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HTC Desire 200 and Desire 600 turn up in leaked certification page, benchmark results
HTC's Desire line of mid-range Android smartphones have typically used the alphabet to denote different models, but the company is now switching to numerals. At least according to a Taiwanese certification page, we can expect a Desire 200. Some leaked benchmark results also indicate that a Desire 600 will head to market. We don't know much about the Desire 200 apart from its name. It's listed as the HTC 102e on the certification page, and there's plenty of speculation that this handset is the G2 we heard about earlier this year. It's a different story for the Desire 600: the benchmark results indicate this device sports a 960 x 540 (qHD) display with an unspecified 1.2GHz chip. The benchmark sheet also reveals this is a dual-SIM model destined for Europe. That's it for now, but more details are sure to follow shortly.
Refresh Roundup: week of January 16, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
T-Mobile working to solve G2 battery life concerns, needs your help
T-Mobile wants YOU... to help them figure out your phone's recent battery life troubles. If you own a G2, there's a slight possibility you've noticed your prized mobile possession hasn't been up to snuff over the last week or so. Is it feeling overworked? It's got a lot of stress bogging it down? Or maybe it's just downright depressed? Sadly, the carrier doesn't have the fuzziest idea of what's going on either, so it's turning to the best resource it has: its customers. If your G2 is lucky enough to be in this "small group" of affected users, you've been given the green light to share your feedback. Though this is happening (coincidentally) at the same time as the phone's monumental update to Gingerbread, it turns out a healthy portion of sufferers haven't actually made the jump up yet. So head on over to offer your two cents -- if one person can make a difference, several hundred should definitely do the trick.
T-Mobile G2 gets its turn for Gingerbread, OTA rolling out now
The T-Mobile G2x was the attention-hoarder this week by getting Gingerbread, but where's the love for its older brother? After all, the G2 seemed to be left for dead as HTC's promise of a Q2 refresh was broken with nary a peep from the manufacturer. No need to feel nervous any longer, folks, as Android 2.3 is now rolling out as an OTA download. In addition to Gingerbread, the listed update will include WiFi improvements, SMS and email notification enhancements, Google Books, and a few cosmetic UI changes. The rollout process will run its course over the coming weeks, so you'll need to exercise just a wee bit more patience here. At least the G2 isn't falling into the depths of obsolescence yet; but for future reference, T-Mobile, please text us when you're running a bit late.
T-Mobile G2 quietly discontinued, Z-Hinge's future remains unclear
We'd had some indication that the T-Mobile G2 was nearing end of life status, and it looks like that inevitable milestone has already come to pass. According to TmoNews, the HTC-built device was officially discontinued by T-Mobile on June 6th, no doubt in an effort to make a bit a bit of room in the carrier's QWERTY slider lineup for the likes of the MyTouch 4G Slide. Of course, existing G2 users do still have some good news to look forward to -- namely, a Gingerbread upgrade that should breath a bit of new life into their crazy-hinged handset.
T-Mobile G2 not long for this world, per leaked document
We'd like to think that good phones -- like soldiers -- don't die, they just fade away, solemn and proud, with a faint tear rolling down the cameraside cheek. This appears to be the case for T-Mobile's G2, which seems content to quietly disappear as younger and fresher handsets are prepped to take its place in the near future. It's no longer anywhere to be found on the carrier's site, and a leaked document (shown above) has surfaced that mentions the phone's inevitable demise. If the G2 is truly nearing EOL status, we suspect T-Mobile is ditching it to make room for newer QWERTY Android phones like the MyTouch 4G Slide. Regardless, if you have any inkling to get the G2 before it completes the path to obscurity, now would be an ideal time to lace up the running shoes.
