feature Archive

  • Who should I follow? cellphone edition

    Who should I follow? cellphone edition

    Welcome back to "Who should I follow?" where we take on the overwhelming and tiresome task of figuring out who you should follow on Twitter for you, and compile a neat and convenient list. If you're really seriously into cellphones, this one's for you: we've pulled together everyone we can think of (and we'll keep adding to it!) here -- writers, companies, carriers -- and have compiled a major list for all tweets mobile. Enjoy -- and be sure to add your suggestions in the comments!

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    Who should I follow? cellphone edition originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Windows Phone 7: technical tidbits exposed

    Windows Phone 7: technical tidbits exposed

    Windows Phone 7 architectural documents, the sordid details exposed
    We're in an interesting position with Windows Phone 7. We still don't know what devices will be running the OS nor indeed exactly when they'll be launching, but despite that we've already had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of quality time with not one but two separate versions of Microsoft's mobile revolution. And now, if that weren't enough, we've gained access to a series of detailed architectural documents about the OS courtesy of tweakers.net and HTCPedia.com, documents that detail everything from ringtones to device drivers. It's a couple-hundred pages of generally menial stuff, but there are quite a few nuggets of gold to be found in here, and we've dug them out just for you. Click on through, and let's see what we've got.

    Continue reading Windows Phone 7: technical tidbits exposed

    Windows Phone 7: technical tidbits exposed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • LG Fathom VS750 review

    LG Fathom VS750 review

    Falling somewhere between the flash of the Chocolate and no-frills, no surprises industrial design of the recently launched Ally, LG has outed the Fathom (aka VS750) with little fanfare. Featuring a mercifully unadorned WinMo 6.5.3 (save for wallpaper, pictured above, designed by a certain Vera Wang), a 1GHz CPU, quad band GSM, and a handful of AC adapters for charging all over Europe and the UK, this is a device clearly meant to go global. But will it capture people's hearts and minds? Read on to find out.

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    LG Fathom VS750 review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 24 May 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Garmin-Asus Garminfone review

    Garmin-Asus Garminfone review

    The holy matrimony between smartphone and personal navigation device just keeps getting stronger, scorning dedicated GPS units like forgotten flings and leaving navigation-free handsets wandering lost and alone. Garmin-Asus has been flirting with the perfect bond with its Nuvifone series for some time now, but rather tragically from a branding perspective its strongest attempt yet comes without the nuvi moniker. It's the T-Mobile Garminfone, and its Android underpinnings go a long way toward making the best mix of PND and smartphone to date.

    Continue reading Garmin-Asus Garminfone review

    Garmin-Asus Garminfone review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Apple Patents The Invisible Button

    Apple Patents The Invisible Button

    One of Apple's famous minimalist design principles is to get rid of buttons whenever possible. With touchscreen devices like the iPhone and iPad, almost all of the buttons appear when needed on the screen. But what about Macbooks with aluminum casings? A new patent application titled "Disappearing Button or Slider" shows that Apple is at least thinking about how to bring elements of touch computing to all devices by replacing buttons and other controls with capacitive controls which appear only when needed. The patent describes a way to create backlit micro-perforated holes on the aluminum casing of a MacBook or other device which could be used for buttons on the lid when the laptop is closed or below the keyboard when it is open. The buttons could serve as simple displays for WiFi signal or battery strength, control playlists and volume for iTunes songs or movies, or even replace the trackpad.

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  • Going It Alone: How to Make Your Stuff In China

    Going It Alone: How to Make Your Stuff In China

    Adam Hocherman, 34, is an entrepreneur and founder of the consumer electronics company American Innovative in Boston, MA. Adam founded the company in 2003 with the help of the US Government’s SBA loan program and is currently the 100% owner. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both from Cornell [...]

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  • Tech Tour: Cambridge Innovation Center

    Tech Tour: Cambridge Innovation Center

    Located at the MIT-owned One Broadway Street building in Kendall Square, Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) houses more than 175 companies in over 100,000 square feet of office space and prices everything per person, so smaller companies can add more space as they grow. There are no long-term leases, either--it’s all month to month. I had a chance to take a tour with Cambridge Innovation Center CEO Tim Rowe.

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  • How would you change Motorola’s Droid?

    How would you change Motorola’s Droid?

    The anti-iPhone. The phone that "does." The first Motorola device that we've seen in years that's downright awe-inspiring. Naturally, we're referring to the Droid. VZW spent all kinds of money to hype up this Android 2.0 handset as the phone to get if AT&T's 3G coverage was just too weak for your liking, and it seems to have been at least decently effective. We know the phone had its fair share of quirks right off the bat, but we're happy to say that most of those nuisances were taken care of via firmware update. Still, we know geeks, and those suckers are never happy. If you were in charge of redesigning this thing, what aspects would you tweak? Is the slide-out QWERTY up to snuff? Is the display crisp enough? Are the transitions snappy enough? Do you wish it was impossible to turn off the "Droid" sound emission each time you received an email? Dish out your hot fury below.

