Smartphone Straight Talk

Perhaps you were discouraged by the uncertainty that comes along with a Kickstarter pledge, or you simply missed your chance to give Motrr's Galileo an $85 kick before the deadline hit. Whatever the reason, you're still in luck -- the iOS-controlled iPhone platform is now available for a proper pre-order, with a 10-percent discount and free shipping in tow. Galileo, which netted a whopping $702,427 in Kickstarter funding, could soon be on its way to a nursery or conference room near you, for the slightly increased sum of $116.99. That Benjamin and change will buy you one 360-degree rotating platform, complete with a rechargeable battery, USB cable, tripod screw and user manual. There's no word on when this latest round of pre-orders will be filled, but the company did confirm that it plans to ship the first batch this summer. Full deets (and pre-order option) are at the source link after the break.

Continue reading Motrr Galileo nets $700k in Kickstarter pledges, available to pre-order now for $117

Motrr Galileo nets $700k in Kickstarter pledges, available to pre-order now for $117 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Video in tablet magazines and similar apps sometimes -- okay, often -- comes across as a grafted-on extra. Condition One, a startup by war photographer Danfung Dennis, wants to make video an intrinsic part of the experience by taking advantage of the motion sensors in smartphones and tablets. Video shot from a DSLR or similar camera is converted into a 180-degree format that you can swipe or tilt through on an iOS device to get a more involving look. It's a lot more lively than plain movies, and Dennis sees the technique being used for documentaries and tours where it would help to put viewers directly in the action. Producers only need off-the-shelf hardware and software, too. There's a show-off app at the source link to get an overall sense of what the footage is like, but if you're looking for the first official projects, a pilot project has just started that's bringing apps from Discovery, Mercedes-Benz, Popular Science (below), The Guardian and XL Recordings.

Continue reading Condition One immerses iPads and iPhones in 180-degree video, shakes up dreary apps (video)

Condition One immerses iPads and iPhones in 180-degree video, shakes up dreary apps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lumia, Lumia, Lumia. Who would have thought, way back at Nokia World 2011, that the name would come to ring as affectionately as it does today? The first three releases in the family, the 800, 710 and, most recently, the 900, all provided such a fluid, well-rounded experience that we found it easy to overlook certain weaknesses in their spec sheets. Low-res 480 x 800 displays and single-core processors were largely forgotten in the face of a fresh aesthetic and matching OS that stood out from the smartphone crowd.

Which brings us to Lumia number four: the 610. As a budget phone currently going for free on a £15-per-month contract in the UK, it's been built on Nokia's belief that Windows Phone will run on almost anything: the merest of Snapdragon S1 processors (clocked at just 800MHz) coupled with a few crumbs of RAM (256MB). Overall, those specs make previous Lumias -- with their S2 chips, 512MB and 1.4GHz clock speeds -- look almost futuristic. The question is, can WP really come this cheap and survive intact? Read on and you'll find out.

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 610 review

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 610 review

Nokia Lumia 610 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Finally, the iPad can lay claim to a Clock app of its own. That’s right, with iOS 6, comes a new Clock app built from the ground up with the iPad in mind. The first word that might come to your head after initially laying eyes on the Clock app is “beautiful”, as it’s accented with a level of detail that Apple is famous for.

Included with the Clock app is a world clock capable of storing up to 24 different locations, along with the obligatory alarm, stop watch, and timer functions. Check out our full video walkthrough of the new Clock app for all of the details. Be sure to comment and let us know what you think about it.

"iOS 6: Clock app video walkthrough" is an article by iDownloadBlog.com.
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Sony Mobile casually dropped onto its website that in addition to the expected Xperia Ion flagship, it's also releasing an Xperia Ion HSPA. The handset's only readily apparent feature is its reduced modem, and in every other way looks to match its 4G-enabled brother, with a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 12-megapixel camera and Gingerbread. Whilst its designed to consume the same AT&T friendly frequencies, this one's destined for a rest-of-the-world arrival to sate the lust of global Sony fans in countries where they do everything a little slower.

