Motorola DROID X2 is now official: May 26th release date on Verizon with a dual-core chip

The Motorola DROID X2, a sequel to the 4.3-inch original DROID X, is finally official and coming with a dual-core processor and “double the does.” The DROID X2 release date is set for May 26th, but it will be available for pre-order even earlier – on May 19th, just as expected.

The two cores hum along at 1GHz, powering the show on a 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960) display. In addition, you get an 8-megapixel rear camera with continuous auto-focus and HD video capture and an HDMI-out port for viewing your data on an HD TV. All of that is spiced up with a new gallery application supporting tagging posting pictures on Flickr and Facebook. Disappointingly, the phone will initially ship with Android 2.2 Froyo, only later to be updated to Gingerbread and you'll have to rely on good ol' 3G for connectivity.

Verizon claims that the phone “doubles the does” and we can’t wait to check out the carrier’s claims. The Motorola DROID X2 price is set at $199 if tied with a two-year contract on Big Red, while off contract, the cost jumps to the hefty $600.

source: Motorola

Oh for South Korea: Apple hires ex-LG executive for its Korean division

South Korea hasn’t exactly been Apple’s stronghold as the country is home to one of the biggest phone makers in the industry – LG and Samsung, but nevertheless the iPhone has enjoyed sales of over 2 million after its launch in 2009. Now, this number might grow even further as Cupertino has hired former Vice President of LG’s Smartphone Business Dominique Oh to serve as the company’s new general manager in Korea. The information comes from an industry source quoted by Korean news agency Yonhap said, on the assumption of anonymity.

Oh, who comes to replace Andrew Sedgwick as a general manager, was responsible for the Android and Windows Phone 7 portfolios of LG, but he also managed carrier relationships and other potential partners. A long time telecoms veteran, Oh might be a great asset for Cupertino which can use his inside knowledge of carrier relations to further strengthen its positions in Asia. But it's Apple's preparation for May 19th that intrigues us the most as the company could announce everything from a back-to-school promotion to a new product in the coming days, so stay tuned.

source: Yonhap via TheNextWeb

Windows 8 on ARM chipsets might not support legacy programs, says Intel chief

Speaking yesterday at an investors' conference in Santa Clara, Renée James from Intel stirred the IT community quite a bit, suggesting that the ARM-based version of Windows 8 won't support legacy applications.

Windows 8 written for the good old x86 processor family of Intel, on the other hand, will feature a "Windows 7 mode" as well, and fully support the vast array of programs written for Windows. If true, that is quite the shocker for most consumers who expect a tablet with the ease of operation and slick interface of today's mobile operating systems, coupled with full legacy software and driver support, running for hours on end with the power-sipping ARM chipsets.

As they say on Wall Street - if the offer is too good to be true, it probably isn't. In that case Intel will have a big advantage with Windows 8, especially with corporate customers, who need legacy support. It still remains to be seen to what extent the ARM-based and x86 versions of Windows 8 will be interoperable, though, we are sure the engineers at Redmond have thought long and hard about the benefits of each approach, so we'd wait for the word from Microsoft on that matter.

source: BusinessInsider

Intel moves aggressively into mobile space, to unveil over 10 new tablets at Computex

Intel remained the only major supporter of MeeGo and despite its virtually non-existant presence in tablets, the chip maker doesn’t seem shattered as it is planning a more aggressive strategy in the mobile department, kickstarted by the unveiling of more than 10 tablets at Computex on May 31st, according to the company’s chief executive Paul Otellini.

The devices are expected with a new family of tablet-optimized Oak Trail chips, in contrast to virtually all current slates running on ARM silicon. Among the tablets, we’ll see some running MeeGo, but Android tablets are also in the works and we expect to see Windows-powered slates by the chip maker.

Intel announced its third big shift in chip development in an attempt to shift focus on power-efficient silicon for the booming smartphone and tablet markets, as well as to rationalize new designs for laptops. Better late then never, but it remains to be seen how will tablet makers react to the move as the slate wars are well past their initial stage. Companies like Apple have already rolled out second-generation of their tablets. Currently, ARM-based chips are being manufactured by companies like NVIDIA (with its Tegra lineup), Qualcomm (Snapdragon), Texas Instruments (OMAP processors) and Samsung (Hummingbird), while Intel Atom is virtually non-present.

