Lest all the paper-based leaks weren't sufficient evidence for you, we've now got ourselves an insider at one of Verizon's brick-and-mortar outlets informing us that Fascinate launch kits are being distributed. VZW is said to be training up its staff (presumably that involves more than just pointing out where the above puzzle piece should go) and the whole thing's looking "right on track" for the mooted early September launch. So that basically gives us about a week's time to kill with 21:9 HDTVs, 3D prototypes, slinky tablets, and whatever else we can find at IFA. We might just be able to manage it.Samsung Fascinate arriving in Verizon stores, early September launch seems a given originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
There was a time when Skyfire on Windows Mobile meant full Flash all the time. The 2.0 version on Android reigned that in a bit, really only supporting Flash video and little else, something Android 2.2 users no longer need to worry about. iOS users, however, do still spend their days ruing websites with such content, and so that's the market Skyfire is targeting next. The company has submitted a version of the browser for App Store approval, transcoding Flash video such that the phone only sees HTML5, with content coming in over H.264 adaptive streaming. As such, video is said to be compressed an average of 75 percent, in theory allaying any concerns about this thing being a bandwidth hog. In other words: there's no reason for this to not be approved, right? Right! However, something tells us things may not be so easy...Continue reading Skyfire submits iPhone browser for App Store approval, we wait for the Flash to hit the fan Skyfire submits iPhone browser for App Store approval, we wait for the Flash to hit the fan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
We've seen enough home theater 3D already to be well and sick of it, but mobile 3D is still an upcoming sector, one which Sharp seems to be making a bid for. It's showing off a mobile device prototype (it looks like it could be your friendly neighborhood carrier's next Android handset) with a glasses-free 3D parallax screen (akin to the tech used in the Nintendo 3DS), a 3D camera around back, and 3D output over HDMI. The result isn't stellar -- just because a mobile device is shooting grainy, color-bleeding footage in 3D doesn't make the footage stop being grainy and color-bleeding -- but it most certainly works, as we witnessed both on the device's own screen and on a regular glasses-required 3D TV the prototype was outputting to over HDMI. The 3.7-inch LCD rocks a 800 x 480 resolution in 2D mode, which gets halved to 400 x 480 in 3D, and Sharp is also showing of a 10-inch glasses free LCD that didn't come off as so impressive somehow. Sharp shows off mobile prototype with 3D screen, 3D camera, and 3D output originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Mercedes-Benz just announced a new app that connects its in-car navigation systems with its customers' iPhones. Mbrace version 2.0 still lets drivers unlock their vehicles and, more importantly , find it in a crowded parking lot while adding location-based personal assistance ranging from entertainment, restaurant, directions, and traffic updates via Mercedes-Benz's Concierge service -- assuming you're are an mbrace PLUS customer. Destination information is then fired off directly to your in-vehicle navigation system to get you there. The updated app also includes enhanced Roadside Assistance that transmits the driver's location whenever a call is initiated. Think OnStar with a posh European accent. Continue reading Mercedes-Benz updates mbrace app with fancy pants 'Concierge' service Mercedes-Benz updates mbrace app with fancy pants 'Concierge' service originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
We've heard talk of the Gem before, and a new listing for the phone in Best Buy's September buyer's guide confirms the existence of Verizon's new low-end Android piece that'll likely slot in below the Fascinate in Sammy's lineup for the carrier. Looks like it's slated to launch with Android 2.1, not 2.2, and will include both TouchWiz 3.0 and Swype -- both Samsung staples at this point -- along with a 3.2 megapixel cam and 16GB of microSD expansion (though it's not clear whether they're going to do you the favor of throwing a card in the box). Despite the high-end name, we'd argue pricing is definitely going to determine the success of the Gem, especially in a world where Vibrants go for next to nothing on contract. $79.99 at launch, perhaps?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Samsung Gem for Verizon shows up in Best Buy buyer's guide originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
T-Mobile is calling it "the fastest smartphone experience in America," but as it turns out, its Qualcomm Scorpion CPU is actually relatively slow -- the cellular carrier's insider newsletter T-Mobile Scoop says the phone's MSM7x30 chip will be clocked at 800MHz, rather than the 1GHz we'd hoped for. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that T-Mobile lying about speed, as anyone who's upgraded from Droid to Droid 2 very well knows -- bloatware can easily clog the pipes even on phones running Froyo, and we've heard that this particular HTC device is running a pure vanilla Android build. Speaking of delectable operating system revisions, T-Mobile confirms you'll indeed find Android 2.2 under the hood accompanied by Flash Player 10.1, as well as "one-touch quick keys" the carrier claims provide Speedy Gonzales-like access to apps and shortcuts. Still waiting to be confirmed: a $200 subsidized price, and the day we'll see it in stores.
