Galaxy -- Engadget

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Lite renamed Spica, spied and specced in Italy

by Ross Miller posted Oct 15th 2009 at 8:08PM

At long last, some apparently definitive details on Samsung's i5700, the handset formerly known as Galaxy Lite and now reportedly called the Spica. Italian site Cellularmania has a pretty exhaustive hands-on gallery and a much-coveted list of specs for the lime green HSDPA Android vessel. We're looking at a 3-inch AMOLED screen with 384 x 240 resolution, a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, 1500 mAh battery, accelerometer, GPS, FM radio... and yes, sad but unsurprising, it's soft-rocking a 528MHz Qualcomm processor. Unlike our last glimpse, there now seems to be that requisite Android home bottom on the right side of the lower panel, but no such luck for any trackball. We're also lacking price or release date details for any region, but at least for US enthusiasts, we're pretty confident that you shouldn't get your hopes up, given how the i7500 has been relegated stateside.

[Via Slashgear]

Samsung Galaxy i7500 pops up unlocked on Newegg

by Ross Miller posted Oct 8th 2009 at 1:48AM

Sorry, subsidy fans, Samsung's Galaxy i7500 still isn't be offered by any carriers, but if you're jonesing, a listing for the Android-enhanced handset has made its way unlocked onto Newegg's website. It's got quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS, it theoretically should work on T-Mobile's 3G network, one of the few we can recall -- either way you'll still have GSM support for T-Mo and AT&T. Entry fee will be a Lincoln coin under $590; mum's the word on ship date, but now that the groundwork's been laid out, at least we know it's an inevitability.

[Thanks, Dayson]

Video: The unsettling truth about our augmented reality future, starring Brad Pitt

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 11th 2009 at 7:50AM

With more and more phones featuring beefy processors, GPS, HSPA data, and compasses, augmented reality apps are ready to take off in a big way. Layar, in particular, is shaping up to be the platform of choice from which to overlay information onto the streets that surround you. This is great for serendipitous discovery of cafes, ATMs, real estate, and even jobs, but at what expense? Recently, we casually joked about the ability to "hunt down tweeps with cold, calculated precision." Now a Dutch crew from Beste Product took up the task by giving Layar and its "Famous People Finder" feature a real-world test on the streets of Amsterdam with the help of Samsung's i7500 Galaxy. The results are unsettling as demonstrated by the celebrities, including Brad Pitt's, reaction to being discovered. Is our near-term future to be filled with people laughing maniacally while pointing their cellphones at each other? The video is in Dutch, but the reaction that unfolds at 2 minutes and 40 seconds is universally human. See it after the break.

[Via @Dutchcowboy]

Continue reading Video: The unsettling truth about our augmented reality future, starring Brad Pitt

Android Battle: CLIQ edition

by Ross Miller posted Sep 10th 2009 at 8:00PM

	CLIQ	Galaxy	Tattoo	Hero	Magic / MT3G	Dream / G1
Carrier	T-Mobile	-- (GSM / HSDPA)	-- (GSM / EDGE)	Sprint	T-Mobile	T-Mobile
Manuf.	Motorola	Samsung	HTC	HTC	HTC	HTC
Price	--	--	--	$179.99	$99.99	$149.99
Released	--	July 2009	--	Oct 11, 2009	Aug 5, 2009	Oct 22, 2008
Keyboard	Slide-out	Virtual	Virtual	Virtual	Virtual	Slide-out
Android	MOTOBLUR	Standard	Sense UI	Sense UI	Standard	Standard
Processor	528MHz MSM7201A	528MHz ARM11	528MHz MSM7225	528MHz MSM7201A	528MHz MSM7201A	528MHz MSM7201A
Screen	3.1-inch (est.), 320 x 480	3.2-inch, 320 x 480	2.8-inch, 240 x 320	3.2-inch, 320 x 480	3.2-inch, 320 x 480	3.2-inch, 480 x 320
Headphone	3.5mm	3.5mm	3.5mm	3.5mm	ExtUSB	ExtUSB
Touchscreen	Capacitive	Capacitive	Resistive	Capacitive	Capacitive	Capacitive
Still Camera	5MP with AF	5MP with Flash	3.2MP	5MP with AF	3.2MP with AF	3.2MP with AF
Bluetooth	2.0	2.1	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Exchange	ActiveSync	ActiveSync	--	ActiveSync	Depends on version	Depends on version
Storage	256MB, microSD	8GB, microSD	512MB, microSD	512MB, microSD	512MB, microSD	256MB, microSD
Battery	1400mAh	1500mAh	1100mAh	1500 mAh	1340 mAh	1150 mAh
Weight	163g	114g	113g	135g	116g	158g

It's been over 11 months since the Android first hit the scene with HTC's T-Mobile G1, and in that time we've come to the conclusion that, despite having more or less a clean slate on industrial design choices and specs, little progress has been made in the way of variation. Stacked up side-to-side, Motorola CLIQ manages to stand out with a slide-out keyboard and MOTOBLUR skin, but under the hood, it's pretty much as uniform as a netbook. Peruse for yourself in the chart above.

