Gadget Reviews

While we were busy looking into external speaker problems on the Droid, it would seem Moto was itself hard at work remedying a separate issue with the device. A number of users on support forums have complained of the Droid’s camera failing to focus and giving them “red corners” when attempting to take pictures, but now — suddenly and without warning — their ailment has gone away as if touched by the hand of an omnipotent being (or, alternatively, a silent firmware update). This particular autofocus issue was mentioned in Verizon’s 5-page treatise on known issues with the Droid, though the planned resolution was an official update by December 11. The fix seems to have been delivered early, as green corners are sprouting up all around, but this silent update conduit sounds a bit nefarious, no?

Update: Sure enough, we can confirm from testing one of our own Droids that the issue has been resolved. The endless quest for the green focus box is over, and you can now finally begin scanning all your discount cards into Key Ring.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read – Android Forums
Read – Howard Forums

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Droid camera autofocus fixed in secrecy? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not much to go on but after months of rumors and then the sudden appearance of Dell’s 5-inch MID on video, well, even unsubstantiated reports from the Commercial Times can be taken with a degree of truthiness. The latest tattle has QISDA manufacturing Dell’s Android 2.0-based MID (spotted with a 5 megapixel camera, 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, 3G data, and WiFi) with the intent of ramping up for an AT&T launch sometime in 2010. Given the uptick in leaks recently, we’d expect a Q1 launch to be just about right.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Dell’s 5-inch Android Streak MID on AT&T in 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaning back and forth between the $100 HTC Eris on Verizon and the $179 HTC Hero on Sprint? Well, your decision just got a bit more difficult, as Best Buy has now kicked off a new holiday promotion that’ll net you a chin-less Sprint Hero for the same hundred bucks as Verizon’s Eris. If you prefer, you can also now snag a Samsung Moment for the same price, but each will of course have to be paired with a new two-year activation, and you’ll have to take the plunge before the end of December — although there’s at least a decent chance there will be another discount / price drop by the time this one ends.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Hero, Samsung Moment now $100 on Sprint courtesy of Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may look a lot like the General Mobile DSTL1, but SciPhone’s N21 still has its very own soul. Our BFFs over at Engadget Chinese were able to wrangle one in, and naturally they took the opportunity to score a photo shoot and host it for the world to see. There aren’t too many surprises to be found, but if you’re looking for a pinch of KIRF, twin SIM slots, a 5 megapixel camera and the not-exactly-newest version of Google’s mobile operating system, you know where to look.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sciphone’s Android-toting N21 unboxed, dual SIM slots caught rockin’ the suburbs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson’s Android-based XPERIA X10 was mighty sluggish when we played with it at the launch a couple weeks ago, but this new video from hdblog.it shows what looks like a much newer software build that’s dramatically faster and more responsive. There’s nothing much new here in terms of features, but just the fact that the X10 is in the wild and running well is encouraging — especially since we’re really digging that media playback interface. Now all we need is some Stateside shipping details and we’ll be all set. Video after the break.

[Thanks, Nils]

Continue reading New XPERIA X10 hands-on video brings the snappy

Filed under: Cellphones

New XPERIA X10 hands-on video brings the snappy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An Android and iPhone hybrid isn’t exactly new (hello, OPhone), but at least we can say this has a trackball. In fact, you might even mistaken this for iPhone OS at first glance, it’s just that kind of doppelganger. The fine details, you say? The GSM (EDGE only, no 3G) device sports a 3.5-inch LCD display with capacitive multitouch, 2 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, and the part that really bests it over Apple’s offering, a trackball! Huzzah! Video after the break.

[Via technabob]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLII: Aphone A6 is all about Android, aping Apple (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLII: Aphone A6 is all about Android, aping Apple (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The long-rumored little brother to the Galaxy, the i5700, has finally been made official by Samsung — and sure enough, it’ll go by the trade name “Galaxy Spica.” Sammy’s latest Android-powered set clocks in at 13.2mm thick and comes equipped with a 3.5mm jack (which, frankly, every smartphone in the world should be including at this point), an 800MHz core (presumably the same as the Moment’s), and an Android first: built-in DivX support. This one appears to be a no-frills Google Experience device considering the number of times that “Google” is mentioned in Samsung’s press release, but for some Android connoisseurs, the purest, unskinned look and feel is preferred. Sammy says it’s already out in Europe and the CIS and will be coming to the Middle East and Asia shortly.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung unveils Android-equipped Galaxy Spica i5700 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t be fooled by that background: this Menq EasyPC E790 is only using Windows CE 5.0 for the sake of this hands-on. The successor to the $89 E760 we saw last year still sports a Samsung ARM processor, bumps the 7-inch display’s resolution to 800 x 480, and at least as far as this Techvideoblog video hands-on shows, can do a decent (albeit not great) job of handling DivX files, Skype, and browsing. There’s a promise from the manufacturer that Android is coming sometime in the next month, but honestly, given what we’ve seen before, we’d be happy to stick with Windows CE. Of course, the big selling point here is the price, and that claimed $80 is quite the looker. Video after the break.

[Via SlashGear and Linux for Devices]

Read – Hands-on
Read – Product page

Continue reading Menq’s $80 EasyPC E790 netbook runs Windows CE now, should run Android later (video)

Filed under: Laptops

Menq’s $80 EasyPC E790 netbook runs Windows CE now, should run Android later (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There was a lot of buzz last week when Apple announced that there now more than 100,000 applications in iPhone App Store, and more than two billion apps downloaded. Those are impressive numbers. A former Palm executive recently told me that in the heyday of Palm OS, two thirds of users never installed a third party app and the average “power user” installed around ten. That averages out to about two apps per device — a pretty low number compared to most iPhone users, even novice users.

But that’s only part of the story. A few months ago, I discussed the viability of multiple mobile OS platforms and how it’s not likely that they all will survive long term, and one big reason Apple’s platform looks better and better is entertainment apps. Looking at my own device, once you get past the three core apps I use all the time (Mail, Tweetie, and Byline, a Google Reader app), the bulk of my hundred plus apps are all entertainment related — and most of them aren’t available on any other platform.

When you look at the out-of-the-box experience of most smartphones today, they’re all pretty good when it comes to basics. Email, web browsing, personal information management, and voice are all acceptable. What’s missing are the applications and experience that make up mobile entertainment. Media and content consumption are one core pillar. Games are another.

Continue reading Entelligence: Got game?

Filed under: Cellphones

Entelligence: Got game? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been saying all along that we’d love nothing more than to see someone throw a 3G chip into Creative’s Zii Egg and sell it as a pretty strong smartphone, but so far we’ve been hit with little to no indication of interested parties making that happen. So when we spot phrases like “Zii Optimized Android Phone platform” and “the line-up of devices on display includes a Mobile Phone platform” on an informational site for the ZiiLABS Showcase happening early December in China, our interested are definitely piqued. The event is geared towards companies who’d like to use the Plaszma platform for their products, and with any luck, some debonair decision-maker will give Zii phone a chance.

[Via myCreative Fansite; thanks, Kyle]

Filed under: Cellphones

Creative to show off ‘Zii Android mobile phone’ next month at Chinese summit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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