[Thanks, james_of_the_jungle]Confirmed: T-Mobile G2 will have Android 2.2, Flash and 800MHz CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Not satisfied to simply trump Google's daily device activation numbers, Steve Jobs added insult to injury at the Apple press conference this afternoon, claiming that unspecified "friends" have been counting handset upgrades in their statistical totals and not just newly activated phones. As you might imagine, Google was not terribly pleased at this turn of events, and issued the following retort: "The Android activation numbers do not include upgrades and are, in fact, only a portion of the Android devices in the market since we only include devices that have Google services." Now, we don't honestly know who's telling the truth here and we'd like to be able to take both companies at their word, but this isn't the first time even during this particular Apple shindig that questionable claims were thrown out as fact.
[Thanks, Kamal]Jobs suggests that competitors' device activation tallies may be inflated, Google quickly responds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
We knew LG's C900 QWERTY-packing Windows Phone 7 handset was sliding towards an AT&T finish line, but it's looking like the company's E900 slate phone might play for Team Blue as well -- here's an FCC report (the third Federal scoop in an hour!) that shows the handset boasting GSM 850 and 1900 radio frequencies as well as compatible 3G data. You can also expect Bluetooth and 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz WiFi alongside that 1GHz Snapdragon SoC when or if the handset hits US shores. We don't know nearly as much about the Android-based LG E720 (which apparently just popped in for a quick Bluetooth test) but a filing suggests it might not be destined for the US -- unlike with the E900, there's no mention of WCDMA 850, 1900, or AWS for 3G data, only the comparatively slow EDGE.LG's E900 and E720 handsets hit the FCC, one with AT&T-compatible frequencies originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Interesting side note -- we understand that Erick Schmidt, Larry Paige, and Serge Brin all own this phone. Oh, and Digiboy777, of course.Fake Nexus One browsing fake Engadget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
We'll admit, we'd kinda figured that HTC's venture into the seedy underworld of dumbphones with the introduction of the Smart earlier this year was a non-starter and that it'd quietly fade into the night before 2010 was out, but apparently not -- at least, not if you ask AT&T. We've been slid a couple shots of a new handset from HTC for Ma Bell going by the model number F8181 (it'll have a fancy name like "Bacon," "Double Rainbow," or "Nilay Patel" by the time it launches, obviously) that runs the Brew MP platform Qualcomm has been pushing this year for the sub-smartphone category; of course, it seems to us that smartphone hardware is getting cheap enough to push through nearly every price segment, but if we can expect this to be free on contract, we suppose there might be a market here. No word on dollars or dates just yet, but naturally, we'll keep you in the loop.
