intel Marco Polo 2, and Intel Carrot. Sadly, Intel wouldn’t give the names of the ODMs behind its own reference tablets, so your guess is just as good as ours.

With the exception of the Gingerbread-powered Foxconn slate, these were all running on Honeycomb 3.0.1 OS — well, we say running, but just barely. As you’ll see in our hands-on video after the break, most of the devices were struggling to keep up with the launcher animation, and needless to say, Intel wasn’t keen on letting us test video playback on them. We also noticed that Android Market was missing on the prototypes, but Intel assured us that it’ll be available on the final products, and that current Android apps are already supported by Oak Trail. In terms of build quality it left much to be desired, though this is forgivable at a trade show; it’s the software that we’re concerned with. From what we’ve seen here at Computex, Android on Oak Trail is far from ready, so it’ll be interesting to see if Acer can actually pull off a July launch for its rumored Oak Trail Honeycomb tablet.

Update: OK, our in-depth hands-on video is finally working. Check it out after the break.

Continue reading Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support

Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 03:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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