Rumor: Apple is developing 7.85-inch iPad to compete with Kindle Fire

Apple may begin selling smaller, 7.85-inch iPads next year to compete with newer tablet devices, according to sources within the US firm’s supply chain who are quoted by a DigiTimes report.
The company is rumoured to already be sourcing parts to begin producing the units by mid next year:

In addition to purchasing 7.85-inch panels from LG Display, Apple will also buy panels from AU Optronics (AUO), indicated the sources, adding that makers in the supply chain are likely to begin production of the 7.85-inch models at the end of the second quarter of 2012.

The rumoured size has been selected to allow the iPad to compete with, but differentiate itself from, the 7-inch Kindle fire and a number of large-sized smartphones that manufacturers like Samsung has introduced to the market.
Apple is also thought to be launching the third version of the iPad during the first quarter of next year, in response to the growth of tablet PCs, which are expected to reach 60 million units by the end of this year
Previous iPad rumours have included speculation that a thinner iPad 3 will land in March. Back in October, analysts predicted that production of the iPad 3 would be under way before the end of the year, by which time an initial 1 million devices are thought to be ready.

Read more »

Amazon Now Offering Verizon Galaxy Nexus for $150 to New Customers, $200-$250 for Existing Customers

After scoping out some deals from rival retailers Amazonhas updated their pricing for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. New customers of Verizon’s can get the phone for a low $150. If you’re an existing customer on an individual line, a still-attractive $200 price tag awaits you. If you’re on a family plan you’ll get $50 off its retail price at $250. Not bad at all, but be sure to consider the backorder date Amazon is currently displaying – it might be more than a week before you even see the thing. Head over there now to check the deals out for yourself. [Amazon, Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Read more »

HTC Thunderbolt OTA Update Coming Soon – Includes Bug Fixes and New Radio Version

Verizon is getting ready to push out a new OTA (over-the-air) update for the first 4G LTE device to hit the carrier — the HTC Thunderbolt. This will bring the T-Bolt up to software version 2.11.605.9, which contains the usual bug fixes and even a new baseband version. Improved radios are always fun. Other notable changes of the 36MB update include:

• Resolved issue with contact ringtones
• Improvements to notification volume
• Updated local streaming playback mechanism when network connection is not available
• Updated Twitter API for Peep/FriendStream
• Clock app included in All App list
• Improvements in Exchange ActiveSync

No word yet on exactly when Verizon plans to push the update to devices but it wont hurt to manually check for it yourself by jumping into your Settings > Software Update > Check Now. Let us know if anyone receives it!
[Via AndroidPolice]

Read more »

HP TouchPad receives Alpha version of MIUI

We’re likely to see Android development progress quicker now that HP decided to disperse WebOS as an open source OS, and recent news suggests developers are getting excited. MIUI, an extremely popular visually modified/skinned version of CyanogenMod, has started to make its way over to the HP TouchPad. This is an extremely stable Alpha version, and would suffice for daily use.

All main components are working: Audio, WiFi, Bluetooth, touchscreen, charging, all sensors, headphone port, gallery, YouTube, and even the many MIUI themes. Bear in mind, none of this would be possible without the countless hours of work put in by the CyanogenMod team. Thus, as CM7 becomes more stable on the HP TouchPad, MIUI will follow.




The above YouTube clip really shows how fluid this MIUI ROM works out on the WebOS native device, and is overall quite impressive. The CyanogenMod team recently released Alpha v3.5, drastically reducing bugs and increasing game performance. They suggest this update increases the overall fluidity and 3D rendering, so it’s safe to say we can expect an update to the MIUI port soon.
[via XDA Developers]

Read more »

Target offers Verizon Galaxy Nexus for $189.99 with a new 2-year contract

Now that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus has finally launched, the only thing left to do is look for the best deal. LetsTalk had quite a good deal at 12:00AM PST this morning, with it priced at $154.99 after using a special coupon code. Unfortunately, they oversold it leaving some customers on a 2 week waitlist. This is not an ideal situation to be in, so you may want to act fast on this deal at Target while it’s relatively new.

I went over to my local Target earlier today and they didn’t have any in stock, therefore I figured they wouldn’t be carrying it. Needless to say I was wrong. This deal will save you an extra $100, so if it for some reason is out of stock online later tonight, it might benefit you hit up Target as soon as they open. This may turn out to be an online-only deal, but we’ll definitely find that out through the next few days
More deals are bound to come, so stick with us and we’ll feed them to you as they emerge. Surprisingly, over at XDA in the Galaxy Nexus general chat, most users (if not all) are able to score some sort of discount before they complete their purchase. So don’t plan on paying the full $299.99 advertised retail price, there is some obvious markup involved. Not to say the phone isn’t worth it of course – but you may as well save money where you can.
[via Target]

Read more »

ClockworkMod Recovery now available for Verizon Galaxy Nexus

Alright, so now you’ve got your Verizon branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus – finally. What’s the first thing you’re going to do? Root it and install ClockworkMod recovery of course! A compatible CWM recovery was available for the international unlocked version of the Galaxy Nexus, but until recently the LTE model wasn’t supported. For those of you that don’t know what CWM is – the rest of this post may not be for you.

