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| Blog Alert for Engadget, Sep 26, 2011 Posted: 27 Sep 2011 01:07 AM PDT New Posts to Engadget on Sep 26, 2011: ------------------------------------------------------------------ After eluding our grubby little paws at its launch in New York and again this morning at Mobilize 2011, we're happy to report that we've finally caught up with T-Mobile's Galaxy S II. To recap, the carrier's permutation rocks the same WVGA 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus display as Sprint's Epic 4G Touch, but replaces Samsung's in-house 1.2GHz Exynos CPU with Qualcomm's dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor. T-Mobile tells us the brain swap was necessary as it wanted its variant to support 42Mbps HSPA+ on the network's AWS band (just like its cousin the Amaze 4G). Oh, and like AT&T's variant it comes with a little NFC glitter sprinkled on top. So is it the same delectable Galaxy S II as its European and Sprint counterparts? From our brief time with the handset, the transplant doesn't appear to have impacted performance at all -- it's just as snappy as ever. In terms of appearance, the [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ So how does HTC's Amaze 4G stack up to its European counterpart, the Sensation XE? Pretty well actually. The 4.3-inch qHD smartphone also features Qualcomm's 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU, but bumps the RAM from 768MB to 1GB. It's also HTC's first NFC toting device and joins T-Mobile's Galaxy S II as the other 42Mbps HSPA+ -capable handset on Magenta's network. More noteworthy is its trick eight megapixel shooter, which features the same backside-illuminated sensor, f2.2 wide-angle optics and 1080p video recording capability as the myTouch 4G Slide. Similarly, the Amaze 4G hangs on to quite a bit of that phone's camera software, including a new composite mode that automagically creates one stellar image out of five less than fabulous snapshots. We also liked the addition of two physical camera buttons, one for stills and the other for video. First impressions of the Sense-laden, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ You know Nuance right? They're the folks who make Dragon speech recognition software for Macs, iThings, Blackberrys, Androids and cars. Earlier this year, the company released its Dragon Mobile SDK to provide the tools needed to get folks talking to their phones, instead of with them. Now, Nuance has added support for Windows Phone 7 (no Mango support... yet) and upgraded its developer program to provide devs with more support so it's easier to make voice-enabled applications. Additionally, it's added eight new languages to its repertoire -- Canadian French, Americas Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Taiwanese Mandarin, and Cantonese -- with more to come. We got to speak with Nuance about its new program, now called NDEV Mobile, and were told it's broken into three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Emerald. NDEV Silver is the base level that gives devs free access to Nuance's [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ We're sure that most inventors out there are genuinely looking to make the world a better place, but the best intentions don't always produce the best inventions, and while the following gadgets will all likely appeal to someone, somewhere, we can't exactly recommend, say, an ear-shaped iPhone case or a $300 toothpaste squeezer. But as the saying goes, "one man's crapgadget is another man's treasure." Read - It's like a beanbag chair for your iPad! For your lap! Read - At $300, this toothpaste tube squeezer should pay for itself exactly one day before the sun burns out. Read - How is this iPhone case different than all other iPhone cases? Simple: it makes it look like you've contracted some sort of engorged ear disease. Never get bothered during important phone calls again! Read - It's a battery charger! For the ladies!View PollCrapgadget: 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ When last we checked in with Nielsen (which was earlier this month) Google's mobile OS had a sizable lead, powering just under 42-percent of smartphones sold, while Apple had cornered a more than respectable 28-percent of the market. In the few short weeks since, Android has seen its share grow to 43-percent. More interestingly, of the over 25,500 surveyed who had purchased a smartphone in the last three months, a whopping 56-percent chose to go with the Goog. Apple held a steady 28-percent across the board. Big G's gains came at the expense of RIM (only 9-percent of phones sold in the last three months were BlackBerries) and the ambiguous "other" (Symbian, Windows Phone 7, Bada, MeeGo, etc... accounted for 6-percent of sales). More important than choice of platform though, is that smartphone sales in general are climbing -- accounting for 58-percent of all handsets sold in August and [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ It may have gone MIA at IFA 2011 earlier this month due to an ongoing legal battle, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is certainly no figment of our imagination. Far from it: the device, dubbed the GT-P6810, just got put through its paces in the hallowed halls of the Federal Communications Commission, and came out unscathed and with some decent diagrams that actually show off the tablet in a somewhat flattering manner. The version seen going through the FCC is most likely a 16GB WiFi-only version, as no mention of wireless bands could be found. Whether or not it'll hit US shores is an uncertainty, as passage through the government doesn't guarantee it'll actually be sold here, but the Galaxy Tab series has already had plenty of time to pick up a popularity point or two.Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 WiFi hits the FCC in tabtastic glorySamsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 WiFi hits the FCC in [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Ultrabooks are coming, and it looks like ASUS' first foray into thin and light computing will officially arrive on October 11th in New York. According to a UX series landing page, we need only wait 15 more days before getting our hands the ASUS UX21 and its larger, but still svelte sibling, the UX31, once again. Frankly, we can hardly wait for their arrival, but patience is a virtue, right?ASUS Ultrabooks to arrive in New York City on October 11 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink PC World | ASUS | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ GeoCities may be no more, but, unlike some other bits of internet past, its entire contents were thoroughly archived before the site was completely shut down in 2009. That opened up some interesting possibilities for anyone interested in playing around with the 650 gigabyte archive, and this so-called "Deleted City" project may well be the most interesting yet. Described as a "digital archaeology of the world wide web as it exploded into the 21st century," the project appropriately visualized GeoCities as one large city, which can be dived into and explored at will (complete with a soundtrack supplied by "nearby" MIDI files). Unfortunately, it's not clear when or if folks will actually be able to try it out for themselves, but you can at least take a guided tour in the video after the break.Continue reading The Deleted City visualizes GeoCities as it was, todayThe Deleted City [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Remember those Samsung Unpacked events from earlier this month and way back in February? Well Sammy is apparently readying something else for the upcoming CTIA, and we've tentatively circled October 11th in our diaries. There's nothing concrete yet on precisely what the Korean manufacturer will be offering up to the masses, though we've seen previous events cover smartphones, cameras and even tablets all in one fell swoop. Might the next Google phone -- heavily rumored to be a Samsung baby-- be "primed" for launch? [Thanks Oguz] Samsung announces latest Unpacked event, set to kick-off at CTIA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Droid Life | | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ Hot on the heels of a UK release, Samsung has just announced that its long-awaited (and long-delayed) Galaxy Player 4.0 ($229) and 5.0 ($269) will be available for pre-order starting September 27th, with US availability pegged for October 16th. Oddly enough, Samsung gave no reason behind the once-spring, now-autumn pushback, but at least we can finally stop wondering and instead start enjoying the spoils of an (almost) Galaxy Note-sans-phone. (Not like we haven't heard a similar tune before). All that aside, the Player 5.0 and 4.0 weigh in at 6.4 and 4.2 ounces, respectively, and both are powered by Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread); other specs include 802.11b/g/n, WVGA Super Clear LCDs (800 x 480), Bluetooth 3.0, 8GB of onboard storage, a microSD expansion slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, voice recorder, mini-USB connectivity, front and rear cameras and support for Sammy's Media Hub content [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Spotify wants to be the next big thing in music, but a change to its service has created quite the uproar online: users can only get their Spotify on if they have a Facebook account. Of course, we knew this was in the works from the time it opened its doors to all Americans, but netizens were sufficiently vocal in their disdain for the change so as to elicit a response from the company. According to Spotify, most of its users are already on the Social Network -- plus the service uses Facebook on the backend for its social features -- so it made sense to integrate the logins. Rest assured, you don't have to connect your account to Facebook unless you want to, and users still control what they share and don't share in their