Feb 09

WebOS-based Veer, Pre 3 and TouchPad leaked on HP’s site, likely on sale today

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, HP, on sale, OnSale, palm, palm pre, PalmPre, phone, pre, slate, smartphone, tablet, Today's Chili, touchpad, webos

Now that HP’s full slate of webOS reveals has been made, it looks as if the web admins are testing the waters. On HP’s Home & Home Office shopping page, there’s a drop-down under “Deals & Offers” that quite clearly reveals the outfit’s planned triumvirate: the HP Veer (a name HP filed a trademark for back in December), Pre 3 and TouchPad. Those are slated to bring webOS in “S, M and L” flavors, though it’s unclear whether the Veer or Pre 3 will be the smallest. HP has managed to yank the teaser from its US portal, though it still looks live internationally. There’s no guarantee that any of this will ship momentarily but seriously, why list something like this if all three weren’t going to be on sale by sundown? Here’s hoping!

WebOS-based Veer, Pre 3 and TouchPad leaked on HP’s site, likely on sale today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHP  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Feb 09

MetroPCS LTE Samsung Galaxy Indulge available this week, we go hands-on

Posted in: froyo, hands-on, lte, phone, Phones, samsung, smartphone, Today's Chili, video
As you may have gleaned from the small leak last night, Samsung’s MetroPCS LTE phone isn’t called the Forte as we may have previously thought, but the rest of the information we’ve been hearing about the phone for the last few weeks (thank you, FCC and Flickr!) was pretty dead on. Officially called the Galaxy Indulge, the 3.5-inch, Android 2.2 smartphone isn’t quite as well spec’d as the rest of the Galaxy S line up — most notably it doesn’t have that stunning 4-inch AMOLED screen (TFT LCD here, folks) — but it packs a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, 3 megapixel camera, 1500mAH battery, and some fast LTE speeds. As for the latter, the slider will naturally be backwards compatible with MetroPCS’ CDMA network and the carrier will be offering two monthly plans, both of which include unlimited talk and texting — the $50 plan buys you 1GB of data and the $60 version all the gigabytes you can eat. Combine one of those with the $399 sans-contract-price of the phone itself and it’s not a bad deal.

That said, compared to the other LTE or just general 4G phones we’ve seen of late, the Indulge feels rather cheap. Don’t be fooled by its rather Epic 4G looks — the .6-inch thick phone just feels overly plastic in hand (it makes those plastic squeaking noises) and the keyboard just can’t compare to Epic’s slightly raised keys. However, what it lacks in rigidity it makes up for in speed — we consistently got 3.1Mbps down and 3.3Mbps in our Manhattan apartment and saw it loading sites and apps faster than our Droid 2 Global. On the software end, there aren’t many surprises — it runs Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 and comes with a few of MetroPCS’ preloaded apps, including an Iron Man 2 app that actually includes the whole movie. We’re not sure you’d want to watch the entire thing on the low-contrast HVGA screen, but it’s always an option if you decide to, you know, indulge. (Sorry, we had to!) The handset will be hitting shelves (or websites) later this week making it the first available LTE smartphone in the US — but in the meantime, hit the break for the full press release and a short hands-on video.

Gallery: MetroPCS Samsung Galaxy Indulge hands-on

Continue reading MetroPCS LTE Samsung Galaxy Indulge available this week, we go hands-on

MetroPCS LTE Samsung Galaxy Indulge available this week, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Feb 05

HTC’s flagship Android spotted again with 2.2.1 OS and unibody design

Posted in: Android, cellphone, froyo, HTC, leak, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, prototype, smartphone, Today's Chili

Oh boy, looks like HTC’s having some real trouble with leaks in its home town lately. Spotted again in Taiwan is this Android device that looks awfully familiar, and for the first time, we get to see a clear shot of its somewhat homely backside. The lucky phonespotter claims that this unibody phone — codenamed Saga and running 2.2.1 — belongs to a “client” of his, and from his brief hands-on he reckons it’s about as thick as the 7 Mozart and the Legend. Well, that’s pretty much all we’ve been told — stay tuned in case we hear more in this remaining week before MWC.

[Thanks, Sam]

HTC’s flagship Android spotted again with 2.2.1 OS and unibody design originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMobile01  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Feb 04

Hong Kong gadget flea market: a blast from the past

Posted in: camera, Features, HP, laptop, nintendo, palm, phone, Retro, Today's Chili

If you’ve seen our Hong Kong feature from awhile back, then you would’ve already heard about my favorite gadget hangout Sham Shui Po. By chance, my post-flight stroll in said district yesterday coincided with Apliu Street’s Chinese New Year flea market, which featured many vintage items like jade figurines, paintings, jewelry, video tapes, vinyl records, etc. Naturally, what really caught my attention were the old gadgets that were literally piled up along the street, and from just HK$30 (US$3.85), you could easily pick up an old classic such as a Sony Clié, an HP iPaq, a WonderSwan Color, an original GameBoy, a MiniDisc player, or even a proper old school laptop or camera. Hell, some guy even had a couple of Nintendo Micro VS Systems (Donkey Kong Hockey and Boxing)!

The catch? Well, there was obviously no warranty for these old timers, plus the broken screens or the lack of compatible batteries for some meant that most were more suitable as collectibles. Regardless, we took a $6 gamble with a Sony Clié PEG-NR70 Palm PDA with docking station and boom! It works! Well, except for the battery that only lasts for an hour, but I’ll figure something out.

