Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 official: Tegra 2, Honeycomb, dual cameras (hands-on with video)

Geez, it’s been a long weekend of almost incessant Galaxy Tab II teasing, but the time has come: Samsung’s finally releasing the official details of its 10.1-inch, Android Honeycomb tablet to the world. Contrary to the leaks, the tablet is called the Galaxy Tab 10.1 — grabbing its moniker from the screen size, obviously — and like the rest of the upcoming Android 3.0 tablets it’s powered by a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, will be available with 16GB or 32GB of storage, and has a front-facing 2 megapixel camera as well as a 8 megapixel imager around back. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but we’ve got the nitty-gritty too — find specs, full impressions and even some video of the slate in action after the break! Oh, and don’t forget to stop by the galleries below to see the new Tab 10.1 up close and then face off with Sammy’s original Tab, not to mention the Apple iPad.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 official: Tegra 2, Honeycomb, dual cameras (hands-on with video)

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 official: Tegra 2, Honeycomb, dual cameras (hands-on with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

LG Optimus 2X review

The world cried out for a dual-core smartphone and LG and NVIDIA answered the call. Actually, the world only ever dreamt about multicore mobile architectures up until late last year, but sometimes that’s all it takes to get those zany engineers engineering. So here we are, in early February 2011, beholding the world’s first smartphone built around a dual-core processor, the Optimus 2X. This is a landmark handset in more ways than one, however, as its presence on the market signals LG’s first sincere foray into the Android high end. Although the company delivered two thoroughly competent devices for the platform with the Optimus S and T in 2010, they were the very definition of mid-range smartphones and the truth is that Samsung, HTC and Motorola were left to fight among themselves for the most demanding Android users’ hard-earned rubles. So now that LG’s joined their ranks, was the wait worth it?

Continue reading LG Optimus 2X review

LG Optimus 2X review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Notion Ink Adam hits the FCC, torn apart in haste

Although Rohan told us that his Adam tablet had cleared FCC testing a few weeks ago, it’s not until today, just now actually, that we’ve seen the filing go public. For our troubles the FCC has done us the solid of a full-blown teardown. And honestly, it’s not pretty. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to see so many hand-soldered connections and individual strands of wire encompassing the NVIDIA Tegra T20-H-A0 application processor and embedded Ericsson F3307 HSPA broadband module — it is, after all, the tiny startup’s first mass-market device. But we’ve borne witness to many a splayings including the tidy tablet teardowns of the iPad and Galaxy Tab. As such, the Adam comes across as a bedraggled mess of suspect build quality — great for modders, less great (potentially) for the average I-just-want-it-to-work consumer. Naturally, NI doesn’t have the design or manufacturing muscle of Apple or Samsung and with the tablet having only just now shipped it’ll be months before we have a good idea about the device’s integrity. So kick back for now with a few of the more egregious components (like the swiveling camera) after the break with the rest piled up in the gallery below.

Continue reading Notion Ink Adam hits the FCC, torn apart in haste

Notion Ink Adam hits the FCC, torn apart in haste originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Motorola will enable Atrix 4G’s 1080p video recording in post-launch software update

The software on Motorola’s upcoming Atrix 4G has already been subject to some stern (and premature) scrutiny, but here’s some rather more concrete information about it, courtesy of the company’s own spec page for the device. As it turns out, Moto intends to launch the Atrix with some of its hardware capabilities clipped — specifically its Tegra 2-derived power to encode 1080p content — but will deliver them to users in an update (hopefully soon) thereafter. LG’s Optimus 2X, which is built around the same dual-core chip from NVIDIA, has been spending its time before launch showing off exactly what those 1080p encoding skills can deliver — both with video recording and through its HDMI connection — so it’ll be a downer for Moto fans to learn that their hallowed new superphone won’t be able to match up at launch. Then again, when we think about how often phone makers fail to tap the full potential of their hardware, maybe we should just be happy that 1080p abilities are coming to the Atrix at all, eh?

[Thanks, Mr. techcrunch]

Motorola will enable Atrix 4G’s 1080p video recording in post-launch software update originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMotorola  | Email this | Comments

1.2GHz Tegra 2 3D chips suggested by leaked slide, coming ‘spring 2011’

Darn, we’ve barely started getting acquainted with Tegra 2, yet NVIDIA seems to already be preparing the stage for a sort of Tegra 2.5 — a 1.2GHz dual-core chip that’ll be marketed as a 3D-capable mobile processor. This T25 silicon is apparently set for mass production in the first quarter of this year, with availability coming up in the spring. Given the noises we keep hearing about 3D going mobile, this is one rumor that makes a lot of sense — and even if you’re a staunch supporter of the 2D creed, you can’t deny that a sped-up Tegra 2 CPU sounds pretty delicious. We’ve managed to also track down some technical chatter about adding support to Chromium OS for a 1.2GHz T25 from NVIDIA, seemingly corroborating the leaked image above. Oh boy, it’s gonna be a hot summer for mobile computing this year!

