Hasta La Gadget!

Oh, sure — Google’s being all-too-kind by handing out a few free megabytes of Verizon data with each of its Cr-48 netbooks, but if you’re both lucky enough to have one and more inclined to use that dust-collecting AT&T SIM of yours, there’s hardly a better day for you to pay attention to a hack. After noticing that a recent update to Chrome OS added GSM support for Qualcomm’s Gobi 3G chip, Hexxeh dug in a little to see what it’d take to get the Cr-48 operational with a data SIM from Ma Bell. Turns out there’s shockingly little needed from you; simply flip the Developer switch beneath the battery and follow the shell commands listed in the source link. It should be noted that there’s no data counter here, so watch those gigabytes if you’re working with a data cap. There, we solved your Saturday. You’re welcome.

Google’s Cr-48 netbook now surfing on AT&T’s GSM network (after a gentle hack) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear  |  Hexxeh  | Email this | Comments

If you’ve got a speedy Snapdragon in your smartphone, Qualcomm’s the one to thank — but considering the raw earnings figures shared yesterday, your dollars have applauded the firm enough already. Qualcomm reported record earnings of $3.35 billion for its first fiscal quarter of the year, up 25 percent since Q1 2010, and it raked in a nice fat $1.17 billion of that in profit, 39 percent more than last year. That’s thanks to shipping 118 million of those Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chips that power mobile devices, as well as other ventures, and the company expects revenues to continue their upward bent as 2011 progresses — thanks to new devices on the way.

Qualcomm EVP Steve Mollenkopf told investors that “we currently have more than 150 Snapdragon devices in development, including more than 20 tablets,” and that the dual-core 1.2GHz MSM8660 in particular was picking up steam, with over 60 devices slated to use the dual-mode chipset with HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev. B. What of a groundbreaking deal with Apple to power new iPhones and iPads? CEO Paul Jacobs wouldn’t say: “We’re happy to see the Verizon iPhone announcement since it’s been the subject of intense speculation, but we have no other comments on that topic.” Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Qualcomm has best quarter ever, teases a host of Snapdragon tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 07:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Qualcomm  | Email this | Comments

Looks like those whispers we heard about HP’s Topaz having a 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU were true. The folks over at Pre Central just scored an internal document detailing presumed specifications of HP’s forthcoming 9.7-inch tablet, and it looks like the aforesaid CPU will be joined by an integrated Adreno 220 GPU, 512MB of DDR2 memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi. We’re told to expect an oleophobic Gorilla Glass screen with a standard XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, options for 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, optional WWAN, an accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, microphone and a battery that’ll last for around eight hours in ideal circumstances. Naturally, webOS will be onboard, and we’re hearing that a WiFi-only model will indeed hit the market at some point. As for the connected versions? HSPA, LTE and CDMA variants are rumored, with the former two likely to be SIM-locked while all three carry A-GPS.

It should be noted that these documents were apparently fresh as of last fall, so everything is clearly subject to change. That said, we’re digging the reports that HP will be doing everything it can to fully support Flash on this here slate, and it may also consider a partnership with Blio for the digital bookworms in attendance. Naturally, cloud services is shaping up to be a huge deal, and it’ll definitely support inductive charging via the Touchstone v2. These docs also affirm what we’d heard about integrated Beats Audio technology and Tap to Share, with the second-gen Touchstone to also handle wireless picture sharing, cordless audio streaming and tether-free video beaming (just to name a few). Hit the source link the full skinny, and feel free to pressure HP to move February 9th a little closer to today.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HP / Palm’s 9.7-inch Topaz tablet to use 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8660, Adreno 220 GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Pre Central  | Email this | Comments

The choice of Android Gingerbread handsets just grew by one, courtesy of the Sony Ericsson MT15i and Russia’s premier mobile reviewer, Eldar Murtazin, who has put it through his rigorous preview cycle. The typically curmudgeonly gent was pleasantly surprised by SE’s latest (and entirely unofficial) handset, claiming that the company “has developed and is about to launch truly cutting edge devices and … has almost nothing to fear in the hardware department as well.” He has praise for the above-average front-facing cam, the endurance offered by the 1500mAh battery, and the 854 x 480 res on the Reality Display — though he does warn that Sony’s Bravia Engine is only used when consuming multimedia and therefore has limited impact on improving output quality.

Internally, you’re looking at 512MB of RAM and a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7630 with Adreno 205 graphics, all of which resulted in perfectly smooth, lag-free operation. In spite of its many pluses, Eldar describes the MT15i as a phone targeting the mid-range, which invites all sorts of delicious pricing speculation, though we’re not entirely sure we agree with his postulation that this handset will be called the Vivaz 2. The Xperia branding up front and the replacement of Symbian with Android would collectively suggest it’ll bear an altogether new name when it’s unveiled — which we’ll go ahead and presume is going to happen at MWC next month.

Sony Ericsson MT15i / Vivaz 2 ensnared by Eldar Murtazin, given glowing preview originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BestBoyZ  |  mobile-review  | Email this | Comments

The Xperia Arc is one pretty slice of Gingerbread, don’t you think? We certainly did when we got the chance to handle one for ourselves at CES, but today we’re less concerned with its exterior and more interested in what lies beneath. The 1GHz processor we knew about already has been specified as a Qualcomm MSM8255 and will be joined in the good fight against sluggish performance by an Adreno 205 graphics chip. On the software front, that random sighting of an Arc with Android 2.4 has been put down as a simple “misconfiguration” by Sony Ericsson, exploding a million conspiracy theories around the web. One encouraging note here is that SE (kinda) acknowledges its inglorious record with Android updates and promises recent changes have put it in “a good position to make sure that Xperia Arc will get later versions in a timely manner.” We’ll believe it when you make it, Sony.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson names Xperia Arc CPU, dubs Android 2.4 appearance a ‘misconfiguration’

Sony Ericsson names Xperia Arc CPU, dubs Android 2.4 appearance a ‘misconfiguration’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Sony Ericsson Product Blog  | Email this | Comments