Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen Acer’s Android 2.1-powered Stream a time or two before, but we couldn’t resist the opportunity to give it a look ourselves here in Taipei. Acer’s full gamut of smartphones were out on display, but this 3.7-inch monster was easily the standout. Build quality was remarkable, and the screen was downright luscious; viewing angles on the AMOLED panel were nothing short of incredible, and the haptic feedback was a nice touch, too. The 1GHz Snapdragon CPU handled the transitions within the OS with poise, and it actually felt a good bit lighter than some of the other touchscreen-based smartphones that we’ve played with recently. ‘Course, we couldn’t help but long for Froyo, but with a hardware set this powerful, we wouldn’t be shocked to see it handed down shortly. Vid’s after the break, vaquero.

Continue reading Acer Stream preview at Computex 2010

Acer Stream preview at Computex 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we last caught up with PixelQi at CES, we were downright ecstatic about its dual-mode 3Qi LCDs with switchable backlights, though we had a few wants, including touchscreen support and better viewing angles. Well, the screen company took our criticism to heart, and brought along its new touch-capable and “wideview” panels to Computex. The new displays — which are readable indoors and out — are also 30 percent more power-efficent than the previous models, PixelQi founder Mary Lou Jepsen told us.

Much to our delight, we were able to handle a number of different tablets and netbooks infused with the new screens earlier today. The one pictured above is actually an Intel Atom Moorestown-powered 10-inch slate with a capactive touch 3Qi screen; there’s a button on the right edge that turns the backlight on and off. Another on display had a Wacom digitizer for taking notes in Windows 7 Home Premium. In the short time we spent with the tablets and mock-ups, we discovered pen and finger input to be very responsive in both LCD modes. We were similarly impressed with the wideview screen on the netbooks — a movie trailer was viewable when the screen was tilted off axis as well as from the sides. So, that’s the good news, but where the heck are the real devices? You know, the ones we can buy? We wanted to know the same thing, and CEO Mary Lou Jepsen assured us that they are currently working with major manufacturers. We hope so, Mary Lou. We hope so. Hit the gallery for tons of shots (the screen is a photographer’s dream!) and a video demo after the break.

Continue reading PixelQi introduces tablet-ready screens, we go hands-on (video)

PixelQi introduces tablet-ready screens, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My, how the tablets have turned. Despite valiant efforts, even Acer can’t resist the temptation of diving into the ever-expanding e-reader market, but rather than going head to head with Amazon’s Kindle, the company seems to be readying at least one unique creature for release into the mainstream. Thanks to a stop at Qualcomm’s lair here at Computex, we think we may have found the company’s numero dos. In just about every respect, the simply-titled eBook is nothing at all like the LumiRead; in fact, it looks (sort of) like an iPhone 4G after pulling a Mark McGwire. We weren’t told just how large the screen was, but as you can tell from the gallery below, it’s quite long. The device was reportedly made as a way to showcase Qualcomm’s aging MSM7227 processor, and while there’s obviously no way to know if this thing is / isn’t headed for the production line, it was running Android underneath. Unfortunately, responsiveness wasn’t this thing’s strong suit, and it was fairly obvious that the software wasn’t exactly fully baked (we surely hope not, anyway). That said, the form factor could certainly be honed into something practical, and we’re sure they could get the UI humming along a bit smoother if they really put their minds to it. For now, it’s the gallery below… or nothin’.

Acer eBook concept preview: Qualcomm MSM7227 and Android onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft isn’t kidding around about showing Apple it’s serious in regard to competing in the tablet space, and while most of the devices surrounding its Computex booth were locked down tight, we were able to spend a few exclusive minutes with a brand new LG that showed some serious promise. Boasting a 10.1-inch LED capacity touchscreen, the UX10 was one of the most solid tablets we’ve had the opportunity to touch. The prototype on the floor was equipped with an Intel Atom Z530 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing webcam, an SD card slot, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 7200mAh battery and a micro-HDMI output. The entire front was smothered in glass, with an itty-bitty bezel and a striking pearlescent white paint job around back. Though, we couldn’t help but notice the similarities in the logo when thinking of a certain Streak. Microsoft representatives couldn’t comment on an estimated price, though they did affirm that the device will escape the prototype stage and ship to consumers at some point in the future. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look, and peek past the break if you’re a fan of videos.

Continue reading Exclusive: LG UX10 tablet preview at Computex

Exclusive: LG UX10 tablet preview at Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At long last, the ASUS Eee Pads have arrived, but unfortunately they’re just not working the way we’ve been imagining for all these months. We got a few minutes to toy around with the 10-inch EP101TC and 12-inch EP121, but both were barely working. And “barely” is being gracious. We can tell you that both models are incredibly well built — they’ve got aluminum edges and matte back covers — and neither was particularly heavy. The EP121 wasn’t booting at all, but it was being shown off with a super sleek keyboard docking station, which will be used to turn the tablet into an ultraportable laptop of sorts. An NVIDIA Tegra-powered EP101TC was powering on, but its Windows Embedded Compact 7-based interface was still noticeably buggy, and the touchscreen quite unresponsive. The UI certainly looked attractive enough, and our swipe motions across the capacitive touchscreen were handled admirably, but ASUS definitely has a ways to go in terms of functionality. We wish we had more impressions to share, but it looks as if we’ll have to wait for a less half-baked iteration to really dive in. ‘Til then, feel free to peruse the gallery below and peek the video just beyond the break.

Continue reading ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC and EP121 preview

ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC and EP121 preview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 05:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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