Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Verizon Galaxy Nexus to retail for $299 on contract

We know pretty much everything about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus except its official price and release date on Verizon and well, today it looks like we can cancel one off the list (hint: it’s not the release date). According to the Wall Street Journal’s trusted sources, the upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich flagship device will be sold for $299 with a 2-year contract. This corroborates with previously leaked price of the phone, which makes sense considering that it is a top-of-the-line Android phone with 4G LTE, a 720p Super AMOLED display, Ice Cream Sandwich (currently the only phone being sold with it) and 32GB of internal storage. Now all we need is an official release date. What do you think of the Galaxy Nexus’ price? Will you be picking it up for $299 with a 2-year contract?

Sony Ericsson Xperia active is ready to rock and roll

Here is yet another Sony Ericsson smartphone to hit the masses, where it will sport the Xperia name – which means that it is guaranteed of getting an Ice Cream Sandwich update in due time. The Sony Ericsson Xperia active is a rugged device that is set to rock your world, no matter what kind of adventures you have it accompany you. Why do I say so? Well, the Xperia active is not only water resistant, but it is also dust-proof as well, where even wet fingers can be tracked by the 3″ multi-touchscreen display. It does not matter whether you are heading out for a rainy hike, climbing up and down snowy slopes or having the time of your life through mud-splattered bike trails, the Xperia active lives up to its name and more. Another thing is this, it does look better than Sonim’s handsets, but I don’t think it will be able to last falls from great heights.
Other hardware specifications include a built-in GPS, barometer and compass, where you are able to monitor your heart rate on-screen and ni realtime, thanks to ANT+ wireless networking technology, a reality display with Mobile BRAVIA engine for a more realistic rendering of images, a microSD memory card slot and Android 2.3.4 as the operating system of choice. Expect to fork out $369.99 for the Sony Ericsson Xperia active in an unlocked form factor.

T-Mobile G2x Gingerbread OTA Update Resumes

After a not-so-smooth attempt at rolling out Android 2.3 Gingerbread for T-Mobile G2X users, experience-breaking bugs ran rampant throughout users’ phones prompting T-Mobile and LG to suspend updates. It took quite a while for them to get things ironed out, actually, as I almost forgot that the T-Mobile G2x even exists. In any case, the Gingerbread rollout is back on for those who are sick of frozen treats. Alongside Gingerbread, you’re also apparently getting improved battery life for your troubles. Yay! Get to the link ahead for the full instructions from LG. [LG via Droid Dog]

Verizon: We Aren’t Blocking Google Wallet, it’s a Security thing

Verizon has issued a statement to lend some clarity to the recent Google Wallet drama that has many soon-to-be owners of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus all worked up. In Verizon’s own words, “[the carrier] does not block applications.” The reasoning for Google Wallet’s absence from the Galaxy Nexus is the security concerns that arise from the “new, secure and proprietary hardware element” that would be necessary for Google Wallet to be implemented. Here is the full statement. Take from it what you will:
“Statement from Jeffrey Nelson, spokesperson for Verizon:
Recent reports that Verizon is blocking Google Wallet on our devices are false. Verizon does not block applications.
Google Wallet is different from other widely-available m-commerce services. Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones.
We are continuing our commercial discussions with Google on this issue.”
[via Verizon | Thanks to all who sent this in!]

LG and Prada team up for London Event — LG Prada K2 coming soon?

What is better than some fashion in London? A new smartphone maybe? LG and Prada have teamed up again to release another stylish smartphone onto the world with what most likely will be the LG Prada K2 that we’ve seen leak more than a few times already. If you remember the original LG Prada then you’re in for a treat with this latest revision we think will be announced later this month.


We’ve been hearing rumors of a third Prada phone from the South Korean company since way back in 2009 and it appears they are finally ready to deliver. The LG Prada K2′s latest leaks show a pretty impressive phone in terms of both specs and looks. It’s thin and sexy and has some nice curves too. If you ask me it looks very similar to the recently released Nokia Lumia 800 but that is WP7 so we’ll stop right there.

The LG Prada K2 recently cleared the FCC only adding to the pile that makes us think that will be exactly what LG and Prada unveil come next Wednesday, December 14th. Leaks suggest a 4.3 or 4.5″ 1280 x 720p HD display — like the recently reviewed LG Nitro HD. As well as a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and more. We will most likely see more in the next few days not to mention the world will all know after the event next week.
Who’s ready for some Devil Wears Prada?

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 launching soon, up for pre-order

Who remembers the awesome looking Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7? The first tablet to feature Samsung’s Super AMOLED HD display technology that was first spotted at IFA but quickly went missing. Apparently the Tab 7.7 should be launching soon and is up for pre-order unlocked with 3G and ready to go.


