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Friday, December 18, 2009

Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment on track to get Android 2.1, not 2.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/sprints-htc-hero-and-samsung-moment-on-track-to-get-android-2-1/

So Sprint's backtracking on its promise to deliver Android 2.0 to its Hero and Moment in the first half of next year, but it's backtracking in an awesome way for a change of pace -- they'll actually be getting 2.1. That makes tons of sense considering that the leaked Hero builds have all been on 2.1 and 2.0 will be all but obsolete by the time HTC gets around to releasing anything -- so yeah, we probably could've predicted this anyway, but now it's official. Unfortunately that 1H 2010 window hasn't been reigned in at all, but here's hoping this is a case where they under-promise and over-deliver.

Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment on track to get Android 2.1, not 2.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IEEE begins work on new cellphone battery standard, we circle 2029 for ratification

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/ieee-begins-work-on-new-cellphone-battery-standard-we-circle-20/

You'll excuse us for poking a bit of fun at the IEEE, but after it took seven years to finalize a wireless standard that didn't change for most of that time, we have to wonder how long a new battery rulebook is going to take. IEEE Std 1725 is the current set of commonly agreed rules, in effect since 2006, but apparently "the cellular industry has grown tremendously since then" and our needs as consumers have changed. No kidding, 1GHz processors and 1080p video recording can kind of do that. The Cell Phone Battery Working Group (a real entity!) will hold its first meeting on the topic in February, and the final outcome will lay out up-to-date rules on the requisite quality, reliability, construction, and discharge characteristics of modern cellphone batteries. Let's hope "smartphones that last more than a day" figures somewhere on that list.

IEEE begins work on new cellphone battery standard, we circle 2029 for ratification originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE with Atom N450 and 12.5-hour battery breaks cover

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/asus-eee-pc-1005p-pe-with-atom-n450-and-12-5-hour-battery-breaks/

You do realize that all those Atom-based netbooks on sale for the holidays will be abandoned entirely in January right? Go ahead and pull the trigger for that "new" ViewSonic netbook if you must, just realized that you'll be running last-gen hardware in less than a month if rumor, innuendo, and leaks all converge with the release of Pineview netbooks as expected. More details have appeared today at retailers listing specifications and pics for the unannounced ASUS EeePC model 1005P and 1005PE. Sporting the Eee PC Seashell design, we're looking at a pair of 10-inch LED backlit displays with a 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution, Intel Atom N450 proc, 1GB DDR2-RAM, and a Windows 7 Starter Edition preload riding GMA 3150 graphics -- a slightly faster version of Intel's G31 based GMA 3100. The PE model sports a bigger 250GB hard disk and higher capacity 6-cell battery for a reported 12.5 hours of go-go juice thanks, in part, to the more efficient N450 CPU. Expect to see these Eees get official with price and launch date any day now.

ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE with Atom N450 and 12.5-hour battery breaks cover originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/notion-ink-smartpad-comes-with-tegra-aims-to-be-first-pixel-qi/

Now here's a way to excite all the tablet naysayers. Slap that ultra-efficient Tegra chipset inside a 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet, make the display a matte (yay!) Pixel Qi slice of glory and then stand back as all of geekdom rejoices. We're still only looking at renders, but this device is all set to make waves at CES with an impressive spec sheet that also includes WiFi, Bluetooth, UMTS/HSDPA, and A-GPS on the wireless front and connectivity via USB, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The most important thing is still that display, though, whose efficiency leads to the unnamed device boasting 48 hours of battery standby juice, also good for 8 hours of HD video playback or 16 hours of WiFi-enabled Engadget reading. Driven by a default (for now) Android UI and supposedly capable of running three simultaneous 1080p streams with little frame loss, this should be one hot piece of kit come January. For now, we have another shot after the break as well as the full data sheet.

Continue reading Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device

Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/archos-9-tablet-and-its-windows-7-starter-edition-unboxed-video/

It's been a long time coming, but the Archos 9 is finally being unleashed wholesale upon the world. The 9-inch tablet has been delayed and had its price hiked, but if you haven't leapt off the hype train yet you'll be interested in watching the unboxing and initial impressions video after the break courtesy of UMPCPortal. The 60GB device contains a mere 1.1GHz Atom processor and has been unfortunately crippled with Windows 7 Starter Edition, lacking the cool tablet features that you might have wanted to use on a tablet device. A few times during this video the Archos is likened to the Joojoo, which will almost surely face some delays of its own before receiving a similar berth months from now. Overall it's looking like a nice machine if you have the bank -- and don't want to do anything particularly processor intensive.

Continue reading Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video)

Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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