T-Mobile G2 review
It's been a long road to the T-Mobile G2 (and this review). Just two years ago, Android made its entrance into the smartphone market with the G1, a partnership with the fourth-place carrier, and a lot of promises about keeping things open. Since then we've seen the likes of the Droid family, Google's Nexus One, and the powerhouses that are the Samsung Galaxy S line -- to name a few. Yes, the Android landscape has become more than just a little crowded. But of those many, there are few who leap beyond what we've come to expect from the Google-backed enterprise into the realm of the top tier. For all the Android devices you can purchase, only a few rise above the noise. At a glance, the G2 looks like one of those handsets -- designed and manufactured by HTC (and known as the Desire Z in Europe), outfitted with a (nearly) stock build of Android 2.2, and equipped with T-Mobile's new HSPA+, which the carrier claims can offer network speeds nearly equivalent to 4G. So is the G2 the sum of its parts -- the pure Android experience you've been waiting for -- or does it fall short of the hype? Find out below in the full Engadget review! %Gallery-104433%
T-Mobile G2 on sale right now
West of the Rockies? Want a T-Mobile G2 before (practically) anyone else? You may be able to grab your HSPA+ handset right now. We had it on good authority that T-Mobile corporate decided to match Radio Shack and release the G2 three days early, but we got a pleasant surprise when we called to verify that fact -- several stores in California, Oregon and Washington state said we could buy one today if we wanted, and even those who didn't said they'd have it tomorrow if we could bear the wait. Of course, it's less than two hours to closing on the west coast and we can't guarantee the handsets are there -- so give them a call yourself -- and be sure to buckle up if you plan to rush out. It also couldn't hurt to read our full preview, of course, and if you grab one please do let us know how your hinges hold up. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
T-Mobile G2 preview
Well, well, well... would you look at what we found lounging around Best Buy's NYC holiday event! Yes, indeed, it's the T-Mobile G2 (the US version of the HTC Desire Z if you happen to think it looks familiar). After months of leaks and blurry shots we finally got to check out T-Mobile and HTC's G1 replacement, and it's got everything we've been waiting for -- a 3.7-inch display, Android 2.2, 4GB of internal memory, an 800MHz Snapdragon processor and a 5 megapixel cam with a flash. Oh, what's it like to use? That answer, dear friends, is after the break along with a hands-on video. %Gallery-103543%
Confirmed: T-Mobile G2 will have Android 2.2, Flash and 800MHz CPU
T-Mobile is calling it "the fastest smartphone experience in America," but as it turns out, its Qualcomm Scorpion CPU is actually relatively slow -- the cellular carrier's insider newsletter T-Mobile Scoop says the phone's MSM7x30 chip will be clocked at 800MHz, rather than the 1GHz we'd hoped for. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that T-Mobile lying about speed, as anyone who's upgraded from Droid to Droid 2 very well knows -- bloatware can easily clog the pipes even on phones running Froyo, and we've heard that this particular HTC device is running a pure vanilla Android build. Speaking of delectable operating system revisions, T-Mobile confirms you'll indeed find Android 2.2 under the hood accompanied by Flash Player 10.1, as well as "one-touch quick keys" the carrier claims provide Speedy Gonzales-like access to apps and shortcuts. Still waiting to be confirmed: a $200 subsidized price, and the day we'll see it in stores. [Thanks, james_of_the_jungle] Editor's Note: It's important to keep in mind that the G2 seems to feature Qualcomm's next-gen MSM7x30 chipset, which can theoretically blaze. Of course, that all depends on firmware optimization, so let's keep our fingers crossed -- something tells us neither T-Mobile nor HTC have any interest in messing this one up.
T-Mobile G2 build leaks out, points to potent MSM7x30 chipset?
What's inside the T-Mobile G2, aside from fancy hinges and an HSPA+ capable modem? We can't say for sure, but this week saw a zip file from China set the Android community astir with visions of vanilla frozen yogurt heaped high atop a stack of powerful silicon. Android Guys discovered an allegedly leaked G2 Android 2.2 build (sans Sense) at the website of one 911sniper, last seen outing supposed HTC specs left and right, and our old friend Cyanogen took it upon himself to have a peek inside. What should he find but references to Qualcomm's MSM7x30 chipset, with all the silky-smooth 720p multimedia playback that brings, as well as the remote possibility of dual-mode HSPA+ / LTE support if the "x" in "MSM7x30" turns out to be a "6." There's no telling whether any of this is legit at this point, but we dare to dream.
HTC Magic / Sapphire gets re-named, booze-colored for T-Mobile launch?
Of all the names being bandied about for the T-Mobile launch of HTC's Sapphire, we have to say that "myTouch" was our least favorite nom de guerre. However, it has apparently won the market-testing deathmatch -- at least that's the case according to the above reasonably official looking image of a T-Mobile inventory screen acquired by TmoNews. Perhaps more interesting is the presence of three colors, the predictable black and white met by a classy-sounding merlot that will surely be the talk of your next soiree at the wine bar. Just try to steer clear of the "touch" puns and jokes, yeah?
T-Mobile market testing terrible names for the HTC Magic / Sapphire
We're not sure why T-Mobile would be market-testing names other than "G2" for its upcoming HTC Sapphire, but it apparently is -- and if these leaked slides are to be believed, it's not doing so well on the ideas front. Seriously: "T-Mobile Genius 3G with Google" and "Prism 3G with Google" both trade in the well-known G-series branding for banal anonymity, and "myTouch 3G with Google" just sounds like a skin disease that's gone from bad to worse. Interestingly, "T-Mobile G3" is also on the list, which makes us wonder if there's a less-drastic G2 model in the works, but that's pure speculation on our part -- what we do know is that we'd take Vodafone's Magic branding over any of these other sad options in a heartbeat.
HTC's Magic manual exposed for your downloading pleasure
We've seen it in slimming black and striking white (way before Labor Day), and now we've got some titillating pictures of what's going on underneath courtesy of HTC's own service manuals, leaked in PDF form for both the G2/Magic and the T8290/Quartz. Both offer nearly 100 sultry pages of assembly and disassembly information, including a full photo spread showing the phones' naughty bits splayed to the winds. For those who read the articles, there are full descriptions on how to re-flash the pair, which should come in handy if you're never content to leave good enough ROMs alone. The only question now is: where can we get a pair of those dashing pin-striped gloves? [Via ModMyGphone; thanks, Meerhaj]