The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the first slate to feature the impressive Samsung Super AMOLED display on a large screen size like 7.7″ and we’ve been patiently waiting for more details on this tab. Running with a 1280 x 800 resolution and rocking a powerful 1.4 GHz dual-core processor I’d love to get my hands on one of these. It’s under 8mm thin, has built-in 3G and should have some stunning colors on that vivid AMOLED panel.
Back in September the 7.7 hit the FCC but that was the last we’ve heard of it. Current legal battles with that fruit company could be to blame but at this point we aren’t fully sure where the delay is being caused. It could also be a shortage of those AMOLED panels too. According to our friends at oled-display.net Samsung is ready to go and the tab is all set for launch. It is even being offered up for pre-order by a few popular online retailers such as Negri Electronics (who recently gave Twitter followers a free Galaxy Nexus).
While we still don’t have anything official from Samsung regarding the Galaxy Tab 7.7 or when/if it will come to the states it’s nice to hear an update. According to Negri Electronics it is fully 3G GSM unlocked and will run you a pretty $670 USD outright. We should see lower prices on-contract if we ever get the pleasure of enjoying this slate in the US.

Archos shows off official Ice Cream Sandwich on 101 G9 tablet

Well lookie here: Archos isn’t letting anyone beat it to the Ice Cream Sandwich party. The French hardware company showed off an early build of Android 4.0 running on its economical 101 G9 tablet. The latest build from earlier today is demonstrated on what looks like a retail unit. Archos is planning on releasing the update sometime in Q1 2012.

From the demonstration, it looks like Ice Cream Sandwich is running extremely well on the 10-inch tablet, with nary a stutter or hiccup in its performance. By now we’re pretty familiar with the ICS tablet interface (basically a cleaner, faster version of Honeycomb) but this is a nice confirmation of other sources, like Nvidia’s demonstration of the Transformer Prime. It still needs a little work to get to a lag free experience, but you can see that Archos is well on its way.For the most part, ICS seems to be clean and free of bloatware.
For Ice Cream and French accents, check out the video below:




If you’re tempted by new software on current hardware, the 10-inch G9 tablet is currently going for about $350 at most retail locations. Extensive codec support and low price makes Archos a favorite among Android enthusiasts, so you’re likely to see a lot of community-authored ICS builds both before and after the official release.
[via ARMdevices.net]

Android Market hits 10 billion app downloads, celebrates with 10¢ app sale

There’s a lot of Android phones and tablets out there – pushing 200 million at last official count. That’s a lot of people downloading apps form the Android Market. Today that number may have surpassed 10 billion total app downloads, and to celebrate, Google’s offering a handful of premium apps for just 10¢ (£0.10 in the UK.)

The premium apps on offer are as follows: Soundhound, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD, Minecraft Pocket Edition, SwiftKey X, Ecomondo, Great Little War Game, SketchBook Mobile, Fieldrunners HD, Color & Draw for Kids, and Paper Camera. This is no small promotion; many of these apps have hundreds of thousands of paid downloads already, and the discounts start at 90% and go up. There’s no indication of when the sale will end, so if you want any of the apps listed here, download them now.

We haven’t heard anything official on the 10 billion app promotion. The total may not have even been passed yet – it could be that Google’s drumming up excitement to reach the milestone, with a little help from some high-profile Android developers. In any case it’s a sweet deal on some very in-demand apps, so go for it if you haven’t already.

Motorola DROID RAZR gets a white version for December

Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like the world’s most neutral color. In addition to a rather subdued DROID XYBOARD announcement, Verizon let slip that an all-white version of the Motorola DROID RAZR would be available this month. Aside from a frosty casing, there’s no difference from the model that launched last month – you’ll still need to fork over $299.99 and sign up for a new two-year contract, or be eligible for a renewal. A specific date was not mentioned.

If it’s bargains you’re after, and you happen to be in the market for both a new LTE smartphone and tablet, you may want to take advantage of Verizon’s upcoming promotion. Purchase a new DROID RAZR (presumably including the white model) and you can take $100 off any DROID XYBOARD, from the $429 8.2-inch 16GB version all the way up to the $729 64GB 10.1-inch version. You’ll also be eligable for $50 off “select Motorola accessories” – a perfect opportunity to stock up on cases, docks or what have you.
The DROID RAZR joins a host of white smartphones this Christmas, including the Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, HTC Incredible II, HTC EVO 3D – suffice it to say, there’s a lot of white going around. Naturally, that other Verizon phone, you know, the one we’ve been waiting on for over a month, the one that seems to be available for everyone except Americans – hasn’t been announced. But we get a phone that’s in plentiful supply in white. Thanks a lot, Verizon.