TheBoyGeniusReport
Latest
The Boy Genius Report: Nokia N92 Unboxing
Field report tidbits from mobile insider Boy Genius.Boy Genius -- Let's just the Nokia N92 isn't a small phone by any means. It's also not that US-friendly, but that didn't stop me from snagging one. It comes with with the usual Nokia goodies like a USB data cable, 64MB miniSD card, headphones, charger and software booklet. Powering this hefty puppy on wasn't as fun as I would have hoped due to the sheer size and weight of it; the keys are some of the worst implemented i've seen. Instead of normal buttons they have a sheet of plastic over them (think: buttons on a microwave). You can't watch DVB TV and there is no US 3G or 850mhz support so our friendly advice is stay away, although the $850+ pricetag should help as well. Nevertheless thanks to CTI-Miami for sending us the phone. Click on for more pics including a nice side by side with the HTC Cavalier!
The Boy Genius Report: More Cingular iPhone details
More internal marketing memo details about the iPhone fresh from Cingular? Thanks Boy Genius, we can always count on you. Interesting bits: iPhone won't fall under the Cingular Music umbrella (which is probably why there aren't any OTA downloads. Classic line: "What's in it for Cingular? We always start from the initial position of asking the question 'what does our customer really want.' In this case, we came to the conclusion that they want their music, their way." We kind of thought that was Apple's conclusion with the iPhone -- not Cingular's. So, gonna put your money where your mouth is? Oh, Cingy also claims "support" of FairPlay; don't be fooled, we're all pretty well aware Cingular currently exists entirely outside the iTunes ecosystem. "Carrier support" it is not, but we think you know what they mean. More after the break.
The Boy Genius Report: Unboxing the Black Motorola KRZR
Seems as if The Boy Genius received a nice little care package courtesy of CTI-Miami. Its a black Motorola KRZR which is only now available. While the obvious features and specs have not changed, this is the sharpest looking K1 to be released yet. That is until the fiyah red one comes out, right? Click on for the rest of the unboxing pics
The Boy Genius Report: A bit of Cingular Q4 product info
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, The Boy Genius.Well would you look at that, a Cingular display already up in stores showing three "increased productivity" devices. One comes from the BlackBerry 8700c, one happens to be the Cingular 3125 Smartphone, and the last, but certainly not least, is the Palm Treo 680. We also found out from our man with the plan that Cingular's BlackBerry Pearl will launch before Christmas, with very minor cosmetic differences (e.g. keypad color, and so on). It will still have a camera despite some rumors around the net, and will have a nice friend to play with -- the Motorola KRZR. More info to come.Update: We also just got word of a new ruggedized Motorola phone also due soon; just don't get your hopes up that it's some military-grade Q or anything, you should know by now what most ruggedized gear is like.Be sure to check out the The Boy Genius Report for more from The Boy Genius.
The Boy Genius Report launches
Well, wouldn't you know it. Our very own Boy Genius has his own site now based on his regular column here at Engadget -- The Boy Genius Report. You can still find his regular scoops here at Engadget, but check out his site for the latest in the BG mobile lifestyle -- like this interview with celeb gadget fiend Just Blaze, for example. You're still here? Why?P.S. -Did you know Fat Joe hits up BGR for his gadget news? Damn, just when we thought we were finally getting a little gangsta.
The Boy Genius Report: The BlackBerry 8800
Well, now that the pearl's out and about, it's time we focused once more on RIM's utilitarian bizphone lineup -- except now the Boy Genius has gotten a hold of some pictures of the BlackBerry 8800. You guys remember the one, don't you? Probably not enough to push RIM's price above $90, but hey, it's got three different branded options. Right? Right? Click on for some more photos. Oh, and Boy Genius wants to give a shout out to Muellerlinger!
The Boy Genius Report: Unboxing the Motorola KRZR K1
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.Finally we have it folks, the full retail version of the now Motorola KRZR K1. Moto did the retail KRZR the justice of fixing some little things since I last laid hands on it back in April, and polishing up the retail version. The key pad is no longer bulging out (it's flush), the backlight color is changed from dark blue (a la the V3i), to a light green to make things easier to see, and the speaker has been dramatically improved. Nice! Thanks to CTI-Miami.com for the hookup.[Click on for more pics of the unboxing ritual. -Ed.]
The Boy Genius Report: T-Mobile Dash
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.As Pete so eleganty reported earlier the HTC Excalibur -- or T-Mobile Dash -- will be coming stateside soon. How soon is still unconfirmed, but I've heard as early as the end of this month; review units have indeed already found there way into the hands of the paparazzi press. Stare at the T-Mobile logo, let it control you. Thanks to none other than super-producer Just Blaze for the teamwork on this one!