Timelines. We understand why the move doesn't thrill everyone out there, but we're okay having one less username and password to remember. Change can be a good thing, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Can't say that we're caught off guard with this one. Only two weeks ago, AT&T announced the first three members of its Windows Phone Mango lineup, charting out an Autumn debut for the handsets, but only giving us a glimpse of the Titan. So, it should come as no shock to see Samsung's update to its popular WP device, the Focus S, getting its charge on in the wild. The leaked shot over on PocketNow, gives us a tilted preview of the 4.3-inch phone, the usual offering of three capacitive buttons and its sleek, rounded edges. There's not much in the way of gadget porn here considering the lone, off-center image, however, we do officially know that that currently unlit screen boasts a Super AMOLED Plus display and, lurking beneath it, is a 1.4GHz processor. An official street date has yet to be set for this 4G phone (the company didn't specify if this would be LTE-ready), but expect to see it [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ After last week's slew of premieres there's still a few new shows popping up this week, as well as season premieres of old favorites (Dexter, Mythbusters). Transformers: Dark of the Moon makes its Blu-ray debut on Friday but with no 3D or special features it'll have to wait to top our list. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Luther The second season of this British detective show already finished airing in the UK but its four episode run is just getting started this week on BBC America. The Wire's Idris Elba stars as DCI John Luther, an investigator who is as troubles as he is effective in tracking down killers, rapists and other unsavory characters. There's a dozen crime procedurals to choose from, but this is one of the few that rises above the rest of the pack -- check out [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Kindle Fire." Can't say that's the name we would've thrown together if given five minutes to dwell and assured that we'd take on absolutely no risk at all for it failing, but hey -- who are we to question Jeff Bezos? TechCrunch is keeping the Kindle tablet rumors fresh with a new helping of intel, hitting the wires just two days prior to the outfit's September 28th press event. According to the publication, "Fire" (mocked up above) was chosen in order to differentiate it from the e-ink siblings that'll sell alongside of it, and we're told to expect a mind-numbing amount of content deals to make it ever more attractive in a realm that iOS currently dominates. Moreover, a dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP chip is now being tipped, and if all goes well, the sub-$300 device should ship in November. Meanwhile, B&N engineers are reportedly toiling away on the Nook Color 2, and we wouldn't be [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ It's Monday, and we're still here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 5:30PM. We're back at our regular time, so take a peek at the live stream, chat and list of topics after the break.Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PMJoin the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ Practicing its fist pump and channeling its inner Devo, the London Science Museum will be paying homage to electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram by resurrecting her old synthesizer last used in the '70s -- a device that relies on 35mm film to pump out jams. The classic clunker was found in a French barn last month and will be brought out into the open for the first time in forty years at the museum in old Blighty. "Oramics" operators "draw" music on ten strips of clear film to create a mask. The machine then reads the tape as differences in light and turns it into voltage control, which is used to switch oscillators and control the amplitude of the sound. The effect? A creepy vortex of haunting sounds. Fans of glow sticks and synth sounds can check out the exhibit until December, but if a trip to Londontown's not in your future, there's a video you should ogle after the break.Continue [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ The green flag just waved on pre-orders for Fanatec's line of Forza Motorsport accessories, including the CSR Wheel ($250), CSR Elite Pedal Set ($150) and CSR Shifter Set ($60). To refresh your memory: all feature metal construction that, as we noted, gives them a solid, rugged feel. The wheel's force feedback is powered by a Mabuchi RS550 motor, with two additional actuators simulating motor and ABS vibration. The pedals are fully adjustable; a pressure-sensitive brake pedal can be tuned to mimic any car. Finally, the shifter set features a six-speed H-pattern design and can be mounted on either side of the steering wheel. There's no word on when these will actually ship, and sadly for you big spenders, the CSR Wheel Elite isn't yet available. But don't let that keep you from getting revved up over the PR below.Continue reading Start your engines, open your wallets: Fanatec Forza [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ What's old is new again. Or, is it that content is still king? We could never keep those Web 2.0 arguments straight, but from the sound of this latest YouTube rumor, ol' Mountain View might be moonwalking into an old media model. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google's been hustling to get contracts for a lineup of regularly scheduled channels ironed out "within the next 60 days." That sort of timeline would indicate a likely early 2012 bow for a refresh of the online video hub made famous by piano-playing cats, and a certain viral surprise in an SNL-made box. While on-demand digital video sites are nothing new in the crowded, streaming marketplace, a move like this could firmly position the search giant as the king of place-shifted, live viewing, and cause more potential headaches for its broadcast and cable competitors. With an in-house production studio already under its wing, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ It's already been a fairly busy month for ASUS, but it's not done just yet -- the company has now announced three new E- Series all-in-one PCs, one of which is available starting today. That would be the 23.6-inch ET2410, which starts at $899 and packs your choice of second-gen Intel Core processors, up to a 1TB hard drive, a max 8GB of DDR3 memory, a Blu-ray drive and an HDMI input that'll let you use it as a display for your game console or other devices (it's also conveniently wall-mountable). Those same basic specs also extend to the 21.5-inch ET2210 and 27-inch ET2700, which are set to roll out in October and November, respectively, although there's no word on pricing for those just yet. Check out the gallery below for a closer look at the ET2410.Gallery: ASUS ET2410 all-in-oneContinue reading ASUS announces trio of new E Series all-in-one PCsASUS announces trio of new E Series [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here at Mobilize, T-Mobile's CMO Cole Brodman revealed that over 75 percent of his company's phones sold in 2011 were smartphones, with 90 percent of those powered by Google's green little robots (read: Android). In a sense, that's not too shocking given the carrier's current portfolio, but it's still a truly dominating figure. We're going out on a limb and guessing that the other 10 percent are enterprise BlackBerry users, mixed in with a few enigmatic renegades for good measure. When asked about other platforms, like RIM, the CMO mentioned he was hopeful for a comeback from the latest crop of Canuck-sourced BlackBerry devices. He also noted that video was responsible for over half the traffic on T-Mob's 4G network. Finally, when asked about the iPhone 5, Brodman responded coyly: "the ball is in Apple's court. [We'd] love to have the iPhone... whenever Apple lets us know." In other [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ It feels like just yesterday that we saw T-Mobile's original 4G Mobile HotSpot at CTIA (our review is here), and already the purgatory-presiding US carrier is ushering out a successor. Alongside the Galaxy S II and Amaze 4G, the Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot is being revealed at Mobilize, and it's hailed as the carrier's fastest ever in the category. Predictably, it'll enable five WiFi devices to hop onto T-Mob's HSPA+ 42 network, and there's a microSD card slot for handling file transfers. The wow factor comes courtesy of the embedded OLED indicator display, which shows signal strength, number of devices connected, number of unread text messages, connectivity to the internet, battery level and network connection type. Lips are zipped on pricing, but it'll be available at your nearest Magenta retailer next month. Keep up with our Mobilize 2011 coverage here!T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Samsung might have already announced T-Mobile's variant of the Galaxy S II, but here at Mobilize the carrier's gone and revealed all the nitty-gritty details. We can now confirm that the 4.52-inch smartphone wields a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, eschewing Sammy's 1.2GHz Exynos found on its other stateside brethren. And much like the just announced Amaze 4G, it'll be one of the first phones to take advantage of the carrier's 42Mbps HSPA+ and T-Mobile TV functionality. The TouchWiz-covered, Gingerbread 2.3.5-sportin' superphone can be yours on October 10th for $229.99 (after a $50 mail in rebate) from Deutsche Telekom's website, or in stores and select dealers on the 12th. Stay tuned for an impending hands-on -- you can bide time by eying the PR after the break, or having a look at the gallery below. Keep up with our Mobilize 2011 coverage here! Gallery: [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Europe may be enjoying the Sensation XE, but today at Mobilize, T-Mobile's announced that it's getting the exclusive on HTC's Amaze 4G ($259.99 on a two-year contract), while also confirming the hardware whispers we've heard. With its 4.3-inch qHD screen and 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, it's one of the first smartphones able to connect to T-Mobile's upgraded 4G (HSPA+ 42Mbps) network and is the first HTC phone featuring an NFC chip -- something we didn't gather from those early spy-shots, but the manufacturer promised a while ago.
