This isn’t the first customizable phone we’ve laid our eyes on, and we’ve always been a fan of the concept — even if the execution sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. Apparently there’s a small startup residing in Germany called Synapse that will sell you a custom Android 2.2 handset, complete with 4-inch multitouch touchscreen, with prices starting around €434 ($600). We say apparently because, try as we might, we only got the Drupal-powered website to appear once this morning. Indeed, the tipster couldn’t even get it to appear more than once himself, which is why he sent us a screen shot. Thanks! What we were able to see, however briefly, was a whole menu of customizable options, including radio (3G and 4G, including LTE and WiMAX), Bluetooth, WiFi, up to a 12 MP camera (with a flash or not), mini-HDMI out, various memory and storage options, and more. Not bad, eh? We don’t think we’ll be taking a chance on this vaporous website, but if you do, make sure you let us know how it works out. [Thanks, Christian] Caveat emptor: Custom Android handsets all the rage in Germany? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Citing “personal reasons,” the Symbian Foundation has just announced that executive director Lee Williams has left the company — yes, “left,” as in he’s not going to stick around for a while to manage a transition. Williams has been steeped in Symbian for some time, having previously led Nokia’s S60 business — but the dude’s been floating around the upper ranks of the entire mobile industry for ages, doing time with Motorola (through its Symbol acquisition) and Palm / PalmSource by way of Be. He’s been replaced by the organization’s reigning CFO, Tim Holbrow, and it appears that the appointment is permanent; what this means for Symbian’s roadmap (if anything) is unclear, but we’d love to hear the backstory on what led to this power shift. More on the situation as we get it. Symbian boss steps down effective immediately originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already seen a number of Galaxy Tab accessories , and checked out a few first hand , but Samsung has only just now gotten fully official with its complete launch lineup. The two standouts are undoubtedly the Keyboard Dock and Multimedia Desk Dock, which each also double as a charger and pack a 3.5mm audio output, plus an HDMI out on the multimedia dock — look for them to set you back
Continue reading …Xbox.com getting a major overhaul: browser-based avatar editor, WP7-connected web games
October 19, 2010 No Comment
Well, it looks like the Xbox 360 dashboard isn’t the only thing getting an overhaul this fall — Microsoft’s Major Nelson has just announced that Xbox.com will be getting a “massive facelift” tomorrow. The changes are more than just visual, however, and include a few new features that more tightly integrate the site with the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7. That includes a new browser-based avatar editor and, most interestingly, some web games that you’ll be able to play with your Xbox Live friends on the web or on Windows Phone 7 — no word if they’ll earn you achievements. Otherwise, you can expect a streamlined view of messages, friend and game requests, some new family reports that will let you see how your family is using Xbox Live, and some improved browsing and searching options for the Marketplace. It’s still not clear exactly when it’ll go live, but the site will be down for a short period starting at 5:00AM ET tomorrow to prepare for the changes — in the meantime, you can get a peek at what’s in store in the gallery below. Gallery: Xbox.com fall update Xbox.com getting a major overhaul: browser-based avatar editor, WP7-connected web games originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …T-Mobile director scares the FCC with a chilling tale: ‘The IM App that Killed Our Network’
October 19, 2010 No Comment
It’s almost Halloween, kiddies. Do you have your spooky stories ready for telling around the campfire? If you need a little help, take inspiration from this doozy told by Grant Castle, a Director at T-Mobile USA. It was submitted to the FCC way back in January and as a sort of written protest against “risky and unnecessary” net neutrality rules. He tells the tale of an undisclosed IM app that caused the network of an undisclosed city to go offline due to its too-frequent polling to check for updates. T-Mo engineers had to reach out to that app’s developer and get him to change its code, saving the company’s towers from the program’s thousands of users. There’s no telling which of the company’s many outages were caused by the app that wouldn’t die ( shriek ), but we’d sure hate to think that any members of the FCC are losing sleep over this saga of corporate woe. T-Mobile director scares the FCC with a chilling tale: ‘The IM App that Killed Our Network’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Vertu Constellation Quest shows up at the FCC, running Symbian and looking pleasantly outrageous
October 19, 2010 No Comment
