Aug 20

Cloud Telecomputers announces Android-based Glass platform for desk phones

Posted in: Android, cloud, phone, Today's Chili

It may not be the first to come up with the bright idea of putting Android on a desk phone-esque device, but upstart Could Telecomputers may well be the most ambitious, with it boasting that its new Glass platform “makes the desk phone relevant again,” and is “smarter and more powerful than your ‘smart cell phone.'” To that end, the company has basically paired a full-fledged, 8-inch Android-based MID with a plain old corded phone, which will let you do things like dial numbers directly from your Outlook address book, pair up a cellphone via Bluetooth and, of course, take advantage of a whole range of Android apps that should put most other internet-connected desk phones to shame. As you probably picked up, however, this is still a platform and not an actual product just yet, but Cloud Telecomputers does have some pretty heavy backers behind it, and it “anticipates” that the first phones should be available sometime in the first quarter of 2010 for between $599 and $699.

[Via PR Newswire]

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Cloud Telecomputers announces Android-based Glass platform for desk phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 19

Sharp’s JD-7C1CL/CW pairs a home phone and digiframe in fine fashion

Posted in: Japan, japanese, phone, Sharp, Today's Chili

Hey, remember that OpenFrame touchscreen home telephone that we first peeked way back in August of 2008? Seems like O2 and Verizon weren’t the only ones looking to jump on that bandwagon, as Sharp has now issued a phone / frame tandem that looks eerily similar. The JD-7C1CL/CW is available in black and white to match the motifs present in 99 percent of pristine suburban domiciles, with the frame packing a 7-inch touch panel (800 x 480) that acts as a status indicator, calendar, clock, address book and (gasp!) photo frame. The phone itself doesn’t look to be anything special, though the frame does include a whopping 128MB of internal memory. No word on a price or release date, but really, you shouldn’t be considering a “home phone” in 2009 under any circumstances.

[Via Akihabara News]

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Sharp’s JD-7C1CL/CW pairs a home phone and digiframe in fine fashion originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 17

Mysterious Android MID gets more pictures, still no name

Posted in: Android, cellphone, MID, phone, rumor, rumors, Today's Chili, touchscreen

The Pocketables crew keep teasing us with more visuals of a purported unbranded Android MID, this time throwing up a good size comparison in the form of a Sony VAIO P lurking in the background. Very little can be said at this point without exploding the story into wild speculation — we’ll leave that part to you, dear readers — so we’ll stick to the seemingly self-evident stuff. The above screenshot indicates SD expansion and phone capabilities, and there are a few more after the break that show off an impressively svelte physique. Of course without a substantiated source and millions of skilled Photoshop artists out there, these pictures could still be fake — but aren’t they pretty?

[Via Slashgear]

Continue reading Mysterious Android MID gets more pictures, still no name

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Mysterious Android MID gets more pictures, still no name originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 10

Dell’s China-bound smartphone possibly called ‘mini 3i,’ but questions abound

Posted in: Android, phone, rumor, smartphone, Today's Chili

Alright, you know how Dell’s seemingly been going through hell and high water for years now to try to bring a smartphone or two to market? China’s been a special focus of this clandestine effort, and we’ve got some new information here — possibly. Chinese site NetEase is reporting on an email supposedly received by developers on China Mobile’s Mobile Market mailing list, discussing a handful of S60, WinMo, and Android-based Open Mobile System (OMS) devices that the carrier would really love devs to concentrate on as Mobile Market goes live and tries to gain some footing. Most of the content is mundane, but there’s a section for an OMS device called the Dell “mini 3i,” a name that would certainly fall right in line with Dell’s branding — but there are a couple issues here. First, the phone is said to operate on China Mobile’s legacy GSM network, not the homegrown TD-SCDMA 3G tech that the carrier is working diligently to deploy right now; it seems illogical at best for Dell to get into the game with a phone that’s immediately walloped by Lenovo with its 3G-capable O1 as the first volley of OMS phones comes to market over the coming weeks. Secondly there’s absolutely zero discussion about the supposed email on OMS’ official forums, which seems odd if the email’s real. To its credit, the claimed 640 x 360 — that’s a perfect 16:9, if you can’t be bothered to get out your graphing calculator — sounds about right to match the rumored shot we’ve seen floating around lately, but we’re still staying guarded on this one until we hear something official from the folks in Austin or Hong Kong.

[Via Cloned In China]

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Dell’s China-bound smartphone possibly called ‘mini 3i,’ but questions abound originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 10

Dell smartphone to launch in China this week?

Posted in: Android, phone, rumor, rumors, smartphone, Today's Chili

We haven’t heard a peep about this from anywhere else, but the inimitable Michael Arrington at TechCrunch says Dell’s gearing up to launch that long-rumored smartphone in China “within days.” Don’t get too excited, though: even Mike says the evidence is “thin,” and we doubt anything Dell eventually brings out in China will have much bearing on the rest of the world, since the Chinese government requires quite a bit of product customization for the domestic market. Still, we’ll see what happens — and if Dell manages to produce something a little more interesting than its previous efforts.

