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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with LTE now available at Verizon, $500 sans contract
Been clamoring for a Samsung Galaxy 2 10.1 with LTE? While you may have known about Sprint's variant which launched 10 days ago, Verizon is now laying claim to the tablet as well. Big Red's model will cost you a cool $500 ($150 than its 7-inch sibling) with "month-to-month service" that'll run you between $30 for 4GB of data to $60 for 10GB. Details on the slate's internals are light, but you can expect it to be loaded with Android 4.0 and 8GB of flash storage (expandable to 64GB via microSD) -- whether this one has the beefed-up 1.5GHz dual-core CPU like Sprint's remains to be seen, but it is 50 dollars less. Verizon's listing the 10-incher as being ready to ship by the 26th, so hit up the source links below if it's up your alley.
Motorola's RAZR i MT788 announced with 2GHz Intel chip, heading to China Mobile next month
Motorola created quite some buzz with its first "Intel inside" Android phone, the RAZR i, back in September, so it's only natural to see the company tapping into the Chinese market with a localized variant. Dubbed the RAZR i MT788, this China Mobile device bears much similarity to its Western sibling on paper: 2GHz Intel Atom Z2480, 4.3-inch 960 x 540 AMOLED display (with Gorilla Glass), eight-megapixel camera, microSD expansion (up to 32GB) and Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The difference? Well, the chassis is the most obvious one: instead of using the same design as the original RAZR i, the new MT788 looks identical to the MSM8625-powered dual-SIM XT788 on China Telecom. On top of that, the battery is rated at just 1,735mAh instead of the RAZR i's 2,000mAh, and there's just 4GB of built-in memory instead 16GB; but the front-facing camera's bumped up from 0.3 megapixels to 1.3. There's no price just yet, but interested buyers can pick one up in China starting in mid-December. Will the world's largest carrier help Intel take a significant bite out of the mobile phone market? Only time will tell. %Gallery-171262%
Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 to battle Google Glass for Android eyewear supremacy
Interactive eyewear maker Vuzix revealed its potential challenger today for Google Glass in the Android-powered world of augmented reality: the company will showcase its Smart Glasses M100 at CES 2013, in hopes of bringing over-the-eye display support to everyday mobile applications. Set for a mid-2013 release, the Ice Cream Sandwich-based eyepatch, features a WQVGA display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a 1GHz OMAP4430 processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory. This modernized monocle is also capable of capturing still photos and 720p HD video, with playback and picture viewing available through its mounted display. While the M100s run Android 4.0, Vuzix has included support for iOS devices and plans to release an SDK for developers sometime in December to the tune of $999. As more tech companies begin focusing their efforts on HUD glasses, hopefully some jerk will come along and create a next-gen Opti-Grab to hold these things steady. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Huawei MediaPad 10 review: test-driving the company's first 10-inch tablet
More Info Huawei MediaPad 10 eyes-on Huawei MediaPad 10 hands-on (video) Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD hitting stores starting in September Toward the end of Huawei's Mobile World Congress press event this past February, company executives made a brief mention of an upcoming 10-inch, quad-core tablet. For the media in attendance, it was a coup d'oeil at best and a dangling hardware carrot, for sure. At the time, the company kept curious journalists at bay, but did confirm some high-end specs: a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display, 8-megapixel rear camera, LTE (Cat 4) / DC-HSPA+ radios and a proprietary, quad-core K3V2 CPU buffered by 2GB of RAM. It wouldn't be until CTIA in New Orleans three months later when we'd actually get some hands-on time with device. Now that we're at the tail-end of the year and the MediaPad 10 is on sale in Europe, much of the buzz has evaporated in the wake of some high-profile product launches (think: Google's Retina-searing Nexus 10, or the recently refreshed iPad). But is there a reason to give the MediaPad 10 a second look anyway? Will a price of 424 euros and limited regional availability mar its chances in the marketplace? Answers to those questions and more after the break.%Gallery-170280%
Hisense jumps into 4K TVs with the XT880, promises Android 4.0 and a sane size
The current crop of 4K TVs from LG and Sony are large enough that some of us would need to knock out a wall to get them inside. Enter a surprise early challenger from Hisense: its upcoming XT880 line's 50-, 58- and 65-inch sizes deliver that 3,840 x 2,160 picture at dimensions built for mere mortal living rooms. We're also promised a full-fledged, 3D-capable smart TV based around Android 4.0 with WiFi internet access, a remote with voice commands and a removable camera for gesture control or Skype chats. Hisense yet hasn't committed to launch details for the XT880 line besides a presence on the CES show floor; however, it's safe to say that the smaller sizes will bring the price of Ultra HD down from the stratosphere.
