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iRiver's MX100 Android tablet spotted in China? (video)

Amar Toor — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:13:00 EST

iRiver has spent the past couple of years testing the e-reader waters, but the company may now be ready to plunge into the deeper end of the pool, with its first Android tablet. A blogger in Korea recently spotted the slate, believed to be the seven-inch MX100, during an iRiver event in China. According to the source, it's powered by a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird core, runs on Android 2.2 Froyo and is equipped with 802.11b/g/n WiFi -- not exactly cutting-edge stuff, but at least it's not Bubble Yum-flavored. There's been no official confirmation from iRiver yet, nor do we have any details on pricing or availability, but you can head past the break to see a semi-recent commercial from LG U+, in which the MX100 makes a brief cameo around the 0:15 mark.

Continue reading iRiver's MX100 Android tablet spotted in China? (video)

iRiver's MX100 Android tablet spotted in China? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart

Zach Honig — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:41:00 EST

We've heard rumblings that Samsung's Exhibit 4G would be making its way to T-Mob on June 8, but now the carrier has confirmed that the Gingerbread smartphone will be available sometime in June. The Exhibit will join Samsung's Gravity Smart, both featuring grounded sub-$100 price tags (after $50 rebate) when they hit stores. T-Mob is displaying the Exhibit with violet and black finishes, and says you'll see "theoretical" peak download speeds of 21Mbps on the HSPA + handset. As for the Smart, the carrier's first Android-powered Gravity smartphone will launch with 2.2 Froyo, and includes a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, so you'll be sending Group Texts to 50 of your closest friends with four rows of hardware keys. Both phones include 3 megapixel rear-facing cameras with flashes, while the Exhibit adds a front-facing cam as well, so that myTouch 4G girl may be hawking a new smartphone on your TV later this month.

Continue reading T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart

T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Exhibit 4G coming to T-Mobile on June 8th?

Dana Wollman — Mon, 16 May 2011 19:03:00 EST

It wasn't even two weeks ago that we first glimpsed the Samsung Exhibit 4G for T-Mobile in the wild (and spied its FCC footprint). Now it looks like this Gingerbread phone will go on sale June 8th -- if this flyer sent in to TmoNews is to be believed. Still no word on pricing, though we know dealers will pay $325 a pop. To recap, a peek at the filing and unauthorized photos reveals the Exhibit 4G is an HSPA + handset running TouchWiz on top of Android 2.3, with front and rear-facing cameras, an LED flash in the back, and a microSD card slot. The site's sources also suggest the phone will pack a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU and a 3 megapixel back camera, a departure from the speculation we were treated to earlier this month. In any case, it looks like T-Mobile will set the record straight in a matter of weeks.

Samsung Exhibit 4G coming to T-Mobile on June 8th? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiFi Galaxy Tab running on an older CPU than its 3G siblings?

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:00:00 EST

If you bought a WiFi-only Galaxy Tab, you probably assumed you were getting the same seven-inch slate that others have been enjoying since November, just without a 3G radio and burdensome two-year contract. Turns out it's worth poring over those specifications on the rear of the packaging. We've yet to get a confirmation from Samsung, but it appears the company swapped out its Hummingbird processor for an older "1GHz Cortex A8" chip with a slower GPU. The Galaxy Tab carriers have been hawking packs a PowerVR SGX 540, but some folks over at the XDA Developers forums have discovered that its WiFi-only sibling is rolling with the previous-gen SGX530. The specs on the Samsung site also lists Bluetooth 2.1 instead of 3.0 -- yet another significant downgrade. We guess the company had to make some trade offs to hit that $350 price point, but we don't have to like it.

WiFi Galaxy Tab running on an older CPU than its 3G siblings? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid Charge review

Tim Stevens — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:00:00 EST

We're still shaking our heads and sighing longingly at the performance of Samsung's Galaxy S II, a phone that wowed us in Europe but likely won't be coming to American shores for some time -- and who knows what it'll look like when it does. But don't get too down, dear reader, because here comes another slice of Samsung and this slab has that same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display tucked in there. It's a little less slim, a little less classy, and a little less quick than Sammy's latest world-conquering wunderphone, but the LTE-equipped Charge is a proper contender in its own right. Read on to see why.

