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Monday, February 14, 2011

ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/viewsonic-viewpad-10pro-hands-on/

We promised to dig up ViewSonic's dual-booting Windows 7 and Android 2.2 ViewPad 10Pro tablet when we got to Barcelona, and here we are delivering on our word. We just got a chance to check out the 10.1-inch slate and we have to say hardware-wise, we're dealing with typical ViewSonic quality -- the 1024 x 600-resolution, capacitive screen isn't exactly high quality (horizontal viewing angles were pretty bad) and the build was mediocre at best. However, software-wise we have to say the 10Pro is pretty interesting -- the Intel Atom Oak Trail-powered slab boots Windows 7 Home Premium, but is running Android 2.2 on top. Unlike the first ViewPad 10, you don't have to reboot the device to switch between Android and Windows as the Google OS is running as a virtualization. No word on the pricing of this one, but it should be hitting the market this May. Hit the break for a quick look at the relatively-quick Android / Windows hand-off.

Gallery: ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro

Continue reading ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro hands-on

ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 06:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel shows off more of its MeeGo Tablet UI, still needs lots of work

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/intel-shows-off-more-of-its-meego-tablet-ui-still-needs-lots-of/

You may remember back at Computex we caught a very quick look at Intel's MeeGo for tablets. Well, Intel's landed at MWC with that very same tablet user interface, except it has done a bit of work to the underlying software and it's finally ready to start letting the press play around with it. If you were to closely compare the design of the UI or what Intel is calling its "tablet user experience" to the one we saw back in June, you probably wouldn't notice much of a difference in terms of aesthetics, and that's because most of the work Intel's been doing has been to the code and framework -- it shifted it away from C++ and moved it over to QML, which is part of the Qt language. The brunt of the experience and the individual apps (we'll get to those, or the lack there of soon) are all built on QML, which Intel's Mike Richmond promises will enable lots of neat UI elements. So yes, Intel's done some important retooling on the technical and software end of things, but unfortunately, that doesn't mean the interface is anywhere close to done yet. We got a look at the software running on an Atom-powered ExoPC, so hit the break to find out just what we are talking about.

Gallery: New MeeGo Tablet User Experience hands-on at MWC 2011

Gallery: MeeGo Tablet User Experience screenshots

Continue reading Intel shows off more of its MeeGo Tablet UI, still needs lots of work

Intel shows off more of its MeeGo Tablet UI, still needs lots of work originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 06:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei S7 tablet first hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/huawei-s7-tablet-first-hands-on/

We just got a first hands-on with the Huawei S7, a 7-inch Android tablet which will be priced at $300. Huwaei was unable to provide us with any information beyond pricing, but here's what we've gathered. The 7-inch touch screen is capacitive, and the unit we played with was running a slightly customized skin on top of Android 2.2 (FroYo). Build quality is solid and the device is satisfyingly thin an light. There are cameras front and back and a microSD card slot and a docking port on the bottom edge. We spied a SIM slot underneath the battery, so it's likely that the model we used features 3G. We hope to have more details for you soon -- in the meantime, feast your eyes on the gallery below.

Gallery: Huawei S7 tablet first hands-on

Huawei S7 tablet first hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 06:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus Pad priced at â¬999 in Germany

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/lg-optimus-pad-priced-at-999-in-germany/

Yikes. We just finished getting our fingerprints all over LG's Optimus Pad (aka the G-Slate), and now we're thinking we should have been wearing white gloves while doing so. The tablet is coming in March to the US, but we didn't know a price. Now we do -- in Germany, at least, and get ready to wince: €999. That's about $1,350 if you do a straight conversion, out-classing even the Xoom's eye-wateringly high $1,199 pre-order price, which we're still holding out hope is a misprint. Maybe the golden goo in Honeycomb really is gold.

Update: Roland wrote in to remind us that German prices include a 19 percent VAT, which would drop this price down to a mere $1,075 if you're into the conversion game. Well within pocket change territory.

