Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Best Buy Inventory Screen Shows HTC Thunderbolt In-Stock Feb. 21

3:40 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

So the HTC Thunderbolt definitely didn’t come out February 14th. The date passed and instead we got a handful of new devices from HTC at Mobile World Congress. That leaves the 24th as the strongest contender for the release date of Verizon’s first 4G LTE handset, right? Well a new inventory screen grab from Best Buy says we might be able to get our hands on it a few days earlier on February 21st. That is the in-stock date listed, and according do our tipsters over at AndroidForums, unless they are specifically told to do otherwise Best Buy stores will sell the phone as soon as they have it.
Even if they wait until a proper launch on the 24th to start peddling the phone, at least we can all rest assured knowing that it is less than a week away at this point. I can’t wait to check out the speeds this thing pulls in over VZW’s LTE network, how about you?
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NVIDIA: Quad Core Tablets In August, Phones At Christmas

3:38 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

The first dual-core smartphone was the LG Optimus 2X and it wasn’t long ago that it launched. But now, mobile phone fanatics are clamoring for more dual-core devices, with disappointing feedback at anything less. Don’t forget, it also wasn’t long ago that 1GHz powered phones were out-of-the-norm and exciting.
Here comes quad-core.
NVIDIA not only announced that they’d put a quad core chip in tablets this August and quad core chips in phones this Christmas, they also demoed the processor and showed how it improves the user experience. The results are pretty astonishing.

Just wait until 2014 when NVIDIA claims their processors will have 75X performance improvement over the current Tegra 2 model. They’ve already got a product codenamed Stark they’re working on for that time frame and two other products named Wayne and Logan for 2012 and 2013. I wonder how they codename their products? The people’s names who eat each consecutive Android desserts?
I should mention, in passing, that this is the first mobile quad-core processor. And that it contains a new 12 core GeForce GPU. Our customers are getting samples now, and they’re planning production in August.
Sounds pretty tasty to me. We’ll be at NVIDIA’s booth to talk with them about this today so stay tuned!
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Another Dual Screen Android phone pops up … sort o

3:35 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

Murmurs were abound this week as Kyocera announced a dual-touchscreen phone that looked like a Nintendo DSi that makes phone calls. Now there may be another as Fujitsu looked poised to jump into the dual-touchscreen pool. Only, instead of a landscape style screen, they’re doing for a portait vibe … with “options.” And it’s very interesting.


Rumored to be out sometime this summer or fall, a prototype dusal-touchscreen phone was displayed at Fujitsu’s booth at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. And what’s really cool about it is that the protype had dual swivel screens, making for portrait, landscape, or a little of both. Now the proof-of-concept was actually running Symbian, not Android since that’s a very popular phone OS in Japan. But the word is, it will definitely be running Android when it debuts later this year. Til then, it’s just a wild rumor.

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Special YouTube App Allows LG Optimus 3D Users To Share 3D Videos

3:29 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

On Monday, LG announced that it will be partnering with the Google owned YouTube to utilize a special version of its application that will allow Optimus 3D users to share their 3D content with others online.  The application, which will come preloaded on the device, will allow Optimus 3D users to record their videos and then upload them to a YouTube 3D channel that they can share with friends and family.  It’s no surprise that LG would push for partnerships like this, as it will prove to be vital as a means to share that 3D content with others who may not have a 3D enabled device.  The only downfall, if you consider it a downfall, will be that those viewing the content on the special YouTube channel will need to purchase 3D glasses that will be available on YouTube’s online store for $7.10 per 10-pack.   Check out the press release after the break and don’t forget to let us know what you think of the whole ordeal in the comments below.   
Press Release:
LG AND YOUTUBE PARTNER TO BRING THE FULL 3D EXPERIENCE TO MOBILE DEVICES
BARCELONA–(Korea Newswire) February 14, 2011 — LG Electronics (LG) and YouTube are taking a major step forward today by announcing a partnership to provide a unique 3D mobile experience to users. LG’s upcoming Android-powered premium smartphones will enable users not only to capture and view 3D videos without glasses, but also to upload and share them instantly with others via YouTube.
“The Optimus 3D is LG’s newest flagship smartphone. It is our answer to two major pain points of the current 3D experience – limited mobility and specialized glasses. Furthermore, our partnership with YouTube will ensure that our customers can easily generate and access ample 3D content,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
The new partnership is part of a broader push into 3D entertainment by LG and the world’s largest online video community. YouTube and LG collaborated to enable the delivery and sharing of 3D video onto mobile devices in a way that makes it simple and easy for consumers.
“3D technology has traditionally been reserved for the major Hollywood movie studios,” said Francsico Varela, Head of YouTube Platform Partnerships”With the new LG Optimus 3D anyone anywhere in the world can shoot 3D videos, upload them to YouTube and share them with their friends. We’re excited to see the creative videos our community captures and shares with this new technology.”
Powered by a unique “Tri-Dual” Configuration — dual-core, simultaneous dual-channel and dual-memory, LG’s advanced Optimus 3D will be unveiled at the 2011 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and will be the first mobile device capable of providing the YouTube 3D experience. The Android-powered Optimus 3D will be available globally starting in Europe early in the second quarter of 2011.
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ZTE Skate Revealed At MWC, Rocks Android 2.3 and Sports A 4.3-inch Screen

3:28 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

ZTE has made an appearance at MWC and they have chosen to leave the “budget friendly” devices at home to rest with mama.  They’ve recently stepped up their game with the unveiling of the ZTE Skate, their latest 4.3-inch contender.  This kind of reminds me of a Hyundai and Kia come back.  The Skate, as stated, rocks a large 4.3-inch touchscreen and will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread.  It’s also been reported that the device will come with an unnamed 800 MHz CPU and the Adreno 200 GPU.  Other specs include a 5 MP camera with LED flash, Bluetooth, A-GPS and your standard WiFi protocols.  As of now, the frequencies the device will support show no indication of a US release.  Hit the break to check out the full press release and don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below.  

