Hasta La Gadget!

We’re living in the post-smartphone world, where restaurant reviews and silly time-wasting games are never more than a fingerprint away, and now it’s hard to see us as anything but tippy-toeing into the smartcar revolution. While there are plenty of competing implementations out there, Nokia seems to be doing the best at unifying the playing field, announcing a partnership with Clarion to bring its Terminal Mode infotainment integration to yet another major brand. This follows on deals with Alpine, Harman, and nearly every major European auto manufacturer. That’s a lot of partnerships, but as of now no actual products, leaving us feeling a bit indifferent about the whole thing — for the moment at least.

Continue reading Clarion joins Nokia’s Terminal Mode movement for the greater infotainment good

Clarion joins Nokia’s Terminal Mode movement for the greater infotainment good originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consider this: you may have an Android phone with a front-facing camera, and so do your distant loved ones (yes, friends count too). Now slap that free IM app Fring onto your phone, and the once-dormant chat camera shall finally come to life — right now only the Streak and EVO 4G are supported, whereas the others (like the X10) will have to rely on their main cameras. Still, Fring also supports dual-camera Symbian devices plus Skype video calls to and from computers, and since it isn’t locked down to any particular connection method, users with unlimited data allowance get to make free 3G video calls! Take that, FaceTime. Read on to watch our very own transatlantic banter.

Continue reading 3G video call on Fring for Android: bringing HTC EVO 4G and Dell Streak together (hands-on)

3G video call on Fring for Android: bringing HTC EVO 4G and Dell Streak together (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jumpin’ Jehosaphat! Just when you thought America’s first 4G phone couldn’t get any hotter, along comes this: a striking white version of the HTC EVO 4G (so much for that unavailable white iPhone 4, eh?). We’ve received confirmation that this here handset will be sold exclusively through Best Buy (as in, don’t even bother heading to your local Sprint store), with the official launch date set for July 11th. We’re told that Sprint will eventually gain access on August 8th, with other retailers snapping it up in September. If you somehow managed to hold off on snagging the existing black EVO 4G, you can get your pre-order in starting on June 18th — yeah, today, Junior! We’re assuming the price will remain at $199.99 on a 2-year contract, but be sure to drop us a line if you wander in and find out otherwise.

Update: And it’s official; the presser is after the break confirming the same $199.99-on-a-2-year-contract price as well as the dates mentioned already.

Update 2: Turns out this thing was around way back at Google I/O! Head on past the break and mash play — that’s definitely a white-backed EVO 4G on stage. Thanks, Omar!

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading White HTC EVO 4G coming exclusively to Best Buy on July 11th, pre-orders start today

White HTC EVO 4G coming exclusively to Best Buy on July 11th, pre-orders start today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s sort of hard to believe, but AT&T finally has an Android phone worth paying attention to. Mind you, the AT&T compatible Nexus One is easily the best Googlephone on America’s largest GSM operator, but this is the first one that the company has bothered to brand and sell on a subsidized plan within its own stores. Pundits could argue the reasons why forever, but considering that the carrier’s doing all it can just to keep up with the demand for iPhones, it’s hard to imagine that AT&T has been longing to pursue Android with reckless abandon. Believe it or not, it’s been over 1.5 years since T-Mobile gave the world the first taste of a mobile OS that would soon rival (and surpass) the other options already on the table, but outside of the forgettable Backflip (and the nowhere-to-be-found Aero), there’s been no Android to speak of on AT&T. HTC has somehow managed to break down the blue and orange walls, piercing the heart of a hardened operator and squeezing a delightful mid-range Android smartphone into a lineup that’s about to be monumentally overshadowed by the iPhone 4. So, is the HTC Aria worth the $129.99 that you’ll be forced to pay on a 2-year agreement when it ships on June 20th? Read on to find out.

Continue reading HTC Aria review

HTC Aria review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Um… okay? In what’s easily one of the most curious product introductions of the year (in terms of method, not design), AT&T has seemingly just made official the first not-awful Android device to be sold in subsidized fashion for its network. ‘Course, those who don’t mind ponying up for an out-of-contract phone have been able to to pick up an AT&T-compatible Nexus One for a few months now, but contract lovers have been stuck with the Motorola Backflip and the promise of Dell’s admittedly underwhelming Aero. Dante Martin, a product manager at the carrier, has followed up on a prior video with a confirmation that the HTC Aria is indeed “launching on AT&T,” though he gives precisely no specifications in his address posted after the break. All we know is that the phone will most certainly ship with Sense and an optical trackball, but mum’s the word on a price or release. For now, anyway. Here’s hoping this is just the beginning — AT&T needs a decent dose of Android in the worst possible way.

[Thanks, Travis]

Update: Ah, and here’s the official presser. It’s a mid-range phone with Android 2.1, a five megapixel camera, 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchpanel, inbuilt WiFi and support for 7.2Mbps HSPA. There’s also a soft-touch back and a total weight of around four ounces, and AT&T says this one will be available on June 20th nationwide for $129.99 on a two-year contract (after $100 mail-in rebate, of course). As for specs? There’s a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM 7227 processor, proximity sensor, integrated GPS, a digital compass, light sensor, 512MB ROM / 384MB RAM, a microSD card slot (2GB included) and a 1,200mAh battery good for up to six hours of yapping.

Continue reading HTC Aria goes official for AT&T, gets toyed with on video (update: $130, coming June 20)

HTC Aria goes official for AT&T, gets toyed with on video (update: $130, coming June 20) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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