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All posts tagged "smartphone"


Monday, August 15, 2011

TabCo Fusion Garage Grid 10 Tablet and Grid 4 Phone

Posted by Michael Knutson in "Other Slates & Tablets" @ 10:30 PM

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,281...,2391116,00.asp

"Earlier this summer, a company called TabCo burst onto the scene with videos, skywriting (yes, really), and the promise that it was "reinventing the wheel." What and who TabCo actually was, however, was still unknown. Until Monday, anyway.

A lot of cheesy, manufactured hype, and now (or September 15th), maybe a real device promoted from a possibly pre-recorded press conference. This may be a 10-inch tablet with 1366x768 resolution, 16GB storage, a Nvidia Tegra 2 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, weighing in at 690g. Their own OS is called GridOS, and is built on an Android kernel, with major UI tinkering, including an on-screen navigation wheel, that promises to baffle end users. Price for the WiFi only version will be $499, with a WiFi/3G model expected to cost $599.

The 16GB Grid 4 phone has a 4-inch screen with 800x480 resolution, and is expected to cost $399 unlocked. GridOS promises some synergy between tablet and phone, for example, playing video on the tablet, stopping it, and restarting it on the phone from the exact point where it stopped. PC Mag promises a full review if and when the products are actually in their hands. Skeptical? Yes I am.


Wednesday, June 1, 2011

ASUS' Padfone Brings A Cool Summery Treat Just In Time For the Holidays

Posted by Karey Westfall in "Android Slates/Tablets & Accessories" @ 10:30 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/30/...dfone-launch-v/

"We just got to spend some quality time with ASUS' newly unveiled Padfone and you can see the smartphone that doubles up as a tablet on video after the break."

Is it too early to start thinking about the holidays again? ASUS doesn't think so! They are working on the Padfone, a smartphone/tablet combo, and hope it will be released later this year. It isn't official, but they have hinted that it may ship with Ice Cream Sandwich. If we find out more details we will let you know!


Thursday, May 12, 2011

US Wireless Capacity To Hit A Wall In The Next 24-36 Months?

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:30 AM

http://www.businessinsider.com/spec...sis-2013-2011-5

"According to the FCC, the United States is facing an imminent spectrum crisis, in which exploding demand from smartphones will soon overwhelm the nation's wireless capacity. The problem, the FCC says, is the lack of new spectrum being made available to wireless data carriers. Smartphone data traffic is growing so fast, the FCC says, that--if nothing is done--we will use up our available spectrum by 2013."

Image: Federal Communications Commission

If you are in any way dependent on wireless services then you will probably want to take note of this article. The Business Insider has posted an article citing statistics produced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which indicate the US is quickly running out of wireless capacity. On the current course, and without an intervention of some kind, by some point in 2013 we will hit a spectrum deficit wall. The FCC does, though, have a plan to recover under used spectrum capacity from various sources. Hit the Read link for additional data and commentary by the Business Insider.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Acer's 4.8-inch "Nameless" Smartphone (Tablet)

Posted by Michael Knutson in "Android News" @ 12:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/23/...x480-screen-re/

"Acer may be calling this "100 percent smartphone. 100 percent tablet," but something just doesn't add up there. That being said, we have to agree that a 1024x480 screen resolution on a 4.8-inch smartphone is downright drool-worthy. Clocking in at just a smidgen smaller than Dell's Streak, this here phone (no finalized name has been bestowed quite yet) was just revealed at Acer's Global press event in New York City."

Slightly smaller than the Dell Streak, Acer's newest curved-back Android offering sports a full metal body, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 2mp front-facing camera, 8mp rear camera with LED flash, 720p video recording, and an odd 21:9 aspect ratio. No information on phone capabilities, and no pricing information, but availability is listed at April 2011 - everywhere. Interested?


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Dell's Giant Streak TabletPhone ...

Posted by Michael Knutson in "Dell Laptops & Netbooks" @ 03:30 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/20/...-the-new-world/

"If you've been following the ongoing saga of Dell's Streak, you've probably already read our review of O2 UK's version -- thing is, the British perspective can be very different from the Yankee one (we didn't see eye-to-eye during the War of 1812, for instance). To that end, we wanted to circle back now that the gargantuan Android beast is finally coming close to a US release and get another quick take."

Thinking back to the days when I had a Nokia N810 Tablet, I really wished that it had phone capabilities. Dell's Streak is an Android 1.6 TabletPhone with an 800x480 5-inch screen, and is only 10mm thick. It supports quad-band EDGE, and 3G for AT&T, Rogers, Bell and Telus. T-Mobile 3G? Sorry. EDGE only. This giant has 2GB internal storage, comes bundled with a 16GB MicroSDHC card, and is powered by a Snapdragon 1GHz processor.

Is this perhaps "The One" that we've been awaiting? Unfortunately, early reviews point to No. Android is three versions behind, and Dell's customizations and tweaks don't make up the difference. Some annoyances? The home screen is landscape only. No dedicated hardware search button. Notifications no longer via down-swipe. No Android multitouch, although Dell has added some customizations to the UI. Unimpressive virtual keyboard. No trashcan on the home screen. The screen ripples when pressed moderately hard, indicating some stress on the glass. Camera and video mediocre, sound quality also mediocre. And, a proprietary connector/charger rather than microUSB.

Great potential, but the target market (power users and road warriors) probably won't like Dell's design decisions. Here's hoping that the hacker community makes a nice, clean Android 2.2 build available for this monster - the sooner the better.


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