Posted by on under multimedia powerhouse, physical keyboard, cube menu, iterati, phes, 3d cube, unboxing, somee, solid materials, t mobile, first glance, software side, launch, droid, handset, slate, samsung, ui, stock, job | 
Dubbing itself the "multimedia powerhouse" for T-Mobile's expansive Android lineup, the
Samsung Behold II has just been confirmed for that rumored November 18th launch on T-Mobile (still no word on price, though we're hearing a predictable $200). The slate-style touchscreen handset has a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, and puts it to good use with a hearty skinning job on the part of Samsung, porting in most (but not all) of its TouchWiz UI -- unfortunately for us, that silly cube menu made the cut. Underneath is Android 1.5, and what seems to be a pretty standard processor. Check out our unboxing below, and stand by for a few initial impressions.
Hardware-wise there's really nothing to complain about on this phone. It's heavy, relatively thin (not iPhone-thin, but just fine), with solid materials and wonderfully tactile face buttons. The screen is everything you'd expect out of an AMOLED display, though high-resolution phones like the Droid dampen that enthusiasm somewhat. One wonderful Samsung addition to the traditional Android experience is a "real" camera button on the side, which can even register half-presses for focus. For someone who doesn't want a physical keyboard, but doesn't want their handset to feel like a toy (sorry, myTouch) there's plenty to love. However, we're more concerned about the software side of things. We're not morally opposed to Samsung adding in TouchWiz, but we
are afraid of anything that has the potential to slow down the OS, and on first glance we'd say it's notably less responsive than stock Android. We'll of course be going further in-depth to see just how usable this iteration is, but let us just put this out on the table: a virtual 3D cube to launch media apps is no way "intuitive," "helpful" or "cool." OK, maybe it's kind of cool, but seriously Samsung, stop it.
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung Behold II hits T-Mobile on November 18th, unboxed today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tagi: multimedia powerhouse, physical keyboard, cube menu, iterati, phes, 3d cube, unboxing, somee, solid materials, t mobile, first glance, software side, launch, droid, handset, slate, samsung, ui, stock, job
Posted by on under prototype device, iterati, usb protocol, fri, pc world, secd, gigabits, high def, no doubt, video stream, oomph, hdmi, mth, spoils, gpu, helm, nbsp, ces, usb 2, cables |
DVI,
HDMI and
DisplayPort may be enjoying the spoils right now, but the
world's most popular port may just give 'em a run for their collective dollars by the end of next year.
DisplayLink, which enables monitors to receive signals via USB instead of through one of the more conventional cables, has been mildly successful with USB 2.0 at the helm, but a whole new world is about to open up with the introduction of
USB 3.0. As you've no doubt
seen by now, the third iteration offers up over ten times the bandwidth of v2.0, which would obviously allow for great resolution support when channeling video. In reality, USB 3.0 is the first USB protocol that could support a legitimate high-def video stream, and it's expected that a prototype device will be shown at CES next month transmitting content at up to 4.8 gigabits per second. In theory, at least, USB 3.0-enabled DisplayLink would allow vast 30-inch panels to be connected to netbooks via USB without having to rely on a sub-native resolution, but then again, said netbooks will probably need a GPU with a bit more oomph than the current Ion can provide. Not like that'll be
an issue for long,
though.
USB 3.0-infused DisplayLink products coming in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tagi: prototype device, iterati, usb protocol, fri, pc world, secd, gigabits, high def, no doubt, video stream, oomph, hdmi, mth, spoils, gpu, helm, nbsp, ces, usb 2, cables
Posted by on under iterati, revis, nbsp, developers, beta, pace, apple |
Developers, developers, developers:
Apple is now seeding the second iteration of the
iOS 4.1 beta your way. It's been just shy of two weeks since
beta 1 hit the scene, which is about on par with the
pace of revisions for previous beta releases. We haven't had a chance yet to dive in and see what changes are afoot, but we're downloading now and will be sure to let you know if we notice anything.
[Thanks, Brad]
Apple iOS 4.1 beta 2 now available for developers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tagi: iterati, revis, nbsp, developers, beta, pace, apple
Posted by on under mac os x, iterati, os x, lion, nbsp, operating system |
Apple didn't reveal too much about the next iteration of their operating system, but here's a look at what you can expect when Mac OS X Lion is released in Summer of 2011.
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Tagi: mac os x, iterati, os x, lion, nbsp, operating system