At the same time, the company’s Asia Pacific manager Navin Shenoy commented that over 35 tablet models running on Intel-made chips will be launched this year. Shenoy reassured investors that the company’s production line is not affected by the devastating earthquake in Japan.

source: Wall Street Journal via Engadget

Just Show Me: How to download iBooks to your iPad

Welcome to Just Show Me on Tecca TV, where we give you short tips and tricks for getting the best out of the gadgets in your life. Yesterday we looked at how to use the search feature on your iPhone, and today we turn our attention to helping you read books on your iPad.
We showed off Apple's iBooks store in the tip above, but it's by no means your only option for great reading on the iPad. You can also check out the Amazon Kindle and Google Books apps for even more reading goodness. And if you already know all about reading books on your iPad, why not pass this video on to the new iPad or iPad 2 owner in your life?
As always, if you have any requests for something you'd like Just Show Me to cover, please let us know in the comments!

Save power with the help of a friendly UFO

We all know that we're supposed to fully power off our devices to save energy, rather than simply putting them in standby or sleep mode, but power consumption can be a tricky thing to visualize. A new energy management tool called the UFO Power Center is designed to help with that, and uses your iPhone or iPad to give you a precise measurement of how much power your gadgets are utilizing.

Ten New Intel-Based Tablets to Be Unveiled at Computex

Intel plans to introduce more than 10 new tablets at the Computex trade show, which is held from May 31 to June 4 in Taipei, the Wall Street Journal reports. Furthermore, Intel's general manager for Asia-Pacific, Navin Shenoy, said we can expect to see more than 35 tablets based on Intel chips in 2011. The company doesn't expect any impact from the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, Shenoy said.

In April 2011, Intel chief Paul Otellini promised the company will deliver tablets based on Android, MeeGo and Windows operating system this year. Intel is also working on Medfield, a chip designed for smartphones, but we'll have to wait another 12 months until we see Medfield-powered smartphones on the market.
Currently, the world of tablets is dominated by ARM-designed chips, but Intel hopes to catch up with its new Oak Trail chips, designed specifically for tablets.

[via WSJ]
This story originally published on Mashable here.

Sony boss: cannot guarantee security after hacking

 

TOKYO  – Sony chief Howard Stringer has warned he can no longer guarantee the security of the electronics giant's gaming network in the "bad new world" of cybercrime after one of the biggest Internet data breaches.
The Japanese multinational has begun restoring its hacked PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services after the theft of personal data from more than 100 million accounts in a cyber attack estimated to have cost the firm $1 billion.

Foxconn sees dramatic improvement in 2011 results, shares jump

 

HONG KONG  – Foxconn International Holdings Ltd, the world's top contract cellphone maker, expects a "dramatic improvement" in its 2011 results, its chairman told shareholders, lifting its shares as much as 15 percent to its biggest daily gain in more than a year.

Android 3.1 Update Coming in June to Acer, Asus, and T-Mobile Tablets

The first major update to Google's Honeycomb platform, Android 3.1, was announced last week at the Google I/O developer event, and it's slowly rolling out as an over-the-air update to mobile broadband-connected Motorola Xoom tablets. When announced, Google was vague about when we could expect Android 3.1 on other Honeycomb tablets, but today saw update details flying across the Web for both the Acer Iconia A500 and the Asus EeePad Transformer.
The details remain vague, however. According to reports on ThisIsMyNext and Engadget, Asus Italia used its Facebook page to reveal an over-the-air update was coming in June. And Acer says an update is coming in June, as well. Mind you, we don't know when in June, nor do we know if U.S. models will receive the update at the same time as other regions will. Still, add that T-Mobile says it will be doing an OTA update of the T-Mobile G-Slate,and we've got a bona fide Android 3.1 party.
I've yet to see the Android 3.1 update, but I'm looking forward to it: In addition to adding things like resizable widgets, Google says it has fixed the image rendering issue I've noted before.