Pushing its photography credentials, the Amaze 4G's eight megapixel shooter can record 1080p video, with a dedicated camera button (and even a direct-to-camcorder button) to make the most of the handset's promised "zero shutter lag." Its also got that backlit sensor found in its sibling, the myTouch 4G Slide, so we're expecting admirable low-light performance, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Although the BlackBerry app store may be missing a favorite app or ten, according to a report from Evans Data Corp., developers are still making money by creating apps for the OS. Although the survey feels a bit narrow in scope (just 400 working developers were polled), 13 percent of 'Berry devs said they make $100,000 or more per app -- which according to the data collectors -- is "considerably more than Android or iOS developers." So why isn't everyone dropping what they're doing to develop for RIM's OS? The problems seemed to outweigh the allure of cold, hard cash. 37 percent said app visibility was the biggest issue with the store, while others griped about the approval process and heavy restrictions. Developers were equally unenthusiastic about BlackBerry's future, as only 4.8 percent predicted it would have the top market share two years from now -- 30.2 percent went with Android [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ About a month ago, we got handsy with a certain 15.6-inch Samsung Series 7 laptop. Now, it appears that svelte, quad-core notebook's ready to flood the mass marketplace. Up for pre-order on Best Buy, Sammy's 4G WiMAX-enabled entry for the "design conscious" will cost you about $880 -- already chopped down from its near $1,000 price tag. For that handful of Benjamins, you can look forward to a 2.2GHz Core i7-2675QM, a 1600 x 900 HD matte display, 750GB of storage, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, a couple of USB 3.0 ports, an optical disk drive and Windows 7 Home pre-installed. If you were hoping to get your game on, then we'd advise you to hold out for the company's other Series 7 family member slated to hit this fall. You can get a head start on the anorexic goods by hitting up the source link below.Samsung Series 7 laptop now available for pre-order at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Thankfully styled like the more dashing cousin in the typically awkward-looking compressed air car family, Toyota's Ku:Rin (meaning Air-Wheel) has smashed the speed record for cars powered by (not necessarily hot) air. Sure, measuring a svelte 0.8m across, there's certainly no space for the kids or the groceries, but it can reach a maximum speed of 80.3MPH. All that driving force is generated from compressed air which acts as the fuel, expanding and powering the single motor. Don't expect air compressors to replace those petrol pumps just yet -- the range for this streamlined beauty is a meager two miles. Take a look at NHK's report in More Coverage for redefining of "blown away."Toyota breaks compressed air speed record, hits 80.3MPH with Ku:Rin originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Autoblog | Toyota [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sure, it may not be as exciting as those two LTE beasts from Samsung that we saw earlier today, but the Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 has crept on sale in the land of crumpets, Coldplay and some Middleton couple (we jest!). According to reviews on Amazon UK, it appears a lucky few have already got their hands on one, but they're now available en masse; expect to fork out just shy of £200 ($310) for the five-inch media player. The Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 already feels a bit smaller after seeing the giant 5.3-inch Galaxy Note in action, and the software is a bit dated, arriving with Froyo-flavored Android. There's no news about a Gingerbread update hitting this one just yet (though we've been told it's upgradable), but Android 2.2 should be more than enough to tackle its veritable smorgasbord of app-based delights, alongside some smartphone-esque tech specs like Bluetooth and, naturally, WiFi. [Thanks, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Another day, another Android tablet on the FCC's site. This is the ZTE Smart Tab 7 -- or the back of it, at least. We don't know a lot about the tablet, beyond what's available in the above drawing, including the Bluetooth, WiFi and 3G logos. It's also rocking the Google tramp stamp on its lower back and what appears to be a rear-facing camera at the top. Judging from the chosen name, it seems likely that the device will offer up a 7-inch display, and given the recent announcement of the Vodafone Smart Tab 7 and Smart Tab 10 at IFA, we might be gawking at a rebranded version of that device for the States. Time shall tell, no?
