Hasta La Gadget!

That fine bastion of cellular modding prowess known as XDA-developers received some particularly savory snaps this fine Thanksgiving morn — spy shots of Samsung’s elusive Nexus S running an operating system that looks uncannily like Gingerbread, which it calls “Android version 2.3,” and sporting a new back cover that would look perfectly normal on the original Samsung Galaxy S, if not for the extra curves. XDA’s source also claims it has a 720p video camera, though other specs are still a little shaky. To be clear, this is most definitely the phone that Eric Schmidt showed us at the Web 2.0 Summit, though the rear cover looks much further along — assuming Samsung hasn’t scrapped it for a dual-core version, we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw it again in person quite soon. Hit up our source link for some shots of a green-and-black operating system running on that AMOLED screen.

[Thanks, Sid]

Nexus S poses for Mr. Blurrycam, flaunting those signature curves originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 01:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s promised a 38-city LTE launch by the end of the year, and it looks like things are ramping up — we were just sent this ad for the LG VL600 and Pantech UML290 4G USB modems. We’ve seen the VL600 at the FCC and in the wild before — it’s a dual-mode CMDA / LTE modem that’ll work pretty much anywhere Verizon has coverage, while the UML290 has a note about global capability “coming soon,” so we’d assume there’s a GSM radio tucked in there as well. Both sticks look like they’re pretty huge, which isn’t uncommon for first-gen hardware like this, but we’re hoping that rumored third Novatel stick is LTE-only and a bit slimmer. We’ll see, we’ll see.

Verizon’s Pantech and LG LTE modems leak out in ad form originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Nov 2010 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first time the words “Stage UI” passed our lips, they were in relation to the Dell Thunder leak, but now we’re hearing that Dell’s custom Android user interface will actually appear alongside Android 2.2 when the update finally arrives on the five-inch Streak. We’ve just learned that’s going to happen this winter in Japan when the Streak launches on SoftBank at the very least, as both are advertised for early December there, but we expect we’ll see the updated OS even sooner in the US and Europe for obvious reasons. What’s more, an unofficial build of Froyo that leaked out for the Streak last month has since been found to have Stage UI on board. StreakSmart‘s got a video of a custom ROM running a series of Dell-specific widgets on the Streak, and sister site Good and Evo managed to trick the very same software to run on a rooted HTC EVO 4G. You can see examples of both on video after the break, but here’s the basic idea behind the UI — giant panes of contacts, apps and shortcuts that fill an entire screen each, but leave your app drawer accessible at a swipe. If you’re feeling daring, you can try the ROM for yourself at our more coverage link. Just be careful flashing that new baseband, eh?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Dell’s Stage UI headed to Streak, also unofficially works on EVO 4G (video)

Dell’s Stage UI headed to Streak, also unofficially works on EVO 4G (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How does the as-yet-unannounced Samsung Continuum stack up against Verizon’s pack of Droids, not to mention its Galaxy S brethren? That’s what we’re finding out for the very first time in a set of allegedly leaked charts. Performance-wise we’re looking at a fairly familiar beast with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 384MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, plus 2GB of on-board flash storage and a preloaded 8GB microSD card. Where it gets interesting is that secondary display, which measures 1.8 inches with a 96 x 480 resolution, which will indeed act as a status update, RSS feed and weather report stock ticker that you activate (even when the handset is asleep!) by gripping the bottom of the phone. You’re also getting a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and 3G mobile hotspot for up to five devices, but it’s not all peaches and cream — the whole shebang uses Bing for search, and runs on Android 2.1. Here’s hoping Samsung intends to provide us a Froyo rollout date when it finally announces this phone. Find the full spec sheets at our source links.

Full Samsung Continuum specs leak out in Verizon comparison charts? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile said it was “working to deliver” hotspot support to T-Mobile G2 users, and now we might know the reason for the delay — an allegedly leaked document details Magenta’s scheme to offer a comprehensive data tethering plan for a $14.99 monthly fee. According to the convincingly worded internal memo, the new feature will let you tether over WiFi, Bluetooth or a physical USB cable at both 3G and HSPA+ speeds, though only on a $20 or higher unlimited data plan — so if you’ve got just 200MB, you’ll have to spend them on the small screen. The doc also says it’s subject to T-Mobile’s recent throttling efforts, so don’t expect to enjoy HSPA+ on your tethered tablet for long: “Customers who purchase a T-Mobile mobile broadband product like the upcoming Galaxy Tab should activate with a webConnect plan to ensure the best experience,” the document specifically suggests. The plan’s apparently coming November 3rd, a date which is associated with another likely rumor, too — TmoNews has a leaked email of its own suggesting the new myTouch will hit November 3rd as well. With Verizon, AT&T and Sprint all already charging for connection sharing, we suppose the writing was on the wall. The days of ambiguous wireless freedom are just about over, folks.

T-Mobile launching data tethering / wireless hotspot plan on Nov. 3rd for $14.99? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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