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The Engadget app for Android is finally, really here!

Joshua Topolsky — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:20:00 +0000

Everyone, stop what you're doing. The day you've been patiently waiting for has finally come. That's right, the Engadget app is now available for the Android platform... totally free, of course. Can you believe it? Owners of Android 1.5 devices and up will finally have access to the unedited, unrestrained application, which allows quick access to Engadget, Engadget Mobile, and Engadget HD, podcasts, the Engadget Show, galleries, and more. Just as in the iPhone and webOS versions of the app, you've got full support for commenting, options to tip us, and lots of ways to share news with friends, family, or mortal enemies. We're also constantly updating, and we have plans for some changes right out of the gate -- like a homescreen widget that should be coming in the next version, so you can always stay on top of Engadget news. Keep in mind, we're still going to be cranking away on all our other versions too (the BlackBerry and webOS apps have just recently been updated) -- so expect more good stuff coming your way. Okay, less talk more rock -- the app, er... prog, is available for download right now from the Android Market. Go get it!

The Engadget app for Android is finally, really here! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype Mobile for Verizon on Android hands-on (with WiFi off)

Tim Stevens — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:14:00 +0000

It's been a little over a month since Verizon announced it would unleash the VoIP hounds on select smartphones, an interesting move given AT&T's wrangling with the FCC over Google Voice and begrudging approval of Skype over 3G. Early this morning the Skype Mobile app hit the Android Marketplace for Verizon devices (and only Verizon devices), and while it does work on 3G, it curiously doesn't work on WiFi -- at all. Click on through for some screenshots and our impressions.

Gallery: Skype Mobile for Android

Continue reading Skype Mobile for Verizon on Android hands-on (with WiFi off)

Skype Mobile for Verizon on Android hands-on (with WiFi off) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Desire confirmed for March 29 launch on T-Mobile UK

Vladislav Savov — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:48:00 +0000

Whatever you've got scheduled for this coming Monday, make sure to leave a slot to visit your nearest T-Mobile store. The UK Deutsche Telekom representative has now officially confirmed that the Desire will be landing in its stores on March 29, supplementing the already available online and telephone ordering availability that comes with a 7-day delivery time. If our time-space telemetry is correct, that means at this point you're probably better off trying to grab one in store than putting your smartphone destiny in the gruff hands of your local delivery man. Check out the price plans for this handset below -- there are a couple of surprisingly affordable options that include 3GB of 3G allowance per month.

[Thanks, Jason]

HTC Desire confirmed for March 29 launch on T-Mobile UK originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iWonder Android tablet fixes major bug: the logo is right-side-up

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:34:00 +0000

Remember that ultra-low-cost Android-powered tablet that Marvell was showing off back at MWC this year? It seemed neat enough considering the aggressive goal of getting it into Chinese customers' hands for somewhere around $100, but there was a single unforgivable problem: the iWonder logo was upside-down. Fatal flaw, right? Well, not to worry, because Marvell's back with the iWonder here at CTIA, and this time the logo's facing precisely the same direction as the display (in landscape mode, anyhow). We've also learned that the tablet is being produced in a wide variety of colors -- we saw white at MWC, black here -- so if you've ever dreamed of owning a cherry red Google-powered tablet that's as big as your frickin' skull, Marvell knows a guy who knows a guy who can probably hook you up.

iWonder Android tablet fixes major bug: the logo is right-side-up originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inbrics M1 gets Android 2.1 and CPU bump to 1GHz, insists on being called a MID

Vladislav Savov — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:29:00 +0000

It looks like a smartphone, it has a smartphone's form factor, operating system, and an extra-slim slideout QWERTY keyboard, yet Inbrics still insists on calling the M1 a Mobile Internet Device instead. When the company's not busy sinking its own battleships, it appears to be doing actually beneficial stuff, such as cramming a new 1GHz Samsung CPU inside its device. The original 800MHz unit was the thing that worried us most during our otherwise praise-filled hands-on experience with the M1 at CES, so it's a good sign to see it getting a bit of extra brawn ahead of launch. The software has also moved with the times, with Android 2.1 being the current OS on tap, which should look rather nice on that 3.7-inch OLED display. The M1 will have WiFi, but no cellular connectivity is planned just yet. It's all dependent on having a Western vendor pick up the hardware and infuse it with its own requirements. Although at CES we were told to expect the M1 in March, the current timetable is for a July launch in Korea and US availability by the end of the year, provided Inbrics finds a partner for the device. Netbook News have also finally squeezed a price out of the company and have been told to expect it in the "low $200" range. Sounds kinda promising, don't you think?