[Thanks, Enzo]

LG Optimus Pad priced at €999 in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm ships dual-mode Gobi3000 WWAN chip, intros LTE / HSPA+ chipsets galore

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/qualcomm-ships-dual-mode-gobi3000-wwan-chip-intros-lte-hspa/

Qualcomm just refined the term "blowout" here at Mobile World Congress. It's obviously a critical show for the wireless supplier, and while the 2.5GHz Snapdragon CPU is the undisputed highlight, there's quite a bit of chipset action worth paying attention to if you'd prefer that your next handset / mobile hotspot be capable of handling the world's most advanced network technologies. First off, there's the Gobi3000 modules, which Qualcomm just announced were shipping en masse. Compared to the Gobi2000 that has been infiltrating laptops and MiFi devices for the past year, this one doubles the HSPA downlink speed and enhances the Gobi common application programming interface (API) functionality for enterprise applications. The design supports single-mode (UMTS) and multi-mode designs (CDMA / UMTS), and should be popping up soon in devices from Huawei, Novatel Wireless, Option, Sierra Wireless and ZTE.

Next up are the MDM9625 and MDM9225 chipsets, which are designed to support LTE data rates as high as 150Mbps within mobile broadband devices. These guys are fabricated using the 28nm technology node, and are backwards compatible with previous generations of LTE and other wireless broadband standards, giving consumers using USB modems powered by the MDM9625 or MDM9225 chipsets an uninterrupted broadband data connection on nearly any network around the world. These are being launched alongside the MDM9615 and MDM8215, which are similar chips designed to support multi-mode LTE and dual-carrier HSPA+, respectively. As for the MDM8225? That's being released today to support HSPA+ Release 9 (the latest version, obviously), which will support 84Mbps on the downslope (not to mention dual-carrier HSUPA operation) and should fit into at least a couple of T-Mobile USA devices by 2012. Finally, Qualcomm has nailed down a deal that'll enable all future Snapdragon-powered Android devices to "have access to instant streaming of TV shows and movies from Netflix." Just sounds like a pre-loaded installation to us, but hey, we'll take all the optimization we can get when it comes to streaming video on the mobile.

Qualcomm ships dual-mode Gobi3000 WWAN chip, intros LTE / HSPA+ chipsets galore originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SmartQ announces Ten, an Android tablet packing IPS display with piezoelectric touchscreen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/smartq-announces-ten-an-android-tablet-packing-ips-display-with/

OK, before y'all haters state the obvious in the comments below, there's actually something noteworthy about this familiar-looking Chinese slate. What we have here is the SmartQ Ten (or T10, as referenced above), a forthcoming Froyo tablet that'll feature a juicy Cortex-A9 chip plus a Mali 400 GPU, as well as 512MB RAM and a 9.7-inch 1024 x 768 IPS display. This wouldn't be the first Android device to get the IPS goodness, though, as its predecessor R10 -- launched with Android 2.1 and a 720MHz processor back in December -- also has the same LCD panel within a seemingly identical form factor. In fact, we stumbled upon an R10 earlier today, and the prettiness of the screen did surprise us.

But what really sells the Ten is its piezoelectric touchscreen, which supports multitouch input even with non-conductive objects like the old school styli. This means said tablet can achieve light transmittance similar to its capacitive touchscreen counterparts but using cheaper parts, as well as having point-input precision similar to those with resistive touchscreens but with better screen clarity. Alas, no date or price has been announced for the Ten just yet, nor do we know if it'll get Honeycomb in the future, but price it right and it might still get some love.

SmartQ announces Ten, an Android tablet packing IPS display with piezoelectric touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CHART OF THE DAY: A Break Down Of The $2 Billion Virtual Goods Industry

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-virtual-goods-2011-2

In Mary Meeker's latest huge presentation on the future of technology, she includes a slide projecting the virtual goods industry to total $2 billion in the US for 2011.

In case you're wondering how the $2 billion market breaks down, she helpfully included another slide breaking down the industry. As you can see, in-game currency is the most popular way to spend real dollars on fake goods, with maps/levels the least popular.

Click here to see the rest of her presentation which is loaded with interesting charts like this.

chart of the day, virtual goods spending, feb 2011

Follow the Chart Of The Day on Twitter: @chartoftheday

Join the conversation about this story »

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Samsung Reboots with Super-Thin, Super Sharp Galaxy S II [Smartphones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5759220/samsung-reboots-with-super+thin-super-sharp-galaxy-s-ii

Samsung Reboots with Super-Thin, Super Sharp Galaxy S II Not that this is any surprise given the massive leak of photos and impressions that preceeded today's big Mobile World Congress event, but Samsung has officially pulled the trigger on an impressive reboot of the Galaxy S.

