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Motorola Droid X 2 turns up on Moto and Verizon sites, confirms qHD screen and 1GHz dual-core processor
Hey Motorola, your unannounced phone is showing. The Droid X 2 is spending this morning hanging out on the bright and airy support pages of motorola.com, though you may also spot it sneakily listed alongside some compatible accessories on vzw.com as well. Yes, the leaks are now happening from official sources, too, indicating an imminent landing for what we've confirmed to be a dual-core 1GHz Android smartphone with qHD resolution on a 4.3-inch display. Those long-rumored specs were revealed by the Droid X 2's user guide, which Moto has kindly provided at the link below. So thoughtful! [Thanks, 3vil]
Samsung Galaxy S II overclocked to 1.5GHz, used to obliterate benchmarks (video)
What do you do after you've bought the most powerful smartphone to yet grace the Android universe? Some timid folks would urge you to just enjoy it, but if you're like us, you'll probably want to know just how high that dual-core Exynos 4210 birdie could fly. The processor inside the Galaxy S II started off life at 1GHz, then got sped up by Samsung to 1.2GHz just before release, and has now been taken all the way to 1.5GHz thanks to coolbho3000 over on the xda-developers forum. He's been nice enough to provide the source code and instructions necessary to reproduce this stable overclock on your Galaxy S II, but don't rush off just yet -- there's video of the GSII romping through Quadrant and Linpack after the break. [Thanks, Mike and Sam]
LG Optimus 2X is world's first dual-core phone necessitating an online petition
Early adopters of the Optimus 2X are rightfully proud to carry the distinction of owning the world's first dual-core smartphone, however, that badge of honor comes with a steep price. In LG's rush to be first, it delivered a unpolished operating system that hinders the speed and stability of the phone -- and we're now seeing user reports suggesting the troubles may go beyond software. Notably, the forum at xda-developers now exceeds 100 pages of comments describing blank, unresponsive screens, random reboots and exceedingly hot temperatures when recharging. While many owners are performing various forms of voodoo hoping to stave off the symptoms, the problems are intermittent, making fixes difficult to verify. Regardless, putting the phone in a paper bag and lighting candles isn't going to banish the ghost in this machine. In response to LG's silence, frustrated users have started an online petition to bring their plight to the public's eye. Here's a little boost to the cause -- if you're an affected owner, please add yourself to the list of names by following the source.
LG Optimus 2X scoops up Guinness World Record for being first dual-core smartphone
LG's Optimus 2X just scooped up official recognition from the Guinness World Records crew for being the very first dual-core smartphone, which sounds like a good thing, but really it kind of isn't. In its rabid pursuit of the "First!" badge, LG neglected to polish up the 2X's software, leaving a lot of early users feeling high, dry, and in need of a good custom ROM. On the other hand, that very same phone's US variant, the T-Mobile G2x that came a couple of months later, arrived with a nice and shiny stock Android build that really showed off the underlying hardware's true capabilities. So yeah, kudos on another Record, LG, but next time let's have less haste and more awesome, mmkay?
HTC Sensation up for pre-order at Vodafone UK, delivery promised by May 19th
HTC couldn't let Samsung and Motorola have all the dual-core fun in the UK and it's now let Vodafone detail the earliest known availability of its mighty Sensation. That 1.2GHz, aluminum-clad handset has gone up for pre-order today, with Vodafone aiming to deliver "by the 19th of May." Not exactly the firmest of promises here, but it's good to know that in a couple of weeks we'll have yet another contender in the dual-core Android wars. We suspect other European markets will be joining the UK at about the same time, and T-Mobile in the US shouldn't be too far behind either. [Thanks, Tom]
Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits the FCC with GT-P7510 moniker
Yes, this is Samsung's latest 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab alright, not to be mistaken with its thicker 10.1v sibling that's gradually rolling out across Europe and Australia. How can you tell? Well, the older Honeycomb tablet bears the GT-P7100 codename, whereas this FCC filing and a Wi-Fi Alliance certificate show off the GT-P7510 moniker for this WiFi-only 10.1. Oh, and the drawing of the backside -- pictured after the break -- is a dead giveaway, of course. What remains unknown is the mysterious 1GHz dual-core CPU inside this razor-thin slate, but given the release of this FCC application, it probably won't be long before all is revealed.
