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Moto 360 teardown reveals ancient chips, clever tech and a small battery
Motorola has been willing to offer a quick peek at the Moto 360's inner workings, but let's face it: that doesn't really go deep enough to sate your curiosity, does it? You don't have to worry, though, as iFixit has torn apart the circular smartwatch to examine every last detail. In the end, the hardware is an odd mix of the latest technology with surprisingly old components. While that round LCD and inductive charger are pretty forward-thinking, the teardown also confirms the presence of TI's OMAP3630 processor -- a chip that hasn't been cutting edge since that Droid 2 you rocked back in 2010.
Verzo Kinzo unboxing and impressions (video)
Yes, the Verzo Kinzo is real! That Americano-Czech Android smartphone with mid-range specs that went on sale in November with a ludicrous $459 price tag only to be hastily relaunched earlier this month for a slightly more digestible $359 is not a giant farce. (Well, maybe it is.) It left the ethereal world of rendered computer graphics and landed in our mitts just in time for the holidays. To be specific, we received the pricier $384 Verzo Kinzo Plus GPS package, which includes a voucher for Sygic's off-line navigation app and a gaudy, Star Trek-inspired car holder. After spending a few days with the handset we are able to report that it isn't particularly impressive in this day and age but isn't completely horrible either -- not to mention the faux-Vertu packaging and branding which are rather, well... unique. So why not grab some leftover eggnog, and join us after the break for our unboxing and impressions?
Verzo launches Kinzo Android smartphone, on sale today for $459
Remember the Kinzo, that mysterious Android smartphone from Verzo we teased you with this past summer? Well it looks like the Americano Czech company just launched its stylish, custom-skinned, FroYo-powered (?) device. Originally slated for a late-September release, the 12.3mm-thick handset -- designed by Novague -- goes on sale today on Verzo's website for $459 (€420) contract-free. This buys you a 4.3-inch WVGA glass-capacitive TFT display, a 1GHz TI OMAP 3630 processor, 512MB of RAM, a five megapixel AF camera (with LED flash), a VGA front-facing camera, tri-band UMTS support (AT&T-compatible), quad-band GSM support, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR plus the usual array of sensors. Power comes from a 1590mAh battery, and a microSD slot provides storage (an 8GB card is included). No word yet on essential features such as a compass, HSPA, or support for the Android Market. The manufacturer plans to differentiate itself with free shipping, refined packaging and a full set of bundled accessories, including a leather case, quality headphones, a car charger and a car holder. While details about the Verzo GUI remain vague (tweaks appear to be primarily cosmetic), each Kinzo will include offline navigation software by Sygic. An app called TellME will provide "the basic means of communication between the users and the Verzo brand". The company wants to establish a strong relationship with its customers by letting the community of owners suggest and vote on improvements to its product. Winning features will be incorporated into the next software update. Curious about this elegant mid-range Android smartphone? Check out the picture gallery below, and hit the break for the full specs, a promo video, and the obligatory PR. %Gallery-139148%
Nokia N9 review
MeeGo to be folded into Linux-based Tizen OS, slated to arrive in 2012 Want a Nokia N9 in the US? Expansys has some, but it'll cost ya Motorola Droid 2 stars in its first video, touts 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM? It's taken a long time for Nokia's MeeGo-packing N9 to make its way into our top-secret labs (the N9 moniker was first applied to early E7 prototypes), but it's here in our dirty little hands, at last, and it's glorious -- well, as glorious as a stillborn product can be, anyway. The N9 is the latest and greatest in a long line of quirky, interesting, yet ultimately flawed touchscreen experiments from Nokia that includes the Hildon-sporting 7710, a series of Maemo-based "internet tablets" (770, N800, N810, N900) and most recently, the N950 MeeGo handset for developers. What makes the N9 special is that it represents Nokia's last flagship phone as an independent player. MeeGo is already dead, and future high-end devices from the manufacturer will run Windows Phone and use Microsoft's services. So, is this the company's final bittersweet hurrah? Did MeeGo ever stand a chance against Android, iOS and Mango? In its attempt to stay relevant, is Nokia throwing out the baby with the bathwater? Most importantly, how does the N9 fare in today's merciless dual-core world? Find out after the break. %Gallery-137175%
Nokia N9 countdown page goes live, 49 days to launch?
