It’s taken a long time for Nokia’s MeeGo-packing N9 to make its way into our top secret labs (the N9 moniker was first applied to early E7 prototypes), but it’s here in our dirty little hands, at last, and it’s glorious — well, as glorious as a stillborn product can be, anyway. The N9 is the latest and greatest in a long line of quirky, interesting, yet ultimately flawed touchscreen experiments from Nokia that includes the Hildon-sporting 7710, a series of Maemo-based “internet tablets” (770, N800, N810, N900) and most recently, the N950 MeeGo handset for developers. What makes the N9 special is that it represents Nokia’s last flagship phone as an independent player. MeeGo is already dead, and future high-end devices from the manufacturer will run Windows Phone and use Microsoft’s services. So, is this the company’s final bittersweet hurray? Did MeeGo ever stand a chance against Android, iOS and Mango? In its attempt to stay relevant, is Nokia throwing out the baby with the bathwater? Most importantly, how does the N9 fare in today’s merciless dual-core world? Find out after the break.

Continue reading Nokia N9 review

Nokia N9 review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To everyone who rocked a Motorola RAZR in the ’00s, it’s time to get excited again. The line — or at least the name — has been reborn, and not without good reason. This is a thin device — extremely thin. The Droid RAZR by Motorola is 7.1mm thin, in fact, and holding it up next to the iPhone 4 makes Apple’s phone look downright beefy by comparison. At 127 grams, it’s also incredibly light, a fact that’s quite apparent the first time you hold thing — we were honestly a bit surprised when it was first dropped in our hands. The company has clearly come a long way from the first generation Droid.

Of course, as noted, Motorola didn’t skimp on the specs here. The RAZR’s got a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB inside, and it does zip through apps with ease. The handset is rocking Android 2.3 Gingerbread — or at least was during our hands-on. No word on Ice Cream Sandwich — though we’ll no doubt be hearing more about that OS at tonight’s event. The 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display is quite bright, and should do wonders on those Netflix HD videos.

Also of note is the phone’s relative ruggedness, thanks to its Kevlar backing, diamond cut aluminum and Gorilla Glass, but in spite of these facts, it really doesn’t feel or particularly look like a rugged device in your hands, just a big, surprisingly light handset. It’s a slick, fast, thin phone, that certainly seems worthy of the RAZR name we’ve all know and love.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Motorola Droid RAZR hands-on (video)

Motorola Droid RAZR hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Temper that excitement. This isn’t the rumored quad-core, Kal-El running Transformer 2. Still, ASUS is doing its best to port the tab buzz to the enterprise set with its quietly introduced Eee Slate B121. Unlike its tablet PC bretheren, this business-minded slate runs Windows 7 Professional atop an Intel Core i5 processor, and comes loaded with the security tweaks necessary for the corporate road warrior: like Computrace LoJack for remote location and data wipe, and a Trusted Platform Module microchip that stores encrypted data. Also tacked on to the $1,500 12.1-inch package are a Bluetooth keyboard and Wacom Digitizer stylus. As for the specs, well, there’s a 1280 x 800 LED Gorilla Glass display, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, dual USB 2.0 ports, mini-HDMI out, SD card slot and 2 megapixel front-facing camera. No official word on exactly when this biz-friendly tablet’ll be available, but now would be a good time to convince your IT department to order it up. Be sure to hit the source below for the company’s soft sell.

ASUS Eee Slate B121 slabs it up for the enterprise market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For many smartphone users, a quality keyboard is the only feature that truly matters. These passionate devotees will proudly live and die with their thumbs blazing, and for of all RIM’s recent troubles, it’s currently floating on a life preserver: a compelling handset with a portrait QWERTY keyboard doesn’t exist for Android. The HTC Status ($50 on contract) attempts to succeed where others have failed, and — if it’s any good — could entice many BlackBerry-toting teens that want a new handheld fixation. They rarely bother with email, as text messages and Facebook reign supreme for communication. To that end, the Status promotes itself as the perfect phone for Facebook users, but is the integration truly useful, or simply a chintzy add-on? More so, can HTC successfully marry Gingerbread with an upright keyboard? Join us after the break to learn whether we “Like” the HTC Status.

