gorillaglass
Latest
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%
Dell Venue Pro (aka Lightning) first hands-on!
You see that? That, comrades, is what happens when Lightning strikes! Or, you know, when Venue Pro strikes. So, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but no matter what you call Dell's Windows Phone 7 portrait slider, it's downright awesome. We got a chance to play around with an early build of the phone a few weeks ago -- as you'll hear us say in the video below, it was still codenamed the Lightning -- and we haven't been able to get it out of our minds since. The handset has a very similar look and feel to its Android brother, the Thunder -- its rounded chrome sides are reminiscent of an iPhone 3G/S, the black contoured back has a nice grippy feel, and the curved, WVGA AMOLED, Gorilla Glass screen is just stunning. The 4.1-inch capacitive, multitouch display is joined by additional back, home and search touch-sensitive buttons, all of which seemed responsive in our short time with the device. The back is also home to a 5 megapixel cam with flash while there's a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the device and a micro-USB port on the bottom edge. But obviously, it's that glorious slide-out QWERTY keyboard that makes the Venue Pro, well, so pro. The rubber-feeling keys remind us a lot of those on the Droid 2 -- though, they feel a bit firmer -- and the slider mechanism felt sturdy when we slid it open and closed a number of times. On the spec front, we were told it was packing a Snapdragon processor, and while the phone seemed to briskly run an early build of WP7, we didn't get to test much out as Dell was lacking both a SIM and a nearby WiFi network. We'll be hoping to grab some more time with the T-Mobile version today, but from what we've seen so far we're fairly confident that Dell's struck pretty darn close to gold here. Oh, and don't forget to hit the break for a short video walkthrough of the hardware and keyboard.%Gallery-104723%
Samsung's Galaxy Tab will come with Gorilla Glass screen
It might not share the Galaxy S' vibrant Super AMOLED display, but there is one way in which the Galaxy Tab's visage is identical to its elder smartphone sibling: both are protected by Gorilla Glass. Corning has just dropped a quickie press release to announce that Samsung's upcoming 7-inch tablet will benefit from its scratch- and impact-resistant alkali-aluminosilicate goodness. Guess now Samsung's ad advising us to stuff this slate into our pants pockets makes a lot more sense. [Thanks, Olivier]
Samsung Galaxy S sporting Gorilla Glass to protect that precious AMOLED
Remember this horribly painful video? The Gorilla Glass protection on the Dell Streak is undoubtedly a selling point, and now Corning, the maker of said glass, has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S (which includes the Vibrant, Captivate, Fascinate, and Epic 4G in its brood) employs the same alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield. The glass is similar to the "helicopter windshield" stuff Apple uses on the iPhone 4, which was rumored to be Gorilla Glass at one point, and while neither tech is impervious to shattering, they certainly can take a beating -- but just try and do that pen stab torture test while we're not looking, alright? We don't have the stomach to witness another beautiful Android handset so roughly handled. PR is after the break.
Stab-proof Gorilla Glass coming to TVs near you in 2011
If you go to Corning Inc's website, you'll see the company advertises its seemingly indestructible Gorilla Glass as being available for LCD TV sets, but to this point, no major manufacturer has taken up this tempting offer. That's all about to change, apparently, as Corning has recently announced plans to massively expand its production capacity (see press release after the break) and is now predicting it'll secure its first deal this fall. The benefits of going Gorilla are increased durability, strength and scratch resistance, which some are arguing could be a big selling point to display makers keen on doing away with plastic bezels and exposing edge-to-edge glass surfaces. Of course, the disadvantage is that we'd have to pay up to $60 more for a panel with the extra-tough stuff inside, but then having the option is better than not, right?
Dell Streak's supposed US packaging is gorgeous, unboxed with elegance
Well, the Brits ain't gonna be happy when they see this in the AM. What we're looking at here is presumably the Dell Streak's final US packaging -- a far cry from the cardboard boxes that the Englishmen are given (and let's not forget the silly photoshop error on the top). If the features list is correct, this five-inch Android phone is definitely headed to AT&T's 850MHz 3G band for now (hang in there, T-Mobile fans). Other than that, the accessories and the phone itself look identical to what we've got in London, but we totally wouldn't mind getting hold of this sexy acrylic box -- it'd make a pretty cool cradle, don't you think? Head over to the source link to feed your eyes. Update: Here's another found on eBay. [Thanks, Johnny S.]
iPhone 4 drop test yields results (video)
There's been a lot of fuss about the iPhone 4's Gorilla Glass "custom glass" comparable in strength to sapphire crystal but 30 times harder than plastic. Sounds incredible, right? But make no mistake, that front glass panel will still break if dropped. Ok, it took four deliberate attempts to accomplish what you see above but it still happened. Bottom line: like any cellphone, you'll have to worry about more than just scratches. See the destruction after the break.
Yes, you can certainly scratch the iPhone 4 (updated with more photos)
Well, this is not encouraging. The photo you're seeing above is our leader Joshua's iPhone 4 review unit, snapped by Ryan Block just moments ago. Ryan pointed out that there are some nasty scratches on the back of the phone. While we don't have any better photos of it at the moment, Josh told us that they're hard to see unless in bright light, but they look pretty notable to us for a five day-old unit made of Gorilla Glass. We'll get some better photos for you as soon as humanly possible. Update: We should note that while iFixit has said that the new iPhone's front panel is made of Gorilla Glass (and they tend to be right about these things), the material on the back of the phone has not been positively identified, though it is also a hardened glass. Update 2: We've added three higher quality photos after the break, and seen the scratch with our own eyes. It's what we would call "incredibly minor," not visible at all dead on, but in bright light at an angle... well see for yourself if the photos.
