Microsoft has decided to finally dish out some sales figures for its new Windows Phone 7 platform, but alas, these are not the sales figures we are looking for. Instead of giving us the juicy number of actual devices sold to end users, the Redmond crew has given us a neatly rounded 1.5 million figure of sales to mobile operators and retailers. That tells us that the mobile industry is buying into Microsoft’s new OS, and it’d be foolish not to, but it doesn’t really educate us much on the relative success of the platform’s launch. All that Microsoft’s Achim Berg would say is that early sales are “in line” with his company’s expectations.

Microsoft: over 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices sold to carriers and retailers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right, it’s official. Needless to say, that LG Star we recently got our paws on is very real, though it won’t go by that name at retail — just as LG’s own release materials had suggested, this monster has picked up the Optimus 2X name as it morphs from a prototype into brutally fast, overpowered reality. At the phone’s heart beats a dual-core Tegra 2 processor running at 1GHz, the first such configuration to be officially announced by any smartphone manufacturer (though we’re expecting others any day now). In case you’re wondering how such power might be used, well, for starters, you’ve got both full 1080p TV-out via HDMI and video capture through an 8 megapixel primary camera paired with a 1.3 megapixel cam up front for face-to-face calling.

A 4-inch WVGA display is along for the ride along with 8GB of on-board storage (expandable with up to 32GB of microSD) and a 1,500mAh battery — no larger than most single-core smartphones these days, so it’ll be interesting to see if the final retail units hold up through a day of typical use. Unfortunately, the Optimus 2X is launching out of the gate with Android 2.2, but LG’s already committing to releasing Gingerbread updates “in due course.” It hits first in LG’s home market of Korea next month, followed by Europe and other Asian locales in the coming weeks; we’re sure you can hardly wait, so why don’t you check out some eye candy from our preview while you pass the time? Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading LG Optimus 2X: first dual-core smartphone launches with Android, 4-inch display, 1080p video recording

LG Optimus 2X: first dual-core smartphone launches with Android, 4-inch display, 1080p video recording originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s Andy Rubin brought more than just a Nexus S in his bag of goodies tonight. On stage at D: Dive Into Mobile, the man has brought with him a prototype Android tablet from Motorola. It’s got video chat, an NVIDIA processor, a “dual core 3D processor,” and… oh yeah, it runs Honeycomb, not Gingerbread. Little else is known — Rubin immediately turned his attention to a new release of Google Maps — but we wouldn’t be surprised if we were looking at Stingray, a tablet rumored for a launch on Verizon shortly. Is it seven inches? Ten? We honestly don’t know — but our gut tells us on the bigger side of the spectrum, which would line up with rumblings that the Stingray would in fact be a full ten inches diagonally. Feast your eyes on our pics below!

Updated: Video after the break!

Continue reading Motorola Android tablet prototype makes a cameo at D: Dive Into Mobile running Honeycomb

Motorola Android tablet prototype makes a cameo at D: Dive Into Mobile running Honeycomb originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wow guys, we just spotted a new video of the PlayStation Phone, codenamed Zeus Z1, and this time we get a long, loving look at the entire device — a refreshing contrast to last time’s blurry tease. In addition to appreciating just how fat this phone is, and just how real it is, you can clearly see a “PlayStation” icon, which should hopefully put to rest any doubts that this phone will actually play PlayStation games. Check out a close-up of the icon after the break. Oh, and by the way, there’s no audio on the video, your computer is not broken.

[Thanks, Sha]

Update: There’s another video! Check out a brief look at the PlayStation app after the break…

Continue reading PlayStation Phone ‘Zeus Z1′ caught on video again, this time you can actually see it (update)

PlayStation Phone ‘Zeus Z1′ caught on video again, this time you can actually see it (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon has a press conference lined up in a few minutes to officially drop all these details, but they’ve thrown their official LTE site live already where you can see almost everything you want to know: chiefly, that the initial 38 markets (and 60 airports) will go live this Sunday, December 5th with two USB modems in tow — one from LG and another from Pantech. We’ve already heard all of that in one form or another, but it’s nice to see it spelled out officially on Verizon’s site. The one crucial detail we’re still missing, of course, is plan pricing — so we anxiously await that here in the next few minutes, but in the meantime, feel free to play with Big Red’s LTE coverage locator.

Verizon’s LTE details go live: December 5th, 38 markets, 60 airports, and 2 USB modems originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And here we go: Verizon just announced its 4G LTE pricing and full list of coverage areas. Some 38 markets will go live when the switch is flipped on December 5, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and LA, and pricing starts at $50/month for 5GB of data, with an $80/month plan for 10GB. Overages run $10 per GB, which isn’t insane, and there’s also supplemental coverage in around 60 airports. Check the full PR after the break.

Update: Some highlights from today’s press conference:

• More modems will be coming out within “weeks” and are all backwards compatible with its EV-DO network.
• Verizon will talk about “consumer-oriented devices” (translation: phones) at CES.
• The modems are capable of 4G-to-3G handoff, but not 3G-to-4G — they’ll stay on 3G until you’re done transmitting data.
• The LTE and 3G plans might integrate, according to CTO Tony Melone, but probably not until 2012 or 2013.
• It sounds like the modems will only be available in stores on December 5th — no third-party retailers at first.

Continue reading Verizon LTE plans start at $50/month for 5GB of data (update)

Verizon LTE plans start at $50/month for 5GB of data (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Motorola split wraps up on January 4th

Motorola split wraps up on January 4th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guess what people, Verizon’s LTE network launch is really for real and the carrier has now scheduled a news conference for tomorrow where it’ll discuss its December plans in more detail. Tony Melone, VZW’s chief tech officer, will be on hand to answer any questions beyond the already known plans for 38 metropolitan areas to get the 4G LTE treatment — accounting for a cool 110 million Americans who’ll be able to ride the lightning of faster internet speeds on the move. The event kicks off at 12PM and we’ll make sure to tune in, if only to find out what Tony’s answer is to the inevitable “what is 4G” question.

[Thanks, Henry]

Verizon hosting 4G LTE news conference tomorrow to discuss launch plans originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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 1024×480 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. It was only shown briefly, demonstrating an unknown version of Android and the “evolution of Acer UI.” Specs wise, there’s a two megapixel front-facing camera, eight megapixel rear camera (with LED flash), 720p video recording, a six-axis Gyroscope + accelerometer package and LED edge lighting. Per usual, Acer’s keeping a lid on any pricing estimates, but it’ll be shipping out to gape-jawed customers everywhere in April 2011.

Update: We’ve got the full PR after the break, which informs us of the atypical 21:9 aspect ratio in use here as well as its “full metal body.” Curiously enough, it’s also rocking a curved back (is that a trend we spot?), Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11n WiFi, HSDPA support, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and an HDMI output. Delicious, all the way around.

Continue reading Acer reveals 4.8-inch Android smartphone with 1024×480 screen resolution

Acer reveals 4.8-inch Android smartphone with 1024×480 screen resolution originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T’s finally taking a cue from its mobile hotspot-equipped archrivals at Verizon and Sprint, launching a branded version of Novatel Wireless’ MiFi 2372 this Sunday, November 21st, for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. The device is a little more advanced that the one you’re used to using on American CDMA networks, featuring an integrated microSD slot that can be shared among connected devices and support for built-in, browser-based widgets that can take advantage of the unit’s AGPS for providing weather, local search, and so on. The unit tops out at 7.2Mbps on the downlink, which you’ll be able to enjoy via AT&T’s standard array of DataConnect plans: $35 a month for 200MB or $60 a month for 5GB, plus contract-free plans ranging from 100MB to 1GB.

AT&T starts selling Novatel MiFi at long last: November 21st for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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