1.2GHz Tegra 2 3D chips suggested by leaked slide, coming ‘spring 2011’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechEye  | Email this | Comments

Audi gets on the LTE bus, wants to make infotainment more modular

Audi gets on the LTE bus, wants to make infotainment more modular

Another automaker getting on the bus with 4G? Yes, it’s Audi, who doesn’t actually make busses but is the latest to announce its LTE intentions, though not exactly what it intends to do with it. Mobile SkypeHD video calling? They wouldn’t be the first. Audi has also indicated that its 2009 partnership with Elektrobit, dubbed e.solutions, is coming to fruition. The result is a way to build a layer of abstraction between the car and the hardware running the infotainment system. Currently Audi is down with NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 but obviously that’s not going to be the new hotness forever, the idea being that users could swap out units at their dealers whenever they want a taste of what’s new and good. You know how you pulled the factory head unit and its big, scratched up knobs out of your ride in ’96 and threw in that Clarion unit with all the blinkenlights? Like that — but probably a lot more expensive.

Audi gets on the LTE bus, wants to make infotainment more modular originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTranslogic  | Email this | Comments

NVIDIA and Fujitsu Ten’s Android Car Nav hands-on (video)

NVIDIA and FujitsuTEN's Android Car Nav hands-on (video)

We’re seeing a few companies mixing a little Android on the dashboard, most notably Parrot, and while we think the little green guy certainly has a future in next-gen infotainment systems, we’re not quite sure this is it. It’s a prototype display, running on Tegra power and developed in conjunction with Fujitsu Ten. Right now it’s offering little more functionality than a raw Android tablet, made more car-friendly only by the addition of big home, back, and menu buttons. The UI is showing only a simple maps app, centered in Tokyo, and overall things look… early. But, we’re certainly eager to see what the companies can do with Android on the dash — down the road a little.

Continue reading NVIDIA and Fujitsu Ten’s Android Car Nav hands-on (video)

NVIDIA and Fujitsu Ten’s Android Car Nav hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Next-generation Audi MMI Touch dashboard with NVIDIA Tegra-power hands-on (video)

Next-generation Audi MMI Touch dashboard with NVIDIA Tegra-power hands-on (video)

Wishing you could get a little closer to that next-generation Audi MMI Touch interface we saw yesterday, the one we’re expecting to debut on the A3? Well, you can’t — unless you’re at CES, anyway, in which case you can find it chilling out in the NVIDIA booth waiting for you to go play with it. We did, getting a feel for all the lovely things that Audi is doing with the power of its Tegra chipset. It has decidedly limited functionality at this point, but it’s certainly enough to give you an idea of what dashboards in 2012 are going to look like, which is way closer to Gran Turismo 5 than we’d have imagined, like a fly-around tire pressure display with a real-time 3D view of the car. Check out the video below and see for yourself.

Continue reading Next-generation Audi MMI Touch dashboard with NVIDIA Tegra-power hands-on (video)

Next-generation Audi MMI Touch dashboard with NVIDIA Tegra-power hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

NVIDIA shows us Tegra 2 gameplay on Atrix 4G and Optimus 2X (video)

We can’t imagine how this might have slipped your attention, but LG and Motorola used this year’s CES to roll out the smartphone world’s first dual-core devices in the shape of the Atrix 4G and Optimus 2X. Both are built around NVIDIA’s 1GHz Tegra 2 chip, which has been the most popular thing out here in Vegas after the free food and shuttle rides (Moto even has the Droid Bionic, a 4.3-incher bound for Verizon, using it). But what does that extra core matter to you? Well, aside from facilitating 1080p video playback on both phones, it does make them quite formidable mobile gaming stations. NVIDIA took the time to show us a couple of games being handled with ease by the 2X and Atrix before noting that it isn’t leaving it entirely up to Google to provide the compelling content for its hardware. Gaming is, after all, close to the GeForce maker’s heart, and we were told that NVIDIA is working closely with developers to help them exploit the added firepower of Tegra 2 so as to deliver prettier, shinier things on screen. We were also informed of the introduction of a Tegra Zone, an Android app designed to serve as a showcase of Tegra partners’ wares, whether they be video or gaming content, though you shouldn’t fear the specter of fragmentation here — it’s not a separate app store, any purchases will be directed through the Android Market. Anyhow, enough talking, there’s video to be watched after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA shows us Tegra 2 gameplay on Atrix 4G and Optimus 2X (video)

NVIDIA shows us Tegra 2 gameplay on Atrix 4G and Optimus 2X (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Tesla Model S is bundled up at CES, we unwrap it (video)

Tesla Model S is bundled up at CES, we unwrap it (video)

We’ll get this out of the way up front: no, we didn’t get to drive it. In fact we didn’t even get to sit in its creamy white seats, a tragedy that we’re still a little sensitive about. But we did get to open the door of the Tesla Model S, testing out the trick powered door handles that motor themselves out after a touch and then, when the door is closed, zip back flush to the sheet metal. It’s a nice detail, one that we think would probably lose its ability to inspire wonder after about a week. But, for now, it’s cool. Check out a video of that and other details below.

Continue reading Tesla Model S is bundled up at CES, we unwrap it (video)

Tesla Model S is bundled up at CES, we unwrap it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments