Obamas not invited to William-Kate wedding

London:  The official guest list for the British royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was issued on Saturday, and it contained a mix of family and friends, as well as members of European royal families, and a few big name celebrities.

One obvious omission was Sarah Ferguson, the former wife of Prince Andrew, who has been largely frozen out of the royal family following a series of gaffes and misdemeanours.

Royal wedding: Tony Blair, Gordon Brown not invited

London:  Just as all appeared to be going smoothly for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, recriminations set in on Monday over who has made the list of 1,900 wedding guests - and perhaps more significant, those who have not.

The have-nots include Britain's last two prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, neither of whom found much favor with Buckingham Palace while they were in office.

Obama didn't deserve Ivy league: Donald Trump

New York:  American Real estate mogul Donald Trump suggested in an interview on Monday in New York that President Barack Obama had been a poor student, who did not deserve to be admitted to the Ivy League universities he attended.

Trump, who is mulling a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, offered no proof for his claim but said he would continue to press the matter as he has the legitimacy of the president's birth certificate.

Royal couple split... what are the odds?

London:  Britain's bookmakers are gearing up to make a mint on the royal wedding, as the nation indulges its two favourite passions - royalty and betting.

The industry is expecting to see wagers of more than a million pounds between now and Friday, when Prince William and Kate Middleton are due to marry.

Bookmaker William Hill set up a stall outside Westminster Abbey on Monday to let punters know what odds it was offering.

Cricketer wanted in human trafficking case held

New Delhi:  Former cricketer Jacob Martin, who was wanted in connection with a human trafficking case, has been arrested from the national Capital, police said on Wednesday.

He was arrested from Babarpur area of Shahadra last night, DCP (IGI Airport) R A Sanjeev said.

Delhi Police had announced a reward of Rs. 25,000 to anyone who would provide information about Martin.

Air India flights hit by pilots' strike

New Delhi:  At least 20 Air India flights have been cancelled after a major pilots' union went on strike at midnight. Several other Air India flights are reportedly running upto three hours late.

In retaliation, the management of the airline has derecognised The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), sealed its offices in Mumbai and Delhi, and declared the strike illegal.

Hasan Ali case: Puducherry Lt Governor to step down?

New Delhi:  The Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Iqbal Singh, is in the Capital today. He was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Puducherry on Tuesday for the second successive day over his recommendation for issuing a passport expeditiously to alleged tax evader Hasan Ali Khan.

Sathya Sai Baba laid to rest in Puttaparthi

Puttaparthi:  Spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba's last rites took place at the Prashanti Nilayam ashram in his home town of Puttaparthi today.

Sai Baba has been buried in the same hall - the Kulwant Hall in the ashram - where his casket was kept for darshan. Ten priests conducted the private funeral.

2G scam: DMK meets in Chennai; reviews its alliance with Congress

Chennai:  DMK chief M Karunanidhi is chairing a meeting of his party's top leaders today. The high-level meeting has begun in Chennai -- the sole point on the agenda discussing next steps in view of the fact that his daughter and youngest child Kanimozhi has been charged with corruption in the 2G case. 

As the meeting began, DMK sources told NDTV that the party "will handle the case legally and prove our innocence."

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has called today's emergency meeting to take a hard look at the political options before his party. An angry DMK has declared its discontent with the CBI's much-publicized interrogation of Kanimozhi and her stepmother Dayalu Ammal and what it has called the deliberate leak of the chargesheet against Kanimozhi. It has also warned that it may opt out of the government at the Centre.

Sathya Sai Baba's last rites in Puttaparthi today

Puttaparthi:  Spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba's last rites are taking place at the Prashanti Nilayam ashram in his home town of Puttaparthi today.
Sai Baba is being buried in the same hall - the Kulwant Hall in the ashram - where his casket was kept for darshan. Ten priests are conducting the private funeral.

J&K: Pak violates ceasefire at Poonch district again

Poonch:  In the second ceasefire violation in three days, Pakistani troops on Tuesday resorted to heavy firing on the Indian forward positions for one and half hours along the Line of Control in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. There was, however, no casualty, a senior army officer said.

The Pakistani soldiers fired rocket projectile grenades from 7.20 pm to about 8.50 pm in the Doda forward area of Poonch in one of the heaviest firings this year, said Col A Arora of 16 Corps of the army.