Press Release:

ZTE Unveils Skate Smartphone at GSMA Mobile World Congress
Featuring a large 4.3-inch screen and Android 2.3 operating system
14 February 2011, Barcelona, Spain – ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today launched its flagship Android Smartphone, the ZTE Skate, at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona. The company also announced its new “Light Your Smart World” strategy, under which ZTE will promote its entire range of signature smart products, including tablet devices, internet boxes and Smartphones.
Inspired by the skateboard, the ZTE Skate is fashionably thin and lightweight at only 120g, featuring a large 4.3-inch screen to provide an optimal web surfing experience to consumers. It uses the Android 2.3 operating system, an 800MHz processor and the Adreno 200 graphics processing unit (GPU) to support the widescreen, high-definition display. In addition, the ZTE Skate also incorporates a 5MP camera, multimedia Bluetooth extension, A-GPS capability, hardware compass, and G-sensor.
The open Android operating system ensures that the Skate can run an extensive range of apps, meeting not only the in-depth customisation needs of operators, but also providing a user-friendly user interface (UI), and convenient and powerful multimedia features. The Skate supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900MHz and HSDPA/UMTS at 900/2100MHz, as well as WiFi internet access.
The ZTE Skate is expected to be available from May 2011 in markets worldwide. The Smartphone launch also kicks off ZTE’s “Light Your Smart World” smart product strategy. At GSMA Mobile World Congress 2011, ZTE is showcasing a range of smart terminals including its Android-based Amigo slide phone designed for young and fashionable users, the highly successful Blade Android Smartphone, and the F952 handset running Brew MP and supporting the WAC (Wholesale Applications Community).
An IDC report shows that ZTE has become one of the world’s top five handset makers – in 2010 the company’s global shipment of handsets reached 60 million units and terminal products over 90 million units. Signature models such as the ZTE Blade and ZTE Light became bestsellers across multiple markets, achieving outstanding sales records in more than 30 countries including Europe and Japan, within a very short period of time. The ZTE Blade was also frequently referred to as the “Most Valuable Smartphone” by media in these markets.
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ViewSonic ViewPad 4 And V350 Get Hands On

3:26 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

If you’ll recall, we mentioned ViewSonic had a couple of devices in production, such as the ViewPad 4 and the V350 and it looks like the MWC showcase indicates that they have almost reached fruition.  ViewSonic’s appearance at MWC brought along the impressive duo with a new and fresh perspective.  And thanks to our friends over at Engadget, they were able to get some great pics and a hands on with the device for all to see.
The ViewPad 4 was initially revealed at CES in Las Vegas, however, the device didn’t seem quite finished.  MWC however, is a different story. Many onlookers walked away impressed with the device’s overall appearance and performance. The ViewPad 4 sports Android version 2.2 (2.3 or 2.4 upon release), and has a 4.1-inch capacitive display.  No word yet on what this device will set you back, but it should only be a matter of time until that’s revealed.  And it’s purported that the device should be ready for the masses in May.
The ViewSonic V350 is a dual-SIM device running simultaneous quadband GSM and dualband UMTS.  It runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) and has a 3.5-inch touchscreen.  No word on price or availability on this device either, but we expect that information to be released shortly.  Not a bad mid-level range device by our account.   Head back over to Talk Android as we dig a little deeper on the up and coming devices and don’t forget to let us know what you think of them in the comments below.
Check out the rest of the pics for both devices in the gallery below.  All pics are courtesy of Engadget:                                                                                                                         
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Mobile World Congress Sees Talk of Android 2.4

3:20 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

Several HTC phones are being reported at MWC as running Android 2.4. There’s been talk about the next version of the OS, but we haven’t heard anything officially official. The word is that 2.4 will still be called Gingerbread, and there’s been a lot of speculation in the last couple of weeks that it will support a lot of Honeycomb features, almost like the tablet-oriented OS brought home to the smartphone. It has not been confirmed whether HTC is stealing Google’s thunder, or whether the press releases just featured some rather unfortunate typos. Some of these phones are due out pretty quickly, though, so if we’re going to see 2.4 on them, Google will likely be making an announcement very soon!
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Qualcomm building 2.5GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon mobile processors

3:19 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments

qual-xwing_lightspeed
Qualcomm has announced that by 2012, we should start seeing quad-core mobile chips in many mobile devices. This comes just days after we all started seeing dual-core tablets and smartphones becoming much more common at MWC, we just can’t be satisfied with dual-core and 4G. No sir, we need quad-core chips on 8G wireless networks at Lucas like lightspeeds!
Seriously though, these APQ8064 quad-core chips will bring 150% increase in performance over ARM-based chips, and a 65% decrease in power consumption, which is what any mobile device is really after when you get right down to it. Other new chipsets will include the single-core MSM8930 and the dual-core MSM8960. The MSM8930 will best be used for smaller devices with LTE modem chip, while the bigger brother dual-core MSM8960 is designed with smartphones and tablets with multi-tasking priority for power.
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UK Will See Galaxy Tab 10.1 Exclusively on Vodafone UK

3:18 PM Simranpal SIngh No comments


The Galaxy Tab 10.1, announced Sunday by Samsung, looks like a pretty slick tablet. If priced fairly, it could be the Android tablet by which others are measured. And now, in the UK, we know where it’s going to land: Vodafone UK will have exclusive carriers rights on the tablet, at least for a while.
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