Oct 10

Motorola Spyder to be introduced on October 18, keeps its clothes on in video tease

Posted in: droid, lte, mobilepostcross, motorola, Today's Chili, video
Well, well. It looks like Motorola and Verizon Wireless are about ready to unveil something big. Something faster, thinner, smarter and stronger, to be precise. While that invite up there hints rather coyly at a new handset, a little digging confirmed this is, indeed, the LTE-packing Motorola Spyder, whose first-of-its-kind 4.3-inch, 960 x 540 qHD Super AMOLED display surfaced in leak shots last month. How do we know? Well, when we opened the invite in our browser and saved the image to our desktop, we noticed Moto’s own PR team had labeled the photo “spyderlaunchinvite.” So that’s what we’re betting on seeing that day, though it’s less clear if it’ll bear the name Spyder or Droid RAZR, as rumored (that familiar red light in the photo suggests it might well be part of the Droid family). And who knows what else the two companies have in store? The Atrix 2, perhaps? The Xoom 2? The Xoom 2 Media Edition? The Xoom Family Edition?! We’ll find out at the event next week, where we’ll be liveblogging, giving you the blow-by-blow. Until then, peep the video after the break if you’re down for parsing a 35-second teaser.

Continue reading Motorola Spyder to be introduced on October 18, keeps its clothes on in video tease

Motorola Spyder to be introduced on October 18, keeps its clothes on in video tease originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 10

UK server failure sends BlackBerry devices offline in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (update: restored)

Posted in: BlackBerry, europe, mobilepostcross, research in motion, ResearchInMotion, RIM, Today's Chili

If there’s one thing RIM doesn’t need right now, it’s another BlackBerry outage. Well, are you sitting down? RIM UK is currently investigating issues affecting “some users in EMEA” — that’s Europe, Middle East and Africa, for the acronym-disinclined. The company has turned to Twitter to acknowledge the outage, with T-Mobile UK and Vodafone Egypt chiming in as well (and pointing fingers at RIM, as expected). The Telegraph reports that the “glitch” hit around 11AM this morning local time, and is affecting email and instant messaging services, along with web browsing, leaving users unable to use their BlackBerrys for anything but making phone calls and sending texts. BlackBerry outages appear to be a rather frequent occurrence for RIM, typically hitting during peak usage times — like, for example, 11AM on a Monday. So are you currently without service? Jump past the break to chime in with a comment.

Update: BBC is reporting that email services have been restored after the outage affected millions of users.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

UK server failure sends BlackBerry devices offline in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (update: restored) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 10

Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders exceed one million in first 24 hours (updated)

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, att, cdma, hspa, ios, ios 5, Ios5, iPhone, iphone 4s, keynote, mobilepostcross, o2, pre-order, smartphone, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

Last year’s iPhone 4 launch brought more than 600,000 pre-orders within the first 24 hours. This year, that number nearly doubled, topping one million within one day of the device’s pre-order availability through AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Those that haven’t pre-ordered the iPhone 4S can line up at Apple stores beginning at 8 a.m. on October 14th, or you can try your luck at pre-ordering now, though you may need to wait an extra week or two to get your hands on Apple’s new iOS smartphone. Jump past the break for Apple’s PR.

Update: Maybe not a huge surprise considering the numbers Apple announced earlier today, but Sprint has just let us know that it has sold out of the 16GB iPhone 4S in both black and white for pre-orders, and that it’s not taking backorders. 32GB and 64GB models are still available in both colors, however, as is the 8GB iPhone 4.

Continue reading Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders exceed one million in first 24 hours (updated)

Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders exceed one million in first 24 hours (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 10

Hands-on with Myriad’s Alien Dalvik 2.0 on an iPad (video)

Posted in: Android, app, Apple, apps, ctia, exclusive, Google, hands-on, ios, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili, video

Last week, Myriad outed its plans to unveil Alien Dalvik 2.0 — which works on iOS — at CTIA, which starts today. But, knowing our readers would be champing at the bit to see it in action a little early, we got an exclusive sneak preview of the software for you right now. As a quick refresher, Alien Dalvik’s a custom bit of code that lets you run unaltered Android apps on a non-Android OS, like Maemo or MeeGo. This new version brings that same black magic to iDevices (and just about anything else), so head on past the break for more about Myriad bringing Apple and Android together in app harmony.

