Mwc09
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Caption contest: the most depressing thing we've seen all day
We've seen many wonderful, exciting things at Mobile World Congress this year.This isn't one of them.Chris: "Listen, you (expletive), I'm only two months behind on the Easy Bake."Darren: "Hawha? Iaowe u six five dolars? Huh? Moommiieeee!"Josh: "It will be a $35 charge to reinstate service, and no, you can't have a cookie."Richard: "How could I have sent that many SMS? I can't even read. Put your manager on."Joe: "Is this what they mean by 'the future underwriting the present?'"Jose: "Sshhhh! I'm talking to my marketing consultant - he loves the banner!"Paul: "Sure, the hold times suck, but at least they play tunes from The Wiggles in the background."Nilay: "I'm sorry, but they just haven't taught us the difference between .002 dollars and .002 cents in math class yet."
Gigabyte shows off 10-inch M1028 convertible netbook
If you thought Gigabyte's M912 mini convertible tablet was hot stuff, get a load of this. Expected to be officially unveiled at CeBIT, the company just couldn't resist bringing along a M1028 demo unit to MWC in order to mix things up. Reportedly, the swivel-screen netbook was equipped with a comparatively roomy 10-inch display (1,024 x 600), and packed within was a standard issue Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet, optional WWAN module, an SD card slot, ExpressCard, VGA output, a trio of USB ports, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and Windows XP Home. We ought to hear (and see) more when we land at CeBIT in just under a fortnight, but for now, you can see a Gigabyte-approved "sneak peek" vid just after the break.[Via jkkmobile]
Thievery at MWC! Telstra exec's HTC with WinMo 6.5 stolen
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Thievery_at_MWC_Telstra_exec_s_HTC_with_WinMo_6_5_stolen'; It's not clear if Telstra chief Sol Trujillo was sporting an HTC Touch Pro2 or a Touch Diamond2 at MWC this week, but one thing's for sure: he's doesn't have it anymore. A pickpocket apparently lifted the handset off another Teslsta exec who was checking it out today -- and making matters worse, it was running an early build of Windows Mobile 6.5. Oops. Of course, we doubt Microsoft is too concerned -- 6.5 ROMs are leaking all over the place anyway -- but it looks like Sol's picking up Ballmer's tab at the bar tonight.[Thanks, Boy Genius]
Samsung WMG100 brings OmniaHD video to the television, via WiFi
Just how the Samsung OmniaHD's video could reach directly from phone to TV screen was a bit of a mystery until the Engadget Spanish crew spotted the WMG100. Don't already own one of Samsung's high end sets with WiFi and DLNA built in? This dongle bridges the gap with all the necessary tech built in, pushing a max 480p (whether HD streaming to other devices from the OmniaHD will work is unknown) from its mini HDMI or component outputs for around €160 ($200), and is already available in Korea with a European debut planned for this spring. The idea that we'd ever get tired of watching that sweet AMOLED display is a bit of a reach, but just in case check out the gallery for some hands on pics.%Gallery-45209%
General Mobile's DSTL1 Android phone eyes-on
Never mind the Magic -- we've run across another Android device lurking in the midst at MWC, and if you squint, you might just see some HTC influence in this one, too. We'd heard General Mobile's dual-SIM DSTL1 would launch here, granted, but given its reasonably high-end look and the fact that we'd only seen renders ahead of the show, you have to appreciate our skepticism. Of course, we're delighted to be proven wrong in these sorts of situations, and we had a chance to play around with a DSTL1 today; WQVGA feels weak and there might be just a little too much Touch Diamond influence, but you have to respect the 5 megapixel AF cam, 4GB of internal storage plus microSD expansion, dual SIM slots, and on-board FM radio. Ultimately, the fact that this thing'll only be available in two tri-band EDGE flavors kills the dream, but goodness, these guys are getting close, aren't they? Follow the break for video!%Gallery-45202%
Viliv S5 and X70 MIDs hands-on with video!
