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Evolio announces the Quadra, its first quad-core Android 4.1 tablet for Romanian locals
The buy local movement has plenty of appeal, but the philosophy often extends more readily to tomatoes than tablets. Not so in Romania, where Evolio has served up its share of slates and laptops for the home crowd. Now, the company is back with its first quad-core tablet offering, the 10.1-inch Evolio Quadra. The slab of aluminum and glass weighs in at 1.18 pounds (535 grams), and is outfitted with a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A9 CPU and the Vivante GC1000 GPU, which sits on the lower end of Vivante's offerings. Other specs are largely standard fare, such as a 1,280 x 800 IPS LCD, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage and Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). The Quadra's 5,000mAh battery is on the weaker side, and its connectivity is limited to WiFi (outside of an external 3G adapter), but that's what you'll get for 999 Romanian leu (roughly $296). This slab of Eastern European engineering is available for pre-order now on Evolio's website, and it's said to hit store shelves in mid-June.
Refresh Roundup: week of May 13th, 2013
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!
Archos intros Xenon 80 8-inch tablet, delivers Jelly Bean and 3G for $200
Just in case that recently announced ChefPad wasn't suited to your tastes, Archos is now introducing a smaller, not-so-kitchen-friendly Android tablet, the Xenon 80. Naturally, the main highlight of this 8-inch slate is that it boasts 3G capabilities, and the company's quick to point out it's SIM-unlocked. Archos also endowed the Xenon 80 with some decent specs, including a vanilla flavor of Google's Jelly Bean, an unnamed Qualcomm quad-core CPU, a 1,024 x 768 IPS display and 4GB of internal storage (expandable to 64GB by way of a microSD slot). And as with other recent Archos tablets, the Xenon 80 carries the proper Google Play credentials, making it easy for you to have access to all your favorite apps. It'll cost a mere $200 when it hits shelves in June, which is on par with competing offerings. Now, whether it's worth taking the plunge, well, you'll have to make that call for yourself.%Gallery-188606%
Panasonic P51 breaks into the Indian phone market with a 5-inch screen and stylus (updated)
Although Panasonic's cellphones have traveled far from Japan, the company has left the hot Indian market relatively untapped -- until today, that is. The company is staking its first proper claim in the country with the launch of the P51. The Android 4.2-toting smartphone reflects the local market's taste for big-screened yet modest phones between its 5-inch, 720p LCD and quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor, but comes across as a sort of Galaxy Note lite: Panasonic bundles both a capacitive stylus and a magnetic flip cover in the box. The remaining hardware is a slightly unusual mix of budget and premium components, with the so-so 1GB of RAM and 4GB of expandable storage buffered by an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and support for both HSPA+ and dual SIM cards. The P51 will be comparatively expensive for India at 26,900 rupees ($517) contract-free when it's available next week, but it should be a bargain next to its pen-packing Samsung counterpart. Update: Panasonic is being a bit clever with its Indian foray -- we now know that the P51 shares a TCL-built design template with the Alcatel Scribe Easy, keeping the French phone's basic formula while upgrading the processor, camera and screen resolution. However, the P51 is definitely identical to the TCL Y900 in China.
Google TV officially updated to latest versions of Android and Chrome, faster updates promised going forward
It apparently wasn't big enough to garner a mention earlier today, but Google has now followed up its slew of I/O keynote announcements with the news that it's moving Google TV to the latest versions of Android (that'd be 4.2.2) and Chrome. What's more, it also says that it's "refactored" Google TV so that its OEMs can update their devices to future versions of Android faster than they're currently able to -- in a "matter of weeks rather than months," according to Google. Likewise, Chrome for Google TV will now be on the same six week upgrade cycle as its desktop counterpart going forward, and it'll also now come with support for hardware-based content protection. As for those with existing Google TV devices, though, the company's only saying that they can expect to see updates in the "coming months." We've yet to hear from most Google TV manufacturers themselves yet, but LG has chimed in to say that it will be updating its devices to Jelly Bean sometime in the third quarter of this year. You can get a look at what the update will bring in the video after the break showing off high performance apps enabled by NDK support, and an LG remote control app that has two-handed control for games and updates reflecting the action on-screen. Update: Some have asked what this means for the future of Flash on Google TV. We've confirmed with Google that this does mean the end of Flash on Google TV since it's no longer supported on the newer versions of Android, and the build that was in Google TV was already out of date. The update will bring more enhancements to HTML5 streaming and interactive content -- hopefully the sites some users frequent will expand their technology platforms just as quickly.
