Motorola throws Italia a smartphone curveball with splash-resistant Wilder (video)


Ciao bambini! Motorola just lifted the veil on its latest ruggedized phone, the Wilder, which is destined for Italian shores later this month in all its underpowered glory. The GSM dual-band phone packs a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a two megapixel camera with 15fps video, and 5MB (yes, MEGABYTES) of on-board storage — so it’s not going to be blowing anyone away with lightning-fast performance. Moto is rather light on specs, with no mention of processor speed, OS, or 3G support, but there’s nothing here to imply that this thing has been sprinkled with even the slightest amount of Google dust. However, we do assume it’s powerful enough to run pre-loaded Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and YouTube apps, and browse the web with Opera Mini. There’s also a secondary notification display, expandable storage (up to 32GB), and some embedded games like Tetris and Need for Speed. The Wilder may only be available in Italy initially, setting you back a cool €89 (about $126), but based on these specs, your dough may be better spent on a few kilos of splash-resistant spaghetti.

Continue reading Motorola throws Italia a smartphone curveball with splash-resistant Wilder (video)

Motorola throws Italia a smartphone curveball with splash-resistant Wilder (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 22:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Synrgic preps its T100 handset for the beast phone race

Synrgic may not be a brand name that resonates with mobile-obsessed statesiders, but that’s no reason to shrug off the nascent electronics maker’s efforts. Known primarily for its tablet PCs in China, the company is purportedly gearing up for a launch of its first ever smartphone — the T100. According to a leaked shot over on Chinitech, the handset’ll pack a spec list that runs neck and neck with the heavy hitting phones we’ve seen flood the global marketplace. Sporting a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 display, the device runs an undisclosed version of Gingerbread on a dual-core 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor, packs 1GB RAM, up to 32GB of internal storage (due to an omitted microSD card slot), and 1.3 megapixel front-facing / 5 megapixel rear camera set-up capable of 720p video capture. There’s also an HDMI and USB port, ample 1500mAh battery, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G GSM / WCDMA frequencies on board. If the gossip is to be believed, this phone’ll touch down on retailers’ shelves sometime in October or November — perhaps in time for an Ice Cream Sandwich.

Synrgic preps its T100 handset for the beast phone race originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceChinitech  | Email this | Comments

Acer’s Liquid Mini gets Ferrari-fied, doesn’t get any faster

Acer’s Liquid Mini won’t be breaking speed records anytime soon, but at least it can look like a red hot racer, now that it’s received the Ferrari treatment. Following in the Liquid E‘s skid marks, this Liquid Mini Ferrari Edition features a vibrant red exterior emblazoned with the automaker’s iconic shield, and ships preloaded with engine ringtones, racing-themed wallpaper and other apps. Under the hood, however, lies the same, Gingerbread-based handset, replete with 512MB of RAM, a 3.2-inch display, five megapixel camera and rather underwhelming 600MHz processor. No word yet on when the device will be hitting the raceway, but you can get a closer look at the source link, below.

Acer’s Liquid Mini gets Ferrari-fied, doesn’t get any faster originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceAcer  | Email this | Comments

White Galaxy S II lands at Vodafone, ignores post-Labor Day etiquette

Summer may have drawn to an unofficial close, but that clearly hasn’t stopped the Galaxy S II from wearing all white. Today, the albino version of Samsung’s Gingerbread handset officially made its way to Vodafone, just a few days after launching in the UK and more than a month after leaking in “official looking” images. The blanched, 4.3-inch smartphone is available for free with a two-year, £36 per month price plan (roughly equivalent to $58 per month), though it’s still unclear whether it’ll be making its way stateside anytime soon. If you’re looking to brighten up your pocket, you can grab your own at the source link below.

White Galaxy S II lands at Vodafone, ignores post-Labor Day etiquette originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVodafone  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy Note tops benchmarks, price sheets (video)

We had a feeling the Samsung Galaxy Note would be a hit on the benchmark scene, but now its unsurprisingly speedy results are documented. Greek site TechBlog installed Quadrant Standard on one of the phone / tablet hybrid demo units at IFA 2011 and produced a benchmark score of 3,624, exactly where we’d expect a Sammy-branded 1.4GHz dual-core CPU to end up; in comparison, our review of the 1.2GHz Samsung Galaxy S II produced an outcome of 3,396. Here’s the letdown: the Galaxy Note is expected to top the charts in pricing as well, as it’s being reported that we should see the device show up in Scandinavia by year’s end for no less than €715 ($1,000 in the US). Let’s hope those benchmarks are worth the cost, because there’s one thing that can’t be denied — it makes the HTC Jetstream feel like a bargain.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note tops benchmarks, price sheets (video)

Samsung Galaxy Note tops benchmarks, price sheets (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhoneArena  |  sourceTechBlog.gr (translated), SammyHub  | Email this | Comments

Verizon launching Droid Bionic September 8th, giving some away through an AR scavenger hunt (update: it’s already arriving in stores)

It’s been a long and tortuous road for the Droid Bionic. From our first taste of its dual-core potential at CES, to the stream of leaked specs, shots and release dates of the phone in the months since. Well, the wait officially ends on September 8th, as Verizon just confirmed the release date with a new version of the robotic battle teaser ad we saw a couple weeks ago. Big Red has also launched a Droid Does website with info on VZW’s Droids and its new Arena augmented reality scavenger hunt — where deft digital orienteers can win a Bionic, HDTV, laptop, tablet, or quadrocopter. For more info, hit the second source link below and head on past the break to see the vid for yourself. Feel free to enjoy the blade work of a raven-haired warrior slicing up cyborgs while you’re at it.