Gallery: Samsung Droid Charge

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Droid Charge review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidekick 4G review

Sean Hollister — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

It's been nearly two years since we last reviewed a T-Mobile Sidekick, and it would be a vast understatement to say things have changed. Then, they were designed by Danger and manufactured by Sharp, and were the messaging phone of choice. Today, following fiasco and failure, the Sidekick empire is in ruins. But good ideas and their originators live on, and several of Danger's brightest wound up in Mountain View, California. Danger's Andy Rubin founded Android, design director Mattias Duarte built Honeycomb (after helping craft the Helio Ocean and webOS for Palm) and now, the Sidekick itself has joined its founders in the house that Google built. In many ways, the Sidekick 4G is a return to form, but in an ecosystem filled with similar Android devices, can it stand out from the crowd?

Gallery: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G unboxing and hands-on

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Sidekick 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RadioShack to get T-Mobile Sidekick 4G on April 20th

Richard Lai — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:08:00 EST

While T-Mobile's staying coy about the Sidekick 4G's availability, RadioShack went ahead and gave us the final piece of the puzzle: according to one of its latest tweets, said Android phone is heading to the Shack on April 20th. Oh yes, this just so happens to be the rumored date for the G-Slate and G2X as well. Coincidence? Only time will tell, and let's hope that this doesn't end up being an April Fool's joke -- well, at least the Shack would have something to blame if it actually misheard the information over the phone.

RadioShack to get T-Mobile Sidekick 4G on April 20th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DARPA-funded Nano Hummingbird spybot takes flight (video)

Donald Melanson — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:10:00 EST

We were plenty impressed when we saw the initial tests of AeroVironment's robo-hummingbird -- now officially dubbed the Nano Hummingbird -- but we can't say they quite prepared us for the final product that the DARPA-funded company is now showing off. Not only does the bot look and fly like a real hummingbird (at least if you don't look too closely), but it packs a built-in camera and a downlink of some sort that's capable of transmitting live video. According to the company, the hummingbird's also able to hover for up to eight minutes, reach speeds of eleven miles per hour in forward flight, and remain stable in wind gusts of five miles per hour -- not to mention make a perfect landing. Head on past the break to check it out in action -- it may well be one of the few chances you're actually able to see one in the wild.

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DARPA-funded Nano Hummingbird spybot takes flight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 preview (video)

Joanna Stern — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:08:00 EST

Well, would you look at what we found chilling at Samsung's booth here at MWC? Yep, it's that Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 we heard about just the other day, and it's one interesting tablet / media player hybrid. We'd be inclined to call this thing a Streak 5 or Acer 4.8 Iconia competitor, but it doesn't have a trace of cellular or 3G connectivity. We were, however, able to confirm what it does have -- it packs a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, a 800 x 480-resolution display, a 5 megapixel camera with a flash, and a 2500mAH battery. On the software front, it runs Android 2.2 (although it will be upgradable to Gingerbread) and TouchWiz. Oh, and it has the full suite of Google applications (YouTube, Gmail, Google Chat, etc.) and access to the Market.

So, what's it like? Well, it looks like an enlarged Galaxy Player (or what is now known as the Galaxy S WiFi 4.0), which really means it looks like Galaxy S smartphone and the Galaxy Tab mashup. The white slippery back clearly looks like our Sprint Galaxy Tab, but the thinner design and rounded edges remind us of a Vibrant or Fascinate. It's really a very "Samsung" device, and we don't mean that in a bad way -- the plastic build feels pretty solid and the screen seemed very high quality. As for performance, it seemed fairly quick and a preloaded video played rather smoothly. We wish we had more information on when this one was going to land stateside, but a rep on hand would only tell us that it will be hitting Korea this month and other countries soon. Check the break for a short hands-on look at this guy and the galleries below for some close up shots.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 hands-on

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 hands-on

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 preview (video)

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Enspert Identity Tab E301 and E201 hands-on preview

Sean Hollister — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:24:00 EST

Android tablets aren't exactly in short supply at CES 2011, but the Enspert Identity Tab stands out -- despite hailing from a manufacturer we'd never heard of before the show. Enspert's got two slick 7-inch slates on the floor, and while the E201 mostly cribs from Samsung's WiFi-only Galaxy Tab -- right down to a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird chip -- the flagship Enspert E301 pumps up the pixel density with a 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, adds an all-metal case, a mobile DTV antenna, and 3G connectivity. We poked and prodded these tablets all over and got a peek at the full spec sheets, so after you peruse our gallery below, hit the break for details!

