Dec 13

Microsoft to demo new slate PCs, Windows 8 tablet functionality at CES?

Posted in: intel atom, IntelAtom, Microsoft, samsung, steve ballmer, tablets, Today's Chili, windows 7, windows 8, Windows7, Windows8
The CES 2010 Ballmernote has become something of a black mark for Microsoft — the company’s delivered almost nothing in the year after Steve demoed the HP Slate and talked about future Windows 7 Slate PCs — but as one would assume, Redmond’s expected to pick up right where it left off in just a few weeks at CES 2011. According to the New York Times, Microsoft’s prepping to explain how it will target the iPad with the help of a number of partners, including Samsung and Dell. While the article is quite vague, it looks like the keynote will include a few new tablet demos, including one of a new Samsung device that sports a “slick” slide out keyboard — we’d put money on that being the 10.1-inch Gloria. The Times says the Samsung tablet (not to be confused with the Samsung Galaxy Tab) will run some sort of software layer when “the keyboard is hiding and the device is held in portrait mode,” but Microsoft’s is also reportedly eschewing a central app store for native tablet apps and instead encouraging software companies to build HTML5 -based web apps. That certainly sounds a lot Google’s Chrome strategy (and a strategy that could backfire since HTML5 apps will work on Chrome OS devices and iPad equally well), but the Times‘ source didn’t know if these “apps” would be ready for CES as they are “still in production.”

As far as we can tell, a lot of this is still built upon Windows 7, but it’s also rumored that the Redmond gang will tease Windows 8 on stage — something that sounds extremely plausible to us, since we’ve heard from numerous sources that Microsoft’s real tablet strategy will rely on Windows 8 and a new all-touch interface that the company has been working incredibly hard on. While Windows 8 isn’t due out until the later half of 2011 / early 2012, Ballmer would do well to use his CES time to tell us about Microsoft’s “riskiest” product bet and finally do something to address Microsoft’s notable absence from the modern tablet market. Of course, nothing’s for sure, except for the fact that we’ll be there, providing live coverage of the entire thing.

Update: We’ve been thinking about it (as well as keeping an ear on our chatty Tweeps) and there’s also a chance that Microsoft could show off its own Windows 7 software layer for tablets. Either way, we’re hoping to get some major answers.

Microsoft to demo new slate PCs, Windows 8 tablet functionality at CES? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 10

Nexus S review

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, Google, GoogleAndroid, NeXus, nexus s, NexusS, nfc, review, samsung, Today's Chili

It can be difficult to review a phone like Google’s Nexus S in a world already populated by so many outstanding Android devices. Not only does the manufacturer of this phone make a series of handsets that are all essentially the same (the Galaxy S line), but countless other OEMs are cranking away on hardware for the platform. Of course, the Nexus S is a decidedly different phone altogether. Picking up where the company’s Nexus One left off, the S continues Google’s legacy of creating standalone, “pure Android” phone experiences, seemingly aimed less at the mainstream and more towards developers. Unlike the failed experiment of the Nexus One, Google appears to be taking a more realistic approach to the S; the phone will be sold through Best Buy (and Carphone Warehouse across the pond), which suggests that the company has bigger plans for this device.

And what a device it is — the Nexus S boasts a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4-inch, 800 x 480 curved Super AMOLED display (dubbed the Contour Display), 16GB of storage, a 5 megapixel rear and VGA front-facing camera, and near field communication capabilities. But hardware is only half the story here — the big news is that the Nexus S showcases the next major evolution of the Android OS, namely, Gingerbread (or version 2.3). The update comes with a slew of new features alongside some UI improvements that show Google isn’t slowing down when it comes to pushing its mobile operating system forward. So is the Nexus S a real standout in the Android world, or is it more of the “me too” tech we’ve seen lately? Read on after the break for the full Engadget review to find out!

Gallery: Nexus S review

Continue reading Nexus S review

Nexus S review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 09

Major tech manufacturers to drop VGA by 2015, Apple wonders what took ’em so long

Posted in: AMD, intel, lenovo, LG, PC, samsung, Today's Chili

A syndicate of consumer electronics titans including AMD, Dell, Intel, Lenovo, Samsung and LG announced this week that its products will collectively drop support for VGA by 2015. Saying sayonara to the 20+ year-old analog technology is pretty self explanatory to us in this day and age, but the council of doom apparently felt compelled to cite DisplayPort’s and HDMI’s benefits of increased energy efficiency, smaller size and support for higher-resolutions as proof the move wasn’t personal — just business. AMD plans to lead the charge by starting the VGA removal process in 2013 and even intends to go the extra mile by stripping DVI-I and low voltage differential signaling technology (LVDS) support too. We definitely side with AMD’s desire to focus on cutting edge standards like Displayport 1.2 and HDMI 1.4a sooner, but if plenty of lead time and “going green” excuses help everyone else involved in the sentencing sleep better at night, then so be it.

