The QWERTY slider hasn’t exactly gone the way of the dinosaur, but it’s definitely approaching giant panda status. That is to say, it’s become rare for a major device manufacturer to output anything other than candybar touchscreen smartphones. And why not? Slimmer, faster, beastlier is the mobile motto as of late and that’s precisely what consumers seem to gravitate towards. But for diehard fans of tactile feedback, Samsung’s birthed the Captivate Glide, a handset that marries the best of both form factors. Sitting just below its high-end brethren, Sammy’s 4-incher runs along AT&T’s 21Mbps HSPA+ network and bundles an 800 x 480 Super AMOLED display with a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 1,650mAh battery, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1.3MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear camera capable of 720p video capture. At $150 on a two-year contract, it’s just half a Benjamin short of the top-tier, LTE-capable HTC Vivid. With that small of a price divide, you have to wonder: is the downgrade really worth it for the Captivate Glide’s (comparatively) slower speeds and physical buttons? Are you willing to trade-in thin and sleek for messaging convenience and a bit of bulk? Follow on past the break as we deliver the answers to those burning questions.

Continue reading Samsung Captivate Glide review

Samsung Captivate Glide review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson has a clear stance on the Android dev community: one love. In what is, apparently, a first for the company, an alpha ROM of its in-development Ice Cream Sandwich port is available for install across a trio of unlocked Xperia devices — the arc S, neo V and ray. But hold your horses on that download trigger finger, this early build is only for “advanced developers” and quite a few features, like Google apps, WiFi, Bluetooth, voice, FM radio and ANT+, simply aren’t functional. In other words, don’t depend on this as your daily driver, but do dive deep if you know what you’re doing and want a peek at Google’s soon-to-be ubiquitous OS upgrade. Head on over to the source below for the cautionary how-to and remember to flash at your own risk.

Continue reading Ice Cream Sandwich alpha released for Xperia trio, is Sony Ericsson’s ’143′ to the dev community (video)

Ice Cream Sandwich alpha released for Xperia trio, is Sony Ericsson’s ’143′ to the dev community (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so we’ve already seen Ice Cream Sandwich running on the Nexus S, but that was decidedly… unofficial. We’ve just heard straight from Google’s Gabe Cohen that the Nexus S will definitely be getting ICS. In fact, both he and Matias Duarte think most Gingerbread devices will see an upgrade, saying: “Currently in the process for releasing Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus S. Theoretically should work for any 2.3 device.” It’s hardly a surprise and there’s no specific word on timing just yet, but hopefully it won’t take long to move that vanilla Android device up to something with a breaded exterior.

Update: We also asked about whether the Nexus One is getting some ICS love, but there’s no clear plan just yet.

Google confirms Nexus S will get Ice Cream Sandwich — for real this time (Gingerbread devices, too) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xperia Play coming to Canada, exclusive to Rogers? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These five Nexus One smartphones may seem to have defects, but there’s actually nothing wrong with their AMOLED screens — the funky colors are an attempt to improve battery life by turning off unnecessary sub-pixel LEDs. Hooking up his handset to an industrial power meter, Android engineer Jeff Sharkey discovered a blood-red screen drew 42 percent less current than full color — the least of any combination by far — purportedly doubling the effective battery life of the phone. While you’re probably not going to be able to test the requisite software patch for yourself unless you’re mildly familiar with Google code, you’ll find a video of the crimson wonder after the break to fuel your dreams of a eyestrain-free astronomy cheat sheet… and Android bullfighting, of course.

Continue reading Nexus One sees red, nearly doubles battery life? (video)

Nexus One sees red, nearly doubles battery life? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we absolutely adore our Nexus One — now that it’s got a bellyful of that fabulous frozen yogurt — one of the most exciting Android additions shown off at Google I/O isn’t actually slated for Froyo: the ability to push apps and music over the air from computer to phone. The underlying framework apparently is, though, and thus a bite-sized version of the functionality is already available at Google Code. If you’re one of the lucky few running Android 2.2, you can get an extension for Chrome and Firefox web browsers that will let you push URLs, Maps and YouTube video links direct to your device using a Google Account. You can think of it as an early foray into a Continuous Client, perhaps, sharing with yourself before you head to a business meeting. Better yet, share an account with a group of friends and push interesting items to everyone on the go. See how (and see it in action) right after the break.

Continue reading How-to: push Chrome / Firefox links to your Android 2.2 Froyo device (video)

How-to: push Chrome / Firefox links to your Android 2.2 Froyo device (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Thanks, Philosophics]

Continue reading Cyanogen ports Android 2.1 to G1 and MyTouch 3G

Cyanogen ports Android 2.1 to G1 and MyTouch 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two in one week — Two leaked Chinese Motorola phones with Android and transparent MOTOMING-like flip covers, that is. However, this one’s a little more exciting. Dubbed the Moto MT820, this sleek handset’s got a full leaked gallery of nice, clear images courtesy Chinese forum HiAPK, and word has it this might be the first device to make use of the dual-screen 3D patent Motorola applied for early this month. Actual facts are a little more scarce, though spy shots show a front-facing camera, physical home, power, volume and camera buttons, and a microSD slot hidden inside the back cover. Oh, and that spiral G3 logo? That means this particular device is destined for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA network. See all the spicy pics at our more coverage link.

Mysterious Motorola MT820 poses for a long, leisurely spy shoot originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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