    How would you change Motorola's Droid? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia N900 glitch leads to useful portrait mode, caught on video

    Nokia N900 glitch leads to useful portrait mode, caught on video

    File this under "it's not a bug, it's a feature" if true. According to Guyver at the maemo.org forums, some glitch in the OS caused his Nokia N900 to switch into portrait mode for everything, not just dialer and photo apps as previously allowed. We'd love to eliminate the need for two hands to run our favorite chunks of mobile software, but so far we haven't been able to recreate his trick. Try it at home if you'd like by tilting the device to launch the phone app, then sliding up the screen and closing the app. Perhaps the gang at Espoo can turn this into a legit update -- if they're awesome people, of course. Video after the break.

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    Nokia N900 glitch leads to useful portrait mode, caught on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Contest: Win a Nikon D3000

    Contest: Win a Nikon D3000

    Looking for a DSLR this holiday season, but the budget is a bit tight? Let CrunchGear and Photojojo help you out. Photojojo is running a giveaway for a Nikon D3000, and they’ve invited you, our very special friends, to join in on the contest. Find out how to win after the jump. The contest starts today, [...]

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  • BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

    BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

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    RIM's successor to the original Bold -- the BlackBerry Bold 9700 -- has finally landed on our doorsteps. The 9000 is in many ways a hard act to follow. Hardware-wise, it lived up to its name, going where most phones never went with its retro, leathery, nearly clunky looks in an age of rounded edges and shiny curves. Don't get us wrong -- we loved the 9000's aesthetics obsessively -- which is why we couldn't wait to get our hands on its newborn child. A few questions we had in mind: would the 9700 live up to its predecessor's notoriously uncompromising fashion sense? Would the new Bold feel as good to hold and use in the hand as its loving parent? How would it stack up against other, new devices from RIM? If these are the kind of questions you think you might want answers to, read on for our impressions.

    Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

    BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on

    Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on

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    The first Android device from Sony Ericsson may have undergone an upgrade in the naming department, jumping from X3 all the way to XPERIA X10 (probably to avoid confusion with Nokia's X3 handset), but what lies under the hood is reassuringly in line with what we've been hearing. That is to say, a 1GHz Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm, wide 4-inch capacitive touch display, 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a thoroughly tricked out Android skin named Rachael. Sony Ericsson stressed to us the symbiotic importance of both the new flagship device and "open OS" UI -- they see the X10 as the patriarch of a whole new family of handsets, which we can expect to see in the first half of 2010, all sporting the beauty of Rachael and perhaps helping to bridge the gap between featurephones and, well, more advanced featurephones. So don't be shy, come along to Engadget Classic to see our full and uncensored first impressions of both, along with hands-on video and pictures.

    Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • LG BL40 New Chocolate review

    LG BL40 New Chocolate review

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    You know the deal by now: we grab a slab of fresh new hardware, fiddle, play, and tinker with it until exhaustion or boredom is reached, then wax poetic about the whole experience, with a side serving of pictures and videos thrown in. Today's candidate for a grilling is LG's BL40, which is now available in Europe. You'll be familiar with it already from our hands-on look last month, but do join us past the break where we explore what's under the glossy hood in more detail, and give you a definitive answer on just how useful that elongated screen really is.

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    LG BL40 New Chocolate review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • LG GD910 Watch Phone review

    LG GD910 Watch Phone review

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    You're not how much money you have in the bank, you're not the car you drive, you're not the contents of your wallet, you are not your freaking khakis - oh, who are we kidding, if you're reading a site such as this, you're all about your khakis. To sate that "look good, feel good" need in all of us, LG has brought out the ultimate in techie chic: a watchphone. This is not just any watchphone though, this is a £500 ($808) droplet of Orange-tinted exclusivity that straddles your wrist and demands onlookers' attention. Do the consumer in you a favor and come along to Engadget Classic where we have the full scoop on the GD910.

    LG GD910 Watch Phone review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Motorola CLIQ review

    Motorola CLIQ review

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    Palm and Motorola have taken very different paths to get where they are today; one began life as a scrappy Valley start-up founded by a tablet computing pioneer, the other traces its roots to all the way back to the early days of consumer electronics and the automotive industry. Yet somehow, through years (decades, even) of adventure, success, and misfortune, they've found themselves in exactly the same situation here in 2009: it's do-or-die time. Palm, of course, has elected to try its hand at resurrecting the very thing that took it to superstardom in the first place -- an elegant, tightly-controlled software platform of its own with hardware to match -- while Motorola has thrown virtually all of its remaining weight behind Android in the hope that it can catch a little mojo from Google's ecosystem.

    For Motorola, it's the wireless equivalent of stepping up to the roulette table, putting what's left of your depleted life savings on red, and letting it ride just as you see security guards off in the distance coming to throw you -- penniless -- off the premises. It's a gamble of the highest order, but it's also a gamble Motorola's painfully aware that it needs to take. North America's only top-five handset manufacturer needs nothing less than magic (and a little luck) to earn its way back into the world's wireless elite -- and that risky play starts right here, today, with the CLIQ / DEXT.

    So does the CLIQ pave the way to a New Motorola, or did the RAZR's checkered legacy ultimately dig a hole too deep to escape? Read on.

    Motorola CLIQ review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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