EVO 4G and Droid Incredible vie for title of best Android hotspot in informal test

Wireless tethering is rapidly becoming a desirable option in top-tier smartphones, but which device delivers the best? Laptop Magazine swore to find out, pitting six Android favorites (two HTC, two Motorola and two Samsung) against one another in a brutal data-sucking showdown in New York City. Unsurprisingly, the HTC EVO 4G came out on top, averaging 5.09 Mbit / sec downloads and a 3.65 second page load time when 4G connectivity was present, but intriguingly enough it's the freshly-upgraded Droid Incredible that pulled the best speeds on 3G.

HTC Merge for Verizon gets snapped: another Android phone with Bing

We're not sure exactly what Verizon is up to with these high-end Android phones that aren't Droids and feature Bing over Google, but it looks like the Fascinate is about to get a friend: BGR just got these snaps of the HTC ADR6325, which appears to be the Merge we've heard so much about, and the same dual-mode set we saw at the FCC. Nothing's confirmed specs-wise except a five megapixel camera, microSD slot, and SIM slot for global roaming,

Motorola's wraparound S10-HD Bluetooth headphones: for the Usain Bolt in all of us

Clearly, introducing one Bluetooth headset in a single day just isn't enough for Motorola. In addition to the Oasis, the outfit has also let loose the new S10-HD, a wraparound set that is marketed as Bluetooth headphones rather than a BT headset (though it's fully capable of acting as either / both). As expected, these guys are designed to withstand all sorts of sweat beads, enabling fitness junkies to keep on rockin' in the free world regardless of how steamy the conditions may be.

DROID R2-D2 making Sept 30 debut for $249

 

We know how it is: you’ve read our review of the Motorola DROID 2 and are suitably convinced by the new Verizon Android smartphone, but you’ve been waiting until the R2-D2 version arrived before putting down your money.  Well, the wait is almost over: Verizon has confirmed that the DROID R2-D2 by Motorola will be available online and in select stores from September 30th.
The DROID 2 itself comes decorated to look like the Astromech Droid from Star Wars, and is packaged in a custom box resembling carbonite.  There’s also a Star Wars media dock and wired stereo headset, together with some exclusive content:

BlackBerry PlayBook QWERTY keyboard and charging dock accessories look likely

For a company that’s built its reputation on hardware keyboards, RIM’s decision not to give the BlackBerry PlayBook anything but an on-screen QWERTY could be seen as an unusual one.  Still, there’s plenty of scope for accessories; the press release may be light on details, but we can draw a few conclusions from what RIM has said.  For instance, as well as the microHDMI and microUSB, there are battery charging contacts on the PlayBook tablet.

BlackBerry PlayBook vs Apple iPad

As with the Galaxy Tab from Samsung, the 7-inch display on the BlackBerry PlayBook is significantly smaller than that of the 9.7-inch display on the iPad. And, while the iPad is thin, it looks like the PlayBook is just as thin, with a flat back. With the size, thickness, and weight of the tablet something to wonder about, considering we couldn’t actually hold it, just by size comparison it looks like the PlayBook is going to be easier to take around with you, on your day-to-day travels. And for a tablet device, that may be enough to gain some more attention.

Sony Ericsson LiveView is Bluetooth mini-display for Android 2.x phones [Video] [Updated]

Sony Ericsson has announced a micro-display for Android 2.x smartphones, the LiveView, with a 1.3-inch 128 x 128 color OLED screen.  Hooking up to your phone via Bluetooth (with a roughly 10m range) and intended to be left on your desk, clipped to your bag strap or even worn, watch-style, on a wristband, the Sony Ericsson LiveView can show SMS, RSS, Twitter and Facebook updates, and be used to control music playback.

