Dell Streak 7 receiving OTA to Android 3.2 Honeycomb

Well folks, we haven’t heard much from Dell lately in regards to their lineup of Android, especially regarding the Streak 7 Android Tablet. Back in July we saw leaks of their new 10″ Honeycomb tablet as well as a glimpse of the Streak 7 enjoying the same tasty Honeycomb. Now sources are stating the Android 3.2 Honeycomb update for the Streak is rolling out now.

Some users are claiming to finally be receiving the update to 3.2 Honeycomb for the Dell Streak 7″ Tablet. Over at the Dell support forums there is some chatter that more than a few have already received the OTA update and are giving it a try as we speak. One mentions all user data was wiped during the update and he lost everything, while another user reports just the opposite and that the update did not wipe the entire device. Either way I’m sure a few Streak users are excited to give the tablet OS a try.
With reports that the hardware menu button isn’t working in select situations, and of course that low resolution not looking its best, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more soon but at least this is a good sign. For now it seems users across the pond and outside of the U.S received the update and we still have no further details for the U.S. market or those running with a T-Mobile Streak 7.
As soon as we hear more regarding an official statement from Dell, or confirmation on the OTA update we will be sure to update with more details.

Read more »

Amazon Kindle Fire sells an estimated 95,000 units on first day

Amazon’s next-generation Kindle tablet is lighting up the sales charts. After the Kindle Fire shot to the top of Amazon’s internal sales, Fox News is reporting that the retailer has pre-sold a whopping 95,000 units – and that was just the first day of pre-orders. We’re still more than a month away from the November release date, and notably, zero consumers have a had a chance to try out the tablet at retail.

Though Amazon usually doesn’t release sales figures for its own devices, an analysis firm called eDataSource estimates the figure based on email, Facebook and Twitter activity.
Amazon’s extremely aggressive $199 pricing certainly has something to do with the Kindle Fire’s popularity, even if it does cost $209 to make. The Fire is the company’s loss-leader, encouraging users to buy books, movies, TV shows, music, periodicals and apps all within Amazon’s cloud universe.
The 7-inch wifi tablet runs an extremely modified version of Android, which around here we’ve taken to calling BezOS after Amazon’s CEO. While the hardware inside is a bare-bones version of the same OEM model used for the Blackberry Playbook, the combination of accessible media and a rock-bottom price has plenty of consumers interested. Don’t discount that the vibrant Android community will likely get some fully-enabled ROMs onto the Kindle Fire shortly, just as they have with the even less-expensive HP Touchpad.

Read more »

Samsung gives $25 of content to AT&T Galaxy S II Media Hub beta testers

Did you pick up a shiny new Samsung Galaxy S II when AT&T started selling them this weekend? Then you might want to head on over to Samsung’s Media Hub page. New users can beta test the service to get $25 worth of free content, courtesy of Samsung.

Media Hub is Samsung’s all-in-one entertainment distribution system (think iTunes or Amazon Instant Video) and it’s preloaded onto Galaxy S II phones and newer models of the Galaxy Tab. One of the more compelling use cases is that you can purchase videos once, then watch them on your phone, tablet or television – provided, of course, that you have one of Samsung’s 2011 model Smart TVs. While the service doesn’t have a great selection of video at the moment, you can’t beat free when it comes to pricing.
To try out Media Hub, just head click on the link above and enter your customer information. Samsung will send you a confirmation email and then walk you through the steps of redeeming your $25 voucher. When the beta program ends, you’ll be asked to fill out a questionnaire about your experiences. As of now the program is only being offered to AT&T Galaxy S II owners, but expect the qualifications to expand at some point.

Read more »

LightSquared partners with Sharp for LTE-satellite phones and tablets

LightSquared has been on our radar for a while now. The startup is aiming to “revolutionize” the American wireless industry with a new 4G-LTE network supported by satellite connections. Sharp is the first manufacturer to partner with LightSquared, promising support for the company’s next-generation connection technology in upcoming smartphones and tablets.

Sharp could certainly use the boost. Despite positive buzz for the AQUOS line of Android phones, the Japanese manufacturer has lagged behind others in the smartphone market, and with the tablet market blowing up, a new connection technology could give them a needed edge against Apple, Motorola and Samsung. While no Sharp tablets are currently slated for a US roll-out, the new partnership is a strong indication that they’ll enter the American market soon, perhaps with the new NFC-totting RW-T107.
If you’re not familiar with LightSquared, it’s a new American infrastructure company that plans to sell its expanded LTE service wholesale to carriers and other large corporations. LightSquared will not compete directly with existing carriers, so you won’t be able to buy service from them. What makes the company’s technology so interesting is that it combines 4G-LTE radios with satellite data connections, potentially opening up next-generation mobile Internet data to most of North America.

