Sure, the Samsung Vibrant came out three days earlier, but you don't care if T-Mobile customers beat you to the Galaxy S punch -- you're on AT&T, and it's about time you had (another) high-end Android smartphone to call your own. Our recent hands-on showed it was a bit sluggish, so you might want to wait for our full review, but if your heart's set on that 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and 1GHz Hummingbird core, you're only two clicks away from adding the Android 2.1 handset to your virtual shopping cart. Click one is our source link, immediately below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

That's not your grandpappy's touchscreen panel, nor his standard Windows 7 input method of choice, oh no -- unless our eyes deceive us, we're looking at a 3M M2256PW ten-finger multitouch display, and on it, a genuine Swype keyboard. Though we've heard nothing about a partnership between Microsoft and Swype and we see nary a mention on the internet at large, there's no denying the idea -- spotted during last week's Internet Explorer demo at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference -- is an attractive one. The question is when and how Redmond might deliver such functionality to the existing OS... and if we might possibly see the same on the company's upcoming phones as well. See it in action at the source link, and fast forward to 2:58:30 for the goods. Trust us and skip ahead -- we've got a feeling you won't want to hear Microsoft kick this party off.

[Thanks, Abed R.]

Verizon told CNET the company had "done everything possible" to ensure adequate supply of the Droid X, but there's apparently no anticipating the demand for a top-tier smartphone -- like the Droid Incredible before it, the giant 1GHz Motorola handset is already out of stock, both online (today's orders suffer a ten-day delay) and in many brick and mortar stores. Verizon confirmed the shortages in a communique to Android Central, saying the company was pleased with initial sales, and that though they were "successful at keeping up with early demand" supplies are presently "low or out." Tomorrow's just not going to work out, our anti-gravitational friend -- can we take a July 27th raincheck?

[Thanks, Haitham]

Apple's Friday press conference may have left a bad taste in some rival handset manufacturer's mouths, but not all of them are taking Cupertino's derision of their devices seriously -- HTC's Droid Eris was arguably the most affected by the grip of doom, its bars dropping to zilch when held, but the Taiwanese company's keeping any controversial opinions to itself for now. Instead, it's sharing a simple percentage to help clear the air. Whereas Apple claimed over 0.55 percent of customers called AppleCare with reception-related complaints, HTC's Eric Lin told Pocket-lint the Droid Eris technical support rate was 0.016 percent, nearly thirty-four times lower -- though even with a seven-month head start, we have to wonder if the Eris sold close to three million by the time Verizon brought the axe down.

Lithium-ion battery technology keeps improving by (theoretical) leaps and bounds, but what good's that to you when you're faced with a dead TV remote? Brother Industries has a plan, and it doesn't involve ink for once -- the Japanese printer company's developed a set of prototype batteries you simply shake to charge. AA and AAA models are already in the works, though you shouldn't expect to slot them into cameras or R/C cars, as the miniature electromagnetic induction generators inside are designed for infrequently used gadgets and provide as little as 10mW (or as much as 180mW) when shook. Of course, when it comes to TV remotes there's an even lazier way for couch potatoes to squeeze the juice, but we have to imagine standard-sized cells have a slightly better chance at market.

Verizon has yet to publish a list of the launch devices customers in its first commercial LTE markets will be enjoying later this year, but if we had to guess, this sucker is a strong possibility. What you're looking at here is LG's VL600, a USB modem that'll do both LTE and CDMA in the same package -- in other words, it'll have you covered on Verizon for laptop data pretty much anywhere you go within the carrier's entire footprint. Judging from the size of the USB connector relative to the rest of the device's body, this might not be ridiculously large, either; typically, first-gen products like this are bordering on hilariously huge, but LG and others have had a really long time to ramp up to commercialization of their LTE products, so we're cautiously optimistic for once.

Panasonic may be pushing Micro Four Thirds tech these days, but that doesn't mean it's forgotten about the pocketable high-end -- in fact, full spec sheets and pictures have just leaked from the company's technical support website, detailing the unannounced latest in the Lumix LX lineup. The 10.1 megapixel DMC-LX5 doesn't have any revolutionary new features, sadly, but it certainly brings the 2008 LX3 predecessor up to spec in nearly every way, with a longer 3.8x optical zoom lens by Leica, 12,800 ISO mixed-pixel sensitivity and a familiar-sounding AVCHD Lite 720p video recording mode. Slightly heavier due to a larger 1250mAh battery, the camera supports SDXC memory cards this time round, has an anti-glare coating on the 3-inch LCD and thankfully replaces those bulky breakout component cables with a mini-HDMI out. There's also an optional electronic viewfinder and a jog dial on the back, but we don't want to ruin all your fun unearthing these gems; peruse the specs yourself at our source link.