This morning, the first thing I did was keep refreshing the Galaxy Nexus Android Development forum for updates to the CWM port – yet the development team was still having some issues. Mainly with the Android 4.0.2 update Google recently pushed out; users were reporting that root wouldn’t stick, and neither would CWM. But XDA Developer open1your1eyes0 posted a “Final Version” – ClockworkMod 5.5.0.4 for Galaxy Nexus *CDMA Edition* – and it works great.
You may have been through a similar process with your previous device (and practically identical if you’re coming from a Nexus), but if not here are the general installation instructions. First you’ll need to unlock the bootloader, as most retail versions ship locked down. Next, flash CWM recovery. Reboot – and then boot into fastboot mode by holding both volume buttons down and then pressing power. You should then be able to select Recovery! It has been confirmed to be working by many, but as always flash with caution – and good luck!
[via XDA Developers]

Read more »

T-Mobile pits the Amaze 4G against the iPhone 4S, Street Fighter style

It’s a common enough argument: my phone is better than your phone. If you’ve got any friends who are particularly attached to their iPhones, you might hear it a lot. T-Mobile’s out to end the debate, and they’re not above using Scott Pilgrim-grade nostalgia to do it. Their latest anti-iPhone commercial pits their current flagship the HTC Amaze 4G against the iPhone 4S in a one-on-one battle to the death to the end of Round 1.

The 90-second ad is mostly about the phones’ respective cameras: both shoot 8 megapixel stills and 1080p video. T-Mobile argues in favor of the Amaze 4G, with arguments about panoramic views, face recognition and sports-friendly burst modes. And 8-bit robot samurai fists. You can probably guess who emerges victorious, but if you’re in suspense, check out the video embedded below:




Even as a rabid Android supporter, it’s hard to deny that the cameras in the iPhone 4 and 4S are impressive. Better than the iPhone? Well.. no. But given the extra features and the lack of iPhone availability on T-Mobile, it’s definitely the best you can get on the carrier.

Read more »

Verizon 4G LTE hits 11 new cities today, available to over 200 million people

Who wants some 4G LTE to go along with the Galaxy Nexus? In the same fashion as they’ve done all year Verizon has flipped the switch and gave the green light to 11 new cities to access their 4G LTE spectrum starting today. Verizon’s 4G LTE recently celebrated its 1 year birthday and in that short amount of time they’ve reached almost 200 markets and offer 4G LTE to over 200 million Americans nationwide.

Verizon has continued to unleash their blazing fast speeds on new markets almost every 2-3 weeks for the better part of 6 months and now offer 3G LTE to 190 markets across the US. Not only that, but many markets that already have 4G LTE also got an update today with expanded coverage. Here’s the list provided by Verizon below.

New Markets:
Dover, DE
Lafayette, IN
Fitchburg/Leominster, MA
Duluth, MN
The Rochester Area, MN
St. Cloud, MN
Manchester/Nashua, NH
Poughkeepsie, NY
Findlay/Tiffin, OH
Youngstown/Warren, OH
Indiana, PN

Expanding Markets:
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Washington D.C.
Savannah, GA
Chicagoland, ILL
Baltimore, MD
Hagerstown, MD
Speaking of 4G LTE, Verizon’s newest 4G capable phone as you all know is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus — just launched today.  Verizon has far exceeded their goals for the 2011 LTE rollout and no other carrier at the moment even comes close. I’m sure we’ll have more cities to add to this list within the next few weeks so stay tuned. Below is a Timeline that should give you a “complete picture” of Verizon’s 4G LTE lately.

Read more »

LG Spectrum leaks again, press image and full specs included

The LG Spectrum might be better known as the Revolution 2 or the device that will replace the original Revolution. We’ve seen it a few times in the past and earlier this week actual images of the device were leaked online. Obviously being the bigger brother to the Revolution we have Verizon 4G LTE and more on board but this latest leak confirms all the specs.

Those hoping for Ice Cream Sandwich will have to wait a few months as this device will be launching with Android 2.3 Gingerbread — although I’m sure an update will come shortly. LG hasn’t been the fastest in the past with updates so that is a thing to consider. Looking very similar to the Optimus LTE, also known as the LG Nitro HD the Spectrum is exactly what we’d hoped for. A huge 4.5″ 720p HD display and a powerful dual-core processor. Here are the official specs:
- Dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor
- Android Gingerbread 2.3
- Verizon 4G LTE
- 10.6 millimeters thick
- 4.5-inch, 1280×720 IPS LCD
- 1GB RAM, 4GB storage plus 16GB microSD
- 8 megapixel, 1080p rear camera; 1.3 megapixel front-facing
- 1830mAh battery
They look strikingly similar and both have 4G LTE only this bad boy will be powered by Verizon’s ever expanding network instead of AT&T’s. The widget from this official press image shows February 14th next to the weather (day after my Birthday). This could be a hint for a Mobile World Congress appearance but just like our source, we think it’ll be here sooner than that and possibly launch right after CES.
[via Pocket Now]

Read more »