ZTE Grand X2 In official with Clover Trail+ Atom processor, takes photos at 24 frames per second
While Intel's Clover Trail+ Atom platform has been slow-moving so far, with only a handful of noteworthy unveilings, it just got a big shot in the arm through the official launch of ZTE's Grand X2 In. The 4.5-inch, 720p Jelly Bean phone is smaller than the Geek we saw not long ago, but it still carries that 2GHz Atom Z2580 inside -- and it's quite the screamer for shutterbugs between its 24 frames per second burst shooting, zero shutter lag and image stabilization. It otherwise sits in the middle of the road like its ancestor, carrying an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1-megapixel front camera, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. We're digging that soft-touch purple finish, though. Europeans should receive the Grand X2 In sometime in the third quarter of the year; there's no word on launches elsewhere, but you can be sure that we're interested in giving this x86 headliner a proper shakedown.
Android 4.3 confirmed by a developer website as Google kicks off I/O 2013
We've still got about an hour and 20 minutes until the Google I/O keynote begins, but we're already starting to get hints of what's to come. The company just revealed, in an indirect sort of way, that the next-gen version of Android will be Android 4.3 (as opposed to, say, 5.0). The name popped up on one of Google's developer pages, which ended up being cached despite the fact that it wasn't live for very long. Unfortunately, that page didn't reveal much in the way of actual features, so it's unclear whether the jump from 4.2 to 4.3 will be a minor one. In any case, we'll find out in 78 minutes and counting.
Refresh Roundup: week of May 6th, 2013
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!
i-mobile flaunts IQ X and IQ XA Android smartphones with 8MP front and 18MP rear cameras, laughs at megapixel myth
Once upon a time (2007) in a land far, far away (Thailand) lived the i-mobile 902, a pseudo Sony Ericsson W800 clone featuring a trick five-megapixel autofocus camera with a Sony-made CCD sensor and xenon flash. At the time, it produced shots with the most detail and best low-light performance we'd ever experienced on any cameraphone, ever -- make no mistake, it took several years before CMOS-based shooters caught up. It was a well made handset, but fell somewhat short in every other area besides imaging. Fast-forward to yesterday, when Thai phone manufacturer i-mobile published a series of pictures of the IQ X and IQ XA, a pair of thin, handsome-looking Android 4.2 devices with a 4.7-inch 720p display and MediaTek's quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 SoC (MT6589). Read on and we'll run through some of the more curious specs -- not least the resolution of the cameras.
CyanogenMod 10.1 hits Release Candidate, nears a 'stable' future
If you're a fan of CyanogenMod, there's a good chance that flashing nightly builds of the 10.1 release is now damn near second nature. Fortunately, a more stable future is in store for you and your phone, as CyanogenMod has revealed that a final release is close at hand. As a buildup to that point, you'll find that Release Candidate builds are now available for installation. For the uninitiated, CyanogenMod 10.1 is based on Android 4.2.2, and along with many additional features, it serves as a great way to upgrade your device in the case that its manufacturer has given up. Hit the break for the complete list of devices to receive the Release Candidate treatment.
AT&T's Galaxy Note getting Jelly Bean via Kies on May 3rd (updated)
After watching its international counterpart make the jump to Jelly Bean, Ma Bell's version of the original Galaxy Note is finally scheduled to receive its due. Starting on Thursday, Samsung's Kies servers will begin offering Android 4.1.2 to AT&T customers rocking the smartphone / tablet hybrid. While the update brings a host of new features, the main course is the introduction of Popup capabilities for notes, video and browsing. Surprisingly absent from AT&T's changelog is a mention of Google Now, which is typically embedded in devices running Jelly Bean. We'll reach out to the carrier for clarity on this missing item, but in the meantime classic Note owners, prepare to bid Ice Cream Sandwich adieu.
Android metrics show Jelly Bean adoption overtaking Ice Cream Sandwich
Google's big shake-up of Android version metrics has already given us a better understanding of where the platform's active users truly stand. Now that we're a month into the new methodology, we have a good sense of where those users are going -- and they're moving to Jelly Bean in droves. Android 4.1 and 4.2 combined grew to represent 28.4 percent of regular usage, or enough to finally overtake Ice Cream Sandwich at 27.5 percent. Not surprisingly, the transition to the newer OS involved a balanced mix of users either upgrading from ICS (down by 1.8 percent) or transitioning from devices running Gingerbread or earlier (down 1.7 percent). It will be a long while before Jelly Bean becomes the dominant platform, if it ever does, but we're not expecting a slowdown in adoption when flagships like the Galaxy S 4 and One are luring many of us into an upgrade.
