Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad 2

The Amazon Kindle Fire has arrived complete with its 16 million colour screen and all the backing of the enormous online retail platform that is Amazon itself. Big, but is bigger necessarily better? There also happens to be a certain other massive player in the tablet market in the shape of the company who redefined it back in April 2010 with the arrival of the first iPad. So, now with the iPad 2 ruling the roost, how is Amazon going to compare with Apple in this space and, more importantly as far as your decision goes, how do their tablets match up? Here is the Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad 2 to help you figure that one out. Form FactorTie: iPad 2241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8mm, 613gTie: Kindle Fire190 x 120 x 11.4mm, 413gIt’s not really fair...

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Amazon webOS deal rumoured

Amazon could be about to buy webOS from HP according to sources in the US. “A well-placed source tells us that HP is currently looking to rid itself of Palm as soon as possible, and that Amazon is the closest to finalising the deal, among a handful of contenders,” explains business focused website Venturebeat.com. HP bought Palm last year for $1.2bn, but has had a rough time with the company and its operating system. That rough time culminated in HP halting sales of its webOS tablet, the HP Touchpad, and webOS smartphones shortly after launch after they failed to ignite an Apple and Android loving public into switching. Since then the industry has been looking to see who would buy the business be it the hardware or the operating system...

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HTC Thunderbolt Gingerbread OTA Supposedly Suspended Due to Voicemail Bug

Well this doesn’t sound so good. Wireless and Mobile News has apparently heard it from Verizon that the Android 2.3 update for the HTC Thunderbolt has temporarily been suspended. It was reportedly due to a voicemail bug. They mention it specifically as a notification bug which sounds like the same bug Sprint’s EVO 4G had for a long while. We’ve seen at least one user report of this at AndroidForums.com but have since been able to corroborate the report. Verizon reportedly had this to say: It has come to the attention of Verizon Wireless and HTC that customers using the Thunderbolt by HTC have experienced a voicemail notification error with the recent software update. As a result, the update has  been temporarily suspended while...

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Samsung intros Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 7-inch tablet

Samsung has revealed a new 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, seemingly targeting a cheaper price point than the recent Galaxy Tab 7.7. Packing a 7-inch LCD IPS display running at 1024 x 600 resolution (rather than the Tab 7.7′s Super AMOLED HD 1280 x 800 panel), the Tab 7.0 Plus also offers triband HSPA+, WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz) and twin cameras. On the back there’s a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, while a 2-megapixel camera is on the front for video calling. Inside there’s Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi Direct and WiFi Channel bonding support, USB 2.0 and USB Host, and a microSD card slot to augment the 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. It’s 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 mm and weighs 345g. Power...

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Slimmer iPhone 5 cases start showing up in AT&T stores

Say what you will about the iPhone 5 rumour mill but it never is uninteresting. After having gone back and forth over how many models of iPhone Apple is releasing on Tuesday, the appearance of cases for a teardrop-shaped iPhone 5 in AT&T retail stores may mean that the company is planning on releasing two new handsets after all. We received word yesterday of an iPhone 4S having surfaced in Apple’s inventory and an iPhone 5 showed up on China Unicom’s website, advertised as supporting the speedier HSPA+ network. MacRumors now reports that an AT&T retail employee sent them pictures (shown below) of thinner, teardrop-shaped silicone cases showing up in the company’s stores. Collating the various rumours we have heard so far, the...

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HTC Amaze 4G Shows Off HSPA+ Data Speeds Ahead Of October Launch [Videos]

The HTC Amaze 4G was only officially announced 3 days ago and someone has already gotten a hold of the device ahead of its October 10th launch date. So what did this lucky Amaze owner do? Lucky for us, he took to YouTube to show off one of the Amaze’s most amazing features — its 42Mbps HSPA+ data speeds. There’s actually 2 separate videos for you guys to gawk over. 1st one shows off a few speed tests of the device in downtown Chicago (a certified HSPA+ city) and even compares it to the data speeds of the G2X. Have a gander.Next up is some real world tests of how the browser takes to handling webpages (load times, responsiveness, etc.). As expected, webpages load up super quick thanks in part to T-Mobile’s uber-fast network in Chicago....