iPhone 4 teardown: 512MB RAM confirmed (updated)
With nary hours since the reviews went live, the gang at iFixit -- no doubt blessed by the hands of early deliveries -- have procured an iPhone 4. And as is their modus operandi, they wasted no time tearing that sucker apart screw by screw. The teardown is still ongoing, but here's what we got so far: 512MB RAM (confirming earlier rumors), a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor (same as the Samsung Wave S8500, they say), and chemically-strengthened Gorilla Glass for a more torture-friendly front panel. Those two screws on the bottom of the phone can be removed to excise the real panel, but the site says the front glass "will likely be rather challenging [to remove]." The battery, looking rather large even in the pictures, is a whopping 1420mAh Li-Polymer -- comparatively, the Nexus One is 1400mAh and the HTC Droid Incredible is 1300mAh. There's no SIM eject tool with this phone, but a paper clip should work just fine. As for the much-ballyhooed side panel antennas, the phone apparently now "[utilizes] whichever network band is less congested or has the least interference for the best signal quality, regardless of actual signal strength" -- in other words, better call reliability (hopefully). Also helping with overall voice quality is a dual microphone setup for suppressing background noise. Peruse on over if you're interested in seeing a bare Apple device at its most beautiful. Update: The teardown is complete with a few more interesting bits of information. First, the battery is very easy to remove (and thus, replace) after removing the two screws. The LCD panel is not, however, as it's tighly glued to the glass and digitizer. So if you do manage to break the Gorilla Glass, you'll have to replace it, the digitizer, and the LCD as a single unit. The new AGD1 3-axis gyroscope is thought to be made by ST Micro and Broadcom provides both the BCM4750IUB8 single-chip GPS receiver and BCM4329FKUBG receiver giving the iPhone 4 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and an FM radio. %Gallery-96098%
Dell Streak review
Streak. It needs no introduction, as this slate's been gaining a lot of attention amongst gadget lovers around the world. Thanks to the UK launch last Friday, we were one of the first on this planet to procure Dell's finalized Android 1.6 phone from O2. Yep, you heard right -- Engadget's now in possession of two Streaks, with the older one still in its original and somewhat unstable prototype state. Our new toy sports a matte "carbon" finish instead of chrome (no word on future availability; the red version's coming in two weeks' time), and now 399MB of RAM instead of 405MB (according to Android System Info app; it's actually a 512MB chip). Anyhow, now that we have the real deal, there's plenty to go through, so join us after the break to see if the Streak's really going to start a new trend.%Gallery-94418%
Dell Streak's Gorilla Glass screen: torture tested for your amusement (video)
So we've been hearing rumors about the Dell Streak being some kind of a rugged bad boy. Word is, the Gorilla Glass display on this 5-inch slate is good enough to withstand pretty much anything a human would care to throw its way. Them's fighting words where we come from, so we did the only thing a responsible tech blog can do -- we put them to the test. Should you be brave enough to follow us after the break, you'll come upon our best efforts to destroy our own Streak prototype, albeit with little success. Then again, the end result might be less important than the journey there, which is not to be missed.
Acer working on frameless laptop with touchscreen keyboard?
Would you believe that Acer is working on a frameless laptop with touchscreen keyboard? As far-fetched as the idea might be, it's certainly plausible, expected even. The idea, as rumored by DigiTimes, involves doing away with the display's frame by printing colors directly onto the back of the display's reinforced glass substrate from Corning (a la Gorilla Glass presumably). Coupled with a touchscreen keyboard, the rumored device should be impossibly thin by traditional laptop comparisons. Keep in mind that we've already seen this Frame Zero concept pictured above from Fujitsu and Acer's arch-rival ASUS has been showing off its dual-display laptop prototype with touchscreen keyboard for months. Even the OLPC XO-3 plans to eschew the clickity keyboard in favor of a touchscreen version. And anyone who has ever seen a scifi movie knows that tactile keyboards and display bezels have no role to play in our computing future anyway, so we might as well get things started now -- or in the second half of 2010 according to DigiTimes' sources.
Sonim XP2 Spirit gets hammered with Engadget
At the MWC Pepcom event earlier in the week we bumped into Sonim and its almost indestructible handset, the Sonim XP2 Spirit. The XP2 is a seriously tough set with the display covered in Gorilla Glass from Corning, a magnesium core, and a shell crafted with hardened rubber and fiberglass, all backed by a rather bold unconditional 3-year guarantee: you break it, they replace it. Sonim gave us an opportunity to try to destroy the thing, and... well, how could we turn down an offer to try and smash a phone? So with hammer and nail we give it an honest go -- follow on to the video after the break to see who wins.
Motorola Droid and Dell Adamo latest to get Gorilla glass
Corning's darn-near-impenetrable Gorilla glass certainly isn't new -- in fact, we spied it in a few of Motion Computing's tablets just a few months ago -- but it's still not commonplace on mainstream gizmos. Yet. SmartPlanet sat down with Dr. Donnell Walton, senior applications engineer at Corning, in order to discuss the merits of the display technology as well as its importance in the gadget space. The discussion also mentioned that both Motorola's Droid and Dell's Adamo (not to mention Cowon's S9 PMP) are sporting the glass, which acts to make displays "damage-resistant." Not surprisingly, the company is seeing huge demand in the smartphone arena, where touchscreen-centric phones are being shoved into pockets at random and then costing manufacturers big bucks as return rates creep up. It's a pretty interesting read if you're into that type of thing, and yes, we did just give you permission to try and split your Droid display wide open in a moment of frustration. Just don't count on Motorola to accept that as a valid excuse for your RMA. [Thanks, Jeff]
