The Wall Street Journal is reporting that T-Mobile is “in talks to distribute Huawei Technologies Co.’s new Google-powered smartphone this holiday season.” The phone in question, dubbed the Ideos, was revealed yesterday in Berlin. The phone is an inexpensive, 2.8-inch touchscreen, Android 2.2 device that Huawei says will be a powerful and accessible Android handset. The WSJ quotes a person familiar with the matter and explains that “an agreement would give Huawei an opening into the U.S. market and T-Mobile a low-cost smartphone.” The suggested retail price for the Ideos is between $100 and $200 off-contract.

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Microsoft just dropped us a quick note to let us know that Windows Phone 7 has officially hit release to manufacturing (RTM) stage. As the note states: “The operating system has been finalized and is being delivered to partners around the world who will continue the work of integrating software with their hardware and networks to create amazing devices for customers by holiday season 2010.” Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows Phone Engineering, Terry Myerson, had this to say in the blog post announcing the feat: “Windows Phone 7 is the most thoroughly tested mobile platform Microsoft has ever released.  We had nearly ten thousand devices running automated tests daily, over a half million hours of active self-hosting use, over three and a half million hours of stress test passes, and eight and a half million hours of fully automated test passes.  We’ve had thousands of independent software vendors and early adopters testing our software and giving us great feedback. We are ready.” We’re ready too, Terry. Bring on the WP7 devices!

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If you waltz into your local Best Buy today, you'll find precisely one tablet for sale: Apple's iPad. By the time this holiday season rolls around, though, that'll all be different. We've heard from Steve Ballmer that Microsoft intends for Windows 7 to be powering quite a few tablet devices in the near future, but it's been somewhat difficult to nail down exact time frames for release outside of Samsung's Q3-bound Galaxy Tab (which won't even run Windows). According to Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile, the company will be making "tablets a focus... going into the holidays." He continued: "Like e-readers over the last couple years, we think customers will think of Best Buy for tablets and expect us to have the right ones." He wouldn't go so far as to confirm the models or brands of any headed Best Buy's way, but we're seeing even more hints that those Rocketfish images tweeted a few weeks ago may indeed foreshadow a holiday launch. We sure hope Santa's ready to deal with the onslaught.

Best Buy 'making tablets a focus' this holiday season, might stock one from Rocketfish originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft says Kinect won't support sign language, downgraded cameras likely to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We've seen a number of promising Tegra 2 Android tablets at this point, but precious few solid release dates, so forgive us if we're jumping for joy to hear even an unheard-of German challenger is slated to arrive this holiday season. Should you believe the company's website, December will see the launch of E-Noa's Interpad, a 10-inch capacitive multitouch Android 2.1 device with a laundry list of desirable features. €399 (about $518) may seem a bit steep for an Android device, but it buys you a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 T20 chip in a package only a half-inch thin, plus 1GB of DDR2 RAM and 16GB of flash storage (expandable via microSD) to put your PlayStation ROMs in. Connectivity includes 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0 and HDMI out, and it's all powered by a 3900mAh battery reportedly good for 8-12 hours. If you're willing to drop a little extra, MobiFlip reports that Android 2.2, GPS, camera and 3G modules will appear in an upgraded version for under €500 ($649), but we don't want to get you too excited before we can verify the potency of the original, eh? We're hoping to see it in person at September's IFA in Berlin.

Interpad's 10-inch Tegra 2-toting Android tablet may make Germans merry later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kmart and Sears are gearing up launch a new streaming movie service slated for launch later this year. The service will be powered by Sonic Solutions’ RoxioNow, which boasts of a 5,000 movie strong catalog and features the same streaming architecture that powers Best Buy’s and Blockbuster’s online movie services. Kmart and Sears intend to offer the service, to be known as Alphaline Entertainment, with their televisions and Blu-ray players from companies like Sharp, LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and RCA. Setup will be performed within the store during the purchase process and will allow customers to stream movies as soon as they arrive home and connect up their device. Anyone now going to add Sears and Kmart to their list of “must visit” stores for the end of the year holiday shopping season?

