Feature -- Engadget Mobile

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BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

by Laura June posted Nov 5th 2009 @ 12:00AM

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

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 2nd 2009 @ 11:00PM

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.

LG BL40 New Chocolate review

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 19th 2009 @ 11:44AM

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.

Gallery: LG BL40 New Chocolate review

Continue reading LG BL40 New Chocolate review

LG GD910 Watch Phone review

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 16th 2009 @ 12:24PM

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.

Motorola CLIQ review

by Ross Miller posted Oct 14th 2009 @ 11:04PM

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.

Video: NTT DoCoMo's Touch Wood concepts show their grains at CEATEC

by Darren Murph posted Oct 6th 2009 @ 8:42AM

We'll spare you the obvious cheap jokes, but grabbing hold of NTT DoCoMo's Touch Wood concepts at CEATEC was a true, honest-to-goodness pleasure. Engineered in cooperation with Sharp and Olympus, the kidney bean-esque touchscreen phone was accompanied by a TV tuning smartphone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Both units were in the early prototype stage, with the bean shaped fellow being a mere mock-up that failed to do anything when pressed. The other guy is based around the SH-04A, and while the wood trim could've certainly encompassed more of the chassis than it did, we dig the direction DoCoMo is headed here. Have a look at Ma Earth's favorite phone (next to the Reclaim, of course) in the gallery below (and video after the break, if you're feeling extra saucy).

Gallery: NTT DoCoMo's Touch Wood concepts show their grains at CEATEC

Continue reading Video: NTT DoCoMo's Touch Wood concepts show their grains at CEATEC

Google Ion hands-on and unboxing

by Ross Miller posted May 27th 2009 @ 4:41PM

Looks like Chris' hatred wasn't totally unfounded. We just got our hands on a Google Ion -- which as you can tell is a spitting image of the HTC Magic -- complete with 30 days' worth of T-Mobile service on an included SIM card. It's not a public release model, but seems fully capable. Yes, it's got Cupcake, and while the portrait keyboard seems more cramped than the iPhone's, we found it very comfortable to type in landscape mode. Form factor wise, this thing is as sexy as hardware gets -- light, sleek, and thin. The only thing that exceeds our love for it right now is its own love for fingerprints -- seriously, the entire body and screen attract them like flies to honey. Colorful similes aside, hit up the gallery below for all the pics you could ask for.

Gallery: Google Ion unboxing and hands-on

TweetGenius for BlackBerry review

by Jacob Schulman posted May 5th 2009 @ 5:55PM

BlackBerry users know that stellar Twitter clients have been hard to come by, so whenever a major new release hits the streets, it's something that makes the BlackBerry-carrying Twitter addicts out there -- and there are many of them, rest assured -- sit up and take notice. The latest app is called TweetGenius, and if you've been keeping an eye on our Twitter accounts, you'd know that we've been pretty excited about this app since we first had the opportunity to check it out over a month ago. In that short period of time, it's gone through one hell of a metamorphosis, and it looks like the bar is being raised for future apps -- Twitter and non-Twitter alike -- on the BlackBerry front. Read on for a closer look at what makes this app tick -- and more importantly, to find out whether it'll be replacing your current Twitter client.

Continue reading TweetGenius for BlackBerry review

Samsung Show hands-on and video at MWC

by Laura June posted Feb 18th 2009 @ 12:57PM

The Engadget Spanish team just got their hands on the Samsung Show (the European, i7410 model) projector phone that we first caught a sneak peek of a CES. The Show's projector is powered by Texas Instruments' DLP pico technology, and though the fact that it packs a projector does increase the bulkiness of the phone as far as looks are concerned, the phone is still rather small and light. The Show can project an image of anywhere from five to fifty inches, with a 480 x 320 resolution. It's got a 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen, the TouchWiz UI and also boasts a 5 megapixel camera. There are plans for this bad dude to hit Asia and Europe (but no word on if it'll ever make its way to North America), but we still haven't heard when, nor how much it'll cost when it arrives. Check the video after the break.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Gallery: Samsung Show Hands-on

Continue reading Samsung Show hands-on and video at MWC

Motorola's CES 2009 booth tour

by Sean Cooper posted Jan 13th 2009 @ 9:36PM

HelloMoto indeed, we came expecting that we'd likely have to give Motorola a pass, but were kinda chuffed to actually love what they've got going on. We were absolutely wowed by the stainless and svelte Aura, and just couldn't keep our hands-off it. Also on hand were the SURF A3100 and the green-and-made-from-recycled-stuff W233 Renew, with the A3100 being the cooler of those two offerings. A decent showing from a company that really needs it right now, here's hoping we catch more from them at Mobile World Congress next month.

Gallery: Motorola's CES 2009 booth tour

BlueAnt Wireless Q1 hands-on

by Sean Cooper posted Jan 8th 2009 @ 5:45PM

While at Digital Experience show last night we bumped into an unreleased Bluetooth headset at the BlueAnt booth named the Q1. The Q1 features active noise cancellation in both hard and software enabling it to filter out wind noise up to 10mph. Set to launch in mid-March - Q1 in Q1, get it? -- this year for $129, the tiny Q1 features multipoint connectivity, can pair with up to 8 devices, 4 hour talk and 200 hour standby, and a soft and fuzzy feeling-inspiring 2 year warranty. We're sold on the device's finish, but note that the final earpiece's action button won't be what you see above.

Gallery: BlueAnt Wireless Q1 hands-on

Introducing Peripheral vision!

by Sean Cooper posted Jul 13th 2007 @ 6:00PM

Engadget Mobile sees so many accessories glide past us to aged irrelevance in the slush pile that we decided it was high time to stop passing the little stuff up. Starting Monday, July 16th, we'll begin a weekly feature with all that is new and grand in the mobile accessory world wrapped up in a tight, easy-to-digest package. We're going to start with an iPhone focus (come on, tell us you don't want a hideous gray cable!), but this will blend over time to accommodate bits for all manner of handsets. And naturally, if anything piques your interest, be sure to fire a tip our way -- if it snaps on, clips on, plugs in, or covers up, we want to hear about it!

Verizon in talks to bring YouTube to V CAST, television

by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2006 @ 4:49PM

Verizon seems to be throwing as many trendy extras as humanly possible into its (oftentimes overpriced) monthly add-on pool, and may now be nearing a deal with the video clip-broadcasting extraordinaire, YouTube. Not long after announcing a simplistic fee-based system to keep your contact list from being destroyed, Verizon Wireless "is in advanced talks" with YouTube in a deal that would bring the zany segments we all love to your very own mobile screen (and television, too). America's second-place carrier is looking to grab an edge in the marketing department as it hopes to "further its efforts to expand into internet and entertainment services." Under the terms being discussed, V CAST users would have access to YouTube videos for a currently undisclosed price, and Verizon reportedly hopes to "offer YouTube videos as an on-demand feature" while watching TV (FiOS anyone?). YouTube isn't selling the rest of its soul without caution, however, as the deal could end up being exclusive in nature, but only for a limited time. We'll keep you posted on how much "America's most reliable wireless network" plans on bumping your already overwhelming monthly bill should this deal go down.