10-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab in H1 2011 confirmed first of slate series

amsung made no disguise of their plan to launch a series of Galaxy Tab slates over the next couple of years when we met them at IFA 2010  a few weeks back, and now what could be the next model in the line-up has been tipped.  Samsung Mobile Ireland manager Gary Twohig refused to tell Siliconrepublic  exactly how much the Galaxy Tab would cost, but he did confirm that the company is preparing a 10-inch version for release in the first half of 2011Unsurprisingly, that 10-inch Galaxy Tab would also run Android, together with a V8 Javascript engine.  By then, Google are expected to have launched Android 3.0 Gingerbread, complete with native support for larger-screen tablet devices; that should make the bigger Tab a more competitive prospect against its natural competitor, the iPad(source)

iPhone pips Motorola and HTC in smartphone satisfaction survey

Another day, another plaudit for the iPhone, and after Apple proved itself top of the pile for computing satisfaction they’ve now done the same thing among smartphones.  J.D. Power  has published its latest Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study, polling users in the US and finding that – for the fourth consecutive time – the iPhone ranks highest

Sony Ericsson pushes Android 2.1 upgrade for X10 family back to 'late October'

Big surprises, eh? Sony Ericsson has been playing fast and loose with its calendar yet again, as it has just announced that the hotly (and by now angrily) anticipated upgrade to Android 2.1 for its X10 family of devices won't be happening until late October. We were given the gravest of assurances that the end of September  would be the time our tragic wait would end, but nope, apparently "we need a couple of more weeks before we are ready to start the roll-out

10-inch Galaxy Tab promised for 2011 by Samsung Ireland General Manager

Tucked away at the bottom of a news story about who'll be carrying the 7-inch Galaxy Tab in Ireland this year is the promise of a 10-inch  Tab (presumably for the whole world) next year. This comes straight from local General Manager Gary Twohig, who seems to have casually disclosed his company's plans for a 10-inch Android slate in the first half of 2011. Beyond that, all we know is that it'll include the V8 JavaScript Engine  that first showed up as a touted feature in Froyo, though if we had to bet our Led Zep record collection, we'd probably say this 10-incher will be holding out for Android 3.x -- either Gingerbread or Honeycomb -- for an experience better optimized to run on larger screens. In fact, that may be the likeliest reason why this new tablet didn't debut with its 7-inch sibling: waiting on a better OS(source)

Nokia N8 delay confusion deepens: Some will get it, some will wait [Updated]

The Nokia N8 launch is getting pretty confusing.  After rumors of global delays  – which the company squashed – the Finnish firm then performed an apparent about-turn and admitted yesterday that it would be holding the shipments into October “to do some final amends.”  Now, according to the company’s official blog, the reports based on yesterday’s statement are still wrong: the N8 will apparently be shipping from the end of September, as originally promised.

HTC Mozart WP7 specs leak: 1GHz, 8MP with Xenon & Super LCD

HTC’s Mozart Windows Phone 7 handset  has leaked again, and this time we’ve got some hard specs to go along with it.  According to a new video and information passed to WMPowerUser, the Mozart will use Qualcomm’s 1GHz QSD8250 chipset with a 512MB ROM and 8GB of user storage, 576MB of RAM, and have an 8-megapixel camera with – unusual for HTC devices – a Xenon flash.There’s also a 3.7-inch WVGA Super LCD touchscreen display, Audio DSP and SRS and Dolby Mobile, and a 1,300 mAh Li-Polymer battery.  Since the HTC Mozart is the company’s European version, it has dualband UMTS/HSPA (900/2100) and quadband GSM/EDGE.(source)

MetroPCS launches LTE network in Las Vegas, Samsung Craft along for the ride

MetroPCS was quite serious when it said it wanted to have commercial LTE  up and running in 2010 -- and indeed, it has made good on its word today with an official launch in Vegas. Of course, you need hardware to go along with a new network, and that's not much of a surprise either: the long-discussed Samsung Craft  becomes not just MetroPCS' first 4G handset, but the first LTE phone to launch commercially anywhere in the world. It's not a smartphone, but it's got a 3.3-inch AMOLED display, 3.2 megapixel camera, and a full QWERTY slide. Interestingly, MetroPCS is not offering tethering (or any modems) at this time, which means the only way you're going to be able to enjoy those blazing speeds is on the handset itself. The carrier is offering basic unlimited service for $55 for a month, while another $5 will net you unlimited on-demand video streaming from 14 networks. The Craft, meanwhile, runs $299 contract-free -- and since it's dual-mode, it'll work just fine on MetroPCS' CDMA network once you leave the blackjack tables. Follow the break for Samsung's press release(source)

HTC Mozart shows off Windows Phone 7 credentials on camera, teases specs (video)

 

