Motorola Atrix 2 leaks again, more details and pictures revealed

Internally known as the Motorola Edison we now have even more pictures today of the upcoming Motorola Atrix 2. The next version of the Atrix was first leaked way back in July and was being called the Atrix HD so we are still up in the air regarding the actual name. With a few design changes and a new placement for the AT&T logo this looks to possibly be the final version we should see hit the shelves soon. More details and pictures after the break.

There was also a few rumors that the next Atrix could be a 4G LTE device and now that AT&T has finally started the rollout of that network it would make sense. According to sources this is not the case, and the Atrix 2 will not feature AT&T’s new 4G LTE. That could end up being a big con when this has to compete with the likes of the Bionic and the Photon 4G from other carriers. I can clearly see a “4″ in the notification bar so it could be a HSPA+ 4G phone. Just like initial leaks suggested the Atrix 2 features a 4.3″ HD display although we aren’t sure on the 720p resolution or not. A 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP camera on the rear like shown in the photos and more.

We have Android 2.3.5 on board like the image above suggests, along with the latest version of Motorola’s user interface like we saw on the DROID Bionic, and even though the sources say this isn’t a 4G phone if you look close you can make out a “4″ in the notification bar for the network status indicator. I’m going to take this leakster with a grain of salt for now because I just can’t see AT&T release this without the new 4G LTE they’ve just rolled out this week.
Either way check out the rest of the photos in the gallery below and let us know what you think about the Atrix 2.
[via BGR]

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NVIDIA shares details on Kal-El, adds a fifth core

The next revolution in the mobile market it almost here, and that is quad-core processors. We’ve heard tons about them in the past and are about to here plenty more in the future. Today NVIDIA is shedding some light into their world of quad-cores, project Kal-El, and even broke some news about a fifth core — yes we said fifth as in five. Would we call that a quin-core processor?

NVIDIA today has added some details giving us a more in depth look at Kal-El quad-cores as well as everything else you’d possibly need to know with a pile of white papers full of useful information. The addition of a fifth stealth-core to help save on energy, and the amazing levels of power efficiency we will be seeing with their quad-core processors that are coming soon. It also looks like 1080p is a thing of the past, with Kal-El and future chips offering 2560×1600 HD video and more. With that high of resolution support I’m excited to see what Kal-El will offer in terms of 3D video output, as I’m sure a few will be excited to give that a try with some 3D gaming or video playback.
Today NVIDIA unveiled that project Kal-el will have something called a stealth-core that is a fifth processing core that will save on energy, keeps things efficient, and pop up to do some tasks only when its needed and let the big guns sleep until their numbers are called. Everything is right here in the NVIDIA white papers. Basically during those daily tasks that are lightweight such as music playback, e-reading, and YouTube watching Kal-el will completely power down all four cores and activate the single companion stealth-core. For higher performance tasks, Kal-El disables its companion core and turns on its four performance cores, one at a time, as the work load increase. Instead of sucking power with all four cores all the time NVIDIA plans to operate in a highly efficient system.
The second whitepaper by NVIDIA details how as crazy as it sounds, quad-core Kal-El uses less power than dual-core processors across all performance points, and even less than single-core processors too. Instead of overloading any single or dual chips Kal-el is able to efficiently and evenly distribute the brute workload and this causes an overall environment that consumes less power.
With faster browser rendering and load times, stellar benchmark performance and multi-threading and more the power of Kal-el aims to impress. Below is a view of Coremark comparing many current dual-core processors and it shows Kal-el performing quite impressively. Delivering over two times the performance of dual-core processors all while using less power is a pretty big task, and NVIDIA seems to have nailed it.

What all this means in the Android tablet and smartphone world remains to be seen. The last leaked roadmap from NVIDIA showed us Kal-El and Kal-El+. I’m wondering if the + will be an even more efficient platform that they’ll use for quad-core smartphones.
I’ll ask you guys the same thing NVIDIA asked us. So, does a quad-core processor that outperforms other processors while using less power appeal to you?

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O2 UK to get HTC Rhyme on October 17

I just mentioned the new smartphone that has launched from HTC called the HTC Rhyme. The smartphone is aimed at women wanting a cute smartphone more than the hardcore Android user looking for power. The Rhyme does come with some nice accessories though. If the Rhyme tickled your fancy and you are in the UK, O2 has announced that it will be getting the smartphone starting on October 17. That launch date isn’t too far away.

O2 will be the exclusive UK carrier for the smartphone packing HTC Sense and Gingerbread. We already ran down the features of the Rhyme today, but if you missed that other post, I will run them down here again. The O2 version will be purple and have the same accessories as the Verizon US version. The accessories include the light-up charm that shows at a glance if there are messages or calls.
The phone also comes with a dock, workout armband for holding the phone, headphones, and a Bluetooth headset. Surprisingly, the armband isn’t purple nor is the dock as you might think all the accessories would be. The phone also has Bluetooth, a 3.7-inch WVGA screen, a 5MP rear camera with flash and a VGA front camera. The phone is expected to be free on a contract.
[via SlashGear]

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Verizon HTC Rhyme Hands-On [Video]

What we’ve got here is a rather feminine device created by HTC to appeal to those who love to be fashion forward and have a bit of a unique coolness to their smartphone. Much in the same way the bright red version of the HTC Inspire 4G, the HTC Rhyme (here in its Verizon iteration) aims to spice up more than just the specifications inside the phone – the exterior aesthetic here is enhanced, made to work with the way the user and the device interact visually. And it finally, finally brings the “charm” to the USA with a little light-up square that lets you know you’ve got a notification. Japan Kawaii, here we come!

