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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%
Dell's WiFi-only Streak 7 goes Euro-trippin', now available in the UK for £299
With one of the original 5-inch Streak's chief downsides being that it was considered too small to be a proper tablet, Dell did the sage thing this January and introduced a 7-inch variant in the Streak 7. The newer slate is outfitted with a nice Tegra 2 dual-core chip, 16GB of storage, a 5 megapixel rear- and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a WVGA (800 x 480) display, and now the eminently reasonable UK price of £299 ($487). Alas, where Dell fell short with its Streak family expansion was in installing Android 2.2 on the 7, which hasn't changed during its trip over the Altantic, and in offering pretty poor battery life -- which might actually be a bit better here since Brits are receiving the WiFi-only model. Then again, if we're having to praise a device for improving itself by omitting a valuable feature like 3G, perhaps that tells you all you need to know about its viability. At least the Streak 7 is priced correctly and Dell does promise a Honeycomb update is in the offing. You can order yours at Dell's UK outlet linked below or jump past the break to familiarize yourself with the company's press release.
Nokia E7 review
Over the years, we've seen a steady stream of business and messaging-centric landscape QWERTY smartphones come and go, with HTC arguably leading the pack via its collection of Windows Mobile, Android, and WP7 devices featuring sliding keyboards and tilt-out displays. But few of HTC's offerings are as iconic or memorable as Nokia's line of Communicator clamshell phones -- starting with the Nokia 9000 in 1996, continuing with Symbian S80 models, and culminating with the Nokia E90 atop S60v3. The Nokia E7 is the latest Communicator in this distinguished series and the manufacturer's current flagship device, dethroning the Nokia N8 which continues on as the company's media mogul. A lot has changed in the six months since the N8 was introduced, including Nokia's recent partnership with Microsoft and the stunning announcement that it will be adopting Windows Phone for future high-end smartphones. So, is the E7 -- which is finally shipping in the US -- the greatest Communicator to date? Can it carry the torch for Symbian in the immediate future? And more importantly, how does it fare in today's shark-infested Android and iOS waters? Jump past the break for our full review. %Gallery-120805%
HTC Desire S review
This time last year, HTC had two Android smartphones for the mainstream: the 3.7-inch Desire, outfitted with the latest and greatest, and the 3.2-inch Legend, which was humbler in specs but offered the novelty of an aluminum unibody construction. After seeing that strategy pay off handsomely, the company's come back in 2011 with a similar proposition. The 4-inch Incredible S is now the higher-end device, while the 3.7-inch Desire S is the smaller, aluminum-shelled handset. What's curious this time, however, is that the Desire S has exactly the same 1GHz Snapdragon inside it, the same graphics, same WVGA resolution, and the same 768MB of RAM as the Incredible S. Throw in the fact it comes with Gingerbread preloaded and a few new tweaks to the Sense UI and you've got to wonder if this might not be the more, um, desirable of HTC's new Android duo. Only one way to find out, right? Full review after the break. %Gallery-120779%%Gallery-120778%
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer shows up at Best Buy for $400 (update: dock price)
Never mind the cringe-inducing advertising, ASUS has given us a much better reason to care about its Tegra 2-toting Eee Pad Transformer: a $400 price. The 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet (with 1280 x 800 resolution on an IPS display) has quickly moved from its Taiwanese release, through yesterday's UK pricing announcement, to today showing up at Best Buy in the US, so we suspect its global shipping can't be far off at all. With a sticker that's a clear $99 less than the cheapest iPad and a good deal more affordable than its Android competition like the Xoom and G-Slate, the Transformer could yet take the tablet world by storm. Do take note that the keyboard dock that inspires this slate's name is an optional extra, but given the starting price, the whole package might still end up less than what others will ask. Update: Whack attack! Best Buy has pulled the Transformer page and it no longer shows up in search results on the site. Was the price too good to be true? Thanks, Jaime! Update 2: It's looking likely that the price info was accurate, as 16GB and 32GB versions have shown up elsewhere on the web for $400 and $500, respectively, though both are currently out of stock. Thanks, Sam and James! Update 3: Ah, and now we have the price for the dock alone: $149. Thanks, Peter C.!
Sony and LG price a swath of 3D HDTVs
We're still waiting on LG's ginormous 72-inch LZ7900 to make its debut on store shelves, but the rest of CES's primo 3DTV crop is rearing to ride out, with Sony's HX929, HX820 and HX720 series of LED-backlit LCD screens and LG's Infinia PZ750 plasmas now priced at Amazon. 3D-Display-info.com found Sony's locally-dimmed Bravia sets starting at $2,099 for a 46-inch HX720 with Gorilla Glass protection, all the way up to $3,799 for the premium 55-inch XBR-55HX929 with a full-array LED backlight. Meanwhile, the 50-inch LG PZ750 (with Smart TV, naturally) starts out at $1,599, while a 60-inch version of the same thing will run $2,199. Which one fits best in your den? That depends on a number of things, but we will add that the Sony sets are merely up for pre-order, while the LG units are listed as shipping within a matter of weeks.
