Maylong M-260 Budget Android Tab clears the FCC

How exciting, we have another amazingly fast and awesome tablet for you all today. Actually it’s quite the opposite because this is the Maylong M-260 “budget” Android tablet and it has just cleared the FCC. You may not be familiar with Maylong but they are the producers behind more than a few cheap Android tablets in the past.

You may remember the Maylong M-150, it was a $149 budget tablet that landed at places like Walgreens and some Toys-R-Us stores nationwide. Sadly no dual-core CPU’s present but for that price what did you expect. Lets just say the M-150 didn’t review well. The next tablet from Maylong is headed to markets soon and today it cleared the FCC showing its internals.

I’m not a fan of the dedicated buttons that is for sure, but who would now we have Android Honeycomb tablets at our disposal. We don’t know much on the M-260 yet but from the images we see it has HUGE buttons, a micro USB port, micro SD, 3.5mm headphone jack and a few other large holes on the bottom possible housing a stylus to go with the cheap resistive touchscreen. I’m also hoping that circle on the face is a camera and not a power button.
From the photo found in the manuals it appears to be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread but that is about all we know. We will update when more specs become available for those looking for a great entry level budget Android tablet.
[via Engadget]

Read more »

Gateway A60 10.1″ 16GB Honeycomb Tab available for $399

Here is a little deal and news for everyone. Over at futureshop.ca you can get the Gateway A60 Android Honeycomb tablet for just $399. Wait Gateway makes tablets? Yup we recently saw the A60 clear the FCC back in June and now it is available for purchase.

If looking through the FCC pictures above you didn’t notice, this is almost exactly like the Acer Iconia A500 Tab. The Gateway A60 is basically a re-branded Iconia Tab with a few minor changes and a glossy black color scheme but everything else remains the same. Not to say that is a bad thing because we do have the usual awesome Honeycomb specs on board.

With the Gateway A60 you’ll get a NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1.0 Ghz CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 10.1″ 1280×800 res display, 16GB of internal storage, HDMI Out, Micro SD support, and everything else most tablets have these days. 5MP camera on the rear, VGA up front, W-Fi and the works all for just $399. This is basically just the Acer A500 with a different color and a few curves aimed a different direction but otherwise a perfectly great and functional tablet at a decent price. Get it at Futureship.ca right now and they’ll throw in a free 16GB microSD card giving you 32GB of storage all for $399.
[via AndroidGuys]

Read more »

Acer Liquid Mini Ferrari Edition roars its engine

We haven’t seen much from Acer or the Liquid Mini lately but they are planning their next Ferrari phone and we have the details. Who remembers the Acer Liquid E Ferrari Edition? Basically what we have is that same idea wrapped around the recently released Liquid Mini.

The Acer Liquid Mini was released in April in the UK and at one point was spotted at the FCC heading to AT&T. While carrier or regions aren’t yet known we are now seeing the new Ferrari edition looking beautiful in glossy red roaring its engines for everyone. This is as special edition as it gets.

For those that don’t remember the Liquid Mini this is an Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone with a 3.2″ display, 800 Mhz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of RAM, 5MP camera on the rear and 8GB of internal storage. Basically a decent little mid-range offering surrounded by Ferrari and topped off with a custom UI overlay by Acer. It will come in exclusive glossy Ferrari Red and also come with an included Ferrari branded bluetooth headset. More details about specs, color, chrome trim, turbo chargers and more can all be seen at the source below.
[via Acer]

Read more »

Baidu and Dell building Android-based OS for phones and tablets

While Google is huge in America and many other places around the world, Baidu is the biggest in China and are planning to get their own slice of the Android and mobile market. Google operates a big operation in China but is still behind Baidu in that region. China has a massive mobile market and it’s only getting bigger, they are aiming to build their own OS using Android at the center but call it “Yi”.

Yi will consist of Android but be stripped of anything Google and replaced with Baidu and have a beautiful user interface over the top, looking a bit like iOS and MIUI combined for a nice pretty UI. Dell sees this as an opportunity and is already planning a large hardware partnership with Baidu to launch their own smartphones and tablets running on the new “Yi” OS. Some being branded by Dell, and other by Baidu they expect this to greatly improve their mobile business.

