Apple's back-to-school sale is likely to begin next week

Apple is holding company-wide meetings at their retail stores this Sunday, starting at 7 a.m. And the topic of the meetings is anyone's guess. They've been gearing up for an announcement of some kind, setting longer hours for redecoration, and shrouding the new visuals with black curtains.

But the mysterious announcement may simply be their back-to-school sale. Previous back-to-school sales have been announced between May 25 and June 5, so it wouldn't be a stretch. Unfortunately, their 'sale' is really more of an opportunity to offload aging iPod Touch devices. In past years, they've offered a free 8GB iPod Touch to purchasers of a new Mac. Maybe this year they'll offer a discount on the iPhone 4 or iPad 2?

We're still hoping that all the secrecy, combined with Apple's May 19th retail anniversary, mean that we're going to see a new product. But that could be anything from their iCloud music service, to a new device. Slash Gear suggests that it might not be a new product at all, but the unveiling of NFC-enabled registers. We're hoping for something a little more exciting.

source: AppleInsider via SlashGear

British rapper knocks BlackBerry with "BB is Dead"

All right, it's not exactly like Jay-Z is making fun of BlackBerry. But it's still a bad sign when a rapper decides to devote an entire music video to dissing your product. British rapper GT Solo has made a music video, albeit not a great one, making fun of BlackBerry devices, and promoting the iPhone.

The hook of the song is "BB is dead, gonna get the iPhone instead". And that pretty much describes the thrust of the song. GT Solo takes particular aim at BlackBerry's GPS, saying that you'll get lost when using it. He also makes fun of the browser, camera, and app selection.

The good news for RIM is that "BB is Dead" will never become a hit. RIM recently admitted that their product line is aging, and there will be a product revolution of sorts, but this kind of 'press' can't help.

source: JaykePRO (YouTube) via BlackBerryOS

Samsung Infuse 4G is mistaken for a spider, beaten to death with a shoe during television ad

The recently launched Samsung Infuse 4G's claim to fame is its 4.5 inch Super AMOLED Plus display that makes everything on the screen larger than life. It is obvious that when it comes to promoting the phone, the main feature is going to be that big display.

In this television ad for the Infuse 4G, a business lunch is interrupted when one of the executives at the table (probably suffering from arachnophobia) thinks that she sees a spider on the table. Another executive takes off his shoe and pounds the living daylight out of a....Samsung Inspire 4G? Let's hope that the remaining businessman who owned the handset, took the insurance package.

source: AndroidGuys

Even more proof points to a May 26th release for the LG Revolution

Just a few hours ago, we got word that the third Verizon 4G smartphone, the LG Revolution, has shown up in Best Buy's system with a May 26th release date, which is the same day the Motorola DROID X 2 and Sony Xperia PLAY play are due out.

Now we have even more proof that the LG Revolution will hit on the 26th, thanks to the people over at Droid-Life. Shown in full detail is the device's Launch Packet, which states the Revolution will have a 1GHz Snapdragon processor (single-core), 4.3" WVGA display, Bluetooth ver 3, 5MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, 1.3MP front camera, HDMI output, DLNA, and will come with a 16GB microSDHC memory card. The Revolution will run on Android 2.2 Froyo and also comes with the Netflix app pre-loaded for streaming videos, as well as Let's Golf 2 and Rock Band. Supported video formats for playback will include DivX, WMP, MP4, 3GP/3G2, and there a Dolby audio mode.There is also going to be a wireless charging accessory, that can charge the 1500mAh battery in 4 hours.

Pricing for the LG Revolution is expected to be about $249, the same as the HTC ThunderBolt.

