HTC Desire C hands-on (video)

HTC gave us a quick session to play around with its latest handset, the Desire C. No, it's not part of the consolidated One series, nor is the company revealing precisely what that "C" stands for -- heaven forfend it's "cheap." While a humble 320 x 480 touchscreen and 600MHz processor might not set many smartphone obsessives' hearts a' racing, it still manages to eke out a HTC Sense-skinned Android 4.0 UI -- no mere feat, in our opinion. A 5-megapixel camera and expandable microSD slot are some other welcome specifications and it's all wrapped up in an attractive matte finish -- you can take your pick form black and white in the UK. Catch our quick video run-through of the sub-$300 handset right after the break.

(We mentioned in the video that the phone's running on a 6Mhz processor -- which is clearly madness. Just to reiterate, the Desire C runs on a 600MHz single-core processor.)

The phone felt slightly fuller in the hand compared to the recent glut of sub-10mm devices, measuring in at just under 12mm thick, but like Palm's HP's now defunct Pre range, it's a very comfortable fit in the hand. This was the NFC model and weighed in at precisely 100g (0.22 pounds). The 3.5-inch screen was bright, although noticeably grainier than HTC's more premium models. While a five-megapixel camera sounded like a boon, we were forewarned that it's of the fixed-focus variety. Despite that, it came with the same filter effects and dual-capture features seen on the likes of the One S. Despite the weedy processor and 512MB of RAM -- specs that echoed the ghosts of smartphone past -- it kept up with our swipes and several apps launched without much waiting around. The multitask button is also in attendance, with an interface similar to the One V: that is, more stock Android 4.0, less Sense sparkle. We were pleasantly surprised with the handset and it could strike a chord with phone buyers that fondly recall the larger, original Desire. However, there's no news just yet on the device making a trip over to the western side of the Atlantic.

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Facebook introduces separate Messenger app for iPhone and Android

By Donald Melanson posted Aug 9th 2011 3:53PM It's not clear if its recently acquired group messaging firm, Beluga, had anything to do with it or not, but Facebook has branched out further into the increasingly crowded messaging space today with the announcement of a separate Facebook Messenger app. Available for iPhone and Android, the app lets you send messages directly to individual friends or groups, which they'll of course receive instantly (a la BBM, Huddle for Google+, and Apple's forthcoming iMessage). You're also able to share your location if you choose, and attach photos to your messages, but the app is otherwise streamlined and barebones -- which Facebook says is just the point. You can grab it from the App Store or Android Market now via the links below.

Update: As pointed out by Mark Levin in comments, it turns out the Beluga team did indeed have a hand in the development of the app.

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Sixaxis Controller Android app makes firing off hadoukens easy as pie (video)

N900 owners have been able to press their Sixaxis controllers into service on their handsets for quite sometime, but Android tablets have been stubbornly stuck to a USB tether. That is, until now. Dancing Pixel Studios' Sixaxis Controller app for Android does exactly what you expect -- allows you wirelessly control games on your Google-powered device with a PS3 gamepad. It's not the simplest setup on Earth. You'll need to be rooted, and before you can pair it with your phone or tablet you'll have to connect to a PC via USB and fire up the SixaxisPairTool. The app also doesn't play nice with most HTC devices or newer Samsung ones. Thankfully, before you drop your hard-earned $1.67 on the app you can download the free Sixaxis Compatibility Checker. Don't miss the video after the break, and hit up the source links to download both now and make pulling off a hadouken that much easier.

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Nissan's Android app lets you charge your Leaf from afar, puts the 'ease' in EV

 

If you happen to be both a Nissan Leaf owner and an Android user, you're in luck today, because the automaker has just released an official app that could make your life a little easier. With Nissan's tool, you'll be able to monitor your electric vehicle's battery life and estimated driving range directly from your smartphone, which you can also use to remotely charge your Leaf, or start its air conditioning. It may not be the most groundbreaking app ever, but it definitely offers some welcomed convenience to Nissan's growing base of EV drivers. Yesterday, the company confirmed to Autoblog Green that Leaf sales "crossed the 10,000 mark a couple weeks ago." Exact figures are hard to come by, due to Japan's summer holiday, but Nissan says it's 100 percent certain that the milestone was crossed. Next up: world domination.

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Pierre Cardin PC-7006 touts itself as UK's first 'designer tablet,' wears last season's Android

It was bad enough when Pierre Cardin's first tablet waltzed into CeBIT 2010 flaunting an outdated processor, but now its little sister is hitting the scene wearing a démodé OS. Admittedly, running Froyo isn't exactly scandalous, but we'd expect a 7-inch slate bearing the name of a legendary designer to at least keep up with current trends. While Pierre's pad isn't hip to Honeycomb, it does sport a respectable 1GHz Samsung S5PV210 Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage, MicroSD support up to 16GB and built in WiFi. True to its fashonista roots, this tablet knows that it needs to accessorize to look its best; 3G is just a separately sold dongle away. The clout of fashion-label tablet computing can be yours for only £275, and when you're all ordered up and ready to go, come on back -- we've got a belt buckle that might interest you.

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