Some analysts stated this is just Dell grasping at anything to help their ailing mobile business not to mention China still has a huge fan base of Apple products that dominate the market. While seeing 3rd party or custom “operating systems” running off of Android is nothing new, I do like to see what others come up with and how they will implement everything. Did you guys see the Google Android running Yahoo! Phone? This is what comes to mind although something tells me Baidu has a much better chance than Yahoo does.
More as this story develops.
[via SlashGear]

Read more »

Verizon gets official with BlackBerry Torch 9850 launch date and pricing

No more waiting on details for the Verizon BlackBerry Torch 9850 we spotted earlier this summer. As expected, RIM’s latest all-touch smartphone will be available online starting on September 8, and will be in stores on September 15. Pricing will sit at $199.99 on a two-year contract, which is a bit pricier than what Sprint’s asking, but I’m sure that cost will go down quickly enough.
The BlackBerry Torch 9850 lines up with the other new OS 7 devices from RIM, packing a 1.2 GHz processor, 768 MB of RAM, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, a solid 3.7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen. Augmented reality is finally a go on the newer devices, but this one doesn’t have NFC, and the rumoured inclusion of mobile hotspot sadly didn’t pan out. As far as connectivity goes, the 9850 plays on both GSM and CDMA 2G and 3G networks, ensuring solid world roaming (if not any high-end LTE action). The software’s nicely polished and responsive, but more or less the same experience you’ve come to expect on a BlackBerry. I reviewed the Sprint model, if you’re thinking about picking up the Verizon one.
The Torch 9850 joins the Bold 9930 in Verizon’s BlackBerry lineup, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Curve 9350 show up later this month, and possibly a lower-end version of the all-touch BlackBerry to keep the other two company. You’ll be able to find the Torch 9850 in the online store over here starting Thursday.
[via]

Read more »

Motorola Droid 2 Global Gingerbread Update Now Available

Quick reminder for those that may be running with a Droid 2 Global, no Verizon and Motorola didn’t forget about your update, they just were making sure to get it right and now it is finally available. Although FroYo was cold and tasty Motorola now has some fresh baked Android 2.3 Gingerbread ready for the D2 Global and it should be rolling out right now.

Back in August the Droid 2 Global 2.3 Gingerbread build was leaked and available for all but this latest release is the official version and should be hitting handsets all week. The standard Droid 2 just started its update a few days ago so it’s good to see users didn’t have to wait long for the official version.

As always with most updates this is rolling out in phases and you should see it within the next few days. I know there are always a few that don’t want to wait and as usual you can manually pull the update by going to Menu > Settings > About Phone > System Update to get the Gingerbread goodness started. From there the entire update process should take about 10-15 minutes.

I’d back up anything of importance just to be safe, but you should be good to go. Enjoy the Gingerbread and feel free to drop us any comments below if you have any issues or comments after the update.
[via Motorola]

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 vs Apple iPad 2

We take a look at two of the hottest tablets on the market, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Apple's trend setting iPad 2

The tablet market is rapidly becoming as diverse and popular as the smartphone one. Manufacturers are beginning to push boundaries with every release, looking to create the ultimate product.
Two tablets that have come pretty close to perfection are Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Apple's iPad 2, and we're here to play a little game of tablet top trumps to see which one has the most to offer.

Screen
Apple's iPad 2 comes equipped with a 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT touchscreen which operates at resolution of 768x1024 pixels and performs brilliantly. Colours are well represented, responsiveness is good and the overall user experience is pleasing.
Unfortunately the iPad 2 doesn't bring the fabled Retina Display to the tablet market. In fact its pixel density, 136ppi, is lower than average, but studies have shown the quality to be A+ regardless.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 boasts - yep, you guessed it - a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen that runs at a resolution of 800x1280.

To put it bluntly, the Galaxy Tab 7.7's display is fantastic. Colours are vivid, responsiveness is excellent, blacks are pitch and the pixel density (196ppi) gives the device a great level of detail.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
 
Power
Both of our competitors are dual core toting tablets, with the Apple iPad 2 offering up a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 a 1.4GHz Cortex A9, giving the Galaxy Tab 7.7 a fair bit more punch.
Both devices offer high performance GPU's too, though, the Galaxy Tab 7.7's Mali-400MP again gives it the edge over the iPad 2's PowerVR SGX543MP2.