1GHz Qualcomm QSD 8250, 576MB of RAM, 1,300mAh Li-Pol battery, 3.7-inch WVGA Super LCD  screen, and an 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash around the back. Those are the handsome, albeit somewhat predictable, specs of the purported HTC Mozart  we have on show today. It looks and reads very much like HTC has just transported the Nexus One/Desire recipe into the Windows Phone 7 world, which isn't exactly the worst idea in the world. But you know what, every time we see one of these WP7 devices in action, we're taken aback by the swiftness of their responsiveness (honestly, Microsoft didn't have to pay us to say that... not extra, anyway), so do yourself a favor and witness this humbly-named device cranking through a Bluetooth pairing process after the break(source)

HTC said to have placed production order with Pegatron for mythical 'tablet PC'

DigiTimes reports can be shaky at the best of times, but this one takes the digi-biscuit. Reporting on an apparent order by HTC with Pegatron for the production of a new Android-based "tablet PC," DigiTimes claims the new development will help Pegatron achieve its goal of being one of the top four global notebook manufacturers. So is this a tablet or, dare we say it, a smartbook? Nobody clarifies that point, but specs are said to include a 1280 x 720 widescreen display, a 32GB SSD, 2GB of RAM, and Tegra 2  under the hood. Android Market support is also expected (huzzah!), though pricing might be steep at around $790 unsubsidized. At this stage, we'd be more surprised if HTC doesn't  bring out a tablet in the next few months, but we wouldn't invest too much of our emotions into this report just yet. Maybe once Mr. Blurrycam decides to join the fray and give us something to look at.(source)

Samsung NX100 hands-on (video)

We're expecting to get our grubby paws on an NX100 later today for some longer-term testing, but for now, we wanted to go ahead and get you our initial impressions after handling the new mirrorless compact for a couple of minutes following Samsung's Photokina 2010 press event. The device itself is far smaller than the NX10 of last year, but it's still decidedly solid, if not a touch thick. The 20mm pancake lens on the model we tested was well built, and the i-Function capabilities were downright impressive. It took us a tick to grok how it works, but a good 30 seconds of learning presented us with loads of on-the-fly flexibility.

Samsung Galaxy Tab promo tries to give expensive slate some context [Video]

If you’ve not had enough Samsung Galaxy Tab excitement with our multiple hands on coverage – and if the rumored pricing hasn’t put you off – then how about one of the first US-centric promo videos?  Flaunting the Galaxy Tab’s video chat (only over WiFi, according to the small print), full Flash support, semi-dubious pocketability and wireless media streaming functionality, the video promises the same upcoming availability on Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T(source)

Cyber Acoustics iPod And iPhone Speaker Dock

Cyber Acoustics’ CA-461 Digital Docking Speaker offers a compact, no-frills sound solution for your iPod, iPhone or other portable devices. It is designed to deliver a high quality sound reproduction, despite its compact size. Two-inch full-range speakers produces 6 watts of room-filling stereo sound, while the “Xtreme Bass” feature ensures the low-end is not left behind. The Cyber Acoustics CA-461 is also magnetically shielded, so you can use this speaker near computer or video monitors with minimal interference(source)

HTC Desire HD ROM gets dumped, ported, chopped, and screwed... oh, and benchmarked

Lots of activity involving the just-announced HTC Desire HD  in the past couple days, despite the fact that it's yet to be released anywhere -- and frankly, that's just the kind of can-do attitude from the dev community that we like to see. First off, the HD2  -- which, considering the screen size and general spec sheet similarity, makes an obvious candidate for a ROM transplant -- has indeed gotten an early port, and something tells us this hack is going to get a lot of spit and polish over the next few weeks and will end up breathing fresh life into a phone that had been crippled by its dead-man-walking operatingsystem. There'd been a video of the port in action, but sadly, it's been pulled off YouTube for some mysterious reason, so hopefully it'll reemerge (along with instructions for HD2 owners) soon.