The unsurprisingly named Galaxy S II arrives in a thinner form factor than its predecessor at about 8.49mm thick. The thin shell hosts a large, crisp AMOLED Plus display, measuring 4.27 inches (800x480).

As for the insides, earlier reports that Samsung had opted for an NVIDIA Tegra 2 core turned out to be incorrect. Instead, they're reportedly going with their own Exynos chip, which is slated to go into production next month.

Software-wise you'll be seeing Samsung's preferred TouchWiz 4.0 stacked on top of Gingerbread. A download option using a new Game Hub feature will purportedly allow users to bypass the Android Marketplace's app size-restrictions, although that has yet to be confirmed or denied.

Expect more information on this smartphone, Samsung tablet news and a full hands-on as our own Kat Hannaford reports from the MWC throughout the day. [Engadget, Image: BGR]

10-Inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 Takes Aim at Burgeoning Tablet Market [Tablets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5759276/10+inch-galaxy-tab-101-takes-aim-at-burgeoning-tablet-market

Aesthetic comparisons to the well-established iPad will be inevitable as the tablet market gets ever more saturated, so where the now official 10-inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 hopes to compete is on the inside. Let's take a peek.

First of all, forget "Galaxy Tab 2." Doesn't exist! The name's Galaxy Tab 10.1. So sterile! So accurate, given this guy's dimensions.

Although the Tab 10.1 is in fact a quarter pound lighter than its Apple competitor at 1.25-lbs., what's going on inside marks the biggest difference. Android's made-for-tablets Honeycomb OS and a Tegra 2 processor make this dual-core tablet go go go, while everything is presented to the user via a 10.1" WXGA TFT LCD display with 1280 x 800 resolution.

Nitty gritty specs from Samsung follow. Samsung told us in their release that they are not final and could change without warning, like New England weather or a loved one's mood on Valentine's Day:

Network HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
OS Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)
Display 10.1" 1280 x 800 (WXGA) TFT
Processor 1GHz Dual Core application processor
Camera Main(Rear): 8.0-Mega Pixel Camera AF with LED Flash
Front: 2.0-Mega Pixel Camera
Video Format :MPEG4/H263/H264
Playback : 1080p FullHD Video @ 30fps
Recording : 1080p FullHD Video @ 24fps

Audio MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, OGG, MIDI, AMR-NB/WB
3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo Speaker
Value-added Features Android Market™ for more applications and contents
Android UI / Android Browser
Google Mobile Service : Google™ Talk Video Chat, Google™ Maps, etc
Connectivity Bluetooth® technology v 2.1 + EDR
USB 2.0
WiFi 802.11 (a/b/g/n)
Sensor Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
Memory 16GB/32GB
Size 246.2 x 170.4 x 10.9mm (599g)
Battery 6860mAh

Samsung Series 9 slides its rail-thin body through the FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/12/samsung-series-9-slides-its-rail-thin-body-through-the-fcc/

Remember the Samsung 9 Series laptop from CES? Of course you do, it was the seriously thin, duralumin 13-inch laptop with a new Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor and 128GB SSD. Well, as you can see from the label shot above, the .68-inch system just passed through the FCC, which means the skinny sucker should be on track to hit its February release. (Our Samsung contact told us we should be expecting a unit later in the month so we're assuming it will hit retailers around then.) The FCC filing doesn't reveal much -- it was actually submitted by Broadcom -- but the label clearly shows its 900X3A model number and the drop-down port latches on the edges. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more on this beauty, but it can never hurt to watch our hands-on video from CES to remember just what we're lusting after here. Video after the break!