Update: It seems Enspert isn't new to the Android game at all -- it's actually Inbrics, which renamed itself after acquiring a semiconductor design firm early last year.

Gallery: Enspert Identity Tab E301 first hands-on!

Gallery: Enspert Identity Tab E201 first hands-on!

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Enspert Identity Tab E301 and E201 hands-on preview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meizu M9 escapes the Great Wall of China, unofficially available for global Android addicts

Richard Lai — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:18:00 EST

If you've been closely following Meizu, chances are you would've heard about the wild M9 launch across China from just a few days ago. Sadly, said smartphone maker told us that it has absolutely no interest in reaching out to other countries in the near future, but potential foreign buyers now have an option: Hong Kong-based DealExtreme is offering the 8GB Android Froyo device for $449 -- a $70 markup -- with free shipping. Not a bad alternative to the M9's Hummingbird buddy Galaxy S that goes for about $570 sans contract, and bear in mind that the former is still the first Android phone to sport a 3.5-inch 960 x 640 display. Maybe this is a good time to spend your holiday cash.

[Thanks, Dave; original image credit: Getty Images]

Meizu M9 escapes the Great Wall of China, unofficially available for global Android addicts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus S overclocked to 1.2GHz, runs too damn fast for its Bluetooth to work

Vlad Savov — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:49:00 EST

Even at its default 1GHz speed, Samsung's Hummingbird is one of the finest mobile processor around, but are you really going to complain about getting the option to crank an extra 200 milion clock cycles out of it? Morfic over on the xda-developers forums has delivered a kernel permitting Nexus S owners to achieve just that, although he still has to fix an issue that disables the phone's Bluetooth capabilities.Still, if you value ludicrous speed over wireless peripherals, the source link is your friend.

Nexus S overclocked to 1.2GHz, runs too damn fast for its Bluetooth to work originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meizu M9 ripped apart, out flies a Hummingbird processor

Sean Hollister — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:44:00 EST

You've seen Jack Wong's baby from every angle and taken a deep dive through the UI -- now, feast your eyes on the juicy silicon insides. Forumgoers at gadget portal 163.com and Soomal cracked open the Retina Display-wielding device this week, and there's a good bit to see. Sure enough, there's the 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird we were promised, some TriQuint communication chips, and a lot of tiny covers on a fairly stacked little board. Check out our source links for the full teardown; you'll find plenty more pics where this one came from.

Meizu M9 ripped apart, out flies a Hummingbird processor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change Sprint's Epic 4G?

Darren Murph — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:18:00 EST

It's the only Galaxy S variant to offer 4G connectivity, but it's also the only one that requires a $10/month data surcharge to use. That boost in cost will undoubtedly bring higher expectations, and we're eager to hear from early adopters on how their Epic 4G experience has been. For those who skipped over the EVO 4G in order to get this, we're keenly interested to find out if you've been satisfied with the decision. How's that slide-out QWERTY keyboard treating you? Would you have changed up the UI any? Would you have added any of the quirks from those other Galaxy S versions to this guy? Speak loudly in comments below. But not too loudly. More like a stern whisper.

How would you change Sprint's Epic 4G? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's YP-MB2 Android PMP spotted again in the wild, inches ever closer to release

Darren Murph — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:31:00 EST

It ain't the first time this chef-d'oeuvre has been spotted in the wild, but it's the first time that we're confident in believing the YP-MB2 is legitimate. The smoke that leads to fire is getting harder to duck under, and for all intents and purposes, this here device is a Galaxy S sans cellular connectivity. We're told that a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 1GHz processor, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3 megapixel camera and Android OS will be featured, and it sure feels like it'll be released first in South Korea. Apple may be planning a Fall event for the next big iPod announcement, but at least this go 'round some presumably worthwhile competition will be breathing down its neck. Now, if only we knew a price...

Samsung's YP-MB2 Android PMP spotted again in the wild, inches ever closer to release originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tablet P1000 firmware leaks out, points to 1GHz Hummingbird core?