Update: Looks like Verizon’s ramping up for the Bionic era, as the handsets have already begun to arrive in stores. Pic’s after the break.

Continue reading Verizon launching Droid Bionic September 8th, giving some away through an AR scavenger hunt (update: it’s already arriving in stores)

Verizon launching Droid Bionic September 8th, giving some away through an AR scavenger hunt (update: it’s already arriving in stores) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PC Mag  |  sourceVerizon (YouTube), Verizon, Droid Life  | Email this | Comments

Vonage launches Android app for free international calling, still no service to Brodo Asogi

Just in time for Tante Lulu’s birthday in Gstaad, Vonage launched its Extensions app for free long-distance calling from your Android phone. With a quick download, homesick relatives can tap into their existing Vonage VoIP service from a Google-powered phone to call globally without racking up terribly expensive additional mobile charges. The catch? It requires a VoIP international calling plan before you can start dialing friends worldwide. Also, pricing is subject to your existing calling plan and it doesn’t support messaging like some other similar apps, including Fring and Viber. For existing Vonage users, it’s certainly a sweet added feature, leaving you no excuse but to call Auntie Lulu.

[Thanks, Val]

Vonage launches Android app for free international calling, still no service to Brodo Asogi originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy R, Wave M, M Pro, W, Xcover, and Wave Y hands-on (video)


Samsung’s Galaxy S II still reigns supreme in the eyes of many smartphone aficionados, but it’s now joined by a healthy collection of lesser Galaxy devices, including (in alphabetical order) the Wave M (Magical), M Pro, R (Royal), W (Wonder), Xcover, and Wave Y (Young) — all announced last month, but presented for the first time as a mismatched family here at IFA. There’s the wise, conservative elder (R), the speedy head of household (W), the rowdy, rugged, dirt-bike-sporting teenager (Xcover), the mid-twenties QWERTY typing champion (M Pro), and the slightly rebellious, underpowered preteen (Wave Y) following in its older sibling’s footsteps (M).

BlackBerry owners looking to make the switch to Gingerbread may find the M Pro most appealing, with its 2.7-inch HVGA touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, and QWERTY keyboard. The Royal steps things up with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4.2-inch “Super Clear” LCD, Gingerbread, HSPA+, and a 5 megapixel camera. The Wonder includes those last three features as well, but swaps in a 3.7-inch WVGA display and 1.4GHz processor. And the dustproof and water resistant Xcover sports a 3.65-inch HVGA LCD, 800MHz processor, and 3 megapixel camera.

With its small footprint, 3.2-inch HVGA LCD, 2 megapixel camera and relatively sluggish 832MHz processor, the Wave Young is probably enough to satisfy your pre-teen, but anyone on to their second or third smartphone will almost certainly be underwhelmed. It’s running Samsung’s new Bada 2.0 OS, like its Magical Pro sibling, which includes the same processor but jumps to a 3.65-inch HVGA display and 5 megapixel sensor. Both include Samsung’s new ChatON IM service as well. All in all, it’s not the speediest family in town — and there’s no US visa on order for a future trip to the states — but not everyone needs the top of the line, so skip on past the break and through the front door to meet the latest Sam fam.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy R, Wave M, M Pro, W, Xcover, and Wave Y hands-on (video)

Samsung Galaxy R, Wave M, M Pro, W, Xcover, and Wave Y hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S II LTE heads to Rogers for 4G fall debut

Our neighbors to the north just got a one-two punch of wireless awesome delivered courtesy of Rogers. The operator announced today that its variant of Samsung’s heavily lusted after Galaxy S II will be launching with baked-in LTE functionality on its nascent 4G network. Most of the handset’s specs have remained the same, aside from a newly beefed-up 1.5GHz dual-core processor, NFC functionality and Hercules-sized 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. If you’re proud to call yourself Canadian and “download speeds of up to 100Mbps” get your blood pumping, then expect to snag Sammy’s beast phone when it goes on sale before Autumn’s end.

Update: Interestingly, the Rogers site lists the Galaxy S II LTE as featuring a 1.2GHz CPU instead of the 1.5GHz slice of silicon that was announced only days ago. It may be a typo, or the Canadian carrier may have its version underclocked for a longer battery life. We’ve reached out for clarification and will update when we hear back.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung Galaxy S II LTE heads to Rogers for 4G fall debut originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMobileSyrup (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Huawei Honor leaks into the wild, prepares for ascension to the flagship throne?

Huawei’s handsets may not get the high-profile, stateside attention other OEMs are subject to, but that’s no reason for us to turn a blind eye to the company’s efforts. Spotted out in the wild with an accompanying spec list, the Honor (or U8860) purportedly packs a 1.4GHz processor, 4-inch FWVGA LCD display, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera capable of 720p video, a thickness of 9.9mm and an unspecified version of Android 2.3. Judging by the phones Europe- and Asia-only UMTS 900MHz / 2100MHz bands, it’s highly likely we won’t have the honor of seeing the company’s rumored flagship device grace North American shores. We’ll keep an eye out and let you know if we catch this one slipping through the FCC’s arms.

Huawei Honor leaks into the wild, prepares for ascension to the flagship throne? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Land of Droid  |  sourceHKtech  | Email this | Comments