LG Talks Optimus 3D 2; Out Next Year, Seven Millimeters Thin?

The first smartphones with autostereoscopic screens first started showing up in Japan last year, and 2011 has seen greatly expanded availability with the release of the LG Optimus 3D and HTC EVO 3D. What's next for these devices? LG's Dr Henry Noh recently took the time to explain his vision for the sequel to the Optimus 3D.

Noh thinks that, in a world where it can be hard to make one smartphone stand out from another, 3D devices have a distinct advantage. To translate that advantage into increased sales, however, 3D can't come at too high of a price. For him, that means that he doesn't want to have to choose between a thin phone or 3D phone.

Noh sees a future where mainstream phones will be hitting the six-millimeter mark, and the next Optimus 3D might measure in just a hair thicker at seven. Considering the current-gen model is twelve millimeters thick, that would be a world of improvement. Noh's optimistic that LG could release such a slimmed-down Optimus 3D 2 sometime next year.

Further into the future, there might be technology that allows for 3D screens without even that one-millimeter penalty, but we think we can live with what Noh's describing for at least another year.

Source: Pocket-lint
Via: Electronista

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S Coming this September

Early last week Sony Ericsson announced the new Xperia Arc S which will be the successor to the original Arc (obviously) and now we have some official pricing and a release date. The Arc S is a beautifully thin SE Android smartphone and we should now see it hit the streets in the UK and other markets near the end of September.

The Xperia Arc S will be Sony’s new flagship offering and comes with some impressive specs. The Arc S will feature a 4.2″ LED screen with Sony’s “Reality Display” and Bravia Engine technology. Boosted with a 1.4 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 8.1 MP camera as well as what Sony is calling 3D and 2D sweep panorama photography. The processor while still single-core is cranked to 1.4 Ghz vs the 1.0 on the previous model.

According to Clove Blog the SE Xperia Arc S will start shipping on September 26th and will come in both a white and midnight blue color option. The Arc S will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread as well and should hit the market for around £350 or $560 US dollars. For now this is a UK launch but should hit other regions shortly.
[via Clove Blog]

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Google Voice Update Brings Tablet Support

Who wants some Honeycomb optimized 10.1″ Google Voice on their tablet? You are now in luck because Google recently finally pushed the official Google Voice update out that enabled tablet support. While we saw this with sideloading recently this build is final and available now in the Android Market bringing native tablet support.

The update brings Voice to version 0.4.2.36 and now users can check voice mails and send messages and more all with Google Voice on their Android Honeycomb tablets. I have seen this discussed plenty in the past as to why Google has yet to bring a tablet version, same argument applies to Google+ that still doesn’t have a native tablet app either. For wanting to push tablets Google doesn’t seem to be helping the Honeycomb app market much.
As well as a few bug fixes and minor improvements not much has changed with the latest Voice other than the above mentioned tablet support. The user interface has a few changes as well as takes use of that context menu we all know and love at the top of our honeycomb slates. Head on down to the market and give it the install, or sideload it just for fun if you’d like.
[via Android Market]

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iPhone 5 launch date: October 5 [Best Buy leak]

According to an apparent leak from a Best Buy employee to thisismynext, the retailer is going to install some Apple-related fixtures at 6am in the morning of October 5. From there, it’s not a big leap to speculate that this corresponds to the upcoming iPhone 5 launch, although nothing says it explicitly. That would be somewhat consistent with the late September / early October launch that has been rumored for some time now. For instance, the iPhone 5 is said to be launching on October 9 in New Zealand. Historically, Apple has launched new products in that timeframe.The month of October seems poised to be rich in Cellphone news: since early August, Google is rumored to be unveiling Ice Cream Sandwich, its Android 3.x for smartphones. Microsoft is also expected to do a joint push for Windows Phone 7 with Nokia and other smartphone manufacturers.
Right now, no-one knows for sure what the next iPhone will look like, but it’s going to have a dual-core Apple A5 processor, and everything suggests that it will be larger, and slightly thinner than the iPhone 4. That could help accommodate an even larger battery and increase the comfort for touch screen gestures and typing. At the same time, Samsung just went “nuclear” in terms of size with a 5.3″ phone called the Samsung Galaxy Note.

