Asus Transformer Prime’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor gets benchmarked

Speed junkies, prepare to meet your next enabler. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is expected to be the first device to run Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor when it’s announced on November the 9th, and some eagle-eyed testers have the found processor and component speed benchmarks in the AnTuTu database. Needless to say, this thing is a beast.

The 1.4Ghz quad-core processor scored 7,596 points on the AnTuTu database. Specifics aren’t given, but it looks like the Transformer Prime is pushing near the 10,000 mark, easily besting all comers including the new Galaxy Nexus. It looks like the Tegra 3 is beating everything else except in one strange exsmple: 3D graphics. There, the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II and Optimus 2X look like they’ve got a better score, though that could be an error in testing or  trick of the scaling bar.
You can see the results for yourself – AnTuTu is a free download on the Android Market. As for when you’ll be able to get a Prime tablet for yourself, we know that Asus is planning an announcement on November the 9th, but there’s still no word on pricing or availability. In the meantime, curb your enthusiasm with a teaser video for the Transformer Prime, then one for the Tegra 3 processor.

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Android distribution numbers hold steady, Honeycomb still under 2%

When last we saw the distribution of the various Android versions, Gingerbread had nearly cracked 40% of the worldwide Android platform. This month it’s passed it, taking 43.9% and inching closer to the still-dominant Froyo. Android 2.2 is still running on just over half of all Android devices, nearly eleven months after Gingerbread’s release. Android’s tablet OS Honeycomb barely increased to 1.9%, up just two tenths of a percent in a month.

With the imminent release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which plays nice on both smartphone and tablet platforms, Honeycomb seems to be the odd man out. There’s still almost as many non-Honeycomb tablets being sold as there are which run Google’s tablet software, no doubt because the source code for Honeycomb still hasn’t been made availalble. At this point, it probably never will. Makers of cheap Android tablets or those who don’t wish to meet Google’s strict requirements for Honeycomb must use an earlier version.
Speaking of Ice Cream Sandwich, the few Galaxy Nexus phones that are out in the wild aren’t enough to make an impact on the chart. It’s likely to stay that way for a while, too, with the Galaxy Nexus launching in late November at the earliest and only a few official Ice Cream Sandwich devices even rumored for 2011. Don’t expect ICS to make any sort of significant showing in the monthly charts until well into 2012.

Asus’ new Transformer Prime will probably still be rocking Honeycomb when it’s released, and HTC’s new flagship phone the Rezound will be released with Gingerbread on November 14th. HTC isn’t planning on updating the phone to Ice Cream Sandwich until early 2012. Most other manufacturers probably won’t be any faster, though Motorola has promised a six week turnaround after the source code is made available.

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Galaxy Nexus Arriving In India Before The End Of The Year

It looks like another country overseas will be graced by the presence of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus this year. While speaking during a Q&A session at a Samsung Galaxy Note launch event yesterday in India, Samsung’s Ranjit Yadav may have divulged a little more info than he should have. When asked when India would see the launch of the Galaxy Nexus, Yadav said the device’s “tentative launch will be this year and not next.”
While this is nowhere near “official,” we remain hopeful. Maybe our Android brothers in India wont have to wait much longer for the SGN after all. Keep your fingers crossed. Galaxy Nexus world domination is almost upon us!
[Via SammyHub]

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Samsung confirms UK Galaxy Nexus launch date

A marketing sheet for Samsung surfaced this week that pointed to a launch date that was pushed back for the Galaxy Nexus smartphone until November 17. Samsung has now confirmed that launch date to be accurate, or at least reiterated what the leaked marketing sheet said. The launch will indeed be Thursday, November 17.

The smartphone will pack Android 4.0 ICS and sport a 4.65-inch HD super AMOLED screen. We already know the specs of the smartphone, but in case you live under a rock or just like to dream of holding the Galaxy Nexus in your hand I will run those specs down again. The smartphone will support 720p resolution and has a 5MP camera on the back. The smartphone is 8.94mm thick and has a 4.29mm thick screen bezel.
This will be the first smartphone on the market running Android 4.0 and it has a ton of features that smartphone users will like. The device will pack in WiFi, NFC, and a web browser. It also has Face Unlock and integrated Google+. The smartphone uses a 1.2GHz dual core processor and will work on HSPA+ networks. The front camera is a 1.3MP unit and the smartphone will support 1080p video output.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus Now Available And Shipping In The US

The Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus wasn’t supposed to be available until November 13th but it looks like the 7-inch tab has received the green light and is now shipping in the US. There are two models available — a 16GB version for $400 and a 32GB for $500. Both versions feature a 7-inch, 1024×600 resolution Super LCD display, dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 3MP rear/2MP front facing cameras, Android 3.x Honeycomb, micro SD slot and IR blaster for television connectivity.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus will be going head-to-head with the Kindle Fire this holiday season. I think the Tab Plus would have a fighting chance if only Samsung would lower the price of each model by $100. What do you guys think? Instant buy, pass or wait until the price drops?