The Indian troops returned the fire, he said adding there was no casualty on the Indian side.

The Pakistani troops had also targetted Indian positions in Poonch sector last Sunday.

Col Arora said Tuesday's firing by the Pakistani troops was one of the heaviest this year measured in terms of the duration of the action and the weapons used.

Arunima's story doesn't check out, says Railway Police

New Delhi:  The story of a young national-level volleyball player who lost her left leg after being pushed out of a moving train stunned India. Arunima Sinha was then offered more than two lakhs as compensation by the government, along with a job in the Railways.

Her family said she would prefer a career that would keep her linked to sports - so the UP government then asked if she'd like to be offered a job in the Sports Directorate or the Sports College.

The sphere news: CWG scam: Suresh Kalmadi to be in CBI custody for ...

The sphere news: CWG scam: Suresh Kalmadi to be in CBI custody for ...: "New Delhi: The survival skills that Suresh Kalmadi's political career is best known for were on..."

CWG scam: Suresh Kalmadi to be in CBI custody for 8 days

New Delhi:  The survival skills that Suresh Kalmadi's political career is best known for were on full display today. He was being led into a Delhi court when a man hurled a slipper at him. Mr Kalmadi didn't miss a beat as the slipper missed him by inches and landed nearby. He continued towards court with a smile on his face.

The slipper-thrower, a lawyer named Manoj Sharma from Gwalior, was immediately detained. He has told the police he wants to fight corruption; the police in turn says it is assessing his mental stability.

In court as well, Mr Kalmadi stayed preternaturally calm as the CBI explained the evidence that led to his arrest yesterday. As Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Commonwealth Game, Mr Kalmadi is accused of corruption - of inducing and benefitting from it - by delivering inflated contracts to companies that charged exorbitant rates for equipment and services employed for the Games that were held in September in India.

Nielsen says that you want an Android phone, not an Apple iPhone or a BlackBerry model

Last fall, when Nielsen asked U.S. consumers which smartphone they would buy next, the Apple iPhone was at the top of the list named by a third of the respondents. Android trailed having been named by 26% as their next smartphone. Now, it's a mere half year later and 31% of those responding said that their next smartphone would be an Android flavored model which beats out the Apple iPhone's 30% response by a hair. BlackBerry comes next with 11% of the total while 20% have no idea yet which model they will purchase next.

Another survey from Nielsen asked U.S. consumers who had recently purchased a smartphone in the past six months, which platform the newly acquired handset was running. Half of those asked responded with Android. That was twice the percentage that purchased the Apple iPhone  over the 6 month period ending March 11th. BlackBerry had a 15% market share among recent smartphone buyers,

And that bring us to the bottom line. Of all smartphone users in the U.S., the Android OS had the largest marketshare as of March 11th with a 37% slice of the pie. The Apple iOS scored a 27% share which beat out third place BlackBerry by a mere 5%. 10% of the U.S. smartphone market belonged to Windows Phone 7 as of last month while Palm and Symbian brought up the rear with 3% and 2% of the market respectively.

So what will we see in the next survey due in September? Will Android pull away and expand on their thin lead or will the Apple iPhone reverse momentum and leapfrog Android? You never know. Perhaps a major surprise is waiting for us in September.

source: Nielsen

Nielsen's survey shows that by a mere 1% margin, more U.S. consumers said that their next smartphone will be an Android model over the Apple iPhone

Android handsets have a 50% share of the U.S.. smartphone market as of last month

HP TouchPad meets the FCC, or webOS tablet comes to D.C.

The red carpet was rolled out in Washington D.C. for the HP TouchPad as the webOS flavored tablet got the thumbs up from the FCC. The TouchPad has been flying under the radar, so the specs are not as well-known as those on some of the other tablets that have been launched or will be rolled out soon. So to further educate you on this device, the TouchPad features a 9.7 inch screen with resolution of  768 x 1024. Under the hood is a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor and up front is a 1.3MP camera. There is no rear camera on the device. There will be a 16GB and 32GB model available and audio is handled by the Beats by Dre system.

HP has added some interesting features to the tablet so that it can interact with the Palm HP Pre and other webOS handsets. For example, if your Pre 3 is ringing, you can pick up the call on your TouchPad. There also will be a way to take data and swap it back and forth between your webOS phone and your TouchPad with a tap of the screen.

So far, there is no word on price or possible launch date, but having met the hot shots at the FCC, things should progress quickly from here on out. In the meantime, if you can't wait for a webOS style tablet, check out the BlackBerry PlayBook. The first "professional tablet" features an OS from QNX that has some webOS-esque (card-like) functions including certain gestures such as swiping up on a window to close an application as it moves up off the screen. For those who must have the real thing, we could see the HP TouchPad launch sometime this summer.

source: FCC via Engadget

Amazon says that "app store" is a generic term in response to Apple's law suit

We recently reported how Apple is taking on-line retailer Amazon to court for using the phrase "Appstore" to describe the latter's Android application marketplace. Apple, of course, offers it's users the App Store-a name the company has a trademark for. The Cupertino based firm is seeking a ruling from the court that would force Amazon to stop using the "Appstore" title. Amazon replied that the lawsuit is baseless and that "Appstore" is a generic term.

Amazon quoted Apple CEO Steve Jobs from Apple's recent earnings call. In the midst of criticizing Android, Jobs said, "So there will be at least four app stores on Android, which customers must search among to find the app they want and developers will need to work with to distribute their apps and get paid." Amazon's argument is, if the CEO of Apple is using the term to describe Android flavored app stores, how could the company claim trademark infringement by Amazon?

The on-line retailer has filed a counter suit, asking the court to dismiss Apple's suit, have the latter reimburse Amazon for attorney's costs, and most important of all, rule that the use of the term "Appstore" does not infringe on Apple's trademark.

If you're into all things legal, check out the filing by clicking on this link.

source: GeekWire via BGR

Minor update for Android's official Twitter client packs bug fixes & map of nearby Tweets

If you haven’t seen that nifty notification pop up on your Android powered device, you might be interested to know that the official Twitter client for Android recently got a minor update.

Not particularly something drastic, version 2.0.2 of Twitter for Android includes a host of bug fixes and a few other notables that should appease long time users of the app. Specifically, you’re now graced with the ability to delete direct messages and the option to view a map that’ll display some of the nearby Tweets from other users around your exact location. Moreover, it will now display search results in a tabbed view for better organization.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t waste any more time and simply download the update.

source: Android Market via Phonescoop

Shipment of the iPhone 4 in white arrives at Virgin Mobile Canada

You can clearly begin to feel the anticipation starting to engulf people around the world regarding the white version of the iPhone 4, but for our friends located north of the border, they’re poised to soon being able to experience it fully – much like the rest of the world at this point.

Apparently, it seems as though a shipment of the iPhone 4 in white has arrived at one lucky Virgin Mobile Canada store. And based upon the cursory photo snapped of it, it appears to follow accordingly to other retail packages we’ve seen with the handset. Although its arrival might signal the onset of the inevitable, there is still no date officially attached to its availability in Canada.

Nonetheless, you can’t deny that it’ll be here sooner than later – especially considering there has been one extremely long wait for it.

source: MobileSyrup

Qik app for Android is updated to support video chat across various platforms

For the longest of time now, owners of devices like the HTC EVO 4G and T-Mobile myTouch 4G have been able to fully take advantage of Qik’s various services, but above all, they seemingly took joy in being able to video chat with the app. Conversely, other Android handset owners who downloaded Qik’s app would soon realize that they were only limited with certain functionality – and blocked out from video chat altogether.

Well, those days are now over seeing that Qik is now launching a dedicated app that brings along all the wonders of video chat to a wide array of Android devices. Of course you’ll have video chat on, but you’ll still be able to take advantage of Qik’s live streaming and sharing services. Naturally, the other nice thing about the free app is that it’s compatible across a variety of platforms – including Android 2.1 to 2.3 phones and any iOS 4 devices out there.

Furthermore, you’ll be able to accomplish live streaming via Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G connections – so you’re not limited to one particular item. Finally, the app itself will integrate nicely with your phone’s very own address book and will display contacts that are online and available.

So if you’ve been bummed by the limited set of features offered by the previous version of the Qik app for Android, you’ll undoubtedly be impressed with its new unlocked set of features.

source: TechCrunch via Electronista

UK retailer Clove will begin to sell the SIM-free HTC Wildfire S starting tomorrow

Generally attached with a low key approach, especially when it’s trying to find its place amongst HTC’s stable, the HTC Wildfire S will begin to go on sale in the UK starting tomorrow; April 27th.