So do you plan or purchasing the LG Revolution, or going with the Samsung Droid Charge or HTC ThunderBolt? Keep in mind there's also the Motorola DROID BIONIC Targa that is due out this summer.

source: Droid-Life, and LG Revolution User Manual

T-Mobile is selling refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab units for $100 on-contract

If you happen to be a T-Mobile customer and looking to get into the tablet market, then you’ll want to pay extra attention to one sweet deal that Big Magenta is offering right now for the original Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Right now, customers can pick up a refurbished version of the Galaxy Tab for the easy to swallow price of only $99.99 with your signature on a 2-year contract. That’s not too shabby to tell you the truth, even when a new one will cost you double the price at $200. Still, there are some people out there who are hesitant of picking up refurbished products in general, but we’re sure that they’re put through some tests to validate that they’re more than fully operational.

Strangely enough, the savings is only available with its 2-year on-contract price – with no love for its no-contract commitment pricing.

source: T-Mobile

As rumors of a Microsoft buyout of Nokia fly, a teaser ad shows the Nokia N9 powered by Symbian Anna

A teaser ad for the Nokia N9 has been discovered on YouTube and it reveals some interesting things about the handset. Expected to come with the MeeGo OS on board, the video shows some Symbian-style icons and other screen elements. Instead of MeeGo, the model appears to be be loaded with the Anna version of the Symbian OS. The ad also shows what appears to be a 12MP camera on the handset.

Things could be changing big time at Nokia. Rumors of a Microsoft buyout of the mobile phone division of the company have been started by Eldar Murtazin who says that a deal could be completed by the end of the year and would cost the software company $30 billion. As we reported, Microsoft recently spent $8.5 billion to buy VoIP company Skype.

Considering that Murtazin had correctly predicted that Nokia would turn to Windows Phone 7 to replace Symbian back in December, there could be some truth to this speculation. However, Mark Squires, Nokia’s UK Comm Director, has rejected Murtazin's comments by tweeting that "We typically don't comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar's rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment."

Thanks, DaLada!

source: TMC.net,YouTube via Pocketnow

Intel based smartphone to hit the market in the beginning of 2012?

Blaming Nokia for all of the delays that has prevented an Intel-based smartphone from seeing the light of day, the chip company's CEO says that such a device will be on the market in the beginning of next year. Intel's Paul Otellini told investors that, "You'll see the first Intel-based phones in the first part of next year." Under the hood will be the Intel-produced Medfield chips made using the 32 nanometer process.

Of course, we have heard this song before, including as recently as this past February when we reported that a Medfield powered phone would be available in Q3 of this year. Otellini blamed Nokia for the delays, saying that, "In hindsight, Nokia was the wrong partner to have picked." This time around, the executive promises that we will see Medfield chips inside "phones shipping in the market from major players". The Medfield line is said to be more power efficient than processors currently in use, thanks to the more modern production process used by Intel.

source: Engadget

NOOK Color 3G might be announced at a Barnes & Noble event on May 24

Now that we’re seeing some sub $500 Android tablets out there, we still need to be reminded about how the NOOK Color ended up being a sleeper hit amongst consumers – especially when it’s more of an eReader device as opposed to a full-fledged tablet.

Well, it seems that we might witness a slightly new version of the popular Android powered device since there is going to be a Barnes & Noble event held on May 24th in New York City. Naturally, one can only assume that a 3G version of the NOOK Color will be unveiled at the event, which is only substantiated thanks to a recent SEC filing that indicates new hardware.

Either way, we’ll know for sure soon enough since the event is taking place only a week from today. Regardless, it’s still very hard to not consider the NOOK Color when a recent firmware update brought Android 2.2 Froyo to the device – even more when it’s priced super competitively at $250.

via SlashGear

T-Mobile partners with The Wireless Source for its trade-in program

Essentially being offered by just about every company out there, T-Mobile is finally joining the bandwagon when it comes to offering money for your old set of devices collecting dust with its own trade-in program.

They’re collaborating with The Wireless Source, which is a leader in consumer electronics programs, where customers have the opportunity of fetching up to $300 for their old devices. Actually, the process requires you to go into a T-Mobile store where it’ll be inspected to meet a minimum set of criteria before receiving a quote. From there, they’ll process a check in the amount of the quoted value, which will ultimately sent to you in the form of a mail-in rebate. Customers will then get a voucher, shipping label, and bubble pack to send out their device to The Wireless Source – with the check arriving afterwards.