Update: We had a typo on the Hero screen size -- it's 3.2-inches, not the other way around! Stupid keyboards.

White Samsung Galaxy spotted in the wild

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 5th 2009 at 2:12PM

We just caught a glimpse of a white / silver Samsung Galaxy yesterday, but it looks like any doubts about its realness have now been put to rest, as the very same Android-based phone has now been spotted in the wild. As you might expect, however, there's apparently no other differences compared to the standard black Galaxy we've been seeing all along and, just like the black model, this one will reportedly be available first on O2 Germany before rolling out to other carriers in Europe. And, no, there's still no word of a release 'round here.

Samsung Galaxy with US 3G clears the FCC, but it's not what you think

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 30th 2009 at 4:39PM

Feeling a little envious of the Android-based Samsung Galaxy now available in Germany and soon to be available in other parts of Europe? Then you're in luck, sort of, as a new "A3LGTI7500L" model complete with US 3G has now sailed through the FCC. Unfortunately for those of us 'round these parts, that "L" at the end of the model name signifies that this particular model is intended for Latin America, but it's still about as close as you'll get to a practical option for the time being -- at least until those T-Mobile rumors pan out.

Apollo 11 moon mission to be recreated on the web

by Darren Murph posted Jul 13th 2009 at 9:19AM

While the shuttle Endeavour is having a tough time getting off of the launch pad, the Apollo 11 moon mission should proceed as scheduled later this week. Some 40 years after Neil Armstrong and a host of behind-the-scenes workers at NASA made JFK's vision a reality, WeChooseTheMoon.org is being launched to recreate the whole spectacle. Starting a full 90 minutes prior to the 40th anniversary (that's 8:02AM on July 16th), the site will be fully operational, tracking the capsule's route from Earth to the moon. Reportedly, visitors will be able to peek "animated recreations of key events from the four-day mission, including when Apollo 11 first orbits the moon and when the lunar module separates from the command module." If you're one of those who remembers "exactly where you were on that fateful day," you should probably queue up a Google alert and bookmark your browser to relive the whole experience again.

In tomorrow's nightmarish hellscape, robots shoot craps and Samsung Galaxy is your only friend

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 10th 2009 at 2:25PM

Hey, nice Samsung Galaxy you got there! Whoa, whoa, wait... you sure you want to turn that thing on? Are you physically and emotionally prepared for what happens next? See, in a world where space travel knows no boundaries, Facebook has its own planet, and Samsung makes Android-powered phones, cute robots ride (yes, ride) i7500s from heavenly body to heavenly body in search of entertainment and friendship. Follow the break for the whole video, and watch really closely for the part at the end where the Galaxy collides with Earth and accidentally causes an extinction-level event.

[Via HDblog.it]

Continue reading In tomorrow's nightmarish hellscape, robots shoot craps and Samsung Galaxy is your only friend

Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 unboxed, "Google Experience" distinction now clear as mud

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 10th 2009 at 12:41PM

The HTC Hero and T-Mobile myTouch 3G aren't the only Android phones making waves this week: the Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 also launched on O2 Germany, and this is the first unboxing we've seen. Continuing the confusion over what handsets actually get the full Google blessing, this version of the I7500 runs pretty much bone-stock Android, but isn't a "Google Experience" phone, which in this case apparently means that firmware updates have to be loaded manually over USB instead of being pushed over the air. If you're keeping track, that's now a third axis of differentiation between Google-branded Android handsets and everything else, and we're starting to think no one really knows what all the rules and differences actually are -- hey, Eric, maybe you could set down that BlackBerry for a minute and sort all this out?

