IBM and Samsung announce patent cross-license agreement, we pray for a z196-based Galaxy Tab
February 12, 2011 No Comment
The dirty details are few and far betwixt, but IBM and Samsung have just joined up to announce a patent cross-license agreement that could have significant impact in the world we obsess with. According the (admittedly brief) release embedded after the break, the two will license their respective patent portfolios to each other, but considering that specific terms and conditions are being kept under wraps for now, it’s on us to imagine what kind of magic will result from the agreement. Of course, the patent portfolios for each of these companies is staggeringly vast — covering everything from mobile technologies to semiconductors, and just about everything in between. We’re told that the deal will allow each company to “innovate and operate freely,” and to use each other’s patents to keep pace with the rapid expansion of technology. Is a 5.2GHz z196 -based Galaxy S just months away? A boy can dream, can’t he? [Thanks, Peter] Continue reading IBM and Samsung announce patent cross-license agreement, we pray for a z196-based Galaxy Tab IBM and Samsung announce patent cross-license agreement, we pray for a z196-based Galaxy Tab originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HTC Thunderbolt exclusively hits Best Buy for $250 at launch, rooted prototype provides hope for full unlock
February 12, 2011 No Comment
Though hard facts on the HTC Thunderbolt’s availability were hard to come by, conflicting rumors were flying fast and strong — now, a Best Buy ad seems to clear most everything up. Like we’d originally heard , the 4.3-inch LTE smartphone will launch for $250 on a two-year contract — or a wallet-crushing $750 without — but the key ingredients here are three words at the very top. The Thunderbolt is apparently a “national retail exclusive” for Best Buy, which explains how the device could simultaneously face Verizon delays and yet come in for a Valentine’s Day landing at the big box store. You’ll also note that the ad mentions Skype video and 4G mobile hotspot functionality, so we’d be surprised if the phone came without , though it’s also possible that the whole kit and kaboodle has been delayed to match — Droid-Life says this ad comes from a February 20th circular, so we might not see anything until then. In case you needed an additional reason to be excited about the Thunderbolt, the developers at AndIRC have some related news — they’ve already rooted a prototype version (which just so happens to have the familiar codename Mecha ) and believe the same technique will work on retail devices. Wouldn’t it be nice to have root on day one… whenever that is? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] HTC Thunderbolt exclusively hits Best Buy for $250 at launch, rooted prototype provides hope for full unlock originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Yesterday’s announcement by Nokia that it’s switching to Windows Phone 7 as its primary smartphone platform has already had, and will continue to have, great repercussions for plenty of parties besides the Finnish company and its new best bud Microsoft. One of the biggest effects of that deal was that Nokia now no longer considers MeeGo — the open-source OS it was co-developing with Intel — an item of priority, classifying it as a “learning project.” No prizes for guessing Intel’s nowhere near happy about that, but would you have also guessed Nokia kept Chipzilla in the dark about its new direction until the day it announced it to the world? Such is the word from TechCrunch ‘s well placed sources, who also say that Nokia dedicated only a three-man external team to the development of UI customizations for MeeGo. Not exactly the hugest investment in the world, we’d say, and when you consider Nokia and Microsoft already have concept devices drawn up, you’ve got to think plans to abandon MeeGo as a sincere flagship strategy were materializing in Espoo a long time before this event. It would probably have been nice to tell Intel, though, just to be classy. Hit the source link for more detail, including confirmation that Nokia’s N9-00, its first planned MeeGo device, was canned — apparently due to complaints from operators about its hinge. Nokia’s marginalization of MeeGo came as a surprise to Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Phew, what a week! We’re not sure we remember enough words to be able to describe the events of the past few days, but we’ll do our best. We’ll get the live show going promptly at 2PM EST today. Hey, where else are you gonna be on a Saturday afternoon? Outside? Good luck with that. P.S. And don’t forget that Ustream has Android and iPhone clients as well, if you’re out and about and you can’t join in on the Flash-based fun below. Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 2PM EST! The Engadget Podcast, live at 2PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s not exactly full disclosure — you won’t get to see a user’s manual, for instance, or those gritty FCC lab external photos that we always love — but a new device passed by Palm through the feds’ systems in the past 24 hours is pretty clearly the Veer judging by the mentions of a sliding mechanism, the lack of CDMA, and the fact that we know the Veer is the next webOS phone to hit the market. Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting: this filing was definitely made by Palm, not HP, which leads you to wonder just how far into the process the company got on its next-gen handsets before HP decided to effectively kill off the Palm brand altogether. In case you’re wondering, the filing refers to an internal model number is P160UNA, indicating a model P160 in the North American UMTS configuration (for the record, the North American unlocked Pre 2 is the P102UNA ). If you ever see a P160EWW in the system, that’d likely mean that a CDMA Veer were in the works — but seriously, we wouldn’t get our hopes up. HP Veer shows its cute little face in FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Opera’s been working its Norwegian charms on the iPhone since last Spring, and it’s been flirting with tablets since CES, but up until now the browsers yet to put the moves on the iPad. Considering how much it gets around , we’re surprised it didn’t happen sooner, but Opera announced yesterday that it would show off a new version of Opera Mini on a number of platforms at MWC this year, including Android, iPhone, J2ME, BlackBerry, Symbian, and yes — the iPad. There’s no word on what the iPad version will bring — or when, for that matter — but we’re guessing it will probably sport the same smooth zoom and multiple-page grid we saw previewed on Opera for tablets . For more on the world’s most promiscuous browser, check out the full PR after the jump. Continue reading iPad gets the Opera Mini treatment, we wonder what took so long iPad gets the Opera Mini treatment, we wonder what took so long originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung Fascinate gets leaked EB01 Android 2.2 build, yours if you want it
February 12, 2011 No Comment
So much for Verizon being the carrier of choice when it comes to accelerated Android updates, eh? Those who selected Big Red for their Galaxy S have been waiting on a Froyo build for what feels like an eternity, with our brethren to the north already enjoying the spoils — things like Flash support and an integrated mobile hotspot. Of course, Samsung once promised that all Galaxy S phones (yeah, including the Fascinate ) would receive Android 2.2 at some point in time, and while an official release is still eluding us, it looks as if the day is drawing ever closer. The fine folks over at Android Central simply couldn’t wait any longer, and they’re taken it upon themselves to wrap up the TouchWiz-infused EB01 build for all to enjoy. Naturally, you’ll need to do a fair amount of hacking to get this up and running without anyone’s consent, but all the details you’re craving await you there in the source. Still unsure if it’s worth the drive? Head on past the break for a quick video. Continue reading Samsung Fascinate gets leaked EB01 Android 2.2 build, yours if you want it Samsung Fascinate gets leaked EB01 Android 2.2 build, yours if you want it originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung Galaxy S 2 and 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet leaked on Korean website (Update: high res press shot!)
February 12, 2011 No Comment
Uh oh, looks like someone got the wrong date for Samsung’s MWC keynote . The above screenshot (now placed after the break) is captured by the eagle-eyed folks at Moveplayer , who spotted what appears to be an embargoed article about the Galaxy S 2 (or Galaxy S II) over at Korean news site Paran . While the offending press shot has since been removed, the text remains intact with the following specs: Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 4.3-inch display, 1GHz dual-core processor, HSPA+, Bluetooth 3.0, and 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi. Additionally, Paran says that this new handset weighs 116g (4.09 ounces) and is 8.49mm thick — which is close to, if not the, thinnest smartphone device we’ve heard of yet. (For the record, the Xperia Arc is 8.7mm at its thinnest point.) The article also mentions that 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet that we heard of yesterday, confirming it will pack a 1GHz dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera with “full HD” video recording, and dual surround sound speakers. Sounds promising, but only time will tell whether all this is true or simply a matter of lost in translation. Update: OK, so we’ve done some spying and can confirm that both devices are very real, and their specs look legit. Update 2: Oh snap! Samsung Hub managed to get hold of a high res press shot of the Galaxy S 2 before it got pulled off the Korean sites. It sure resembles the Infuse 4G with an extra home button. We’ve posted the pic above for your pleasure. [Thanks, Tran Quoc Hop] Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S 2 and 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet leaked on Korean website (Update: high res press shot!) Samsung Galaxy S 2 and 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet leaked on Korean website (Update: high res press shot!) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 05:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …VTech’s InnoPad brings tablets to youngsters, floods their sponge-like brains with knowledge
February 12, 2011 No Comment
Looking for a telltale sign that tablets have shot right past mainstream and into over-saturation? Fix your focus a few pixels up, and you’ll be staring at it. VTech has just pushed out its InnoPad, a learning tablet developed specifically for kids aged 4 to 104 (or 9, if you’re concerned with “facts”). Boasting a 5-inch touchpanel, a tilt-sensor for gaming control, microphone and interfaces for USB, an SD card and a headphone jack, it’s actually more like a MID than anything else. Of course, the “kid-tough” casing makes it far bulkier than most, but at least it’s designed to take a licking (and keep on ticking). Contrary to conventional tablets, this one will rely primarily on learning cartridges, but there is support for digital downloads for those who’d rather sync it up with their Mac or PC and transfer things to a memory card. You’ve got a slew of options when it comes to software, and once your kid’s done learning for the day, the InnoPad can double as an MP3 player, video player and datebook. It’ll ship this fall for $79.99, with each title priced at $24.99. Something tells us this thing’s got “iPad killer” written all over it. In Children’s Doodle font, but hey… Continue reading VTech’s InnoPad brings tablets to youngsters, floods their sponge-like brains with knowledge VTech’s InnoPad brings tablets to youngsters, floods their sponge-like brains with knowledge originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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