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We don't have the foggiest idea whether Tron: Legacy will serve to reboot Disney's venerable light cycling franchise, but it's certainly got peripheral vendors in high gear -- you'll be able to hack the ENCOM Digitizing Molecular Laser with a genuine Tron keyboard and mouse or toss virtual light discs with an Tron-themed Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii controller this holiday season. Gaming favorite Razer crafted this $130 laser-etched keyboard with swappable numpad and programmable macros; it will ship alongside a $100, 5600dpi laser mouse in October, and PDP will provide the console controllers for $50 at an unspecified date. We were bummed to hear that the Xbox 360 and PS3 pads are wired, but in retrospect that might be a good thing -- by comparison, Razer's detachable keypad is just begging to be thrown at an MCP-generated foe. See all the new Tron toys lit up in a video after the break. (Caution: video loads automatically.)

Continue reading Tron gaming peripherals soothe your nostalgia with calming blue light (video)

Tron gaming peripherals soothe your nostalgia with calming blue light (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The frequency of major Android OS releases will soon slow down considerably, Google’s VP of engineering Andy Rubin said in an interview on Monday. Instead of several major releases per year (2009 saw three major releases), Rubin said Android is headed towards a more mature phase of its life cycle in which the number of updates must be controlled to allow developers to catch up. In other words, expect to see two or even one major release per year. Here are Rubin’s own words:

We’ve gone through a lot of product iterations because we had to bring the product up to market spec. Quite honestly, the product when we launched it, it didn’t really feel like a 1.0, it felt like kind of an 0.8, but it was a window of opportunity and the market needed an entrant at the holiday season. So we launched it, and from our internal 0.8, we got to 1.0 pretty quickly, and we went through this iteration cycle. You’ve noticed, probably, that that’s slowed down a little bit. Our product cycle is now, basically twice a year, and it will probably end up being once a year when things start settling down, because a platform that’s moving — it’s hard for developers to keep up. I want developers to basically leverage the innovation. I don’t want developers to have to predict the innovation.

We know the Android Army is going to pounce all over these statements as soon as this post goes up and that fans of other OSes will invariably get involved, but let’s try and keep it clean and civil, shall we?

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You heard right, folks -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently "developing a new iPhone to debut this summer," and as if that weren't enough, it's also "working on another model for US mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless." As of this moment, details about the break are nowhere to be found, but it's not like either tidbit is shocking. This summer will mark the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 3GS, and if the Cupertino-based company keeps with its historical refresh pattern, we're just a few months out from seeing the latest and greatest iPhone. There's also been no shortage of iPhone-to-Verizon rumors over the years, with the latest of 'em happening during the run-up to the iPad's launch.

Update: We're now learning that the "next iPhone is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry," which just so happens to be the same outfit responsible for crafting all prior iPhones. That's according to "people briefed on the matter" and sourced by the WSJ. It's also stated that the world's first CDMA iPhone will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology, which we caught just last week dabbling in some of NVIDIA's Tegra 2-based wares. If all goes well, Pegatron could begin mass production of the CDMA iPhone (exact model not disclosed) this September, so it's hard to say if Sprint or Verizon would have access before the all-too-lucrative holiday season. As for quotes on the matter? Most everyone involved wouldn't say a word, but an AT&T spokesman did utter the following: "There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven't seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur."

On a week that couldn't possibly get any bigger for Apple, that's exactly what just happened. Everyone suspected that a fourth-generation iPhone was in the works, but having an outlet like the WSJ confirm it just makes the summer that much harder to wait for. There's also the possibility that 2010 will be the final year that AT&T retains its death-grip on the iPhone, but by the sound of this report, it still seems as if the nation's largest GSM carrier may nab exclusive rights on the latest iPhone. We also can't help but wonder about the future of a true 4G iPhone -- will Sprint manage to grab a WiMAX-enabled version? Will Verizon get its grubby paws on an LTE model? We figured only Jobs would know, but now... there might just be someone else out there willing to spill the beans.

[Thanks, Chris]

WSJ: Apple 'developing new iPhone,' plus another for Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An unsubstantiated rumor out of XDA-Developers suggests that HTC is continuing its Touch Pro series of handsets with the third iteration expected to arrive this summer. According to the forum post, the rumored Touch Pro3 will be smaller and thinner than the current Touch Pro2 and will launch in Europe in Q2. With Windows Phone 7 Series smartphones expected to debut during this holiday season, the Touch Pro3, if it indeed launches, may be one of the last Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets to hit the market. Anyone interested?