Continue reading Samsung Series 9 slides its rail-thin body through the FCC

Samsung Series 9 slides its rail-thin body through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus 3D has dual-core 1GHz OMAP 4 CPU, video codecs up the wazoo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/12/lg-optimus-3d-has-dual-core-1ghz-omap4-cpu-video-codecs-up-the/

LG's been mighty stingy with details about its 3D smartphone, but some very promising ones have just trickled out of Barcelona ahead of Mobile World Congress -- in keeping with the company's theme of doubling everything, the LG Optimus 3D will ship with a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP 4 chip. Considering that we've seen that particular SOC drive three screens, we're guessing that a single 4.3-inch stereo display (yes, 4.3-inch is confirmed) will be old hat, and we've certainly seen the included PowerVR SGX540 graphics throw around some weight in many a Galaxy S. Raw specs aside, though, the Optimus 3D has a feature that we've been waiting on in Android for a while: LG says it will have "four times more video decoders than competing designs." Admittedly, that probably means it will still only recognize about eight video formats in total, but as long as we can play the vast majority of our anime music video library without re-encoding the lot, we'll promise to only grumble occasionally. Deal? PR after the break.

Gallery: LG Optimus 3D has dual-core 1GHz OMAP 4 CPU, video codecs up the wazoo

Continue reading LG Optimus 3D has dual-core 1GHz OMAP 4 CPU, video codecs up the wazoo

LG Optimus 3D has dual-core 1GHz OMAP 4 CPU, video codecs up the wazoo originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab II and Galaxy S II pics leak out ahead of Barcelona event (update: new pic!)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/12/samsung-galaxy-tab-ii-pictures-leak-out-ahead-of-barcelona-event/

There are still twelve hours to go before Samsung unveils its new products at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but somehow there are already a series of pictures allegedly "from the event." We're not complaining, though, because four of them show off the new 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab II. We discovered yesterday that Sammy's slate will run Android 3.0 Honeycomb at 1280 x 800 resolution and on a 1GHz processor, and heard rumors it'd have an 8 megapixel camera with HD video recording as well, but this is the first time we've laid eyes on a decent image of the tablet, and we imagine you're in the same boat. Join us on a journey over to Samsung Hub to see the full set (and more shots of the Samsung Galaxy S II), or if you're too busy priming your touchscreen-smudging thumbs, simply hit the break to see a render of what the unit's back might look like.

[Thanks, Dell P.]

Update: We've gotten another apparent shot of the Galaxy S II in all its glossy, rendered, press-shot-quality glory -- and you can see it after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab II and Galaxy S II pics leak out ahead of Barcelona event (update: new pic!)

Samsung Galaxy Tab II and Galaxy S II pics leak out ahead of Barcelona event (update: new pic!) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 23:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Atrix 4G pre-orders begin at AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/13/motorola-atrix-4g-pre-orders-begin-at-atandt/

March 6th is the official street date, but you can lay down your money for Motorola's modular smartphone right now, as the Atrix 4G and its suite of incredible Webtop docks are now available for pre-order. $200 buys you the biometric HSPA+ smartphone on a two-year contract, and it'll cost you an additional $300 to turn it into a portable netbook of sorts -- though as we feared, you'll need to pay $45 a month for the DataPro 4GB + Tethering data plan (on top of your phone bill) to actually use it on the go. Another bummer is that the HD Multimedia Dock (enabling desktop-like functionality) will run $130, a good bit more than we thought we'd see it for. All in all, the Atrix is looking like quite an investment, so perhaps you'd be best served waiting for our full review. But don't let us tell you what to do with your hard-earned dough!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola Atrix 4G pre-orders begin at AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel promises, teases MeeGo smartphone and tablet for MWC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/13/intel-promises-teases-meego-smartphone-and-tablet-for-mwc/

Lookie here. Intel may have been the jilted bride left at the altar by Nokia, but it's not giving up on MeeGo just yet. The above poster has been hung up here in Barcelona, in the area us humble journalists still aren't in allowed yet, and shows a smartphone and tablet running Intel's Linux variant as their OS. There are plenty of details to pore over, such as the multiplicity of home screen items on the tablet that includes Big Buck Bunny -- a favorite for testing HD video playback -- in its top right corner; the handset, meanwhile, could very well be that Aava Mobile device we've been hearing about lately. MWC is opening its doors tomorrow, so even if Intel doesn't announce these devices in full, we'll snoop its booth out and find out for ourselves.

Intel promises, teases MeeGo smartphone and tablet for MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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