It's a similar tale when you look at installed memory too, as the Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with 1GB and the iPad 2 only 512MB of RAM.

The iPad 2 knows how to use what power it has, but we can't see it being a very future proof device. But we think that could be what Apple wants, so mission accomplished.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Software
The iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS platform and it's as pleasing to use on a tablet as it is on the iPhone.
The OS runs quickly, it's simple and looks great, plus you get access to the Apple App Store which is where the iPad 2 really comes into its own, as you get access to hundreds of thousands of quality apps, not to mention tons designed solely for the iPad.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 runs on version 3.2 (Honeycomb) of Google's Android platform, which has been designed with tablets firmly in mind.
As well as plenty of new speed and security enhancements, you're treated to re-designed core apps and a vast array of UI improvements.

Some of those UI tweaks won't be visible at first glance though, because the Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with Samsung's TouchWiz UX UI - a custom overlay designed to allow the user to get the most out of the tablet.
TouchWiz UX brings new widgets, icons, social networking integration and a whole lot more to-boot, but even with all this third-part finery has been added it still doesn't feel as slick and smooth as the iPad 2.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Camera
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with a primary 3.15-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging, as well as 720p video capture. The device also offers a 2-megapixel secondary camera.
Apple's iPad 2 is similarly underwhelming in the camera stakes, with a 0.7-megapixel primary offering that captures video at 720p and a paltry VGA secondary for FaceTime duty.
Neither of these devices are going to set tongues wagging based on their photographic capability, but the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the least disappointing so it takes this round by default.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Form and build
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 measures 196.7x133x7.9mm and weighs-in at a respectable 335g, making it a sure-fire hit with those that cart their tablet everywhere with them.
It's constructed largely of plastics with a smattering of metal thrown-in to give it a lightweight yet premium feel.

The iPad 2 measures 241.2x185.7x8.8mm and tips the scale at a comparatively obese 607g, which isn't quite as bad as it sounds, but still a way behind the compact and bijou Galaxy Tab 7.7.
As with all Apple products, the iPad 2 has a neat, premium feel to it and the materials used in construction are top-tier.

One area where the iPad 2 pips the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is battery life, with the iPad 2 offering up to 10 hours of usage thanks to the built-in 6930mAh cell. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 only comes with a 5100mAh battery, so you can expect a bit less. However, only our review will reveal whether that's actually the case.
Winner - Apple iPad 2

Verdict
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 has taken-on the mighty iPad 2 and beaten it, with a respectable score of 3-2.
If you're after a small, high performance tablet then the Galaxy Tab 7.7 must make your shortlist. It's a wonderful gadget that looks to excel in nearly every area, though it could have done with a better snapper.
The iPad 2 is still, despite its loss, a fantastic tablet and let's not forget it's the follow-up to the device, which re-ignited the tablet trend, makes it something akin to tablet royalty.

The apps on offer are great and the user experience is second-to-none, and they are arguably the most important thing with any device, so you'd be hard pushed to find a better tablet if you're looking to one-up the iPad 2 there.
Overall there can only be one winner though, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is a worthy one!

Read more »

LG Optimus 3D vs HTC Evo 3D: Which has the better 3D camera?

Your local cinema has 3D, it’s invaded the home, and now it is going for your mobile phone. Both LG and HTC have 3D-ready smartphones on the market: the LG Optimus 3D and the HTC Evo 3D.
They both profess to offer you the ability to capture 3D images and video on the go, and more importantly, both let you play them on the handset without having to wear silly glasses.
So if you’re a fan of 3D, which should you go for when it comes to capture and playback? We decided to put the two together to find out.

The HTC EVO 3D

The HTC EVO 3D comes with a 4.3-inch screen, runs Android with the HTC Sense UI over the top and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core MSM8660 Snapdragon processor with 1GB RAM. On the camera front it has dual-5-megapixel rear cameras and a 1.3-megapixel one on the front. It records in 720p resolution for both 2D and 3D.