Sean Hollister — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:01:00 EST

Samsung's Galaxy Tablet might debut with Vodafone. It might appear at IFA. And it might ship with a slightly slower processor than the last batch of rumors supposed. Samsung Firmwares claims to have stumbled upon a Android 2.2 software build for the Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 complete with device specs in tow, and says it will have a 1.0GHz S5PC110 processor just like the Galaxy S at left. That's not the only characteristic the 7-inch tablet might share with that smartphone, as the website also fingers an 800 x 480 screen, which might explain why Sammy felt the need to smack the iPhone 4's pixel density. We wouldn't call it anything near confirmation, but the website also corroborates the 3.2 megapixel rear camera and tiny front-facing shooter our tipster tagged in June, plus a Swype keyboard, Flash and the ubiquitous WiFi and GPS. We're eager to find out what's actually under the hood when we finally see it in person.

Samsung Galaxy Tablet P1000 firmware leaks out, points to 1GHz Hummingbird core? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung YP-MB2 appears at Korean e-tailer, specs and release date in tow? (update: first pics?)

Sean Hollister — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:23:00 EST

Astute Samsung fans may have noticed an August 11th date circulating the web, and taken it to mean the company will then officially announce the Samsung Galaxy Tab. As it turns out, there's at least one more possibility: the YP-MB2 portable media player, spotted at Korean portal Daum and supposedly ready to launch on the very same day. While rumors surrounding the possible iPod touch competitor have swirled for weeks, all we knew for sure was that it was a GPS and WiFi-capable Android 2.1 MID with a four-inch Super AMOLED screen. Now, it looks like it could be everything we wanted in a PMP -- a Galaxy S missing only the bits that made it a phone -- and capable of decoding DivX, XviD, OGG and FLAC with that 1GHz Hummingbird processor. It's still unlikely we'll ever see it stateside with its T-DMB antenna inside, but if a pared-down version made to the US we'd be most happy to give it a try. Sadly, even the Korean version's just a particularly likely rumor for now, so you'll have to make do with optimistic thoughts and the leaked video below.

Update: Samsung Hub spotted what might be the very first real picture of the media player at Korean blog, and sure enough it's looking nice and iPod-like. Spot a high-res version after the break.

Continue reading Samsung YP-MB2 appears at Korean e-tailer, specs and release date in tow? (update: first pics?)

Samsung YP-MB2 appears at Korean e-tailer, specs and release date in tow? (update: first pics?) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Vibrant launching today, awaits new owners in T-Mobile's online store

Vlad Savov — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:04:00 EST

A tiny bit of uncertainty has been cleared away thanks to good old Twitter, where T-Mobile has made July 15 (aka, today!) the official launch date for its Galaxy S derivative, the Vibrant. The original Tweet seems to have disappeared into the ether apart from that screenshot above, but T-Mo has reiterated the statement in subsequent missives, telling its followers that the Vibrant will be on sale today. We imagine the typical $199.99 price point will remain unaltered, so all you'll really need to do now is decide whether this is the Super AMOLED handset for you, or whether you can wait the extra few days until Sprint et al intro their offerings. Decisions, decisions.

[Thanks, Alex]

Update: And it's now available to buy directly from T-Mobile's online store [Thanks, Volaris].

Samsung Vibrant launching today, awaits new owners in T-Mobile's online store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video)

Vlad Savov — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EST

We just couldn't leave this face-off of superscreens alone, and went back for another bite at the cherry. Admittedly, we found out the Galaxy S had a browser-specific brightness setting that we hadn't maxed out before setting off our camera hounds, so we've gone and remedied earlier comparison shots with the gallery below, and just as a bonus, we've now also run a HD video clip on both phones. This was to see how the Hummingbird and A4 SOCs, considered close siblings, handled some taxing video work and also to again compare performance deep down on the pixel level. What we can tell you now is that both handsets chewed through the ~~1080p~~ HD clip with ease and that both gave results we have no hesitation in describing as sublime. Click past the break for the up close and personal video comparison action.

N.B. -- We ran a 1080p clip on both phones' respective YouTube apps over WiFi. Although we're certain from the quality of the video that it was at least 720p, we can't say for sure that it was the full 1080 enchilada.