Switched On: Getting real about a phone that's not (part 1)

In the short history of smartphones, handsets carrying all but one of the major operating systems have been available to multiple U.S. carriers. That exception is iOS, for which the iPhone has been the only model. Of course, the iPhone's close cousin, the iPod touch, is available regardless of carrier (or service fees, for that matter), and has sometimes been referred to as "the iPhone for Verizon users." Ultimately, though, it's not. While the iPod touch provides access to a dizzying array of functionality that will likely expand this fall, its lack of an integrated cellular radio and attendant voice calling features means that it cannot assume that primary role in one's digital life in the same way that many smartphones have

Dell Inspiron Duo hybrid netbook / laptop stars in another film

We'll freely admit how smitten we are with Dell's concept, the Inspiron Duo. While it's supposedly coming to retail by the end of the year, it's so special that every time we spy new photos or video footage of it, we watch joyfully. Of course, Intel doesn't need to watch from afar, as demonstrated in a new video -- they simply asked Dell's Inspiron Product Marketer, Dave Zavelson to show it off on film.

Buggy Sharp DoCoMo LYNX SH-10B Android MID sales frozen; only 7k bought in 2 months

Looks like NTT DoCoMo aren’t having much luck with Sharp’s LYNX SH-10B Android MID.  The company froze sales  of the QWERTY handheld a week ago, after discovering a security loophole that could allow malicious software to harvest text, then settled on an update that apparently fixed the flaw and would let the carrier put the SH-10B back on sale from tomorrow.  Now that’s changed again, with the discovery of a further bug in the MID(source)

iPad Stealing Up to 50% of Laptop Sales, According to Best Buy CEO [Update]

With the iPad launching in China, we can safely say that the tablet device from the Cupertino-based Apple is everywhere. And, the sales numbers match that. The success of the iPad has lead companies all over the world to race for the next killer tablet. The iPad killer. We’ve seen Samsung’s recent contender, even compared the two, but it looks like the combination of the Apple logo, with the ease of use in iOS, has lead people all over the world to turn more towards the tablet device, rather than even a laptop. And, according to Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn, it’s cannibalizing sales of the laptop, at least within Best Buy.(source)

Pictures of Sony's new technicolor PSPs, and Monster Hunter 3 Special Edition preview

Nothing spices up waning interest in an aging console like a special edition, and while one could say that announcing three special editions is something of a stretch for the word "special," these certainly are some... vibrant color schemes. At its press event yesterday, Sony announced a couple of new, pupil-assaulting two-tone color schemes for the PSP, along with a Monster Hunter edition that left many an otaku fainting in the aisles thanks to its gold highlights and redesigned analog nub. Read on for our impressions of all three noble beasts..(source)

Case-Mate Tough Case for iPhone 4

The Case-Mate Tough Case offers you maximum protection with 2 layers. First, a silicone skin surrounds your iPhone 4 completely, absorbing all impact and shock. Wrapped around the skin is a tough, ABS plastic shell, which completely secures your iPhone 4 and adds another level of protection.(source)

Sony PS3 in Ceramic White Heading to Japan

If you’re not a fan of Gran Turismo, the fan-favorite racing simulator, but you’re aching to get your hands on a PS3 that’s got a different color to it, then you’re in luck. Sony has just announced that there’s a brand new Ceramic White version of the popular video game console heading to Japan.(source)

HTC Desire Z Retails For $715 At Amazon.de And $672 At Play.com

Amazon UK has started selling the HTC Desire Z for £499 ($715) or you can purchase this handset for just £430 ($672) at Play.com. Amazon will release this highly anticipated handset on October 18th, 2010, while Play.com will launch the Desire Z on October 11th, 2010. For your info, the HTC Desire Z is the European/Asian version of T-Mobile G2. The phone comes with a 3.7-inch WVGA screen, a full QWERTY keyboard slider, HSPA, GPS, WiFi, and a 800MHz processor. What’s more, the HTC Desire Z comes with a new and improved UI Sense HTC interface(source)

BleckBarry raises the bar for KIRFs, casually crawls under it

BleckBarry! This is the handset that puts the "phone" in smartphone but, sadly, leaves out the "smart." Featuring a 2-inch display, Bluetooth, a whopping 506KB internal memory, FM and TV (with antenna!), and all the dual SIM action your heart can take, this $62 wonder does one thing well: it makes the BlockBerry look great in comparison.(source)

MP3 Player Concept Design Puts Touchscreen Display with Sports Body

When it comes to MP3 players, having a favorite is just like anything else. Usually, when it comes to the market, Apple’s iPod usually has the choke hold. But, sometimes having that MP3 player just doesn’t work when you’re trying to work out, or go for a run. And, having that “sporty” MP3 player usually means it’s not attractive to show off to anyone. So, thanks to one designer, we’ve now got a concept design to combine both worlds.(source)

The $3 iPad (or Other Tablet) Wall Mount

I've been using my iPad as a cookbook, which it's great for, but keeping it on the countertop has proven problematic due to the various splashes and dustings of flour happening in my kitchen. $3 later, I've got a solution. I was wandering around my local mega-chain hardware store looking for ideas for what I could use to make a nifty and easy iPad wall mount when I stumbled upon this heavy-duty plate hanger.(source)

iPod touch, nano and shuffle review – Apple’s Best iPod lineup yet!