[Via wmpoweruser]

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The last time we heard anything about the launch schedule for Google's Chrome OS it was summer of last year. At that time we were told a rather vague "second half of 2010" and, now that we're entering the second quarter of the year, forgive us if we were starting to get a bit doubtful about that timeline. But, Google's Eric Schmidt is here to assuage our fears, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and indicating the little OS is still on track for that same, rather vague release window. That we're still not getting a more specific date makes us think we're probably looking at a release toward the end of the second half of this year, but just the same it seems like you shouldn't wipe that Chrome-powered netbook off your wishlist for this upcoming holiday season just yet.

Eric Schmidt confirms Chrome OS is on schedule, on target originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We'll just come right out and say it: Guitar Hero and Rock Band should watch their back, 'cause there's a better-than-decent chance that Power Gig will be all the rage this holiday season. Seven45 Studios is a heretofore unheard of upstart with roots in First Act, and unlike the vast majority of game developers, these guys actually have a direct hand in the production of the software and hardware associated with this package. They'll be designing the Power Gig video game series (Rise of the SixString is only the first installment) as well as the guitars, drums and microphones in-house, and given the First Act roots, you know you'll be getting instruments of higher quality than what's on the market today. Oh, and yes, we didn't misspeak when we pluralized "guitars" and mentioned those other two devices.

We had a sit down with the team today at GDC, and besides coming away impressed with the alpha build of the game and the prototype axes we saw, we also learned quite a bit more about their plans than what was revealed in this morning's press release. Just to be exceptionally clear, Seven45 Studios will not only sell their upcoming title as a standalone product, but it will sell a "band bundle" that includes the game, a guitar (plus a strap, picks and an extra set of strings), a drum set and a microphone, the latter two of which are still very early in production and weren't available for us to test. The beat matching setup that gamers have grown used to in Rock Band and Guitar Hero is still there, but most everything else is new; a "chording" addition will allow users to strum actual power chords that match the chords used in the song, giving newbies the ability to actually learn songs as they play the game if they want to. In other words, if users strum the same chords required to succeed in the game but through an amp, they'll be playing the actual song; if you'd rather not learn, you need not have any clue how to play a guitar to enjoy the game. Speaking of which, the bundled guitar (along with extra guitars that are still being sorted in terms of size, material and color) doubles as a legitimate six string by simply depressing the dampening pad beneath the neck, and while it won't match the crisp tone emitted from your Les Paul Custom, the prototype we heard here in San Francisco sounded just fine for a beginner's instrument. We also learned that existing Rock Band and Guitar Hero guitars will work with the Power Gig titles, and Seven45's guitars will work with existing music band games -- not bad!

More after the break...

Continue reading Seven45 Studios talks Power Gig details, we go hands-on with its six string guitar peripheral

Seven45 Studios talks Power Gig details, we go hands-on with its six string guitar peripheral originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It has been a long, and at times, ominous road for number-two chip maker AMD, however, we are happy to report that there is reason for the underdog to celebrate. After 13 consecutive quarters of operating in the red, AMD has reported a net income of $1.18 billion dollars for the fourth quarter of 2009. The announcement is largely due to a 28% growth in sales over the holiday season — fueled by the demand for new PC’s and netbooks — and a $1.25 billion lawsuit settlement from rival chip maker Intel. Sales from AMD’s graphics division lead the charge climbing 58% from the previous year, while processor sales also jumped 39% year-over-year. Even with all this good news AMD’s stock is trading lower, as analysts are uncertain that AMD can hit its revenue number for 2010 and/or gain market share from the juggernaut that is Intel.

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The good folks at Best Buy hit us up and since it’s the holiday season and all, BGR is giving away an ASUS Eee PC netbook. That’s right, all you have to do to win is enter below, we’ll randomly select a winner, and the BGR team will ship it right out to you. You can even choose what color you’d like. Here are the exact specifications on the model we’re giving away followed by the giveaway rules:

• ASUS Eee PC 1005HAGB
• 10.1″ WXGA LED backlit screen
• 1.5GHz Intel Atom CPU
• 1GB RAM
• 150GB hard drive
• Webcam
• Wireless b,g,n

All you have to do to enter is simply drop a comment below and that’s it!

