Mar 12 2010

First Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series devices to boast 480 x 800 pixel displays, HD2 owners sigh

Even though Microsoft’s big MIX event is still days away, the Windows Phone 7 Series development platform is already pretty well defined. It’s also clear that Microsoft wants to keep things tidy for developers by requiring all WP7 phones to meet a certain base-level spec. Now, thanks to a post from Microsoft’s Shawn Hargreaves, we know the display resolution for the first batch of Microsoft’s next generation phones: 480 x 800 (WVGA) pixels at launch, with a future update that will introduce a 320 x 480 (HVGA) native resolution. Dedicated hardware will ensure image scaling across all those pixels without taxing the GPU. That allows game developers, for example, to write to a lower resolution (requiring less horsepower) and then scale up as required while remaining compatible to a variety of screen resolutions.

Now, for those playing along at home, the HD2 getting ready to launch on T-Mobile in the USA is also WVGA and it features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, Microsoft’s WP7 silicon partner. So we can assume (but not guarantee) that it meets the image scaling hardware requirements described by Hargreaves. Man, if only the HD2 had three-buttons.

[Thanks, Cytrix]

First Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series devices to boast 480 x 800 pixel displays, HD2 owners sigh originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 2 2010

HTC HD2 and Moto Cliq XT pricing revealed in T-Mobile database?

Alright, we know there’s a big old watermark covering it up, but the HD2’s price when it makes its eagerly awaited US debut on T-Mobile has been identified as being $199 after rebate, presumably as part of a two-year commitment with the carrier. As usual with such screen grabs, we can’t be 100 percent sure, but that number seems to be in the right ballpark, and is joined by a $129 price for Motorola’s Cliq XT and a $69 sticker for Nokia’s Nuron handset. All three are expected to arrive at some point this month, though we urge caution with the HD2 — it’s still only a Windows Mobile 6.5 device, in spite of Microsoft’s equivocations about Windows Phone 7, and should be obtained solely on the basis of what you know. That is to say, you’d better really love HTC’s Sense UI and that 4.3-inch screen, because you’ll be buying into an OS with a very short remaining shelf life, no prospects of future app development, and no guarantees about upgrades.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC HD2 and Moto Cliq XT pricing revealed in T-Mobile database? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 22 2010

Rogers getting Android 2.1-equipped Acer Liquid e this spring

Acer may make plenty of cellphones, but they’ve so far been a pretty rare sight on North American carriers. That’s now set to change this Spring, however, when Rogers will reportedly be the first carrier in North America to offer Acer’s new Liquid e phone — and, incidentally, the first carrier in Canada to offer an Android 2.1 phone (not counting the upgradable Milestone, that is). In case you missed its debut at MWC, the Liquid e packs a 3.5-inch touchscreen, along with a slightly underclocked 768MHz Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps 3G and Wi-Fi and, of course, a basic implementation of Android 2.1. Still no indication of a price or exact release date, but Rogers is promising to say more as that approaches.

Rogers getting Android 2.1-equipped Acer Liquid e this spring originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 17 2010

Nokia to splice Symbian and Snapdragon this year, says Qualcomm CEO

Tune your brainwaves back to October 2009, when there were whispers and dreams of a Nokia phone fitted with the fast and trendy Snapdragon processor. Now tune back to present day, where Qualcomm’s CEO Paul Jacobs has mentioned in an interview that just such a Symbian-powered device (S^3, we’d hope) is on the horizon. Better yet, it’s coming sometime in 2010. No other details, but hey, sometimes all you need is a hope and a prayer to get by.

Nokia to splice Symbian and Snapdragon this year, says Qualcomm CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 16 2010

HTC Desire first hands-on (updated with video)

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/HTC_Desire_first_hands_on_Video’; Well, we just got a little up close and personal with HTC’s “superphone,” the Desire. What you’re looking at is basically the Nexus One, sans trackball (though plus an optical touch area). Certainly the specs are the same, though you’ve got the new Sense UI on board for good measure. At a glance the phone actually doesn’t seem as snappy as we were expecting, and there are obviously a few kinks to work out with some of the new Sense concepts (Leap for instance — the pinch-to-card view — was giving our demo person some trouble). Still, the Desire is definitely high on our gadget lust list right now. We’re obviously reserving final judgment for a later date, but until we get some more time with this guy, feast your eyes on the gallery below.

Update: Added a quick video after the break showing the Sense UI… not behaving.

Update 2: We’ve been told by an HTC rep that the Sense build on the Desire unit we played with is actually quite early, so it’s probably not indicative of the actual performance of the pinch-to-card view. We played with a Legend that had a later, nearly final build of the UI and it was definitely snappier and more responsive.

Gallery: HTC Desire first hands-on

Continue reading HTC Desire first hands-on (updated with video)

HTC Desire first hands-on (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 15 2010

Toshiba TG02 hands-on

We were all over Toshiba’s drop dead thin and gorgeous TG01 last year, so naturally a chance to peek at the rumored TG02 first hand was something we couldn’t pass up. Very little is new here, the touchscreen technology has seen resistive swapped with capacitive, the device has become a wee bit smaller while retaining the monster 4.1-inch display, and some 3D touches have been added to the SPB Mobile Shell-skinned Windows Mobile 6.5 OS. Like its older sibling, the handset is still a thing of beauty and the 1GHz Snapdragon does make it all purr along very nicely — and while the UI isn’t really a custom one — we like the ability to flip between pages kinda like iPhone and Android do now. All in, this is a pretty decent effort, and removing some of the pain that was the resistive display can only make the TG02 better. Follow on for a tour and a gallery of shots.

Gallery: Toshiba TG02 hands-on

Continue reading Toshiba TG02 hands-on

Toshiba TG02 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 15 2010

Toshiba K01 hands-on

Toshiba’s K01 is exactly what we would’ve liked to have seen as a complementary set to the TG01. Happily, Toshiba’s given us a QWERTY option with the new model, added capacitive touch, and swapped out the earlier display for a swanky new AMOLED version. Key feel is a bit rough on the outside keys — shift, delete, enter — but this device still isn’t final, and with all that real estate, the layout feels just great. In fact, the devices being shown on the floor are just looping a demo video and not really showing off the UI as seen above; we couldn’t get any film of it, so the pics we got will have to suffice. We like what they’ve done here — in fact, this could make an excellent day to day set if battery life proves good enough. We also can’t help but notice the three buttons (soft touch) across the bottom that could quite easily be skinned for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Series, could they not? A bunch of pics are just below.

Gallery: Toshiba K01 hands-on

Toshiba K01 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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