I’m actually surprised the team at HTC didn’t call this the HTC Kawaii, as cuteness is certainly the centerpiece here with the Rhyme. It’s also a bit strange that it doesn’t have “Beats” integration given its name and the fact that HTC recently hooked up with Beats officially, but we wont dwell on that for long. Plastic and metal components all around, soft plastic on the back and a construction that reminds us, strangely, of a first-gen HTC device – and that’s not a bad thing.

This device is clearly made to be a full package, with wired stereo headset, Bluetooth headset, and charm all ringing true with the same cool Plum coloring. The charm, like the headset, must be plugged into the headphone jack to work, acting as a simple tell-all for activities as they happen – got a new message? Bright lights for you! The desk cradle is one of the more clear plusses of this entire combination, appearing to be a desktop accessory noone would be opposed to employing.

Inside and out this device doesn’t exactly scream “new”, a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon, WVGA LCD display and 5MP camera with single LED flash leading us to believe that this device isn’t aimed at early adopters, but rather a new generation of smartphone users looking to get in to the game with something that looks rather nice. On the other hand, this device is the first to show off the new HTC Sense 3.5, glossy and impressive as always. The simplified widgets and tabbed shortcut bar are there, as are some excellent dynamic icons that chance based on updates to apps.

The newest update to HTC’s camera app includes 2.5s in burst mode, auto backlight correction, and automatic upload to a user-designated Facebook gallery, amongst many other options you may have seen in the last few impressive HTC camera app releases. That said, in combination with a fairly decent (though not top-class compared to its 8-megapixel cousins) camera makes this device a definite lead-in to other HTC devices. You’ll also notice that this device doesn’t ONLY come in Plum, there’s a sort of silver/white combo for those that love a White Wedding more than they want Purple Rain.
[VIDEO PROCESSING]

What we’ve got here is a mid-range contender that’ll likely appeal to a younger crowd and will take, as all good smartphones should, the feature phone selection at Verizon to lunch (and not leave a tip!) Have a look at our hands-on video as well as photos galore above and below. We’ll also be reviewing this device soon.
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Dell offers Android users app for shopping and support

Dell has announced a new app for Android users that will let Android fans access a bunch of features for support and to buy new products. The app is an extension of the Dell.com website and it is called the Dell Mobile App for Android. The app is on the Android Market right now for download. You can also download it directly from the Dell website at this link.

Using the app Android owners can shop from anywhere and at anytime and offers many of the features from the main site. With the app users can browse products and compare different products from Dell as well as read reviews. Once the product is chose the user can buy what they are looking at securely directly from the mobile device.
All the same products and options are available on the app as the main Dell website. This might be a cool app for the corporate IT person that has to order products for multiple people within the company. Dell is also pushing the app to be a shopping hub for the holiday season. Dell and Baidu have been in the news lately. Dell and Baidu recently joined up to build an Android-based OS for mobile devices in China.
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HTC Rhyme sign up page now live

The HTC announcement starts in about an hour – but it looks like there’s already one device that we can confirm to be showing up at the event. The sign-up page for the HTC Rhyme (formerly known as HTC Bliss) has gone live on Verizon’s website, giving users to opportunity to show their interest in the phone by entering their email address. It is said to go on sale this Thursday, September 22^nd, with pre-orders for the phone starting tomorrow.
The HTC Rhyme will be an Android phone that’s targeted at female users, featuring mid-range specs: a 3.7″ WVGA display, an 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front-facing camera, Android 2.3.4, HTC Sense 3.5, and will be bundled with: a light-up charm that lets people know when they’ve got messages or incoming calls, a docking station, and a set of tangle-free headphones. Head over to the Verizon website if you’re keen on finding more about the phone.

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AT&T Offers to Sell T-Mobile Assets to Sprint, Others

Bloomberg has reported that AT&T’s contracted Sprint, MetroPCS, Leap Wireless, CenturyLink and Dish Network in order to negotiate the sale of T-Mobile assets in order to gain approval for their proposed merger. This is likely in response to early reports that suggested AT&T would most likely need to go this route in order to persuade anti-trust regulators and the FCC that their moves aren’t to stifle competition.

Talks are supposedly preliminary for the time being with no carrier or firm coming to concrete terms with AT&T on this possible sale. Bloomberg reports that the department of justice may not even consider the sale of assets a huge band-aid for AT&T’s case. That ruling could come to if AT&T offers assets of low value to their competitors. We’d think spectrum would be the most valuable but AT&T’s acquisition is all about that, according to them. It will be an interesting few months, for sure. [Bloomberg]

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Receives Android 2.3.4

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo has received its Android 2.3.4 update. It brings with it the new version of Google Talk with video chat support, but Sony Ericsson has also sprinkled more desirable goods into the folks. We get a Swype-like keyboard, a panoramic photo option in camera, screen capture and enhancements to their Facebook integration. This one’s going out in Nordic countries right now but we can’t imagine it will take long to make its way to other regions. Sony Ericsson is expected to complete rollout to all regions in October. [Xperia Blog]

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