Although it’s not as simple as actually getting a discount off a handset while at the store, it’s still better than allowing that two-year old handset to continue collecting dust in the basement. Plus, you can always use that quickly earned cash for other things – say like one of their new 4G capable smartphones.

via TmoNews

Samsung "Hercules" seems to be T-Mobile's version of an Infuse 4G on steroids

In the very near future, T-Mobile is definitely refreshing their phone lineup with some new arrivals from Samsung’s camp – specifically being the Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Touch 2. However, both aren’t close to being the super high-end smartphone that we know Sammy is capable of producing. Luckily, we have some intriguing news regarding an upcoming smartphone for T-Mobile that should get some people really excited.

AT&T customers are currently able to enjoy all the wonders that the Samsung Infuse 4G has to offer, but it appears that T-Mobile customers will be seeing light of a similar device – but it’s something going to be far bigger. Although it’s not entering Tmo’s testing labs for at least another month, the device going by the code name Samsung “Hercules” is looking to gain acceptance with the carrier some time around mid-August.

Basically, it’s best described as a Samsung Infuse 4G like handset, but it’s literally on steroids. It’ll be featuring things like a 4.5” WVGA (480 x 800) Super AMOLED Plus display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 8-megapixel camera with flash, 1080p video recording, front-facing camera, Category 24 HSDPA (42Mbps) & Category 6 HSUPA (5.76Mbps), support for Tmo’s AWS band with 850/1900MHz compatibility to work with AT&T’s “4G” network, 16GB ROM, 1GB RAM, and an unbelievable 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm APQ8060 processor. Though, just like the Infuse 4G, it’ll be lacking an HDMI port of some sort, but rather, it’ll stream stuff courtesy of its microUSB port via MHL.

Based on the recent leak, it’s looking as if the Hercules will be listed at the “over $350” category – albeit, it’s not known whether that is going to be its off or on-contract pricing. Still, we’d suspect it’s going to be the latter of the two. Sure it’s going to be some time before we see this one arriving on the scene, but it’s enough to get many people to start drooling over it.

source: This is my next

You say you want an LG Revolution? Leaked photo suggests May 26th launch

As we reported earlier today, Verizon has announced a May 26th launch for the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY. We have also told you that there is speculation that the carrier plans on launching the Motorola DROID X2 in stores on May 26th. But Big Red might be cranking out at least one more phone on that date. A leaked photo of inventory information for Best Buy suggests that the big box retailer will have its supply of the LG Revolution on May 25th.

Unlike the DROID X2 and the Xperia PLAY, the LG Revolution is LTE enabled and you will be watching data fly at 4G speeds on a 4.3 inch screen with resolution of 480 X 800 pixels. Under the hood is a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The unit has a 5MP shooter on the back that captures video at 720p, and a 1.3MP front-facing camera for self-portraits and video chat. Despite having a name like "Revolution", the phone is loaded with Android 2.2. It would have shaken things up more had LG and Verizon decided to install Gingerbread on the model. While no subsidized pricing information has been revealed, a picture of a Best Buy display shows that the retailer will ask $700 for the phone off contract.

While so far only the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY has been confirmed for a May 26th launch by Verizon, where there is smoke there is fire and everything seems to point to a hat trick of new devices coming to Big Red a week from Thursday, including the carrier's third 4G enabled device-the LG Revolution.

source: DroidAttic via AndroidCentral

This leaked inventory document shows that Best Buy will have its stock of the LG Revolution in stores on May 25th

Windows 8 Moorea app reveals a sliver of its tablet-friendly interface

By this time we all know that Microsoft is hard at work preparing a tablet-friendly interface for its Windows 8 edition, we just don't know how it will look like. Granted, we've posted here various whiffs of the minimalistic Metro UI concept from both Windows 8 and Office 15, but these were font hints and such. And we know WP7's Live Tiles will be there too, begging you to press them with your digits.