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Note coming to the UK November 17th

The much-anticipated smartphone/tablet hybrid Samsung Galaxy Note is coming in a lot faster than we expected. In a press release Samsung announced that the Galaxy Note is headed for the white cliffs of Dover on November 17th, just ten weeks after the device’s premiere at IFA in Berlin. The phone will be available at retailers across the UK and Ireland.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is a flagship device with a huge 5.3-inch, 1280 x 800 screen using Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology. Naturally the phone has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and the latest 4G radios. One of the most interesting features is a capacitive stylus with its own on-device storage bay. Coupled with Samsung’s drawing/note apps, this is a throwback to the pen input days before capacitive screens became the norm. Both 16Gb and 32Gb versions will be available with MicroSD card expansion slots. A standard 8-megapixel camera adorns the back with a front-facing cam for video conferencing. Samsung has listed in its product sheet that some models will feature NFC chips, but has not specified which markets will get these versions.

US Samsung fans got an exciting indication that the Galaxy Note is headed their way on Friday, when the FCC posted its initial rundown of the phone with AT&T radio bands. Though no official announcement has been made, it’s quite likely that the device is headed to America soon. You’ll be happy to know that the Galaxy Note runs the latest smartphone version of Android (as of now), 2.3 Gingerbread.

Check out our hands-on look at the Samsung Galaxy Note below:

Read more »

Sprint iPhone 5 spotted in Radio Shack inventory list?

Sprint users, it looks like your wait for the iPhone 5 is almost over. Over the past few months we’ve had some hints about the iPhone arriving on the Now Network. The increased Early Termination Fee, increased upgrade fees and the installation of Sprint cellular repeaters in Apple Stores. Now we’ve got one more clue which pretty much confirms the Sprint iPhone – if it turns out to be the real deal.
The folks over at 9to5Mac were sent a screenshot showing the inventory listing of the Radio Shack, and on it is an entry with the description “16GB SPRINT APPLE IPHONE 5″ alongside other entries for the Verizon and AT&T iPhone 5. Assuming the picture wasn’t doctored, this is pretty good confirmation of the iPhone 5 arriving on Sprint.
Fortunately the official iPhone announcement is going to take place tomorrow, and we’ll know for sure by then. Stay tuned to Ubergizmo – we’ll be keeping you updated with the details as they are unveiled. iPhone 5 with unlimited data – I can see some of you already drooling. Who’s excited?

Read more »

ViewSonic ViewPad 7x hits the FCC

The folks over at the FCC are most probably enjoying themselves with the kinds of job they have – checking out devices even before they’re ready for a mass market release. Among the devices that saw action at the FCC recently would be the Viewsonic ViewPad 7x tablet device that picked up nods of approval for its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities.
The kind of hardware that the ViewPad 7x packs is pretty ordinary- – we’re talking about a simple 7″ form factor at 1,024 x 600 resolution, Android 3.2 Honeycomb (at least that takes care of any form of future operating system updates, a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, a 2-megapixel camera at the front and a higher resolution 5-megapixel camera behind, not to mention 8GB of internal memory.
The slated $379 price point is far from what the $199 Kindle Fire offers, so it would be interesting to see this mid-range tablet fit into the grand scheme of things as it is released later this month.

Read more »

iPhone 4S confirmed by Apple?

Apple’s secrecy of what it is about to launch has been going so well with the rumourmongers of the Internet really only left scrapping at bits and pieces like a pack of Hyenas in the Savannah.
That was until the company released the latest beta version of its iTunes software to developers.
According to reports coming in Apple has detailed the iPhone 4S in the latest version of iTunes.
“Inside the latest iTunes beta is a specific mention of the “iPhone 4S.” Along with the new iPhone name of “iPhone 4S” comes an image, and it is of a CDMA iPhone 4,” reports 9to5mac.com.

Of course it could just be a placeholder in the code, but that seems like a pretty strange thing to do given that the iTunes software is bound to get a further update before it is released into the wild for the general public.
There have been plenty of rumours circling that Apple would merely launch an upgrade to the iPhone 4 rather than opt for a completely new design.
Apple performed the same trick with the iPhone 3G when it updated it to the iPhone 3GS.
Thankfully with the company holding its “Let’s talk iPhone” event on Tuesday 4 October, we won’t have long to wait before we get an answer.

Read more »

Google Releases Gmail App Security Update Version 2.3.5.2

Back at the end of July Google updated its Gmail application for Android bringing a ton of new features to the table (like Priority Mail or custom ringtones). While nothing major like the previous one, Mountain View updated the application again but this time it's for security reasons instead of features.

A new Gmail app is available in the Android Market and you should have gotten the notification by now. If not, just follow the source link or consult the Android Market app on your phone. We're talking about Gmail version 2.3.5.2 in relation to which the changelog only states "security update". We're all sensitive to security so you might want to get the latest version as soon as possible!
Source: Android Market

Read more »