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Samsung Galaxy Note (GT-I9220) Passes Through FCC – Headed To The North America

Although not expected until 2012 in the US and Europe, the Samsung Galaxy Note (GT-I9220) passed through the FCC on Tuesday sporting North American 3G/4G bands that just so happen to be compatible with AT&T’s network. Judging by the fact that Canada received the Galaxy S II and Galaxy S II X before the US, it’s more than likely this device is headed to ‘ol America Jr. and her networks. The Galaxy Note features a whopping 5.3-inch, 1280×720 HD display and will blur the lines between a phone and tablet earning the new title of “phoneblet.” Will be interesting to see how the average consumer takes to the device once it’s finally launched. Thanks, Boondoc! [FCC via AndroidForum...

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Sony Ericsson Supports The Android Modding Community – Helps Developers Build Custom ROMs

Sony Ericsson is well aware of the Android modding community and unlike other OEM’s who try and squash it, they’re doing their part to help support it. Whether it’s creating a custom ROM or modifying the kernel, the Sony Ericsson Developer program is aimed at helping these devs cook up nice and stable custom ROMs and they’re starting with a group of devs called “FreeXperia.” These are the guys responsible for creating custom ROMs based on CyanognenMod and porting/modifying them to various Xperia devices lke the Play and Arc. Sony Ericsson was one of — if not the first Android OEM to announce they would provide the option to unlock the bootloaders in their 2011 Xperia lineup. Karl-Johan Dahlström, Head of Developer Relations for Sony...

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ROM Maker Peter Alfonso Now Supports Nexus One

The venerable Nexus One is coming up on its second birthday (which is practically octogenarian by smartphone standards), but like the OG Droid, it’s still got its loyal users. Count ROM cook extraordinaire Peter Alfonso among them. He’s begun supporting the Nexus One with new nightly builds of his self-branded series of Gingerbread ROMs. Previously Alfonso supported the original Motorola Droid, the Motorola XOOM tablet and the Samsung Nexus S. The Google-branded Nexus One will be his first HTC device, with hopefully more to come like the very similar Droid Incredible or Desire. Alfonso began his work on the “Passion” (the codename for the HTC hardware) just a few days ago, meaning the project is still very much in nightly form. Nexus...

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HTC Holiday spotted in the wild, this time down under

The HTC Holiday keeps popping up its head for everyone to see and today it has done it again. It was first spotted way back in August after someone sold it on eBay, and since has seen countless leaks. Today was no different and it was spotted in Australia soaking up the sun and running some impressive 4G speeds. Even today the Holiday was spotted clearing the FCC on its way to the US on AT&T rocking 4G LTE. In the image shown above it’s still being called the HTC Holiday and we are now hearing that is just the internal codename given by HTC. It will in fact be called the HTC Raider 4G on AT&T, and HTC has confirmed that as well. I actually liked the name Holiday although it does seem a bit weird for a smartphone name. Raider...

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Amazon CEO says Kindle Fire is an end-to-end device – like the iPad

Bezos goes so far as to say that he doesn’t consider the Kindle Fire a tablet at all. “We think of Kindle Fire as an end-to-end service,” he told an interviewer, saying that the Fire is a wrapper meant to consume a wide array of digital media, from books and magazine to video, apps and music, all while staying constantly connected to the cloud. It’s hard not to think of Apple’s strictly-enforced walled garden of hardware and software when one hears about an end-to-end service. And while that may sound like a sour note to the Android faithful, there’s no denying that it’s allowed Apple to dominate the tablet market, with the iPad holding on to an 82% market share even as Android tablets become more and more advanced. Amazon may even...

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Microsoft’s Android patents could be worth $444 million a year

Microsoft has been collecting licensing agreements from Android manufacturers like Samsung and HTC for months now. According to ZDNet, this adds up to some serious dinero, to the tune of $444 million every year. With Android continuing to dominate in markets around the world, that number can only grow. In today’s litigious IP environment, it’s often wiser for a company to pony up to patent holders rather than fight an extended court battle, even if they’re not entirely sure they’re in the wrong. Microsoft has banked on that, and a Goldman Sachs analyst estimated that every Android phone sold with a licensed manufacturer nets the technology giant between $3 and $5. Of course, not everyone’s thrilled with the arrangement. Google objected...