Sure it might not exhibit the aura surrounding some of HTC’s other top shelf devices, but it’ll nonetheless find itself suitable in the entry-level market. Clove UK will in fact begin selling the SIM-free black model of the HTC Wildfire S for £238.80 ($393), and will offer the silver version at a later time sometime next week. Just as a refresher, the Wildfire S features a 3.2” HVGA (320 x 480) Super LCD display, 600MHz processor, 5-megapixel camera with flash, 512MB of RAM & ROM, and will be powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Of course, you’ll probably want to wake up early tomorrow to place your order, especially when other retailers like Amazon UK are expected to sell the device at a later date.

source: Clove UK via Android Central

Petition spreads trying to get Dog Wars removed from the Android Market

Animal rights activists and just regular everyday dog lovers are passing around a petition on the internet, seeking the removal of the game Dog Wars which is currently available for free on the Android Market. The game allows you to raise a virtual pit bull by feeding them, training them and injecting them with steroids to make them aggressive. You then take your pooch-now the size of Barry Bonds-and fight him against dogs from other online trainers.

While game designer Kage Games says that it's, "Just a VIDEO GAME," animal rights activists have been joined by the head of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, Paul M. Webber to put down the app. Webber worries that gangs could see the game and become interested in dog fighting. Another notable figure has bad things to say about Dog Wars. NFL Quarterback Michael Vick, who spent time in prison for his role in setting up a dog fighting ring, has taken the time to put down the game. Vick said, "I’ve come to learn the hard way that dogfighting is a dead-end street. Now, I am on the right side of this issue, and I think it’s important to send the smart message to kids, and not glorify this form of animal cruelty, even in an Android app."

The Humane Society of the United States called Dog Wars, "a step backward." In order to placate some of the people arguing for the removal of the game from the Market, the overview of the game says that some of the proceeds are being donated to animal rescue organizations.

If you are interested in signing the petition to get Dog Wars pulled from the Android Market, click on this link.

**UPDATE**
It seems as though the petition mentioned above did it's thing as Dog Wars has been removed from the Android Market, once again proving that you can fight City Hall!

source: m.live

Apple customers file a class action suit regarding location tracking

While we love our technology, there's inevitably something about it that scares us. It used to be an apocalyptic Y2K glitch, and now it's privacy. But, as we've learned, the privacy issue is more realistic. In the latest consumer scare, Apple customers have been informed that their locations are being tracked by a sneaky tracking file.

And some opportunistic Apple customers have already filed a class action suit. We're not saying that Apple shouldn't be held accountable for their potential breach of consumer privacy/trust, but the plaintiffs have really jumped the gun.

Vikram Ajjampur and William Devito filed the suit on April 22nd. Had they waited until a formal investigation had been carried out, their claim might look more justified. But it instead looks like an opportunistically litigious knee-jerk response.

Apple is very good about covering its bases in Terms of Service and Software License Agreements. But we don't know how regulators will feel about this. What do you think? Do you even care if Apple tracks your location without 'proper' notice?

source: MobileCrunch

Apple iPhone 6 to use Sharp's p-Si LCD display for launch next year

It seems strange to be thinking about what parts might go into the Apple iPhone 6 when we don't even know when the iPhone 5 is coming out, nor do we know what the next-generation of Apple's touchscreen phone will look like. So far, it does appear that the Apple iPhone 5 will have a larger screen that goes out from edge to edge as we have reported. With a 3.7 inch to 4 inch screen, Apple is expected to keep the same resolution which will lower the ppi from the current 326  to about 315 which would keep it over the 300 mark that labels a Retina Display.

For the Apple iPhone 6, the Cuperino based firm is said to have chosen Sharp's next-generation, low temperature poly-silicon LCD display. Based on a report by Japanese newspaper Nikkan, Sharp will start manufacturing the displays in the Spring of next year. The company is already prepping equipment at Kameyama Plant No. 1 where the Japanese company makes LCD Televisions.