Lenovo ThinkPad X220 and X220 convertible tablet official, 24 hours of battery life promised
Come on, you knew this one was coming! Yep, that leaked Lenovo ThinkPad X220 with all its SSD and display options is now the real deal, and it's one heck of an ultraportable. Just as we saw from that spec sheet, the new 12.5-inch (up from the 12.1-inch X201) laptop is configurable with that 1366x768-resolution IPS display, your choice of standard voltage Sandy Bridge Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, and up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM. There are no discrete graphics options, but you can opt to configure this one with USB 3.0 and a selection SSDs, including Intel's 80GB and 160GB offerings. The 720p webcam, dual digital microphones for noise cancellation, and the new buttonless touchpad (aka ClickPad) come standard. However, the real story Lenovo's trying to tell here is in battery life -- with the nine-cell battery the system is rated for 15 hours of endurance, but snap on the $179 ThinkPad external pack and it shoots on up to 24 hours. Thought Lenovo was going to leave the X Series tablet out in the cold without a refresh? Of course not, the X220T also sips from that same fresh Sandy Bridge well, though it doesn't claim that same 24 hour battery life feat -- the four-pound convertible is rated for 16 hours of run time when paired with the external pack. Oh, and did we mention that the multitouch screen is now available with Gorilla Glass? The X220 and the X220T start at $899 and $1,199, respectively, but won't actually be available until April. That said, our Core i5-2520M X220 and its extended battery just arrived in our "lab" so stay tuned for a full review with lots of endurance testing. Until then, hit the break for the full PR and the gallery below from some images. %Gallery-118550%
Engadget awards iPad best gadget of 2010
Apple won big in our sister website Engadget's annual editors' awards yesterday, taking the top prize with the iPad winning 'Gadget of the Year' and a number of other Apple products either winning or coming runner-up in their categories. "The iPad won this one going away -- there's just no denying the influence Apple's tablet had on the industry this year," said Engaget's editors. The iPad also won Tablet of the Year and was in the runner up position to Netflix in the Home Entertainment category. The iPhone 4 won Phone of the Year, beating the HTC Evo into second place, although the Engadget editors did say that "the Evo 4G will be remembered as the first of an entirely new breed of smartphones." The Apple MacBook Air came in second in the Laptop of the Year contest to HP's Envy 14 due to its "aluminum chassis, Core i5 power, and Radiance display...[but]that said, there's no denying the significance of the MacBook Air's new solid-state storage and speedy resume times." Display of the year went to Corning's Gorilla Glass -- as used in the iPhone 4, whose Retina Display won runner up. Portable media device of the year went to the iPod touch. "[t]he iPod touch is more dominant than ever, and with good reason. It's caught up to the iPhone 4 in terms of most key specs, and the App Store remains a huge advantage over the rest of the non-phone competition." The iPod Nano came runner up to the Jawbone Icon in the Wearable Device of the Year category, and Airplay runner up to Verizon LTE in the Wireless Device or Technology category.
Sonim XP3300 Force hands-on (through insulating gloves)
What do you do with a phone that claims it can withstand anything you throw its way? Dip it in sub-zero temperatures, bang it against concrete, drop it from great heights, and then stand on it? That was the full extent of our imagination today when getting to grips with the Sonim XP3300 Force and the damn thing didn't budge a millimeter, never mind an inch. It has a Gorilla Glass-protected screen and some rather self-apparent water- and impact-resistant hardware surrounding its soft electronic core. Changes in this latest model include the redesign of the Java-based OS, the internal power supply circuitry, the GPS module, and the antenna, all in the name of improving efficiency to a claimed 24 hours of talk time on a single charge. That's quite the feat, even if you can't exactly stream HD Flash videos using this chunky fella. The XP3300 Force is available in 50 countries around the world today, with pricing near $400 unsubsidized or between $50 and $150 on contract. Skip past the break for video of its endurance. %Gallery-116644%
Dell Venue review
Yes, it's the Dell Venue, and no, you still can't buy one outside Hong Kong or South Korea just yet. All we can speculate is that this Android phone is facing the same manufacturing issues as its WP7 cousin, but hopefully we're wrong. Anyhow, what matters is that we've finally gotten our hands on a retail unit of the Snapdragon-packing Venue. So is it worth the wait for Androiders distanced from the Far East? And will this handset be the answer for our love-hate relationship with the Streak? Head on right past the break to find out. %Gallery-114817%
HP / Palm's 9.7-inch Topaz tablet to use 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8660, Adreno 220 GPU