Gallery: Hong Kong gadget flea market: a blast from the past

Hong Kong gadget flea market: a blast from the past originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Feb 04

Dell Streak 7 phone app discovered, so far is much ado about nothing (video)

Posted in: Android, GoogleAndroid, phone, streak, Today's Chili, video

Remember when we all laughed about making calls on the 5-inch Streak? Those were the days. Now it looks as if some clever tweakers have discovered a hidden phone app in Dell’s 7-inch model… but beyond the shell of a presentation, there’s not much to it. According to Streak Smart, rotation is enabled, there’s a dedicated voicemail button, and calls will not seem to connect (which is, in this particular instance, seemingly unrelated to the carrier). See the frustration for yourself in the video after the break; not to worry, fans of holding giant slates up to the ear when talking to loved ones, someone somewhere will assuredly get this working at some point.

Continue reading Dell Streak 7 phone app discovered, so far is much ado about nothing (video)

Dell Streak 7 phone app discovered, so far is much ado about nothing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceStreak Smart  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Feb 01

Exclusive: A day trip to Meizu’s factory (video)

Posted in: cellphone, chinese, exclusive, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, smartphone, Today's Chili, video

Jack Wong is a very lucky guy. Or you can say he’s very unfortunate. On one hand, his eight-year-old Meizu label — literally meaning “the captivating tribe” — has rapidly become one of the most popular brands amongst Chinese gadget lovers, yet all he’s producing right now is just the one phone: the M9. On the other hand, the now-discontinued M8 had notoriously caught unwanted attention from Apple, and even the recent M9 launch saw accusations of Meizu hiring people to stand in line. But the latter points are irrelevant for now — what we’re really interested in is how a teensy MP3 player factory managed to outpace its numerous competitors to become a reputable smartphone maker with a huge fan base. To help us understand what drives the company, we decided to pay Meizu a visit. Go on, you know where to click.

Gallery: Exclusive: A day trip to Meizu’s factory

Continue reading Exclusive: A day trip to Meizu’s factory (video)

Exclusive: A day trip to Meizu’s factory (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Jan 31

Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLV

Posted in: Android, Apple, apps, deal, hdtv, ios, LCD, Panasonic, phone, plasma, samsung, tablet, Today's Chili, vizio

It’s been confirmed, Super Bowl XLV will not be the first one with a full HD 3D broadcast (no gimmicky 3D commercials this year either, you can put the paper glasses away) despite featuring a halftime show by James Cameron’s BFFs, the Black Eyed Peas. Still, considering what happened the last time they tried 3D at the House That Jerry Jones Built it’s probably for the best. Still, just because you don’t have one of Cowboys Stadium’s record breaking HD screens you should still enjoy the game in style. In 2011 that means going beyond just the screen, the sounds and the seats — we’ll tell you how after the break.

Continue reading Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLV

Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Jan 28

HP CEO: New webOS products shipping weeks after February 9 reveal, another big announcement March 14

Posted in: hewlett-packard, HewlettPackard, HP, palm, phone, tablet, Today's Chili, webos

It’s been a few months since Leo Apotheker took the top spot at HP following the Mark Hurd debacle, and it sounds like he’s got some big plans for the company — speaking to the BBC, he says he hopes “one day people will say ‘this is as cool as HP,’ not ‘this is as cool as Apple.'” How does he plan on doing that? By speeding up ship times, for starters — unlike the year-long wait for the HP Slate, Apotheker says that “when HP makes announcements, it will be getting ready to ship,” and that the new webOS products announced on February 9 will ship just a “few weeks” later. Speaking of the February 9 event, Apotheker said the new product line of tablets and mobile phones will have a new name that falls under the HP brand, which sounds like the Palm name is done for. (If we had to guess, it’ll be HP webOS, but that’s just a guess.)

On top of all that, the BBC calls February 9 just the “starting gun,” because Apotheker’s “secret answer” and “vision of what HP is capable of in the future” will come on March 14, where he’ll try to pull together HP’s vast product portfolio into a cohesive narrative. According to Apotheker, HP’s size is its “basis of strength,” and no other company sells everything from servers to phones the way HP does. Sounds extremely exciting — and if Apotheker can pull it off, there’s a chance we’ll remember Mark Hurd’s dalliance as the best thing that ever happened to HP.

[Thanks, soydeedo]

HP CEO: New webOS products shipping weeks after February 9 reveal, another big announcement March 14 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBBC  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jan 26

Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview

Posted in: Android, cellphone, exclusive, Features, gaming, gingerbread, impressions, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, playstation, preview, prototype, slider, smartphone, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, video, xperia

Oh yes. After all the unbearable teasing since we unveiled the first ever photos of the PlayStation Phone, we’ve finally managed to get hold of the real deal for an in-depth preview. Honestly, we couldn’t wait any longer with this thing floating around in China; we’d otherwise have to wait until MWC, where we expect the phone to be launched as the “Xperia Play” (and we shall refer to this name henceforth). Before you pop the cork for us, do bear in mind that what we’re seeing here is subject to changes, so don’t be alarmed by any missing features or exposed cables in our preview. When you’re ready, head right past the break to find out what Sony Ericsson’s cooking up.

Gallery: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview

Continue reading Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview

Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , ,
Jan 24

Dell Venue review

Posted in: Android, cellphone, froyo, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, review, smartphone, snapdragon, Today's Chili, video

Yes, it’s the Dell Venue, and no, you still can’t buy one outside Hong Kong or South Korea just yet. All we can speculate is that this Android phone is facing the same manufacturing issues as its WP7 cousin, but hopefully we’re wrong. Anyhow, what matters is that we’ve finally gotten our hands on a retail unit of the Snapdragon-packing Venue. So is it worth the wait for Androiders distanced from the Far East? And will this handset be the answer for our love-hate relationship with the Streak? Head on right past the break to find out.

Gallery: Dell Venue review

Continue reading Dell Venue review

Dell Venue review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , ,