Recent Comments:
VIA Nano 3000 CPU series finally launches to rival Intel's Atom {Engadget}
Nov 3rd 2009 12:24PM I'd like to see a low-cost, low-power (and quiet) HTPC built around one of these + a graphics chipset, much like Atom + Nvidia Ion is. I know a few of these are out using Atom, some newer versions of which are dual-core, so if the Nano is more powerful in the same basic power, price and thermal envelope, maybe it could handle running W7 WMC + plug-ins like media browser (or maybe XBMC or it's cousin, Boxee).
What I'm *really* wondering is how close Via and Intel are to building an x86 CPU that can compete with ARM in the smartphone segment, though. It just seems inevitable that the architecture will extend down past MIDs to Android phones...
More on the DROID: thoughts from the rest of Engadget {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 3rd 2009 5:11AM I think the comments about the OMAP3430 vs. Snapdragon are a bit silly - both chips are implementations of the same ARM design, specifically the ARM Cortex A8. Snapdragon may (?) have a different 2D GPU than the OMAP, but considering they are essentially running on the same CPU design, saying that SnapDragon isn't really relevant. For that matter, Samsung has their own Cortex A8 core, "Hummingbird", which will probably be very similar to both TI's offering and Qualcomm's.
And - as a sidenote - the first reports of a phone I've read of using the Snapdragon at 1GHz seem to indicate it may be a power-hungry beast, so if the Droid's use of a lower-clocked variant of the same design gets better battery-life, that's a trade-off a lot of people are willing to make.
Finally - are you serious when you ask why there is hype about this phone's hardware? Duh! It's got a display that's more than 2.5x sharper than the iPhone, better than DVD resolution actually, it's got a fast processor, good build-quality, it's possibly the thinnest smartphone with a full qwerty keyboard, and it runs one of the most promising mobile OS's around. And fyi - Symbian is a dead OS walking, dude. How many people do you know using Symbian-powered smartphones to browse the web, check their email, and update facebook? iPhones, WM (for now) and Android rule that space.
LG goes insanely retro with Franklin Planner branding on SU100 phone {Engadget Mobile}
Dec 7th 2008 9:49PM It's not *quite* as bizarro/unprecedented as you're making it out to be: I remember the Franklin Planner folks selling Franklin Planner-branded Palm Pilots (err... "Palm Handhelds") about 10 years ago. I think they sold them in Sharper Image stores, and they came with some special "Franklin Planner" app.
Clearly, given the history of Palm and Sharper Image, this might not be the best road for LG to be going down....
No TV tuner, no problem with Permian's MOBview dongle {Engadget Mobile}
Dec 2nd 2008 12:00PM Oh - and by the way, guys? Their website (permian.cn) has an English-language version of that page, at:
http://permian.com.cn/en/Solution_01.asp
(for those that find Google's automatic Chinese butchering/translation less than optimal)
No TV tuner, no problem with Permian's MOBview dongle {Engadget Mobile}
Dec 2nd 2008 11:52AM Is HTC actually using the Dopod name-plate on a version of the Touch Diamond somewhere? Or is that photo just making me hallucinate?
As for the TV functionality - I just don't see this being very practical. I'm not likely to carry that tuner/blue-tooth thing with me everywhere I go unless I'm taking a bag with me - but hotels have TVs too (and I generally have a couple of shows copied over to my Diamond's internal storage, to watch with CorePlayer anyway).
I mean - when, exactly, would this thing come in handy? Or maybe I just don't watch enough TV to "get it."
Renesas aims to bring 1080p playback to your next cellphone {Engadget Mobile}
Dec 1st 2008 10:01PM Given the small screen sizes, I think there wouldn't be any visual difference between 720p and 1080p on a 3" or 3.5" screen, unless you've got your magnifying glass out. For that matter, I would bet casual observers wouldn't be able to spot the difference between a DVD (720 x 480 or 720 x 512 for NTSC/PAL respectively) and a 720P movie on those screen.
My Touch Diamond has 640 x 480 on a 2.8" screen, and I watch the occasional downloaded VGA-rez video and they look eye-popping sharp on that screen. Human eyeballs just don't have the acuity (e.g., resolution) to resolve details beyond a certain point.
Now, if a super-smart-phone cum mobile computer (which they're all morphing into anyway) has mini-HDMI or viewport "out" ports, so we can have our cake.. err... computer with us, then plug it into a monster 50" 1080p screen for watching movies, all the better, man!
Oh - @Rudolphe - your 1080p still isn't the "best", check out Panasonic's 150" behemoth plasma, with "Super HD" (3840 x 2160) rez. Not that any of us can afford one, but just sayin'
Meizu M8 unboxed before December 8th launch {Engadget Mobile}
Dec 1st 2008 12:02AM Well, it's been a long, strange trip from the first photoshopped renderings to the actual unboxing. I'm happy with my Touch Diamond for now, but out of curiosity - does anybody know if the specs on the M8/MiniOne have changed?
Did they end up adding in 3G, or is it still just Edge/WiFi? Not that we have 3G yet in Thailand (another never-ending soap-opera *sigh*), but supposedly next spring we will.
Given WinMo's slide downwards in market share, maybe Meizu should have based this thing on Android (and used a better touch-screen, from the looks of the video). If it shows up in Bangkok, maybe I'll buy one and do a full review ;-)
HTC Touch Diamond surfaces at CompUSA {Engadget Mobile}
Jun 18th 2008 2:46PM Is it possible that CompUSA made a boo-boo, and posted specs based on the Diamond's tricksey network-selection options that show all four bands (even though only three of them actually work)?
Hmmmm.... hopefully somebody who picks one up at the big box store can post a comment so we all know (I live in Thailand, where the initial 3G rollout is 900 MHz, so either way, I'll be set!)
HTC Touch Diamond hands-on, up close and personal this time {Engadget Mobile}
Jun 10th 2008 11:03AM Just FYI, the HTC Diamond Touch is now on sale in Thailand as well - despite Thailand's not having any 3G coverage, aside from some small test areas on Chiang Mai.
The price in the (always expensive) mobile store in Central World mall was 29,000 THB (about $900 USD) but a friend said he spotted it for 24,000 THB somewhere else ($730 USD).
Waaaayy too expensive for now, but prices tend to drop quickly on new mobile devices here. My HTC/Dopod S300 windows-mobile "flip" phone went from 17,500 THB to 7,000 THB in about six months. Another friend saw the phone for less than $5000 HK (about $641), so some of what we're seeing here in Bangkok might be tariff or just blatant markup.
Mouse Phone totally disregards Mickey trademark {Engadget Mobile}
May 28th 2008 9:31AM To be honest, though, the trademark on Mickey Mouse would have expired (multiple times over), except that Congress keeps on extending the trademark period every time Mickey comes close to being in the public domain.
They (congress) have recently been challenged in the courts about what amounts to a "perpertual" trademark, and sooner or later, Congress will balk at Disney's request, and Mickey will be public domain. It's already been over 100 years, let the trademark expire already.
While the law is the law, it's being abused (or pushed beyond its intended purpose) by Congress at the behest of Disney, I think.