[Via TrustedReviews]

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Dell smartphone to launch in China this week? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 07

Motorola Morrison engineering sketches emerge, has Android written all over it

Posted in: Android, cellphone, Google, moto, motorola, phone, smartphone, Today's Chili

Okay, so maybe there’s not literally any text penciled in on these drawings, but if you’ve been looking for multiple angles of Motorola’s sure-to-be-forthcoming Morrison, these are about as good as it gets. Not surprisingly, the design here seems pretty conventional; for all intents and purposes, it’s just a QWERTY-packin’, full touchscreen slider smartphone with all the makings of a sub-$100 (on contract) Android offering. Hit the read link if you’re eager for more, and go on grab another handful of patience while you’re at it.

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Motorola Morrison engineering sketches emerge, has Android written all over it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

Joby’s Gorillamobile keeps your phone firmly affixed to whatever

Posted in: phone, Today's Chili

Historically, the Gorillapod’s lease in life has been all about mounting cameras to tree branches, goalposts, and strangers’ limbs — but, you know, cameras aren’t the only things in the world that could use that kind of superhuman capability, are they? To that end, Joby has introduced Gorillamobile, a package of goodies that includes the company’s Gorillapod Original — its smallest flexible tripod — along with tripod, suction cup, and adhesive clips for attaching various smartphones and point-and-shoots. What’s it good for? Well, that’s entirely up to you and your overactive imagination — but Joby shows iPhones being securely stowed on desks, exercise bikes, and strollers, so we’re sure you’ll be able to figure out something. Look for it to ship on August 10 for $29.95.

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Joby’s Gorillamobile keeps your phone firmly affixed to whatever originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 24

Samsung confirms a Tegra-based smartphone is in the works, all other details shrouded in mystery

Posted in: NVIDIA, phone, samsung, smartphone, tegra, Today's Chili

NVIDIA’s Tegra chip has shown itself to be quite a gem, especially in the field of augmented reality zombie destruction. Looks like Samsung agrees with that sentiment, and has confirmed that it’s currently developing a smartphone with the powerful processor. That’s not a lot to go on, but knowing the capabilities of the CPU, we’re excited. It’s probably safe to assume an AMOLED touchscreen is a given, as well as a plethora of TouchWiz widgets, but whether or not the phone goes with Windows Mobile or Android is still a mystery. A recent rumor suggested one of the “top five” smartphone makers would be releasing a $199 GSM-based Tegra device by year’s end — no indication if these two reports are one in the same, but we’d love to see what Sammy has in store sooner rather than later.

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Samsung confirms a Tegra-based smartphone is in the works, all other details shrouded in mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 23

Touch Revolution’s household Android devices coming this year — it’s Hammer time!

Posted in: Android, phone, Today's Chili, VoIP

When a former Apple product engineer mixes up some Google-juice with MC Hammer you’d be surprised at what you get. If you guessed a range of household Android devices sporting 4.3- to 10-inch touchscreens, WiFi, and Ethernet connectivity well, that would be weird… but you’d be right. Mark Hamblin, the founder and CEO of Touch Revolution who claims to have worked on the iPhone and iPod touch, breaks down the Touch Revolution product family into three major categories: 1) home control to manage lights, security, heating and ventilation, 2) media control for the TV, stereo, and DVR programming, and 3) home-based smartphones like the NIMble we played with at CES. The first Touch Revolution modules will launch later this year inside a range of devices that can be hand-held, placed on a tabletop, or even embedded in a wall. While not naming names, Hamblin says that the hardware and software will be customized and sold by “companies with major brands” before the end of the year in the “US and elsewhere.” As for Hammer, that’s hard to say — but we’d buy pretty much anything he’d like to officially endorse.

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Touch Revolution’s household Android devices coming this year — it’s Hammer time! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 19

Modu cellphone reportedly launching this week in Israel

Posted in: cellphone, on sale, OnSale, phone, Today's Chili

Take this one with a grain of salt, but word from across the Atlantic is that Modu will finally (finally!) launch its long-awaited, self-titled handset in just a few days. If you’ll recall, we actually toyed with the revamped handset as well as a few “jackets” back at MWC this year, but at that point, no one wanted to share any details surrounding the grand launch plan. Now, however, a report from Israel states that the phone — along with one jacket — will go on sale this Wednesday (July 22nd) for 500 Israeli shekels, or right around $130. So, does this mean that elusive touchscreen Modu is just a few days/weeks/months away, or what?

[Thanks, Dror]

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Modu cellphone reportedly launching this week in Israel originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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