Apple may not have invented the MP3 player, but with its iPod range it certainly defined it. Every year consumers and rivals alike wait for the company’s September music event, to see what the must-have functionality and hardware is this season. SlashGear has been playing with the new fourth-generation iPod shuffle, fifth-generation iPod nano and fourth-generation iPod touch since Apple’s unveil last week; check out our group review after the cut.
(source)

Motorola tablet will miss the important holiday shopping season

The tablet market is so hot right now thanks to the iPad that the tablets are selling in droves. The bad thing for most companies is that the iPad is one of the few tablets on the market right now. There are a number of other tablets set to land soon and one of the tablets that were expected in time for holiday shopping was from Motorola.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Will Be on Every Major Carrier (There's a Wi-Fi Version Too)

Samsung's Galaxy Tab—which still sounds more like a horrendous soft drink with a movie tie-in than an Android tablet—is coming to every major carrier this year. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

It's "arriving in time for holiday shopping," according to Samsung. What they're not talking about is price: How much the Tab is going to cost, and how much it'll cost after the carriers knock off a couple hundred bucks in exchange for tying yourself to them for two years.

Logitech S715i and Z515 portable speakers hands-on (video)

• You're sick of audio docks, we know. So are we. But as much as we wanted to skip merrily along beyond Logitech's S715i  set, we couldn't help but note that it's something of a rarity. Whereas most other iDevice speakers tend to keep themselves safely tethered to the nearest wall plug, this unit claims it can get an ambitious eight hours of music playback from its battery, while boasting a whopping eight drivers (two rear-firing ones on the back) in total, including a pair of "laser-tuned" neodymium 3-inchers for midrange delivery. We could hardly gauge audio quality in our noisy environment, but we'll say this much: Logitech isn't fooling around with the volume the S715i can put out. Even our video after the break doesn't do justice to the surprising roar you can generate from this otherwise compact package.

Nokia Star Trek Communicator is simply awesome, sadly just a prototype (video)

Nokia had a little product placement going on in the latest Star Trek  movie, you know that already. But did you also know that those crazy Finns made a few never-released prototypes for a most bodacious tie-in handset? That "Starfleet Communicator" above is said to be one of only 14 units built by Nokia, intended to simulate the iconic voice comms devices of the original TV series. Hardware-wise, it's based on the somewhat less exciting N76  and comes with an external LCD and a trifecta of lights on its front, both protected by a big and heavy brass grill. It's a fully functioning phone, too, replete with preinstalled chirps when flipping it open. Check it out on video after the break! ( Source )

HTC Desire HD free on contract; Amazon say Desire Z £500 SIM-free on Oct 18

Carriers have begun throwing their wireless hats into the HTC ring, after the smartphone company confirmed that the new HTC Desire HD and HTC Desire Z would have broad availability across most of the UK networks.  T-Mobile UK has announced that their Desire HD will be priced from free on a £40 24-month agreement, while Vodafone will only say that they are indeed planning to offer the HD. (Soure)

Audyssey's Sound Dock Packs a PhD

Audyssey's new iOS-compatible speaker dock squeezes sophisticated software engineering cred—found in the high-end audio equipment you might already own—into one diminutive grilled black slab. With years of university research under its belt, the tiny guy wallops your iPod.The Audyssey dock pounds out a surprising amount of power from a box the size of a large lunchbox (albeit a very heavy one), using two 4" drivers and 2 3/4" tweeters. You're free to park your iPod or iPhone into the dock connector, or stream tunes over Bluetooth or via micro USB. Another clever function of the box—again, accomplished through refined audio wizardry—is the inclusion of dual microphones, turning the dock into a full telephony station—whether Skype or traditional phone call. The station has two built-in mics,