Friday, October 23, 2009

Verizon launching Storm2 on October 28 for $179.99?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/23/verizon-launching-storm2-on-october-28-for-179-99/

Say you're North America's largest wireless carrier -- how do you go about burying a product you're about to carry that you secretly wish didn't exist? One creative option would be to opt out of announcing it when its manufacturer does, then quietly launch it on the same day that you're announcing the phone you're calling the "must-have device of the year." Tricky, eh? Yeah, sure enough, by all appearances it seems that Verizon doesn't plan on celebrating the arrival of the Storm2 with the same fanfare it gave the Storm, despite the fact that the new device directly addresses the biggest complaints dogging the original model. It's a "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" sort of situation, we suppose. Anyhow, it looks like pricing should come in at $179.99 on contract, though $100 of that comes in the form of a mail-in rebate that you'll get on a prepaid debit card, so you'll actually be laying out close to $300 before taxes when you march into the store on October 28. Hey, look at it this way: at least you can keep refreshing Engadget on your old Storm to learn about the Droid while you're waiting in line for the Storm2, right?

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

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Verizon launching Storm2 on October 28 for $179.99? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:39 PM

IREX 8.1-inch DR 800SG e-reader now listed at Best Buy for $449

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/23/irex-8-1-inch-dr-800sg-e-reader-now-listed-at-best-buy-for-449/

You know what happens when you realize your $399 price point can't compete with the International Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook at $259? You jack it up by $50 and hope people view it as an ultra-premium product, that's what. IREX's DR 800SG e-book reader, which admittedly comes with a salacious set of specs and features, has just landed on Best Buy's site as promised. The problem? It's $449, and not the $399 that we've been hearing for a little while now. 'Course, Best Buy has been known to inaccurately post MSRPs before the product actually hits the shelves (it's backordered for "one to two weeks" at the moment), so we suppose anything could happen. So, anyone snapping this up? Wait, who let the crickets out?

[Thanks, Tom]

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IREX 8.1-inch DR 800SG e-reader now listed at Best Buy for $449 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:38 PM

Verizon rolls out HP Mini 311, Mini 110 netbooks

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/23/verizon-rolls-out-hp-mini-311-mini-110-netbooks/

The cat may have gotten out of the bag ahead of the Windows 7 launch, but Verizon has just now gotten official with its latest subsidized netbook offerings, which include some unfortunately pricey 3G-equipped versions of HP's Mini 311 and Mini 110. As expected, the 311 is the first one out of the gate (available right now), and packs an 11.6-inch screen, an Atom N270 backed up by NVIDIA's ION chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium and, last but not least, a price tag of $249.99 on contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. The Mini 110, on the other hand, kicks things back a whole generation to Windows XP and straight-up Intel internals, and will be available for $199.99 (on contract and after rebate again) sometime in mid-November -- in the meantime, you can still pick up the carrier's HP Mini 1151NR netbook while supplies last.

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Verizon rolls out HP Mini 311, Mini 110 netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:38 PM

Motorola Droid gets fully previewed, 'must-have' claims may not be far off

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/23/motorola-droid-gets-fully-previewed-must-have-claims-may-not/

Boy Genius Report has thrown up a full preview of the Motorola Droid -- or some prototype of it, anyhow -- and any way you slice it, it looks like Android fans, Verizon fans, phone fans, and red-blooded Americans alike should all be feeling pretty good that this thing is gonna kick some ass. As if feeling and looking like a rock-solid, metallic beast wasn't enough, Big Red's first Android outing is said to have killer battery life -- surprising, considering how mediocre the CLIQ's is -- and the seemingly flat keyboard apparently performs admirably, all things considered. Android 2.0 clips along at a nice pace thanks to an OMAP3 core, and obviously, there's not much to complain about visually when you're staring at a 3.7-inch capacitive display sporting roughly WVGA resolution. The icing on the cake, though, might be a magnetic sensor that detects an accessory dock that'll be sold at launch, turning the Droid into a desktop clock and weather station -- perfect for those rare moments when you're not out and about scaring little kids with the phone's robotic red eye. Needless to say, we're looking forward to the 28th.

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Motorola Droid gets fully previewed, 'must-have' claims may not be far off originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:38 PM

Verizon's Droid is a series, not just a phone; Droid Eris coming from HTC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/23/verizons-droid-is-a-series-not-just-a-phone-droid-eris-coming/

We just got some wild information from a trusted source about Verizon's Android strategy, and let's just say this shakes things up a little bit. Here are the big takeaways:
  • Droid is the brand name being applied to Verizon's Android devices. It isn't a single phone.
  • The Sholes -- the phone we've been calling the Droid so far -- may simply be known as the Droid.
  • HTC's Desire will be coming to market as the "Droid Eris." (Allow us to save you the Wikipedia lookup -- Eris is the Greek goddess of strife.) Interestingly, it's already up on gdgt as such.
  • Droid Eris will be released -- not announced, actually released -- on November 6. In all likelihood, it will not be announced or shown at Verizon's October 28 event -- that will probably just be for the Sholes.
That's all we've got so far, but it's a heck of a change in plans, isn't it? It's interesting that Verizon will be applying a sub-brand to its Android line -- and a pretty solid sign that Big Red's got a serious commitment to the platform going forward.

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Verizon's Droid is a series, not just a phone; Droid Eris coming from HTC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:38 PM

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