t Chess Pro updated with dual core support on the iPad 2 and more
I liked t Chess Pro when I reviewed it many month ago. It had good clean graphics, and was a real challenge to play. One of the most frequent requests was for Game Center integration, and that has been added in the most recent release. Also interesting is the addition of support for the iPad 2 dual-core processors. It's the first use of dual-core support I've seen in an iOS chess program, and it's most welcome. t Chess author Tom Kerrigan told me the engine runs 50-80% faster, and he adds that if there's a good move to be found for the current position, the app will find it much faster. I hadn't played t Chess for a little while, but this new version did seem snappier on the iPad 2. The Game Center Support is most welcome. t Chess is a universal binary, so it runs on any iOS device, but of course dual-core support is only on the iPad 2. If you want to get a feel for t Chess, there is a 'lite' version you can try, but without the dual-core feature. t Chess is US $7.99. Given the excellent feature set, and the built-in documentation, I find it well worth it. Buyers should note that t Chess does not auto-detect a dual-core iPad 2. The feature must be enabled in the app settings menu. My only gripe is that the icon for the app still shows a graphic of a crystalline chess set that is not an option to select for gameplay. The options the app provides are just fine, but I'd sure like to see the nice one illustrated above on the iPad screen.
Details of Samsung's 'Alex' Chrome OS netbook leaked, Atom N550 in tow
As we approach the expected mid-2011 launch for a few Chrome OS devices, it seems inevitable that some details are bound to slip out ahead of time -- here's looking at you, Acer ZGB and Seaboard. The latest victim outed by a Chromium bug report is the Samsung "Alex," which sports a 1280 x 800 display (probably at 10 inches as previously rumored; like the mockup above), 1.5GHz dual-core Atom N550, SanDisk SSD P4 of unknown capacity, and 2GB RAM. Also listed are a Qualcomm Gobi 2000 3G card, Bluetooth, WiFi, webcam, and a Synaptics touchpad. Well, not long to go now -- perhaps the Alex might even make a cheeky appearance at Google I/O in two weeks' time? Screenshot of the bug report after the break. [Thanks, Marco]
Samsung Galaxy S II nets two additional carriers on South Korea's official launch day
Today marks South Korea's official launch of the Galaxy S II, with Samsung ensuring its home country gets plenty of superphone love before turning its attention abroad. Rival carriers SK Telecom and LG Uplus have added this Super AMOLED Plus beauty to their repertoire, joining KT, who's already begun taking pre-orders for the device which retails for approximately $790 (before subsidies, of course). Though we're left wishing this amazing slab of engineering was available everywhere and all at once, we must remind ourselves that patience is a virtue, and -- oh, forget it -- who's flying to South Korea with us? [Thanks, Amjath]
Samsung Galaxy S II review
If you don't already know all about the Samsung Galaxy S II, where have you been the past two months? The successor to one of the most popular Android handsets to date carries a burden of expectation almost as sizable as its 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen. It promises to be thinner, lighter, and faster than the Galaxy S that preceded it, while garnishing Android 2.3.3 with a set of TouchWiz customizations that might actually enhance, rather than hinder, the user experience. As such, the Galaxy S II earns Samsung full marks for ambition, but does this slinky new smartphone live up to its interstellar hype? The answer, as always, can be found after the break. %Gallery-122444%
LG Optimus Big brings a 4.3-inch NOVA display and 1GHz dual-core to the superphone party
What's big, mostly white, and set for a Korean launch tomorrow? That's right, the LG Optimus Big! This 4.3-inch whopper, LG's largest handset to date, touts a 1GHz dual-core processor, a slightly skinned Android 2.2 as its OS, HDMI output, a 5 megapixel camera, and 16GB of built-in storage. That spec sheet sounds mighty close to the elder Optimus 2X that launched earlier in the year, though a couple of items have also been borrowed from the still unreleased Optimus Black. They are the NOVA display, which can crank all the way up to 700 nits of brightness, and WiFi Direct, which allows for wireless inter-device communication without the need for an intermediary WiFi access point. This big, delicious spec sandwich is hitting its home market on April 28th, but there's sadly no word on when and where else it might show up. Just keep an eye out for it, shouldn't be that hard to spot.
