We just got a stack of Droid review units at Engadget HQ, and we’re told that this is in fact the final packaging. The charger is just Micro USB, and that’s really all you get in the box — the docks will cost you extra. We’re digging for pricing info on those, we’ll let you know.
Gallery: Motorola Droid unboxing!
Filed under: Cellphones
Motorola Droid unboxing! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Those nat service providers’ fears were actually quite justified. Google today unveiled Maps Navigation (beta, of course), an extremely upgraded version of its current Maps software that’ll be free and, from what we understand, available by default on all Android 2.0 devices. All the usual Maps features are present, including the ability to search by name of business and have it suggest the closest matches, both semantically and geographically, and traffic data. We’re also now looking at turn-by-turn navigation, female robotic voice and all, and integration with satellite and street view, the latter of which will be able to show you what lane you need to be in when exiting the highway, for example. Instead of just searching nearby, it’ll also now search along the route for when you’re looking for upcoming gas stations or fast food joints that won’t take you too far off your beaten path. Select addresses can be added to the Android home screen as their own icons, and given the limits of living in the cloud, trips and their respective visual feeds will be cached just in case you hit dead spots along the way. Still no multitouch, but as VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra noted at a press conference, there’s nothing stopping a company like HTC from adding that feature à la Sense UI.
In addition to demonstrating the basic navigational functions, Gundotra also showcased a new user interface that appears when the device hooked up into a car dock, one that is intended for use “at an arm’s length away.” Essentially, it means much larger iconography and a convenient “voice search” option front and center. We later got confirmation from a Google product manager that car dock detection was definitively a hardware-based feature, which we take to mean Android devices currently on the market won’t necessarily have the same convenience. If Android 2.0 takes off how Google (and Verizon!) hope it does, companies like TomTom and Garmin are going to seriously need to worry about their bottom line. Watch Gundotra demonstrate the app after the break.
Update: Navigation for the iPhone? Gundotra said the ball’s in Apple’s court, so no telling if / when that’ll happen. Remember how well Latitude integrated?
Continue reading Google adds free turn-by-turn navigation, car dock UI to Android 2.0 (video)
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS
Google adds free turn-by-turn navigation, car dock UI to Android 2.0 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Have you ever wondered which Acer laptop was the first one to introduce the new Gemstone device? Probably the answer would be no, you haven’t. No problem, neither did I, it’s not like you have to know everything by heart. However, Acer’s first laptop with the Gemstone design didn’t just brought a new design line [...]
Add 16GB of storage to your Windows Mobile smartphone (or any other compatible device) with the SanDisk 8GB microSDHC flash memory card.
This card is available at Amazon.com for $12 plus shipping.
Price subject to change at any time. Compatible with microSDHC card slots only.
Filed under: Cellphones
Verizon Storm2 on October 28th, BlackBerry OS 5.0 for original Storm out now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Right on schedule with the whispers, T-Mobile lifted the veil off of its new price plan tier structure, Even More and Even More Plus, and from the looks of it all those leaks were pretty much spot-on. The traditional Even More plan is a two-year commitment and discounted phone, with unlimited individual prices starting at $59 per month and going up to $99 if you want unlimited messaging and text, too. Even More Plus scrapes the device discount but offers unlimited individual prices at $49 for voice / $79 for everything. It looks like the only major differentiator is the subsidized handset, but here’s where the numbers don’t add up: even with the steep $350 discount on myTouch 3G, factoring in that $20 premium would pay for the phone during the 18th month, leaving six months and $120 of extra payments left that have no obvious justification to us. Additionally the FlexPay / equipment installment plan is now available, letting you break up the cost of your phone into interest-free monthly bills. It seems Even More’s subsidized phones are offered over four installments (e.g. $37 per month for the $150 MyTouch 3G) while Even More Plus’ is two installments (e.g. $25 per month for the same device at the $500 full price). Our initial takeaway from the price tiers is that T-Mobile is doing what it can to drive its consumers away from the traditional and over to the non-traditional (for US, at least) Even More Plus plan, but hey, we’re not gonna argue over a beneficial contract-free plan, even if monthly phone payments keep us paying the company for at least 20 months. So T-Mo, any other Project Dark surprises in the cards? Inquiring minds want to know.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Filed under: Cellphones
T-Mobile officially unveils $99 Even More, $79 Even More Plus plans and equipment installment option originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple is already suing Psystar for selling hardware with in conjunction with the Mac OS so why not sell software that allows users to install the Mac OS themselves?
Psystar said on Thursday that its Rebel EFI suite is available for download from its Web site. The software will allow anyone to install any modern operating system on their computer, including Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
According to the company, the software is compatible with the Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, i7 or machines running the Xeon Nehalem CPU.
