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Dual-screen enTourage eDGe ebook reader gets a little hands-on time

by Darren Murph posted Nov 10th 2009 at 2:58PM

We're still reserving our doubts about the viability of the enTourage eDGe -- after all, at $490 you can buy yourself a respectable netbook and a halfway decent ereader for the appropriate occasion -- but we won't say that we're not interested. Just under a month after it hit the scene, the dual-screen device has landed (in prototype form) over at Gearlog, and while some of the features weren't functional, the physical build shouldn't change much when it goes final. At first glance, the whole thing just looks a bit dated, but then again, we've still got the ultra-fresh Nook on the brain. Hit the read link to have a look yourself, won't you?

Entourage eDGe is the red-headed stepchild of two oversaturated markets

by Ross Miller posted Oct 19th 2009 at 3:51PM

The once-nonexistent intersection of netbooks and e-readers seems to be populating quite hastily these days, first with this morning's questionable Spring Design Alex and now with the entourage eDGe. On the left side of this dual-screen, dual-function hybrid, where ePub and PDF files are said to open by default, we've got a 9.7-inch e-paper display with 16 shades of gray. On the right, a 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 resolution screen with Android. Both sides are stylus-centric touchscreen -- scribbling and note-taking is encouraged here -- and other amenities include 3GB memory, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, SD slot, two USB ports, 3.5mm headphone jack, a Li-ion battery for up to six hours, and support for EVDO / HSDPA via external modem. No word on what processor's actually under the hood, but we won't get our hopes up for anything more than very casual browsing. The site just launched with pre-orders being accepted to the tune of $490, or $530 if you're wanting any color other than midnight blue, and will ship out February 2010. We also happened to stumble upon a PDF presentation from the company dated back to August 2009, if you feel so inclined to take a trip down memory lane.

Read - Entourage eDGe product page
Read - Aug. 2009 presentation [Warning: PDF file]

Sony Ericsson Satio arrives at the FCC

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 14th 2009 at 11:21AM

Well well, it looks like the mythical Sony Ericsson Satio is soon to go from beautiful fever-dream to actual reality -- it's popped into the FCC database with test results on GSM 850 and 1900, otherwise known as EDGE. Yeah, that sort of sucks, but we're still holding out hope, since we don't know the full story -- it could be destined for a lame existence on AT&T, it could be sold unlocked, or it could be a Canadian or Latin American model. Seriously, though -- it's the Satio, and the government has one. You know what that means.

Altek crams a dozen megapixels of wishful thinking into T8680 cameraphone

by Tim Stevens posted Aug 4th 2009 at 9:27AM

There once was a time when a 12 megapixel cameraphone would have been laughed at, and, though many are still smirking (guilty), they're now a reality -- a reality that Altek wants desperately to be a part of with its T8680 handset. Its face looks rather like a PMP with a 3-inch WQVGA LCD, but on the back is the standard sort of 3x pop-out zoom that you'd expect on a compact shooter, sitting next to a tiny xenon flash. It'll capture unnecessarily high resolution images while being crippled to VGA video, play back MP3 and AAC files, and tune into the Weekly Top 40 over FM. Yes, it'll even make calls, but with only tri-band GSM/EDGE support don't expect to e-mail those gigantic pictures directly from the phone. The T8680 is expected to hit Chinese retailers in about a month for 3000 yuan (about $440), and probably won't be making much of an appearance elsewhere.

[Via GSM Arena]

nuvi GPS with EDGE data makes its FCC debut

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 11:34AM

Sure, you're still waiting for your Nüvifone, but in the meantime it looks like the kids at Garmin have taken all that hard-won knowledge and applied it to their latest PND. The nüvi 1690, which recently popped up at the FCC, features GSM, GPRS, and EDGE connectivity. The unit won't support voice calls, although with Bluetooth you should be able to use it as a hands-free unit for your current cellphone. Garmin has thus far been mum on this guy, but as GPS Tracklog points out, the IFA show in Berlin is just around the corner -- certainly the company will have something to say about all this by then. To check out the FCC bit for yourself, hit that read link. [Warning: PDF.]