Update: A tipster sent a link to this new tablet from ZTE. Could this Android 3.2 slate be the one in the above drawing? The similarities are certainly hard to deny.ZTE Smart Tab 7 reveals its Google back tattoo for the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Toshiba may be bowing out of its mobile joint venture with Fujitsu, but not without bestowing this Gingerbread-munching flamingo upon the Japanese market. The Wimax-enabled Arrows Z ISW11F, unveiled today by Japan's KDDI au, is juiced by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, sports a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 LCD and, most notably, rocks a 13 megapixel CMOS sensor. It also features a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and supports 1080p video, along with your standard suite of 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. Oh, and to top it all off, it's waterproof, too. No word yet on pricing, but KDDI plans to bring this bubblegum to the Japanese market sometime in November. Doggie paddle past the break for more information in the translated presser.Continue reading Fujitsu-Toshiba unveils waterproof Arrows Z ISW11F handset with 13 megapixel CMOS sensorFujitsu-Toshiba unveils waterproof Arrows Z [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ You think your finger grease does bad things to your smartphone's touchscreen? Just imagine the horrors it would wreak on some ancient documents. As promised, Google has saved history the heartbreak of succumbing to your grubby paws by digitizing the Dead Sea Scrolls. Like pretty much everything else these days, the software giant has added the oldest known biblical manuscript to the cloud. Five scrolls are now available as hi-res images, which really you give the feel of their long-dead animal skin parchment. Google is also offering up English translations of some of the documents and is letting users add comments, because apparently historians weren't too keen on letting people pencil in the margins of the real thing.Continue reading Google puts the Dead Sea Scrolls in the cloud, promises they won't dissolve when you touch themGoogle puts the Dead Sea Scrolls in the cloud, promises [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ We've already heard that Dish Network was in the mix for a possible Hulu acquisition (which still isn't off the table), but it looks like the company could also setting its sights even higher. Speaking with Bloomberg, Dish CEO Joseph Clayton talked a bit about the possibility of getting involved with a wireless carrier, noting that it will "look at partnerships, acquisitions, all of the above." When asked if that could include an acquisition or partnership with Sprint or Clearwire, Clayton reportedly said, "could be," and added a "stay tuned" when asked more generally about the possibility of a Dish wireless network (which could benefit from some of the company's existing spectrum holdings). Head on past the break for a video of the interview.Continue reading Dish CEO muses about partnerships and acquisitions, possibly Sprint or ClearwireDish CEO muses about partnerships and [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ With Mango finally on its very official way -- that'd be one day away for certain AT&T owners -- it's hardly surprising to see OEMs jumping on Redmond's mobile bandwagon. ZTE's joined the allied Windows Phone 7.5 ranks, outing its Tania phone at the China International Postal and Telecommunications Exhibition 2011. The modestly specced 4.3-inch device runs Microsoft's latest OS atop a single-core 1GHz processor, with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage and a 5 megapixel rear camera on-board. It's certainly no HTC Titan, but then again, not every smartphone needs to be a roided-up beast. Let's just hope MS gets those regional marketplace availability issues squared away before this handset's Chinese launch. After all, what fun is a live-tiled phone without the apps?ZTE Tania joins Windows Phone Mango brigade, says Ni Hao to Chinese market originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Go on, Fusion Garage -- get down with your bad self. While we'd previously heard that the outfit's $399 Grid 4 smartphone wouldn't hit shelves until "closer to Q4," a surprise stop by the FCC this morning makes us cautiously optimistic that it'll happen -- at least in the US -- sooner rather than later. For those who've forgotten, this guy's packing a 4-inch 800 x 480 LCD, dual-core Qualcomm CPU, 16GB of storage and dual cameras to boot. Moreover, the included user manual sheds a ton of light on how Grid OS will act, and