Motorola Droid Bionic specs revealed: TI OMAP 4430 dual-core CPU, Android 2.3.4 on board (update: wrong model number)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/motorola-droid-bionic-specs-revealed-ti-omap-4430-dual-core-cpu/

Can't wait to get those mitts on a Droid Bionic, but still wondering what lies beneath? Seems as though the Motorola mobile of mystery can't hold its secrets forever, since the specs of the Bionic are now up for perusal on Motorola's developer site. Here's the skinny: it's got a TI OMAP 4430 1GHz dual-core CPU bundled with 1GB RAM (twice the amount in the Droid 3), a 4.3-inch qHD display with 960 x 540 resolution, HDMI 1.4, 8 megapixel rear camera accompanied by a VGA front-facing shooter and 1080p HD video capture, webtop capabilities, and the obvious LTE radio. Unfortunately, the specs confirm the Bionic's lack of GSM / EDGE -- essentially turning it into a fancy PMP when traveling abroad -- and doesn't bother mentioning battery size (or life, for that matter), the most confounding question still lingering aside from the release date. C'mon, Motorola, can we at least get a hint?

Update: A keen-eyed tipster alerted us to one minor snafu in the above image: it shows the Motorola XT865 -- the original Droid Bionic unveiled at CES 2011 last January -- instead of the XT875, which belongs to the new and redesigned model. We can't be sure if this is an typo on the site or if it really is the old version. Either way, we'll keep a close eye on the story and update if we hear anything else.

Motorola Droid Bionic specs revealed: TI OMAP 4430 dual-core CPU, Android 2.3.4 on board (update: wrong model number) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS' next gen Eee Pad Transformer to pack NVIDIA's quad-core Kal-El, launch this October?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/asus-next-gen-eee-pad-transformer-to-pack-nvidias-quad-core-ka/

Fan of ASUS' affordable, yet competitively specced Eee Pad Transformer, but still haven't committed your credit to its 10.1-inches? Well, if this bout of rumor-mongering proves true, you might want to put the wallet down until early fall. Harbinger of supply chain gossip Digitimes is reporting that the electronics maker has just enlisted Wintek to provide touch panels for its next gen tablet, slated to launch this October. The parts supplier is said to be working in tandem with HannStar Display to ramp up production should this iteration be met with its predecessor's unforeseen popularity. Adding more ambiguity to the speculative fire, ASUS' Chairman Jonney Shih recently confirmed to Forbes that an updated Transformer is on its way, saying only that it'd be very "impressive," and would be available before CES. Jonney didn't comment on the upcoming slate's supposed use of NVIDIA's quad-core Kal-El, but with the chip's promised August launch date, we wouldn't rule it out. While talks of a Transformer 2 are still just gossamer promise, you can always snag that Eee Pad Slider while you sit and wait.

ASUS' next gen Eee Pad Transformer to pack NVIDIA's quad-core Kal-El, launch this October? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM's BlackBerry Torch 9810 emerges on AT&T's website, touts '4G' capabilities

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/03/rims-blackberry-torch-9810-emerges-on-atandts-website-touts-4g/

Well, hello beautiful! Can't say we were expecting to see RIM launch a new BlackBerry this evening, but we're sure there's quite a few of you out there that'll take it. The same BlackBerry Torch 2 that we previewed back in June has made the trek over to Ma Bell's network, with a 'Coming Soon' page emerging just moments ago. AT&T claims that this is the world's first 4G BlackBerry on its airwaves, but of course, that asterisk upside the "4G" logo couldn't possibly be more telling. Regardless, the full-featured slider will arrive with BlackBerry 7 OS, a full QWERTY keyboard, sliding display, 1.2GHz processor, 8GB of onboard memory, room for 32GB of expandable storage, 720p video capture, inbuilt WiFi and support for the carrier's HSPA+ network. Mum's the word on a price and release, but you can tap that source link to get signed up for more.

Update: It's official!

Gallery: RIM's BlackBerry Torch 9810 leaks at AT&T

RIM's BlackBerry Torch 9810 emerges on AT&T's website, touts '4G' capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba is dropping out of Fujitsu / Toshiba phones while Hitachi considers exiting the TV biz

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/03/toshiba-is-dropping-out-of-fujitsu-toshiba-phones-while-hitach/

Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications has only been in existence as Japan's number two mobile company (behind Sharp) for a short time, but it appears even a decent earnings report wasn't enough for Toshiba to stay in the business. While the joint venture prepares to release the au IS12T WP7 handset running Mango Fujitsu, Fujitsu is preparing to buy out Toshiba's 19.9 percent stake and take sole ownership in 2012. Toshiba may not be the only Japanese tech giant taking a step back, as Hitachi is considering following Pioneer and exiting the TV biz stage left. As price competition squeezes out all but the largest manufacturers and even Sony feels the pinch, Hitachi is considering outsourcing the brand to overseas manufacturers. Neither announcement should put brakes on hardware we've been anticipating, but that REGZA phone or Wooo television you just dropped a few yen on could become a vintage item very soon.

[Thanks, Colin]

Toshiba is dropping out of Fujitsu / Toshiba phones while Hitachi considers exiting the TV biz originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japan  |  Nikkei (reg required), Toshiba, Hitachi  | Email this | Comments

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Huawei Vision smartphone: Android 2.3, 1GHz CPU, unibody construction

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/03/huawei-vision-smartphone-android-2-3-1ghz-cpu-unibody-constru/

Is the world's next showstopping Gingerbread smartphone seriously coming from Huawei? The same company that shocked us all with the S7 Slim tablet (and pulled a similar stunt with the MediaPad) has just taken the wraps off of its newest handset in Beijing, and the curtly-titled Vision offers quite the stat sheet. While it still falls short of Samsung's Galaxy S II and HTC's EVO 3D in terms of raw horsepower, it's still more than capable of holding its own. Within the unibody frame, you'll find a 3.7-inch capacitive touchpanel, a five megapixel autofocus camera (with LED flash and 720p video recording), 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM 8255 processor and a 1,400mAh battery.