What we had no idea about, though, was how these might look together on a tablet. Now, thanks to a few leaked screenshots of an app (sorry, we mean program again) called Moorea, which seems to be a test addition to Microsoft Office, we have a notion how the rug ties the room together, as they used to say in the Big Lebowski movie.

Moorea app splash screen

Moorea seems to be an app for advanced note-taking, while throwing together info from various sources - text, graphics, pictures, and so on. The resulting story can seemingly be exported in HTML format for loading in any browser.

It warms our hearts to see that Microsoft is coming out with concepts for completely new stuff, tailored from the onset for the tablet experience, instead of just reworking the old guard. Now if only Redmond hurries up with the Windows 8 tablet prototype it promised for June preview, we'd be content.

source: Windows8Italia via MicrosoftNews

Software patch available to Samsung Omnia 7 units unable to install prior security build

Not too long ago, there was an update made available to the Samsung Omnia 7 that aimed to install a security build and fix fraudulent SSL certificates. However, things didn’t appear to go as smoothly as planned for some owners of the handset since it apparently failed to install.

Luckily, Samsung has corrected the issue for those affected handsets and is now making available a new software patch for them to download and install. Essentially, it now enables owners to fully upgrade to build 7392 with no problems, but it’s specially targeting handsets that receive the 801812C1 error. Still, it’s not recommended for everyone to install the update since it’s geared primarily to those who attempted to update the handset in the first place, but failed.

In any event, it’s nice to see that it didn’t take too long for them to iron out the kinks with this one, but it would be nice to anticipate these kinds of things prior to pushing out any update in the first place.

source: Samsung via WP Central

Acer is delaying its 7" ICONIA TAB A100 until the second half of the year

Android tablets are seriously starting to come around in full force, which is evident by the abundant set that have been released of late, but it appears that Acer is going to be delaying one of its models – for no exact reason behind it.

With its 10” model in the Acer ICONIA TAB A500, the company already has a respectable tablet on the market thanks primarily to its sub $500 price point. However, they’re delaying the Acer ICONIA TAB A100 until the second half of the year. It’s hard to fathom the reasoning behind it, but maybe they’re holding off from releasing it until they gauge how well the ICONIA TAB A500 is selling. Naturally, the ICONIA TAB A100 will supplement their lineup, especially when it’s a compact model with its 7” display, but this move to delay it could prove to be something more ominous.

Although it hasn’t been cancelled, just delayed for the moment, it could simply be a move to get the Honeycomb flavored tablet removed from the memory of consumers all around – then cancelling altogether down the road. Still, it’s going to be very hard for this one to be forgotten, especially when it’s no doubt going to be priced competitively.

via Unwired View

Samsung May 24 event gets postponed to a later date

May 24 was marked in our calendars as the day when Samsung would host yet another media event in New York. Being as passionate about gadgets as we are, we were really hoping to be treated to some spicy news regarding the manufacturer's latest smartphones and tablets, but it looks like this isn't happening on that day. To our disappointment, the event has been postponed for undisclosed reasons and it is most probably getting rescheduled to a later date.

Even though it wasn't exactly clear what was going to be announced at the event, chances were that the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the Galaxy Tab 8.9 were going to be among the main highlights since all of them are expected to launch across the US pretty soon. Could one of these devices somehow be the cause for the event to be put off? The Galaxy Tab 10.1 was already seen at Google I/O in working condition and the Galaxy S II is already rumored to be launching for at least three of the nation's carriers so the reason for the delay is nothing but a mystery for now.

We hope that Samsung postponing the event will not lead to the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 getting their launch dates delayed as well. Updates on the situation from Samsung are expected to follow, so as soon as we find something out we will make sure to let you know.

source: Samsung

Verizon's Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is launching May 26th; pre-orders available May 19th

Gamers all around be aware, but the first PlayStation certified phone is coming to a Verizon Wireless store near you – and you don’t have to wait long to pick one up for yourself!

