Hasta La Gadget!

Remember this scandalous little leak from back in June? It looks to have been validated today, as imagery of Nokia’s MeeGo (or is it Symbian^4?)-powered N9 QWERTY slider has emerged over in China. As usual with these things, we can’t be certain that this device is in fact part of Nokia’s roadmap and not just another creative hardware emulation, but it sure seems to have our old buddy Eldar Murtazin convinced. Seeing it with clear N9 branding, we can now say that the previously unknown Nokia slider was more likely the N8-01, a keyboard-equipped version of the (still) upcoming N8. The source of this N9 leak reports that it’s not in its final retail shape, as it doesn’t match up to “the latest drawings,” but is apparently planned for a release in the 48th week (i.e. beginning of December) of this year. The prototype, built in Finland, is said to have an entirely metallic construction (more aluminum would be our guess), with only the keyboard buttons, USB cover, and a few decorative parts being plastic. See more of it, including a thorough teardown, in the gallery below.

Update: A friendly mole of ours ran this handset’s serial number through an internal Nokia system and has confirmed it as a Nokia prototype. He was also able to uncover an RM-680 product type classification (further distancing this from the RM-626 slider) and a 0595571 product code. Add those to the “Prototype Build B2” and “Property of Nokia” labeling inside the phone’s battery compartment, and you’ve got yourself a very strong candidate for the real deal here.

Update 2: A closer look at the display reveals that this is running something that bears a heavy resemblance to the MeeGo screens we’ve seen so far — and if you run the product code through Google, you see some Maemo 6-related bug tracking results, which of course has since become MeeGo. Good stuff, eh? Thanks, Sockatume!

Continue reading Nokia’s QWERTY-slidin’ N9 shows up in the wilds of China (update: running MeeGo!)

Nokia’s QWERTY-slidin’ N9 shows up in the wilds of China (update: running MeeGo!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Eldar Murtazin  |  Baidu  | Email this | Comments

It’s not expected to land at Verizon until sometime in 2011, but it’s never too early to take a look at an unannounced Android slider with specs like this. Leaked by Androidswag, the device is purportedly hiding a 1.2GHz processor (would that be dual-core?) beneath that 4-inch display — the sweet spot for size and pocketability. The prototype pictured above was apparently sporting a Vodafone SIM card making this a pretty bodacious CDMA / GSM worldphone by the time it lands for retail. Of course, anything, or everything, could change by the time this pup is ready for launch and we’ll be here covering every step of its journey. Two more shots after the break including a size comparison with the EVO 4G — a few more at the source link below.

Continue reading HTC’s dual-mode CDMA / GSM Android slider with 1.2GHz CPU headed to Verizon in 2011?

HTC’s dual-mode CDMA / GSM Android slider with 1.2GHz CPU headed to Verizon in 2011? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android Guys  | Email this | Comments

When we began our review of the BlackBerry Torch (aka the Bold 9800), our hearts were all aflutter. The leaked shots we’d been seeing of some kind of Palm Pre-esque RIM slider were different and frankly weird enough to cause a kind of low hum gadget lust. Furthermore, although no one on the Engadget team was blown away by what the company had shown us in recent BlackBerry OS 6 demo videos, the promise of a substantially revamped UI and new, Webkit-powered browser certainly got us interested. Even if Research in Motion had been slipping on its once-unassailable smartphone game, there was a sentiment amongst the team that the opportunity for a return to innovative, industry-driving design was wide open for the Canadian company. So when we got our very own Torch to play with, we were understandably excited. A new OS, a new form-factor (completely new for RIM), and from what we could tell, a new outlook from the company about where it wanted to target this product: namely, the average consumer. A great story in the making, no? But it’s a fiercely competitive market out there, with devices like the EVO 4G, iPhone 4, and Galaxy S line all vying for the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of the buyer. Can the BlackBerry Torch pick up where hugely successful models like the Curve and Bold have left off? Or is the new phone too little and too late in an industry where technology advances not by tiny step but leaps and bounds? Get the answer to that question — and many, many more — in the full Engadget review below!

Continue reading BlackBerry Torch review

BlackBerry Torch review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Now that the SlingLoaded ViP922 DVR is actually available from Dish Network it’s ready to offer more features from the Sling Mobile side of the menu, with plans to add free live TV (or recorded DVR program) streaming to its own mobile apps. Right now, the iPhone and recently released iPad app (Android version due in October) just let the devices control the box and view listings information, but after an update in September it will offer similar functionality to the $29.99 SlingPlayer Mobile, minus all the IR blasters and potential compatibility issues. The best part? According to the Associated Press all this comes at no extra cost to Dish subscribers, other than the fee for the new DVR or broadband connected 612, 622, 722 and 722k set-tops hooked up to a Slingbox.

Dish Network to offer live TV streaming on its free mobile apps next month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Associated Press  | Email this | Comments

BlackBerry 9800 slider for AT&T slips through FCC: ready for 11AM announcement originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 05:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  FCC  | Email this | Comments