We just played around with Viliv's latest MIDs, the stylish S5 and X70. Both devices use haptic feedback for onscreen keyboard input, and despite the resistive screen we found them both to offer some of the best touchscreen interaction we've seen on devices like this. They were both running Windows Vista, and seemed rather responsive and usable, even with Atom under the hood. What's really impressive is the X70 (pictured), which is thinner than the S5, and also can be mounted to an optional leather case that brings a keyboard and foldability to the device, and turns the unit into a laptop of sorts. Neither device is particularly thin or light, but there's a lot of quality going on here, and for folks sold on this sort of functionality and form factor, it would be hard to do much better than these at the moment -- of course, you'll have to swim to Korea to do it. Video of the S5 is after the break.%Gallery-45216%
Samsung Show hands-on and video at MWC
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Samsung_Show_Projector_Phone_hands_on_and_video'; The Engadget Spanish team just got their hands on the Samsung Show (the European, i7410 model) projector phone that we first caught a sneak peek of a CES. The Show's projector is powered by Texas Instruments' DLP pico technology, and though the fact that it packs a projector does increase the bulkiness of the phone as far as looks are concerned, the phone is still rather small and light. The Show can project an image of anywhere from five to fifty inches, with a 480 x 320 resolution. It's got a 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen, the TouchWiz UI and also boasts a 5 megapixel camera. There are plans for this bad dude to hit Asia and Europe (but no word on if it'll ever make its way to North America), but we still haven't heard when, nor how much it'll cost when it arrives. Check the video after the break. [Via Engadget Spanish]%Gallery-45193%
TI's OMAP 3 hardware doesn't manage to do Windows Mobile 6.5 any favors
We were really impressed with Texas Instruments' OMAP 3-based mobile development platform when we saw it running Android earlier today, and the hardware seems to hold up well to all sorts of video-accelerated magic for a multitude of Linux-based interfaces. Not so much with Windows Mobile 6.5. Granted, this is a very early build of the OS according to Microsoft, and is lacking all sorts optimization mojo that will go into the final product due end-of-year-ish, but at the same time this is basically an interface skin to Windows Mobile 6 that Microsoft has had nearly a year to work on since 6.1, and it's not exaggerating to say that performance is a complete joke at the moment. TI's OMAP 3 was clearly struggling to handle basic scrolling of the home screen and app menu, though "smoothness" was slightly improved in scrolling through a gallery of photos. TI has been working with 6.5 for "a few months," and claims to have added optimizations to interface performance -- and interestingly is running this on a capacitive touchscreen device, something that isn't officially supported as far as we're aware. They're also saying that they plan on achieving full smoothness by the time this launches, but there's really a long way to go, and it's difficult to understand why this seems to be a last priority for Microsoft at the moment. On the other hand, TI is doing great things with its own 3D-accelerated interface, something which Windows Mobile 6.5 brings support for, so perhaps these will all one day (soon) meet in the middle and give us the sort of interface smoothness and usability we'd expect on a phone built a decade into this century. Check out the painful videos after the break.%Gallery-45207%
WiMAX-equipped Samsung SWD-M100D MID spotted at MWC
We've been waiting on more details about a "forthcoming" Samsung MID for what feels like centuries now, but if a recent find is what it says it is, we'd say a Samsung-branded, WiMAX-enabled Mobile Internet Device is pretty close to production. The so-called SWD-M100D was spotted chillin' out, relaxin' all cool at Sammy's MWC WiMAX kiosk, which makes perfect sense given its ability to connect to WiMAX networks. Unfortunately, it was caught running WinMo 6.1, though the slide out QWERTY keyboard, 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR module, 4.3-inch touchscreen, microSD slot and TV output were all welcome inclusions. Samsung's PR folks have been somewhat dodgy so far, but a recent press release about its innovation in the WiMAX space specifically makes mention of an elusive MID. We're on to you, Samsung, and we're not looking away for even a second.[Via Pocketables]Read - In the wild shotsRead - Samsung release
Engadget Mobile Podcast 009 - 02.18.2009: MWC Edition
So we've wrapped up the first two days of Mobile World Congress, and it's about time for a rundown of some of our favorite (and least favorite) things of the show. As usual, we go into the podcast with every intention of getting it done inside of a set time limit, but... well, you know us. Note: Due to some unforeseen technical difficulties during the recording of the show, we lost one of our two audio tracks, which makes hearing Sean a little tough. (An early failure analysis indicates that it might be instant karma for calling the Idou awesome.) Our apologies! Hosts: Chris Ziegler and Sean CooperSpecial Guest: Paul MillerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International) Sony Ericsson Idou hands-on and video walkthrough Live from Nokia's MWC 2009 press conference Nokia Ovi Store unveiled, launches in May Nokia E75 hands-on Nokia E55 hands-on Samsung OmniaHD hands-on, now with more TouchWiz Windows Mobile 6.5 walkthrough with Engadget (now with video!) Microsoft My Phone now live, in screenshots First hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond2 (with video!) First hands-on with the HTC Touch Pro2 (with video!) Toshiba TG01 hands-on and video walkthrough HTC Magic in-depth hands-on, with video! NVIDIA's Tegra in the flesh, booting to Android and pumping out 1080p videoSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastpodcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com.
