Hands On -- Engadget Mobile

hands on posts

Motorola Endeavor HX1 ears-on

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 25th 2009 @ 8:00AM

We've been playing with Motorola's recently-announced Endeavor HX1 for the past few hours, and we're just going to come right out with it: this is the best Bluetooth headset we've ever used. Moto claims that the HX1 is the world's first consumer headset to use "true bone conduction technology," a veiled (but obvious) reference to the external cheek-resting sensor found on Jawbone's devices -- and indeed, the Jawbone Prime is the most obvious direct competitor to the HX1. Both devices offer decent styling, feature optional earloops and a selection of earbuds for a tighter fit, are being positioned as premium headsets, and -- most importantly -- pack a ton of innovative circuitry all in the name of cutting noise in harsh surroundings. Follow the break for our quick impressions!

Gallery: Motorola Endeavor HX1 ears-on

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Nokia N97 review: a tale of two bloggers

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 22nd 2009 @ 2:00PM

Thomas Ricker and Chris Ziegler came away from their N97s with very different opinions of Nokia's premier superphone -- and they weren't afraid to let those opinions be known in a series of vicious verbal volleys. Head on over to Engadget for all the drama!

Nokia N97 hands-on and impressions

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 3rd 2009 @ 4:41PM

We're not quite sure what levers they pulled, but our compadres over at Engadget Spanish have managed to wrangle a retail N97 out of Nokia's tightly-clasped hands, and naturally, they've done us the honors of photographing it. We're hoping to snag a unit of our own soon, but 'til then, tap the read link for lots more shots and even a video. Yes, a video. Welcome to the internet.

Sony Ericsson W995a hands-on

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 3rd 2009 @ 3:02AM

What exactly does $600 buy you these days? If you're looking at Sony Ericsson and you live in the States, the answer is now this, the Walkman-branded W995a, which we've had a chance to play with in advance of its July 6 date with destiny. Charging $600 for any phone -- much less a non-smartphone -- is a tough proposition to be making (particularly in a not-so-hot economy), but the company seems to be very cognizant of the fact that it's putting this out there strictly for the niche enthusiasts who like their hardware totally uncrippled and without a trace of carrier branding inside or out. We'd even go so far as to say that this'll be a loss leader for them -- it's not designed to make money so much as it's designed to keep Sony Ericsson in the hearts and minds of shoppers, keep folks aware that they've got hot hardware available, and take advantage of those who do buy it to evangelize the brand. Read on!

Gallery: Sony Ericsson W995a hands-on

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Palm Pre filtering into Sprint stores, indocile employee sizes it up

by Darren Murph, posted May 30th 2009 @ 6:28PM

With only days to go before at least four or five Sprint stores begin selling Palm's Pre, we're already seeing at least one employee with some time on his hands give the smartphone a go. Moral of the story? Right about now would be an awesome time to know somebody who can get behind a Sprint counter without using an unlawful amount of force.

LG Versa Gamepad hands-on

by Ross Miller, posted May 23rd 2009 @ 2:00PM

We've spent a week now fiddling with the LG Versa game pad module. How does the phone's first premium attachment fare? Does it amp up the gaming cred or join the ranks of ultimately forgettable peripherals? Unfortunately, we're inclined to think it falls in the latter category. Read on for full impressions.

Gallery: LG Versa Gamepad hands-on

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BlackBerry Storm 2: the official unofficial hands-on

by Sean Cooper, posted May 21st 2009 @ 1:00PM

We've been bumping into the new BlackBerry Storm 2 for quite a while now on the so-called "information superhighway," but we've finally had a chance to escalate those encounters and spend a few sweet moments with a live unit in the flesh. First off, let's confirm the huge news: RIM's abandoned the original Storm's SurePress click-screen and gone with a traditional fixed capacitive display for the sequel. It's over, guys. Unfortunately, the Verizon-branded dual-mode GSM / CDMA unit that we played with has a bug preventing us from getting past the license screen, so we couldn't dive deep into the OS, but we can tell you what we do know: the Storm 2's sleeker style and more heft combined with the newly-stable screen collaborate to make everything feel a wee bit higher end than the original. Follow the break for more impressions!

Update: On the advice of our legal team, we've had to pull the images and videos originally seen in this post. Sorry, everyone!

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HTC Magic hands-on

by Jos� Mendiola, posted May 13th 2009 @ 8:15PM

Our pals from Engadget Spanish got a HTC Magic in their hands, and we have to admit it's quite a looker. The similarities to the G1 / Dream are obvious (besides the fact it doesn't have a physical keyboard, of course). On the downside, they found that inputting text while on portrait mode is a little complicated due to the size of the keys and the accelerometer seems to be a little slow -- besides those minor issues, though, the Magic has been well received in Spain. In any case, it's better to see these things on video, isn't it? Follow the break for the action.