Inbrics M1 gets Android 2.1 and CPU bump to 1GHz, insists on being called a MID originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Aero first hands-on!

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:08:00 +0000

Here she is, folks -- Dell's first-ever Android device destined for a Stateside release, and AT&T's second overall handset (the first being the Backflip) with a Google-based operating system. At CTIA's MobileFocus event, we were able to brush up against a fully functional Aero (shown beside a Mini 3, just for your information), but we left without seeing the actual home screen. The closest we came to witnessing Android 1.5 boot up was the typical AT&T intro screen, and once that popped up, our presenter promptly popped the battery out in order to stop what would've otherwise been a truly momentous occasion. We begged and pleaded for a few interface shots, but Dell insisted that AT&T was holding an invisible gun to its head in order to keep the screen dimmed. We were told that the interface was still being tweaked, and the carrier simply wasn't ready for the world at large to take a peek.

Outside of that, we learned that this will indeed be the planet's lightest Android phone ever when it ships (believe us, it was light), and while v1.5 will be onboard, Dell seemed confident that 2.1 (and beyond) would be made available shortly after launch. We were also told that it would ship with a 5 megapixel camera (a step up from the Mini 3's 3 megapixel shooter), an undisclosed amount of internal storage, a new color / design scheme (the one you see here will be the only shade available at launch) and a 2GB microSD card bundled in at purchase. You'll also find a good deal of AT&T baked into the OS, but it's not like you should be surprised to hear of carrier meddling. Finally, we were informed that pricing would be set by AT&T, and that it would be shipping "soon" -- far sooner than "six months from now" -- from both AT&T and Dell channels (though not available unlocked from the latter). There's also the possibility that Dell could arrange some sort of Aero / Mini 10 combo deal for those looking to really sink their teeth into a hefty AT&T contract, but there's nothing substantial to go on just yet in that department. Enough chit-chat -- give the gallery below a look to see what's coming your way.

Gallery: Dell Aero first hands-on!

Dell Aero first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyocera Zio M6000 hands-on: you get what pay for

Paul Miller — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:40:00 +0000

It's totally unfair to Kyocera that we played with its new Zio M6000 mid-tier Android smartphone mere hours after our first look at the HTC EVO 4G, but while we were excited to see a cheaper phone with an 800 x 480 screen, the end result is pretty disappointing. The device crams that resolution into a 3.5-inch screen, which wouldn't be so bad if the capacitive touchscreen element wasn't so low-end. It seemed both unresponsive and lacking in accuracy -- at times we had trouble even dragging open the notification tray. We were told that we were looking at a prototype of the device, but the crumminess seemed pretty uniform across multiple Zios we tested. The device also seemed just generally sluggish -- we'd think the 600MHz Qualcomm processor could handle Android 1.6 just fine, but perhaps there's some optimization left to do. Kyocera told us that the phone is easily upgraded to 2.0 or 2.1, based on carrier wishes, and that they don't have any plans for skinning it. Ironically, running 1.6 on this high res display actually ends up looking worse than a regular low-res screen, due to the blurry icons and UI elements. The cheap looking capacitive touch buttons aren't much out of the norm for Android, but interesting the phone doesn't have any haptics to let you know if you've clicked one. Meanwhile, the haptic feedback for touchscreen typing is cranked to 11 and significantly unhelpful.

In one final negative note, the phone takes one of the worst pages out of the Palm book and put plastic doors over not only the USB plug but the microSD slot and side-mounted headphone jack as well. On the plus side: this is an incredibly thin and light phone, and we doubt the price (less than $200 or so unsubsidized) probably will be beat in the US for a while. Expect to see it on a low-end CDMA carrier (like Virgin Mobile or Cricket) near the middle of the year. Check out a video after the break!

Gallery: Kyocera Zio M6000 hands-on: you get what pay for

Continue reading Kyocera Zio M6000 hands-on: you get what pay for

Kyocera Zio M6000 hands-on: you get what pay for originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO 4G vs. HD2 and Desire… fight!

