August 1, 2010

‘The Shack’ downsizes, opens Bullseye Mobile kiosks in many Target stores

'The Shack' getting downsized, opening Bullseye Mobile kiosks in many Target stores

Radio Shack is at it again, expanding your perceptions of the place that once actually sold radio components. A year after that ill-received 'The Shack' marketing campaign the company is now making a rather more substantial move, securing an arrangement with Target stores to see the creation of so-called Bullseye Mobile kiosks. This has started with a 100-store pilot program but, throughout this year and into summer next, the expectation is to prop them up in 1,750 big box locations. Something tells us they won't all be wired up for WiMAX, but we can hope.

[Thanks, Breon]

'The Shack' downsizes, opens Bullseye Mobile kiosks in many Target stores originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 coming to O2 UK in September

It doesn't have the X10's beefy spec sheet -- nor the X10 mini's cute-as-a-button looks -- but if you're looking for a midrange Android device that's a little lighter on the pocketbook, you might want to keep your eyes glued to O2 in the UK where the X8 is now slated for a September launch. Pricing hasn't been announced, but considering that it tops out with a 3.2 megapixel camera and will go unsubsidized for €259, we imagine you won't need to spend very much on your monthly plan to get it for free. Let's hope it comes off Android 1.6 rather quickly, eh?

Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 coming to O2 UK in September originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Enso whips up two smartphones and three new slates, but we wouldn’t order any of ‘em

Oh, Enso -- must you really give us a reason to hope? After dealing with what felt like a case of the vaporwares, and then being epically disappointed with the zenPad (which is now out of stock, curiously) that you finally shipped, we just can't muster up the courage to look fondly upon the five new products that are gracing your webstore. That said, those that don't mind risk taking and actually enjoy the thought of fighting for a refund have three new MIDs / slates to ponder along with a pair of Android-based smartphones to consider. Let's break 'em down real quick, shall we?

  • zenPad 2 ($219; shipping now): Here you have a 5-inch, Android 1.5-based MID with an 800 x 480 resolution resistive touchscreen, a bundled stylus, inbuilt 3G, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, microSD slot (8GB included), 128MB of RAM, 256MB NAND Flash, a 624MHz Marvell PXA303 Xscale CPU, integrated accelerometer, onboard GPS, micro-USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack and a battery good for 4.5 hours of use. We're told that an Android 2.1 update is "imminent," but we believe that about as much as we believe BP's promise to "make it right."
  • zenPad 3 ($249; pre-order): This here tablet boasts the exact same specifications as the zenPad 2 (right down to the battery life and resolution), but it rocks a 7-inch design that'll aid those who can't squint hard enough to see fonts on the 5-inch sibling.
  • zenPad 4 ($199; shipping now): We hate to state the obvious, but this is quite obviously an iPad KIRF -- right down to the Home button. You'll find a 10.2-inch resistive touchpanel with a 1,024 x 600 resolution (one that Enso swears up and down "has a fast response and works very well"), along with Android 2.1, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of storage, a microSD slot (8GB included), a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU, built-in accelerometer and a 2,400mAh battery that's good for 5 to 7 hours of life.
  • zenPhone ($349; shipping now): So... it looks like a Nexus One KIRF, it's called a zenPhone, yet it says it's a MID. Oh, and it's not this ZenPhone. Whatever the case, it's got a 4.3-inch resistive touchscreen (800 x 480), 3G HSDPA radio, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, 256MB of NAND Flash, a microSD slot (8GB included), a 3.2 megapixel rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a 2,600mAh battery, onboard GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and -- wait for it -- Maemo 5 running the show. Yeah, seriously.
  • zenDroid ($319; pre-order): In the market for a Droid KIRF, are you? You've come to the right place, with this one offering a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen (800 x 480), 3G HSDPA, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, an FM radio tuner, Android 2.1 ("upgradable to 2.2," we're told), a microSD slot (8GB bundled in), 512MB of NAND Flash, a 624MHz Marvell PXA935 processor, 5 megapixel rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a 1,500mAh battery, onboard GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro-USB connector.

[Thanks, Neil]

Enso whips up two smartphones and three new slates, but we wouldn't order any of 'em originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 launch day in Canada: the experience

Our own Myriam Joire was in the thick of things for Canada's iPhone 4 launch today out in lovely Vancouver, and as you might expect, hysteria was reaching... well, iPhone 4 levels. Lines formed early and stayed strong through much of the day, and generally, camaraderie seemed high -- always a good thing when you're standing a foot away from the same handful of people in summer heat for hours on end. As you might expect, the wait for subsidized phones was longer than for the considerably pricier unlocked ones. Weren't able to make it yourself? Aren't Canadian? Want to pretend for a few sweet moments that you are? Follow the break for our video!

