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Microsoft Kinect starts making home deliveries to beta testers
As beta testing programs go, Microsoft's Kinect venture has been kind of... leaky. No surprises, therefore, that we've now received our first in-the-plastic pictures of the motion-tracking camera peripheral, replete with a few select shots of its packaging. Redmond's promise that hardware was en route to testers was clearly not a hollow one, and we can now probably expect a bunch more unauthorized disclosures about the user experience with what should be final retail units. The outside of the packaging includes a couple of teasers encouraging users to pick up some of those bodacious PDP stands and wall mounts for their Kinect -- presumably the start of a tidal wave of Kinect accessories. %Gallery-101257%
LG's E900 shows off handsome looks on video (update: translation woes)
Wherever it is that Mr. Blurrycam calls home, Poland isn't it. Android.com.pl has the best pre-release shots of the 3.7-inch LG E900 yet, replete with some titillating specs. We're told that the upcoming Windows Phone 7 device will be driven by a 1.3GHz Qualcomm QSD8650A system-on-chip -- basically a Snapdragon with the training wheels taken off. It promises better 2D and 3D graphics acceleration, integrated GPS, HD video recording and playback, and multi-mode UMTS and CDMA 3G connectivity. As to the handset itself, light and proximity sensors have been spotted on its body, along with a miniUSB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Navigate past the break to see some more of that tantalizing WP7 UI. Update: It turns out Google Translate's played a little trick on us, adding an A to the end of the SOC codename. The Polish fellas actually had a QSD8650 in the house, a less crazy 1GHz part [Thanks, Anudeep!].
LG E720 with Android leaks: it's no Galaxy S killer
The great thing about Android is that it does a reasonably good job scaling from the high end of the hardware spectrum all the way down to the lowest of the low -- and it's on that cautionary note that we show you this alleged LG E720 that popped up on a Polish site over the weekend. We're apparently looking at a Froyo-equipped device featuring a 3.2 inch display -- which we're fairly certain will fall short of WVGA resolution -- along with Qualcomm's midrange MSM7227 core and a 5 megapixel camera around back. In other words, Galaxy S owners, rest easy: LG doesn't have your phone in its sights... not with this particular model, anyhow. Pricing and availability remain to be seen, but with Android 3.0 likely in the pipeline for 2010, LG would be well advised to step on the gas.
Samsung Galaxy Tab, in the wild and now teasing CDMA
Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Samsung's Galaxy Tab has once again surfaced online via unofficial channels, and this time it's carrying a sticker on one side that clearly states CDMA. The iAndroid forum goer who allegedly snapped these shots praised the device for its strong speakers, call quality (although not clear if that's over 3G or WiFi), and ability to run Flash -- but at the same time notes the GPS is just a bit slow (it does work, though). More pictures in the gallery below, right next to our ever-increasing impatience to try this little guy out ourselves. %Gallery-100633% [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung Galaxy Tab gets video preview in Korea
It sees like we can't let a day pass without talking about Samsung's upcoming Froyo tablet. This time there's a whole video preview, courtesy of some of our Korean brethren. Android 2.2, WCDMA 3G, 802.11n WiFi, a 16:10 screen ratio, a front-facing camera "dedicated to video calling," SDHC memory expandability, and a DMB tuner for those TV-crazy Koreans are all listed on the spec sheet, but you'll be wanting to see the Galaxy Tab's UI in motion. It really looks silky smooth and should give the iPad cause for concern. Speaking of the iPad, there's a size comparison against Apple's slate and Samsung's own Galaxy S handset as well -- all yours after the break. Update: Fast-loading video embedded after the break. [Thanks, Eric]
Possible iPod touch LCD and digitizer assembly compared to older gen, iPhone 4 (video)
Look who's back. The LCD plus digitizer combo that we first laid eyes on last month seems to have leaked out again, still claiming it'll be part of Apple's upcoming (unannounced, but popular knowledge anyway) iPod touch 4th generation refresh. It continues to insist it'll have a front-facing camera, pointing to the rounded hole in its forehead as evidence, and we're now inclined to trust it that little bit more given the leaking site's prior record. A visual inspection reveals it to have the same fused design as on the iPhone 4, which naturally invites speculation that the retina display will be pulling some PMP duty as well. Skip past the break to see the new screen side-by-side with Apple's latest phone display and third-gen iPod touch hardware.
Samsung Craft LTE phone spied enroute to MetroPCS?
These shots actually surfaced a few days ago buried in the depths of HowardForums, but given what we know of Samsung's R900 Craft thus far -- particularly the fact that it'll be a non-smartphone -- we have no reason to doubt that we're looking at a prototype of it here. What makes the Craft most notable is that it's slated to be MetroPCS' first LTE-capable handset (and one of the first LTE handsets anywhere in the world) for its shiny new 4G network, and it looks like we can expect full sliding QWERTY along with the typical TouchWiz UI elements. We'd like to hate on this thing for not running Android or Windows Phone 7, but hey -- it's almost certainly going to be the first LTE phone to hit these shores, so we're willing to cut it just an ounce of slack this once. The carrier's first LTE markets are lighting up later this year, so we expect to see this with a whole lot less Blurrycam before too long.