HTC 608t spied, brings dual speakers to a One SV-like design
HTC might be gearing up for a wider audio assault. Just days after the 606w made a pass through China's TENAA with stereo sound, a 608t cousin has made the agency rounds carrying its own pair of front speakers. If the 608t looks familiar, it should -- it's effectively a spin on the One SV body (or rather, the somewhat similar One ST from China) with both the reworked audio as well as the same navigation layout that first appeared on the One. While we can't verify rumors that the 608t will step up to Jelly Bean, a quad-core chip and an 8-megapixel rear camera, the TENAA report does show that it will include TD-SCDMA for China Mobile as well as GSM and WiFi. However subtle an upgrade the phone will be, about all that's left is for HTC to orchestrate a formal launch.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 22nd, 2013
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!
Refresh Roundup: week of April 15th, 2013
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!
Archos dips into smartphones with the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum
While Archos has long held dreams of expanding into smartphones, we've seen it run into its fair share of roadblocks along the way. Thanks in part to a sharpened corporate focus, that vision is at last becoming real with the company's first, honest-to-goodness smartphone range. The 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum all cater to the budget, carrier-independent crowd with common foundations of unlocked 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G, dual SIM slots (only one being 3G) and stock Android. We also see a rather skimpy 4GB of storage, although a microSD slot on each phone helps make up for the difference. What you're mostly paying for is performance and screen size. The 35 Carbon ships with an HVGA 3.5-inch screen, a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon S1, 512MB of RAM, VGA cameras and Ice Cream Sandwich; move up to the 50 or 53 Platinum and you'll get their respective 5- and 5.3-inch qHD screens, a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Play, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera and Jelly Bean. No, we're not bowled over by the performance any more than you are -- but the respective contract-free prices of $100, $220 and $250 may have at least some trying Archos' first effort, even if the company's late May launch will only include Europe at first.
Sony Xperia Tablet S Jelly Bean update starts tomorrow afternoon
After months of treading water with Ice Cream Sandwich, the Xperia Tablet S is finally being blessed with a taste of Jelly Bean. Starting tomorrow between the hours of 9AM - 10AM PT, Sony will begin rolling out Android 4.1.1 to its second-gen slate in the US, Canada and Latin America. While release details are scarce, the company stated that it will issue a changelog alongside the update. Though Jelly Bean is likely on its way to becoming yesterday's news, at least Sony is keeping its promise and that's gotta count for something, right?
HP's Slate 7 set to hit UK on May 1st for £129
After concern about a slipped shipping date proved erroneous, HP's Android-packing Slate 7 has popped up at the company's UK store with a £129 price tag and a promise of availability on May 1st. That's pretty much in line with the date originally scheduled for the 7-inch, 1,024 x 600, 1GB RAM, dual-core A9 Jelly Bean device, though the VAT brings the price up to roughly $200, while HP said would it be $170 in the US before taxes. There's no word yet on exactly when you'll be able to grab the Slate 7 stateside, but HP's US site (at the More Coverage link) is still saying April. Meanwhile, Brits can pre-order at the source link.
Mid-range HTC 606w spotted with front stereo speakers and dual soft key design
While the HTC One is facing much anticipation ahead of its launch in more regions, its price tags may not be everyone's cup of tea; but judging by the above leak, it looks like Peter Chou's willing to spare a couple of notable features for a more affordable model. According to last week's filing on China's TENAA database, the back of this 606w takes design cues from the China-only One SU (especially around the camera), but flip it around and you'll notice what appears to be a pair of front-facing stereo speakers (aka BoomSound as it's marketed as for the One), as well as the same dual soft key implementation on the company's latest flagship. The rest of this Android 4.1.2 phone is a bit of a mix: there's a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 display, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel main camera (so not UltraPixel), a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera, WCDMA radio and microSD expansion. It's easy to see how these specs are carefully crafted to avoid directly clashing with the recently launched E1 (603e) as well: lesser front-facing camera but better processor and display here (presumably). And no, this is clearly not the rumored M4. As always, we'll keep an eye out for the 606w's official announcement.
CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies reach Xperia Z and ZL, other recent Sony models
Sony has been friendlier than many of its mobile rivals toward outside code, backing AOSP efforts even when it has had to shoulder most of the responsibilities. It's only fitting, then, that five of its more recent smartphones just received their first nightly CyanogenMod 10.1 builds, all in one fell swoop. Support for the Xperia Z and ZL is no doubt the highlight, although experimenters who stand just short of the cutting edge can get CyanogenMod releases for the Xperia T, TX and V. As always, nightlies of custom OS code redefine risky -- but those who can't wait for Sony to push a safe Android 4.2 release can now do more than just twiddle their thumbs.
