HTC Rhyme review

The HTC Rhyme is one of the newest additions to the Verizon wireless line-up, setting itself apart from the rest of the family since it's specifically for women -- or hipsters who like purple. This time around, the company decided to focus on the accessories, leading its marketing campaign with a glowing purse charm to avoid missing calls -- a fate all too familiar for gals whose phone is oftentimes buried at the bottom of a Louis Vuitton.

Unfortunately, we've been skipped over when it comes to some of the features popular with higher-end, more macho phones like the Droid RAZR or the Galaxy Nexus. Sorry, ladies, no 4- or 4.3-inch touchscreen, no 4G LTE and certainly no dual-core processor. Instead, this phone is pretty run-of-the-mill, with a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen, single-core, 1GHz processor, a WVGA display, a 5MP rear-facing and VGA front-facing camera, as well as an 8GB microSD card. Running the newest Sense 3.5 UI atop Gingerbread, the Rhyme offers a unique user experience for those who like HTC's custom UI and, of course, the color purple. But is this phone powerful enough to keep up with the multitasking mayhem that is a day in the life of a modern woman? Jump past the break to find out.

Gallery: HTC Rhyme review

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Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Rhyme review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nokia Drive with MirrorLink on Toyota Touch Life hands-on (video)

Just a few meters from the entrance to Nokia World at London's sprawling ExCel Exhibition Centre, we found a Toyota iQ compact with Nokia branding on the door. And in the dash was Toyota's new Touch Life smartphone integration system, complete with Nokia Drive compatibility and display mirroring via MirrorLink. In addition to mirroring your Symbian Belle (or MeeGo) display on the 7-inch touchscreen, Touch Life also provides a driver-friendly interface, including enormous icons to control music playback, or to place calls to contacts by tapping their name and photo, or by using the jumbo telephone keypad. It also integrates with the Nokia Drive app, with a very simple (and also oversized) navigation interface. The concept is simple: access basic smartphone functions as you drive while limiting distractions. While you're parked, you'll have unrestricted access to your phone's interface, but non-critical features are disabled as you drive.

The demo unit we saw is still a few months away from hitting production, so there were a few hiccups. After connecting the Nokia 701 to the system, the smartphone's display appeared on the in-dash screen within a few seconds. We had full access to all of the phone's features until shifting into drive, when a much simpler screen popped up, with Call, Drive and Music modules. Everything worked rather seamlessly until we neared the end of the demo, when an "Enjoy the sound while driving" message appeared on screen, where the navigation window had been just a moment before. There isn't a firm release date in place, and the demo unit only appears to work with Symbian Belle at the moment -- though MeeGo support (and likely Windows Phone as well) will be available after launch. Jump past the break to see how it works from behind the wheel.

Gallery: Nokia Drive with MirrorLink hands-on at Nokia World 2011

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Nokia Drive with MirrorLink on Toyota Touch Life hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video)

Nokia's latest "super" hydrophobic coating doesn't take half-measures. This new technology binds a layer of nanotech magic to the surface of its devices that literally bounces liquids away. Although we've been told the nanotubes at work here are most effective with water, other liquids (and smudgy fingerprints) should also find the treated surface difficult to latch onto. Due to the thinness of this waterproofing solution, a spokesperson told us here at Nokia World that even the inner workings of a phone could be treated in the same way. No more incidents in the bathroom? Count us in. Check the video after the break for some slo-mo water slippage.

Gallery: Nokia's super hydrophobic nanotechnology at Nokia World 2011

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

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Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HTC Raider 4G LTE available on Rogers today, Bell's version coming soon

Now that both Rogers and Bell have alive and kickin' LTE networks, it's high time we see a full lineup on them, right? HTC's doing its part, at least, by offering the Raider 4G LTE (aka Holiday), a device we've seen announced in Korea and Australia so far. Curiously, Rogers lists the device as having a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, a downtick from its Asian counterpart, though everything else appears to be the same: it offers a 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, a full gigabyte of RAM, an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 1080p video capture, a 1.3MP front-facing cam for video chat and runs with Android 2.3.4 and HTC Sense 3.0 installed. Rogers will be the first in Canada to get the phone out the door, since it's available in stores and online today for $150 with a three-year commitment, whereas Bell has it listed as "coming soon" on its official site with no actual pricing indicated (MobileSyrup says it will likely be sold for $170). If your heart goes pitter-patter for this Raider, go ahead and pick one up -- just keep in mind that the lost ark is not included.

HTC Raider 4G LTE available on Rogers today, Bell's version coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jolicloud heads to the actual cloud, Joli OS gets open-sourced

Mum's been the word from the Jolicloud camp over the past few months -- summer vacation, we get it -- but the company has apparently been working quite diligently on what's next: the "new Jolicloud platform." According to a mildly vague blog post from the outfit, the next edition of the OS will introduce "the personal cloud," enabling users to access the information stored there from "your iPhone, your Android phone, your tablet, your computer and pretty much any connected device with its API." In related news, Joli OS has been open sourced and is now available to the community, and if you're interested in finding out more about the whole ordeal, sign up for the private beta in the source links below. Invites are going out soon, or so we're told.

Jolicloud heads to the actual cloud, Joli OS gets open-sourced originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Grace One City e-motorbike review

There comes a time in nearly every person's life when they need to get up, get out the door and get to work. Some drive, some walk, some take one form of public transportation or another -- but a noble few do something different. Those people ride their bikes, holding on to the passion gained in a childhood of racing around the neighborhood on Huffys and Schwinns, skinning knees or elbows when the latest attempt at a sweet jump turned a little sour.

Sure, those people may say they're saving money or the environment by riding a bike into work, but we all know they do it for fun. As is the case with most wheeled pursuits, the fun factor increases with the speed, and with that idea we welcome to you to the Grace One. It's a German electric bike that offers more high-tech trappings than your average economy car -- a good thing, because it costs nearly as much as one. What does this $6,000 bike offer? Speed. Sweet, effortless speed (up to 25MPH without you burning a single calorie), and we recently had the chance to put one through its paces. Read on to see how we fared.

Gallery: Grace One electric bicycle review

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Grace One City e-motorbike review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Garmin announces FR70 fitness watches to keep you on track

Looking to keep those New Year's resolutions past the first week of January in 2012? Garmin's out to help you stay the course with its FR70 fitness watches for both guy and gals. Using this trainer's timepiece, you'll be able to track your workout time, heart rate and calories burned right on your wrist. Powered by ANT+ technology, the FR70 can connect to compatible devices like treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines, your boyfriend's Segway, etc. For avid runners, pairing the watch with a wireless foot pod will clue you in on speed, distance and cadence during your training sessions. If biking is more your style, a pace sensor is available for you as well. Combine an FR70 with the Tanita BC-1000 system and you can track weight, water levels, body fat and a handful of other measurements that will be stored right on the device. Once all the data is collected, it can be sent to Garmin Connect whenever you return with range of your PC. The pair will be available in the UK, starting in November, for £129 / €139 ($197). If you need some reading while you're lacing up those Nikes, hit the PR button for the full skinny.

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Garmin announces FR70 fitness watches to keep you on track originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.