Impressed by the Brammo Empulse, which just became official earlier this week? Wait 'till you get a load of this. Roehr Motorcycles has just confirmed that its eRoehr line of bikes is now available for order, and they are quite a suite of machines. If you're not familiar with the company, they're about the only American manufacturer making a proper sportbike these days, and now they have a suite of electric offerings too. Full details after the break.

TSMC might not necessarily be a household name, but the product of its labors tends to be all over home electronics. Aiming to keep that trend going, the Taiwanese chipmaker has just broken ground on its third 300mm wafer plant, located in Taichung's Central Taiwan Science Park. The new Fab 15 will have a capacity of over 100,000 wafers per month -- earning it the prestige of being described as a Gigafab -- and once operational it'll create 8,000 new skilled jobs in the area. Semiconductors built there will also be suitably modern, with 40nm and 28nm production facilities being installed, and lest you worry about such trivial things as the environment, TSMC says it's doing a few things to minimize the foundry's energy usage and greenhouse gas emission. Then again, if you're going to spend nearly $10 billion on something, would you expect anything less?

Like your average teenager, AT&T has recognized the power in using two phone lines to cheaply extend its reach and influence. Pair bonding technology expands U-verse's reach by sending the signal over two copper phone lines at once and was supposed to roll out back in '08. No word what caused the delay, but that it's a cheaper option than putting more "shovels in the ground" should keep costs down and Randall Stephenson happy. According to AT&T, that extra distance (about 1,000 to 2,000 extra feet from neighborhood nodes) will help expand availability to 30 million households by the end of next year, so if you've been waiting for some Total Home DVR / Xbox 360 Mediaroom / mobile U-verse (once the latter two actually launch, of course) action but live a block or two too far outside the radius then things are looking up. The bad news? It won't add bandwidth for the compression issues or lack of additional HD streams Home Theater Review noted, and definitely won't help you score concert tickets during the top 8 at 8.

We'd argue that the "wow" factor still isn't there quite yet, but we'll admit: Symbian^4 is clearly going to be a bit of a departure from the versions that came before it. The Symbian Foundation has posted the first handful of home screen UI shots on its developer wiki recently showing redesigned widgets, app categories and search, pop-up menus, and a standard-issue numeric touchscreen keypad -- and unlike Nokia's concept videos from before, these are from a real emulator running real code. While MeeGo is still expected to dominate the high end of its range, Nokia's expecting to use Symbian^4 in at least some of its devices by early 2011 -- and knowing how these guys like to go big with global roll-outs spanning tens or hundreds of millions of devices, this is a UI you might end up getting to know extremely well within a year or two.

Thought Nokia's statement was strongly worded? That was nothing compared to the little tirade put together by RIM co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie -- a pair of dudes known for having some of the bigger mouths (and bigger egos) in the wireless industry -- in direct response to Apple's Friday press conference on antenna issues. Of course, unlike Nokia, Apple made it personal for RIM because it used the Bold 9700 as a demonstration device in its attempt to prove that signal loss was a problem for phones and manufacturers from all walks of life, but Mike and Jim are having none of it. Phrases like "self-made debacle" and "deliberate attempts to distort the public's understanding" should give you an idea of the statement's overall flavor, but basically, they're saying that RIM puts a lot of time, money, and energy into avoiding dropped call issues and that you don't need a case to use any of their phones. Snap!

Here's the full statement:

"Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple's claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public's understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple's difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM's customers don't need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple."