[Via Amazon]

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Swype OTA update coming soon, brings context prediction and more

The developers of Swype have been on a roll as of late and just last month announced the new Swype v3.26 BETA. Along with the update came tons of changes and even a new design layout for the keyboard. One of the biggest though, was automatic updates right to the device instead of all the fuss that we’ve had to deal with in the past with Swype. Today Swype has started the first OTA update for their BETA and users should see it soon.


Instead of having to uninstall Swype and use the tiresome installer we now wont have to deal with that and instead updates will be pushed over the air, right to your device. Over on the Swype Beta Forum they’ve just announced the very first OTA update is on the way and brings a few great new features users have been asking for. The new update brings context-based prediction that will learn from the user and be able to better and more accurately predict words and spelling. While we’ve seen this before (SwiftKey X) this is a first and something we’ve been waiting for on Swype.
We were hoping for that new black and orange color scheme we’ve been hearing about but sadly that isn’t coming just yet. For now this new context prediction is only available in a few supported languages but we can expect a few more OTA’s coming shortly that will add more to the list. Here is what to expect from the update 1:
Features:
-40% increase in prediction accuracy when a language profile is present
-Learns over time as you use it, building up a personal language profile for you.
-Enabled only for English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. Other languages coming soon! *Note* French Canadian does not have a pre-loaded static language model, and so will only show improved accuracy after continual use.
-Japanese Language support
-Tons of bug fixes
It appears that Swype is about to get a lot smarter, but whether it will stand strong against other popular choices such as SwiftKey X remains to be seen. All the details are available from the source link below. This being their first OTA update we don’t know how fast it will roll out, but users should expect to see it between now and the next 3 days — Let us know how it goes.
[via Swype]

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD in the works with 720p display

Sony Ericsson is planning what we are hearing will be called the Xperia Arc HD with a brilliant 1280 x 720p display using their BRAVIA engine. Now we should probably just call them SONY since they bought out Ericsson’s half recently. So, Sony is prepping a new 720p smartphone to add to their lineup. We’ve heard rumors of the Nozomi packing a 720p screen and possibly a 1.5 GHz dual-core, could this be the same phone?


This would actually make sense given the recent pump from the Arc to the Arc S. Sony could then launch the Arc HD with a faster dual-core processor and a bigger 4.3″ 720p HD display and it would make a perfect upgrade. We are still a little blurry on details and these could be two completely different devices but are still digging for further details on the Arc HD and Nozomi both.
With HTC just announcing the 720p HD Rezound and the Galaxy Nexus en route SONY would be wise to jump on the HD wagon as soon as possible. This would also be a good opportunity to come out with an HD smartphone running on the latest and greatest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but this early that is probably doubtful, although I’m sure we’ll be hearing about plenty ICS smartphones from most carriers very soon.
One awesome feature about the Arc HD is while recording full 1080p video users can tap the screen and take full HD quality pictures at the same time, so they have video and a picture of that perfect moment — sounds awesome right? I’ll be looking for more details and let you all know what we find.
[via GSMArena]

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HTC Rezound set to get Ice Cream Sandwich early 2012

Today HTC and Verizon have joined forces and made the HTC Rezound official during the event in NYC. Along with showing off the new 4G LTE smartphone and detailing all its specs, they also mentioned a few important things regarding Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. HTC specifically called the Rezound “ICS ready” and mentioned they have a strick update plan set for early 2012.

While they didn’t announce anything specific regarding a date for this new 4.3″ dual-core smartphone packing an impressive 1280 x 720p resolution, it does give those potential buyers the added security of knowing the latest and greatest should be coming, and soon. For a breakdown of the event and what all was detailed you can see our official announcement here. With a 720p display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Beats Audio this looks to be an impressive handset.

The brand new HTC Rezound can be yours come November 14th for just $299 (with a new 2 year agreement of course). While we don’t have any specifics on an off contract price we expect it to be priced above $600 just like the equally impressive DROID RAZR. With 720p, 4G LTE, Beats Audio, and a promise of ICS what more could you ask for? Other than maybe the Galaxy Nexus. We will have the HTC Rezound in for review very very soon so stay tuned right here at Android Community for all the pictures you can handle.

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DROID RAZR commercial confirms November 11 release at 11:11 AM

If you were hoping for some confirmation as to when you’ll be able to get your hands on the new DROID RAZR from Motorola, it has now been officially confirmed for November 11th. Yes 11-11 and at no time other than 11:11 AM — nifty Verizon, but can I just get the phone already?

It was originally confirmed for the 10th and now we are hearing those that pre-ordered will receive them on the 11th, as they’ll be shipped come the 10th. For more confirmation check out the official 11-11 announcement commercial below. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the DROID RAZR will be $649 off contract or $299 with a new 2-year agreement.
DROID RAZR 11-11

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