Big Red announced today that the highly anticipated Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY would begin to go on sale starting on May 26th for the usual on-contract price of $199.99. Moreover, if you’re serious about picking one up, you can even place a pre-order starting on May 19th, which is only a mere two days away. Gaming fanatics will be especially ecstatic about this one since it’s your usual high-end smartphone, but it’s geared mostly towards gamers with its slide out gaming pad. Not only that, but the Gingerbread flavored handset will be preloaded with seven game titles – plus, it’ll be supplemented by the vast collection of titles available via V CAST Apps.

Some of its other features include a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon II processor with Adreno 205 GPU, 4” capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, and mobile hotspot functionality.

With a little bit over a week before this all becomes a reality, there’s no arguing that the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY will no doubt attract gamers from all corners with its all-in-one capacity.

source: Verizon

CenturyLink quoted as potential Sprint buyer

Ever since the talks about T-Mobile's acquisition by AT&T began, analysts have been trying to predict how such a deal would affect carriers and consumers alike. However, while the alleged results from the merger are a matter of speculation, there is one thing that is pretty certain – Sprint, the nation's third largest wireless carrier and the deal's biggest opponent, will find itself in an unenviable position. Falling even further behind Verizon and AT&T and having much less of a market share may lead to Sprint eventually going up for sale, and according to experts on the matter, CenturyLink is looking like a fitting buyer.

While speaking in front of Congress last week, Dan Hesse, Sprint's CEO, did say that if T-Mobile really gets assimilated by AT&T, Sprint may end up having no other choice but to be acquired by another company. People in the know are quoting CenturyLink as the most suitable candidate to purchase Sprint since it has both the resources and the motives to enter the wireless market. CenturyLink is currently the third largest telecommunications company in the US, being outrun only by AT&T and Verizon, but so far it has been providing only landline services. Merging with Sprint may be a great opportunity for CenturyLink to expand its business further by offering wireless services as well.

Of course, there are other potential Sprint buyers out there like cable and Internet providers, but we can only guess whether they are tempted by such a deal or not. Verizon may seem like a logical investor too, but so far, Big Red has not shown much of an interest either.

source: Bloomberg

Apple iPhone survives three months under snow in -52.6F Russian winter

If you’ve had any doubts about the durability of the metal-backed original iPhone, it’s about time to put them to rest after the first-hand account of a Russian iPhone owner who lost his beloved iDevice in the snow during the cruel Russian winter with temperatures reaching the frigid -52.6 Fahrenheit. Some people might find it hard to survive such conditions, and that’s precisely what the handset owner thought as he gave up hope on finding his handset after a bulldozer scrapped the pile of snow where the phone was lost in February.

Fast forward three months to May 2011, the snow has finally melted and a knock on the surprised owner’s door brought news about the lost and found iPhone. The owner mentions that his neighbor found the phone after a sunlight reflection flashed in the Apple logo. But his astonishment was even bigger as after charging it up, the handset booted with all data intact and capable of taking a call. Unfortunately, some burned pixels on the screens and dents in the body were the inevitable signs of some three months under snow, not to mention the fact that the home and power button were non-functional. But nevertheless, the owner summarizes, the handset has survived three months of snow, the spring flood and numerous street clean-ups. The pictures will tell you the rest of the story.

source: Yaplakal.com (translated)

Apple, RIM and HTC snatch 75% of Q1 cell phone operating profits

The first quarter of 2011 has spoken with the hard financial numbers and curiously enough three companies captured an overwhelming 75% of cell phone operating profits in the first trimester of 2011. Apple, RIM and HTC combined for three quarters of all the operating profits in the industry, a figure measuring the companies’ core operations, also known as earnings before interest and tax.

Analyst Horace Dediu at Asymco compiled data for both smartphones and diversified devices in the graphs below, one by volume and the other one by operating profits. The volume graph presents all manufacturers marking the ones who registered a loss in the period in blue.