Exclusive: HTC F8181 is AT&T's Brew MP-equipped dumbphone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Been wondering how much T-Mobile's first HSPA+ phone will set you back? Why, it's that most generic of all smartphone prices: $199 with a two-year commitment or $499 without. To be fair to T-Mo, the G2 was one phone that it could plausibly have upmarked to, say $249, as Sprint has done with the Epic 4G, but nope, it's landing squarely in the middle of the well beaten path to smartphone sales. There is the dreaded specter of a $50 mail-in rebate to deal with, but we doubt it'll be enough to dampen anticipation for what's looking like the next great Android slider phone.T-Mobile G2 priced at $199 with contract, $499 without, by latest leak originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
If you've been holding yourself back during these early rounds of the smartphone wars in anticipation of Windows Phone 7, your wait just got a tiny bit shorter. Today Microsoft is announcing that its fancy new mobile operating system has been released to manufacturing, making the idea of you holding an actual WP7 device in your hands that much closer to reality. The finished product is now rolling out to partners around the world where it will be getting carrier and manufacturer tweaks and additions, and going through the kind of pre-launch testing you would expect for a release of this scale. If you had any doubt that the Windows Phone 7 onslaught was close at hand, feel free to abandon them now.
Furthermore, the folks on the 7 team have managed to cram a few last minute goodies into the OS, one of which we're particularly excited about. As you probably know from our in-depth preview of an early version of the software, we had a lot of issues with overflowing Facebook contacts in our phone. Microsoft has now solved that problem by enabling a contact filter system which looks for pre-existing matches to your Facebook contacts. If it doesn't find a match, it doesn't pull that contact into your address book (kind of like how Android filters Facebook friends). It's a welcome addition and should make the Facebook / Windows Phone 7 combo a lot more palatable to a lot of people. Furthermore, Microsoft has added functionality into the People Hub which will allow you to "like" someone's posts, and you'll be able to comment directly onto someone's Wall right in the hub. The company has also made tweaks and fixes focusing on feature discoverability (another issue we pointed out in the early look), along with the expected set of polishing and finish you'd expect from a product that's gone gold master.Windows Phone 7 goes gold master, begins rolling out to partners for final launch preparations originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Did you oooh and ahh at the fantastic gaming graphics that accompanied today's Apple keynote? You won't have to wait for next week's iOS 4.1 to get a taste of those textures for yourself. Though the full-on gladiator dueling of Epic's "Project Sword" may be a while off, you can get your hot little hands on "Epic Citadel" right now, a 82.2 megabyte download that explores a beautiful medieval castle town. Oh, and did we mention it's free? Even id Software's mindblowing 60FPS Rage demo must be quaking in its boots right about now.Epic's spectacular Unreal Engine 3 tech demo free at iTunes App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Steve Jobs just dropped a few numbers on us. Firstly, that big one above, 120 million iOS devices -- that's iPhones, iPod touches and iPads, for the forgetful in the class -- have been shipped since the original iPhone made its grand debut back in 2007. 230,000 is the next number of significance -- that's the tally of daily iOS activations. Moving down to even more granular stats, Apple says 200 apps are being downloaded every second, which has resulted in the mind-bending 6.5 billion total downloads of iOS applications. This is from a catalog of over 250,000 total apps, with 25,000 of them being available for the iPad. Yeah, Apple's just blowing its horn, but it sure is a big one, isn't it?Apple ships 120 million iOS devices since iPhone's launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Ooh boy, do we have a good one for you today. We've been tipped off that the HD3 -- HTC's mythical successor to the wildly popular HD2 -- is not only alive and kicking, but headed for a bright and sunny Windows Phone 7 future, starting as early as October 18. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, all the evidence we have for now is the above spreadsheet, which we're told is an internal planning doc from UK carrier O2. It's not exactly the hardest thing in the world to forge so keep your skeptical wits about you, but as silly as this inflationary renaming to HD7 may sound, we find it strangely believable. After all, why wouldn't the company that brought us the Incredible Wildfire of Desire jump ahead a few numbers to keep up with the hot new OS' numbering?
