hardware // Posts tagged as "hardware"
AT&T’s Xperia X10 hardware hands-on
Time to revisit and old friend, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. It's not often that you'll see us review the same phone twice, but this time we're making an exception. With the huge U.S. subscriber base of AT&T, there's a good chance at least a few of you will be picking this one up, and some recent firmware changes were made to address some of the issues we saw with the X10 the first time around. And we love playing with new Android phones, I won't lie to you.
The physical hardware hasn't changed since we looked at the X10 before. Still the same 1GHz Snapdragon, 4-inch LCD screen, 1 GB ROM/512 MB RAM, and a nice 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash. And it stills feels great in your hand -- build quality and materials are always top notch with SE products. To top it all off, AT&T has included a great set of earbuds and mic, which you can see in the video after the break.
Posted originally at Android Central
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Case Review: Talon hard shell case for the Evo 4G
The Talon hard shell case is a very slim and attractive way to protect your Evo 4G. Machined from a single piece of metal hard plastic, the Talon case fits snugly, yet is easy to put on your Evo, as well as remove. Very lightweight, this case adds no bulk yet completely covers the rear of your phone, keeping things protected and scratch-free. The graphics -- in this case the Cupid's Arrow -- are screened onto the surface, under the final finishing coat. It's not going to rub off. Want more? Let's continue after the break.
Posted originally at Android Central
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Dell Streak torn down until it’s not so big anymore
It's not sugar and spice, and everything nice, but sometimes resistors and IC's and ribbon cables are better anyway. Ifixit has gotten their hands on a Dell Streak, and what you see is the result. A few highlights found during the process:
- The LCD is bonded to the front panel glass to increase the strength of the device, as well as the sensitivity of the capacitive touch panel. The front panel's solid construction should withstand drops from above waist height.
- The five T5 Torx screws holding the unit together are found right underneath the bezels on the front of the device. It's super easy to open it and take it apart.
- The "C"-shaped motherboard comes out easily after disconnecting some cables. Rather than using daughterboards like the Droid 2, the Streak has all components attached to this singular motherboard.
They also give a very nice component list:
- Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon processor
- Analog Devices ADV7520 Low Power HDMI™/DVI Transmitter
- Hynix H8BES0UU0MCR NAND-based MCP
- Qualcomm MXU6219 RF transceiver
- Qualcomm PM7540 power management chip
- TriQuint Semiconductor TQS 7M5012 Power Amp (Quad-band GSM)
- Texas Instruments TPS 65023 integrated Power Management IC
If hardware pr0n is your thing, or if you're just curious about what goes into the world's biggest Android phone, hit the source link to have a peek. [ifixit]
Posted originally at Android Central
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Case Review: Mobi Products Clip Pouch for the Motorola Droid X
The Mobi Products Clip Pouch is a no-frills way to protect your Droid X. The pouch is made out of a soft nylon that's stitched together and fits the biggest of Android smartphones. There's a Velcro latch on the front that keeps the phone securely inside.
The rear of the phone sports a belt loop and plastic clip, so you can attach it to a backpack, purse or bag. Inside the case is a small pocket that's just big enough for a full-size SD card or a bit of loose change.
If you face the phone toward the rear of the pouch, you'll have access to the 3.5mm headphone jack (so you can listen to music while it's in the case), the power button and the volume buttons.
All in all, it's a very basic pouch that does its job well without adding much bulk to the phone. The Mobi Products Clip Pouch for the Droid X is available for $9.95 from the Android Central Store. Check out more pics after the break.
Posted originally at Android Central
Sponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Know your buttons
Every Android phone has a standard set of buttons at the bottom. They may be physical -- with parts that move -- or they may be capacitive, reacting to your touch. The order may change, but the functions are the same. You'll find:
- Home: Returns to the main home screen. Hold down to see your most recently used apps. (Tip: Try tapping it again once you're at the main home screen and see what happens.)
- Back: Takes you back a level in an app, or back a page in a browser, etc. (Tip: Hold down while browsing to quickly access bookmarks, history and most-visited sites. Thanks, Snapdragon0503!)
- Menu: Tap this for additional options in an application, or from the home screens. (Tip: Hold down to make the keyboard appear.)
- Search: Brings up the search function. Could be search within an app, Google search, or universal search of contacts, bookmarks, apps, etc. that are in the phone. (Tip: Hold down to launch voice search.)