Gallery: iPhone 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S: displays at full brightness

Continue reading iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video)

iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's A4 is like Samsung's S5, except where it's not

Sean Hollister — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:53:00 EST

Though the Apple iPad and the Samsung Wave most assuredly share the same brain, EE Times would like you to know there's more to a chip than its core -- analyzing Apple's system-on-a-chip designs in detail back to early iPhones, the publication noticed that Cupertino's silicon both has custom design quirks on top of ARM and shows heavy influence from Samsung as well. EE Times claims that while the A4 and Samsung S5PC110 are similar, there are certainly differences, enough to call the A4 a custom design. Essentially, Apple has a taken a one-size-fits-all product originally engineered to meet the needs of a broad range of OEMs and reduced its complexity, footprint, and cost to match Apple's particular goals. As far as whether PA Semi or Intrinsity had a hand in that design, the authors suggest only the latter seems very involved. What all this means for intellectual property questions is anyone's guess -- we'll let the lawyers fight that one out -- but when you encounter diehard fans that claim one's ripping off the other, at least now you'll be able to calmly explain the situation. Find the deep technical dive at our source link.

Apple's A4 is like Samsung's S5, except where it's not originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S preview

Vlad Savov — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:35:00 EST

Just because the US has gone gaming crazy these past couple of days doesn't mean the smartphone world has stopped turning. Samsung trotted out its Galaxy S handset last night in London, and we were naturally there to try and glean a better understanding of where this 4-inch Android 2.1 device fits in our wishlist hierarchy. It's quite the stat sheet stuffer, as we're sure you're aware, and it strikes an alluring figure for those looking to get on the true do-it-all smartphone bandwagon. Check out our latest impressions -- replete with video and a whole gallery dedicated to the Super AMOLED screen's performance in sunlight -- just past the break.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S preview

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Samsung Galaxy S preview originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S gets torn down, looks equally beautiful on the inside (video)

Darren Murph — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:36:00 EST

You'll be hard pressed to find a sane individual who'd argue that Samsung's Galaxy S isn't a lust-worthy piece of kit on the outside, and after watching the video past the break, we doubt you'll get too many takers on proving things unsightly within. Equipped with a Super AMOLED display and a bit of that Hummingbird goodness within, there weren't too many bits and pieces to tear apart. What was found, however, leaves a new appreciation for steady hands. Go on, give it a look-see -- the real deal will be out and about before you know it.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S gets torn down, looks equally beautiful on the inside (video)

Samsung Galaxy S gets torn down, looks equally beautiful on the inside (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple purchases Intrinsity, just 498 more ARM licensees to go

Paul Miller — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:07:00 EST

With P.A. Semi under its belt, and now "people familiar with the deal" reporting to The New York Times that a purchase of Intrinsity is a go, Apple's march to ARM preeminence is becoming much more clear. A rumor about an Intrinsity purchase surfaced a few weeks ago when the processor design firm's website went down and a few of its employees switched their LinkedIn employee status over to Apple, but now we've got some solid confirmation -- though Apple and Intrinsity are still staying tight-lipped about the deal. Intrinsity's rumored contribution to the iPad's A4 chip is a modified A8 core it designed dubbed the Hummingbird, which squeezes 1GHz of performance out of a chip regularly limited to a mere 650MHz. It's unlikely that this acquisition will shed much more light on the internals of the iPad or future Apple devices -- in fact, it might help obfuscate them -- but it's clear that Apple is dead set on owning as much IP and "smart people" in relation to ARM as it can muster. Of course, the next big rumor on this front is a purchase of ARM itself, but that's an entirely different can of worms.

Apple purchases Intrinsity, just 498 more ARM licensees to go originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video

Vlad Savov — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:36:00 EST

Time to add another candidate for the tablet portion of your gadget budget. The ODROID tablet -- being developed by Hardkernel, the folks behind the ODROID portable console -- has at its heart a 1GHz Samsung S5PC110 application processor. Also known as Hummingbird, this chip can drive 1080p video at 30fps according to Samsung, and its ability to deliver a flawlessly smooth user experience was demonstrated in our Galaxy S hands-on. It is an extremely promising core to build around, and the 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1,366 x 768 resolution and Android 2.1 inclusions are nothing to sniff at either. For now, all we have is the demo video after the break -- starring your favorite tech blog -- but we'll surely keep an eye out for developments with this device. Particularly if the bezel matches the thin metal frame we're seeing right now.