On the connectivity front, it's 3- or 4G-enabled (depending on where you are in the world), Wi-Fi, DLNA, HDMI, and Bluetooth 3.0.

The LG Optimus 3D

The Optimus 3D also sports a 4.3-inch screen, runs Android with LG's custom skin on the top and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP4430 processor with 512MB RAM. On the camera front it has dual-5-megapixel cameras at the rear and a 0.3-megapixel camera on the front. It records in 1080p (2D) and 720p (3D).

Connectivity wise it has 3G, Wi-Fi, DLNA, HDMI, and Bluetooth 3.0. Beating the HTC EVO 3D it has 8GB of onboard storage.

Testing the 3D cameras

To test the two cameras we took them to the Earls Barton Steam Rally in Northamptonshire, to see what it would be like using them in the field. We'd take a series of photos and video and then enjoy them in the field (literally) as well as back home on an LG LX9900 3D television via the USB-out socket both of them sport.
We haven’t benchmarked them, taken pictures in a controlled environments, or subjected them to the same test after test, because that’s not how you use your phone or your phone's camera in everyday life. This is how they perform in the real world.

Test 1: Using 3D on the go 

With both phones, accessing the 3D camera is very simple. HTC has gone for a hard sliding switch, while LG has picked a hard button. Both are clearly marked, however; HTC’s approach of a 2D/3D switch is clearer in allowing you to see what mode you are in at a glance, even though in reality just looking at the screen is going to tell you.

In addition to pressing the hard 3D button to launch the 3D services, LG has opted for that button to either let you switch from 3D to 2D in the camera mode or via a further software button in the camera app that you can toggle on and off quickly and easily.

Test 2: 3D glasses-free viewing

Before we get to the capture elements, it’s worth covering the screen. After all, that’s what you're going to be viewing your content on, on the go. Both come with a very glossy 4.3-inch display each of which we struggled to view in bright sunlight - especially when in 3D mode.

According to the spec sheets, the HTC screen sports a higher resolution; however, in practice we found that the LG screen, when it came to 3D playback, offered a more rich colour experience. The whites are more yellow compared to the HTC’s bluer tones.

Additionally the LG Optimus 3D has a wider sweet spot that means we found there was greater room for moving your head while watching your captured 3D without losing the effect. That’s something that wasn’t as easy on the HTC Evo 3D.

Interestingly, in 2D, the HTC Evo 3D screen resolution and quality is noticeably sharper and crisper.

Test 3: 3D camera stills performance

Again, the quality of the shot varied massively depending on the photograph. Clean portraits with little in the background proved best on both handsets with the EVO 3D giving a more natural look to the LG's rich colours. Think creams compared to blue whites.

Which one you prefer will depend on whether you like cold or warm photos because, while you can change both to suit your needs (white balance etc), you'll have to bury yourself in the settings panels to do so.

Test shot from the HTC EVO 3D turned into a animated GIF using 3D Porch

Test shot from the LG Optimus 3D turned into a animated GIF using 3D Porch

When it comes to settings, the LG Optimus 3D also has more "3D" options. You can change the focus of the 3D from Border to Centre as well as tinker with the strength of the 3D effect to get the best results.
The HTC Evo 3D settings don't offer any of this. However, it does let you decide from the start which 3D file format you want to save in; .jps or .mpo.

While, on the surface, you'll think that it makes no difference whatsoever, it's the one frustration we did have with the LG Optimus 3D. It doesn't give you the option to choose which file format to save on the first save, opting to save its 3D stills in the .jps file format rather than .mpo.

What does that mean? Well when it came to viewing the images on our 3D TV we weren't able to see the ones taken on the Optimus because our LG TV, strangely, couldn't see that format. Bonkers, we know. The only way we could get it to work was via an HDMI cable as even DLNA between the two didn't work either.

That's likely to be a shame for those keen to share their images on the big screen quickly. With a bit of fiddling - like saving the files to the .mpo format on your phone or your computer within the gallery - you'll get around the problem, but it's annoying that you can't just change the file format and save settings like you can with the HTC EVO 3D at the start. Very silly.