Continue reading Hands-on with Myriad’s Alien Dalvik 2.0 on an iPad (video)

Hands-on with Myriad’s Alien Dalvik 2.0 on an iPad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 10

T-Mobile unveils Galaxy Tab 10.1 and SpringBoard, combines 4G talk with HSPA+ walk

Posted in: 4G, 7-inch, Android, android tablet, AndroidTablet, dual-core, GalaxyTab, Google, mobilepostcross, samsung, samsung galaxy tab, SamsungGalaxyTab, t-mobile, TMobile, Today's Chili

Sure, rumors and scuttlebutt clued is in that T-Mobile might be seeing a pair of slates landing sometime this year, but we loves us some confirmation. The magenta network just announced that the T-Mobile SpringBoard with Google and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 are primed to launch just soon enough for you to shove some HSPA+ holiday cheer into your relatives’ oversized stockings. The SpringBoard looks very much like the dressed up MediaPad we expected, replete with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear-facing 720p camera and an SD card slot for up to 32GB of expandable memory — not to mention a 7-inch capacitive touch display, and a 1.3 megapixel camera upfront. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the same Samsung slate we already know and love, but dressed in T-Mobile’s not-quite-4G HSPA+ style. In fact, both tablets sport HSPA+ compatibility and run Android 3.2. There’s no official word on price yet (although that MediaPad was rumored to hover at about $200 on contract), but the press release promises these slabs will drop sometime before the holiday season. Oh, that PR? Just hit the “read more” button below.

Continue reading T-Mobile unveils Galaxy Tab 10.1 and SpringBoard, combines 4G talk with HSPA+ walk

T-Mobile unveils Galaxy Tab 10.1 and SpringBoard, combines 4G talk with HSPA+ walk originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 09

How would you change HTC’s EVO 3D?

Posted in: Android, GoogleAndroid, HowWouldYouChange, HTC, HWYC, mobilepostcross, smartphone, Today's Chili

A 3D phone? Who woulda thunk it? HTC would have, and the EVO 3D is the product of its labor. The jury’s still out on whether 3D will end up being more than just some over-marketed, over-sensationalized fad, but judging by the sales of this thing on Sprint’s network, someone is into the concept. We saw it as one of Sprint’s stronger Android offerings, but the lackluster battery life and par-for-the-course display were quirks that we couldn’t quite overlook. For those who bit, what are your main annoyances? Would you change the design at all? Toss in a different panel? Would you tweak anything about the Sense implementation? Is the 3D camera serving you well? Let us know in comments below!

How would you change HTC’s EVO 3D? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 09

Switched On: The four Ses of the iPhone 4S

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, column, ios, ios 5, Ios5, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobilepostcross, smartphone, switched on, SwitchedOn, Today's Chili

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The most surprising thing about the iPhone 4S is that people were surprised by the iPhone 4S, for there is ample precedent to the company both confining upgrades largely to a speed bump and to saying no to a host of potential new features. As to the former, the iPhone 4S is straight out of the playbook of Apple’s successful upgrade of the Apple 3G to the 3GS, although the competition wasn’t as strong as it is today.

Similarly, when Apple first lowered the price of the iPod touch below $200 in 2009 amidst widespread speculation that it would add a front-facing camera for FaceTime (which it did in the next generation), the company noted that it didn’t think the product needed any more “stuff.” So, what, then, defines the iPhone 4S? The differentiators can be thought of as four “Ses.”