A visual recap of the day's articles

Jul 16th 2010 | 38 Articles

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/the-daily-roundup-heres-what-you-mightve-missed/

12:59 am

2 Comments

The daily roundup: here's what you might've missed

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/xbox-360-sales-increase-88-percent-in-june-give-it-us-sales-cro/

1:26 am

103 Comments

Xbox 360 sales increase 88 percent in June, give it US console crown for the month

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/sharp-intros-first-100gb-bdxl-discs-japan-gets-first-dibs-on-ju/

2:49 am

35 Comments

Sharp intros first 100GB BDXL discs, Japan gets first dibs on July 30

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/zuckerman-the-internet-encourages-cultural-myopia-that-double/

2:24 am

41 Comments

Zuckerman: the Internet encourages cultural myopia, that 'double rainbow' guy

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/acer-gains-ground-on-hp-as-asus-bumps-toshiba-out-of-top-five-gl/

3:44 am

42 Comments

Acer gains ground on HP as ASUS bumps Toshiba out of top five global PC vendors

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/logitech-does-5-1-surround-sound-on-a-budget-with-100-z506-spea/

4:38 am

73 Comments

Logitech does 5.1 surround sound on a budget with $100 Z506 speakers

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/intel-snaps-up-former-palm-and-apple-vp-mike-bell-for-its-smartp/

5:31 am

49 Comments

Intel snaps up former Palm and Apple VP Mike Bell for its smartphone push

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/nikon-d3100-to-split-the-d5000-d3000-difference/

7:14 am

42 Comments

Nikon D3100 to split the D5000 / D3000 difference?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/modded-game-gear-becomes-portable-home-for-n64-video/

6:26 am

36 Comments

Modded Game Gear becomes portable home for N64 (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/googles-amit-singhal-tells-us-about-the-dreams-search-engines-a/

7:53 am

28 Comments

Google's Amit Singhal tells us about the dreams search engines are made of

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/powertread-turns-gridlock-into-electricity-with-a-series-of-tube/

9:07 am

79 Comments

Powertread turns gridlock into electricity with a series of tubes

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/amd-has-record-1-65b-second-quarter-still-loses-a-little-money/

8:24 am

51 Comments

AMD has record $1.65B second quarter, still loses a little money

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/coulomb-gets-in-an-empire-state-of-mind-switches-on-nycs-first/

9:56 am

46 Comments

Coulomb gets in an Empire State of mind, switches on NYC's first public EV charging station

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/graffiti-for-android-scribbles-palm-os-memories-all-over-google/

9:32 am

72 Comments

Graffiti for Android scribbles Palm OS memories all over Google's platform

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/scientists-formalize-perfect-handshake-world-peace-on-track-for/

11:02 am

65 Comments

Scientists formalize perfect handshake; world peace on track for 2012

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/google-pointer-activity-monitoring-could-influence-search-engine/

10:39 am

24 Comments

Google pointer activity monitoring could influence search engine results, probably won't

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/pinel-and-pinels-80s-arcade-cabinet-fits-squarely-into-the-futur/

10:18 am

38 Comments

Pinel & Pinel's 80's arcade cabinet fits squarely into the future

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/atandt-execs-get-a-better-captivate-unboxing-experience-than-you-d/

12:08 pm

99 Comments

AT&T execs get a better Captivate unboxing experience than you do

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/motorola-responds-to-droid-x-bootloader-controversy-says-efuse/

11:45 am

235 Comments

Motorola responds to Droid X bootloader controversy, says eFuse isn't there to break the phone

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/sony-walkman-nwz-e450-does-karaoke-we-go-hands-on-video/

11:23 am

27 Comments

Sony Walkman NWZ-E450 does karaoke, we go hands-on (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/live-from-apples-iphone-4-press-conference/

12:54 pm

1414 Comments

Live from Apple's iPhone 4 press conference

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/iphone-4-sales-3-million-and-counting/

12:32 pm

59 Comments

iPhone 4 sales: 3 million and counting

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/magellan-busts-out-510-610-and-710-explorist-outdoor-gps-for-al/

12:31 pm

20 Comments

Magellan busts out 510, 610 and 710 eXplorist outdoor GPS for all you... outdoors types

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/apple-to-give-away-free-bumpers-to-iphone-4-users/

1:29 pm

783 Comments

Apple to give away free cases to iPhone 4 users

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/jobs-no-ones-going-to-buy-a-big-phone/

12:40 pm

266 Comments

Apple's Steve Jobs: 'no one's going to buy' a big phone

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/iphone-4-coming-to-canada-and-16-other-countries-july-30th/

12:39 pm

35 Comments

iPhone 4 coming to Canada and 16 other countries July 30th

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/the-white-iphone-4-will-ship-at-the-end-of-july/

12:38 pm

27 Comments

The white iPhone 4 will ship at the end of July

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/apple-iphone-4-drops-less-than-one-additional-call-per-100-tha/

12:36 pm

110 Comments

Apple: iPhone 4 drops 'less than one additional call per 100 than the 3GS'