Continue reading Major tech manufacturers to drop VGA by 2015, Apple wonders what took ’em so long

Major tech manufacturers to drop VGA by 2015, Apple wonders what took ’em so long originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 10:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceIntel  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 09

Samsung undecided about Gingerbread on Galaxy S, Google says hardware needs ‘similar’ to Froyo

Posted in: Android, firmware, GalaxyS, gingerbread, Google, mobile os, MobileOs, os, samsung, Software, Today's Chili, update, upgrade

If the Nexus S is basically a Galaxy S in Gingerbread disguise, you’d think Samsung would be bursting at the seams to offer a software upgrade for all the phones it’s already sold from that family. Okay, you really wouldn’t, but you’d hope that would be the case, right? Well, Pocket-lint prodded Samsung on just that point and managed to finagle the following response from a local UK contact presumably speaking on behalf of the mothership:

“In case a new version of Android operating system is publicly announced and released, Samsung will review the possibility of implementation of such new version to the existing Samsung products with Android operating system (“Update”).

Such a review will be based on various factors including, without limitation, the overall effect of such Update to Samsung products, the system requirements, the structural limitations, and the level of cooperation from the component suppliers and the software licensors”.
Right, so the Gingerbread launch and that whole new handset that’s coming in a week’s time, not public enough? And what’s “the overall effect” of a Gingerbread update beyond a group of very happy users? Samsung seems to be matching its country-mate LG in taking an evaluative approach to Gingerbread, though Google’s own Android lead developer is pretty definitive about the software, saying that “Gingerbread hardware needs are similar to Froyo.” So if your handset can run version F, it should have no trouble handling version G… no trouble other than its own maker.

Update: And now, in typical Samsung fashion, we’re getting mixed messages as its Indian mobile arm has come out and confirmed that “Gingerbread will be available to Galaxy S users.” Thanks, Shrinikketh!

Continue reading Samsung undecided about Gingerbread on Galaxy S, Google says hardware needs ‘similar’ to Froyo

Samsung undecided about Gingerbread on Galaxy S, Google says hardware needs ‘similar’ to Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 04:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourcePocket-lint, @morrildl (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 08

Verizon sucks at Photoshop: the Continuum definitely can’t do this, we checked

Posted in: photoshop, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

Notice something missing from that Continuum there on Big Red’s home page? That’s right: if this were a real phone, there’d be an arbitrary black bar across the screen somewhere around the young lady’s midsection, followed by a “ticker” at the bottom… but instead, just as with the iOS-powered Droid X, they’ve once again exceeded the bounds of reality with a little help from Adobe products. Don’t get us wrong, the phone Verizon’s got up on its home page is the Continuum Verizon probably should’ve launched… but then they would’ve had to answer the burning question of why they released a slightly sexier, slimmer version of the Fascinate. It’s alright, though, guys — we’ve got your back — just follow the break for the corrected version. You’re welcome to use it!

Continue reading Verizon sucks at Photoshop: the Continuum definitely can’t do this, we checked

Verizon sucks at Photoshop: the Continuum definitely can’t do this, we checked originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 08

Boom! Samsung Sells 1 Million Galaxy Tabs

Posted in: samsung, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili

Samsung’s 7-inch tablet isn’t “dead on arrival” after all. In fact, Samsung has sold more than a million of them in less than two months.

Released in mid-October, the Galaxy Tab is the first serious contender to Apple’s iPad. It sports a 7-inch touchscreen and runs a modified version of Google’s Android operating system.

“I can confirm 1M Galaxy Tabs sold globally,” a Samsung spokeswoman said in an e-mail statement.

Holy moley. That’s not too far away from the iPad, which sold 1 million units in just 28 days. And it’s a number that should have Steve Jobs eating his hat after he ruthlessly derided 7-inch tablets during an earnings call.

“Seven-inch tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with the iPad,” Jobs said. “These are among the reasons that the current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA — dead on arrival.”

So much for that.

The Galaxy Tab’s hot sales show that the tablet category has plenty of room for competition and growth. 2010 was truly the year the tablet became mainstream after several flops in the past, thanks to the success of the iPad.