The low-temperature poly-silicon allows the LCD screen to be made thinner and lighter while conserving battery power when compared to today's more commonly used technologies. This method allows systems like optical sensors and signal processing circuits to be put directly on the glass. As far as the advantage for users, the screen allows for a more vivid image with more durability than today's screen.

source: Nikkan via AppleInsider

Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible is fittingly priced at a penny through Amazon

If there’s one place you’d expect to find fantastic deals on cell phones, you really don’t need to step outside your from door seeing that your online connected computer is a virtual store in itself. Continually being a hub for the best deals online, Amazon now has an amazing offer if you still have a fancy for the original HTC Droid Incredible.

Seeing that its successor is about to launch very shortly, Verizon’s HTC Droid Incredible is now selling for the oh so easy to buy price of merely a penny with your signature on a 2-year contract. That’s right, you’ll be able to pick up one of the first devices to really give a sense of speed to the DROID branding. Naturally, the price point is more that fitting seeing that the HTC Droid Incredible 2 is going to launch at $200 on-contract – which makes this deal with Amazon pretty incredible on its own.

Sure it may not have the contemporary specs of some its newer Android brothers and sisters, but seeing that it’s still one capable phone of delivering a phenomenal experience, you really can’t count this one out just yet – or maybe you can?

source: Amazon via IntoMobile

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer is already in short supply

Asus doesn't often get the spotlight. But their innovative Eee Pad Transformer has captured the attention of tablet and notebook customers alike. It mates a Tegra 2-powered, Android Honeycomb tablet with a full-size keyboard dock and auxiliary battery. And it stands to replace many users' dedicated netbooks and notebooks.

The Eee Pad Transformer launched today, with a prestigious lineup of retailers, and some smaller ones. And they're already in short supply. But that doesn't mean that Asus has reached Apple-esque sales figures. Asus had previously warned consumers that the Eee Pad Transformer would launch in low quantities.

Asus' tablet carries a pretty reasonable pricetag of only US$399, but that doesn't include the dock, which will be available in May. Its retailers include Amazon, Best Buy, Fry's, J&R, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, TigerDirect, and more. As of this writing, they all seem to be out of stock. But there are some marked-up units available from resellers on Amazon if you're willing to pay.

source: Asus via Android Community

Novatel 4510L 4G MiFi for Verizon Wireless Review

source: phonearena 

Introduction and Design:

Last week we reviewed the Samsung SCH-LC11, which was Verizon’s first 4G LTE HotSpot. Now some competition enters the market with the new Novatel 4510L 4G MiFi, that is actually a follow-up to the older Novatel 2200 3G MiFi from 2009.

The overall styling of the Novatel 4510L 4G MiFi has changed, with a shiny black surface on the top and chrome accents around the sides, all of which are fingerprint magnets, thought the lower edge and bottom of the device retain the familiar black soft-touch coating. The device is also fairly compact, at 2.36”H x 3.74” W x 0.53”D and with a weight of 3 oz, though this is still slightly larger and heavier than the Samsung 4G HotSpot. Included with the Novatel 4510L 4G MiFi is a brown fabric carrying pouch, 1500mAh battery, wall charger, user guides, and a microUSB PC cable that says it’s only to be used for device firmware upgrades.

The Novatel 4510L 4G MiFi (Left) and the Samsung SCH-LC11 (Right)

The front of the Novatel 4510L closely resembles the Novatel 4082 for Sprint, as there is a small display, which uses eInk, that will show useful icons for the antenna reception (0-4 bars), roaming indicator (triangle), battery level (0-4 bars), and how many Wi-Fi devices are connected (1-5 dots). Below that on the lower side is a single LED indicator  light, that will change color depending on if you are connected to 4G (green), 3G or 1x (violet), have the unit off and charging (yellow/amber), receiving an over-the-air upgrade (white), or if there is no SIM card installed (red). We like having the display icons on the front and separate LED indicator, as you can easily tell at a glance what network (4G/3G) you are connected to, the signal strength, battery level, and the number of Wi-Fi devices connected, instead of the three limited LED lights on the Samsung 4G HotSpot that only show the network type and if Wi-Fi data is being transmitted.

The front and back sides of the Novatel 4510L 4G MiFi

T-Mobile is believed to unveil the addition of a $39.99 2GB data plan very soon

Even though it’s still regarded as speculation at this point, TmoNews is reporting that T-Mobile is planning to add yet another data plan offering to its lineup.