SerComm intros 3G femtocell / DSL WiFi router combo
Ubiquisys is on a serious tear here at Mobile World Congress, dishing out not one, but two partnerships in the integrated home gateway arena. If you'll recall, we already heard that said outfit has helped Netgear push out a femtocell / DSL WiFi router combo, and now it looks like SerComm will be doing likewise. Its FC210U is now readily available to deliver increased cellular coverage, WiFi and DSL services in homes, though you can bet this one's currently reserved for markets not named USA. Which is a crying shame, for the record.
Samsung's Blue Earth is saving the world from behind glass
The entirety of civilization seems fairly well and dedicated to one-upping each other in the "green" department, and Samsung is looking to up the ante once again by stating that "blue is the new green" and putting out the new Blue Earth solar phone to prove it. Sadly, the Blue Earth isn't quite ready to go -- currently it's only to be seen in non-working mockup form, though the hardware is certainly looking good. Samsung's showing off its eco-packaging and built-in energy-saving functionality, including an "Eco Walk" function to let you know how many trees you save by walking places. The phone itself is built from castor bean extract and recycled plastic, and Samsung claims the integrated solar panel saves up to 34.6% of the battery's energy. They're also showing off a hand-crank generator, external solar chargers, and even a solar-charged stereo headset. It's clear that Samsung isn't just playing lip service to green (or blue, as the case may be) but at this point in time this technology is likely to act more as a gimmick and promise of things to come than a truly life-changing device.%Gallery-45170%
Texas Instruments and Wind River do up Android right
We just got a great look at the potential of Android on Texas Instruments' new Zoom OMAP34x-II Mobile Development Platform, a sort of sexy cousin to Compulab's exeda. The OMAP3430-powered unit is being built by Logic and is meant for software developers to work on the OMAP3 chipset, but it's actually a pretty neat "device" in its own right, with a 4.1-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen LCD, HDMI out, all sorts of connectivity, 16GB of storage, an SD card slot, large QWERTY keypad and an 8 megapixel camera. There's also a debug board with Ethernet, USB plugs and some other technical stuff. For $1150 developers can pick up a WiFi-only unit, and $1399 buys you a 3G unit -- consumers can buy 'em too, and we can imagine certain enthusiasts wouldn't mind the cost for what basically amounts to the ultimate Android device. The unit runs other flavors of Linux, but we're really in it for the Android, especially thanks to that screen. Wind River has been doing development on Android for a while, contributing to the original source code as part of the OHA, and one of its developers even ported Android to OpenMoko. They've got a refined Android interface running on the Zoom, which includes a tabbed application browser, fancier widgets and a spruced up unlock screen. They wouldn't consider what they're doing a skin or a port, but it's exactly the type of stuff that device manufacturers will be looking for to differentiate their Android-powered handset. Video of all the magic is after the break.%Gallery-45166%
i-mate's 810F and Centurion handled with wild abandon
Technically, i-mate's only official announcement at MWC this year is the mega-rugged 810-F that'll withstand 140 degrees of heat, 14 degrees of cold, water resistance, and shock resistance courtesy of a nasty rubber casing, but it's certainly not going to appeal to the average consumer -- especially consumers who aren't wearing clown pants with one-liter pockets. So to that end, the company is also showing off a Windows Mobile Standard device codenamed "Centurion" -- and we're pretty sure this is the most compelling device i-mate has ever made. The version we saw was literally the first working prototype they've assembled, which meant it was creaky, wobbly, and felt like it could break at a moment's notice, but we're not taking too much stock in that; the more important thing to note is that it's freakin' tiny. The keyboard was too mushy from its overwhelming prototype-ness to take stock of whether it'll actually be usable in production, but our quick impression gives us hope that it might be wide enough to get the job done. The battery is absolutely tiny, so i-mate will be throwing in a battery wallet (remember the Upstage?) to help mitigate the problem -- they didn't have a wallet ready to show, but even with such an accessory tacked on, you're still looking at a smartphone leaps and bounds smaller than pretty much anything else you've used. There's no date on the Centurion's launch, but they're targeting mid-year -- and yes, both the 810-F and Centurion will get free Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrades. Cheers to that.%Gallery-45110%%Gallery-45116%
