Hasta La Gadget!

Slip on your fine silk smoking jacket and light up a victory cigar US Android fans, the latest comScore numbers are out for the three-month period ending in May 2010. The most notable trend spotted was a 4 point (up from 9.0% to 13.0%) quarterly increase in Google’s Android market share as all other smartphone OS subscribers declined. ComScore also saw Motorola’s slide continue, slipping behind LG now for a third place US finish as Samsung continued to bolster its dominant position. Expect the numbers to be jostled a bit next quarter when Apple’s iPhone 4 numbers are factored in. Just don’t expect to see the Android numbers suffer, especially with the Samsung Galaxy S launching on all the major US carriers before the quarter is done.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

ComScore: Android grows US smartphone market share as all others decline originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still clinging on to your HTC HD2? Good on ya, cos this WinMo slate’s about to last you a wee bit longer — team HTC Linux has recently made a breakthrough with getting the touchscreen to talk to the HaRET Linux bootloader. In other words, us mere mortals can finally use Linux variants like Android and Ubuntu on the HD2 the way it’s meant to be, although we’re apparently still a few bugs away from a stable release. Until then, enjoy the techno-fueled video demo after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading HTC HD2 caught running Android 2.1 and Ubuntu with touchscreen enabled (video)

HTC HD2 caught running Android 2.1 and Ubuntu with touchscreen enabled (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Throughout the course of Windows Phone 7’s paced, deliberate unveiling this year, Microsoft has been very clear on the fact that it doesn’t intend for Windows Mobile — the legacy platform we know today — to disappear, arguing that it’s got several years of life left in it for certain verticals. We’re starting to see that philosophy play out today with the introduction of Windows Embedded Handheld, which is essentially a warmed-over version of WinMo 6.5.3 with some key UI and enterprise-focused enhancements. Microsoft is specifically calling out an “extended support life-cycle” for the platform, a sign that these phones aren’t for the gotta-have-it crowd — instead, the company intends to push these things through corporate fleets where Windows Mobile has traditionally dominated, places where Windows Phone’s flashy stylings and locked-down underpinnings won’t have the same draw.

To that end, Motorola has announced the ES400 as Windows Embedded Handheld’s inaugural device, a rugged smartphone with a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7627 core, resistive VGA touchscreen, fingerprint scanner, and a trick 3.5G radio that can be user-switched between GSM and CDMA. Naturally, you’re not going to see this on carrier shelves, but the ES400 is being pushed as a solid option for field sales and service, healthcare, and retail use — so if you’re working in any of those fields, you might have a harder time shaking off the last remnants of WinMo than you ever imagined. Follow the break for Microsoft’s press release.

Continue reading Microsoft outs Windows Embedded Handheld platform, Motorola ES400 is the first to get it

Microsoft outs Windows Embedded Handheld platform, Motorola ES400 is the first to get it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Conflipper is a regular in the underworld of HTC ROM cooking. So when he tweets about unreleased devices and their respective carrier support you really outta listen. First up is the HTC Scorpion (aka, Olympian) which he claims is going to Verizon and Bell Mobility — a device previously rumored to be packing Froyo with WiMax and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon whipped topping. Conflipper also claims to have the inside scoop on a quartet of Windows Phone 7 devices and their respective North American launch partners: the HTC Spark_W (Bell Mobility and Verizon), HTC Gold_W (Sprint), HTC Shubert (Telus), and the HTC Mondrian (Telus, Rogers and AT&T). Note that the “_W” in those handsets signifies a worldphone device with dual-mode CDMA and GSM radios. And in the immortal words of Klaus Meine, “Time, it needs time.” So true.

1.5 GHz Scorpion and quartet of HTC Windows Phone 7 handsets headed to North America? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re still hanging on to the hope that Windows Mobile is going to serve you just fine in the coming years, LG and Verizon have at least one more option for your phone needs — and it’s running 6.5.3, a first for a US carrier launch. Enter the LG Fathom, a 1GHz touchscreen device with a 3.2-inch screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, a microSD slot (for up to 16GB of storage), and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The device will be available for pre-orders on May 27th, with a street date of June 3rd, and will run you $149.99 after a two year contract and $100 mail-in rebate. If you want all the details, just check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading LG Fathom gets real with Windows Mobile 6.5.3 on Verizon

LG Fathom gets real with Windows Mobile 6.5.3 on Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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