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Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide 2009

The team at Engadget is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. See the guides below!
Accessories

Nov 25th 2009

Cellphones

Nov 20th 2009

Desktops

Dec 17th 2009

Digital cameras

Dec 14th 2009

Docks / Alarms

Dec 9th 2009

e-book readers

Nov 16th 2009

Fun stuff

Coming Soon

GPS

Nov 18th 2009

Home theater set ups

Coming Soon

Laptops

Dec 8th 2009

MIDs / Handhelds

Coming Soon

Netbooks

Nov 24th 2009

PMPs

Dec 1st 2009

Smartphones

Dec 2nd 2009

Television / displays

Dec 4th 2009

Toys

Nov 27th 2009

Video cameras

Dec 11th 2009

Latest Posts

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Reviews
Reviews

Nokia N900 and the case of the best unboxing ever

We'll just come out and say it: this is so awesome. In fact, if you want to just take our word for it, skip the copy and head straight to the video after the break -- you really only need to watch the first four or so minutes... Still here? Alright then. The shiny cube comes straight from Espoo and houses a N900, but the only way to get into the box is to plug it into a computer, establish a link, and then type in the right terminal command to unlock the lid (spoiler: it's company motto "connecting people" -- how clever) in addition to -- poof -- smoke! (Our favorite part.) Given the technical prerequisites, our guess is this has something to do with Nokia's the hack-centric "Push" program, but really that's just a guess. Like we said, video after the break, and if you opt to watch past the first couple minutes, you'll get to see a plastic fox. Trust us.
[Thanks, Matija]
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Samsung M5650 takes Corby a little upmarket

In case you hadn't realized that the full-touch invasion was in full swing, consider this your final warning: Samsung has just announced its M5650, essentially a minor upmarket revision from the colorful Corby launches a few months back. On top of a 3 megapixel cam, the M5650 features WiFi, 3G, some trick social network integration (expect any phone worth a damn to do this in 2010), an FM radio, something Samsung ominously calls the "Cartoon UI," and a one-touch music key. It's not going to blow anyone away on paper, but this is the kind of sweet little number that could get subsidized down to free on virtually any postpaid carrier in the world -- and zero out-of-pocket is always an intriguing proposition, is it not? The M5650's available now in Portugal and will be coming to other parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia before too long.

List of most-recycled phones has two RAZRs at the top, possibly being melted right into CLIQ molds

Remember back when RAZRs were the most amazing thing you'd ever seen and they ran like $400 on a two-year contract? Yeah, it feels like an eternity and a half ago -- and most owners seem to feel that way, too, because they're being recycled en masse these days. Phone recycling specialist ReCellular has released its list of the ten most-recycled handsets of the year, and by 2009 standards, there really aren't any surprises -- the chart reads like a directory of forgettable has-been dumbphones with the possible exception, of course, of the industry-changing RAZRs up top. It'll be interesting to see if or when the first smartphones break the top ten -- what do you think, a Treo or two?

Nokia to have private Connecting People event alongside Mobile World Congress

CES 2010 might be just around the corner, but it sounds like Nokia's next big move might be at Mobile World Congress in February. Well, not quite at MWC: Espoo actually pulled out of the tradeshow earlier this year, but now we're hearing that there will be a private Connecting People event in Barcelona on the first and second days of MWC. That's particularly interesting because one of the reasons Nokia pulled out of MWC was to increase focus on its own Nokia World conference, so we're guessing nothing major will be coming out in Spain -- but we can't help but agree with this poignant Babelfish translation of Engadget Spanish's post on the same subject: "Fulfilled mission, Nokia: you have been able to attract our curiosity."