Continue reading iPhone 4 launch day in Canada: the experience

iPhone 4 launch day in Canada: the experience originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rover Puck WiMAX hotspot gets FCC’d, traction on ice subject of fierce debate

The pool of choices for WiMAX hotspots continues to expand, and thanks to the FCC, we now know of another up-and-comer. The Rover Puck -- trademarked by Clearwire and previously unheard of -- joins the ranks Sprint's Overdrive and its various rebrandings by providing pocketable 4G WiFi service. Unlike its predecessors, however, we finally have a new, more aerodynamic form factor. There isn't much to the glean from the user manual at this point, and the oft-referenced Rover website still isn't live -- a WHOIS lookup reveals it was last updated via GoDaddy on July 2008 with no other details disclosed. So, until we get some word from the official news pipelines, a plethora of external / internal photos and user manual screenshots are only a mouseclick away.

Rover Puck WiMAX hotspot gets FCC'd, traction on ice subject of fierce debate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVO 4G’s Froyo firmware now available for download, manual installation (update)

Like we said, you don't have to wait until August 3rd to get your Android 2.2 Froyo update for the EVO 4G. You can grab the update file right now from HTC's servers (via source link). All you gotta do then is move the file to the root directory of your SD card, boot the phone into recovery mode (hold the "up" button while the phone is turning on), and select apply update from the associated .zip file -- you might also have to rename the file "update.zip" and expect a few other variations in the instructions, user depending. Too much thought process for Friday evening? Feel free to take a crack at it tomorrow, or simply wait for Sprint to give your phone the head's up next week.

Update: HTC just shot us a message to clarify that this is not the final ROM version and that the company is strongly recommending not to install this. Additionally, a request has been put in to remove the file from the server, so if you still want to try at your own risk, better download now while it's still available.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

EVO 4G's Froyo firmware now available for download, manual installation (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Sage: AT&T’s next Android phone?

We tend to go into full-on conjecture mode when we see an interesting FCC filing, but our instincts haven't let us down in the past, so allow us to throw something out on the table. A new Motorola just hit the feds with 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 2Mbps HSUPA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, quadband EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, AGPS, and a digital compass. In other words, this is definitely an Android set, and it could definitely work on AT&T. The Backflip's already looking plenty long in the tooth, and we wouldn't be surprised to see Moto fire its second Google-powered volley on AT&T before too long -- it's certainly been doing its duties on Verizon (and to a lesser extent, T-Mobile) after all. Any thoughts on what wild form factor this one might be?

Motorola Sage: AT&T's next Android phone? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 6:15 ET!

After an ever-so-brief hiatus, we're back in business today -- and as always, we've got a lot to discuss, possibly in a heated tone. Fortunately, the hosts are thousands of miles apart, so we can't injure one another. Follow the break for all the action! (Note: we're recording hot on the heels of the Engadget Classic podcast, so you might catch the tail end of it if you join the livestream early.)

Continue reading The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 6:15 ET!

The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 6:15 ET! originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth headset enables noise-free calls during Usain Bolt’s sprints

It's not guaranteed to make you any smarter, but having such an intelligent little bird upside your ear may at least give you a minor boost in confidence. A full 1.5 years after the original Q1 made its debut, BlueAnt is introducing its Q2 Smart Bluetooth Headset. Aside from being able to cancel out noise while traveling at up to 22mph (read: Usain Bolt's average walking speed), the Q2 also touts a fully integrated text-to-speech feature that belts out news, weather, sports and the latest gossip from Microsoft's Bing 411. And if you just so happen to use a smartphone with Android 2.0 or newer, it'll actually read your text messages and emails aloud without you having to fish your handset out of your britches. It's available now at AT&T stores for $129, and just in case you're wondering, you can freak mall walkers out for five solid hours without needing a recharge. Not that we'd encourage such behavior.

[Original image courtesy of Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]

Continue reading BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth headset enables noise-free calls during Usain Bolt's sprints

BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth headset enables noise-free calls during Usain Bolt's sprints originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo announces ‘Xi’ brand for LTE, somehow pronounced ‘crossy’

You're probably thinking "chi" or "zee," right? Nope: NTT DoCoMo has laid down the law in its press release touting the LTE service it'll be launching later this year, and it turns out that "Xi" -- in this case, anyway -- is pronounced "crossy." Of course, ultimately, they can call it whatever they like -- it's the service itself that matters, and to that end, we can expect downlink speeds up to a positively blistering 75Mbps, rolling out first in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya in December followed by "other major cities and then additional areas of the nation." DoCoMo's accounting for handoffs, too, so you won't be dropped (theoretically) when you move between Xi and FOMA areas. 75Mbps seems a bit optimistic for a first-phase LTE launch, but hey, we're pulling for 'em. Pricing and hardware will be announced later; in the meantime, you can follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo announces 'Xi' brand for LTE, somehow pronounced 'crossy'

NTT DoCoMo announces 'Xi' brand for LTE, somehow pronounced 'crossy' originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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