Samsung's 7-inch Galaxy Tab gets spied in the wild (video)
Man, you just can't hide your gadgets from curious onlookers these days. Case in point: Samsung's Galaxy Tab was innocently doing some testing rounds through Sydney recently, only to be happened upon by the Electronista scribes, who diligently videotaped it -- seemingly without the knowledge of the tablet's possessor. The video confirms what we already know, it's a 7-inch tablet, it'll be driven by an Android, and it looks very much like a giant cellphone. The Samsung employee described it as "awesome" and very different from the iPad's experience, while the UI apparently looked very responsive. Go after the break to see for yourself.
LG E900 stars in Windows Phone 7-themed video homage to Mr. Blurrycam
Whatever wraps Windows Phone 7 handsets were being kept under seem to have all but vanished. Following in the glorious footsteps of the Samsung i917, the HTC Schubert, and its own brand-mate, the C900, here we have LG's E900 WP7 device. It does away with the physical keyboard of its brother, allowing for an aggressively thin design, and still features Microsoft's mandated three buttons across the bottom, though only the Start key is delineated in white. It would seem the Back and Search buttons either haven't yet received their lick of paint or are going to be kept monochromatic to stick with the minimalistic aesthetic. Slide past the break to see the E900 in richly blurred motion.
Exclusive: LG C900 for AT&T has Windows Phone 7, shows off a little carrier branding
If you're prepping for a Windows Phone 7 purchase later this year and the Cetus doesn't really do it for you, we understand -- not everyone can live without a physical keyboard, and devices like the Touch Pro2 have gotten us used to the idea that Windows Mobile and great QWERTY go hand-in-hand. To that end, we present to you the LG C900, a rounded landscape slider equipped with a four-row keyboard and a simplified two-button capacitive layout beneath the screen paired with a chrome Windows key. Notably, this is the first time we've seen carrier branding on Windows Phone 7's home screen in the wild -- you can see AT&T's logo prominently displayed as a tile in one of the pictures in the gallery after the break. We're not sure we're digging the matte plasticky look up front, but to each his own, we suppose. %Gallery-100001%
T-Mobile G2 again, this time with less Mr. Blurrycam
So we just got a second batch of T-Mobile G2 shots dropped in our mailbox -- and this time, you can get a much better look at the inner workings of the carrier's version of the upcoming HTC Vision. Looks like this bad boy slides and tilts, which eliminates the need for a kickstand and is very likely causing you to breathe an audible sigh of relief right about now. Meanwhile, the backside reveals that HTC looks ready to really get into this asymmetrical design concept -- something we've definitely seen on the Schubert / Mozart -- and realistically, it's probably going to polarize some buyers. Check out the gallery for a few more shots! Update: We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we've just been told that the G2 doesn't have a tilting screen, despite what you see up there -- it's just the inner workings of the slide being pulled up. Our hearts have been ripped from our chests on this one, rest assured. %Gallery-99994%
Exclusive: Samsung Cetus i917 bows for AT&T, shows off its Windows Phone 7 ways
Does the almost Pre-esque shape of this beast look vaguely familiar? It should, because it matches up nicely with the outline of the Samsung Cetus we saw in the FCC a little while back. Indeed, we're told this is the Cetus i917 destined for AT&T, featuring Windows Phone 7 in a glossy, black, curved shell that should fit nicely in those new skinny pants you just overpaid for. We don't know when this is hitting exactly, but we suspect everyone involved -- Microsoft, AT&T, and Samsung -- wants to have this on shelves in time for the holiday season. Hit up the gallery below for a couple more shots. %Gallery-99987%
Exclusive: T-Mobile G2 in the wild!
These shots of a real, live G2 confirm what we'd already suspected from renders: this is basically an Americanized version of the upcoming HTC Vision. What does that mean? Well, it means you can expect a 3.7-inch display paired with Android and a sliding QWERTY keyboard -- higher-end than the myTouch 3G Slide and a fitting successor to the trailblazing G1, if you ask us (though admittedly not quite as geeky as the model it replaces). Follow the break for another shot!
Sprint's 3G-capable Airave from Airvana starts shipping
Corporate-owned Sprint stores that we've called don't seem to know what we're talking about, but at least one reader has managed to get Sprint telesales to ship him one of its long-rumored upgraded Airaves from Airvana that supports EV-DO (the original model sported 1xRTT only for data). Our tipster tells us this bad boy will run up to six simultaneous calls -- up from the old Samsung's three -- and although the femtocell supports a VoIP landline connection, Sprint is telling folks that it's not available for use just yet. The jury's still out on whether this looks better than the outgoing model -- but hey, you can always shove it in a corner where no one will notice it; in the short term, the bigger concern will probably be finding a store willing and able to sell it to you. [Thanks, Connor]%Gallery-99924%
Nokia's QWERTY-slidin' N9 shows up in the wilds of China (update: running MeeGo!)