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Verizon MiFi 2200 review

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 13th 2009 @ 12:01PM

We've been following Novatel's MiFi with bated breath since its December announcement, and the totally pocketable 3G / WiFi router has finally graced a US carrier. Though it'll ultimately come in a variety of physical designs, bands, and radio technologies for different carriers and parts of the world, the MiFi 2200 for Verizon naturally packs CDMA with EV-DO Rev. A, which means uplink speeds should be reasonably speedy to go along with your 1Mbps-plus downloads. Obviously, the concept of a credit card-shaped object connecting up to five WiFi-enabled devices to high-speed internet from wherever the road takes you is an incredibly intoxicating one -- but does the MiFi 2200 deliver? Let's have a look.

Gallery: Verizon MiFi 2200 review

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LG KM900 Arena hands-on with video

by Drita, posted May 7th 2009 @ 2:30PM

We already had a bit of hands-on time with the LG Arena, which was shown for first time at MWC this year. This phone stands out from the now-crowded full touchscreen phone market mainly by including the new (and attractive) S-Class 3D interface -- and we found that its touchscreen responds well and the included selection of apps is plenty diverse. It's been said before that the Arena looks a lot like an iPhone -- although you'll notice from the video that the Arena's just a hair thinner than its doppelganger -- and if you pay attention, you'll see that the music and photo manager has a sort of Coverflow flavor. Piqued your interest? Follow the break for our latest video quick take -- and head over to Engadget Spanish for the full gallery!

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T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 review

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 5th 2009 @ 1:15PM

T-Mobile's Sidekicks have been cult favorites stretching all the way back to the original grayscale model -- a device with a design only a mother could love, may we add -- when it launched nearly seven years ago. Though the unusual form factor with the addictive spring-loaded pivoting swivel has largely prevented it from attracting a mainstream audience, the countless teens and twenty-somethings who've latched on to the Hiptop ecosystem have cited many of the same reasons for loving it since day one: an easy, foolproof UI, push email, high-quality customizability, decent web browsing capabilities, and a stellar messaging-optimized layout (remember that QWERTY was little more than a twinkle in most manufacturers' eyes back in 2002).

At its launch, the first-generation Sidekick LX represented a new high end for the franchise -- big shoes to fill for the 2009 model of the same name. Does it live up to the hype? More importantly, could this be the first Sidekick complete enough and robust enough to reach new audiences? Read on.

Gallery: T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 review

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Samsung Instinct s30 review

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 28th 2009 @ 2:30PM

Once assumed to be a physically smaller version of the original Instinct (affectionately referred to as the Instinct Mini), the Instinct s30 is actually not an Instinct Nano. Sure, it's trimmed up and a bit more curvaceous, but those accustomed to the original won't notice a great deal of weight loss here. Unlike the original, Sprint's (smartly) not pushing this handset as an iPhone killer; instead, it's letting it be exactly what is it, which is a decent featurephone with a few unique niceties and nothing whatsoever that's mind-blowing. So, is the second iteration of the Instinct worth your time (and by extension, money)? Follow us past the break to find out.

Gallery: Samsung Instinct s30

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AT&T Samsung Impression hands-on

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 17th 2009 @ 12:15PM

We were dying to call this "Samsung Impression impressions," but we found our verbal dignity just long enough to avoid doing so -- and now that we've gotten that off our chests, let's talk a bit about the phone, shall we? The Impression is the first phone to be released on a North American carrier with a full AMOLED display, which is basically a win / win scenario -- you get better battery life and crisper, more vibrant colors. "Vibrant" might be an understatement, actually; the screen is absolutely amazing, with mega-black blacks and colors that seem to pop right off the screen. We can't believe we're saying this, but we kinda wish it had AT&T Mobile TV compatibility.

Gallery: AT&T Samsung Impression hands-on

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Kyocera G2GO and Laylo hands-on

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 3rd 2009 @ 3:31PM

To Americans, the full-QWERTY G2GO will end up being known better as the X-tc on Virgin Mobile when it launches next week; the Laylo numeric slider hasn't been announced for launch on any carrier just yet, but Kyocera assured us that they're in talks to bring it to market (likely also with Virgin Mobile, if we had to muster a guess). Neither device is going to blow anyone away with sheer, unadulterated functionality or beauty, but they make perfect sense for Virgin's value-conscious audience, and the G2GO / X-tc might be Virgin's best-looking QWERTY device to date. We struggled a bit with the Laylo's send and end keys -- they're not tactile, but the slide mechanism's loose enough to make you wonder about the build quality every time your fingertip touches the icon. Pre-production jitters, perhaps?

Gallery: Kyocera G2GO and Laylo hands-on

Sanyo SCP-2700 hands-on

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 2nd 2009 @ 3:03PM

With devices like the Samsung Magnet competing directly in this mega-low-cost portrait QWERTY space, expectations for quality and style are pretty frigging high here. Does Sprint's SCP-2700 from Sanyo deliver? Truth be told, we came away with the impression that it didn't feel good enough to cost $29.99 on contract after rebate; free before rebate, perhaps, but that's about it. We found that the 2700's awfully thick and bulky (while still feeling cheaply light) for its lease in life as a fashion-forward texting machine for the kiddies -- odds are that since it's a Sanyo it'll probably be able to take a beating, but what kind of 15 year-old cares about reliability? Are these the people that grow up to be actuaries?