Samsung Galaxy S II on pre-order in South Korea, introduces Olleh Touch for NFC payments
When Samsung teased us with those clever Galaxy S II commercials, we could feel the growing anticipation for its early UK arrival. Coincidentally, today marks an end to Britain's exclusivity, with South Korea's KT now offering the dual-core stunner for pre-order. We've learned this Korean Galaxy S II includes NFC, coinciding with the carrier's roll-out of Olleh Touch, a payment system being implemented at local grocer Lotte Mart. Sure, NFC inclusion increases the phone's thickness to 8.9mm, but if parlor tricks are your thing, we'd imagine it'll still easily pass under doorways. [Thanks, Aditya]
Samsung makes sure you know the Galaxy S II is really, really thin with silly new ad (video)
Samsung seems to be killing time until it finally ships the Galaxy S II by making promo videos for its dual-core superphone. The latest in a series of ads for the S II spends a few precious seconds reminding us just how excellently thin it is, and gives us a particular usage scenario where that slim profile truly becomes practical. We won't spoil that for you, though we should play spoiler in noting the barely readable small print above -- "Thickness of the device may differ by country or carrier." So remember, just because you and your pen pal from across the world are both buying a product with an excruciatingly specific title like Samsung Galaxy S II doesn't mean you'll both get the same thing. All that said, the 8.49mm-thick version of the device is ready to wow you on video just past the break. We've thrown a couple of Samsung's earlier commercials in there as well, just to complete the set.
Acer Iconia Tab A500 now on sale, $450 for aluminum-clad WiFi-only model
Yearning for some diversity in your hunt for a Honeycomb tablet? Acer's new Iconia Tab A500 doesn't really stray from the Tegra 2 norm when it comes to internal specs, but it does have that brushed aluminum back, a full-sized USB 2.0 port, and a sane $450 price point going for it. You'll get 16GB of storage and 802.11b/g/n WiFi connectivity for your money, though ASUS' similarly outfitted Eee Pad Transformer should also be prominent on your radar as it'll ask for an even humbler $399 when it makes its slightly delayed US launch tomorrow. Let's hope the arrival of these Taiwanese cousins nudges other Android tablets makers into engaging in a bit of price competition, eh? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Acer Aspire One Happy gets Easter egg colors, Atom N570 chip
Eager to pick up a new molded-plastic Acer One netbook, but wish it came in PAAS-approved Easter egg hues? Then your day has come, friend. Macles reports that Acer will refresh its Aspire One Happy line with a quartet of edible colors: Blueberry Shake, Banana Cream, Papaya Milk and Strawberry Yogurt. Those vibrant shells will have the innards of the still-unreleased Acer One D257, including a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual-core processor, along with the usual 10.1-inch display, 2GB memory, 250GB hard drive, and a six-cell battery. And yes, there will be 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and Windows 7 Starter. No word yet on availability and pricing, but it's probably smarter to wait rather than try to make your own with a dye tab and a sink full of vinegar.