Phone makers by volume

But what’s even more notable, is the fact that those 75% of the operating profits matched only 16% of the total volume, a correlation underlining the huge added value of smartphones reflected in the second chart. This could also serve Dediu’s point of proving that in some 3 to 5 years feature phones will virtually disappear from the phone makers lineups. Do you agree with such a conclusion? Sound off in the comments below!

source: Asymco

Profitable phone makers by operating profit

T-Mobile to refresh all rate plans on May 22nd

We knew T-Mobile was going to bring some changes to its plans on May 22nd, but what about a refresh to all of its rate plans? That’s exactly what’s about to happen, according to screenshots obtained by carrier centric blog TMoNews. Similarly to the expected new Family plans, the revamped Individual plans will come in three varieties:

-    500 minutes for $39.99 for just talk, add $10 for Talk + Text, and bump up an additional fee for each step starting from 200MB, 2GB, 5GB, and ending with 10GB, with the latter costing you a hefty $109.99 a month.
-    1000 minutes for $49.99 for talk, but if you opt to go with this option, you won’t be able to add text or data as those automatically take you to Unlimited.
-    Unlimited can cost as low as $59.99 for Talk and Text.  For adding data you have the options of 200MB, 2GB, 5GB or 10GB, with the latter setting you back $119.99 per month.

In addition, Even More Plus plans will be modified and renamed to Even More Value or Even More Plus Contract, both carrying a two-year carrier tie, but with no discount on devices. Adding a new line to plans will also become cheaper at $30 for unlimited plans and $10 for the rest. Just recently, we reported that in addition to the Individual and Family plans, Big Magenta will re-introduce unlimited pre-paid plans on May 22nd. Check out the screenshots, courtesy of TMoNews below, for all the numbers to make up your mind and don’t forget to compare the T-Mobile plans with what the carrier offers today, detailed in our dedicated Plans tab!

source: TMoNews

Sprint - surfing the airwaves with nature in mind

Sprint is a champion of the green cause in the States - its wide-ranging efforts in that direction have been recognized by various studies and rankings. The carrier's commitment to make the States a more eco-friendly place to live is emphasized by its programs - Sprint Buyback and Sprint Project Connect - as well as its long-term environmentally-driven goals and the "green" phones, which have been part of its lineup in one point or another: the Samsung Reclaim, LG Remarq, Samsung Restore and the newly-launched Samsung Replenish. All this has led Newsweek to rank the third-largest US carrier at number 6 among the top 500 publicly traded companies in the US in its annual "Green Rankings" in 2010 (the only telecom company in the top 50).

Samsung Reclaim	LG Remarq	Samsung Restore	Samsung Replenish

So, let's take a look at the Sprint Buyback program, which provides you with the chance to trade-in your device. As it's for a good cause, the carrier accepts gadgets from various telecom providers, various manufacturers and in all conditions (click here for the eligible device list). In return, you receive Sprint credit, which ranges from $5 to $300, depending on what mechanical goodie you have traded-in.

For its part, Sprint uses some of the most modern recycling programs to ensure that the gadgets in its Buyback program stay away from the landfills. Even if you are not a "green person", this is a win-win situation - you add some bucks to your Sprint account and contribute to landfill taxes' reduction. But it's not about that really, is it? It's not even about recycling. It's about the reuse of existing materials (just an interesting fact - more than 90% of the devices that Sprint collected in 2009 were reused rather than recycled). As phones and wireless equipments are made of copper, metals and plastics, Sprint's Buyback program is devoted to the use of these materials for the creation of jewelry, electronics, furniture, car parts, plastic containers and more.

Sprint Buyback and Project Connect

Even if your wireless goodies don't qualify for the Sprint Buyback program, you can still donate them to a good cause - say welcome to Sprint's other eco-friendly program, which is dubbed Project Connect. It not only keeps our wireless equipment away from the landfills, but also redirects the funds gathered from them to Sprint's 4NetSafety program. The goal of this project is to "promote free Internet safety resources for kids, parents and educators". All your wireless phones, batteries, accessories and data cards are eligible for this program and welcomed.

