Punch sprint.com/arrive into your address bar and the above is what you shall find. Not a generic error marker but a URL-specific “coming soon” message that would seem to confirm the existence and indeed near-future arrival of the HTC Arrive . Beyond that bit of web sleuthing, we also have ourselves a proven tipster informing us that this will be a carrier-branded version of HTC’s 7 Pro and confirming that it will be launched tomorrow. A tweet from Sprint earlier this week, intimated heavily that it’s about to introduce a Windows Phone 7 handset on the 24th, which we surmised to mean exactly the long-awaited 7 Pro QWERTY slider. Already available in Europe , this device will serve as the first CDMA representative from the WP7 stable, meaning that you’ll soon be able to Glance and Go on the Now Network of alliterative advertising slogans. Sprint renames the HTC 7 Pro the Arrive, launching it tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Not much detail here kids, but the Korean Yonhap News Agency is reporting that Samsung has an 8.9-inch Android tablet due in the first half of the year. This, according to a Samsung company spokesman speaking to the reputable news site over the phone. Yonhap also notes local media reports claiming that the tablet could be for sale as early as next month. We first heard about Samsung’s plans for 7-, 8-, and 10-inch tablets way back in June — long before the 7-inch Galaxy Tab was announced. Now, with the 10-incher official, there’s no reason to doubt an 8-inch Galaxy Tab by summer. Samsung Galaxy Tab series expanding with 8.9-inch model by summer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung Galaxy S II first with MHL port for dual-purpose USB or HDMI out (video)
February 23, 2011 No Comment
There’s a small but important fact about Samsung’s newest Android flagship that slipped under our radar last week at Mobile World Congress. The Galaxy S II is the first smartphone to feature an MHL port. MHL, as you’ll recall, was first announced in 2008 as the Mobile High-Definition video Link “standard” for mobile devices promoted by a consortium that includes Nokia, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, and Silicon Image. So yeah, another mobile interconnect standard just like DisplayPort, mini-HDMI, or Light Peak. Essentially, the micro-USB shaped MHL jack at the base of the Galaxy S II features internal circuitry that recognizes USB or MHL impedance and then automatically switches the phone into USB data / charging or MHL audio / video / charging modes. A special 5-wire micro-USB to HDMI cable lets you send video and audio to existing HDMI-equipped displays. Unfortunately, the TV won’t charge the Galaxy S II during playback unless you insert a phone charger adapter between the GSII and TV or wait for MHL-enabled TVs to begin shipping later this year. Once connected, you can then use your TV’s HDMI-CEC compatible remote to navigate and control the Galaxy S II’s media interface. The GSII is just the first MHL device with a half-dozen phones, at least one tablet, and a few TVs coming this summer. More details are available in the video interview after the break. Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S II first with MHL port for dual-purpose USB or HDMI out (video) Samsung Galaxy S II first with MHL port for dual-purpose USB or HDMI out (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When Microsoft indicated it was killing off Drive Extender tech for its upcoming Vail release of Windows Home Server , many WHS fans poured a 40 onto the lid of their MediaSmart servers. In response to all the sodden warranty claims HP decided to kill off the series and, well, things were looking dire. Indeed Drive Extender will not be a part of Windows Home Server 2011 , meaning no integrated ability to easily add and remove disks from a single pool of storage — but leave it to the individuals offer your fix. You can now try Drive Bender, a sort of alternative Drive Extender developed by a company called Division-M and said to work with any flavor of Windows and offer the same sort of disk merging and replicating functionality, but do it in an unofficial way. The beta is now available if you’re feeling rather more brave than we. [Thanks, JagsLive] Drive Bender released, offers to fix your WHS Drive Extender woes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple and other music retailers purportedly looking at 24-bit, high-fidelity audio downloads
February 23, 2011 No Comment
Digital downloads, at least pertaining to music, have come a long, long way. The iTunes Music Store in particular has surpassed Walmart as America’s leading seller of music, and it’s evolved from a DRM-laden mess to a restriction-free(ish) marketplace with higher-than-average bitrate support. But it seems that 256kbps simply isn’t high enough. According to unnamed “executives involved in talks,” Apple — as well as a few other digital music retailers — are currently in discussions with labels to “improve the quality of the song files they sell.” Essentially, these retailers are hoping to hawk 24-bit audio rather than the compressed 16-bit files available today, possibly with a price premium attached. The real trick, however, won’t be coercing the labels to cooperate, but to retool future devices to actually play back 24-bit files. iTunes itself is already capable of handling ‘em, but the iPod, iPhone and a slew of other handheld devices aren’t. The report doesn’t mention how close to a deal anyone is, but we’re guessing it’ll be sooner rather than later. Here’s hoping the iPhone 5 ships with 128GB of capacity — we’re going to need an awful lot of space to handle those lossless Police albums. Apple and other music retailers purportedly looking at 24-bit, high-fidelity audio downloads originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HP gets down to business with redesigned and refreshed EliteBook and ProBook laptops (hands-on)