Samsung i7500 to be renamed Galaxy, released in France in early July

by Laura June posted May 18th 2009 at 6:14PM

Speaking of Samsung touchscreen handsets, Bouygues Telecom's announced that they expect to ship the company's first Android handset -- the i7500 -- in early July, making it the first carrier to snag it. The French company will rebadge the device, calling it the Galaxy, which is certainly sexier than the numeric moniker. The quad-band GSM, tri-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA (900/1700/2100MHz) handset has a 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 pixel AMOLED touchscreen, WiFi, GPS, a 5 megapixel camera, 8GB of storage with MicroSD expansion for up to 32GB more. We're still expecting this bad boy -- which recently passed through the old FCC -- to make a possible T-Mobile debut this fall.

[Via Talk Android]

Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo caught mid-flight on video

by Ross Miller posted May 2nd 2009 at 1:23PM

In case you were wondering if Virgin Galactic's efforts at space tourism are still going strong, the company's released new footage from a recent test flight of its WhiteKnightTwo near its Mojave headquarters. Much longer and higher res than the last bit of video we had, it also provides some new aerial shots of it mid-flight. The craft's public debut will be a fly over at the Virgin Galactic Spaceport America groundbreaking ceremony next month, so until then, navigate your browser to after the break for the feature presentation.

Continue reading Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo caught mid-flight on video

Virgin offers up 25 million 'Velocity Points' to put you in space

by Darren Murph posted Feb 2nd 2009 at 9:37AM

We thought that Virgin might allow its most loyal patrons to exchange frequent flyer points for trips to space, and now it looks like they hope to jump-start the process with a seriously stacked contest. In Australia, the company is now counting 'Velocity Points' as entry to a drawing where you could win 25 million frequent flyer miles -- or exactly the amount you need to get yourself a space flight for two. Oh, and if you have no interest in ever looking like that chap pictured above, Virgin will also let you exchange them for a pair of Alfa Romeo vehicles, the chance to explore the planet "how you see fit" or a $170,000 shopping spree.

Update: We got this story a little turned around initially, as you can see -- this is for a contest to win 25 million points, not an offer open to anyone who has 25 million points (though it's assumed if you've got those kinds of numbers, you can head to space too).

[Via VideoSift]

NASA taps Orbital Sciences, SpaceX for ISS resupply missions

by Darren Murph posted Dec 28th 2008 at 1:29AM

The firms not mentioned here are just as important as the ones that are, as the privatization of space has just inched closer to reality. Rather than NASA handling ISS resupply chores itself or farming the job out to mega-corps such as Lockheed Martin or Boeing, the agency has instead awarded one contract each to Virginia-based Orbital Sciences (valued at around $1.9 billion) and California's own SpaceX ($1.6 billion). The two will be responsible for 20 service flights between 2009 and 2016, with each trip requiring delivery of "a minimum of 20 metric tons of upmass cargo to the space station." The agreements also call for "delivery of non-standard services in support of the cargo resupply, including analysis and special tasks as the government determines are necessary." So yeah, if FedEx / UPS have been balking at your request to ship to a Martian eBay winner, you now know who to call.

[Via TG Daily]

Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo successfully completes brief maiden flight

by Darren Murph posted Dec 22nd 2008 at 8:40AM

It was short and mildly sweet, but Virgin Galactic has a lot to be relieved about. The outfit -- which is vigorously attempting to make space tourism a reality for the affluent -- saw its long-awaited WhiteKnightTwo craft complete an hour long maiden flight above its Mojave headquarters. If you'll recall, we were expecting the craft to take flight in September, though we can't say that a three month delay is all that unforgivable given the nature of the task. We suspect Buzz Lightyear would have an excellent closer for this one, so we'll just let you all imagine what quip he'd share.

[Via Slashdot]

Update: Video just surfaced of the WhiteKnightTwo up to its chivalrous antics, including landing and takeoff. No loop de loops or interstellar travel, sadly.

[Thanks, Disco Stu]

Continue reading Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo successfully completes brief maiden flight

International Space Station gets WiFi, 404 errors very likely

by Darren Murph posted Sep 8th 2008 at 7:26AM

We knew the US military was looking to hook up space with a WLAN router, and lo and behold, WiFi has finally launched well above the stratosphere. According to a status log from the International Space Station over the weekend, the Joint Station LAN network was transitioned to "new Netgear wireless APs, which provide the ISS with WiFi connectivity." The official report details the crew using it for very official and politically correct things (you know, testing and whatnot), but we're pretty darn sure a deathmatch or two went down as well. Or maybe those guys we saw yesterday just had some sort of gravity hack going on...

[Via Slashdot, image courtesy of LowPings]