Motorola Sholes to launch by holidays, along with the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Nokia Booklet 3G

Well well, it looks like the Android-powered Motorola Sholes will be out on Verizon by the holidays. That’s at least the impression we’re getting from a bunch of leaked Verizon retailer documents posted up by Boy Genius Report, which also indicate the BlackBerry Storm 2, Curve 2 and LG Chocolate Touch will hit Big Red in time for eggnog, along with an unspecified netbook — we’re guessing this Gateway number. Speaking of netbooks, a similar document from Best Buy Mobile also leaked over the weekend, and it looks like the Nokia Booklet 3G will be exclusive to Best Buy and compatible with AT&T 3G. Oh, and the Pixi is coming, but you already knew that. Here’s the real mystery, though: “There are multiple Android launches across multiple carriers, along with some new technology that doesn’t exist today.” That’s certainly open for interpretation, so we leave it to you — is Best Buy Mobile about to start selling teleporters, or what?

Read – Sam’s Club and Target Verizon docs
Read – Best Buy Mobile docs

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Motorola Sholes to launch by holidays, along with the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Nokia Booklet 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alpha 680 Android netbook spotted, still unavailable

While all the other kids on the block are letting themselves become duly distracted by Google Chrome OS, at least Skytone is still out there in the trenches, fighting to get its Android-powered Alpha 680 netbook to market. Initially it looked like this one would be making the scene sometime this summer, and although this has not come to pass, the OEM (Airis) is still strutting it in front of vendors and threatening us with an eventual release. According to Le Journal du Geek, who managed to get its hands on one and snap plenty of pics, the device is still “not really stable.” (Take your time, guys…) Hit that read link for plenty of glamor shots of the this stark white, 7-inch resistive touchscreen wonder — you’ll be glad you did.

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Alpha 680 Android netbook spotted, still unavailable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell’s Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition oozing out now for $329

If you’ve ever had a yearning for a slime covered netbook, today’s your lucky day. Dell’s Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition — which is absolutely SpongeBob-approved — is now up for order starting at $329. As for specs, it’s pretty much a standard Mini 10v underneath, with a 10.1-inch (1,024 x 600 resolution) display, Windows XP Home, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a GMA950 graphics set, WiFi, 3-cell battery, 1.3 megapixel webcam and a totally played 1.6GHz Atom processor. Oh, and a slimed lid and palm rest, which are likely the one two aspects that truly matter here.

[Thanks, Simon]

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Dell’s Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition oozing out now for $329 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gateway Unveils Netbook Powered by Verizons 3G Network

Gateway LT20 netbook small.jpg

Gateway and Verizon Wireless are teaming up to release a new netbook equipped with Verizon’s 3G mobile broadband service.

The Gateway LT2016u will be available starting October 4 on verizonwireless.com and in Verizon stores. The device is available in “night sky black” and will connect to the Web via Verizon’s 3G network.

The netbook will retail for $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, which will be sent out in the form of a debit card. Customers will also have to sign up for a two-year Verizon mobile broadband contract. Options include 250MB of monthly access plus 10 cents per megabyte overage for $39.99 per month or 5GB plus 5 cents per megabyte overage for $59.99 per month.

The LT2016u features a 10.1-inch, high-definition WSVGA LED, a 6-cell battery that Verizon says will provide up to six hours of battery life, an Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of memory, 160GB of hard drive space, and a digital media card reader.

Verizon Unveils Three More Phones–and a Netbook

Motorola_Barrage.jpgIn addition to the HTC Imagio, Verizon rolled out four other devices today. The Nokia 2705 Shade is a tiny flip phone that’s designed to fit in a purse or pocket, and comes in camera and camera-less versions. Despite its small size, it features VZ Navigator compatibility for turn-by-turn GPS directions, switchable covers, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and Bluetooth; it will list for $29.99 with a new two-year agreement beginning October 6th.

Next up is the military-spec Motorola Barrage (pictured), a rugged cell phone that can stay under several feet of water for 30 minutes. It features Push-to-Talk, a 2-megapixel camera, and support for various optional VZW media services. It costs $129.99 after a $50 rebate and with a two-year agreement. This one hits November 16th; a non-camera version will be available for order on October 21st.

The Verizon Wireless Razzle features a tilt-and-swivel design for messaging fans. It also includes a music player, support for V CAST Music with Rhapsody, a 1GB microSD card, a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a 2.2-inch LCD. This one will check in at $69.99 with a two-year agreement sometime later in October.

