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It's easy to get confused by the variety of 7-inchers coming out of Samsung's gate; you might even speculate that the category is getting a bit crowded. But with the arrival of the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), it appears the popular Android manufacturer has an ace in its sleeve. The slate leaps past its cousins with the latest build of Ice Cream Sandwich out of the gate, although it still reps the same 1024 x 600 PLS TFT display, 3MP rear camera, 4,000mAh battery and dual-core setup. We had a chance to get a real feel for the tablet, so join us after the break as we parse through our initial impressions. Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) hands-on Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) hands-on (video) Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

When the folks at Nokia took us aside and asked if we'd like a preview of the latest features slated for Nokia Drive , we knew something good was in store. Our intuition wasn't wrong. The next version of Nokia's navigation software will focus on commutes -- aiming to make the daily chore easier by learning driving habits, identifying regular trips and providing users with live tile updates that estimate journey times and traffic flow. Nokia Drive 3 will automatically query this data 30 minutes before an established commute is expected to begin, and will also provide drivers with suggested quicker routes to their destination. The traffic data is gathered both from traditional navigation sources and other Nokia Drive 3 users -- we're told this latter bit is completely optional and, while the privacy policy is quite explicit, the company insists it doesn't personally identify users. Nokia tells us the software interface isn't finalized, so what you see in the Flas

Following Samsung's launch of the it's-definitely-a-tablet 10.1 Note , it's become even more clear that the company's stylus S Pen is here to stay, in a very big way. Now, it's time for third-party developers to get sketchy with version 2.0 of the S Pen SDK . The biggest feature boost is the ability to animate drawings to pair with recorded voice, while other additions include SAMM Library access, improved rendering and the ability to revert after accidentally clearing all. Ready to start jotting? Hit up our source link below and get your download on. Samsung updates S Pen SDK to 2.0, SCanvasView brings Note animation and narration originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Longing to get back into the EV game after your MINI E got sent back to the mothership? If you didn't hop on the BMW Group's other electric trial, the 1 Series-based ActiveE , how about giving a shake to a car from its rival in Ingolstadt ? At the TED2012 conference, Audi just confirmed prior plans to lease its electrified hatchback, the A3 e-tron . Just like last time we espied it, the electric city-dweller will have a top speed of 90MPH and rather languid 0-60 sprint of eleven seconds. No word on price, though, but those serious on joining the pilot will have to call San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC or Denver home. That quartet of locales represents a diverse range of climates, which it'll use to gleam important real-world data for future e-tron endeavors. We're not entirely sure how we feel about possibly paying to be a transportation guinea-pig, but can you really say no to those red-lined rims? Us neither. Catch them in a video form alongside PR after th

We loved the original Pacemaker , and were sad to hear of its eventual discontinuation. News just in this morning, however, is that the DJ tool is back as a PlayBook app thanks to an exclusive collaboration with the tablet's maker. Details are sparse right now, as the information spilled at RIM's event this morning at MWC , but we do know that there will be auto beatmatching, vinyl mode with scratching, digital mode, looping, loop travel, pitch control, beat skip and "pro level" effects. All we have in terms of availability is that it will be out this spring, with no word on price. In the meantime we're going to start prepping up that music collection . Pacemaker and RIM announce exclusive DJ app for PlayBook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Nope, "Grease" isn't the word, it's " Mobile Payments ," or at least it would be if it wasn't technically two words. Still, eBay , PayPal and Opera have used the fiesta atmosphere at MWC to promote their services, as you do. eBay's partnered with UK carrier Three, which will now pre-install the auction site's apps on all the Android phones it sells. It's also teamed up with hotelier Yotel and Iberian ticketing service Entradas to offer quick-and-easy payments for the same. Meanwhile, Opera has launched the Opera Payment Exchange (OPX), aiming to democratize the space by making secure commerce available on any form of feature phone, rather than just top-level smartphones. Finally, PayPal has rolled out a new payments system to Home Depot nationwide. Every branch will be equipped to handle payments from the online agency using a card or cellphone and PIN combination. After the break we've got the details for all three, suffice to say it

