Tech News and Reviews
Cellphones
Sprint selling HTC EVO 4G on June 4 for $199
0736 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Everyone’s favorite WiMAX-powered Android device finally has a date and a price, and you don’t have terribly long to wait: June 4 is the date that you’ll want to be lining up outside your local Sprint store for an EVO 4G, $199 in hand (assuming you’re signing up for a new contract, of course — according to the fine print, the full cost is $450 before all discounts). Interestingly, Sprint has specifically called out that you’ll be able to video chat (remember, the EVO 4G has a front-facing cam) over both 3G and 4G using Qik — not a bad choice, considering the company’s well-established expertise with streaming live video out of handsets.
Unfortunately, there’s a downside to all this: customers will be paying a mandatory (as confirmed to us by Sprint reps) $10 per month “Premium Data add-on” on top of their plan — ostensibly for the privilege of enjoying WiMAX when they’re in a Sprint 4G market — and the 8-device WiFi hotspot feature runs an extra $29.99 a month, which Sprint is quick to point out is half what you’d pay for a dedicated mobile broadband account. As we saw at CTIA, the phone is the first to offer on-phone YouTube high quality video, a feature that automatically kicks in when you’re in the sweet confines of a WiMAX tower. Oh, and check this out: Sprint was hesitant to commit to offering simultaneous voice and data before, but HTC must’ve worked out the kinks, because it’s all systems go — you’ll be able to yap and browse on 4G at the same time.
Motorola Flipout spotted: an Android 2.1 / Motoblur device with a twist
0738 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Remember “Square Motorola Android slider?” Ah, those were the days. The little twister’s returned, this time with much greater clarity and a new name. Meet Flipout. According to Gizmodo Brazil, we’re looking at Android 2.1 with a dash of Motoblur thrown into the mix, a 2.8-inch display, full QWERTY keyboard, 700MHz processor, 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, GPS, and a 3.1 megapixel camera. The HSPA phone is expected in the states this June in at least three different colors — black, green, and pink. Backflip, Flipout… one can only hope Motorola keeps the trend alive with a Soundgarden-themed solar phone, the Outshined.
Nokia N8 hands-on
0738 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Good old London, full of little wonders and flagship devices for you to discover. We were at Nokia’s local HQ this morning to talk to the company’s Head of Design Marko Ahtisaari, and the good gent happened to bring with him a prototype N8 for us to play around with. It was stressed to us that it’s a prototype, so small cosmetic changes might still occur, but we are for most part looking at the hardware that will be hitting retail shelves in Q3 of this year. Speaking of Q3, Marko was adamant that that will be when Nokia “turns on” the Symbian^3 housed within the N8, which — disappointingly — meant that we couldn’t get to grips with the new UI experience in person. Ah well, there are plenty of pictures to be devoured in the gallery below, and we can provide you with a few observations of our own to tide you over till then.
Nokia Head of Design Marko Ahtisaari talks about priorities, competition, and future direction
0738 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Marko Ahtisaari will be a familiar name to Dopplr users, being both the CEO and one of the major investors in the startup’s social networking software. Having been acquired by Nokia in late September 2009, his team now works to help Symbian regain its world-conquering ways while Marko himself has returned to Nokia to helm its Design group — an outfit that, judging by the world’s disappointment with the N97 and other devices, is frankly in need of some fresh ideas. So, when we were invited to meet him this morning for a journalist get-together where Marko hoped to “begin the conversation” about Nokia’s future direction, we grabbed our pen, paper and DSLR and rushed off to go have a listen. The camera came in use when we got to handle a Nokia N8 prototype for the first time, but do join us after the break to see what else we learned.
Droid Incredible review
0757 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
At this point, the HTC Incredible should seem like pretty familiar territory to our readers. We first caught wind of the device in a ROM leak back in December of 2009, and shortly thereafter saw lots of little snippets on the phone that made it clear it was headed our way. Of course, it’s a potent combination that’s been put together here — an HTC-made, Verizon-locked device sporting a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 8GB of internal storage, 748MB of ROM, a microSD slot (with support for up to 32GB cards), an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and autofocus, 480 x 800 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, and most importantly, Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI on-board. The combo of America’s largest (and some say best) 3G network with a super-fast, Sense-equipped Android phone is a match made in nerd heaven. We’ve seen a near-exact device in the HTC Desire — basically the Incredible for the European market — and the internals and screen technology are almost identical to the Nexus One, but the Incredible has a personality that’s all its own. So is this the next killer device on the US market? Or have we heard this tune before? Read on for the answers you seek!