Chrome OS coming to netbooks as early as next month?

Chrome OS coming to netbooks as early as next month?

We’ve heard vague allusions to Chrome OS hitting devices in the near future, but with Google’s official stance that it won’t be ready until sometime late next year, well, we were a little skeptical. Now we’re hearing reports that Chinese netbook manufacturers are doing everything they can to get little Chrome lappies running a “preview edition” of the OS out onto the Asian markets by sometime next month, and we’re still skeptical — but intrigued. These devices from a company called Lemote run a MIPS-based CPU called the Loongson, which currently powers a custom flavor of Linux named, get this, Loonux. That OS has been receiving criticism for things other than its title, so it’s not surprising that the company is interested in trying something new, apparently even if that new thing is still half-baked and rather doughy in the middle. That these devices currently sell for under $200 is even more intriguing, but even if they do indeed get a bit of shine next month don’t expect to find one locally — at least not for that price.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

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Chrome OS coming to netbooks as early as next month? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s Gateway LT2106u 3G netbook is working for the weekend

True, it’s just an ordinary netbook from an ordinary company, but the Gateway LT2106u is now official and brings with it a contractual obligation to Verizon Wireless in return for a discount off the claimed $500 retail price. Just don’t get too excited about your new found frugality since you’ll still be forking over monthly access fees as high as $60 per month for 5GB of data. The netbook itself packs 3G data (presumably via Qualcomm’s world-wide Gobi) and the usual N270 Atom proc, 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, WiFi, and up to 6 hours of battery life if you shut everything down but the 3-in-1 memory card reader. Available October 4th for $150 after mail-in rebate.

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Verizon’s Gateway LT2106u 3G netbook is working for the weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nvidia Prepping GPU-Powered Flash Player?

Video is quickly becoming the metric by how computing platforms are measured: can a given device play back SD video? HD video? Can it encode them, too?

As of now, these are the dividing lines between netbooks and their more powerful cousins, the ultraportable netbooks. Why I seem to recall Nvidia stoutly maintaining that its ION platform (seriously, it’s just a GeForce 9400M, people!) plays back video smoothly, it apparently feels that it could use a kick in the pants from its GPU capabilities. (Nvidia also launched its next-generation GPU-as-CPU architecture, Fermi, on Wednesday.)

According to Hexus.net, NotebookJournal.de has let the cat out of the bag with the video above, which Hexus claims is scheduled for an announcement on Oct. 6. In a nutshell, Nvidia will announce Flash will now be processed using the ION, improving performance dramatically. Here’s hoping that it’s merely a software or driver upgrade, so those of you with existing Ion-based netbooks will get an unexpected performance boost.

EDIT: The above video has been made private, so you won’t be able to play it.

Samsung’s ION-enriched N510 reviewed approvingly, still needs price trim

We dare say NVIDIA’s ION platform hasn’t been the quickest to go from announcement to market availability, but at long last we’re seeing a number of pretty decent options cropping up. The Samsung N510 is a great test case for the prowess of the chipset, as it boasts the otherwise entirely unremarkable Atom N280, 1GB RAM and 160GB HDD spec, meaning that whatever performance gains it exhibits will be down to the ION infrastructure. Unsurprisingly, the 11.6-inch machine showed marked improvements over standard netbooks in the graphics department, with hardware-accelerated 1080p video decoding and mildly graphically-intensive games made possible. With six and a half hours of battery life and a matte 1366 x 768 screen, the N510 was well received by the PC Pro team, who could only bemoan the uncompetitive pricing of £382 (about $613). Hit the read link for their full impressions.

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Samsung’s ION-enriched N510 reviewed approvingly, still needs price trim originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swordfish Net 102 Dual: the first netbook with twin Atom CPUs

Alright, so we’re going to go ahead and caution against buying anything that claims to have a “dual Bluetooth” module, but if you’re feeling froggy, the planet’s first (and probably last) dual CPU netbook has just been launched. Not dual core, mind you, but dual processor. The admittedly chintzy looking Swordfish Net 102 Dual claims to have a pair of 1.6GHz Atom N270s within, not to mention 2GB of DDR2 RAM, optional WWAN, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, 10.2-inch display (1,024 x 600 resolution), a 160GB hard drive and Windows XP runnin’ the show. It’s available to order for the low, low price of $449, though we wouldn’t expect the stock 3-cell battery to last very long (read: an hour) with a pair of CPUs sucking down juice.

[Via Wired]

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Swordfish Net 102 Dual: the first netbook with twin Atom CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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