HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany 'next week,' priced at €569
Last we heard of the HTC 7 Pro, it was taking a casual stroll through O2 Germany’s website, throwing around boasts that it’ll be on sale come January 2011. Well, guess what? That promise has just been reiterated by O2’s German Twitter stream, which says that the 7 Pro will be on sale next week for an unsubsidized price of €569 ($735). That’s available via O2’s usual MyHandy payment plan, where you dish out €29 in advance and then pay off the phone in equal monthly payments over two years. We can’t imagine HTC leaving the rest of the world sitting idly by, twiddling their QWERTY keyboard-loving thumbs, so look out for this WP7 handset to filter through to your local market some time soon.
Hands on with the Motorola Xoom tablet for Verizon
There’s been a ton of buzz around CES over Motorola’s newly-announced Xoom tablet, running Honeycomb and coming to Verizon’s network. We stopped by the Motorola booth, and were able to get a brief walk-through of Motorola’s new baby, and we must say, it looks incredible. The Xoom includes:
- Nvidia Tegra2 1GHz dual core processor
- 1GB DDR2 RAM
- 10.1inch capacitive gorilla glass touch screen display
- 1280 x 800 resolution
- 802.11n WiFi
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- 5 mega pixel camera with limited auto focus
- 32GB storage capacity
- 720p Video Recording
- Adobe 10.1 flash
- HDMI port connectivity
We’ve got a video rundown and full photo gallery of this new device, and we want to know your thoughts on the Xoom. So, be sure to hit the break to check out the video and photo gallery, and leave your thoughts in the comments.
Gigabyte shows off its new S1080 Windows 7 slate in Taiwan to little fanfare and even less excietment
So, while all the cool kids were showing off their wares at CES, the good people at Gigabyte decided to throw their own tablet party across the Pacific. The S1080 is the slate you never asked for, in that it runs Windows 7 on a dual core Atom N550 processor underneath a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 resolution. If multitouch navigation isn’t your thing (an odd preference for those buying tablets), there are a couple of tactile mouse buttons on one edge and an optical mouse on the opposite side for thumbs-only operation. The device has a massive (for a tablet) 320GB hard drive, SD card reader, ethernet port, and USB 3.0 connectivity to sate your computing needs. Also included is a 1.3 megapixel webcam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth 3.0. Lastly, in what can only be considered an odd design choice, our Taiwanese friends elected to give the S1080 a VGA port instead of an HDMI connection. Word on the street is that the device will be less than $300 when it goes on sale next month, so if you are a member of the (presumably small) group of people who aren’t interested in an Android, Apple, Blackberry, or HP slate, the S1080 may be the tablet for you.
Android 2.3 gets ported to the iPhone 3G, breaks hearts left and right
Android getting ported to the iPhone may be old news by now, but Android 2.3 (a.k.a. Gingerbread) getting ported to the iPhone? Well, that’s something… new, if entirely expected. As before, it’s the iPhone 3G doing the honors, and the port is still based on the iDroid project, which means you can hang onto iOS in a dual-boot configuration so you won’t be left in the cold when the less-than-stable port decides not to cooperate. And, yes, this once again means that the iPhone has gotten the latest version of Android before many Android devices have. Head on past the break for a video.
http://www.twitvid.com/embed.php?guid=6SWN3
What the 1st Windows Phone 7 Firmware Update will be about
During yesterday’s CES keynote, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer again confirmed that the 1st Windows Phone 7 update is soon to be released and Microsoft has unveiled further information what users can expect from it. According to these information, the update will include copy and paste, faster apps and games start and a better Marketplace search. Without going into further details, copy and paste will allow to select and copy text from E-Mails, text messages, web pages and Office Mobile documents, and paste it anywhere. Furthermore Microsoft said it has whittled down the time it takes for apps and games to start up and resume, which is important since Windows Phone 7 isn’t featuring traditionall multitasking.
Last but not least the Marketplace search will be streamlined to make it easier to find specific apps, games, or music. Pressing the Search button in the apps or games section of Marketplace only apps or games will appear in the results while pressing the Search button in the music section of Marketplace the music catalog only will be searched.
Still, there’s no release date given but Microsoft only explains that Windows Phone 7 is designed to automatically notify its user via a pop-up message (unless this option is turned off) that an update is available.
NEC dual-screen Android Cloud Communicator LT-W tablet first look
At CES, NEC has unveiled a hinged Android tablet with dual screens. NEC is not specifying if this is an all-work or all-fun tablet, it’s kind of in between. They suggest that it could make a great e-reader, a digital notebook for students, or whatever developers come up with. The “Cloud” part of the “Cloud Communicator” name means that NEC thinks the LT-W would be great for generic cloud services, but really, it’s just an Android 2.1 tablet with WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional 3G — there’s nothing special in here that makes it particularly well-adapted for magically pulling data out of the cloud.
As for the “Cloud Communicator” part of this tablet’s moniker, NEC is saying that this tablet would be great for generic cloud services. Other details on the LT-W; it’s running Android 2.1, interacts with a stylus, supports Wi-Fi connectivity, and optional 3G connectivity.
Huawei IDEOS X5 announced for Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and (eventually) the US
Huwei introduced a new Android phone as CES, as well: the Ideos X5. We’ve heard of this device before, and while not exactly groundbreaking, it’ll mark Huwei’s first Android phone available in the US (carrier to be announced around the middle of this year), and it’s a very respectable offering just the same. Running Android 2.2, it’s got a few nice bullet points:
- a 3.8 inch multiple touch screen with easy-to-use SWYPE input and voice recognition for additional convenience
- an ultra-slim width of 11.4mm, curved edges and brush metal coating to serve as an ideal everyday accessory
- a 5 mega pixel camera with 720p high definition video recording and playback
- a FM radio, SRS professional audio effect and Flash 10.1 to enhance the gaming experience
- 802.11n Wifi Connectivity, HSPA capability.
Those last 2 are the most appealing to me, personally. FM radio and 802.11n aren’t exactly standard features, though they are becoming moreso. No word on CPU, storage space, or pricing available at this time, but they’re throwing their hat in the ring, and I suspect that it’ll be a nice middle-road phone at a very reasonable price.
Motorola Atrix video teaser released
Earlier today we told you that Motorola officially announced the AT&T bound Atrix, a dual core powerhouse of an Android phone which is being dubbed the world’s most powerful smartphone. To go along with that announcement, Motorola has released a very brief video teaser, which you can check out after the jump.
Google Shows Off Android 3.0 Honeycomb; Exclusively For Tablets (Video)
A video posted on YouTube (which has now been pulled) shows off Android 3.0 and a quick look at what it will bring to the table. More important is that 3.0 appears to be for Tablet devices only.
LG Optimus Black and LTE-equipped Revolution coming to CES
LG is busily preparing its CES presentation area right now, where the well known Optimus 2X is being joined by a pair of intriguing new devices, the Revolution you see above, an LTE-connected handset that seems destined to ride Verizon’s minty fresh 4G network, and an Optimus Black (pictured after the break). The latter handset promises the “power of light” housed within an “innovatively slim smartphone with the best display clarity.” Both the allusions to slimness — we’ve found specs listing it as a 9.2mm-thick device with a 4-inch screen — and display prowess match up to the LG “B” device we’ve seen leak out previously, which LG itself promised will be launching at CES. Other details include Wi-Fi Directcertification and the world’s first two megapixel front-facing camera. It’s gonna be a fun week, to be
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