Continue reading Switched On: The four Ses of the iPhone 4S

Switched On: The four Ses of the iPhone 4S originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 20:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 09

Sprint says no to iPhone insurance, AppleCare+ breathes sigh of relief

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobilepostcross, Sprint, Today's Chili
The Now Network is apparently voting thumbs-down to the idea of having its Total Equipment Protection plans available to its new crown jewel. According to a leaked slide courtesy of SprintFeed, your shiny Sprint-branded iPhone 4S (or 4) won’t be offered with a healthy portion of peace of mind; rather, you’ll need to purchase the AppleCare+ Protection Plan or go through a third party to have any protection from accidental damage. This may change down the road, as the slide says it won’t be offered “at launch,” but only time will tell. Unfortunate, yes, but we suppose there’s always a bright side — at least there’s now a Sprint iPhone to not have insurance for, right?

Sprint says no to iPhone insurance, AppleCare+ breathes sigh of relief originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 09

Insert Coin: Romo, the smartphone robot (video)

Posted in: camera, mobilepostcross, remote control, RemoteControl, robot, sdk, smartphone, Today's Chili, video, wifi

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Romotive co-founder Peter Seid’s tweet read “I build robots powered by smartphone” — that was just the incentive we needed to go check out his and business partner Phu Nguyen’s creation while on a recent trip to Seattle. Romo is a simple and affordable tank-like robot platform that uses basic analog electronics to trigger two motors via any device’s headphone jack. The circuit is tuned to specific frequencies for each motor — playback the right tones, and you control the hardware.

With a smartphone as its brain, all of Romo’s logic and behavior live in the software. Three apps will be available at launch for both iOS and Android. RomoRemote lets you control the robot from another phone over WiFi, complete with remote live view and public address. Romo Kart is a mixed-reality version of Mario Kart, including digital attacks designed to slow down your adversaries. The Drag and Drop Programming Module makes it easy to program Romo directly from your handset with instant results.

Gallery: Romotive hands-on

During our visit with the folks at Romotive, we got a chance to try the RomoRemote app in person using a couple iPhones — not only is Romo adorable, but it works like a charm. The best part? Peter and Phu plan to make a complete SDK and libraries available to iOS and Android developers. While there are several amounts you can pledge, $78 lets you have Romo and the three aforementioned apps sometime in February 2012. The project is already halfway to its $32,000 goal with 42 days to go.

Take a look at our gallery above, then hit the break for our hands-on video and the all important Kickstarter link.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Romo, the smartphone robot (video)

Insert Coin: Romo, the smartphone robot (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 09

Refresh Roundup: week of October 3, 2011

Posted in: firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, gingerbread, mobilepostcross, refresh, roundup, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili, upgrade

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

  • Android 2.3.4 for the Motorola Droid X2 is ready for download. It includes minor fixes to the keyboard, video quality, the mobile hotspot and more. [Droid-Life]
  • Reports are starting to trickle in that the HTC Desire S on Orange UK is getting the bump up to Android 2.3.5 and Sense 3.0, though it seems to be unannounced at this point. [XDA]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

  • The CyanogenMod team is getting close to having CM7 ready for the Motorola Droid 3. [Droid-Life]
  • The recently released LG Esteem for MetroPCS has been rooted. [AndroidNerds]

Other platforms

  • The BlackBerry PlayBook now has an upgrade available. Nope, not the one with native email. Instead, this one is more of a security and stability enhancement with the latest version of Flash Player thrown in for kicks and giggles. [PhoneArena]
  • The 6th-gen iPod Nano received an update to version 1.2 to help bring it to speed with the 7th-gen models unveiled this week. It offers larger app icons, new clock faces, easier adjustments of the accelerometer for the fitness feature as well as several bug fixes. Thanks, Eric! [MacObserver]
  • T-Mobile’s BlackBerry Bold 9900 will get a maintenance release in November that adds WiFi calling, a feature that many have sorely missed. [Electronista]

Refreshes we covered this week

Refresh Roundup: week of October 3, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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