Refresh Roundup: week of October 29th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during 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!
Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect
As Sony's second stab at the US mobile market, the Xperia TL arrives with a major corporate synergistic push: a 007 movie franchise tie-in. But an awkward distinction as the official Bond phone and a smattering of pre-loaded "Skyfall" multimedia content alone won't drive consumer adoption; the specs and pricing will. Following in the footsteps of the company's first stateside flagship, the Ion, this AT&T 4G LTE exclusive is priced aggressively at $99 on two-year contract, packing a 4.6-inch HD Reality display (1,280 x 720) powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz, 16GB of storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD), 1GB RAM, NFC, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, as well as an integrated 1,850mAh battery. With Ice Cream Sandwich running the show and a planned upgrade to Jelly Bean in the works, it has all the makings of a current-gen high-end offering. So will the Xperia TL help Sony build much-needed buzz for its mobile division here in the states? Can a sub-$100 price tag effectively lure consumers away from the bigger, faster and flashier Android phones AT&T has to offer? Or is this mainly one for Sony loyalists? Find out after the break as we put the TL through its paces.%Gallery-169692%
Archos adds the 80 Cobalt to its ICS tablet range: 8-inch screen, 1.6GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM
The FCC may have spoiled the surprise months ago, but Archos has taken to Facebook to officially reveal the new member of its Elements range -- the Archos 80 Cobalt. As you may have guessed from the familiar size codification, the WiFi-only slate sports an 8-inch capacitive screen filled with 1024 x 768 pixels, supporting 1080p video playback. The other specs you'll want to know include the dual-core processor running at 1.6GHz, 1GB of RAM and 8 gigs of on-board storage, expandable with a microSD card of up to 64GB. Modest 2-megapixel and 0.3-megapixel shooters occupy the back and front of the 0.48-inch (12mm) thick tablet, respectively, which weighs in at a solid one pound (470g). There's no word on a release date or pricing for this ICS device, but we'd imagine the answers are "soon" and "under $200." Any more than that, and we can't see people choosing it over, say, a Nexus 7, even if it does have an extra inch on the competition. %Gallery-169788%
Nook HD review: a high-def tablet with the heart of a reader
Barnes & Noble knows where it stands in the tablet race. Sure, the company has been plugging away at the space since the day the Nook Color made its transformation into a full-fledged tablet, but the Nook, it seems, is rarely mentioned in the same breath as the Kindle Fire or Nexus 7, when discussing low-cost tablets. As such, the company seems to rarely mention its devices without discussing the competition -- Amazon in particular. In fact, at the launch event for the Nook HD and HD+, reps trotted out Kindle Fire HDs at every possible opportunity. Seeing the two devices side by side, there's no question that Nook trumps the Fire in a number of categories, and the bookseller has gone a ways toward making the Nook HD stand out in a field full of bigger players. For one thing, the device is far more focused on the reading experience than the competition, a fact reflected in both hardware and UI decisions. The company has also taken a more aggressive approach toward marketing the device toward families. The question, then, is whether these features are enough to capture marketshare from the more prominent devices. See how the Nook HD stacks up after the break. %Gallery-169588%
ZTE's U950 shows how Tegra 3 phone is done under $160
This might not be the $199 Tegra 3 tablet that NVIDIA's keen to see, but hey, a 999 yuan ($160) quad-core phone is just as impressive. Unveiled in China earlier today, this ZTE U950 smartphone packs a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 chip, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 2,000mAh battery beneath the 4.3-inch display. There's also a five-megapixel camera plus a VGA front-facing camera inside the 9mm-thick body. Pretty standard stuff for an Android 4.0 phone, except for the price-per-performance ratio, of course. The first 100,000 customers who register now will be eligible to order on November 11th, though chances are the quota's all gone by now.
