Review: Sprint EVO Design 4G World Phone – the budget device you’re looking for

Jake Smith

I’ve been playing with the EVO Design 4G for the better part of a month now, after showing off the hardware and software quickly in October. Today, we’re back with our full review of the device to answer a few questions. Is this the premier mid-range Android device on Sprint? Does it live up to its EVO name? Is this the world phone you’re looking for? But first, let’s go over some specs.

The Design 4G is packing Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)  HTC Sense, a 1.2 GHz processor, 4-inch qHD display, 5-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-camera, Wi-Fi, and World Phone capabilities. So how does this hardware hold up with the software? Head on after the break for our full review.

Read more

Lenovo dropping 10.1-inch quad-core tablet by December, Ice Cream Sandwich included

Jordan Kahn

This morning we told you about HTC’s plans to bring a quad-core tablet to market thanks to Nvidia’s new Tegra 3 chip. That was after we introduced you to the new Transformer Prime from Asus, which will most likely be the first Tegra 3-powered tab you can get your hands on starting in December. Now, not to be left out of the Tegra 3 tablet party, Lenovo is gearing up to launch their own quad-core tab.

According to Engadget, the company is prepping a new 10.1-inch, Android 4.0 tablet powered by Nvidia’s new chip for December. As for specs, you can expect 2GB of DDR3 RAM, USB host socket, main backside camera, and a “Special Fusion-Skin Body”. The report also mentions a fingerprint scanner on the backside of the device that can also be used as a joystick for gaming. We’ll obviously have to wait for more info before we know if this will be a true competitor to the many quad-core tabs we’re bound to see in 2012. Until then, check out a few more images below.
Read more

Google Music Store leaks ahead of November 16th announcement

Jordan Kahn

Google sent out invites on Friday for their upcoming “These Go To Eleven” music related event slated for November 16th. Ahead of the announcement, which we obviously assume will be Google Music related, the guys over at TechnoDroidVe (via Android Police) have posted images of what appears to be an early build of the Google Music store running within the Android Market.

According to the report, they were able to play previews of songs, although music isn’t available to purchase as of yet. It appears the app is still being updated, as yesterday a “Free Song of the Day” feature was added, and today some final finishing touches to the UI. We’ll be keeping you posted from the live event on Wednesday. More screenshots after the break.
Read more

Kindle Fire shipping a day early to those who pre-ordered

Jake Smith

Amazon just announced in a press release that the Kindle Fire is shipping today — a day early — to users who pre-ordered. Amazon is already touting the Fire as their best selling item. For users who didn’t pre-order, they can order the Kindle Fire now for $199. For those that did, expect to be seeing your Fire soon, but in the mean time check out our review roundup.

Amazon.com today announced it is shipping Kindle Fire, already the bestselling item on Amazon.com, one day early. Kindle Fire offers more than 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, magazines, apps and games, as well as free storage of Amazon digital content in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync for books and movies, a 14.6 ounce design that’s easy to hold with one hand, a vibrant color touch screen, a powerful dual-core processor and Amazon Silk – Amazon’s new revolutionary web browser that accelerates the power of the mobile device by using the computing speed and power of the Amazon Web Services cloud – all for only $199. 

In a separate press release, Amazon announced that the $99 Kindle Touch Wi-Fi and 3G will be shipping tomorrow, six days earlier than originally intended.

Read more

Amazon said to tap Quanta for second-generation Kindle tablet

9to5 Staff

Amazon is already at work designing a successor to the seven-inch Kindle Fire, its foray into the hot tablet computing market. According to a Chinese-language Apple Daily story, relayed by DigiTimes, contract manufacturer Quanta Computers has been commissioned to build a second-generation Amazon tablet.

While the Kindle e-readers are being produced by rival Foxconn, rival Quanta allegedly snatched orders for Amazon’s Kindle Fire business. Also this:

Since Amazon has been increasing orders for Kindle Fire, the company has recently added chassis suppliers Nishoku into its supply chain, increasing the chassis supplier number from two to three. Nishoku will start shipping components at the end of 2011, the paper noted.

The device is said to retain the seven-inch form factor and should be ready by the second quarter of nexy year, barely six months following the September 28 launch of the Kindle Fire.

The tablet goes on sale tomorrow, price at $199, less than half the entry-level $499 price point for the 16GB WiFi iPad 2. If the notoriously inaccurate DigiTimes is to be trusted, Amazon will also out an 8.9-inch tablet device later this year. By all accounts, the online retail giant has hit the ground running with the Kindle Fire.

Read more

Expect Tegra 3 tablet from HTC at MWC 2012

9to5 Staff

Taiwanese handset maker HTC will launch a tablet powered by Nvidia’s new Tegra 3 chip at Mobile World Congress, which is scheduled to run February 27-March 1, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. According to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report, quoted by DigiTimes:

The quad-core tablet PC is expected to launch prior to the release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system scheduled at the end of the third quarter of 2012, the paper indicated.

The report doesn’t mention which operating system HTC’s tablet will run, but we’re pretty confident it’ll be Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich because Windows 8 will not be ready for public consumption before the later half of 2012.

The article also mentions two new Android-drive smartphones from HTC at Mobile World Congress 2012, one of which will run Tegra 3 silicon (most likely the rumored Edge device).
Read more