Looks like those whispers we heard about HP's Topaz having a 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU were true. The folks over at Pre Central just scored an internal document detailing presumed specifications of HP's forthcoming 9.7-inch tablet, and it looks like the aforesaid CPU will be joined by an integrated Adreno 220 GPU, 512MB of DDR2 memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi. We're told to expect an oleophobic Gorilla Glass screen with a standard XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, options for 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, optional WWAN, an accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, microphone and a battery that'll last for around eight hours in ideal circumstances. Naturally, webOS will be onboard, and we're hearing that a WiFi-only model will indeed hit the market at some point. As for the connected versions? HSPA, LTE and CDMA variants are rumored, with the former two likely to be SIM-locked while all three carry A-GPS. It should be noted that these documents were apparently fresh as of last fall, so everything is clearly subject to change. That said, we're digging the reports that HP will be doing everything it can to fully support Flash on this here slate, and it may also consider a partnership with Blio for the digital bookworms in attendance. Naturally, cloud services is shaping up to be a huge deal, and it'll definitely support inductive charging via the Touchstone v2. These docs also affirm what we'd heard about integrated Beats Audio technology and Tap to Share, with the second-gen Touchstone to also handle wireless picture sharing, cordless audio streaming and tether-free video beaming (just to name a few). Hit the source link the full skinny, and feel free to pressure HP to move February 9th a little closer to today. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
OpenPeak debuts OpenTablet 10 with transflective display
We're still waiting for OpenPeak's OpenTablet 7 to be released, but the company's now already moving on to bigger and potentially better things -- it's just announced the Atom-based, Android-running OpenTablet 10. In addition to being larger, the screen is also of the transflective variety, and it's built from Gorilla Glass so it'll hold up to some abuse while you're using it outside. Otherwise, the one-pound, half inch-thick device packs dual cameras including a front-facing 720p cam, an HDMI out for 1080p video, a digital MEMS microphone, and optional 3G connectivity in addition to the standard WiFi. Still no word on pricing or a release date (or complete specs, for that matter), but we're hoping to learn more when we get our hands on it. Full press release is after the break.
Sony's 2011 Bravia lineup includes 27 new HDTVs
The 2011 lineup of Sony Bravia HDTVs is quite extensive with a total fo 27 models spanning nine lines. All but the five most inexpensive models feature internet streaming services while 16 of the higher end models being 3D capable. Most of the great streaming services we've come to expect are there, but in addition you can now watch Time Warner Cable VOD without a set-top-box as well. A few of the lines are compatible with a special Sony 720p camera (CMU-BR100) for use with Skype, while others feature Gorilla Glass. The XBR-HX929 Series sits at the top with a new local dimming technology called Intelligent Peak LED Backlight, and is also one of the lines that supports the new Media Remote application for iPhone, iPod Touch or Android, which includes full remote capabilities as well as a keyboard. The 929s will be available in April in 46, 55 and 65-inches, with the others hitting the street sometime between February and May. %Gallery-112824%
Motion Computing's Oak Trail-powered CL900 is one tough Win 7 tablet
Boy, have we seen a bunch of Windows 7 slates in our day -- most with delicate capacitive displays, sluggish software layers, and older Intel Atom processors -- but Motion Computing's new CL900 seems to be a totally different beast. Aimed at enterprise and vertical markets, the 10.1-inch tablet runs Windows 7 Professional and is powered by Intel's forthcoming Oak Trail Atom processor. We don't know much about that silicon performance yet, but the company's promising up to eight hours of battery life as well as 1080p playback over HDMI. However, the CL900's real appeal comes in its rugged case and screen. The 2.1-pound tablet (though, it feels a bit heavier than that in hand) has met the MIL-STD-810G spec, so it can survive a four foot drop and its Corning Gorilla Glass display should be able to withstand, oh you know, a pen stab. As for the actual 1366x768-resolution touchscreen, it has a capacitive layer, but also can be configured with an active digitizer for a really solid inking experience. We got a chance to put stylus to screen on an early model Motion was showing off and the digital writing experience seemed quite smooth and responsive. As you can see in the gallery below, the tablet is also home to two cameras, a USB port, and microSD card and SIM card slot. We told you it was spec'd to kill, but with the company promising an MSRP of less than $1,000 it could be priced to kill as well. Hit the break for the full press release and don't forget to peruse the images below. %Gallery-112568% %Gallery-112402% Updated: You'll notice that in this picture the CL900 is running ExoPC's UI layer. Motion Computing told us that it is currently experimenting with the Windows layer, but it doesn't have any formal plans to ship with it preloaded.