BlackBerry Curve 8530 impressions

We don't know, but it seems like RIM has enlisted a couple more CDMA engineers because the gap between new devices launching on GSM and then making their way to CDMA has been getting noticeably smaller over time. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 was launched on T-Mobile only a few short months ago, and it's already made its way to both Verizon and Sprint. It's not the same powerhouse as its older sibling the Tour, but this device packs a heck of a lot of punch into a very pocketable package. Read past the break for our extended impressions.
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Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 hits the FCC again, this time with AT&T's 3G bands

Yes, you might recall a version of Sony Ericsson's mighty X10 getting FCC approval last week -- but this one isn't quite the same. This time around, we've got WCDMA 850 / 1900 accompanying the quadband EDGE, which is heartwarming news for anyone on AT&T, Rogers, Bell, or Telus, though the complete lack of branding on the FCC's test unit leaves us to speculate wildly over which of those carriers (if any) will brand the unit -- and more importantly, whether any will be on shelves before frickin' 2011. In the meantime, we're guessing SonyStyle sales are a lock -- so get your save on.

Apple already locking down dates for iPhone announcement at WWDC 2010?

Shocking news, people: Apple might hold WWDC at Moscone West in June, as it has for the past several years. That's at least the word according to AppleInsider, which just noticed that Moscone West is mysteriously booked from June 28 to July 2 by "Corporate Event," which has signified upcoming Apple events in the past. If you'll recall, the original iPhone was released in June of 2007, followed by the iPhone 3G at WWDC 2008 and the iPhone 3GS at WWDC 2009, so the smart money is on another refresh this year -- and you can't have whispers of an iPhone refresh without rumors about it coming to Verizon, so there's tons of chatter in the air. We're staying out of that for now, since we haven't heard anything new or particularly interesting, but we'd like to point out that we're also due an iPhone SDK event in March on Apple's campus if Steve holds to pattern -- anyone care speculate on what iPhone OS 4.0 might bring to the table?

Android's Device Dashboard offers version distribution insight, pity for users still on 1.1

Google's Android team has released a cool new site to help developers keep tabs on the distribution of the platform's various versions, something that's going to become increasingly important as it continues to splinter across manufacturers and countless devices, specs, and capabilities. The Device Dashboard is presently showing that 1.6 (Donut, if you recall correctly) owns the lion's share of the market, but 1.5 Cupcake is still contributing 27.7 percent to the mix -- thanks largely to the Hero, we suspect. 2.0.1, only available in wide distribution on the Droid at this point, owns another 14.8 percent, but you can bet this whole pie is going to drastically repaint itself countless times in 2010 -- and each version brings different bullet points to the table, which means devs are going to be facing tough choices deciding what to target. It may never have Apple-style hardware and software uniformity, but at least stuff like this'll help app shops make more informed decisions as they push out products.

iPhone and Vodafone UK set the date: January 14

Vodafone has decided if it can't give us the iPhone for the holidays, it'll do the next best thing and spill details of its launch and pricing of Apple's finest. Available from January 14, the iPhone will be yours for £30 ($48) per month on two-year contracts, though up-front charges will set you back £239 ($386) for the 32GB 3GS variety. A monthly 1GB of 3G data is permitted, alongside unlimited WiFi, but what might be most interesting here is that Vodafone will allow you to use the iPhone as a modem. Such use will not be covered by your allowance of course, and will cost £5 ($8) for each 500MB downloaded, but we're happy to see a carrier offering the option. Furthermore, though Vodafone's agreement to carry the iPhone seemed a rushed defensive move, the company now claims it has been preparing its network for over a year to handle the increased traffic it expects.

HTC Espresso's revised Sense UI spotted?

Among the seemingly thousands of Android-powered HTC handsets rumored for the first half of 2010, little is known of the mysterious Espresso -- the codename was found in a 2.1 ROM and a sketchy report claims that it'll have a QWERTY keyboard for an MWC announcement, but other than that, we're in the dark. Anyhow, Italian site hdblog.it now claims to have some shots ripped off the Espresso's display, and at a glance, you can tell this isn't quite the Sense we're used to from the Hero. The bar along the bottom now features direct access to People -- a feature we'd already heard would be revised for HTC's next round of Android phones -- and app icons have apparently been graced with translucent surrounds that are... well, not exactly pretty. We've got to keep our opinions in check until we actually see a shipping ROM, of course, so hopefully those talks of an MWC unveiling in February pan out.