As of recently, the PS Vita has become available in the locales of America, Europe and PAL territories, and now Sony's updated sales figures are in. How does "over 1.2 million units worldwide" sound? Because that's how many systems were purchased as of February 26th. If you'll recall, just two days after its December 19th arrival in Japan, the Vita rushed out of the gate, with Sony citing 321,000 units sold . Sales quickly slowed, however, despite the system making its way across Asia, as that number only rose to 500,000 by the time CES hit in January. Considering that means an additional 700K+ units were moved in less than two months, it seems that Sony's latest handheld isn't doing too shabby. Furthermore, it looks like a healthy amount of early adopters stocked up on games, as Sony also noted that more than two million pieces of software have been sold (out of 25 currently available titles) via retail and the PlayStation Store -- that said, there'

OnLive users may have been dining at the all-you-can-eat gaming table since December, but now it's time for the GameTanium crew to pull up a chair. Game provider Extent has brought its subscription platform to Android tablets and offers unlimited access to titles such as Fruit Ninja, Baseball Superstars and T-Racer HD. The service rolls in at a cent under six dollars a month, and there's a three-day free trial for those with commitment issues. The new mobile service is available right away via a direct .apk, so if you want in, skip past the Android Market and take a peek at the press release after the break instead. Continue reading Exent's GameTanium Mobile launches for Android tabs Exent's GameTanium Mobile launches for Android tabs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Good news for all you socially connected (and hip) regulars of local retail establishments -- who have PS Vitas, of course. Sony's just announced that the free Foursquare app has officially landed at the PlayStation Store (US), and it can be yours for a paltry 4.5MBs of space on your precious proprietary memory card . The app works over WiFi, however, the fine print advises that users may want to use 3G for the best results to help alongside the Vita's GPS. Notably, the rear touchpad and cameras are listed as being compatible with the app, as well. We've poked around the app for a few minutes, and it does feel peppy compared to what we experienced with Facebook (while it was available , anyway) -- the only oddity that's arisen lies with the map functionality, which opens a Google Maps page within the Vita's browser rather than its Maps app. Now that we can watch Netflix over WiFi , and view our Flickr albums along with Tweeting and "Checking In" between o

Intel's Medfield-based Android smartphones have been buzzed about for sometime now, but until this past CES, we hadn't actually seen one of these unicorns en vivo . No longer, as the chip manufacturer outed a trio of those very handsets today at its MWC event. Of particular note is the Xolo by Lava , a 4.03-inch, single-core unit running a mostly stock build of Gingerbread and destined for the Indian market. We spent time getting to know the device, so follow on past the break as we parse through its finer qualities. Gallery: Intel's Xolo X900 by Lava hands-on Continue reading Intel's Xolo X900 by Lava hands-on Intel's Xolo X900 by Lava hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

The Cyber-shot family just keeps growing and growing , with its latest litter focused on keeping slim and staying active. The quartet's most rugged machine, the $330 16.2 megapixel DSC-TX20, promises to be tough as nails by tolerating water up to 16 feet under, bouncing back from five foot falls and braving freezing tundras as cold as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The $350 DSC-TX66, on the other hand, forgoes the armor in favor of a 18.2 megapixel sensor, a 3.3-inch "Xtra Fine" OLED touch screen and 1920 x 1080 video recording. The outfits 18.2 MP DSC-WX150 and 16.1 MP DSC-W690 claim the titles of "world's thinnest 10x optical zoom cameras," (excluding the lens) according to Sony, and are priced at $250 and $180, respectively. Read on for Sony's official press release and all of the rough, tough and svelte details, as well as Sony's own hands-on look at the new Cyber-shot lineup. Gallery: Sony Cybershot slim cameras Continue reading Sony announces quartet

Ever worry that the line between DJing and video games isn't blurry enough ? The latest version of Midi Fighter from the folks at DJ TechTools should help things along considerably. The USB DJ controller features 16 preset selection arcade buttons will fully customizable backlight colors and gyroscopic three-dimensional motion control that lets you alter the music by moving the device around. The new entry will peacefully coexist alongside the Midi Fighter Classic and Midi Fighter Pro when it starts shipping in April for $249 a pop. Check out a video of the controller in action after the break. Continue reading Midi Fighter 3D has arcade buttons and motion control, still can't throw fireballs Midi Fighter 3D has arcade buttons and motion control, still can't throw fireballs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Bad news camera aficionados, Canon's confirmed its mother of all cameras, the EOS-1D X , won't ship until the "end of April." Depending on how one counts, that's a lag of a month or two from its previously estimated "March" arrival. Unfortunate, as we were looking forward to it going tête-à-tête with its equally impressive crosstown rival from Nikon, which will nonchalantly make its March due date . On the bright side, though, now you've got ever more time to scrounge up the necessary $6,800 to purchase Canon's offering, in addition to re-reading our hands-on ad nauseum. Go on, you supply the clicks and we'll bring the tissues. Canon EOS-1D X ship date slips into April, takes with it our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