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Nexus Prime system app list leaks, including face recognition

The Nexus Prime, AKA the Galaxy Nexus, AKA The DROID Nexus, still isn’t official yet. But based on what we can cobble together it’ll be a variant of Samsung’s Galaxy S II with a pure Android Ice Cream Sandwich experience, just like the Nexus One and Nexus S. A shadowy forum member has posted the list of apps coming from the Nexus Prime, and what it does and doesn’t include is fascinating. First of all, there appears to be zero bloatware apps. None. No Blockbuster, no Skype, no annoying trial versions of Need For Speed. This is a Nexus phone to the core (if the list is real, of course) and almost every bit of software on it is straight from the Android gods at Google. Speaking of which, there are some exciting new apk files that Android...

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Motorola Xoom OTA update brings new market for tablets

New details are just hitting the wires that another update is hitting the Motorola Xoom. Last week it received an OTA to Android 3.2.1 and we are now hearing another update has hit devices this morning. Along with it brings a brand new Android market for tablets — looking beautiful just like what we now have on our smartphones. As soon as I get more details I’ll drop the APK so everyone can enjoy the new market too. According to many over on XDA the update was actually started sometime yesterday for the Wi-Fi Xoom but most are getting the notification today. As always users can go ahead and manually pull the update by going to menu > settings > about tablet > and check for updates. The brand new market can be seen below,...

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HTC Raider sails through the FCC with AT&T 4G LTE

The much rumored HTC Holiday is all set to receive its wings and come to the US now that it has recently cleared the FCC. The Holiday leaked back in August and looked pretty stellar from our point of view. Hopefully this recent FCC filing means it will be headed to AT&T here soon now that they’ve launched their LTE networks. Recent reports suggest the HTC Holiday will be called the HTC Raider upon its launch on AT&T. The recent FCC filing is for a similarly sized HTC device headed to AT&T with those 4G LTE radios so it only makes sense. Not to mention we’ve even spotted the HTC Holiday in the wild showing off those 4G LTE speeds. All the links above confirm the details but in case you missed them we have a 4.5″ display,...

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Kindle Fire blazes to Amazon’s best seller list

Just as we expected, the Kindle Fire is selling fast according to recent reports. The hot coals from the Kindle Fire can already be felt as Amazon has stated its flames have reached the top of their best sellers list, and it did on the first day. The high sales have continued and are going strong today suggests Amazon.The Kindle Fire, announced yesterday seems to already be a big hit with buyers when Amazon threw it up for pre-order the same day — It will ship November 15th. We didn’t stop there either, we also have a quick Q & A for you to check out.Apparently the $199 Kindle Fire is in the top spot for the second day in a row and is showing no signs of slowing down. Amazon didn’t mention any sort of specific numbers but they...

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Motorola DROID 3 Update rolling out now

Well, Motorola and Verizon have finally started the 2.3 Gingerbread update rollout for the DROID 3. It was first announced earlier this month and after initially rolling out to a few testers it was pulled to make a few last minute changes. Now just a few weeks later everything is a go and the update should be hitting phones today. The update today should bring the DROID 3 to build 5.6.890 and includes Google Talk with video chat along with a number of bug fixes that should help with things like battery life and overall stability. Many devices don’t get OTA updates this quick after being released so it’s a good sign to see Motorola working so quickly on these types of things. Here’s the official update info from Verizon. It clearly...

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Best Buy cutting HTC Flyer price to $300 on October 6th

Rumors are flying that HTC’s first Android tablet will be seeing a significant price reduction soon. According to Phone Arena, Best Buy will be slashing the price of the wifi-only HTC Flyer to $300, a $200 reduction off the current retail price, next Thursday. If true, that could make the 7-incher a lot more attractive as the Android tablet market races to the bottom. Reasons for the reduction are varied. First of all, the Flyer is definitely too expensive next to the $500 iPad and $400 Asus Transformer, both of which have a larger screen with a higher resolution. While the Flyer’s Gingerbread OS is a lot more capable that that of the Nook Color, mainstream consumers will have a hard time seeing the difference, capacitive stylus notwithstanding....

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Amazon Kindle Fire Q and A with PR Rep

While taking a close look at the Kindle Fire this week in New York City at the big Amazon event, we got several different perspectives on the brand new cloud-heavy elementally-named tablet. What you’re going to find is that, like all presentations of products at events such as these, there is a bit more detail in wings that, while the group presenting the device doesn’t mean to hide, simply isn’t as relevant to the general public, and is therefor not revealed unless someone specifically asks. That’s where Vince (behind the camera in this case) comes in.The video you see below is our Android Community hands-on (or eyes-on if you prefer) video of the Kindle Fire in which we’re given a basic rundown of the features that are public already,...

