HtcStatus
Latest
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!
Engadget Podcast 250 - 07.29.2011
Yes yes, y'all: it's the Engadget Podcast. We're brimming this week, as usual, with the low down on what's going down with all the new stuff. We've got the killer combo of lots of streaming news and a dearth of optical drives. We've got shaky earnings calls translating into big deals on the floor at Best Buy. And boy, do we have a little bit of Android news? We do! It's all here, as usual. Enjoy.Host: Tim Stevens, Brian HeaterGuests: Dana Wollman, Richard LawlerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Beethoven's 5th02:24 - Mac mini review (mid 2011)03:20 - Editorial: Apple's officially over the optical drive, for better or worse09:16 - MacBook Air review (mid 2011)16:10 - Netflix adds Mad Men in the US today, CBS content in Canada and Latin America later16:34 - Amazon Prime Instant Video is adding CBS TV shows, including all of Star Trek17:50 - Amazon strikes movie streaming deal with Universal, adds 'Fear and Loathing' to free shipping24:17 - The Engadget Show - 023: We tour a headphone factory, talk record labels, and look at They Might Be Giants' favorite gadgets25:36 - Nintendo posts earnings, drops 3DS from $249 to $169 August 12th, current owners get 20 free games28:47 - Logitech CEO steps down after money losing Q1, Revue price slashed to $9937:15 - Toshiba Thrive review39:52 - HTC Status review44:46 - Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)46:20 - HTC CFO says it's time to 'figure it out' with Apple48:52 - Two more fake Apple Stores spotted by officials in China, two get the smackdown50:40 - Listener questionsHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot comTwitter: @tim_stevens @bheater @danawollman @rjcc
Samsung Android slider leaked, likely en route to AT&T (Update: new photos)
Looking at AT&T's current lineup of Android QWERTY devices sure instills a feeling of depression, doesn't it? When the best handsets in the category are the HTC Status and Pantech Crossover, there's plenty of room available for something a bit... well, fancier. A new Samsung slider recently leaked by BGR may be on its way to remedy the carrier's ailment "in the coming months." The render (displayed above) shows off the phone's standard four-button layout, front-facing camera, and a four-row keyboard; sadly, the leak didn't include any other specs. The likelihood of this being the Attain -- the AT&T-branded version of the Galaxy S II -- is low, since the layout on front doesn't match up with the global model in the slightest. So it may not be that phone, but it'll at least do a better job of Rethinking Possible than its QWERTY brethren. Update: BGR added more photographic evidence of the mystery slider, sporting Android 2.3.4. The photos show off the model number as I927, causing speculation that this is indeed the Galaxy S II on AT&T. We still remain skeptical, since the layout is completely different from the global version: the front-facing camera is on the right instead of left, the rear camera is designed much differently, and the navigation buttons on the front are the same style as the Captivate. If it is the Attain, AT&T has mandated a complete redesign (beyond the obvious addition of the keyboard). The new images can be found after the break.
HTC Status review
For many smartphone users, a quality keyboard is the only feature that truly matters. These passionate devotees will proudly live and die with their thumbs blazing, and for of all RIM's recent troubles, it's currently floating on a life preserver: a compelling handset with a portrait QWERTY keyboard doesn't exist for Android. The HTC Status ($50 on contract) attempts to succeed where others have failed, and -- if it's any good -- could entice many BlackBerry-toting teens that want a new handheld fixation. They rarely bother with email, as text messages and Facebook reign supreme for communication. To that end, the Status promotes itself as the perfect phone for Facebook users, but is the integration truly useful, or simply a chintzy add-on? More so, can HTC successfully marry Gingerbread with an upright keyboard? Join us after the break to learn whether we "Like" the HTC Status. %Gallery-128742%
Android deals just got weird: free phones for pants, free flights for phones
Next time you're trying on a pair of (non musical) jeans, why not snag a free Android phone to help fill their roomy pockets? And while you're shopping for that big trip you've got planned, you can let "HTC Airlines" book that flight for you. Honest, it's no trouble at all. Well, it's a little trouble. Wet Seal's "try on some pants and get a free phone" deal comes attached to a two-year contract, and those flights? Still free, but only if you happen to be picking up your HTC Status or Salsa in Germany. You didn't expect them to offer a free ride to just anybody, anywhere, did you?
HTC Status hands-on (video)
As you can imagine, AT&T was eager to show off its newly minted HTC Status at its holiday preview event, right up there along with a blue Xperia Play and the HP Touchpad 4G. If you'll recall, the Status is the HTC ChaCha that was announced a few months back, and what makes it stand apart from other Android handsets is a dedicated Facebook button for liking things on these very internets. In AT&T's case, it's also the carrier's first phone running Android 2.3. We're taking one home to review, but in the meantime we couldn't resist giving it the full hands-on treatment. You know the drill: photos below, video and early thoughts past the break. %Gallery-128231%
HTC Status ships July 17th, currently in a pre-order relationship with AT&T
Following the usual leak + wait-and-see saga, AT&T has today confirmed that it'll be the exclusive home to one half of HTC's Facebook-infused duo. The so-called Status will be making its way onto Ma Bell's airwaves on July 17th, with eager social networkers able to get their pre-orders in today. It'll sell for $49.99 on a two-year agreement, with that tally netting you a dedicated Facebook "Share" button that'll allow photos / videos /websites to be instantly uploaded to your account. We're also told that it'll ship with Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) onboard, with an "enhanced version" of HTC's Sense overlay. Other specs include a 5 megapixel camera (with autofocus and LED flash), a 2.6-inch touch panel, 480 x 320 screen resolution and capacitive navigation buttons. Oh, and if you're uninterested in the hue you see about, Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores will feature an exclusive mauve edition in due time. Fancy.
HTC Status for AT&T announced on Facebook, risks being tagged in embarrassing pics
The HTC Status (formerly known as the ChaChaCha, the ChaCha, and "the Facebook phone that's not a Facebook phone") is inching ever closer to its AT&T debut. It's already been pictured, sashayed its way through the FCC, and now it's been revealed for all the world to see, appropriately enough, on Facebook. As we were already aware this social networking-focused, QWERTY candybar has had its CPU bumped up to 800MHz, but otherwise it's the same Sense and Gingerbread packing device we saw back in February. Unfortunately, all we can tell you is that the Status will land on AT&T shelves at some point -- price and availability are still as much of a mystery as ever. There's some refresher PR after the break.