Remember this scandalous little leak from back in June? It looks to have been validated today, as imagery of Nokia's MeeGo (or is it Symbian^4?)-powered N9 QWERTY slider has emerged over in China. As usual with these things, we can't be certain that this device is in fact part of Nokia's roadmap and not just another creative hardware emulation, but it sure seems to have our old buddy Eldar Murtazin convinced. Seeing it with clear N9 branding, we can now say that the previously unknown Nokia slider was more likely the N8-01, a keyboard-equipped version of the (still) upcoming N8. The source of this N9 leak reports that it's not in its final retail shape, as it doesn't match up to "the latest drawings," but is apparently planned for a release in the 48th week (i.e. beginning of December) of this year. The prototype, built in Finland, is said to have an entirely metallic construction (more aluminum would be our guess), with only the keyboard buttons, USB cover, and a few decorative parts being plastic. See more of it, including a thorough teardown, in the gallery below. Update: A friendly mole of ours ran this handset's serial number through an internal Nokia system and has confirmed it as a Nokia prototype. He was also able to uncover an RM-680 product type classification (further distancing this from the RM-626 slider) and a 0595571 product code. Add those to the "Prototype Build B2" and "Property of Nokia" labeling inside the phone's battery compartment, and you've got yourself a very strong candidate for the real deal here. Update 2: A closer look at the display reveals that this is running something that bears a heavy resemblance to the MeeGo screens we've seen so far -- and if you run the product code through Google, you see some Maemo 6-related bug tracking results, which of course has since become MeeGo. Good stuff, eh? Thanks, Sockatume! %Gallery-99863%
Nokia C7 leaks again in press-quality photo shoot
We've yet to see an official announcement for Nokia's all-but-real C7 with Symbian^3, but let's be honest: wouldn't you rather see a few more leaked shots of it posing next to a nip of Chivas Regal anyway? Of course you would, and Chinese site zol.com.cn has your number along with a few thoughts on the device: it's got a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, 8 megapixel camera sans Carl Zeiss branding (a nod to the fact that the Nseries will still reign supreme for photography), dual LED flash, and a pretty meager 1,200mAh battery, presumably to keep the shell sexy and slim. It's unclear when we might see Nokia finally fess up to the C7's existence, but Nokia World in the middle of next month seems like an obvious target; stay tuned.
Samsung Epic 4G showing up in Sprint stores -- and no, you can't have it
Samsung Epic 4Gs earmarked for product advocates at Sprint retail locations -- folks whose job it is to know everything about key devices -- apparently started to roll in on Monday of this week. So the good news is that your local store quite possibly does have an Epic 4G lying around somewhere, but the bad news is that unless you get close enough to the advocate to pickpocket it, you can't have one just yet; we're told the retail units should be shipped "within the week." On a related note, our tipster also tells us that Sprint is geared up to roll out WiMAX in Boston the week after the Epic 4G launch, so that should be a nice little foil to the LTE trial Big Red's been running there this year. [Thanks, Josh]
Windows Phone 7 leak mania continues with new Samsung prototype
Better bring an umbrella if you're going out, because the Windows Phone 7 hardware leaks are really starting to rain down. We've so far peeked pre-release handsets from ASUS, HTC (twice), and LG, and now Samsung is pitching in with what looks like a device fated to dance on retail shelves. Details are, as usual, scarce on the ground, but the angular aesthetics suggest it isn't the AT&T-bound Cetus that recently graced the FCC. Taken together with the physical separation of the Windows-branded Start key, however, they do rather resemble what we've seen on ASUS' hardware, which might suggest that there is some undercurrent of cohesive body design that Microsoft is pushing out to its hardware partners. Or maybe we're just grasping at straws to kill the time until this OS finally launches. One more pic after the break.
Dell Thunder spied again, still looking awesome
Looks like the faucet's starting to turn wide open on Thunder leaks, seeing how this would be the second we've seen in a single day -- and we suppose you could even count this one twice since the source appears to have two units at his disposal. AndroidSPIN doesn't have any new details to report with this round of shots, but needless to say, talk of a 4.1-inch AMOLED display looks as real as ever, and it looks like all of these test units are running stock Android 2.1. Sadly, considering how long the Mini 5 / Streak was in the leak pipeline prior to release, we can't promise that we're going to see a retail launch on this one any time soon -- but it certainly gives you pause before pulling the trigger on an AT&T-locked version of the Streak now, doesn't it?
HTC Schubert Windows Phone 7 handset spied again -- or is it the Mozart?
Fleshing out HTC's device codenames can be difficult even after they launch, seeing how the codenames rarely make the leap to retail branding -- and the company certainly isn't making it easy with its alleged first round of Windows Phone 7 gear, either. We're pretty sure this device we're looking at here -- clearly labeled Mozart -- is exactly the same as the Schubert we saw a few days back... physically, anyway, which leaves open the possibility that the radio (or some other aspect of the internals) is different on this one. After all, Microsoft is looking to launch WinPho 7 in a bunch of countries on a bunch of carriers with a bunch of manufacturers on day one, so a couple different tri-band 3G options (for the midrange devices, anyway) would make good sense. Either that, or... you know, one of these codenames is just flat-out wrong.