LinkedIn IPO likely a success, but risks real

 

NEW YORK  – An initial public offering by social networking firm LinkedIn Corp to raise about $341 million seems poised to be a stunning success, but it carries a number of risks that may shake up investors in the future.
The IPO is expected to price after the close of U.S. markets on Wednesday and start trading on Thursday.
In the fervor surrounding the rush to the first major U.S. social networking company to become public, investors may overlook some risks that could sour LinkedIn in the future, analysts say.
One of the biggest risks may be LinkedIn's gutsy bet on its future growth -- combined with an admission that it does not expect to be profitable in 2011 on a U.S. generally accepted accounting principles(GAAP) basis.

Bill Gates backed Microsoft's takeover of Skype

When it was announced last week that Microsoft had bought Internet phone company Skype for a whacking $8.5 billion, it caused many in the tech industry to carefully place their cup of coffee on their desk, furrow their brow slightly and say, “Eh?”

Nook Color’s app store hits a million downloads

 

Bookseller Barnes & Noble (BKS) has only been selling apps for its Android-running Nook Color e-reader tablet for about a month, but already the device’s app store has crossed the million-download threshold.

That’s a whole lot of downloads for a tablet that started its life as an e-reader, and they’re all Android downloads, as the Nook app store went live with an update to Android 2.2 Froyo. That update came at the end of April in the U.S., and since then, the store has seen an influx of games and other popular Android apps – including Angry Birds.
In fact, Angry Birds holds the top spot in the store, according to a press release. Of the top five apps selling in the Nook Color store, four of them are games: Angry Birds, followed by Solitaire at No. 3, then Aces Jewel Hunt and Astraware Mahjong. Holding down the No. 2 slot is Drawing Pad.
In fact, according to the press release, the Nook store hit a million downloads in just one week – which is weird, considering it has been available since April and hinting that perhaps the store hasn’t been fully functional for all customers up until recently. Still, if the Nook app store has only been available to all for about a week and it’s seeing these kinds of numbers, it suggests some pretty strong demand behind both the Nook Color as a tablet and the apps it’s making available.
In the press release, Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch makes it sound as though the bookseller is going to continue to expand into the app space and increase the size of the store.
"We're building on the early success of our Nook Apps offering by scaling our collection of popular apps with the thousands of developers who’ve approached us, while ensuring we continue to deliver the high-quality experience Nook Color is known for," said Lynch in the press release.
The Nook also has pricing on its side – it runs just $249, which makes it a pretty cheap 7-inch tablet (although it lacks Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which was designed specifically for tabs). Apps in its store are also pretty cheap, according to the release, and hover between $2.99 and $5.99 for the most part.
It’ll be interesting to see what sales numbers Barnes & Noble is pulling down with the Nook itself and what the demand for the tab is like. One can’t help but wonder if, with the Nook as successful as it appears to be, if Amazon’s (AMZN) rumored tablet isn’t waiting in the wings to join the fray.

Mobile hacking sets off security gold rush

PARIS  – Hackers are increasingly aiming attacks at smartphones, touching off a race among software giants, start-ups and telecom operators seeking to cash in on ways to help consumers protect themselves.
As the previously fragmented smartphone market coalesces around big operating systems like Apple's iPhone and Google's Android, it has become a more attractive target for hackers seeking to maximize damage with one hit.

Netflix now the top bandwidth consumer in the United States

Streaming video is a big business, with companies like Netflix and Hulu raking in hundreds of millions of dollars every year. And now, according to a study by networking company Sandvine, Netflix is now the single biggest user of internet bandwidth in North America. The research shows that streaming video has been steadily taking over the majority of our virtual internet pipes, and web surfing — once the top dog — is now lagging far behind.

New MacBook Air Looking Likely for June or July

According to a report on the Taiwan-based DigiTimes website, Apple will begin shipping new MacBook Air models in late May, in preparation for a June/July launch.