it's the first real in-depth look at how it'll differ from what's already out there. We're told that there's a built-in web browser, Grid Launcher, support for Yahoo / Google data importing, a contacts app that'll suck names in from just about anywhere, full integration with email / Facebook / Twitter and a "GridDesktop" application that's used to load media from your [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ GDrive, GDisk, Google Drive - whatever they're calling it these days - is coming. At least according to our friends over at TechCrunch. The service has not just been a rumor, but an actual product since 2007. Sadly though, it never made it past the dogfooding stage. The internal cloud storage tool for Googlers has been highly anticipated, but in 2010 it seemed like the final nail was put in its coffin when Docs was turned into a makeshift replacement with the ability to store any file. Well, Google Drive still exists, and speculation is that Google Docs will eventually be rebranded as Drive and relaunched with non-Docs file storage moved to the forefront. What's more, it's rumored that there will be a desktop syncing component, similar to Dropbox. Of course, the image above (from a Google-sponsored presentation) and recently discovered mentions of Drive.Google.com in Chromium don't [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Clearly Amazon chief Jeff Bezos just couldn't wait for Wednesday to tell the world about the company's new streaming deal. The online mega-retailer will be adding 2,000 Fox TV shows and movies to its online offerings this fall, including the likes of Arrested Development, Office Space, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and The Wonder Years. Access to the content comes with the company's $79 a year free-shipping Prime membership. Man, that content would sure look great on an Amazon tablet, wouldn't it? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Continue reading Amazon Prime getting Fox content, adding the Bluth family to its streaming offeringsAmazon Prime getting Fox content, adding the Bluth family to its streaming offerings originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Amazon | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ Some leaked AMD presentation slides are doing the rounds and they look just about arcane enough to be genuine. Assuming they are, and bearing in mind that they're already a few months old, then the key news is that the Trinity APU could swing into full production as early as January. This successor to the immensely successful Llano range of mobile APUs will be based on "Piledriver" CPU cores, which themselves are variants of the Bulldozer cores in AMD's imminent desktop refresh. Suddenly that Llano-powered laptop you've been ogling doesn't look like such an obvious purchase. Check out the gallery below for more slides, including intriguing references to post-Trinity "Kaveri" and "Kabini" APUs planned for 2013. Gallery: Leaked AMD slides [Thanks, Alexandre]Leaked AMD roadmap reveals Q1 2012 launch for Trinity APU originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:01:00 EDT. Please [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Last week, OnStar issued a privacy notice informing customers that it would continue to collect data on vehicles still connected to its servers, even for those who have already canceled their subscriptions. The move elicited a chorus of protests from Democratic privacy advocates in the Senate, including Chris Coons, Al Franken and, most recently, Charles Schumer, who wrote a letter to the FTC yesterday calling for an investigation into what he sees as a bold violation of consumer rights. "By tracking drivers even after they've canceled their service, OnStar is attempting one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory," the New York Senator said. "I urge OnStar to abandon this policy and for FTC to immediately launch a full investigation to determine whether the company's actions constitute an unfair trade practice." Find out more about OnStar's new policy, after the [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Nokia is still hammering out the hardware for its premier Windows Phone, but here's a taste of what the beleaguered phone giant will be adding in the way of exclusive apps. Posted on the Zune marketplace, Top Apps turned up a few days ago and we managed to get a screen grab in case it disappears. It appears to be Nokia's "fun and quick" interpretation of a curated app portal, all pretty similar to the stock Windows Phone offering. Looks like we'll have to wait just a little longer to see exactly how much creative freedom Nokia manages to wring from Microsoft's (previously stringent) Windows Phone UI.First Nokia app appears on Windows Phone store, suggests you buy more apps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Electronista | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------
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