Mobile Miscellany: week of October 22nd, 2012
If you didn't get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, T-Mobile announced the price and release date for the Optimus L9, carriers were announced in Canada for the ATIV S Windows Phone and ZTE released a low-priced Android smartphone for Virgin Mobile in the UK. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of October 22nd, 2012.
Pantech Flex review
Pantech is known for producing budget Android smartphones that punch above their weight, and the Flex is no exception. Available now on AT&T for $50 with a two-year contract, it delivers a dual-core Snapdragon S4 -- the same chip that lurks within mightier phones such as the Galaxy S III and One X -- along with a qHD display and LTE connectivity. The phone certainly hits a number of the check boxes for value seekers, but there's something that makes the Flex very different from other smartphones on the market: it has a dual personality. Folks, prepare for memories of At Ease, Microsoft Bob and Packard Bell Navigator to come rushing back. The Pantech Flex features a unique launcher known as Easy Experience, which caters to those who might find Ice Cream Sandwich overwhelming. Fortunately, there's also a standard launcher for experts. In that regard, the Flex is deserving of its name. Unlike most handsets on the market, it's targeting both broke college students and technophobes just the same. Of course, we're here to answer a greater question: is the Pantech Flex worthy of being your next smartphone? Join us after the break for the answer.
ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo
It's only been half a year since the peculiar PadFone made its much-delayed entry into select markets, and earlier this week, ASUS' launch of its second-gen phone-in-tablet brings us back to this old question: are we better off with just one mobile screen instead of two? Ask any ordinary manufacturer and the answer is likely the latter, because who doesn't want to sell more products? Similarly, carriers would likely back such manufacturers for the sake of selling more data plans, even if they admire ASUS' efforts (and they could already be selling ASUS tablets in the first place). Some folks also argue that if you have to carry the tablet module with you anyway, you might as well have two separate devices for better multitasking. It seems like there's a huge mountain to climb here, but on the flip side, ASUS' innovative differentiation does have some advantages. You only need one data plan (and no tethering required) for both form factors, you get to keep the same data in one place instead of having to duplicate them and you can pretty much instantly switch between a small screen and a large screen for the same content. Not to mention that there's also the added functionality of charging up the phone while it's sitting inside the tablet. Alas, the original PadFone and PadFone Station didn't quite hit the spot: the combined weight and bulk made it tough to justify the phone-in-tablet idea, which is why we said it's all about the PadFone 2 in our review. Let's see if ASUS has done it right this time 'round.%Gallery-168881%
Nuance Dragon Mobile Assistant launches on Android, but only on ICS for now
Dragon Go! has been given the elbow, with the slightly more professional sounding Dragon Mobile Assistant taking its place. Nuance has expanded on its predecessor's verbal commands, with new functionality for maps (you'll be able to bark direction requests at the new app and it'll plan the route), alongside a hands-free wake-up feature activated by saying "Hi Dragon" -- we hope you have a high embarrassment threshold. Other Siri-esque features include weather updates and dictated SMS and email responses. The beta app can be downloaded below, although compatibility is limited to Android Ice Cream Sandwich and above for now. Nuance is promising more features and increased availability later this year.
Best Buy listing reminds us that the LG Spectrum 2 is still on its way to Verizon
A few months back an anonymous tipster gave us a candid look at the Verizon-bound LG Spectrum 2, but after a couple more sightings here and there, the trail eventually went cold and Big Red's unannounced smartphone fled back into seclusion. However, a recent website posting by Best Buy has brought this mobile Sasquatch out of hiding and back into the mainstream media. While this listing is mostly a refresh confirming our source's shared specs, it notes the Spectrum 2's unsubsidized price as $650. Now, before you would-be buyers start directing your browser to the retailer's webpage in hopes of making a quick purchase, it should be noted that the device is listed as "sold out online." Still, we can't help but notice the pictured device's homescreen carries a date of November 3rd, which could be a nod to when the Spectrum 2 might officially show up on store shelves.