See Also:

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com


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Dec 08

Google’s big week: Nexus S, Honeycomb tablets, Chrome OS laptops, and eBooks to boot

Posted in: Android, Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, ebooks, gingerbread, Google, GoogleAndroid, honeycomb, maps, motorola, NeXus, nexus s, NexusS, nfc, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon, video, vzw

We gotta hand it to Google: if its goal was to own the technology news cycle for 48 hours, mission accomplished. The Mountain View-based company spent the first two days this week laying out pretty much every big announcement it possibly could: a new flagship phone coming next week (the Nexus S), a new Android build (2.3 Gingerbread), a preview of the next Android build (Honeycomb) on a never-before-seen Motorola tablet, the debut of its cloud-based laptop platform (Chrome OS) with hardware, and a giant plunge into the growing e-book market — and that isn’t everything. We’ve done our best to condense all the days’ highlights into something easier to digest, so read on for a recap on all things Google!

Continue reading Google’s big week: Nexus S, Honeycomb tablets, Chrome OS laptops, and eBooks to boot

Google’s big week: Nexus S, Honeycomb tablets, Chrome OS laptops, and eBooks to boot originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 08

Samsung Gloria to be a 10-inch Windows 7 tablet with slide-out keyboard?

Posted in: 10-inch, keyboard, leak, qwerty, rumor, samsung, slate, slider, speculation, tablet, Today's Chili, windows 7, Windows7

Like a netbook, only not. The latest thing to drop into our “crazy rumor” inbox is the Windows 7 tablet conceptualized above. Blogeee have it on the authority of two separate sources that Samsung is planning a 10-inch slate device dubbed Gloria, which would run Windows 7 and have a slide-out keyboard. What you see above is only a mockup of how this Gloria might appear — if she ever does appear at all — though we’re told it’ll include a Samsung software overlay to make Windows 7 that little bit more touch-friendly. We’ve yet to find any other corroboration for this beyond Blogeee‘s sources, so treat it as the unconfirmed bit of salacious info that it is, but if you must feel hopeful about the future, March and April are the months mentioned for a potential release.

Samsung Gloria to be a 10-inch Windows 7 tablet with slide-out keyboard? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBlogeee.net  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 08

Nexus S will drop Super AMOLED in favor of Super Clear LCD in Russia, maybe other territories too

Posted in: Android, Google, nexus s, NexusS, samsung, Today's Chili

The US and UK may be the only officially official markets for the Samsung-built Nexus S from Google, however Sammy’s Russian team has already dished out a few extra details on overseas availability. Penciling in a February 2011 launch for the Gingerbread flagship, the Russki guys point out that their version of the Nexus S will come with a 4-inch Super Clear LCD instead of the Super AMOLED panel adorning the English-speaking variants. This is most likely motivated by the still limited supply of S-AMOLED displays, though we wouldn’t fret too much — the Super Clear stuff has shown that it’s no slouch either. If anything, it’ll be the February release that has us grumbling our way through winter.

Nexus S will drop Super AMOLED in favor of Super Clear LCD in Russia, maybe other territories too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Samsung Hub, Unwired View  |  sourceSamsung Russia (LiveJournal)  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 07

Samsung’s SCH-LC11 CDMA / LTE mobile hotspot gets FCC approval, probably Verizon bound

Posted in: 4G, lte, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, wifi

We’ve heard rumors that Novatel is working on an LTE-enabled version of its MiFi for Verizon, likely for launch early next year — but you’ve got to figure that a few other manufacturers would like a slice of that sweet, juicy 4G pie, right? We just noticed this so-called SCH-LC11 from Samsung has garnered FCC approval, offering CDMA / EV-DO compatibility alongside 700MHz LTE stuffed into some sort of WiFi-enabled mobile router, which would be perfect for Big Red’s new network… but then again, it’d also be perfect for MetroPCS’ LTE airwaves. MetroPCS has yet to launch any data-centric LTE products, but it’s got a good relationship with Samsung — its only LTE device right now is the Samsung Craft, in fact — so we could definitely imagine the little guys trying to beat Verizon to the punch with a sexy, pocketable 4G hotspot to do battle with Sprint’s Overdrive. One way or another, this is hitting an American carrier… and the sooner, the better.

Update: Okay, we can rule out MetroPCS — the device is approved for CDMA on 850 / 1900MHz, not AWS, which is what MetroPCS uses. Verizon, here we come.

Samsung’s SCH-LC11 CDMA / LTE mobile hotspot gets FCC approval, probably Verizon bound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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