[Via SlashGear]

HTC Hero approved by Global Certification Forum, rocking GSM and HSPA

by Ross Miller posted Jun 21st 2009 at 3:28PM

We're unfortunately light on details here, but The Unwired is reporting that HTC's Hero has been approved by the Global Certification Forum, listed here as "HERO100," with support for quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dualband UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA at 1800/2100 MHz. With the company's touted London event just around the corner -- this Wednesday, to be exact -- we wouldn't be surprised to see the phone and its oft-rumored "Rosie" Android UI take center stage, in possibly two variations. Other than frequency bands and the associative name, the GCF isn't giving us anything else to work with, so for now just sit back and hope this uncertainty is cleared up sooner rather than later.

Engadget Labs: The best mobile data carrier in America

by Darren Murph posted May 26th 2009 at 4:41PM

When T-Mobile finally decided to join the 3G data card bandwagon earlier this year, we figured it prudent to grab a few sticks from the likes of T-Mob, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and AT&T in order to see which carrier provides the most bang for the buck in the mobile data arena. And trust us, it's about more than just uplink and downlink rates in 2G / 3G regions these days -- it's about figuring out which operator provides the coverage you need at the price you can afford, all while dodging those precarious overage charges and finding yourself out of luck when traveling overseas. Join us after the break as we delve into the deep, murky realm that is mobile broadband, and prepare to have your every preconceived notion about this stuff utterly destroyed.

Gallery: Mobile Data Card Shootout

Continue reading Engadget Labs: The best mobile data carrier in America

AT&T slowing EDGE to force customers to switch to 3G?

by Jacob Schulman posted Jan 7th 2009 at 2:55AM

Been holding on to that now-antique EDGE device to keep from extending your contract with AT&T? Well, if you've been experiencing some sluggishness -- and not just general EDGE sluggishness, mind you -- you might have more to blame than just those recent outages. Open for Business reports that AT&T has been quietly lowering EDGE signal strength to give more 3G love to all you iPhone 3G and Bold users. To add to the shadiness of the situation, AT&T reps are all offering up the same solution -- buy a 3G device. Unsurprisingly, AT&T's Mark Siegel has denied Open for Business's claims, and says that the mega-carrier is not requiring anyone to switch to a 3G phone. We'll put on our Sherlock Holmes outfits and try to do some digging, but it's not like we actually expect these guys to admit to a move that would definitely lead to a lot of backlash.

[Via MobileBurn]

Sierra Wireless intros 'ruggedified' AirCard 501 and 502 modems

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 17th 2008 at 1:07PM

Sierra Wireless has just announced two new ExpressCard modems for HSUPA wireless users. Sporting download speeds up tp 7.2Mbps and upload speeds up to 5.76Mbps, the AirCard 501 supports 850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz bands, while the AirCard 502 covers 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz. Both are backward compatible with UMTS, EDGE and GSM networks world 'round, and they're being touted as "durable," meaning there are no little antennas or plastic pieces to break on you. That last part should be good news to all of you post-apocalyptic Road Warriors out there (or not -- they're still just regular ExpressCards, as far as we can tell). The AirCard 501 is slated for release later this month, while those of you interested in the AirCard 502 will have to wait until the first part of 2009.

[Via Slash Phone]

AT&T Quickfire hits shelves a few days early

by Laura June posted Nov 8th 2008 at 10:31AM

We hear that some truly lucky humans have gotten their hands on the AT&T Quickfire (also known as the Knick), which is supposed to go on sale November 10th, so that means... yup about two days early. The asking price for the device was $149.99 (with a $50 mail in rebate) with a new 2 year contract. As for details, all we know is that it was purchased in an AT&T store by an unnamed mystery customer in a "small town." Sometimes it truly pays to live in the real America.

