Hasta La Gadget!

Take this for what it’s worth, but the schedule for Google’s 2011 I/O conference includes a little session called “Building Android Apps for Google TV,” as well as “Building Web Apps for Google TV.” That’s certainly interesting, as Google’s reportedly asked TV manufacturers to delay (or at least downplay) their smart TV products at CES until the core software is revamped, and we’re hearing that the relaunch will focus heavily on apps. We’re also told by a trusted source that there’s a big performance boost coming as things get more optimized, comparable to the jump from Android 1.6 to Android 2.3 on phones, and that future input devices will be more streamlined and simpler to use than the current Logitech and Sony affairs. That’s all good news, but, um, I/O isn’t until May, so we’re hoping all this stuff comes true much, much sooner than that.

[Thanks, D.]

Google I/O includes Google TV app development session; software speedup in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wondering what sort of goodies might be inside HTC’s upcoming tablets? Norwegian tech site Amobil isn’t — they claim to have a pair of inside sources spoon-feeding them all the pertinent details. For the rumored HTC Flyer — which may or may not be pictured at right — that includes the same 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 chip you’ll find in several high-end handsets, 1GB of RAM, as well as a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and a rear 5 megapixel imager, and a piddling 4GB of flash storage to hold all your apps (which sounds a little fishy to us). There’s also allegedly 3G for data and Skype calls, an HDMI port, DLNA support and a bonafide stylus to write with, though it’s not clear whether we’re rumoring a fancy N-Trig display or simply a pack-in capacitive pen.

Though Amobil‘s sources say the tablet will be sadly limited to Android 2.3 out of the gate, it will allegedly have a brand-new tablet version of HTC’s Sense UI designed to provide a “desktop feel,” which might be a nice pairing for the “HTC Sensation” trademark presently floating about the internet. If so, don’t expect that UI to be limited to a single slate, though — the last part of this oh-so-juicy rumor is that HTC’s also supposedly got a 10-inch LTE tablet (perhaps the Scribe?) arriving in the second half of the year.

HTC Flyer spec sheet leaks with Android 2.3, stylus and 7-inch screen? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Of all the phones we didn’t expect to have a successor, T-Mobile USA’s Nuron ranks high on that list — though it was a great deal seeing how it didn’t require a smartphone data plan, the device itself offered users a pretty miserable (and unnecessarily WiFi-less) experience. New rumors suggest that the carrier had fixed its sights on Nokia’s Symbian^1-powered C5-03 as the successor to the Nuron for launch early next month… but don’t get your hopes up, because in the same breath, PocketNow reports that the project has already been killed off. No word on the logic behind the move, but the killing echoes the recent news that the X7’s AT&T debut had been axed after the two companies failed to agree on marketing and pricing. Doesn’t seem like T-Mobile would be playing those same games, but you never know.

T-Mobile’s Nokia Nuron 2 shelved? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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Consider this little slice of photography uncorroborated for now, but we just couldn’t ignore a device that’s ostensibly running MeeGo software while sporting a bold Nokia logo front and center on its shell. This mysterious slate has cropped up over at the mobile-review forums, where amateur sleuthing has already noted that the landscape centering of the Nokia logo is atypical — both the N97 and N900 have it off-center — which may well suggest this is a landscape-centric tablet first and a phone second (if at all!). Assuming the brand name imprint is the same size as on the N8 (Nokia loves to standardize those), we could be looking at a 4.5-inch screen on what is either an internal test device, or, more optimistically, a prototype for actual hardware. It’s worth noting that the MeeGo seen on board is of the stock variety, whereas Nokia intends to ship its new flagship device(s) with an as-yet-unseen set of UI customizations collectively known as Harmattan. So we’re certainly not looking at anything close to a final hardware / software pairing, but we are looking at something.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Is this Nokia’s tablet-shaped MeeGo device?

Is this Nokia’s tablet-shaped MeeGo device? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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