• To enter, you must be over the age of 18 and reside in the U.S.
• Leave a comment below letting us know why you think you deserve to win –and we’ll randomly pick a winner– hey, you never know!
• The contest will run for one week.
• The winner will be picked at random.
• Official rules are located here. Good luck!

Holiday travel can be a tiresome experience. If you want to relax with a little Wi-Fi on the plane, MyMoneyBlog.com has compiled a list of the codes you can use to get free internet access during your holiday excursions.

Yesterday we showed you the inflight Wi-Fi cheat sheet, and according to the chart there are really only four airlines where you even have a chance of finding the internet: Delta, AirTran, American Airlines and Virgin America. The first three require a code to get free Wi-Fi, but Virgin America doesn't.

According to FlyerTalk and MyMoneyBlog.com, these are the codes you'll need to use on Delta, AirTran or AA. All expire on December 31:
• Delta: DELTATRYGOGO
• AirTran: AIRTRANTRYGOGO
• American Airlines: AATRYGOGO

Edit: Reader Fo just reminded me that these codes are for new users only, and work once per email address. The same likely applies for the codes below. (But if you have a Gmail account, you can insert random periods in the username to create "unique" addresses that all go to your account.)

If those don't work for whatever reason, FlyerTalk and MyMoneyBlog.com also reference these three codes. They should be valid until January 7:

• 2287548427snk
• 2472564126dvu
• 2285632980tlk

If you're flying Virgin America, you don't have to do anything. Google partnered up with the airline to provide free Wi-Fi throughout the holidays until January 15.

Those are your best bets. Hopefully free Wi-Fi will make your holiday travels a little more tolerable. [My Money Blog, Virgin America]

T-Mobile definitely has some tricks up its sleeve this holiday season as we just received word that retail stores are offering a buy-one-get-one free special for any smartphone. You heard us correctly: any smartphone. All you have to do is activate two new lines to qualify for the promotion. This means you can pick up a BlackBerry 9700 and get a myTouch 3G for free, or buy a Touch Pro 2 and get a BlackBerry 8520. Or buy a Sidekick… just kidding. But you get the idea. Before you send us a flood of hate mail, this offer does vary region by region. For example, T-Mobile retail stores in NYC are definitely offering this promotion, but stores in L.A. are not. However, some retail stores said they’re always willing to price match competitors and other T-Mobile locations. All you need is proof that other retail stores are offering this promotion because some stores haven’t heard of this, and that shouldn’t be too difficult. Let us know how it goes for you!

Thanks, Dominic!

It has been a rocky road for Apple’s over-sized 27-inch iMac. Back in November, customers filled Apple’s forums with complaints — brand new iMacs were received by happy customers who proceeded to discover that their shiny, new Apple hardware was either DOA or horribly damaged in transit. Apple was reportedly helpful to affected customers and quickly addressed the issue. It would be nice for Apple if that was the end of the story. Unfortunately, Apple’s happy ending is not yet in sight. Fast forward to December when the holiday shopping season is in full swing and these lust-worthy iMacs should be selling and shipping at a hectic pace. Rather than shipping, several Apple resellers are claiming that the 27-inch iMacs have been shelved for at least two weeks while Apple attempts to solve display problems that have been plaguing this iMac line. The problem is thought to be caused by faulty ATI graphics cards, a scenario that regrettably is not new. Remember the 2008 MacBook Pro and its faulty NVIDIA graphics card? In addition to the breakage problem, other reported issues with the 27-inch iMac display include intermittent flickering and screens that have a yellow hue. The problem is so widespread that Scott Pronych, a disgruntled iMac owner and website designer, created a website dedicated to logging and tracking complaints with the 27-inch iMac. With Apple reportedly replacing the graphics cards on the iMac, the outlook for procuring this 27-inch behemoth in time for the holiday season is grim. Apple’s online store lists the 27-inch iMac as shipping in two weeks with similar delays seen at third party retailers. And since Apple is Apple, they’re characteristically mum on the subject, so we will be looking for the Apple support document admitting culpability detailing the problem sometime soon.

[Via 9 to 5 mac]

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