Googling BMWs coming to US streets

by Tim Stevens posted Sep 16th 2008 at 8:38AM

For more than a year lucky BMW-owning Germans have been hitting Google Maps, and more recently the rest of the Internets, at blazing (cough) EDGE speeds from their sport-seats. Now, Bimmer-owning Americans are getting a piece of the action with a little help from AT&T's GSM-friendly network. However, while there's no mention in the release, BMW Blog thinks US cars will be limited to GPRS, not EDGE. All 2009 American BMW models, except for the lowly X3 mini-'Ute (which BMW doesn't even bother to manufacture itself), will get Google Maps integration, enabling the driver or passenger to search for businesses from the dash. Directions can be piped to the car's nav system and calls placed via in-car Bluetooth. At $199 per-year it's not exactly a steal, but that does include standard BMW Assist functionality like locating your car if it's stolen or dispatching an ambulance if you're in a horrible accident. Yeah, we only care about the searching too.

Down for everyone or just you? AT&T experiencing a major data outage on the East Coast.

by Paul Miller posted Sep 3rd 2008 at 9:45AM

Ruh-roh. AT&T's wireless data service seems to be down in a major way, at least on the eastern half of the country. We're seeing problems with both Edge and 3G from places such as Boston, New York and St. Louis. It's primarily iPhone users pinging us on this, and in AT&T's forums, but we're guessing it's not just limited to them. How is it looking for you?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: We've just spoken to AT&T and they've told us they're "aware of the reports." We'll keep our ear to the ground and update as soon as we have more.

Update 2: AT&T now tells us that it all came down to a "routing issue" in the Northeast that was patched up at 11:56AM this morning. For what it's worth, BlackBerry and text services were apparently unaffected -- but we doubt that's much consolation to iPhone users in withdrawl.

Logitech's diNovo Edge gets Mac-friendly

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 6th 2008 at 4:01AM

Logitech's diNovo Edge has always been one of the sexiest Bluetooth keyboards around, with its circular-scrolling trackpad, orange-backlit keys, and slick dock / charging cradle, but Apple fans have been left out of the party -- until now. Yep, there's finally a Mac version of the Edge. Apart from some new OS X-centric key labels and driver software (sadly, it's the same iffy Logitech Control Center that ships with the company's mice), there's not much new here -- but the lower $159 price tag is certainly welcome. Should be shipping soon, we're told.

Qisda showcases dual-mode GSM / WiMAX-compatible mobile

by Darren Murph posted Jun 7th 2008 at 10:30PM

Far from being the first dual-mode handset we've seen (heck, it's not even the first WiMAX-friendly dualie), Qsida's recently showcased slider is still quite intriguing. The currently unnamed cellphone supports both 802.16e WiMAX as well as GSM / GPRS / EDGE networks, and just in case you're hankering for another way to get connected, there's a built-in WiFi module too. Reportedly, the smartphone is a test device used in the M-Taiwan initiative to promote WiMAX, and aside from handling voice calls via (almost) any flavor of wireless protocol, you'll also find Windows Mobile 6.1 running the show. Granted, this particular unit wasn't down with 3G, but a spokesperson was adamant that such a handset would be added to its portfolio eventually.

Blackberry 9000 to come in EV-DO and EDGE versions codenamed Javelin and Niagara

by Nilay Patel posted May 6th 2008 at 1:31PM

We already got a somewhat vague peek at the 3G-less Blackberry 9000, but it looks like there are actually two upcoming models of RIM's new hotness on the board -- the EDGE version we know about, codenamed Niagara, and an EV-DO edition codenamed Javelin, slated for Verizon. Boy Genius managed to unearth quite a bit more information on these two, and unsurprisingly, they're basically the same as the 9000 we've already seen. Both have a 480 x 320 half-VGA screen, GPS functionality and 3.2 megapixel camera, but only the EDGE-based Niagara gets Wi-Fi. Of course, there aren't any ship dates or prices in the offing yet, but hopefully we'll know more soon.