Hasta La Gadget!

Is the world’s next showstopping Gingerbread smartphone seriously coming from Huawei? The same company that shocked us all with the S7 Slim tablet (and pulled a similar stunt with the MediaPad) has just taken the wraps off of its newest handset in Beijing, and the curtly-titled Vision offers quite the stat sheet. While it still falls short of Samsung’s Galaxy S II and HTC’s EVO 3D in terms of raw horsepower, it’s still more than capable of holding its own. Within the unibody frame, you’ll find a 3.7-inch capacitive touchpanel, a five megapixel autofocus camera (with LED flash and 720p video recording), 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM 8255 processor and a 1,400mAh battery.

Moreover, there’s 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of ROM, a microSD slot capable of holding 32GB, and a micro-USB 2.0 socket to boot. Per usual, A-GPS, an FM radio tuner, proximity sensor and light sensor are thrown in, and for those with varying moods, you’ll likely appreciate the availability of silver, gold and charcoal back covers. The chassis measures 9.9 millimeters at its thinnest point while weighing 121 grams, which Huawei curiously points out is “less than a bottle of perfume or aftershave.” We’re told that it’s loaded with a “3D interface,” but given that we’re not hearing anything about a “3D display,” it’s probably little more than spruced-up 2D. We’re still waiting to hear back on a price, but “select markets” can look for it to land in September.

Continue reading Huawei Vision smartphone: Android 2.3, 1GHz CPU, unibody construction

Huawei Vision smartphone: Android 2.3, 1GHz CPU, unibody construction originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not too long ago, things were pretty simple in T-Mobile’s Android land. For us (the nerds, geeks, power users, early adopters, and other misbegotten social deviants) there was the G series of phones with plain Android, culminating recently with LG’s delightful G2x. If you wanted to buy your mom an Android smartphone, you’d point her at the myTouch series of handsets with custom HTC Sense-based skins, like last winter’s myTouch 4G. Life got a bit more complicated with the introduction of LG’s Optimus T, Samsung’s Galaxy S 4G, and other devices that don’t neatly fit into the carrier’s grand branding scheme. Well, fear not! T-Mobile and HTC went ahead and refreshed last summer’s lovely myTouch 3G Slide with a dash of dual-core tech lifted right from HTC’s Sensation flagship and a bespoke 8 megapixel shooter said to be “the most advanced camera of any smartphone”. Those are fighting words… so does the myTouch 4G Slide (as it’s called) beat the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy S II, Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc, and Nokia’s N8 in terms of imaging performance? Is the sliding keyboard as pleasant to use as its predecessor? And most importantly, is this your mom’s next phone? Read on for our full review.

Continue reading T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide review

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyocera may have jumped the gun yesterday with word of the Echo’s Gingerbread destiny, but today those Android 2.3.4 goods have been made official. Rolling out to users in the next few weeks, the OTA update adds Google’s latest OS refinements to the dual-screened phone, as well as a new Downloads app, Swype 3.0 and power-saving Eco Mode. Impatient owners can always forego the wait for a carrier-pushed upgrade and pull it themselves, but a word of caution: commenters over on AndroidCentral’s forums are claiming this update bricks phones. We’ve reached out to Sprint for comment on the matter and while the company is aware of the issue, no official statement has been made. So, go ahead and start downloading, or not?

Update: We’ve confirmed with Sprint that there is indeed an issue, and that its product team is “troubleshooting the issue and [has] suspended the update until further notice.” Here’s hoping things get going soon, with the sailing being a bit smoother the second go ’round.

Kyocera Echo Gingerbread update now rolling out, may brick (update: rollout pause) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Um, okay? Hot on the heels of rumors that Kyocera’s Echo would see its first major Android update on August 1st, in flies an updated page over at the company’s own website detailing the impending changes. Unless someone at Kyocera’s pulling a fast one, it looks as if the imminent Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) update will bring a downright staggering list of new features, making an already unique handset capable of even rarer feats. Interest piqued? We’re told that the refresh will provide pinch-to-zoom support in the browser, gallery, Maps and Sprint Navigation, an improved downloads app and an upgrade to the Swype 3.0 virtual keypad, with Tap Correction and Horizontal Word Choice list.

But that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg — the real kicker is the addition of “internet calling over WiFi” as well as “an NFC reader to interact with posters, advertisements, products, etc.” You heard right, WiFi calling and a previously unmentioned NFC chip — hopefully of the UMA variety, rather than just SIP. As of now, the only major US carrier to support WiFi calling is T-Mobile, and neither Sprint nor Kyocera have mentioned any secretive Near Field Communications module to us. The luckiest of the early adopters should see their over-the-air update swing through as soon as a half-hour, so be sure to let us know if this all proves true in comments below. Naturally, we’ll be watching for the update on our own set and updating accordingly.

Update: Bah, humbug! A Kyocera rep contacted Brief Mobile and explained that the feature page shown here went up prematurely, and that the WiFi calling and NFC support in particular weren’t supposed to be listed. Consider our hopes dashed, and our dreams crushed.

[Thanks, Brain_ReCall]

Kyocera Echo Gingerbread update bringing WiFi calling, NFC support? (update: sadly not) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini measures up to FCC scrutiny originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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