[Thanks, ZaK]HTC HD3 to be named HD7 in honor of Windows Phone 7, launch October 18? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
So it's just around the corner. What are we going to see? Some new iPods? A revamped Apple TV? Updates to iTunes? iOS 4 for the iPad? A fix to your heartbreaking antenna problem? New, brightly colored iShoes? Or all of the above? It's hard to say, but luckily Engadget will be covering Apple's latest event live with up-to-the-minute coverage. As usual, we'll be providing the best liveblogging in the business, so you can just kick back with a cool drink and enjoy the show. Tune in at this URL at the times below today for all the action! 07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 02:00AM - Tokyo (September 2nd) Apple's fall event happens today at 10AM PT / 1PM ET, and we'll be there live! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
 We normally wouldn't post news about a Sprint device in the FCC without any juicy details on decent specs, but hear us out -- this one's kind of interesting. As our tipster noted to us, the prefix "SPH" on Samsung phones typically means that particular model is heading for Sprint, and an SPH-M920 got FCC approval not long ago. A quick search reveals that the M920 appears to be christened the "Transform," suggesting that this phone... well, transforms somehow. Of course, that could be as simple as a sliding keyboard or as strange and unique as Verizon's LG Versa -- we really have no idea -- but it's notable that the Transform has a WiFi certification under its belt for 802.11b / g / n, so we can assume the phone's no slouch and might even fall into smartphone (read: Android) territory. Any educated guesses out there?
[Thanks, Celz]Samsung Transform for Sprint: what is it? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Sprint's treating the East Coast to a shot of adrenaline-fueled mobile internet today, with Daytona Beach in Florida, Providence in Rhode Island, and Boston (you know the state, right?) all getting the green light for 4G activation. Notably, this takes the number of markets Sprint has now lit up in sexy WiMAX airwaves beyond 50 and ratchets up the states that have at least some coverage up to 21. It's also jolly good news for any residents of those three cities that were lustily eyeing the Epic or EVO 4G but felt they couldn't justify it without an actual 4G network to hook up to.
[Thanks, Nick]Continue reading Sprint adds Boston, Daytona Beach and Providence to its 4G coverage map Sprint adds Boston, Daytona Beach and Providence to its 4G coverage map originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
You may not be familiar with the Internationalen Funkausstellung Berlin -- better known as IFA -- but it's a positively massive consumer electronics trade show with a European slant, and this year marks its 50th in the game. 3D television technologies and Android tablets are the early favorites to be the big themes at the show, but with LG, Samsung, and Sony all figuring prominently into the equation, it's anybody's guess what kinds of surprises we're going to see over the next few days. Though the show officially kicks off this Friday, some press conferences actually start today -- so keep a keen eye out for coverage!
Protip: Use our "ifa2010" tag for all the IFA news this week!We're live from IFA 2010! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
Good news for UK mobile addicts: Orange's long-anticipated HD Voice service has officially made it to the Land of Hope and Glory. Starting today, British customers can pick up a HD Voice-enabled handset -- including the Nokia 5230, X6, E5 and Samsung Omnia Pro at launch -- from Orange, and start buttering their ears with "crystal clear" phone calls while within the carrier's 3G coverage. Prior to the launch, we were fortunate enough to try out the new service on a couple of Nokia E5 prototypes in Piccadilly Circus, and boy, that was some pretty impressive stuff there -- the wider speech bandwidth really added a lot of clarity to the caller's voice, and additionally, the noisy traffic from the caller's end was well suppressed at where it'd otherwise crackle over a normal call. Perhaps the easiest way to put it is that this is much like jumping from a bad FM radio broadcast to some sweet CD audio, thus making conversations a lot easier to interpret, even if the recipient is in a noisy environment or has hearing problem (as proven by Orange's public trial). As always, hearing is believing, so do check out our sample audio clips after the break.
While Orange remains a dominant driving force behind this mobile revolution, the carrier assured us that it expects other companies to pick up this open standard. That said, it's rather disappointing that current owners of the aforementioned handsets won't be getting a software patch for the HD upgrade (we were told that no extra hardware is involved), but we can understand -- the manufacturers do need to sell new phones to stay alive in this rapidly changing market. Anyhow, here's hoping that the forthcoming flagship Android and Windows Phone 7 devices will also get a taste of this crystal clear call quality.Continue reading Orange HD Voice service and handsets go live in the UK, we go ears-on (video) Orange HD Voice service and handsets go live in the UK, we go ears-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
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