Samsung teases wrists with GT-S1100 watch at MWC
Remember what LG did at CES last year? Those crafty sons of guns showed off a shockingly decent-looking concept watch phone that ended up seeing a production announcement exactly one year later. Not to be outdone by its crosstown rival, Samsung came to MWC this year with a timeline showing its nearly decade-long history of designing and selling watch phones -- and interestingly, the rightmost entry in the timeline was dated "2009." We couldn't get any solid information on the GT-S1100, but like LG's GD910, the device features a full touchscreen, Bluetooth, and a speakerphone (probably a good thing for a phone you can't put up to your ear without getting a lot of odd looks). 'Course, in all likelihood, this is just another chapter in the book of Samsung heartbreak -- it'll either never see production or get released by precisely one carrier in precisely one country, then promptly fade into oblivion -- but it's looking awfully production-friendly. Same time, same place next year, Sammy -- just make sure you guys bring something more than a dummy behind a glass case this time, k?%Gallery-45165%
Freeplay's ZipCharge spotted, priced and dated
Freeplay's ZipCharge has already made its debut, but it's showing itself once more at Mobile World Congress now that it has a definitive ship date and price. For those out of the loop, this here power stick can charge up in just ten minutes, and the supplied cable provides all sorts of tips to juice up whatever random gadget you have laying around (Palm's Foleo notwithstanding). The device is expected to splash down on store shelves this April for around £60 ($85), and you can peek a few more hands-on shots in the read link below.
LG Arena rocking SanDisk's 8GB iNAND flash drive
For most, the fact that LG's Arena has 8GB of internal storage space is enough. It holds just under eight full gigabytes of miscellany, and it does so without complaining. But for us -- the nerds in the crowd -- knowing that those eight luscious gigabytes are actually on an 8GB iNAND embedded flash drive just makes getting up out of bed a great deal easier. Said drive can act as both the boot and data storage drive, eliminating the need for a separate boot device and mountains of stress. Mmm... NAND in a cellphone, how calming is that, broseph?
Skype coming to future N-series Nokia devices, N97 gets first
We already knew that Nokia was looking for swanky widgets to cram onto its swanky N97, so it's no real shock to see the suits in Espoo reaching out to Skype here. Starting with the N97 in Q3 2009, future N-series devices will come pre-loaded with a Skype client, enabling handset owners to save those precious minutes and dial up fellow Skype buddies whenever a WiFi hotspot is near. There's no word on just how far this relationship will go, but we'll at least let the cute couple round first before we start making outlandish predictions.
MWC day two: a new hope
If day one of MWC was dominated by Windows Mobile, day two went to Android -- although most of the announcements were vague and Toshiba's Snapdragon-based TG01 did much to impress. Obviously the big announcement was the HTC Magic (née the G2), which'll be coming to Vodafone UK in April, but several other manufacturers committed to building Googlephones as well. What else did we learn?
Samsung OmniaHD's camera put to the test
Samsung sure has made some high claims about its OmniaHD supermegaphone, and now we've got some HD footage and stills to put those claims to the test. The camera does seem pretty stellar for a phone, and the video is undoubtedly HD, but we saw pretty sluggish performance in the HD recording mode, both in the on-screen preview and in the finished product. We'll chalk that up to the super-early build of the device software, but hopefully this will be resolved before the phone ships. The phone also does ultra-slowmotion video, which is awesome, but seems similarly inconsistent and stuttery in frame rate. We'll shut up and let you see it all for yourself, both in the gallery below and the videos after the break. Again, this is all from a pre-production phone, and we're really expecting (or at least hoping for) the frame rate to smooth out by launch. The video was shot in 720p, but it was downsampled for web playback -- it looks pretty sharp in native form, and the first image in the gallery is a screencap from the video in full resolution for your perusal.%Gallery-45104%