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:40:00 +0000

Now that the excitement of the EVO 4G announce has finally worn off, it's time to get down to more practical matters -- in a street fight, would the WiMAX-powered beast hold its own against an HD2 and a Desire, for example? We had all three in a room just now, and here's what we've got to say:

It feels significantly beefier than the HD2, but in reality, it's not -- it's just a single millimeter thicker. The brushed metal back of the HD2 is a little sexier, but just by the tiniest of margins; it's hard to argue with soft touch and a kickstand, obviously.
We would've never noticed this without the Desire next to it, but the EVO's text is pretty huge, a side effect of the fact that it's running the same resolution on a screen 0.6 inches larger. It's not annoying, really, but it struck us that they could've comfortably fit quite a bit more information on the screen without getting cramped. The Desire's display is more vibrant, too, but that makes sense -- we're indoors under artificial lighting and the Desire has AMOLED on board.
The EVO's got touch-sensitive buttons below the display that function much like the Nexus One's, but no worries: they work quite a bit better. We think this might be because there's more touch-sensitive bezel real estate below the keys; on the Nexus One, you've got to be far too accurate for comfort.
Interestingly, this is the first EVO we've seen today with a silver earpiece grill -- Sprint's have been red. We've confirmed with HTC that production devices will be silver.

Want to draw some of your own conclusions? See the shots for yourself in the gallery below.

Gallery: HTC EVO 4G vs. HD2 and Desire... fight!

HTC EVO 4G vs. HD2 and Desire... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Milestone gets 2.1 firmware upgrade in Hong Kong, Europe to follow by ‘end of March’

Richard Lai — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:07:00 +0000

Look away now, Droid owners, as Motorola's finally uploaded the Milestone's Android 2.1 firmware update to its servers. It's only officially sanctioned for users in Hong Kong and Macau for now, but judging by the inclusion of a Dutch language pack in the new firmware, it looks like it's the same stuff that will shortly be rolling out all across Europe as well. In addition to the funky live wallpapers, users will also get a new feature called Motorola Car Home -- a special interface for in-car usage -- along with some speed improvements. Now, we're not exactly sure what the rollout plan is for each nation, but Moto's Facebook page tells us we'll see an end to the Milestone's upgrade saga before March is through. The source contains a direct link to the fresh firmware file, and you can find a straightforward upgrade how-to at Android World below. We'll be right here for your upgrade stories.

[Thanks, Peter]

Motorola Milestone gets 2.1 firmware upgrade in Hong Kong, Europe to follow by 'end of March' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO 4G, Nexus One, and Droid face off on the charted field of battle

Ross Miller — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:37:00 +0000

HTC EVO 4G

Google Nexus One

Motorola Droid

Android OS	2.1 with Sense UI	2.1	2.0¹
Carrier	Sprint	All²	Verizon Wireless
Network technology	1x / EV-DO Rev. A / WiMAX	Various (including 3G)	1x / EV-DO Rev. A
Processor	1GHz Snapdragon	1GHz Snapdragon	550MHz TI OMAP 3430
RAM	512MB	512MB	256MB
Screen size	4.3-inch	3.7-inch	3.7-inch
Resolution	800 x 480	800 x 480	854 x 480
Touch	Capacitive multitouch	Capacitive multitouch	Capacitive multitouch
Physical keyboard	--	--	Slide-out landscape QWERTY
Internal storage	1GB	512MB	512MB
Expandable storage	microSD	microSD	microSD
Rear camera	8MP w/ LED flash	5MP w/ LED flash	5MP w/ LED flash
Video recording	1280 x 720	720 x 480	720 x 480
Front camera	1.3MP	--	--
Battery	1500mAh	1400mAh	1400mAh
WiFi	802.11b/g	802.11b/g	802.11b/g
HDMI out	Yes	--	--
Kickstand	Yes	--	--

As you've probably noticed, we have something of a propensity for charts -- hey, organization is key to a well-balanced life, right? Since we last tackled an Android device faceoff, the sheer number of competitors has branched out far and wide, but despite the propagation / fragmentation, including today's unveiling of the HTC EVO 4G, three clear frontrunners have taken most of the spotlight for being the pinnacle of the Android experience: the aforementioned, HTC / Google's Nexus One, and the Motorola Droid. Here, the latter device is looking a bit long in the tooth, but that physical QWERTY keyboard and its volcanic rise to prominence gives it some strong staying power. Cold, hard data isn't going to tell the full story, but until you can get to try each of these yourself -- all at the same time, if you're lucky -- it's a great place to start.

Notes:
¹A purported 2.1 upgrade has been promised and delayed more times than we care to count anymore.
²The Nexus One is currently available unlocked for T-Mobile, and on track to hit Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T's 3G network.

HTC EVO 4G, Nexus One, and Droid face off on the charted field of battle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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