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry 8700 4.2 OS & 8800 Confirmed
Once again by way of the Boy Genius, we managed to get a first look at the 4.2 OS for the BlackBerry 8700 which now adds voice notes, Push-To-Talk, file explorer, .wav attachments, mp3 player, bluetooth file transfer, GPS support, among other very cool things. As you can clearly see, Boy Genius was dead on: the model number you ask? 8800. QWERTY keyboard lover? You're so in luck. The codename on this model? Gamma Ray. Camera? Business users rejoice, none so far.In a recent ALX file from RIM, it has the following entry:"<os radio="GPRS" series="8800" Colour="True" Theme="Normal" JVMLevel="1.0" VoiceNotes="True" pttApp="True" Memory="Large" KeyboardType="Qwerty" Sound="Tunes8700g" SystemSize="normal" Bluetooth="True" MMS="True" ThemeSupport="Enhanced">GPRS/rimGammaRay.sfi</os>" As a comparison, here is the entry for the 8100 (aka Pearl aka Stealth):"<os radio="GPRS" series="8100" Colour="True" Theme="Normal" JVMLevel="1.0" Camera="True" VoiceNotes="True" pttApp="True" KeyboardType="Reduced" MMS="True" Bluetooth="True" Sound="Tunes8700g" SystemSize="normal" Backdrop="68M_240x260" ThemeSupport="Enhanced" VAD="True">GPRS/rim8100g.sfi</os>" You will notice that the Gamma Ray does not have entries for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD) nor a Camera. This is preliminary, at best, and obviously subject to change; but it's also the first official mentioning of the upcoming BlackBerry 8800 from RIM (albeit, by accident). Click on for more shots than you can shake a WinMo phone at.
The Boy Genius Report: Hands-on with the HTC Excalibur!
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.Ok fellow geeks, fanboys, nerds, phone fiends, and otherwise generally awesome Engadget readers. Excuse me if my typing is a little off I can't stop shaking. I just got a hands-on with the HTC Excalibur, and in all honesty, people are gonna have to watch out. This is the most responsive, fastest Windows Smartphone I have ever used. Everything was made to perfection. The device is metal and rubberized plastic which gives it a great feel in your hands, and the keys... oh my lord, the keys! They are firm but not hard, softly tactcile but not squishy. The touch bar is incredible: highly responsive and ingenious or, Boy Genius if you will. It also earns the right to be called a Q-killer because it basically kills the Q in size and usability. The EDGE performance is great -- no, it's not 3G, but the built-in Wifi helps make up for it. And the microSD and clear, great-sounding speaker don't hurt none, either. And now the moment you have all been waiting for, I give you KONG! Excalibur! Thanks be to E-Gadget.[Click on for pictures of the Excalibur next to the BlackBerry Pearl (8100), BlackBerry 8700, and a Nokia N73. -Ed.]
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry 8100 user guide and trackball video!
Today's Boy Genius BlackBerry Pearl (8100) leak: the User Guide and a good long look at the trackball that gives the Pearl its name. From the guide it looks like it has built-in support for Push-to-Talk, which Cingular will most likely take advantage of when it releases the Pearl later on the year. The Boy Genius also confirmed to us that the Cingular version will have cosmetically differences from the T-Mobile release. Boy Genius also sent us a video of the Pearl's trackball -- a setting in the phone app enables the trackball to changes colors to a ringtone set and during a phonecall.[Thanks to Jibi for deconstructing the Pearl .xml files]Download - User GuideWatch - Trackball video [MOV]
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.2
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius. [Looks like Boy Genius didn't take off for Labor Day either. Today it's the new BlackBerry Desktop Manager -- tomorrow, who knows what? -Ed.]I got a look at the new BlackBerry Desktop Manager version 4.2 today I'm thrilled! Media Manager, Switch Device Wizard, when will it stop? RIM has updated the desktop manager to reflect the new Pearl and media features. Everything is self contained, so even though 8100 goes into mass storage mode when you connect it via USB, it is all also accessible from the comfort of your BlackBerry Desktop Manager. The switch device wizard is a godsend for all of us who constantly change our devices -- and it is not limited to BlackBerrys, either. It also will help if you are coming from a Treo or Pocket PC device. Click on for some shots!