Dell Venue launched in Hong Kong, we go hands-on
Isn't it fun when you hit the right place at the right time? We just happened to be chillaxing in Hong Kong when Dell chose the city for the Venue's global launch (and it's actually hitting the shops slightly ahead of South Korea), so a quick hands-on is inevitable. As we've seen previously, this HK$3,999 (US$514) handset is essentially the Venue Pro's Android 2.2 cousin, sporting the same curved (or "Shear Design") vibrant AMOLED display at 4.1 inches and 800 x 480, but missing the slide-out keyboard. Under the hood lies a 1GHz Snapdragon with 1GB ROM and 512MB RAM, along with the usual microSD expansion, 1400mAh battery, 8 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, Bluetooth 2.3 EDR, WiFi and AGPS. There aren't any surprises in terms of software -- the Venue shares the same snappy Stage UI and Swype keyboard with the Streak, except for the lack of landscape orientation for the homescreen (and that's with orientation enabled in system settings). As for hardware, the killer feature here is the screen, and we found its curved Gorilla Glass to be surprisingly nice for our thumbs while swiping across it. The AMOLED panel underneath is also vibrant with great viewing angles. Elsewhere, build quality is almost solid bar the squeaky battery door, but at least it provides some grip. That's all we got for now -- we'll delve into more details in our forthcoming review, so stay tuned. %Gallery-111900%
PSA: don't try to wow your friends with the key scratch test on the Nexus S -- because it's not Gorilla Glass
Before you stand (perhaps slightly inebriated) in front of a group of wide-eyed disbelievers and poke your brand new Nexus S' display with a fork, rock, key, icepick, or anything else that's hard and pointy, just remember this: it's not Gorilla Glass. That's the official word from Samsung Service's Twitter feed, a stark contrast to the hardened, tough-as-nails surface of the original Galaxy S' Super AMOLED display. No reason is given for the change, but there's an obvious theory: Corning might not have the technology to produce Gorilla Glass that's curved in the way that Samsung wanted -- or they can't produce it in the quantities asked of them -- and so Sammy decided to go with a slightly less rugged screen rather than ditching the so-called Contour Display. We imagine it won't be an issue for most -- it's the glossy plastic back we're actually more worried about -- but just bear that in mind before you toss it in a pocket full of coins.
Dell Venue Thunders into Korea this month with Android 2.2 and 4.1-inch Gorilla Glass screen
Dell's keeping up its usual habit of sneaking devices out with today's announcement of the Dell Venue for launch in South Korea. Local carrier KT has revealed the details of this 4.1-inch Android 2.2 device (sans keyboard, unlike its WP7 cousin the Venue Pro), which is set to arrive by the end of this month at a price of 700,000KRW ($606). Formerly known by its codename of Thunder, this has actually been one of the most hotly anticipated Android handsets of the year, though the only other information confirmed by KT so far is that it'll have a curved Gorilla Glass screen. We're sure a US launch can't be far behind.
Samsung Galaxy Tab torn down, is indeed not full of stars
What's that, the greatest Android tablet of the moment caught without its pants on again? Oh, no, it's just another iFixit special, tearing down a Samsung Galaxy Tab into its requisite bits, bobs, and a slab of Gorilla Glass. The removal of that pane turned out to be the trickiest part, requiring a lot of heat and a little "nervous prying" before it yielded. But, yield it did, and you can see the piece-by-piece teardown on the other end of the source link below.
Unlocked GSM Palm Pre 2 to be 'available direct from HP,' Gorilla Glass on the front
We've been toying with a Palm Pre 2 for a few weeks now, but given that it's not "final hardware," we can't exactly make any firm judgments on the unit itself. Tim Pettitt, product manager for HP Palm, can. In speaking with MarkGuim.tv (and slyly handling a Verizon Pre 2), he not only confirmed that the company was relying on a layer of the famed Gorilla Glass to keep the front as scratch-resistant as possible, but also that the five megapixel camera is capable of capturing a shot every second. More importantly, however, he made clear that it wouldn't be just the developers nabbing an unlocked GSM Pre 2. According to Tim, that very handset will be "available direct from HP.com," though he stopped short of saying whether it would support T-Mobile's AWS 3G band. For AT&T loyalists, however, we're guessing this may be the best way to nab webOS on the network that's still rethinking possible. [Thanks, Fuu]
Nokia N8 review
The first time Nokia's N8-00 popped up on our radar was way back in early February of this year. On that chilly, misty morning, we learned of a mythical being capable of shooting 12 megapixel stills, recording 720p video, outputting via HDMI, and -- most importantly -- ushering in the promised Symbian^3 touch revolution. It's been a long road of leaks, teasers, hands-ons, and previews since then, but at long last, the legend of the N8 has become a purchasable commodity. All the early specs have survived, including the 3.5-inch AMOLED display, but the key question today, as it was at the beginning, relates to that all-new software within: does Symbian^3 succeed in elevating Nokia's touchscreen experience or does it drag down an otherwise stellar combination of high-end parts? For that verdict and much, much more, join us after the break.%Gallery-103738%%Gallery-104212%