HP cuts outlook on services revamp, slow PC sales

 

NEW YORK – Hewlett-Packard Co. is bracing for weaker financial results this year as it overhauls its services business to undo what its CEO described as years of neglect under his predecessor.
For too long, the business focused on short-term results rather than expand into high-margin areas, such as helping businesses convert their systems to new technologies, CEO Leo Apotheker said Tuesday.

Could the Internet spell the end of snow days?

PARKVILLE, Mo. – Could the Internet mean the end of snow days? Some schools think so, and they are experimenting with ways for students to do lessons online during bad weather, potentially allowing classes to go on during even the worst blizzard.

LinkedIn raises IPO ante amid high investor demand

 

SAN FRANCISCO – Investors are clamoring to connect with the online networking service LinkedIn Corp. in the latest sign of the fervor for Internet companies that specialize in bringing together people with common interests.
The demand to buy a piece of LinkedIn is so intense that the 8-year-old company is expected to make its stock market debut Thursday with a value of at least $4 billion. That would make LinkedIn's initial public offering of stock the biggest by a U.S. Internet company since Google Inc. went public in 2004, according to the research firm Renaissance Capital.
The appetite for LinkedIn's IPO encouraged the company's bankers to raise the asking price by about 30 percent Tuesday to $42 to $45 per share. It won't be surprising if the IPO is priced even higher Wednesday evening and then sells for more than that Thursday morning when they are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "LNKD."

Bill Gates pushed $8.5Bln Skype acquisition

Former Microsoft man-in-charge Bill Gates might not steer the wheel in Redmond anymore, but he could have been an important factor in the company’s industry-changing $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype. In an interview with BBC, Gates himself noted that he was “a strong proponent at the board level for the deal being done." But is this enough of a justification for Microsoft’s largest acquisition to date, which raised a lot of eyebrows last week? According to Gates it certainly is: "I think it's a great, great deal for Skype. I think it's a great deal for Microsoft," he added.

It seems that Gates is still a strong influence for Redmond and if you’re living in the UK, you can take a look at what one of the richest people in tech had to say about the growing importance of software and video conferencing in the interview at the source link below. Below you can also check out how Skype made it from a little-known software company started in Estonia to getting acquired by eBay and finally to a staggering $8.5 billion value.

source: Pocket-lint and TheNextWeb

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 available for pre-order at J&R

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the dual-core tablet on a diet with a 0.33-inch super slim profile, hit New York-based retailer J&R’s website in its 16GB and 32GB varieties and is now available for pre-order. Just as expected, the 16 gig version will set you back $499, while for the 32GB model the price stands at $599, in line with the pricing of the tablet’s main competitor the iPad 2.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 release date is marked as “coming soon,” but we see no reason to doubt Sammy’s promise to bring the tablet to shelves on June 8th, so the wait should not be long. The Tab 10.1 comes with the latest of TouchWiz skinning on top of Android Honeycomb and powered by a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor along with 1GB of RAM. It is not only the thinnest, but among the lightest in its form factor at just 1.25 pounds of weight. Mere days ago NVIDIA’s CEO outlined the reasons for slow Android tablet sales and hinted that “a new wave of tablets” has already addressed them. Is the Tab 10.1 part of that new wave? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below!

source: J&R via Engadget

T-Mobile's road map is leaked: Android and Tablets and BlackBerry, oh my

A leaked road map for T-Mobile reveals a wide variety of devices expected to be launched by the nation's fourth largest carrier for much of the second half of the year. First up is the HTC Sensation 4G. HTC's latest Sense 3.0 is on board and an active lock screen brings information to you without having to make even one click on the screen. A 1.2GHz dual-core processor powers the HTC Sensation which is expected to launch June 8th, as we reported.

Also on June 8th, T-Mobile has a pair of models also set to roll out. The Samsung Gravity Touch 2 and the Samsung Exhibit 4G. The latter is a mid-to upper range handset with Android 2.3 pre-installed on the device. Also on the 8th, T-Mobile will launch the Huawei E587 "Wayne" , a 42Mbps HSPA+ mobile hotspot.