However, Sprint's eco-initiatives aren't limited to these programs, as the carrier has a long-term environmental plan that aims to build on and improve its efforts in that direction. Here are "Sprint's Long-Term Environmental Goals" as defined by the carrier:

• To reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2017.
• To secure 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2017.
• To recycle 50 percent of its operational waste from its commercial facilities by 2017.
• To send for reuse or recycle 95 percent of its Network and IT e-waste by 2017.
• To ensure that 90 percent of its suppliers comply with its environmental standards by 2017.
• To achieve a 90 percent device collection rate (measured as the number of total devices collected divided by the number of devices sold), by 2017.

We don't know about you, but it seems to us that Sprint's reputation as the most eco-friendly carrier in the US is well-deserved. Moreover, it seems firmly focused on expanding its environmental goals, which means it might as well continue to be the "greenest" US carrier in the foreseeable future.

LG Optimus 2X random reboot, freeze bug fixed

The LG Optimus 2X might have snatched a Guiness world record for being the first to sport a dual-core processor, but if you ask folks over at XDA Devs, or the hundreds who signed a petition, or the 144 united in a dedicated Facebook page, it’s the bug that causes the Optimus 2X to freeze or randomly reboot that’s most notable about this device.

We can think of a few companies who would simply ignore the voice of the masses, but, lo and behold, LG heard it and is actually coming up with an update to fix the issue. The update is rolling out across the Old Continent now, but it should be up to the carrier to decide when it’ll be pushed in your region.

The LG Optimus 2X was released as the T-Mobile G2x stateside, but the U.S. version hasn't been reported to have the problem. Just what exactly is the issue? The Optimus 2X seems to “freeze and often reboot in a kind of a loop,” users complained. The only solution known so far was to manually remove and put back the battery. Did you get the update? Feel welcome to let us know if the issue is now resolved for you in the comments below!

source: UnwiredView and XDA Developers, Petition, Facebook page

Toshiba to demo a 720x1280 pixels 4" LCD screen, lesser resolutions weep

Not long ago we thought Toshiba was prime candidate for the screen on the next iPhone, or the one after. Cupertino was even rumored to invest in a screen factory together with Toshiba. After all, the Japanese announced that at the SID expo this week they will showcase one of their Low Temperature Poly-Silicon (LTPS) LCD displays, 4” in size and, get this, with 720x1280 pixels of resolution.

The 720p screen sounds like a perfect candidate to go into high-end smartphones, since, besides the insane resolution, it sports contrast ratio of 1500:1 (the iPhone 4's screen has been measured up to 1117:1), 92% color gamut (the iPhone 4 covers 64%) and viewing angles up to 176 degrees.

However, the last rumor is that the factory plans with Toshiba were scrapped, and Apple is siding with Sharp for the production of the iPhone 6's displayabschs, which, coincidentally, also has an LTPS display production technology that allows for greater than 300ppi density, which is the threshold for a Retina Display moniker.

Nevertheless, Toshiba's screen is a remarkable achievement and should give a boost to the competition, all in our favor as customers.

source: Toshiba

Thieves steal Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY New Zealand shipment?

As unlikely as it all sounds, modern-day thieves seem to have switched their focus from banks to gaming cell phones. Vodafone New Zealand tweeted about an organized theft of the whole shipment of Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY phones destined for the island, which caused delay of the smartphone’s launch. Sony Ericsson has been hit first by the devastating tsunami in Japan forcing it to push the launch date of many smartphones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, and now it’s the Xperia PLAY that takes a hit.

But we’d still leave some space for doubt as when contacted by local blog TechDay, Vodafone external communications manager Matthew East gave a suspiciously calm response to the affair: "Fear not, all will be revealed on Facebook tomorrow..."

Is there something rotten in the state of New Zealand? The whole story falls well in line with the video below depicting the birth of the first finger-equipped Humanoid-Android and how a human finger was stolen only to be transplanted to feed its gaming addiction. If that’s just clever marketing, it might have fooled a lot of people, but can it help the Xperia PLAY sales? Share your opinion in the comments below.

source: Vodafone NZ (Twitter) via TechDay