Ah, Vertu, where would we be without you? Richer, to be sure, but so very bored . Vertu’s QWERTY-packing Constellation Quest has just gotten the FCC’s stamp of approval, and in addition to the typical beauty shots the FCC includes, there’s also a detailed manual that shows the phone to be running some heavily skinned version of Symbian. The phone has HSDPA data and WiFi, and Vertu is even packing along a 32GB microSD card. There’s still plenty we don’t know about the phone, like when it will hit stores and how many arms and legs it will cost, but for now we’re just happy to have “cray Uncle Vertu” around for the party. Gallery: Vertu Constellation Quest shows up at the FCC Vertu Constellation Quest shows up at the FCC, running Symbian and looking pleasantly outrageous originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Have you been struggling to come to terms with your non-iPhone-controlled massage chair ever since seeing the Acutouch HT-9500 back in August? Well, your long, comfortable nightmare could soon be over. The massage chair is now available for the low, low price of $4,999 — that’s a full grand off the MSRP. In case you missed it, the real selling point here (for some folks, anyway) is the accompanying HT-Connect app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, which will let you wirelessly control the chair and give you “instant access to a world of resources, massage programs and expertise designed to improve your wellness and life.” Head on past the break for a glimpse of the app itself, and hit up the source link below to find a retailer near you (it’s unfortunately listed as out of stock online). Continue reading iPhone-controlled Acutouch HT-9500 massage chair now available iPhone-controlled Acutouch HT-9500 massage chair now available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …MSI WindPad tablet design concepts rendered, available in your choice of innie or outie
October 19, 2010 No Comment
It’s a bit odd to see a gadget go from sitting in your hand to sitting in the output file of some renderer but, if images uncovered by blogeee.net are as legit as they’re said to be, MSI looks to be thinking a redesign for its upcoming WindPad tablet. Two different versions are shown, one with a chromed bezel that’s not entirely unlike the one we played with previously , and another with what looks to be edges that are not convex but instead concave, which actually seems like it could be quite nice for carrying whilst sauntering about the penthouse. On the back is a raised black surface that surely can’t be glass… right? Anyhow, there’s no being sure of the legitimacy of these renders, but both look respectable enough to show up on this tablet whenever it shows up at retail, supposedly by the end of the year. MSI WindPad tablet design concepts rendered, available in your choice of innie or outie originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Haven’t seen enough of KDDI’s fall 2010 product line ? Good. The company has just outed a new e-reader, and shockingly enough, it actually manages to differentiate itself quite well in the sea of me-too alternatives. The biblio Leaf SP02 (a followup to last year’s model ) is right around the size of Amazon’s newest Kindle , packing a 6-inch E Ink display (800 x 600 resolution), 2GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, included stylus, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, inbuilt 3G and a battery good for around 7,500 page turns. Curiously, there’s also a small solar panel adorning the bottom right, and we’re guessing that you can (slowly) rejuvenate the internal cell while reading under the sun — just make sure you keep your right palm out of the way. Unfortunately, there’s no direct mention of an expected price, but those stationed in Japan should see it on sale this December for somewhere between free and Yenfinity. KDDI tacks solar panel onto biblio Leaf SP02 e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon ‘in the coming months’
October 19, 2010 No Comment
And just like that, the rumor mill smirks. HP has just come clean with a device that we’ve been hearing more and more about over the past few weeks, and with it will come the next generation of webOS that we’ve been hearing about for even longer. The Palm Pre 2 will be the first device to ship with HP webOS 2.0 , with the revamped and renamed (presumably to use on more than just Palm smartphones ) mobile OS promising “true multitasking,” Stacks (for organizing apps) Just Type, HP Synergy (links your email and social networking accounts), Exhibition (enabling users to run apps designed specifically for the Palm Touchstone Charging Dock) and support for Adobe’s Flash Player 10.1 Beta . It’s also bringing along a new Favorites tagging option, Skype Mobile (on the Verizon version only), text assist, integrated Quickoffice, VPN support, a redesigned launcher and full support for Bluetooth keyboards and SPP peripherals. As for Pre 2 itself? Little is being revealed at the moment, but we’re told to expect a 1GHz CPU, a five megapixel camera (LED flash, extended depth of field, geotagging, and video capture), glass display and a “sleeker, streamlined design” that still combines a touchpanel with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. In other words, it’s a faster, slimmer Pre, and some would argue it’s what the Pre Plus should’ve been. At any rate, SFR customers in France will get first dibs on Friday, with Verizon and an undisclosed carrier in Canada scheduled to get it “in the coming months.” Oh, and as for US-based developers? They’ll be able to purchase unlocked UMTS versions of Pre 2 in their homeland, though pricing remains elusive. Update : The Pre 2 portal is now live, showcasing a 3.1-inch 480 x 320 (HVGA) multitouch display, a black enclosure, Exchange support, built-in GPS, ambient light / proximity sensors, an accelerometer, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 16GB of inbuilt storage space, a battery good for around 5.5 hours of talking and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Gallery: Palm Pre 2 press photos Gallery: Palm Pre 2 and HP webOS 2.0 press screenshots Continue reading Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon ‘in the coming months’ Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon ‘in the coming months’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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