Hasta La Gadget!

Continue reading Live from Samsung’s 2010 MWC press event

Live from Samsung’s 2010 MWC press event originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

So we were just casually strolling through Plaça d’Espanya today in front of Fira de Barcelona — better known as the site of MWC 2010 this coming week — and we couldn’t help but notice that Microsoft’s digs at the Hotel Catalonia across the street had white stickers obviously covering something important underneath the Windows Phone logo that we’d seen a few days ago. The ensuing conversation went something like this:

Chris: Dude, I think I see something there underneath the sticker. I think it says “SEVEN” in all caps.
Thomas (staring intently): No way.
Chris: Yes, I’m telling you, “SEVEN.” It’s there!
Thomas: Fanboy. It’s official, I’m covering MWC with an insane person… looks like I’m bouncing back to Amsterdam. Peace.

Well, turns out we were both wrong — a little Photoshop magic (okay, a lot of Photoshop magic) reveals “7 Series” underneath the decal, just waiting to be torn off after Monday’s big press event. The “7” is certainly no surprise, but the “Series” part of this is cause for some last-minute speculation — are we actually going to see consumer and professional breakouts of the platform as we’d heard rumored a few times in the past? We’ll know in less than two days. Follow the break for the full retouched image.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 Series: that’s the name

Windows Phone 7 Series: that’s the name originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Trust in yourself, son, the increase in smartphone news that you sense is not imagined, it’s very very real. Mobile World Congress is about to kick off in Barcelona which means we’re just hours away from being knee-deep in the stuff. One of the most anticipated devices is the Samsung Wave, first spotted on billboards around Barcelona yesterday. The anticipation is warranted for 2 reasons. First, this 3.3-inch candybar slate is presumably sporting Samsung’s new Super AMOLED which should help with outdoor viewing. And b, it’s the first phone to run Samsung’s new Bada smartphone OS… yes, another one, developers. According to Daily Mobile, the Wave S8500 brings a1GHz processor, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with flash, 720p video recording to 2GB of internal memory or microSD expansion, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and HSDPA data, DivX video support, and a 3.5-mm audio jack in a device measuring 10.9-mm thick. Unfotunately, we can’t confirm any of those specs yet (wait until Sunday’s press event) — the pics, however, certainly match up with what we’ve already seen. We’ve dropped in a few choice shots after the break, the rest are at Daily Mobile in the link below.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Continue reading Samsung S8500 Wave caught in a spigot of leaks

Samsung S8500 Wave caught in a spigot of leaks originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Daily Mobile  | Email this | Comments

In a presumed effort to get its news out before the whirlwind that is Mobile World Congress officially begins, Marvell has just shot out two vital pieces of information that may very well impact the price and performance of your next smartphone. First off, we’ve got the new Pantheon platform, which is designed to “provide breakthrough levels of integration that lower the bill of materials for mobile devices while offering consumers excellent performance, connectivity, and a compelling user experience.” In other words, this is said to be the core ingredient in a future wave of “$99 smartphones” that can handle 3D gaming, HD media and some random thing called “calling.” Next up is the latest member of the Armada family, the 618. Packed with a 1GHz clock speed and the ability to chew through 1080p content, 3D graphics and pretty much anything else you can throw at it, there’s a halfway decent chance we’ll see this under the hood of a few upcoming tablets, e-readers and bodacious smartphones. Hopefully we’ll learn more at MWC next week, and we’ll be sure to share it as soon as we get it.

Marvell’s Pantheon platform to bring $99 smartphones, Armada 618 to dominate HD clips originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Hot Hardware  | Email this | Comments

Remember the HP Android Smartbook that Steve Ballmer hoisted up at CES? At the time, details were limited to the fact that it ran Android and used a netbook skin. And just days before the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, HP has given it an official name: The Compaq Airlife 100.

From the looks of it, HP basically took the second-generation Mini 110 netbook, customized the right mouse button, and slapped Google’s Android operating system on it. It runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor and has 512MB if RAM, and a 16GB internal Flash drive. Every other feature is reminiscent of a netbook, including the 10-inch widescreen, 1,024-by-600 resolution, card reader, and 28WH battery (3-cell).

More intriguing is what will HP will do in the tablet space, now that we know it has a device that runs on basically the same parts as the Apple iPad. The Airlife 100 will be available only in Europe for now. There’s no word on pricing or when it’ll be available in the United States.