February 23, 2011 No CommentTwo weeks ago “consumers” got totally redesigned HP Pavilion dv and g-series laptops , leaving those poor guys in the conference room with nothing but their “old” Calpella -based machines and sad Excel spreadsheets. Well, it’s their turn now alright — HP’s been stirring up brand new EliteBook and ProBooks for the guys and gals in suits (though, we’re really of the mind that these laptops are for anyone looking for some tough and powerful hardware). All ten of the new machines (yep, 10!) have been given new metal designs, Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge processors , facial recognition software, and an easy-access latch to get to the hard drive and RAM. And there’s more — hit the jump for a break down and impressions of each of the models, and don’t forget to check those galleries below for some shots of these rigs in the flesh. Gallery: HP EliteBook p-series hands-on Gallery: HP ProBook b-series, s-series hands-on Continue reading HP gets down to business with redesigned and refreshed EliteBook and ProBook laptops (hands-on) HP gets down to business with redesigned and refreshed EliteBook and ProBook laptops (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Looks like Verizon’s idea of levying mandatory data fees on tablet buyers may be a global thing — not only will new Xoom owners have to activate and pay for a month of data , but an eagle-eyed tipster sent in this image of a Best Buy price tag that confirms the very same for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab . There’s nothing to suggest that WiFi-only versions of either tablet would be subject to the surcharge — with these cellular variants, we can almost understand — but we don’t see 3G iPads carrying mandatory activations, so what’s the deal, Verizon? [Thanks, Brian R.] Verizon charging for one month’s data with Samsung Galaxy Tab, too? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung launches five more i-Function NX Series lenses, we long for broader compatibility
February 23, 2011 No Comment
Outside of the D3S’s ridiculous low-light performance , Samsung’s i-Function lenses just might be the best thing to happen to digital photography in the past five years. Sure, some of you are probably spitting out your morning Cup of Joe at the thought, but it’s one of those things that you truly have to use to appreciate. For those out of the loop, have a peek back at our NX100 preview , and once you’re sold, feast your eyes on five new ones in the 2011 NX Series stable. The new range is comprised of Samsung’s 18-200mm multi-purpose Long Zoom Lens, a light, compact 16mm F2.4 ultra-wide pancake lens, a 60mm macro, 85mm F1.4 CSC lens (for those low-light shoots needing plenty of bokeh) and a 16-80mm standard zoom. Hit the source link for all of the specifics, but don’t go hunting for prices or release dates — those are still hidden in the background, regrettably. Continue reading Samsung launches five more i-Function NX Series lenses, we long for broader compatibility Samsung launches five more i-Function NX Series lenses, we long for broader compatibility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Motorola Atrix 4G gets the teardown treatment, fourth G nowhere to be found
February 23, 2011 No Comment
If our review of the Atrix left you hungering for more, you can now feast your eyes on the guts of Motorola’s new Android powerhouse. Thanks to the folks at iFixit , its teardown reveals a familiar range of parts — 16GB of NAND flash, 960×480 PenTile LCD, 1GB DDR2 RAM and that beast of a NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU. What’s more, is that the teardown brings to light some enticing news — the glass panel is not glued to the LCD. This allows for the clumsy to not have to spend the extra dough if they crack the glass (which is usually affixed to the display). Hit the source link if you’ve got your Atrix and are ready to dismantle the thing yourself. Motorola Atrix 4G gets the teardown treatment, fourth G nowhere to be found originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google disables contact sync in Facebook for Android, but only Nexus S for now
February 23, 2011 No Comment
You know that Android 2.3.3 update that’s trickling out to Nexus S smartphones right now? Google’s decided to take this opportunity to push its data portability agenda with regards to Android. Simply put, the feature of the Facebook for Android app to provide the social network’s stored contact information to your Nexus S has been revoked from here on out, and as soon as you get the update all that contact information will disappear from your phone. We’ve spent a while chatting with a Google rep, and they explained that the company is actually just reinstating the official rules — typically, apps have to use Android’s contacts API, but Facebook was granted an exception which allowed its contacts to remain in the cloud. In effect, what Google’s claims it’s doing here is the same thing that would happen if you uninstalled the app, or deleted your Facebook account — your contacts created and stored in the network would no longer be visible on your handset. In other words, Google’s attempting to push Facebook into making that data available to itself, which would be handy (think of the other apps that could use your Facebook data on the go) but potentially worrisome in terms of privacy as well. Either way, the argument is not likely to directly affect many individuals in the short term — Google tells us that Facebook’s sync privileges will only be revoked in the Nexus S (not the Nexus One) and other “lead devices” yet to come. Read the company’s full statement after the break, and decide for yourself if this is worth arguing about. Continue reading Google disables contact sync in Facebook for Android, but only Nexus S for now Google disables contact sync in Facebook for Android, but only Nexus S for now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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