Hasta La Gadget!

Remember those eccentric ASUS Android tablets at CES? Yeah, it’s all a bit of a blur for us as well, but turns out both the Eee Pad Transformer and Slider prototypes just made it to the BETT (British Educational Training and Technology) Show in London this morning, so we decided to wander along to get our hands dirty again. Sadly, the Transformer had a bit of a rough ride from Vegas and remained dormant, but we were still able to admire its sturdy keyboard dock with great key press travel. And in case you’ve forgotten, said dock is also an external battery that doubles the juice up to 16 hours. UK shoppers will see this slate popping up in the stores around May or June for £379 ($597), and its docking kit for £100 ($158).

We were more fortunate with the functioning Slider prototype, even though it had the same sliding issue we saw at CES. But fear not, as we were told that the engineers are already reworking the mechanism, and here’s hoping that they’ll do something about the flexing keyboard as well. As for software, we didn’t have time to test everything, but we were surprised by the general snappiness of the current Froyo test build. And speaking of which, we’re not too sure what the plan is with ASUS’ Android roadmap — even though we were told at CES that Honeycomb will be on these tablets at launch, the folks we met today said that they’ll be shipped with Gingerbread instead; and even then, there’s no time frame for the 3.0 upgrade just yet. Anyhow, this is less of a concern for the Slider given its July or August launch, but it’ll cost you a hefty £429 ($676).

Additionally, both tablets will see their 3G variants in the UK a quarter after their respective launches, but regardless, it’s never too soon to start a petition for your carrier to spread the ASUS tablet fever.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and Slider: another look originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last we heard of the HTC 7 Pro, it was taking a casual stroll through O2 Germany’s website, throwing around boasts that it’ll be on sale come January 2011. Well, guess what? That promise has just been reiterated by O2’s German Twitter stream, which says that the 7 Pro will be on sale next week for an unsubsidized price of €569 ($735). That’s available via O2’s usual MyHandy payment plan, where you dish out €29 in advance and then pay off the phone in equal monthly payments over two years. We can’t imagine HTC leaving the rest of the world sitting idly by, twiddling their QWERTY keyboard-loving thumbs, so look out for this WP7 handset to filter through to your local market some time soon.

[Thanks, Mario]

Continue reading HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany ‘next week,’ priced at €569

HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany ‘next week,’ priced at €569 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just played with ASUS whole new tablet lineup, which is truly impressive not only in scope, but also for the fact that ASUS didn’t just pick a few capacitive screen sizes and call it a day. Each of the four tablets (three Android-based Eee Pads and one Windows-based Eee Slate) has its own “twist” on what’s come to seem traditional in modern day tablets, while also maintaining significant hardware and screen quality. We’re not crazy about the ‘MyWave’ ASUS software skin on its Android models, but they at least seem serious about providing UI and apps for the entire experience — they’re not kidding around, is what we’re saying.

We’ve got a ton of pictures and impressions, so follow after the break as we break it all down!

Update: We’ve added video as well. You’d be a fool not to click.

Continue reading ASUS tablet lineup preview: Slider, Transformer, MeMO, and Slate EP121 go wild (with video!)

ASUS tablet lineup preview: Slider, Transformer, MeMO, and Slate EP121 go wild (with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QWERTY fans, rejoice: at this point, we’re pretty sure this thing’s getting announced this week, seeing how it’s out and about in retail packaging. Here’s Sprint’s EVO Shift 4G in all its in-the-wild glory — and yes, it turns out it’s definitely called the EVO Shift 4G, not the EVO 4G Shift, since we’ve got the name spelled out on the official branded box here. As a refresher, this phone’s shaping up to be the EVO 4G’s keyboard-equipped cousin, albeit with a lower-res camera (5 megapixels), a smaller display, and — seemingly — no front camera. For some, that could be an acceptable tradeoff… and it’s conceivable that we’ll see it on sale within a few days considering the flurry of retail leaks we’ve witnessed. Check out all the juicy shots below.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

HTC EVO Shift 4G in the wild! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC’s worst kept secret (this side of the Thunderbolt) has popped up online again, this time as part of some RadioShack promo materials, which list its price, launch date, 4G capabilities, and screen size. Earlier indications had this Android slider launching on January 9th at a $150 price point with a two-year contract and now, lo and behold, both data points seem to have been confirmed. $450 is the price for the EVO Shift 4G sans any carrier obligations, though you’ll probably want to stick with Sprint to make use of that WiMAX radio contained within. Bring on 2011 already!

HTC EVO Shift 4G headed for a January 9th launch at $150, according to RadioShack leak originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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