Test 4: 3D video performance

The results of the EVO 3D on a 47-inch television are very much like the results we witnessed on the back of the phones 4.3-inch screen. The recording was cooler in colour than the LG Optimus 3D, and while that gave us a more natural, honest look, we have to say that we preferred the richer tones and colour of the LG 3D smartphone.

Aside from that, though, the quality of both was good. However, both showed plenty of ghosting to the image. This could be, and we suspect it is, down to what and how we filmed. The scene was crowded with plenty of people walking about and, apart from a fence post in the foreground designed to hopefully give a better sense of 3D to the overall footage, we didn't really give the rest of the framing much thought.

That means that the crowd of people standing by the tent is a bit cluttered and certainly for us doesn't work that well in 3D. That said, what does work are the big steam engines slowly rolling past.

On the sound front both phones coped well on what was basically a fairly noisy, windy, wet day, but you'll need some 3D kit if you're hoping to appreciate our test videos.

Test video of the HTC EVO 3D

Test video of the HTC EVO 3D

Test 4: 3D extras

Aside from the capturing of 3D images, the LG Optimus 3D also comes with a greater emphasis on 3D than the Evo. There is a dedicated 3D menu system designed to highlight the 3D content. There are three 3D games from Gamesloft bundled in for free, direct links to YouTube’s 3D video area and even a 3D book - Gulliver’s Travels. Even the Android applications menu has been changed to show the 3D elements the phone has to offer. HTC’s approach is you get a 3D camera and that’s it.

Conclusion

From a quality perspective, we have to say that we prefer the LG Optimus 3D. The colours are richer and the viewing experience on the phone is better and wider. What lets the Optimus down, however, is the inability to save as a .mpo file from the beginning. While this won't affect your playback onscreen on the phone itself, it did mean that sharing the results with a TV, an LG TV even, was harder than with the HTC Evo 3D.
We also preferred the additional 3D content that LG has provided here, making you really feel like you've actually bought a 3D device. The HTC Evo 3D outside of the camera is just a standard, if not very nice, Android smartphone.

It's worth pointing out while the LG Optimus device was superior at 3D the Evo 3D's 2D screen is better. So, which should you buy as a better 3D phone? The LG Optimus 3D, hands down.
          

Read more »

BlackBerry App World 3.0 now available

RIM has released BlackBerry App World 3.0 for its smartphone users. The redesigned front-end for the company's store has been crafted to make it easier to find applications, games and themes, with each category getting its own channel.
Other new features include App Social Sharing, an option to tell friends about a newly discovered application through BBM, Twitter, Facebook, email or SMS, straight from the app's screen; My Account, offering direct access to account information from the home screen, thereby making it easier to manage BBID and payment options; An evolved App Details screen, which now presents a?quick summary, screenshots and star ratings, and allows the user to check out reviews; And there are improved search options, with a search bar now appearing on the storefront home screen. It also offers the ability to filter by?App Name, Price, Rating, Newest, Best Match, or Popular.
The update will be available for BlackBerry OS 5.0+ users and will be rolled out over the next couple of days. Some owners are reporting that it's already arrived for their devices.
The full list of BlackBerry App World 3.0 features are as follows:
Sleek New Design - The BlackBerry App World experience has been enhanced to help users discover the latest and greatest apps and content, starting right on the BlackBerry App World home screen where rotating spotlight banners show off all that’s new and exciting.
New Channels - Apps, Games, and Themes now have their own channels so users can get to what they want even faster.
Introduction of My Account - My Account makes managing BBID and payment options easy with direct access to all account information from the home screen.
New My World Features - My World gives users a streamlined view of their apps and status, and now at a glance, in addition to seeing which apps are installed and uninstalled, users can manage subscription content and services.? When new updates or subscription renewals are available for apps, users will be notified using push technology.
App Social Sharing - When a user finds an app they can’t live without, they can share it directly from the app details screen through BBM, Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS.
Evolved App Details Screen - At a glance, users can get a quick summary, check out reviews and star ratings, take a look at screen shots, and more.
More Search Options - Quickly find apps with a Search Bar now appearing on the storefront home screen and search results are presented across Channels as well as My World.? Search Bars are also within each Channel and users have the ability to filter by App Name, Price, Rating, Newest, Best Match, or Popular.

Read more »