Two years. Can you believe it’s only been two years since we started browsing the internet faster than a potato can tear through the air? Well, Google can, and it’s certainly not been sitting around during that time, improving Chrome‘s JavaScript performance by a factor of 3, and throwing in a litany of additional features, like tab side-by-side view, themes, auto-translation, and bookmark and preference sync across machines. To celebrate the anniversary, the company’s uploaded version numero 6 to its stable channel, which brings a few more GUI optimizations and some bug fixes to the table. Hardware graphics acceleration isn’t yet included in the public release, but it too shall be joining the party before long.Chrome is now 2 years old! Google celebrates with release of version 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Chrome Blog  | Email this | Comments

Chinese telecom giant Huawei — which has been playing the Android game with major carriers around the world for some time now — has selected IFA to debut the Ideos, a new entry-level model running Froyo in a variety of colors. Huawei’s press release calls the Ideos “the world’s first affordable smartphone” — which seems like a bit of an overstatement (okay, a huge overstatement) to us — but really underscores the fact that this thing is going to be launching for somewhere between $100 and $200 unsubsidized in Europe, Asia, and both North and Latin America. It’s got 3G, WiFi, mobile hotspot capability for up to eight devices, and was apparently developed in direct partnership with Google, a sign that Mountain View is serious about taking Android 2.2 across the entire price spectrum.

We checked out the Ideos today and were pretty impressed; clearly, you’re not going to mistake it for an EVO, a Droid X, or a Defy, but Huawei has definitely put some effort into engineering this thing so that they were able to make it cheaply without making it feel like it would come apart in your hands. The company is quick to note that 2.8-inch capacitive displays aren’t very common — and though we could’ve definitely used HVGA instead of the Ideos’ QVGA, we were pleased with the responsiveness, both from a processor performance perspective and a touch sensitivity one. Add in the support for 7.2Mbps HSDPA and the stylish colors (black, yellow, blue, and purple) and Huawei might just have a winner here. More on this one when launch carriers start to come out of the woodwork. Follow the break for the full press release.
Gallery: Huawei Ideos hands-onContinue reading Huawei Ideos hands-onHuawei Ideos hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Forget the numbers, here’s what matters: Globalfoundries’ new production capabilities will lead to “smooth production ramp-ups and faster time-to-market” for its customers. Now consider that this promise relates to scrumptious 28nm Cortex-A9 SOCs and feel free to rejoice. The chip fabricator has just declared itself ready to take orders for ARM’s systems-on-chip built using its high-k metal gate 28nm fab process. This fulfills its pledge for mass production in the latter half of 2010, but lest you think Globalfoundries is resting on any nanoscale laurels, it also has a 20nm roadmap to tell you about. It’s very simple, really: expect even smaller, even more power-efficient silicon in 2013. We don’t know if the future will be bright, but it sure looks like it’s gonna be small.Continue reading Globalfoundries takes ARM Cortex-A9 into 28nm land, looks forward to 20nm chips in 2013Globalfoundries takes ARM Cortex-A9 into 28nm land, looks forward to 20nm chips in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

In what amounts to yet another co-branding marketing kerfuffle, Philips and O’Neill have teamed up on a foursome of so-called durable headphones. The Stretch headphones (pictured) are the toughest of the bunch, constructed from an ultra-durable, temperature-resistant, and awesome-sounding material called TR 55LX that boasts a surface hardness six times greater than the polycarbonate stuff found in most headphones. The Snug series boasts “bold graphics” and can fold flat, while the in-ear Covert buds brings an iPhone controller. Last, and apparently least, is the “stylish” Specked with tangle free cord. Amazing. All are said to have been tested by the “toughest O’Neill team riders.” As proof, O’Neill is trotting out Jeremy Jones, Mark Mathews, and Ane Enderud to promote its new gear, presumably because they want to and not because they are contractually obligated under the terms of their respective high-paying sponsorships. Needless to say, these headphones aren’t for you if you don’t know who these people are or you lack the fragile hipster ego required to wear them. No prices were announced, but you can expect them to match the “premium” description when these arrive for retail in Europe and the US sometime this month.

We did give Stretch a go for a quickie ears-on, and honestly, while the cloth cord was a nice touch and they do seem to be super rugged, we’d prefer that the team paid a bit more attention to the sound quality than the finish.Gallery: Philips and O’Neill Stretch and Snug press picsGallery: Philips O’Neill The Stretch hands-onContinue reading Philips and O’Neill launch durable headphones — shaka bra!Philips and O’Neill launch durable headphones — shaka bra! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Philips  | Email this | Comments

Netbook makers like Lenovo, Gigabyte and ASUS have been quietly releasing new systems with Intel’s new mobile, dual-core N550 processor, but HP’s not keeping its use of the fresh chip in 10-inch netbooks a secret… anymore. Just as we’ve previously heard, the professional-aimed $399 Mini 5103 will be getting a dual-core 1.5GHz processor option, which HP tells us can improve benchmark performance by up to 20 percent without a significant impact on battery life. It’s also been updated with a new “espresso” color and will have HP’s Day Starter instant-on OS — no WebOS buried in there yet.

