Hasta La Gadget!

No matter how realistic a KIRF phone looks these days, there’s always a catch somewhere. For instance, this GSM handset is pretty much an exact clone of the HTC Tattoo, except for a couple of debatably important things: the suspiciously-cheerful $169 price tag, and the fact that Windows Mobile (and not Android) is running the show. Oh, and it doesn’t end there: judging by the photo, you’d assume this evil clone runs WinMo 6.5, yet the spec sheet mutters 6.1. A typo? Maybe. Something far more baleful? Maybe. A KIRF OS to go along with the KIRF hardware? Probably. That said, it’s hard to turn down a cheap phone that packs GPS, FM radio, stereo Bluetooth audio, a spare battery and a 2.8-inch touchscreen (240 x 320), but that’s assuming that you’ve no self-esteem to speak of. See if the full kit after the break will seal the deal for you.

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CCLIV: HTC Tattoo joins the WinMo gang, or appears to anyway

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCLIV: HTC Tattoo joins the WinMo gang, or appears to anyway originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wow, some nice gadget fairy has just made our wish come true! Soon after our Dell Mini 5 impressions post went live, eagle-eyed reader unclepain reported that the phone’s docking station has made a quiet appearance in T3 Greek Edition’s bizarre hands-on video (seriously, we get the “DELLICIOUS” joke, but does that poor bloke really have to stand like that throughout the video?). According to the tiny bit of English we heard, the dock will have HDMI output and a USB port (for connecting to the computer, we presume) on the back. You can also see the short transparent back support when the presenter undocks the phone. Now, bundle this with Mini 5 or throw it à la carte at a reasonable price and we’re sold. Eccentric footage after the break.

[Thanks, unclepain]

Continue reading Dell Mini 5 docking station with HDMI port spotted in bizarre Greek video

Dell Mini 5 docking station with HDMI port spotted in bizarre Greek video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft took a dramatic step with Windows Phone 7 Series this morning at MWC in Barcelona, and obviously we’ve been talking about it all day here at Engadget HQ. Just like with the iPad and the Droid, opinions on the staff are all over the map — it’s not every day that a company reboots an entire OS — so we’re going to let everyone speak for themselves, starting with the people who’ve handled Windows Phone 7 Series in person: Josh, Chris, Thomas, and Sean.

Josh:

The most astonishing thing about Windows Phone 7 Series is how completely it’s managed to obliterate its Windows Mobile roots. Let’s just be crystal clear about it: this is unlike anything the company has ever done, both in distancing itself from its past, and in the clarity of its vision. From the floor to ceiling, 7 Series is just a very new operating system with very new ideas about how users should be involved with their devices. What people should recognize is that the Windows Mobile team has made a huge gamble that upending its ailing OS was the only solution… and from the looks of things, that gamble has paid off. But this isn’t a battle already won — it’s a battle yet to be fought. There’s still much we don’t know about this OS, and plenty to be concerned about when it comes to turning what looks nice in a demo into a daily use smartphone. There are huge questions to be answered. How are notifications handled? What kind of SDK will be made available to developers? How rigid will the user experience guidelines be? What is the real story on multitasking? Will the phone support third party browsers, email clients, or messaging applications? Can hardware manufacturers differentiate their products enough? Will the basic phone experience be useful to enterprise users or others looking for a workhorse and not just a pretty face?

Honestly, those are just a few of the questions I have — but I also continue to be impressed with Microsoft’s fierceness of conviction on this platform. If the company can hew close enough to its promises and deliver on the tall order it’s set out for itself, then hope for Windows in the mobile space is far from dead. It’s about to be reborn.

Continue reading Editorial: Engadget on Windows Phone 7 Series

Editorial: Engadget on Windows Phone 7 Series originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How’s about a little smartphone love on Valentine’s Day? Samsung’s press conference just got underway in Barcelona, and one of Mobile World Congress‘ first smartphones to debut this year is a real doozy. The Wave (S8500) that we’ve heard so much about lately is finally official, and it’s the first handset to ship with Bluetooth 3.0. It’s also packing 802.11n WiFi, TouchWiz 3.0 and the company’s own Bada mobile platform. You’ll also get a 3.3-inch “Super AMOLED” (saywha?) display, and while the 800 x 480 resolution is just dandy, the lack of multitouch is a real buzz kill. Digging into the internals, you’ll find a 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera, aGPS, accelerometer, 2GB or 8GB of internal storage space, a microSD expansion slot, multi-codec support for DivX, XviD, MP3 and WMV, and support for virtual 5.1 surround sound and 720p recording / decoding. The company’s also touting its mDNIe (mobile Digital Natural Image engine) technology, which is already used in its LCD and LED TV lineups; in other words, this phone is probably one of the better ones for multimedia viewing (so long as you don’t venture under direct sunlight, of course). It’ll be available worldwide starting in April, but unfortunately pricing remains a mystery. Full specifications and press release are after the break.

Update: Check out our hands-on with the device! The at show prototypes do respond to multi-touch pinch and zoom… with an error. But at least the detect it.

Continue reading Samsung Wave: 3.3-inch Super AMOLED, Bluetooth 3.0, and new Bada OS (updated)

Samsung Wave: 3.3-inch Super AMOLED, Bluetooth 3.0, and new Bada OS (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Since the last time we mentioned it, the MyTether app for WebOS phones has gone up in price from a requested $10 donation to $14.95, but that’s still considerably cheaper than Verizon’s $40 per month Mobile Hotspot plan. We’re still leery about what usage/overusage could mean for your contract & bill, but a new beta version has been posted that officially supports the Pre Plus and according to the developer “makes use of the API calls behind MHS” to let it work more smoothly. Even with the Pre’s openness to hackery we had some issues getting the beta installer to operate on our Windows 7 machine but once it was installed it worked as promised, giving comparable speeds to a dedicated EV-DO card on the same network. Other new features include automatic tracking of data usage and the ability to manage connected devices directly on the app. Other than some compatibility issues with WebOS updates there hasn’t seemed to be any blowback from Sprint or Palm on this app so far, we’ll see if Verizon has any issues with its premium priced turf being encroached upon.

WebOS homebrew MyTether app updated, brings WiFi hotspots to Verizon Palms w/o the extra subscription originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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