Who knew that owning a ZTE Score M would mean living life on the edge? ZTE has confirmed that the MetroPCS phone has a backdoor vulnerability which could let a less-than-scrupulous hacker get root-level control over the Android 2.3 phone -- and because it's a unique app baked into the firmware, the login credentials won't change as long as the exploit survives. Other ZTE phones, like the Skate, supposedly face the same hole as well. The company says it should have a patch ready to push over the air in the "very near future," but it hasn't said why the app existed in the first place. Either way, if you currently pocket the Score M or one of ZTE's other recent Android devices, we'd keep watch for any suspicious goings-on until a fix is in place.

ZTE confirms the Score M has a backdoor, hopes to patch up soon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Gallery: HTC Desire C hands-on

Continue reading HTC Desire C hands-on (video)

HTC Desire C hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the most wonderful time of the week once again, pals. Like most seven-day periods, this one comes to a close with the latest issue of our e-magazine for your gadget reading pleasure. Front and center this time around, our own Darren Murph pays a visit to the South Carolina HQ of accessory maker Twelve South to chat about making a big splash while staying small. On the review side of things, we take a gander at the TiVo Premiere XL4 and the HTC EVO 4G LTE to see how they stack up and we go hands-on with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and Sounder's iOS app. Reaction Time makes an appearance too -- taking a long look at Max Payne 3 while listing this week's must-have game releases. The usual suspects fall in line as well, as you might expect. Switched On discusses RIM and Nokia, IRL sneaks a look in at our gear collections, former Doctor Who script editor Christopher H. Bidmead pauses for the Q&A and Dustin Harbin has the Last Word on what killed dinosaurs. Go ahead. Grab the device of your choice and hit the appropriate download link to grab a copy of this week's e-publication.

Distro Issue 41 PDF
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Distro APK (For sideloading)
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Distro Issue 41: a visit to the Lowcountry's Twelve South, TiVo Premiere XL4 and HTC EVO 4G LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last we heard, Chinese manufacturer K-Touch was quite busy showing off its Treasure V8 at this year's Mobile World Congress. Now, the company's taken the wraps off of its budget-friendly, TD-SCDMA T660 smartphone, marking its first intelligent handset on China Mobile. The device itself features a 4-inch, IPS display alongside a 5-megapixel rear shooter and a 1GHz, Marvell PXA920H CPU (the same one found on the ZTE U880E and Lenovo A668T). Specs aside, however, this is K-Touch's first crack at the TD-SCDMA market and it's doing so on the cheap, pricing the Gingerbread-loaded T660 at a mere 1,000 RMB (around $160) without any contracts attached. Not a bad way to kick things off, right?

Continue reading K-Touch joins China Mobile with Marvell-powered T660, waves a $160 price tag

K-Touch joins China Mobile with Marvell-powered T660, waves a $160 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's only been a few days since we first heard the rumors about an upcoming, Sprint-bound LG quad-core slab, and now that same LS970 "superphone" is back for more action. Thanks to yet another snap acquired by the folks over at BriefMobile, we can now spot a couple extra details on the device, including its previously unknown NFC capabilities. Contrary to earlier beliefs, the alleged LG Eclipse also seems to offer a removable battery, which is likely to make some power users very content. Something tells us this isn't the last we're going to see of this super handset, though, so we'll keep you in the loop if any more noteworthy findings appear.

LG LS970 'superphone' shows up again, flaunts its removable battery and NFC chip originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 05:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.