Mini -- Engadget Mobile

mini posts

Dell bringing Mini 3i Android set to AT&T?

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 7th 2009 @ 5:22PM

Dell, Android, and AT&T have been mentioned in an awful lot of whispered sentences over the past few months, so today's Wall Street Journal report on a Round Rock-sourced Android set for Ma Bell isn't exactly a huge surprise. Apparently Dell's making some tweaks to the Chinese-market Mini 3i in preparation for a 2010 Stateside launch -- obviously the China Mobile-specific OPhone build would have to go away in favor of full-flavored Android, and we'd bet that WiFi and a nicer camera make their way into the casing as well. That's really all we know for now, but we're sure Dell's soon to hold an 8AM event where some random exec will pull it out of his pocket for 10 seconds before putting it away and announcing Inspiron laptops can now be ordered with giant Affliction dragon logos painted on them. You just keep doing what you do, Dell.

[Via Phone Scoop]

INQ Mini 3G review

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 18th 2009 @ 2:00PM

The INQ Mini 3G is quite the intriguing little phone. It has the dimensions and outward appearance of a standard issue featurephone, yet aims to provide the multifunctional utility of the bulkier QWERTY keyboard-sporting smartphones that now roam these lands. With deep integration of Facebook, Twitter and Skype, it's designed to be a do-it-all social networking device, so we thought we'd run a few status updates through it to see if the latest spin on an award-winning heritage lives up to its billing. Slide on past the break to find out.

Gallery: INQ Mini 3G Review

Continue reading INQ Mini 3G review

Nokia N97 Mini press photo outed, existence still not official

by Ross Miller posted Aug 25th 2009 @ 5:23PM

We've already gotten quite an eyeful of Nokia's N97 Mini -- so much so that it's hard to believe this thing still isn't official. So be it, though, here's the first official press shot we've seen, from the same site that revealed the N900 pic earlier. Feeling any more excited about it now than you were yesterday? Us neither.

[Via Mobile Bulgaria]

Nokia N97 Mini previewed: not so mini, not so great

by Ross Miller posted Aug 24th 2009 @ 4:46PM

As sure as the sun, Mobile-review's Eldar Murtazin managed to nab a very early look at the still yet-to-be-announced Nokia N97 Mini, and as if we needed another reminder, the FCC filing wasn't kidding with that 1:1 scale. Turns out it only takes "around a centimeter" difference to earn the "mini" nomenclature in Finland, and in addition to that peculiarity, the company's apparently managed to make the keyboard actually worse than its predecessor -- no small feat, if you ask us. Of course, we haven't had a chance to try it ourselves yet, but the prognosis so far isn't so good. Perhaps more interesting is good ole' Eldar's teasing about a number of other touchscreen Nokia devices, some without keyboards, that'd target the same segment as the N97 Mini, including one he'll be revealing and previewing tomorrow -- and no matter what it is, we can all but guarantee with supreme confidence that it'll have a more compelling raison d'être than this thing.

Black smoke coming from underneath your MINI's hood? There's an app for that

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 24th 2009 @ 9:45AM

Car companies have been trying tap into the iPhone's mojo seemingly since day one, and BMW subsidiary MINI is the latest to take a crack at it -- but this time, it's actually useful. The company's new roadside assistance app was created in partnership with Allstate and provides the usual array of services you'd expect from an OnStar-like system, including service appointment scheduling, troubleshooting guides and tow requests for when you find yourself in a genuine pickle. The phone will automatically submit your location and your car's VIN when you connect, so you spend a minimum amount of time sobbing into the phone. The app's available now for the BlackBerry Curve, Bold, and... yes, of course, the iPhone. Follow the break for video.