Moreover, there's 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of ROM, a microSD slot capable of holding 32GB, and a micro-USB 2.0 socket to boot. Per usual, A-GPS, an FM radio tuner, proximity sensor and light sensor are thrown in, and for those with varying moods, you'll likely appreciate the availability of silver, gold and charcoal back covers. The chassis measures 9.9 millimeters at its thinnest point while weighing 121 grams, which Huawei curiously points out is "less than a bottle of perfume or aftershave." We're told that it's loaded with a "3D interface," but given that we're not hearing anything about a "3D display," it's probably little more than spruced-up 2D. We're still waiting to hear back on a price, but "select markets" can look for it to land in September.

Continue reading Huawei Vision smartphone: Android 2.3, 1GHz CPU, unibody construction

Huawei Vision smartphone: Android 2.3, 1GHz CPU, unibody construction originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM launches three new handsets, Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900, we go hands-on!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/03/rim-launches-three-new-handsets-torch-9810-torch-9850-and/

Here they are folks. Months after we first got our hands on pre-release Torch and Bold Touch handsets, RIM is finally ready to show off its latest hardware. They're all powered by a 1.2GHz processor, have 768MB of onboard RAM and -- most importantly -- run the latest operating system BB OS7.

RIM claims its new OS is 40 percent faster at browsing compared to OS6-based smartphones, and 100 percent faster than OS5 handsets. It also supports RIM's Liquid Graphics technology, which uses a dedicated graphics processor for smoother scrolling, zooming and panning.

Hands-on impressions and video follow after the break.

Gallery: Blackberry Torch 9810 hands-on

Gallery: Blackberry Torch 9860 hands-on

Gallery: Blackberry Bold 9900 hands-on

Gallery: BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860, 9810 press shots

Continue reading RIM launches three new handsets, Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900, we go hands-on!

RIM launches three new handsets, Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900, we go hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PhoneGap 1.0 lets devs write apps for seven platforms (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/01/phonegap-1-0-lets-devs-write-apps-for-six-platforms-wp7-not-inc/

Until now, mobile app developers have followed a pretty predictable MO: develop for iOS first, Android second, and everyone else after that. Since last year, many of you code monkeys out there have been tapping into Nitobi's PhoneGap, a project that makes it easier to churn out apps for almost every OS, all at once. It's been picking up steam, with about 40,000 downloads per month, 600,000 in total, and a steady stream of donations. That all culminated this weekend with the release of PhoneGap 1.0, which lets devs use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to write and deploy apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, webOS, Bada, and Symbian. That's a long list indeed, but we see one glaring omission: Windows Phone 7. Hit the source link to download it for free and check out the promo video below for an oh-so quick overview.

Update: Oops! Looks like WP7 is included! Our apologies, and feel free to celebrate accordingly.

Continue reading PhoneGap 1.0 lets devs write apps for seven platforms (video)

PhoneGap 1.0 lets devs write apps for seven platforms (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Wireless to tie American Express' Serve into mobile numbers, keep your credit card holstered

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/01/verizon-wireless-to-tie-american-express-serve-into-mobile-numb/

Good news online shopaholics, your tchotchke-buying ways are getting a couple of enablers in the form of American Express and Verizon Wireless. The two titans of industry have teamed up to integrate AMEX's PayPal-like Serve platform into the operator's phones and tablets in the next few months. The service will work by linking your existing mobile number to a Serve account, speeding up the checkout process and ensuring you never second-guess that impulse buy. Sure, this isn't the NFC-chipped, Isis future Big Red promised, but it's a good stopgap for virtual spendthrifts.

Continue reading Verizon Wireless to tie American Express' Serve into mobile numbers, keep your credit card holstered

Verizon Wireless to tie American Express' Serve into mobile numbers, keep your credit card holstered originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe's Edge tool promises Flash-like animation through HTML5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/01/adobes-edge-tool-promises-flash-like-animation-through-html5/

Even as plenty have declared HTML5 adoption the beginning of the end for Adobe's once ubiquitous Flash platform, the company has embraced the web standard, through properties like its Creative Suite and Wallaby. Adobe will be taking things a step further with Edge, an HTML5 design tool that promises to let "web designers to bring animation, similar to that created in Flash Professional, to websites." The software is currently in public preview mode, available a free download for web designers, in hopes of getting some feedback that will help shape its final release.

Continue reading Adobe's Edge tool promises Flash-like animation through HTML5

Adobe's Edge tool promises Flash-like animation through HTML5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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4.5 million fps microscope camera powered by ultra-fast X-ray flash

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/01/4-5-million-fps-microscope-camera-powered-by-ultra-fast-x-ray-fl/

Remember those rugged gadgets we smashed to bits in super slow-mo? Well that spectacular footage was shot at around 1,500 frames per-second. A new camera system being built for the European XFEL (X-ray Free-Electron Laser) facility will record stunning clips of viruses and cells at an almost unimaginable 4.5 million fps. The camera is, in part, powered by a high speed flash created by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, that blasts its microscopic subjects with ultra-bright X-rays. The flashes themselves last as little as two femtoseconds, or 2x10^-15 seconds for you math nerds out there. When the whole apparatus is fired up in 2015 it could provide amazingly detailed, 3D images of individual molecules and answer some questions about the behavior of viruses and cells.

4.5 million fps microscope camera powered by ultra-fast X-ray flash originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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