LG's Optimus L-style family of (slightly more) affordable devices is here, packing a similar designer flavor to the Prada phone 3.0 alongside some reduced specifications. Three models made their debut here at MWC, from the 4.3-inch Optimus L7 to the dinkier 3.2-inch L3, with the 4-inch L5 offering a size and specification compromise right in the middle. Skip on past the break for some first impressions. Gallery: LG Optimus L-series hands-on at MWC 2012 Continue reading LG Optimus L-style series hands-on LG Optimus L-style series hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

The much-anticipated Galaxy S III this is not. What you are looking at above is the Ace 2, a mid-ranger from Samsung's stable of smartphones that's exclusive to the European market for the time being. Loaded up with a dual-core 800MHz CPU and a TouchWiz-skinned build of Android 2.3.6, the phone moves along smoothly, though the slight delay between touch recognition and transitions takes a bit of adjustment for those used to higher-clocked handsets. It's also a typical design for the OEM, encased in plastic and registering with a good balance of weight in the hand. We'd have hoped the unit would've felt much lighter, owing to the materials employed in its construction, but that extra bit of heft does help elevate it away from any sense of cheapness. As you can tell, we had an opportunity to spend some time with unit, so follow on after the break for a few more first impressions. Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 hands-on Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 hands-on (vi

Ever wish your car's infotainment system played nice with your iPhone 4S right out of the gate? Well, Mercedes-Benz is doing just that will an update to the COMAND system in A-Class autos. With the aid of two apps -- Digital DriveStyle and Drive Kit Plus for iPhone -- you'll be able to access your Apple smartphone's contents via a built-in display and navigate that iTunes library with an armrest-mounted Controller. Siri will be riding shotgun as the personal assistant can be accessed through the onboard system to send messages, select music, check the weather and schedule meetings. The aforementioned smartphone integration will be available through the entry-level "Audio 20" configuration. Digital DriveStyle is available for as a free and also touts Garmin navigation, AUPEO! radio, Facebook, Twitter and a Car Finder. While the new tech is only rolling out in A-Class right now, MB says that the B-, C- and E-Class autos will get cozy with your iPhone this fall. Mo

Well, if our hands-on at CES didn't sell you on TI's next-gen OMAP 5 platform, perhaps some more specs revealed recently at MWC 2012 will. We've known about its dual Cortex-A15 and Cortex-M4 architecture since this time last year , but we didn't know that those M4 cores are there to handle real-time processing of multimedia -- like video encoding and decoding -- which TI claims can provide up to ten percent power savings. Additionally, the company's wunderkind SoC will pack a dual-core PowerVR SGX544 GPU and a dedicated 2D hardware-accelerated composition engine to deliver great graphics and lower power consumption than other mobile silicon solutions. OMAP 5 also comes with a multi-tasking image signal processor that can use up to four image sensors at the same time, or take 1080p 60fps video while snapping 12-megapixel stills simultaneously. So, you ready for a super-speedy OMAP 5 chip in your next smartphone yet? Those who are still skeptical can peruse the PR

Tucked away in the dark corners of the Google booth at Mobile World Congress, amidst several miniature hubs inhabited by all types of various companies, is a stand dedicated to all things Acer. Included as part of the selection was the CloudMobile , the proud owner of a coveted iF Product Design award. So were we that impressed by its trophy-winning feature? Yes and no. It's not tough on the eyes by any stretch of the imagination, especially given its fancy textured back and curvacious construct, but we have a difficult time declaring this to feature the best design of the show, nor is it necessarily much of a ground-breaker. The build quality itself doesn't quite hold a candle to what you'll experience on something like the ceramic-like aluminum treatment used on the HTC One S, but yet doesn't feel like it will smash into a million pieces if we give it the 'ol heave-ho. But perhaps the CloudMobile earned the honors by producing a respectable internal design: it of