Continue reading ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video

ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's Galaxy S has four times the polygon power of Snapdragon

Tim Stevens — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:41:00 EST

When we got some hands-on time with the recently announced Samsung Galaxy S, it was painfully apparent that the thing has some serious power under the hood. Now we have a better idea of just how much power, with reports indicating that it has the graphics oomph (thanks to its PowerVR SGX540 GPU) to push 90 million triangles per second. Compare that to the Snapdragon platform, which manages 22 million polygons, and the iPhone 3GS's 28 million from the earlier SGX535, and you get a feel for the muscle lurking behind that gorgeous Super AMOLED screen. Of course, polygon counts aren't everything when it comes to graphical power these days, and 300 million triangles won't help you if your handset gets laggy after you install every single Bejeweled clone in the Android Market, but forgive us if we're a little excited about the rapidly brewing mobile GPU war.

[Thanks, Robert]

Samsung's Galaxy S has four times the polygon power of Snapdragon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese researchers develop robotic, heroic hummingbird

Laura June — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:01:00 EST

This is not the first time we've heard about a robotic hummingbird, but they're still a rare enough species to warrant our attention. Japanese researchers at Chiba University near Tokyo have developed a new bot which behaves much like the quick-winged bird, which is controlled by an infrared sensor. The little birdie weighs in at less than an ounce and can fly in a figure eight, moving up, down, left and right. Next steps for its development -- which the researchers say will arrive by 2011 -- include the ability for it to hover mid-air, and have a small camera attached to it. Ultimately, its creators see the robot (which has cost around 2 million dollars to develop) being able to help search for people in dangerous situations, such as destroyed buildings, or aiding in the search for criminals. We haven't gotten a look at the little guy yet (the above photo is merely to whet your imagination), but we anxiously await its arrival.

Japanese researchers develop robotic, heroic hummingbird originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DARPA contractor shows off tiny robo-hummingbird UAV

Donald Melanson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:57:00 EST

We've seen plenty of tiny UAVs (or NAVs -- Nano Aerial Vehicles -- as they're also known), but none quite like the robo-hummingbird that's been in development at DARPA-contractor AeroVironment for the past couple of years. While we haven't heard much about it during that time, the company recently completed its most advanced prototype to date, dubbed Mercury, and it's taken advantage of the opportunity to show off all the progress it has made. As you can see in the video after the break, the bot is able to fly about and hover in place by mimicking the wing movement of a real hummingbird and, of course, be controlled completely untethered. What's more, the firm says that the final version will actually look like a real hummingbird as well, and be able to be controlled from up to a kilometer away -- even inside buildings, where a hummingbird won't look at all out of place.

[Via Danger Room]

Continue reading DARPA contractor shows off tiny robo-hummingbird UAV

Filed under: Robots

DARPA contractor shows off tiny robo-hummingbird UAV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darpa develops a 1.8 gigapixel digicam and no, you can't 'check it out'

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:48:00 EST

Yeah, I know you thought your Hello Kitty digicam was some hot stuff, but believe it or not the kids at Darpa have even got that one beat. Called ARGUS-IS (both named after the mythological eye guy and an acronym for Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance - Imaging System) this guy straps a 1.8 gigapixel camera to the bottom of an A-160T Hummingbird robot helicopter. The device is able to hover at high altitude (over 15,000 feet) for up to 20 hours -- keeping tabs of an area of over a hundred square miles. The frame rate is 15 fps and the "ground sample distance" is 15 centimeters -- each pixel represents about six inches. The sheer amount of data taken in by a camera like this is too large to be completely relayed to the ground, but users are able to define upwards of sixty-five independent video windows within the image and zoom in or out. Additionally, windows can be set to automatically track items such as moving vehicles, individuals, the books you get out of the library, and the items you pick up at 7-11 after a night out with the gang.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Darpa develops a 1.8 gigapixel digicam and no, you can't 'check it out' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boeing's unmanned A160T Hummingbird helicopter takes flight

Darren Murph — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:12:00 EST

It's been a few ticks since we've seen Boeing send an atypical aircraft into the friendly skies, but the firm's latest helicopter has successfully completed a 12-minute test flight without so much as a pilot on board. The A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft is a turbine-powered "warfighter" that aims to provide "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance coverage" in locales that could make even the most calloused veteran queasy. During its time in the air, it reportedly met every objective set for it, and while we've no idea how soon this thing will be lifting itself up, it'll eventually reach speeds of up to 140 knots and stay airborne for up to 20 hours before returning to base for a pat on the wing.

[Via The Raw Feed, image courtesy of SkyControl]

Filed under: Transportation

Boeing's unmanned A160T Hummingbird helicopter takes flight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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