Hasta La Gadget!

Lest all the paper-based leaks weren’t sufficient evidence for you, we’ve now got ourselves an insider at one of Verizon’s brick-and-mortar outlets informing us that Fascinate launch kits are being distributed. VZW is said to be training up its staff (presumably that involves more than just pointing out where the above puzzle piece should go) and the whole thing’s looking “right on track” for the mooted early September launch. So that basically gives us about a week’s time to kill with 21:9 HDTVs, 3D prototypes, slinky tablets, and whatever else we can find at IFA. We might just be able to manage it.

Samsung Fascinate arriving in Verizon stores, early September launch seems a given originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen these kinds of Verizon launch decks before, so we tend to believe the September 8 date we’re seeing for the Fascinate here is legit — granted, Wednesday is an odd day to launch a phone, but not a lot weirder than the Thursday, September 9 date we’d had before. Either way, it’s looking like a sure thing that we’re going to see this on shelves come next week, completing Sammy’s impressive four-way coup to get its high-end Galaxy S line launched on all of the US nationals. Like the Droid 2 and Droid X, the Fascinate will feature Blockbuster Mobile to let you download full-length movies on the go — in other words, that’s a feature that won’t be a Droid brand exclusive — and Bing search will be installed out of the box, giving Microsoft a fun little foothold in Google’s kingdom. So, who’s buying? And while we’re on the subject, why isn’t this thing called the “Droid Fascinate?”

[Thanks, Bryan]

Samsung Fascinate launching on September 8? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d reported before our belief that the rumored Droid Pro is nothing more than the dual-mode version of the Droid 2, but the question remained: knowing that the Droid 2 has a model code of A955, what the heck is the difference between the model codes A956 and A957 that have been showing up in Verizon’s systems? Looks like we might have some clarification on that question this afternoon thanks to a new shot clearly calling out the A957 as the R2-D2 version of the Droid 2 that’s launching late next month. What does that mean? Well, it means that if the Droid Pro is a separate product with insane specs, it hasn’t shown up in any screen shots and we don’t have a model code for it. Our original tipster was pretty insistent that Verizon didn’t have any product on its 2010 phone roadmap with crazier specs than the Droid X — and besting it inside of six months would seem like an awful business move anyway — so now, the only question seems to be whether Big Red will go with the “Droid 2 World Edition” or “Droid Pro” branding when this thing launches in the coming weeks.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Droid Pro is the global Droid 2: the evidence grows originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The very first line of the forum post on xda-developers says it best — proceed at your own risk — but if you’ve been kept up at night waiting for root to be gained on Verizon’s recently-released Droid 2, it looks like your day has come. The process involves tethering up to your PC and transferring a couple binaries, but seems straightforward enough and should open the door to surcharge-free tethering and other apps that require root access. We’ve no doubt Motorola will be looking to patch this up with the next OTA push, of course, so update carefully from here on out.

[Thanks, Jonathan]

Droid 2 root method finds its way online originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve learned from a source close to the situation that the rumored global version of the Droid 2 with GSM and CDMA radios is actually the same phone as the also-rumored Droid Pro — although Verizon apparently has a tendency to fiddle with branding right up until the last minute, so the retail name could still change. It’s identical to the current Droid 2 in every way except for the fact that it houses a GSM / HSPA radio for global roaming, though we’re not able to confirm previous rumors that it’ll be available in a white version; presumably, you’ll pay a bit more than the Droid 2’s $200 on contract for the privilege of being able to take your buddy overseas. Barring any last-minute delays, we should see it launch within weeks.

If you’re sick and tired of Motorolas, let’s switch gears a bit and talk about the follow-up to LG’s enV Touch. Interestingly, LG will be switching from a proprietary featurephone platform to Android for this one — called the enV Touch 2 — and will give it dual touchscreens: one on the outside, and another on the inside for when you flip open the clamshell. As you might expect for an enV-branded device, there’s also a full QWERTY keyboard. It’s currently running Android 2.1, though it’s not clear whether that’ll be upgraded to 2.2 by the time we see a release toward the holidays. It’s said to be pretty big and heavy, which could be a disadvantage for some — but on the flipside, it’s apparently a global device, so that’s a plus. enVs historically haven’t been the most exciting things in Verizon’s stable, but we’ll admit, we’re curious to see this one get fleshed out.

Update: A tipster has written in to point out that the Droid 2 and Droid Pro are showing as two different devices in Verizon’s inventory system, model numbers A956 and A957, respectively; our original source is adamant, though, that they’re the same device, so we’ll need to wait to see how this pans out. As we mentioned, Droid Pro isn’t necessarily the go-to-market name for the phone, but it is the name being tossed around internally right now for the device that we know as the Droid 2 with global roaming.

Exclusive: Droid Pro is the global version of the Droid 2, LG enV Touch 2 will be Android-powered originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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