Nokia sprouting a second SIM slot in 2010

Russia and China have both made it very clear that they like their dual-SIM phones -- in most of Europe and the Americas, they're little more than a novelty, but in the Far East they've become a unique market need driven by the way local carriers work and the average buyer's usage model. LG, Samsung, and Moto have all succumbed to the trend, so why not Nokia? Sure enough, we're hearing from none other than industry heavyweight Eldar Murtazin who confirmed with a local Nokia exec that dual-SIM is in the cards come Q2 2010 in the "mid tier" segment. In other words, don't expect an N900 with a second SIM slot conveniently under the battery, but more likely a high-function Series 40 type of device. And hey, look, we know it wouldn't go over too well with carriers here, but we can think of plenty of times where we'd have loved to be able to flick from AT&T to T-Mobile or vice versa -- so go ahead, Nokia, sell these in your flagship stor... ah, wait.

Maine mulling cancer warning labels on cellphones, manufacturers mulling warning label on Maine

The debate on whether mobile phones are slowly turning us into a world of ailment-riddled weaklings rages on in the scientific community, but at least one state may be ready to step up the ominous, non-actionable warnings anyway. A representative in Maine has apparently persuaded her colleagues to let her bring up a proposal during January's session of the state legislature that would require warnings on devices about the alleged link between RF emissions and brain cancer, strongly advising users to keep the devices away from their heads and bodies. At best, this seems premature, and at worst, it runs a risk of breeding a nation of 24 / 7 Bluetooth headset users -- but the politician responsible for the movement seems to have it figured out: she holds her own phone away from her head while using it and turns it off unless she's expecting a call. Could someone in her district please let us know what kind of archaic voice-only device she's using?

LG eXpo unboxing and impressions

We're not sure we'd be able to find a piece of hardware that made us adore Windows Mobile 6.5 the same way we adore puppies or a hot cup of cocoa, but that doesn't mean that the usual suspects -- HTC, Samsung, LG, and the like -- aren't producing some magnificent hardware on which to run it. Today we've had a chance to give LG's new eXpo for AT&T a quick once-over, and on paper, this is a hell of a handset: 5 megapixel autofocus cam, a fingerprint sensor that doubles as a d-pad, Snapdragon power, a WVGA display, full QWERTY, and most notably, support for an optional microprojector add-on. Sadly, a ship date hasn't yet been assigned to the PJ, but does the basic package hold its own against the similarly-spec'd Tilt2? Let's check it out.
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Re transforms your iPhone into a universal remote (which seems like a step backwards, to be honest)

OK, so we know a thing or two about the "convenience" of using your iPhone as a remote control. For instance, using it to control Boxee was alright -- until we needed to make a call. Or we received a call. Not to rain on anyone's parade, but the idea of re-purposing your phone to act as a universal remote seems a little silly. But what do we know? Maybe you hold all calls while Jersey Shore is on anyways. In that case, Re could be your next favorite gadget. This bad boy lets your handset communicate with all your AV equipment via infrared, contains an extensive database of devices, and can learn from any IR remote. If that weren't enough, New Kinetix promises regular updates to the app -- and your typical remote can't do that! Compatible with the iPod Touch as well, there's no word yet on a price or release date, but we're expecting that we'll be getting plenty more details come CES time.

Poor iPhone reception graduates to SNL 'Weekend Update' joke status

"It was reported this week that Google would soon launch its own cellphone as a challenge to the iPhone. Also a challenge to the iPhone? Making phone calls."

Cue uproarious applause.

Update: Video after the break! Thanks Michael!

Update 2: In typical SNL fashion, the video has been pulled from YouTube. Keep an eye out for a Hulu berth!
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Motorola's XT701, MT710, and XT800 do Android for China's big three carriers