eFun's Nextbook Premium 10SE tablet with ICS now available for $280
In a market slightly populated by some great well-priced tablets, and one that eFun is quite familiar with, the company decided now was a good time to add yet another slate into the mix. And while the Premium 10SE is slightly pricier than, say, the entry-level Nexus 7 model, eFun's latest Ice Cream Sandwich slab does sport a larger 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 display. Still, the Premium 10SE won't impress many with the rest of its run-of-the-mill internals, which include a 1GHz CPU alongside 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage (expandable via microSD) and a front-facing 0.3-megapixel shooter -- it's also worth mentioning that eFun is kind enough to bundle in 25 eBooks at no extra cost. The Premium 10SE is available now for $280, though you can save a little cash by heading to your local Radio Shack or Hastings shop, where the Nextbook tablet's priced at a more affordable $250.
Refresh Roundup: week of October 15th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during 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!
Huawei Ascend D1 Quad XL review
More Info Huawei Ascend D Quad XL announced at MWC Huawei Ascend D Quad hands-on Huawei Ascend D Quad gets FCC approval In February of this year, Huawei took to the stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to highlight its most ambitious smartphone strategy to date. Its plan: to establish a new classification system by dividing the bulk of its handsets into four core groups starting with the high-end D-series at the top and working its way down to the bargain bin Y-series. Hogging Accepting the bulk of the spotlight, however, was the Ascend D Quad XL, a "superphone" containing a homegrown quad-core CPU. For a manufacturer that hadn't even put a dual-core phone on the market (the Ascend P1 wasn't on sale yet), a launch in the second quarter of this year felt incredibly aggressive. This was Huawei's first real chance to make a legitimate name for itself outside of Asia; pushing out an impressive device in a timely fashion was imperative. Fast-forward eight months, and we've witnessed the 2012 equivalent of the Motorola Droid Bionic: the unfortunate device has been the subject of uncertainty and countless delays. Fear not, it's finally been released. However, it faces an incredibly competitive market coming into the holiday season, with quad-core heavyweights like the Samsung Galaxy Note II, LG Optimus G and HTC One X+ ready to duke it out. We had this question when it was originally announced, and it's become even more relevant now: can the Huawei D Quad XL (and its freshly made SoC) hold up respectably amongst its new peers? Delay no further and join us after the break to get the full scoop.
Droid Bionic finally gets an ICS update as everyone else moves on to Jelly Bean
After nearly a year of suffering with Gingerbread, Droid Bionic owners who haven't given up on their phone will finally be rewarded with that long-awaited ICS update; the rollout starts October 19th, according to Verizon. Those who get it will receive a new customizable launch bar, a direct access lock screen, enhanced notifications, Motorola's SmartActions app, Face Unlock, easier multitasking, and many other goodies most Android owners have enjoyed for awhile now. It looks like Motorola Mobility actually made good on some of its promises to fix the handset that has suffered a number of different problems since its launch (which itself took almost nine months from the initial announce date). However, now that Jelly Bean has taken over as the firmware of choice with no word yet if that'll come to the Droid Bionic, we wonder if it's too little, too late. Update: We've learned from the comments, Motorola's owner support forum and its own Facebook page that the company is planning on rolling out Jelly Bean to the Droid Bionic "in the coming months" so don't lose hope just yet, Bionic faithful. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Droid RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD review
When Motorola resurrected the RAZR brand last year we didn't realize that we were looking at the new face of the company. At the time, Google had yet to officially take over the handset manufacturer, it had a deep stable of less-than-impressive devices and, while it was a moderate success, the Droid RAZR didn't exactly turn the market on its head. Still, in retrospect, it only makes sense that the RAZR would once again become the standard bearer for Moto. Even if we weren't blown away by last year's model, it was a big step in the right direction for the company, a device that featured a great mix of premium styling and performance. The new RAZR HD and MAXX HD take that basic formula and attempt to address our concerns about the display and battery life, the latter of which was already handled in dramatic fashion by the RAZR MAXX. So, how do the latest caps-happy, vowel-averse handsets from Motorola stack up against last year's incarnations and the current crop of competitors? Keep on reading after the break to find out.
