Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies separates the best smartphone, tablet, HDTV, and multimedia displays from the worst with his Display Technology Shoot-Out series. And his newly crowned tablet champion might just surprise you: More »
Looks like a bona fide twofer when it comes to Xoom news this afternoon. Just as soon as we heard that Android 3.2 was rolling out to select Xoom WiFi tablets (as in, be patient if yours is still stuck on the current build), in flies an FCC approval for the long-awaited LTE module. As for the former, build number HTJ85B is bringing a new zoom feature to the world’s first Honeycomb slate, and as for the latter… well, that one’s pretty self-explanatory. We heard back in April that the update was delayed until an undisclosed time in the summer, and now it’s looking like early adopters won’t be waiting much longer. Do let us know in comments if you see either, won’t you?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola Xoom sees Android 3.2 update, FCC-approved LTE module originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oh Xoom, you’re but a few months old — still only a babe — and Motorola already has you on a diet. Sure, maybe it was a mistake to jump right into the deep end where big boys play, but you had to try right? Well, now that you’ve shed a $100 in weight, treading water alongside the rest of the WiFi tablets should be a little bit easier and, with 32GB of storage, you’re more well-endowed than your $499 brethren. Still, it might be too little too late with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 muscling in on your territory and “iPad” quickly becoming a generic word for slates. Maybe if you dropped another $100 you’d have better luck — and talk to your 3G-packing sibling, he’s looking a little plump around the price tag too, if you ask us.
WiFi Xoom sheds $100, could stand to lose a few more Benjamins originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies has made it his mission to suss out the best smartphone, tablet, HDTV, and multimedia displays from the worst with his Display Technology Shoot-Out series. Here, he tackles the differences between the displays of the top tablets out there. More »
You know that microSD card slot that’s been laying dormant in your Motorola Xoom? Provided you don’t reside in the US, that’ll be getting activated soon as part of the tablet’s Android 3.1 update, which is starting to roll out now and should have all of Europe covered within the next few weeks. Motorola explicitly identifies this as a firmware update for “non-US” Xooms, so Canadians would be well advised to check their software update utility, though the big question is why didn’t the American 3.1 update include microSD support as well? What tangled web of intrigue lies behind this selective activation?
[Thanks, Alan]
Motorola Xoom gets Android 3.1 update that activates microSD card support outside the US originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Xoom may finally be getting LTE support, after a mysterious issue prompted Motorola to delay adding access to Verizon’s 4G network to the popular tablet. The Moto Xoom recently appeared on Verizon’s Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) system, which means the device will likely become available later this summer. Unfortunately, MAP doesn’t include any pricing information for the tablet, and there’s no official word regarding availability, but current 3G Xoom owners should still be able to upgrade free of charge with a one-week turnaround via FedEx. We’ll be curious to see how LTE affects battery life, considering some of VZW’s other high-speed devices haven’t fared so well, but we are willing to compromise ever so slightly in exchange for that lightening-fast 4G data.
Motorola Xoom appears on Verizon MAP, finally heading to LTE? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hard to say why Google chose to roll its Movies app out first to 3G-packed tablets sporting Android 3.1 (a smaller testbed, perhaps?), but it looks as if it won’t matter for much longer. We’ve received a number of tips this evening suggesting that Google Movies can now be downloaded from the Android Market by WiFi-only Xoom tablets, though some are seeing a litany of server errors when trying to actually use the service. That said, we didn’t see any issues here at Engadget HQ, so it’s possible that a few kinks are still being worked out on select servers. Give it a whirl and let us know how it turns out in comments below, and if you’re a proud owner of a Galaxy Tab 10.1… well, we guess you’re also the proud owner of a trait called “patience.”
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola’s WiFi Xoom gains access to Google Movies, just in time for the weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Shadowgun looked good when we saw footage of it last month, and at E3 2011 we got to chat with the game’s creators about the Tegra-optimized title. Madfinger, the game’s creator, worked closely with NVIDIA to wring the maximum performance possible out of the Tegra 2 platform, but it said Shadowgun will still look stunning on other silicon. The game is built on the multi-platform Unity engine and will be coming to iOS and Android devices around the world in September (prices TBD). As you can see in the video above, it runs smooth as silk on an LG G2x (55-60fps) and Motorola’s Xoom (30fps). Madfinger said we can also expect 60fps on the iPad 2 and devices packing Kal-El chips, and 30fps on other Android handsets and the iPhone 4 when the game debuts. If you’ve got a hankering for some more video of the game, check the official trailer after the break.
Continue reading Madfinger demos and dishes details on its forthcoming Shadowgun game
Madfinger demos and dishes details on its forthcoming Shadowgun game originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Just when we thought the Motorola Xoom had hit its stride at a blazing 1.504 billion operations cycles per second, the trusty Tiamat kernel has strapped on an veritable afterburner capable of 1.7GHz. What happens when your shaking hands flip that switch and give that Tegra 2 all the jet fuel it can take? Well, anecdotal cases from the XDA-developers forums suggest it’ll probably just reboot anticlimactically. If you’re lucky enough to have the magic silicon, however, you’ll be treated to a benchmark-blitzing rig, reportedly capable of 70 MFLOPS in Linpack, 1480ms runs in SunSpider, and Quadrant scores approaching a smooth 5,000. See just how far that rainbow benchmark bar can stretch in a screencap after the break.
Update: There’s a jolly discussion in comments about whether gigahertz can be directly translated to operations per second in the case of the Tegra 2 — we’ll err on the side of caution and say cycles per second instead.
Continue reading Motorola Xoom hits 1.7GHz, teeters on the edge of oblivion
Motorola Xoom hits 1.7GHz, teeters on the edge of oblivion originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 08:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Xoom owners might still be waiting for an LTE upgrade, but it does look like 4G netbooks and tablets could be hitting Verizon’s network pretty soon. The carrier, known for its stringent testing standards, has cleared Novatel Wireless’ E362 module to run on its network, paving the way for devices with embedded 4G radios. In addition to LTE, the module is compatible with CDMA and HSPA+ / UMTS technology — a safety net for people outside the 55 markets (soon to be 147) where Verizon is serving up 4G service. Okay, so with no word on pricing or product launches, an onslaught isn’t exactly imminent, but when it happens we’ll try not to say “told you so.”
4G netbook onslaught imminent as Verizon clears Novatel LTE radio to run on its network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 12:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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