[Via Autoblog]

Continue reading Black smoke coming from underneath your MINI's hood? There's an app for that

Apple prototyping "iPhone lite" and MacBook Mini / media pad for Verizon?

by Ross Miller posted Apr 28th 2009 @ 1:41AM

Hot on the heels of yesterday's reports of Apple and Verizon dealings comes some tantalizing, but still unconfirmed, new details from BusinessWeek. According to the publication, the gang in Cupertino has prototyped two devices for the carrier. The first one is a smaller, less expensive device that's been dubbed as "iPhone lite" by someone who's apparently seen it in person. The other is called a "media pad" (Joggler, anyone?) for music, photos, HD video, and placing calls over WiFi. Details are scant beyond that, and while that pad sounds a lot like an iPod touch to us, we can't help but wonder if it has something to do with those 10-inch displays that Quanta's rumored to be manufacturing. Don't put too much stock into this, as the reports could end up being all for naught, but one thing's for sure: you can bet the suits at AT&T are keeping a very, very close eye on this. In other, even sketchier and likely unrelated rumors, a listing for "MacBookMini" has popped up in Adium's statistics. While we wouldn't normally think anything of this -- as TUAW correctly notes, anyone can edit their computer IDs -- it was from these pages that we first heard the name MacBook Air. Chances are this is nothing, but with all this talk of 10-inch screens and media pads, it kind of makes you wonder.

[Via TUAW; image courtesy of Frunny]

Read - BusinessWeek
Read - Adium stats

Samsung Instinct S30 (alias "Instinct Mini") in the wild, now with more pink

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 12th 2009 @ 10:44AM

The Instinct S30's back in the news again ahead of an official announcement, and we've got to say, Sprint: great call staying away from the rumored "Mini" label. The S30 looks like a straight-up upgrade from the original Instinct -- not merely a miniaturized version of it -- mainly on account of the smoother chassis that seems to give the phone a more finished look. Like the Sanyo 2700, it seems the S30 will be available at least in blue and pink, and the form factor certainly lends itself to a whole palette if Sprint thinks it can push 'em off shelves. As you might recall, the first Instinct was announced nearly a year ago at CTIA, so it'd be kind of appropriate of the S30 bowed at CTIA this year, wouldn't it? We'll know in just a few weeks' time.

[Thanks, RWS]

Update: Our tipster tells us that this color is actually "copper," not pink. The camera sure plays some nasty tricks, doesn't it?

Gallery: Samsung Instinct S30 (alias "Instinct Mini") in the wild

Opera lands contract to infect Samsung handsets

by Darren Murph posted Dec 22nd 2006 @ 4:10PM

Continuing along Opera's silent, yet somewhat noticeable pursuit of conquering the mobile browser realm, the firm has sealed a deal with Samsung "to provide Internet browsers for its advance mobile telephones." Similar to the renditions already found on Windows Mobile Pocket PC, Blackberry / Treo, and basically every other handset out there, the browser will reformat pages for optimized mobile viewing and give Samsung owners one less thing to download when setting up their phone. Interestingly, the licensing deal is "per phone sold," but there's no information on just how much coinage will be changing hands when all this goes down.

Streamlined Opera Mini browser headed to BlackBerry and Treo

by Darren Murph posted Oct 28th 2006 @ 7:03PM

While Firefox is still basting in its 2.0 goodness, Opera is doing its own thang to amp up popularity. Besides being the browser-of-choice on Nintendo's forthcoming Wii, the tried and true Opera Mini browser is streamlining itself for use on BlackBerry and Treo handhelds. Unlike other browsers, this revamped version "downloads websites after they've been passed through Opera's servers, where they're compressed to download more quickly." Opera's technology -- while not substantially different in nature than renditions from Ascentive and Propel -- has been dubbed "Small Screen Rendering," and can even change the colors of backgrounds and text to improve visibility on mobile displays. The auto-compression features should trim download times and save on kilobyte usage (should you not already have an unlimited data plan), which can be particularly helpful for sites (unlike this one) that aren't tailored to fit your cellphone's display automatically. So, scurry on and hit the read link to give Opera's latest gig a try, cool?

[Via Yahoo]