Even through the lean years, Moto's been making waves in China where it enjoys comparably high popularity -- it was one of the first major manufacturers to throw its support behind the nation's homegrown TD-SCDMA 3G tech, after all, and it's had a tendency to get the company's sexier WinMo smartphones like the SURF. On that note, it doesn't come as much of a surprise to see that they've now announced not one, not two, but three fairly attractive, high-end Android handsets specifically for duty in the Far East, one for each of China's big three carriers (each of which employs a different 3G technology, per the gub'mint's orders). Starting on the left, the XT701 is the phone that we'd believed to be the Sholes Tablet -- and considering that it uses HSPA for China Unicom's airwaves, we still have no reason to believe it couldn't make the leap across the Pacific. The MT710 (pictured center) is an OPhone for China Mobile and stands the least chance of making an unfettered jump to another continent since it uses a completely customized UI along with a positively China-only TD-SCDMA radio. Finally, the XT800 on the right looks like a Dell Mini 3i done right to us, rocking dual-mode GSM and EV-DO for China Telecom's rather heterogeneous network. We've got to hand it to Moto here: by all appearances, these 3.7-inch WVGA, 5 megapixel beasts could get Android fans drooling pretty much anywhere in the world, so let's get 'em over to Europe and America on the double, eh?

[Thanks, Vitala]

Stable Android 2.1 hacked onto Droid, speeds through those extra home screens

Staying warm out there? Got a cup of hot cocoa in hand? Good, because Mr. Greek35T over at AllDroid has a stable version of the (previously rough-around-the-edges) Android 2.1 ROM ready for all you Droid users to play around with. It's officially "super fast," and probably the best thing to happen this weekend outside of that wicked jump you built on the neighborhood sledding hill before you went and watched Avatar with all your old high school friends. Hit up the source link for the full install instructions, and there's a video of 2.1 in action after the break.

[Thanks, Brandon]
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Sprint puts out fact sheet for dual-mode U301 WiMAX modem, release imminent?

So Sprint just published an official fact sheet for a U301 USB modem with support for both WiMAX and EV-DO -- it's not accompanied by any press release or product page on Sprint's online store, but we can only assume this means that a release is around the corner. Of course, the dual-mode capability alone doesn't set it apart -- the carrier's existing U300 model already handles those duties with aplomb -- but what seemingly sets the U301 apart is its support for Mac OS. We'd just as soon they'd release drivers for the U300, but failing that, alright, fine, we'll take a new modem. If we're sustaining over 3Mbps down, we'll take a lot of carrier and manufacturer abuse, actually.

How would you change Motorola's Droid?

The anti-iPhone. The phone that "does." The first Motorola device that we've seen in years that's downright awe-inspiring. Naturally, we're referring to the Droid. VZW spent all kinds of money to hype up this Android 2.0 handset as the phone to get if AT&T's 3G coverage was just too weak for your liking, and it seems to have been at least decently effective. We know the phone had its fair share of quirks right off the bat, but we're happy to say that most of those nuisances were taken care of via firmware update. Still, we know geeks, and those suckers are never happy. If you were in charge of redesigning this thing, what aspects would you tweak? Is the slide-out QWERTY up to snuff? Is the display crisp enough? Are the transitions snappy enough? Do you wish it was impossible to turn off the "Droid" sound emission each time you received an email? Dish out your hot fury below.

FCC Fridays

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - Panasonic P-03B
Read - Huawei C6100
Read - Huawei G2201
Read - Huawei U1280-5
Read - ZTE S319
Read - ZTE S309
Read - LG KM555R
Read - LG GT950
Read - LG GS290
Read - Samsung SCH-R312
Read - Samsung SCH-B199
Read - Samsung SPH-W9500

Peripherals
Read - Parrot MINIKIT Slim Series
Read - Option iCON 461
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“The net effect of the Storm2's rethought SurePress is that it's unquestionably better -- but frankly, we still don't get it.”
95%

The percentage of returned gadgets that have nothing wrong with them.

Of the $13.8 billion worth of returned products in 2007, only 5 percent were because gadgets were actually broken, according to a 2008 study.

Let the hive mind of Engadget get that for you.
"I'm looking for a solid state drive, around 32 to 64GB, for use in my web server. The drive will contain my web sites and the operating system, either Windows Server 2008 R2 or Ubuntu. Large storage is handled by a separate RAID array, so capacity is not an issue. Rather, I am looking for the fastest, longest-lasting, and most reliable drive under $150 that is suitable to my application. Any thoughts? Thanks!"

Boss of the Year Entry Form

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