Keepin’ it real fake: iPod classic phone reminds us why we prefer touchscreens
0758 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Our colleagues at Engadget Chinese are on the ground at China Sourcing Fair 2010 in Hong Kong, and as you can imagine, they’re finding a great many devices that exhibit “a really heavy cottage flavor” (or, as we say in the states, “really, really KIRFy”). The BestPower X200, which we first saw in an FCC filing in February, doesn’t borrow its form factor from any current iPhone iteration — oh, no, that would be too simple. This one looks back five years or so, when “iPod phones” were little more than a beautiful fanboy’s dream. And if you are a time traveler from back in the day, when Lost was in its first season (and was almost enjoyable), this thing will surely inspire some gadget lust: dual SIM cards, quad-band GSM, 2.4-inch (1.3 million pixel) display, Bluetooth, FM Radio, MiniUSB, MicroSD, and a media player — what’s not to love? And all this can be yours this August for a mere $1,500 HKD (that’s about $193 US dollars). Video after the break.
Lenovo talks up LePhone, shows off app store ahead of May launch
0758 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Lenovo’s Android-based LePhone (not LePhono, sadly) may not be officially launching in China until next month, but the company did just hold a launch event of sorts in the country, in which it revealed a few new details and did a fair bit of boasting. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lenovo says that it’s aiming to sell “millions” of the phones in the next five years, and “tens of millions” after that — although not just involving this particular phone, obviously. Lenovo COO Rory Read also reportedly further added that the company is ready for a “tough fight” against Apple’s iPhone, and that Lenovo will have a “better brand position” that RIM, which hasn’t yet gained a significant foothold in China. That’s certainly plenty ambitious for a company new to the cellphone space, and should no doubt only further fuel those rumors of a certain acquisition. In other le news, Lenovo also apparently further demonstrated the tweaked version of Android that the handset will use (first seen at CES), and it has shown off its own app store for the first time, which can already be browsed at the site linked below.
HTC Hero won’t see upgrade to Android 2.1 until June, at least in Europe
0758 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Plenty of UK Hero owners were disappointed this morning upon hearing the news that free Google Maps Navigation had spread beyond the borders of the USA but required Android 1.6 as the minimum OS version. Stuck in their Android 1.5 world, they must have hoped that HTC would just hurry up and open the gates to Eclair heaven, but hurrying up is, regrettably, the opposite of what’s happening. Tech Radar heard from a Google rep that the Hero’s move to Android 2.1 won’t be happening until June, and followed it up with HTC directly. The official response was that a free update for European Hero variants will indeed be provided “starting in June.” At least this cloud of disappointment will only hang over Europe, as other territories — like Taiwan — might still get the update reasonably soon.
Sony Ericsson X10 can do multitouch after all, will get Android 2.1 in September?
0761 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
So, was all that hubbub for nothing? British retailer mobiles.co.uk — a wholly-owned subsidiary of giant Carphone Warehouse, for what it’s worth — is claiming a “man on the inside” as saying that the X10 actually can do multitouch after all, despite word from a Sony Ericsson product manager to the contrary. In fact, not only can it do multitouch, but it will do multitouch through a software update in the second half of the year, the source goes on to say. This all ties in nicely with the dude’s claim that the X10 will see an official update to Android 2.1 in September, a window that dovetails rather nicely with Sony Ericsson’s official line of 2H 2010. Of course, by the time September rolls around, we can only assume that Froyo will be alive and well, so the ultimate question of relevancy for Sony Ericsson’s very first Android venture remains to be answered.
How would you change Motorola’s Devour?
0761 days
by Raymond.J
in Cellphones
Motorola’s Devour has somehow managed to get a little lost in the mix, primarily due to the wealth of Android options on America’s two main CDMA carriers right now. The design is certainly appealing, particularly to those still averse to virtual keyboards, but it’s the Blur user interface that really sets this apart from the Droid. Of course, we didn’t exactly find a whole lot to love about the total package (compared to the other Android options, anyway), but that’s not to say there’s nothing to discuss. On the contrary, actually. Did you plop down a crisp Benjamin to get yourself a Devour? Are you still happy with the decision? How’s Blur been treating you? Would you retool any of the hardware / software aspects? Get honest down in comments below, and yes, feel free to consider this the group therapy you’ve thus far refused to pay good money for.