The Boy Genius Report: Thoughts on the BlackBerry 8100
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius. [Our man the Boy Genius hit us up with a few thoughts on having used the Pearl for a few weeks. Here's a bit about what you can expect. -Ed.]It's pretty apparent that the BlackBerry 8100 is RIM's first real stab at a mass market consumer device, and to be honest, it didn't come out all that bad. But once you get away from the "oh my god there is a camera, mp3, and videoplayer" knee-jerk, it is simply a long overdue update to the 7100 line. Don't get me wrong, I am a BlackBerry fanatic for life. I would get any BlackBerry that RIM releases no matter the features, regardless of whether I have 2 or 10 cellphones and PDAs; you will always catch a BlackBerry on my hip. I just think that for the people RIM is targeting with this device, they won't see results like RIM hopes (at least without a better AIM client, anyway). In fact, I'd wager the only people they will get to transition are die-hard push email fans. The way the Pearl is designed and works, it's much more like a featurephone -- which is a huge improvement -- but people can get plenty of devices that outshine the 8100 in features. Read on for more.
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry 8705 / 8800
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.So the Boy Genius has been digging deeper into all these rumors floating around about the supposed BlackBerry 8705 and 8800, and here's what we got: the BlackBerry 8705 will be a normal BlackBerry 8700 except with HAC (Hearing Aid Compatibility) and minor GSM Radio and component changes. No WiFi, nothing to email home about. We also got info on the next BlackBerry unit; the 8800 is code-named Gamma Ray (not 8200 as previously reported). The 8800 is basically the 8100 with a full QWERTY keyboard, and surprise, surprise as far as we can tell it will not have the pearl's camera. This can and might change, but as of now it will be thin, have a trackball, WiFi, microSD, and will not be released before the end of this year. The reason RIM has done away with the trackwheel on the side is because it was preventing them from making the devices thinner; they sure made 'em thinner now, but we're still not sure if that was the right move. We'll leave you with a quote from our man."RIM, I know you love how The Boy Genius has your stock above $80 per share for the first time since April. This is viral marketing at its best. Please look for all my scoops, and reviews here exclusively at Engadget."
The Boy Genius Report: Hands on with the Motorola RAZR xx
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius. RAZR MAXX? V3x? RAZR XX? Be confused no more, Boy Genius has provided us with a detailed review of Motorola's V3xx. The RAZR XX is not as pleasing to the eye as the V3i when closed -- it most closely resembles the V3, and the only real change is in the camera lens. I guess they had to think of something to do, seeing as this phone could have been designed and put together in a day or so. I say that because the internal hardware is nothing new either, except this version sports USA 3G bands on 850/1900MHz while also coming equipped with quad-band EDGE. The software build is the same as the new MAXX, with a more straight-forward media finder, and little bit better layout. Keypad is nice, size is nice, but Moto has definitely lost its cut with this one (extremely bad pun intended). Click on for more shots!
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry Info Galore!
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.It has been confirmed to me that RIM will have a BlackBerry with WiFi most likely in time for a Christmas release this year. The device is said to be an 8700-type form factor. Also confirmed is a QWERTY BlackBerry with built-in camera, and similar specs to the current Pearl / 8100, except with more RAM, a faster processor, and most likely an updated camera as well. This model is the BlackBerry 8200. The device is said to be the same size or very close to the Motorola Q. RIM is still testing out different hardware configurations and colors, but black seems to be the choice. I'm working on getting pics, so stay close![Man, Boy Genius is seriously in love with the BlackBerry these days! -Ed.]
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry loves Goooold!
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.I guess Pharrell really started a trend. Here we have a solid 18k white gold BlackBerry 8700g. If you can stand your service being reduced a little (due to the massive amount of, well, gold) and can afford the high price tag, call up your boy Jacob The Jeweler -- he made this flawless. I have never seen such craftsmanship.[Click on for another pic! -Ed.]
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry Pearl 8100 pics and videos!
He's back, and this time he's brought some freaking videos with him. That's right, the Boy Genius has a BlackBerry Pearl (8100) and shot some footage of the damned thing in action. Sit back and enjoy the show; the links are below, and some more BlackBerry Pearl pr0n is up just after the jump.Watch [WMV] - Pearl with BluetoothWatch [WMV] - BrowsingWatch [WMV] - SetupWatch [WMV] - Voice recognition
The Boy Genius report: Capris for the Oscars
Field report tidbits from Engadget's resident mobile insider, the Boy Genius.Word has it Motorola will be annoucing the Canary on July 17th, and will be giving out 500 Limited Edition Capris in for next year's Oscar gift bags. Who knew!