Continue reading HTC Status review

HTC Status review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, well — what have we here? If you’ll recall, we heard that Dell was scheming to one-up its own Streak line with a so-called Peju introduction sometime in 2011. Looks like we’re drawing ever closer. Dell Peju Insider unsurprisingly has a boatload of internal documents showcasing the newfangled device, and if the specifications actually stick, we’re looking at quite the performer. It’ll purportedly ship with a 10.1-inch panel, front and rear-facing cameras, a slab of Gorilla Glass across the front and a homegrown docking station that provides a trio of USB ports, a gigabit Ethernet jack, HDMI output and audio port. We aren’t so certain it’ll ship with a Core i5 and Windows 8 compatibility, but those who’d rather throw caution to the wind can dive in just after the break.

Continue reading Dell Peju tablet leaked, docking station and all (video)

Dell Peju tablet leaked, docking station and all (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As much as we love Google Translate, we’re pretty sure the Nokia N9 won’t be packing a side of gorilla flavored desert when it ships later this year — but that Swedish release date? Sure, we’ll take a salty look. According to an official press release from European carrier 3 Group, Nokia’s flagship handset should be landing in Sweden on September 23, 2011. The PR goes on to tout the N9′s buttonless interface, trio of home screens, and (when properly translated) Gorilla Glass AMOLED screen. Hit the source link to see the PR, in all it’s auto-translated glory, for yourself.

Nokia N9 to ship in Sweden on September 23rd, saith awkwardly translated release originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The N9 has arrived. Functional units of Nokia’s long-awaited MeeGo smartphone have finally landed into our eager hands and we’ve got a gallery of images to provide you with below. What we can say from our first experience is that we’re in the presence of a fantastically designed device with a gorgeous AMOLED screen and some highly responsive performance. Hold tight as we’re updating our fuller impressions after the break, where you’ll soon be treated to our first hands-on video with the Nokia N9.

Update: And the video is now in. Enjoy!

Continue reading Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video)

Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A hotly anticipated smartphone with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a “Super” 4.3-inch screen, and a manufacturer-skinned version of Android 2.3 — we must be talking about the Samsung Galaxy S II, right? Not on this occasion, squire. Today we’re taking a gander at HTC’s Sensation, a handset that’s just begun shipping in Europe under a short-term Vodafone exclusive and which should be making its way to T-Mobile in the USA early next month. By beating its stablemate the EVO 3D and Moto’s Droid X2 to the market, the Sensation becomes the world’s first 4.3-inch smartphone with qHD resolution, while also serving as the debut phone for HTC’s Watch movie streaming service and Sense 3.0 UI customizations. That leaves us with an abundance of newness to review, so what are we waiting for?

Continue reading HTC Sensation review

HTC Sensation review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man, Lenovo isn’t even trying to keep the ThinkPad X1 under wraps anymore. The slinky new MacBook Air competitor has just slipped out in a video commercial on the company’s own YouTube channel, where it shows off a keyboard that’s both backlit and spill-resistant, and a Gorilla Glass screen that is apparently girlfriend-proof. See the video after the break and circle May 17th as your acquisition date if you’re after one — that’s when Lenovo promises the X1 will be arriving.

[Thanks, Jon]

Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad X1 coming May 17th, with Gorilla Glass screen and spill-proof keyboard (video)

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 coming May 17th, with Gorilla Glass screen and spill-proof keyboard (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 10:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Never mind the cringe-inducing advertising, ASUS has given us a much better reason to care about its Tegra 2-toting Eee Pad Transformer: a $400 price. The 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet (with 1280 x 800 resolution on an IPS display) has quickly moved from its Taiwanese release, through yesterday’s UK pricing announcement, to today showing up at Best Buy in the US, so we suspect its global shipping can’t be far off at all. With a sticker that’s a clear $99 less than the cheapest iPad and a good deal more affordable than its Android competition like the Xoom and G-Slate, the Transformer could yet take the tablet world by storm. Do take note that the keyboard dock that inspires this slate’s name is an optional extra, but given the starting price, the whole package might still end up less than what others will ask.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer shows up at Best Buy for $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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