Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Dragon Android device surfaces in firmware build, could pack 1GHz processor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s bakery-themed codename scheme for Android is a source of endless amusement (and hunger pangs) for bloggers, readers, and users alike, but with just a few builds actually blessed as gold, retail versions at this point, it’s not entirely clear how those codenames — Donut, Eclair, Flan, and so on — will ultimately map to version numbers. An Android team member, Romain Guy, has jumped in on the official Android Developers Google Group to say that Donut is not 2.0 — though he hasn’t specified what it actually is. Technically, Cupcake wasn’t 1.5, though 1.5 ended up being composed largely of improvements made in the Cupcake code branch, so if we had to guess, Google is simply making a similar distinction here — Donut is nothing but a line of code that’s being actively developed, and when it comes time for Android 2.0 to drop, it’ll pull much of its changelog from that line. Also interesting is Guy’s revelation that Donut doesn’t include multitouch support, despite hints from the latest repository that it’s in there. Ultimately, we won’t know what’s happening here until 1.6, 1.7, 2.0, or whatever it’s called ends up hitting devices — but for now, it looks like developers probably shouldn’t be getting their hopes up for an open and supported multitouch API just yet.

[Thanks, shootingblue]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Android team member says Donut isn’t 2.0, doesn’t have multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you weren’t up all night following Engadget (and why wouldn’t you be?), the first place you’ll want to visit this morning is our extensive hands-on of Sony Ericsson’s inaugural foray into Android territory. There you’ll find the full XPERIA X10 announcement details and spec sheet, which is highlighted by a 4-inch capacitive display and a deeply customized user interface. With plenty of time to go before that first quarter of 2010 release date, though, we thought we’d get the anticipation revved up a few notches with a selection of handsome images of the device below, and a pair of videos — one a spit-polished advertising promo, the other a useful demo of Speed Forge 3D — after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson lets XPERIA X10 videos and press shots loose

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson lets XPERIA X10 videos and press shots loose originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Somewhat unusually, Verizon and Motorola actually gave us four DROID review units to play with — and while Paul, Nilay, and Chris all contributed to Josh’s official Engadget review, there were definitely some different perspectives (and dissenting opinions) amongst the team. Rather than try to squeeze everything together into one jumbled whole, we thought we’d let everyone add their own take on what’s clearly a watershed device for Motorola, Google, and Verizon. Read on for more!

Continue reading More on the DROID: thoughts from the rest of Engadget

Filed under: Cellphones

More on the DROID: thoughts from the rest of Engadget originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/business_finance/Radio_Shack_rebranding_to_The_Shack’; tweetmeme_url = ‘http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/02/radio-shack-rebranding-to-the-shack/’; tweetmeme_source = ‘engadget’; Details are a bit light on this one, but thanks to a tipster and some chatter we picked up on the interblogs, it looks like Radio Shack may be about to undergo a pretty noticeable rebranding. The above image was taken from a terminal within a store, and while it’s not completely clear if this is a short-term promotional push or long-term strategy (apparently the company will remain Radio Shack on the corporate side), our tipster says that in-store signs will reflect the change this week, and storefront signage will begin to be reworked as “The Shack” sometime later this year. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense — radios aren’t exactly considered cutting edge these days, and from the sounds of things, the store is about to launch a full assault on the mobile space, bringing T-Mobile into the fold this month, and attempting to cover the gamut on cellphone reselling. Still, we’re not sure “The Shack” is the right direction… unless they wanted us to immediately picture a remote location where very, very bad things happen.

Update: Apparently we’re not the only ones talking about this — someone has added detailed info on the rebranding to the company’s Wikipedia page. According to the writeup, the switch will kick off with celebrations “in San Francisco and New York featuring ‘14 foot tall laptops’ streaming the images from their webcams from one city to the other, live music in both locations, as well as television coverage of the event.” Uh, okay!

Update 2: Guess they weren’t kidding. Here’s the promo page on Radio Shack’s site. Thanks Ellis D.!

Filed under: Cellphones

Radio Shack rebranding to “The Shack”? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let’s be honest, who here is actually surprised that underpaid and overworked data workers would sell on our details for a few extra quid? Given the number of uninvited calls to our unlisted phone numbers, we know for a fact that somebody has been dishing our personal contacts to those Nigerian princes and caring loan consolidators, so it’s no shock to learn that T-Mobile employees have been fingered for committing the deed and are now facing prosecution. We’re told that inappropriately leaked information made its way into the hands of brokers, who then “cold-called the customers as their contracts were due to expire” without T-Mob’s knowledge. Disappointed by the failure of current fines to discourage such illegal information trade, British Justice Minister Michael Wills has even called for “custodial sentences” to be levied against the poor slobs responsible. So, if you’re scoring at home, that’s now two black eyes for T-Mobile when it comes to keeping our data safe. For shame.

Filed under: Cellphones

UK T-Mobile customer data sold to cold callers, responsible staff to be prosecuted originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM’s successor to the original Bold — the BlackBerry Bold 9700 — has finally landed on our doorsteps. The 9000 is in many ways a hard act to follow. Hardware-wise, it lived up to its name, going where most phones never went with its retro, leathery, nearly clunky looks in an age of rounded edges and shiny curves. Don’t get us wrong — we loved the 9000’s aesthetics obsessively — which is why we couldn’t wait to get our hands on its newborn child. A few questions we had in mind: would the 9700 live up to its predecessor’s notoriously uncompromising fashion sense? Would the new Bold feel as good to hold and use in the hand as its loving parent? How would it stack up against other, new devices from RIM? If these are the kind of questions you think you might want answers to, read on for our impressions.

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

Filed under: Cellphones

BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Thanks, Sean]

Filed under: Cellphones

Bell nabs iPhone deal in Canada, ends Rogers’ reign of terror originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not exactly the native unlock we’ve been waiting for, but those of you in Europe dying for a Pre unshackled from O2 will be happy to know that the Rebel Simcard II is now compatible with Palm’s first webOS device. The £10.99 / $17.95 accessory card slots in between your carrier’s SIM and the Pre’s SIM slot, bypassing the Pre’s network locks and allowing full access to voice and data services including 3G. Sadly, the Pre doesn’t have the radio support to make this work in the States on anything but EDGE, but at least it’s a start, right? Video after the break.

[Thanks, Ji]

Continue reading GSM Palm Pre unlocked with a little Rebel assistance

Filed under: Cellphones

GSM Palm Pre unlocked with a little Rebel assistance originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that giant satellite TerreStar launched a few weeks ago, TerreStar-1? It’s now up and running, which means we’re that much closer to tiny smartphones that blur the boundary between “satellite phone” and “sexy” — something that we can’t really say has ever even come close to happening before. In addition to completing its first call on the all-IP network provided by TerreStar-1, the company has notified the FCC and Industry Canada that it’s now in compliance with the final milestones required for certification, so there’s a fighting chance these guys could meet their goal of launching commercially this year. James Bond, your cellphone awaits.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Wireless

TerreStar successfully completes first call on new satellite originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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