Continue reading Sony outs Xperia Ion HSPA for poor 4G-lacking citizens (video)

Sony outs Xperia Ion HSPA for poor 4G-lacking citizens (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 03:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It looks like Sony's not quite finished today, with two more phones sneaking out on its YouTube channel ahead of any official fanfare. The Xperia tipo dual (and its single-SIM version, the tipo) keep things small and simple, with a 3.2-inch 480 x 320 TFT screen and 800MHz Snapdragon processor. Both, however, will be running Ice Cream Sandwich out of the gate -- embarrassing Sony's bigger (presumably pricier) smartphones. The sub-100g (3.5-ounce) frame houses 3.2-megapixel camera and 2.5GB of user-accessible memory, expandable by microSD. A dedicated hardware key will switch the tipo dual between those SIMs, while you can also automate the phone to swap between them at different times of the day. There's no launch date or pricing yet, but you can take a video tour of both phones below.

Gallery: Sony Xperia tipo dual

Continue reading Sony Xperia tipo dual shares SIMs, still fits in tiny pockets

Sony Xperia tipo dual shares SIMs, still fits in tiny pockets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 03:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Xperia miro's moved up its coming-out party a whole nine days thanks to Sony Mobile's Facebook campaign. Loaded with ICS, the phone is outfitted with a 3.5-inch display, 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing "chat cam" and comes in shades of black, gold, pink and silver. Integrated Facebook features and customizable illuminations are also promised, but the lid hasn't been lifted on more detailed specs. As of now, the social-minded phone is only slated for release in Europe, but look out below for some additional glamour shots or head past the break for the video unveiling.

Gallery: Sony Xperia Miro

Continue reading Sony Xperia miro unveiled ahead of time, light on details

Sony Xperia miro unveiled ahead of time, light on details originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 03:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Safari doesn’t look that different on iOS 6, but underneath the hood you’ll find some interesting changes aimed at improving your mobile browsing experience. First of all, there’s the ability to browse in full screen mode while in landscape on the iPhone. Secondly, there’s the ability to sync tabs across other iOS 6 devices using iCloud. Next up to bat is a new update to Reading List that allows you to read those items while offline.

Take a look at our video demonstration inside that showcases all of these new features and more. Have you found anything in addition to these items? If you do, be sure to let us know in the comments.

"iOS 6: Safari video demonstration" is an article by iDownloadBlog.com.
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It's been a long ride for the PadFone. ASUS' last smartphone was the Android 2.1-powered A10 from two years ago, then five months later the company ended its smartphone partnership with Garmin (though they're still friends). The next thing we knew, the outfit was openly considering Windows Phone, but obviously nothing came to fruition despite its E600 engineering units floating about in the wild. Meanwhile, a bunch of Android Eee Pads started entering the market to get a slice of that hot tablet pie.

Eventually, the PadFone shocked the industry at last year's Computex (remember our brilliant mockup based on the teaser pics?), but ASUS went on to miss its Christmas launch target, allowing it extra time to rejig the phone's software and design. Then CES and MWC went by, with the latter hosting the official launch event to unveil the PadFone's final design and availability date. This time, the new April target was missed by only three weeks, and shortly afterwards we got hold of our retail unit from Taiwan, which is still the only place where you can get hold of the product.

But enough with the story. What we want to know is whether ASUS' courageous and unique project has all the right ingredients to squeeze itself into a market now dominated by the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC. Most importantly, will the company set a new trend with this two- or three-in-one form factor -- in the same way it did with netbooks -- thus taking the Android ecosystem to the next level? Let's see.

Gallery: ASUS PadFone review

Gallery: ASUS PadFone review (accessories)

Continue reading ASUS PadFone review

ASUS PadFone review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple left little untouched with its iOS 6 overhaul, and that includes the App Store app. The App Store has remained relatively the same over the years, but this version is a completely new and improved iteration.

It’s so different, that you might not even recognize it on first glance. Thankfully, the changes are for the better, as this new App Store refresh provides a much more intuitive and seamless experience overall. One of the best new features is the ability to download items without being kicked back to the Home screen time and again. It really is that much better than before. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the iOS 6 version of the App Store app in the comments.

"iOS 6: App Store video demonstration" is an article by iDownloadBlog.com.
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