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Google's Eric Schmidt: Motorola deal isn't just about patents

$12.1bn splurge to pull once-mighty mobile giant Motorola under its digital umbrella ranks as the big-money deal of the year so far.
The popular opinion is that Motorola's treasure trove of patents was the key to opening up Google's rather fat wallet, but the search giant's former CEO Eric Schmidt says the patents are less of a factor in the deal than everyone thinks.

Schmidt currently holds the title of Google Executive Chairman after sitting in the CEO hotseat for most of the Android era (he also sat on Apple's board for a while back in the days when the companies were more chummy).
And speaking at a business conference in San Francisco over the weekend, he played down the notion that the chance to arm itself with thousands of new patents was the biggest factor that drew Google into the Motorola acquisition, a notion that has led to some observers calling the move "a mistake".
“We actually believe that the Motorola team has some amazing products coming,” Schmidt is reported by TechCrunch as saying. “We’re excited to have the product line, to use the Motorola brand, the product architecture, the engineers. having at least one area where we can do integrated hardware and software.”
The event also saw Schmidt put a different spin on the very public frustrations various Android stakeholders have been expressing lately about the current culture of “patent bullying”.
He revealed, for example, that in the case of a bunch of Nortel Networks patents that some Google staffers have claimed the company's rivals grouped together to buy just to sabotage Android's process, Google was actually active deep into the bidding process, and only pulled out because it felt the price had gone too high.
Schmidt also let slip that just about all of the US patent fights “that are interesting” are settled specifically in the East District Court of Texas. We haven't the slightest clue what to make of that, to be honest, but it's something we didn't know yesterday.

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Pantech Breakout Verizon 4G LTE Smartphone Revealed

Verizon has a pretty big lineup over the next few weeks and months, but now we are starting to see some 4G LTE phones show up with a more moderate price tag. We all know plenty about the Bionic and other 4G superphones but not everyone needs the best. It appears Verizon is now starting to prep some great mid-range offerings on their 4G LTE network and one of those is the Pantech Breakout.

A few weeks ago details on the Pantech Breakout were leaked showing us almost all the specs as well as revealing it would be a 4G LTE device but now we are seeing actual press images. The Breakout will have a 1 Ghz processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 4.0″ display, 512MB of RAM, a 5MP camera on the rear and a few other decent mid-range specs.
This could very well be the Pantech Apache we saw clear the FCC recently, unless that is another LTE phone on the way. Today we also saw the Samsung Stratosphere, another 4G LTE mid-range phone headed to Verizon so this is just one more indication that they are ready to start rolling out phones for the masses with LTE on board.
[via PocketNow]

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Samsung Stratosphere 4G LTE Slider Press Shots Leak

Well guys, what we have here is Verizon’s first 4G LTE QWERTY Slider smartphone. This is the Samsung Stratosphere we first heard about at the beginning of August and the name being Stratosphere made us all think it would be something big, or tall, but I guess it will be fat and a slider instead. This is basically a Epic 4G turned Verizon with some 4G LTE radios inside.