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/iphone-4-proximity-sensor-fix-in-the-works/

12:35 pm

44 Comments

iPhone 4 proximity sensor fix in the works

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/apple-posts-iphone-4-press-conference-video-smartphone-antenna/

2:57 pm

415 Comments

Apple posts iPhone 4 press conference video, 'smartphone antenna performance' page

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/visualized-a-strange-world-where-echo-doesnt-exist/

3:49 pm

59 Comments

Visualized: a strange world where echo doesn't exist

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/google-halting-nexus-one-sales-through-official-store-after-curr/

3:16 pm

187 Comments

Google halting Nexus One sales through official store after current inventory depleted

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/growing-up-geek-paul-miller/

5:05 pm

48 Comments

Growing Up Geek: Paul Miller

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/nokia-we-prioritize-antenna-performance-over-physical-design-i/

4:36 pm

299 Comments

Nokia: 'we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict'

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/lacies-xtremkey-tested-emotionally/

6:13 pm

48 Comments

LaCie's XtremKey tested... emotionally (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/apple-affirms-no-software-fix-for-iphone-4-antenna-issue/

5:38 pm

203 Comments

Apple affirms: no software fix for iPhone 4 antenna issue

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/boxees-first-production-box-gets-shown-off-to-the-world-video/

6:57 pm

43 Comments

Boxee's first production Box gets shown off to the world (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/sony-alpha-a390-and-a290-dslrs-hands-on/

7:53 pm

1 Comments

Sony Alpha A390 and A290 DSLRs hands-on

Apple's iPhone 4 press conference Live from Apple's iPhone 4 press conference Apple posts press conference video, 'smartphone antenna performance' page Apple: free cases to iPhone 4 users Jobs: 'no one's going to buy' a big phone iPhone 4 coming to Canada and 16 other countries July 30th The white iPhone 4 to ship end of July Apple: iPhone 4 drops 'less than one additional call per 100 than the 3GS' iPhone 4 proximity sensor fix in the works iPhone 4 sales: 3 million and counting, 1.7 percent returned Apple affirms: no software fix for iPhone 4 antenna issue

Other news of import LaCie's XtremKey tested... emotionally Sony Alpha A390 and A290 DSLRs hands-on Motorola responds to Droid X bootloader controversy, says eFuse isn't there to break the phone Xbox 360 sales increase 88 percent in June, give it US console crown for the month Logitech does 5.1 surround sound on a budget with $100 Z506 speakers Google halting Nexus One official store sales after current inventory depleted Nokia: 'we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict'

Awwww: Growing Up Geek: Paul Miller

It's not surprising that after Apple finished explaining the iPhone 4 antenna issues to the press today, the company wanted to go one step further and say "yes, actually, we do test the hell out of these phones before we release them to the public." Though Steve Jobs went over the lengthy and intensive kinds of radio evaluation that goes on at Apple's headquarters, it didn't seem to be enough for the folks in Cupertino. And that, we suspect, is why we were invited (along with a small group of other journalists) to take a brief tour of Apple's Infinite Loop labs. Though we weren't allowed to shoot video or take pictures, we can tell you about what we did -- and what we didn't -- see and hear behind closed doors.

LG didn't hold back when it came time to market its Ally, but was a tie-in with one of the summer's biggest blockbusters really enough? We found some rather unforgivable flaws during our testing, but that's honestly beside the point -- we're here to hear about your thoughts on the device. Priced initially at just $100 on contract, it was (and still is, to an extent) one of the best deals going for an Android-based smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, but has it really lived up to your expectations? Are you wishing you had held out a bit longer? Is the keyboard really a winner? How do you like / dislike the UI overlay? How's it handle when held left-handed? Go on, get really real in comments below. We're all ears.

Slowly but surely, the future is creeping up on us. In-flight WiFi is getting there, and in-car WiFi is following suit. Autonet Mobile already sunk its teeth in at General Motors, and now it's doing likewise over at Subaru. The automaker that insists it's all about love is about to give prospective buyers of the 2011 Outback an option to install a router within their ride for a one time fee of $534 (including activation). Of course, it's on you to pay that $29 / month premium that keeps the signals flowing, and yes, you're still better off buying a MiFi and just bringing it along. But hey, there's nothing like factory integration, right? Well, aside from seagulls checking their Twitter accounts while you explore Acadia National Park... freeloaders.