Most Android phones have four buttons, though occasionally a manufacturer will do without the search button.
Posted originally at Android Central
Sponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
LG launching three Android phones, but none for the U.S.
LG is slated to release three new Android phones in the near future but sadly, none of them are currently coming to the US. The first two, the LU2300 and the SU950/KU9500, are very interesting. The LU2300 (pictured above) is the device we once guessed was the awesome Aloha in the US. It packs the increasingly common 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a physical QWERTY-keyboard, 3.5-inch AMOLED 800x480 screen, and a 5-megapixel camera. The SU2300 is said to share the same internals sans the physical keyboard. Those are top notch specs and we can't help but be jealous of South Korean Android users who will receive both devices in June (we're also jealous of their commercials!).
The UK is also getting some love in the form of the LG Optimus, formerly known as the LG GT540. We saw this device back in CES and felt it was a good mid-range device. Specs are unclear but don't expect much, the LG Optimus is available starting May 1st in the UK.
See more pictures of the LG Android devices after the jump! [via unwired view]
Motorola MT820 pictured, does 3D ?
Could that weird Motorola Android device we saw last week actually be the Motorola MT820 pictured above? The button arrangement is different but the transparent flip screen, camera placement, and general shape is very familiar. If they're not the same phone (one being prototype, other being final), they at least have to be part of the same family right?
The MT820 certainly looks a lot better than what we previously saw but that could be the higher resolution shots talking. We're still unsure about the whole 'flip' form factor but rumors are suggesting that the extra screen allows the MT820 to display 3D images. The MT820 is headed to China's TD-SCDMA network, which means we'll likely never see the phone. Not like we were dying for it in this first place, the form factor is still too weird and 3D is currently more a gimmicky feature than anything. What do you guys think? Do we want 3D on our phones yet? Ever?
Hit the link to see more pictures of the MT820 [slashphone]
Wait … the Xperia X10 won’t get multitouch after all?
This is getting confusing. First, the Xperia X10 wasn't going to get multitouch because the hardware wasn't capable. Then we heard that the Xperia X10 would receive multitouch in a software update. And now it's back to square one -- no multitouch, ever, on the Xperia X10. How do we know? First, we found out on Twitter. And then SE Communication Manager Harold de Kort said so. In his words:
“Multi-touch will not be a feature in future updates for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 because the device does not support multi-touch due to her software and hardware configuration. The operation and user experience of the phone will be further improved and Sony Ericsson will come with her own intuitive way of, for example, zooming in and out.”
So there you have it folks. No multitouch on the Xperia X10. And frankly, it's been so long since anyone has been excited about the X10, we're not sure anyone cares if there's multitouch or not.. [via Twitter and androinica]
Another weird Motorola Android phone pops up
Though the above picture of a Motorola Android device looks innocent enough, don't be fooled--it's a flip phone. And yes, leave it to Motorola to cook up some interesting form factors for Android. After introducing the Backflip, it looks like Motorola has a flip Android phone in the works. But the Motorola Android flip phone isn't the size of your typical flip phone, which could've be neat, it's smartphone sized, which just maks the thing unwieldy. We're not even sure if the 'flip' portion of the phone offers any functionality other than protecting the screen.
The phone is reported to be an engineering prototype and of course looks to run the Motorola favorite, Motoblur. Specs are hard to come by, but we're sure more will be revealed soon. Either way, if Motorola keeps throwing things against the wall, we're sure something will stick, right? Does a flip phone running Android interest you guys?
Hit the jump to see more pictures of the Motorola Flip Android phone. [it168 via engadget]
Could this be the LG Aloha ?
We just reported on the LG Aloha and now we have some speculative pictures that point this South Korean LG LU2300 Android device (pictured above) as the actual Aloha. Remember, the Aloha is purported to be the next great Android device with one new wrinkle: it has a full QWERTY keyboard.
A QWERTY keyboard is found on the LU2300 along with a 800x480 screen and Android 2.1, both which are expected to be on the Aloha. The other 'new' specs of the LU2300--Snapdragon, AMOLED 3.5-inch screen, and optical trackpad--seem to fit in with the Aloha's "high end" nature, so if you connect the dots and take a leap of faith the LU2300 just might be the LG Aloha. We definitely wouldn't be mad if it was. What do you guys think? [via androidcommunity]
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