We still don’t have much regarding details or full specs at the moment but we have seen the Stratosphere on a few leaked Verizon roadmaps in the past. Unless the internals were given a little boost to Galaxy S II type specs we can expect this to be a mid-range single-core processor device just like the original Epic 4G Slider.
While we continue to fish for details all signs are pointing to this being the first mid-range (and decently priced) 4G LTE device for Verizon. If we do see a Galaxy S level device rather than Galaxy S II hardware we should be seeing this hit the market with an aggressive $149 or maybe even $99 price tag. As soon as we find out more details we will update as I’m sure there are many users wanting 4G LTE but don’t need a top tier $299 phone.
[via PocketNow]

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 up for sale at Vodafone UK

IT appears that one of the only carriers in the entirety of Europe to get their Galaxy Tab 10.1 shipment before the massive Euro ban of the tablet, Vodafone UK, has now got their stock up for sale, thanks to the courts suspension of said ruling outside of Germany. This device of course is also for sale in some other bits of the world including the USA and Australia, but has certainly suffered some losses in potential sales due to the court ruling. Meanwhile the rest of the UK is more than likely awaiting shipment of their Tabs so that sales may resume across the English side of the ocean.



In related news, we’re still reeling over the complete disappearance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7  from IFA 2011 as another court case appeared like a wild Snorlax. The folks at Samsung are truly going to need to get their Pokeflute out to move this wild beast from their path soon or they’ll take what can only be described as a Charizard-sized hit in sales in Deutschland.

Also meanwhile, you can check out some app reviews we’ve got on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 right here in the USA as well, including Cranky Cat and Cat Dance Club LWP, the racing game Reckless Getaway, everyone’s favorite Google Reader, water intensive Sprinkle, airplanes ahoy with SteamBirds, and of course all your favorite feeds with News360.
And of course you could check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE from Verizon as well, complete with TouchWiz UX straight outta the developer halls of Samsung.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy Tab 10.1

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier :

Announced Date : March 22, 2011

Release Date : June 08, 2011

Also Known As : Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Google I/O Limited Edition

Display

• Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x800
• Screen Type : TFT

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 10.09 Inch
• Width : 6.81 Inch
• Depth : 0.34 Inch
• Weight : 595 Grams

Battery & Power

• Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 7000 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 120 hours

Software

• Android OS:
• 3.1.x

• Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MP3

• Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC

• Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS
• IM

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 2

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution :3.2 MP

• Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording
• 720p Video Recording

• Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

• Network Technology:
• GSM

• GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

• CDMA Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1900
• 2100

Device Connectivity

• Wi-Fi:
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

• Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

• Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

)

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Samsung Galaxy M Pro

If you're searching for a phone that's high-performance at an economic price-point and happens to have a full QWERTY keyboard, then according to Samsung, this is the mobile for you.

Meet the Samsung Galaxy M Pro and what the promise seems to translate to is a handset that still boasts the latest version of Android, and very respectable 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, but without any super speedy insides or any of that top end Samsung screen technology.



All the same, the outer of this phone is ok. Actually, it's more than ok. It's pretty damn good. The keyboard is well laid out and, while there's none of the nobbles you get on BlackBerry devices to make things easier, it's still a decent enough mobile type. The phone also looks good. The grey brushed metal finish with splashes of orange here and there really make it stand out among the other Galaxy devices and no one's going to accuse you of being cheap if you pull one out.

The four Android hard keys make you wonder why manufacturers seem to have switched to the touch-sensitive type and the optical trackpad in the middle is everything you need it to be. We're also glad that Samsung didn't try to make it any more by keeping the home key separate.

One place you do take a hit, that's quite tough to stomach on Android, is on the size of the screen itself. With the QWERTY taking up precious real estate, all the user ends up with is a 2.7-inch HVGA and, seeing as this isn't a premium Samsung device, it's only backed by straight LCD technology; but that's perhaps not such a loss as it's not that big anyway.



While you can get your e-mailing done, browsing the web and playing Angry Birds isn't quite what it could be but, then, that's the full keyboard trade-off. To combat this, Samsung has added a side dock to the TouchWiz interface and that was simple and intuitive enough to get used to in the 10 minutes that we had it in our hands. It's also good to see that the company hasn't ditched the accelerometer at this level, unlike with the Galaxy Ys

There's no price or date on the Samsung Galaxy M Pro yet but we shouldn't have to hold our breath for too long.
                 

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