Google's powers of awkward PR translation may have been right on the MeeGo-money, judging by this countdown page for the N9. The Swedish site, which just went live today, has begun its 49 days and counting creep to the Gorilla Glass-clad handset's eventual overseas debut. We'd previously heard whispers of an impending September 15th release pegged for the OEM's backyard, but we'll err on the side of Nokia's official launch clock. Head to the source to watch this tantalizing tease of time ticking by. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video)
The N9 has arrived. Functional units of Nokia's long-awaited MeeGo smartphone have finally landed into our eager hands and we've got a gallery of images to provide you with below. What we can say from our first experience is that we're in the presence of a fantastically designed device with a gorgeous AMOLED screen and some highly responsive performance. Hold tight as we're updating our fuller impressions after the break, where you'll soon be treated to our first hands-on video with the Nokia N9. Update: Hands-on video plus a live demonstration of the N9's ability to pair Bluetooth devices over NFC (very impressive!) can now be found after the break. %Gallery-126795%%Gallery-126785%
LG LU3000 taking its 1080p talents to South Korea in a week's time
Ah, LG's LU3000, the sprightly young thing that made the iPhone 4 and Galaxy S look a wee bit aged in some YouTube tests has now become official over in South Korea. It boasts a 1GHz TI OMAP3630 chip, allowing it to jot down 1080p video playback on its spec sheet, which in turn goes very nicely with the built-in HDMI port and DLNA wireless capabilities. A 3.8-inch screen offers an 800 x 480 resolution, there's a 5 megapixel camera around the back, and a mildly skinned Android 2.2 performs the OS duties. Curiously enough, the LU3000's home screen looks identical to the one on the leaked LG Star, suggesting that the stuff they're running will represent LG's default Android treatment for the near future. 800,000KRW ($705) buys you the 3000 when it ships in its native land a week from now, though there are apparently no plans to spread the wealth to other nations. Why so selfish, LG?
Motorola Droid 2 stars in its first video, touts 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM?
It was inevitable, really, that a phone as widely leaked as the Droid 2 would end up caught on video. Doing the honors for us today are Android and Me, who've compared the new Droid to the classic variant. Funnily enough, they didn't find too much deviation from Motorola, describing the two handsets as "virtually identical," with the major physical change being the replacement of the previous keyboard's navigation pad with arrow buttons. The front end's soft buttons have also changed to Moto's Blur options, but otherwise you're still looking at a 3.7-incher with a 5 megapixel imager. The big improvement seems to have been under the hood with a new 1GHz TI OMAP3630 processor and 512MB of RAM (PowerVR SGX530 graphics unit remains the same) driving the Droid 2 to some robust benchmark scores. Of course, we don't see the handset booted up in this hands-on video, so treat these specs and results as provisional until we hear from the official horse's mouth in a couple of days. [Thanks, Naveed]
Motorola Shadow glimpsed in the wild: 4.1-inch screen, 8MP camera, OMAP3630 processor?
Leave it to the very same poster who teased the Motorola Shadow's Getting Started manual, wnrussell of Howard Forums, to provide a pretty clear shot of the device itself -- yep, that's a HDMI out port -- and reveal some purported specs. Here's the claimed technical details: 4.1-inch screen, TI OMAP 3630 processor (a 720MHz ARM Cortex A8), 8GB internal storage, 8 megapixel camera. Yeah, we can buy all that, especially since he's clearly got the device in hand -- so now it's up to Verizon to let us know when we can do the same. [Thanks, Erik]