On the consumer end, the HP Mini 210 has also been refreshed — actually, more like gutted — with a new design. The 10.1-inch netbook is now available in a bunch of cleverly named colors, including crimson red and ocean drive, and has been revamped with a new back that integrates the battery into the bottom of the chassis. Don’t worry: the battery is still swappable and you can open the bottom cover to replace the RAM and hard drive. It still has that chiclet keyboard we like so much, the rather hit-or-miss ClickPad touchpad and a Broadcom Crystal Accelerator option for 1080p playback. The Mini 210 will start at $330 with a single core Atom CPU and six-cell battery, but will be available with the N550 processor for a bit more (we’re guessing around $75). The full release is after the break and some snazzy hands-on pics are below. Gallery: HP Mini 210 and Mini 5103 press shots Gallery: HP Mini 210 and HP Mini 5103 hands-onContinue reading HP Mini 210 and Mini 5103 officially announced with dual-core Atom powerHP Mini 210 and Mini 5103 officially announced with dual-core Atom power originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

We know, it feels like it was just a few months ago that the new Envy 14 and 17 hit the market, but HP isn’t quite finished tinkering with its aluminum laptops. First up is the new Envy 14 Beats edition, which just like the previous Envy 15 Beats has a totally different black and red design than the rest of the Envy line along with a a pretty awesome red backlit keyboard. Apart from the different aesthetics and bundled Beats headphones, it’s essentially the same as the regular Envy 14, although the $1249 starting price is for big fans of beats or Dr. Dre only. The Envy 17 gets the most interesting update, though: it’ll be available sometimes this holiday season with a 17.3-inch 3D Ultra BrightView display and active shutter glasses. Powered by AMD’s 3D technology, the Envy 17 will also support 3D Blu-ray discs, and by that we mean Avatar when it finally hits in November. We got a chance to check it out a few weeks ago and the 3D content looked pretty, well… three-dimensional. HP says the rig will be priced south of $2,000 and claims it’s been working very hard on improving viewing angles.

On the much-more-thin-and-light end of the spectrum, HP’s also unveiling the improved Pavilion dm3. Starting at $549, the 13.3-inch dm3 will be available with Intel Core i3 and i5 processors and boasts HP’s new CoolSense technology, which the company says combines hardware and software to keep the entire chassis cool. Beyond all that, the laptop is less than an inch thick and has been given a major makeover — it has a very soft-to-the-touch lid and the same chiclet keyboard and ClickPad as the Pavilion dm4. We’re planning to review a few of these, but until then head below to check out some hands-on shots and the full press release after the break. Gallery: HP Envy 14 Beats, Envy 17 3D and Pavilion dm3 hands-on Gallery: HP Envy 14 Beats, Envy 17 3D, Pavilion dm3 press shotsContinue reading HP unleashes Envy 17 3D, HP Envy 14 Beats edition and specially-cooled Pavilion dm3HP unleashes Envy 17 3D, HP Envy 14 Beats edition and specially-cooled Pavilion dm3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Can’t say this is a surprise, but Motorola posted a note on its support forums today warning users Droid X users against upgrading to that leaked Android 2.2 build or any of those custom ROMS that’re out there — they’ll be cut off from the official upgrade when it hits in early September and potentially “stuck on the leaked version.” Ouch. Of course, that’s the risk you take when you start flashing your phone with unofficial firmware, but between this, eFUSE, and those cease and desist letters, it certainly feels like Motorola is decidedly unhappy that anyone would have the gall to hack or tweak one of its handsets, even if the phone in question is the size of a small tank and marketed by aggressive murderous robot hands insisting that it “does” everything one can think of with no restrictions. Contrast that with HTC, which is not only at peace with the hacking community, but even takes the initiative to resolve similar problems.

Of course, no one would care about any of this if Motorola would just release stock Android builds for its devices as soon as they’re ready, but why learn that lesson when it’s possible to waste money developing Blur and adopting painfully annoying staggered OTA rollout schedules at the behest of carriers? That would just be silly.

Motorola says leaked Droid X Android 2.2 build won’t be updated to the official release originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Droid-Life  |  Motorola Support  | Email this | Comments