As it stands right now, customers can choose data plans that range from as low as $29.99 per month for 200MB of data all the way to $84.99 for a whooping 10GB allotment. And stuck in the middle of those two plans is a reasonable $49.99 per month offering that provides 5GB of data.  However, it’s being reported that they plan on adding a 2GB plan for $39.99 – which naturally fits nice in balancing things out a bit. Moreover, it’s said that the price will drop to roughly $32 if it’s combined with an existing voice plan.

Definitely a nice gesture nonetheless since it offers more selection to customers, we’ll soon find enough whether or not it holds true seeing that it’s believed to take in effect starting April 28th.

source: TmoNews

Rugged style Casio G’zOne Commando is coming to Verizon starting on April 28th for $200

With the long weekend behind us, it seems that everyone is taking the prime opportunity of announcing things officially today – and rightfully so, we’re seeing yet another one coming out of Verizon’s camp.

Supplementing the their HTC Droid Incredible 2 announcement earlier today, we shift over to a specific segment of the market that the Casio G’zOne Commando is aiming for with its rugged set of features. It surely doesn’t hide the fact that it’s one durable smartphone, but this Android 2.2 Froyo powered device should appease people who happen to work in the great outdoors under the harsh, and always changing weather conditions.

Some of the Casio G’zOne Commando’s highlights include a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, 802.11 b/g/n, mobile hotspot capable, stereo Bluetooth, GPS, and all of the benefits of the Android platform.

Unlike some of its Android brethren, its user specific set of features include high-security for corporate email, G’zGEAR software, and compliance with military standard 810G – which means it’ll be protected from low & high temperatures, altitude, solar radiation, humidity, fog, salt, vibration, rain, and shock. Essentially, it’ll be able to withstand even the most brutal of punishment; like being “accidentally” run over by a car.

Although we’ve already seen rugged style Android smartphones before, like the Motorola i1, the Casio G’zOne Commando seemingly takes it up a notch with its durability aspects. So if you’re eying this one, you can expect to see it land in Verizon stores and online for $200 on-contract starting April 28th.

source: PR Newswire via Unwired View

Google Nexus S 4G is officially set with a May 8th release & $200 on-contract pricing

Hard to believe, but the Google Nexus S 4G is still one of the very few devices that’s expected to be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread from the onset, but thankfully, we’re now presented with an official date for its release.

Finally, Sprint came out to officially announce May 8th as the day when the handset will begin to go on sale through all Sprint channels. Even though some people might have been able to gobble up pre-orders of the device for some time now, there’s still going to be just a little bit of wait before they’re able to start playing around with this Google inspired smartphone. Obviously, you’ll need to shell out the usual $200 with your signature on a 2-year contract, but we’d imagine that some would easily pay the premium without much complaint considering the nature of the device.

With the Google Nexus S 4G arriving just before we’re poised to find ourselves in the simmering heat wave of summer, are you still considering on picking it up knowing that devices like the HTC EVO 3D are on the way?

source: Sprint via Engadget

White iPhone 4: Will you buy it, if it's made available in the coming days? (Poll results)

By now there is something of a consensus in the smartphone community that the launch of the white iPhone 4 is imminent - the rumors about this handset just refuse to go away, and there is overwhelming evidence we are to see the pale twin of the already released iPhone 4 in the next few days.

That's why a few days ago we decided to ask you whether you plan to buy the white iPhone 4 if it's made available in the coming days, and the results show that most of you (or 42.67%) voted that they find it ridiculous that someone will buy a year-old phone painted in white. 32.27% of the participants in this poll said the white iPhone 4 is going to be a beauty, but they will wait a bit more for the next version of the iPhone, while the sole positive answer gathered only 20.06% - these gents and ladies cited its special appeal and look as the reasons why they want to get that handset as soon as possible.

HTC introduces the DROID Incredible 2, to be launched April 28th at Verizon

The HTC DROID Incredible 2 is now official, confirmed by HTC and the manufacturer says that the device will launch April 28th at Verizon. The price is $199.99 with a signed two-year contract.

The sequel to one of Big Red's most popular Android devices, the DROID Incredible 2 offers a slightly larger 4 inch Super LCD display than the 3.7 inch screen found on the first model. An 8MP camera remains on the back and a 1.3MP front-facing shooter has been added to the model. Android 2.2 is aboard with a 1GHz processor under the hood. 768MB of RAM graces the handset which comes with a pre-installed 16GB microSD card. This time around, the DROID Incredible 2 is a world phone which means it has both a CDMA and GSM radio inside, allowing you to roam while overseas.