Samsung Galaxy S II to arrive in UK on April 27th, but only through Phones 4u
UK phone retailer Phones 4u has scooped itself a short-term but enviable exclusive -- it'll be the only place in the UK where you'll be able to buy Samsung's Galaxy S II in April. The 1.2GHz dual-core Android superphone has already been announced for wide availability in the Queen's Kingdom on May 1st, but Phones 4u will get you one as early as April 27th, plus it'll throw in a free 8GB microSD card if you pre-order one now. The Galaxy S II will be available for free on two-year contracts costing £35 per month and above and there'll be a choice of carriers. Only Orange's tariffs are listed at the moment, but we imagine the others will be showing up soon as well. Jump past the break for the press release.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (UK edition) review
The world's love affair with tablets may have been bubbling along under the surface for a while, but it really got started in earnest during CES 2010. Back in those wild days, you could see 15-inch jumbo screens, TV tuners, and even hybrid pseudo-laptops stalking the tablet area of your favorite trade show. ASUS was there too, of course, though it still believed in the upstart smartbook category -- a modernized take on the netbook that relied on an ARM CPU and a mobile OS to extract more battery life out of a lighter, thinner device -- and was busy showing off a seductively slim prototype of just such a machine. Alas, nothing came of that Neo concept, most likely because it was relying on Android 1.6 and a Tegra 2 system-on-chip that was then still months away from hitting the market. %Gallery-121404% Today, however, is a different day. The 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 is finally being produced in volume, Google has evolved Android to version 3.0, specifically targeting higher-resolution displays, and ASUS has abandoned the idea that a keyboard is crucial to mobile computing. No, wait, that last bit's still there. The Eee Pad Transformer is a 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet very much in keeping with the current trend, but it also has an optional keyboard dock that turns it into a, you guessed it, instant smartbook. So, does that mean you'll get two devices in one or has ASUS been overly ambitious and compromised too much? We got to grips with the £380 16GB WiFi-only model and its keyboard buddy (£430 when bought as a pair) in an effort to find out. Answers await just past the break. %Gallery-121419%
Motorola Atrix to launch exclusively with Orange UK in early May
Just in time to duel with the Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola's Atrix is crossing the Atlantic for an early May release in Orange livery. UK carrier Orange has proudly announced it'll be the "exclusive launch partner" for the Atrix in the UK, offering the dual-core handset for free on two-year contracts costing £35 per month or more. A Work and Play Kit that includes the phone's Multimedia Dock will be made available at a reduced £50 price to new customers buying the phone, or for free to existing Orange subscribers upgrading to the Atrix during May. Business customers on some of the more overpriced fully featured tariffs will also get the chance to snap up the Lapdock for free. Jump past the break for Orange's fulll press release or hit the source link to register your interest now.
Samsung promises a dual-core 2GHz smartphone 'by next year'
Are you ready for a scorching-fast future? Samsung sure is, as today the Maeli Business Newspaper reports "a high-ranking" company official has disclosed Samsung's intention to deliver a dual-core smartphone that runs at 2GHz. That's 2GHz for each core, not the specious 1GHz multiplied by two mathematics that Sanjay Jha likes to dabble in. ARM already has a dual-core Cortex-A9 design capable of scaling such speed heights, which is most probably the basis on which Samsung is building its future processor on. The report goes on to state that Samsung will consider selling the chips separately, so you wouldn't necessarily have to buy a Samsung-branded handset in order to have what's being described as desktop-class performance in the palm of your hand. Man, just as we prepared one dual-core comparison chart, here comes the next next big thing.
HTC Sensation versus the rest of the dual-core world: smartphone spec sheet smackdown
We got to feeling a bit curious about how exactly HTC's latest Android superphone, the Sensation 4G, stacks up against its fellow dual-core competition, so we did what every geek does in such situations, we compiled a chart. Included in this list are the finest and brightest Android handsets from each of the major manufacturers that have gone dual-core so far: the Galaxy S II, the Atrix 4G, the Optimus 2X / G2X, and HTC's own EVO 3D. As it turns out, there are quite a few commonalities among these phones (besides the benchmark-crushing performance). They all boast screens of either 4 or 4.3 inches in size, the minimum amount of RAM among them is 512MB, the smallest battery is 1500mAh, and yes, they all have front-facing video cameras. Basically, it's the future of smartphones, reduced to a stat sheet. As such, it must also come with the warning that specs aren't everything, and user experience will most often depend on the software available on each device and on the preferences of the human holding it. With that proviso fully digested, join us after the break for the data.