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Google/Motorola Mobility deal to be further looked into by DOJ

The AT&T and T-Mobile merger has been getting quite a bit of attention lately, with just about everyone thinking that this is a bad move. Meanwhile another major acquisition, Google and Motorola Mobility, has been rather quiet and keeping to the background, at least until now where the DOJ (Department of Justice) has decided to take a closer look at the $12.5 billion deal. Google has in the past been closely scrutinized, which is expected considering the power and reach that the company has managed to amass over the years, and it looks like this deal will be no different. This request for more information by the DOJ will basically result in the deal not being able to close for an additional several months, which could pose a...

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Dell Takes another Stab at Android Smartphones with the Streak Pro 101DL for Japan

After early attempts to strike a name for themselves in both the Android smartphone and tablet arenas, Dell has more recently kept rather quiet on both fronts. Their 10-inch Honeycomb slate, the Streak 10 Pro, didn’t see an extremely wide release as the Dell name has slowly fallen out of most Android discussions. The company looks to make a return in a big way with the announcement of the new Dell Streak Pro 101DL the first full-fledged smartphone entry into the Streak lineup and no slacker in the specs department. The Streak Pro 101DL is headed for Japan’s SoftBank and features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen at qHD resolution, a 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8260 processor, and an 8MP camera. Other specs include Dell’s Stage 2.0 interface on...

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China’s HTC Sensation Variant First to Use ST-Ericsson NovaThor SoC

At first glance, the HTC Sensation Z710t doesn’t differ much from the phone first introduced last spring, but underneath the familiar exterior lurks the new ST Ericsson NovaThor SoC. The handset is headed for China Mobile and couples the 1GHz Nova A9500 dual-core application processor with the Thor M6718 mobile for connectivity to the carriers TD-SCDMA network. The pairing is designed for speed on all fronts. Otherwise, the Sensation remains largely the same with a 4.3-inch qHD display and 8MP camera. Pricing an release date for the handset are currently not available. Powerful New ST-Ericsson Platform makes Debut in HTC Sensation Z710tChina Mobile’s latest TD smartphone based on state-of-the-art NovaThor™ platform Geneva, September...

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Asustek and Acer join Tizen project, HTC said to be evaluating its decision

Just a day after news that the MeeGo operating system had met its demise and a new Samsung and Intel backed Linux OS called Tizen would rise to take its place, both Asustek and Acer have reportedly joined the project, with HTC “currently evaluating its decision”, reports Digitimes. Tizen will be hosted by the Linux Foundation and will be jointly-created by Intel and Samsung, supporting multiple device categories including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, netbooks and in-car devices. MeeGo, the predecessor to Tizen, was put on deathwatch the minute Nokia announced that it was to invest heavily in Microsoft’s Windows Phone ecosystem. The company did release one MeeGo-powered device, the Nokia N9 – which launched to favourable reviews...

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Skype v2.5 adds video calls to Galaxy Tab 10.1, more

Skype has updated its Android app to add video calling to more  smartphones and tablets, with v2.5 adding support for 14 more models. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Google Nexus One and Motorola DROID 3 are notable models, though the ATRIX and LG Optimus 3D also make an appearance. In addition to the new devices, Skype has also added the ability to switch between portrait and landscape orientations while within a call, as well as zooming by tapping the display. Bluetooth headset support has been improved, and the app as a whole should be more bug-free and faster. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1HTC Nexus OneHTC ShooterSony Ericsson Xperia Live with WalkmanSony Ericsson Xperia neo VLG Optimus BlackLG Optimus 3DLG Optimus 2xMotorola PhotonMotorola...

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HTC Explorer delivers Android on a budget

HTC has announced its latest Android smartphone, the HTC Explorer, targeted at entry-level users hoping to step up from their featurephone. Replacing the altogether underwhelming HTC Smart, only with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC Sense 3.5 this time rather than BREW, the Explorer packs a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, 600MHz processor and 512MB of RAM. Connectivity includes 3G, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, while there’s a microUSB port and a microSD card slot to augment the minimal 483MB ROM. The 1,230 mAh battery is hidden behind a soft-touch, rubberized rear cover, initially available in black or blue though HTC tells us they’ll have alternative colors soon. The camera is a mere 3-megapixel unit, further example of what HTC told...

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