The original HTC DROID Incredible was so popular that almost immediately after its launch, Verizon had to put the device on back order. A shortage of AMOLED displays from Samsung, who needed them for its own Galaxy S phones, contributed to the situation and forced HTC to switch to using a Super LCD display so that supply and demand could even out. Hopefully Verizon customers won't experience the same thing this time around with the sequel.

source: HTC

BlackBerry PlayBook QNX Platform Walkthrough

Introduction:

Now that consumers are able to snatch up the BlackBerry PlayBook, it’ll be interesting to see the kind of reception it’ll get with the general public. Mounting an offensive push in a new product market is undoubtedly one way that RIM can differentiate its past with its future, but with most new ventures, their visibility and longevity will be based on how well they’re able to capitalize on attracting people to their tablet from the onset. Shedding most of their roots in the process, they’ve seemingly taken a new approach with their QNX based platform, and interestingly enough, they’ve managed to develop and branch out their new platform in a timely manner – and good for us, the wait wasn’t extraordinarily long.

Knowing that RIM is indeed intent on maturing their shiny new platform, we’ll have to delve into every nook and cranny of its bounty in order to better gauge how well it stacks against the existing crop of tablet platforms out there.  Visually, there’s no denying that it takes advantage of the PlayBook’s mighty processing power, but as we all know, it’s going to take more than beautiful looks to concretely solidify its position as a top tiered tablet platform. With that, let’s dive in and take a close look, shall we?

Verizon's LTE launch results in very few speed bumps, Big Red to move toward tiered pricing

A senior Verizon executive has gone on record to say that the roll out of Big Red's LTE network has resulted in less speed bumps than she has expected.

Nicola Palmer, Verizon Wireless VP of Network Operations says on the subject:

"Frankly I expected some speed bumps. The surprise here to me is the speed bumps were very few and far between and they didn’t do any damage to the undercarriage."

She said that the most difficult part of Verizon's LTE deployment was that the US carrier had to renegotiate the terms under which it uses parcels owned by other people - parcels where its cell towers are located.

However, it's probably more important for us as end consumers that Nicola Palmer is yet another senior official at Verizon who says the plan that offers unlimited data is not to last forever, as the carrier is to move toward tiered pricing:

"Unlimited billing on data is simply unsustainable for the industry."

source: All Things Digital

LG to produce multicore mobile chipsets of its own, based on ARM's architecture

Not to be left out of the chipset race, LG issued a press release that it has signed a deal with the British company ARM for licensing its mobile chipset architecture, including high-performance multicore CPU and GPU designs like Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604.

This essentially puts LG as a direct competitor to Nvidia with its Tegra chipsets, Qualcomm with Snapdragon, and Samsung with Exynos, to name just the most widely used dual-core chipsets based on ARM's design, currently on the market. That is, if LG is planning on actual production, and not just licensing the tech, so it can hammer out its phone and tablet software better for ARM-based silicon.

For LG producing its own powerful chips makes much more sense, though, so we might soon have another entrant in the multicore mobile chipsets gladiator pit, which will only make the storyline more interesting. After all, LG was the first one to out a dual-core Android smartphone, with the Optimus 2X, and by all means that counts for something.

via Engadget

Microsoft says Mango to be released as Windows Phone 7.5, subsequently denies it

A mountain of evidence points to the fact that the next major update for Microsoft's mobile OS, also known as Mango, is to be billed as Windows Phone 7.5.

That's despite the fact this info is not official at all - although the Redmond-based giant is yet to deny it unequivocally, the official Microsoft line dictates that this update is known as Mango and Mango only.

The speculation originates from a slide showed during MIX 2011 that presented Mango as Windows Phone 7.5, and the fact the Microsoft Partner Network site briefly offered us the chance to "Preview the New Windows Phone 7.5", i.e. Mango.

Both slips were subsequently said to be mistakes, not to mention that a quick check at the Microsoft Partner Network page shows that the phrase "Preview the New Windows Phone 7.5" was neatly edited to say "Preview the Next Version of Windows Phone".

There are some speculations that the current build of Mango is WP 7.1, while the update is expected to arrive in late 2011 or early 2012. Rumor has it that Mango will pave the way for the first Nokia handsets powered by Windows Phone.

source: WPCentral