iPads replacing note pads as Asian schools go high-tech

Apple's iPad and other tablet computers are replacing traditional note pads in some Asian schools and making the lives of thousands of students a whole lot easier.

Soon pupils could be reading on their tablets about a quaint old communication device called "paper", especially in Asia's advanced economies where many schools are racing towards a paperless classroom.

The slim glass slabs slip easily into a bag and can store thousands of textbooks, making a fat school bag full of heavy books, pens and notepads a thing of the past.

Chinese teen sells kidney to buy iPad 2

A teenager in China's Anhui province has sold his right kidney to buy an iPad 2. His mother, who knew nothing of his plans, now hopes to hunt down the criminals who disabled him, a media report said.

Seventeen-year-old Xiao Zheng had been dreaming of a new iPad 2 for a while, but the price was beyond his means.

Zheng found an agent ready to buy his kidney and travelled to Hunan province in central China to undergo surgery in a local hospital. With the 22,000 yuan ($3,900) he was paid, Zheng bought a new iPad 2 and iPhone and then returned home, according to a report on the Dongfang TV channel Thursday.

Disney CEO defends use of 3-D in movies

Disney CEO Bob Iger defended the company's production of 3-D films Thursday after 3-D ticket sales for several recent movies lagged their predecessors.

It's "way too early to write 3-D's epitaph," Iger said at the D: All Things Digital conference. "I think a lot of conclusions are being reached about a business that's still relatively new."

Industry experts point out that The Walt Disney Co.'s fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie and the second installment of "Kung Fu Panda," from DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., generated around 40 percent of their revenue from 3-D screenings, compared with about 60 percent from earlier films such as "Shrek Forever After" and "How to Train Your Dragon."

THQ expands uDraw gaming tablet to Xbox 360, PS3

Video game company THQ plans to bring its uDraw gaming tablet to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 later this year, hoping that player appetites for new experiences extend beyond motion controls to painting, drawing and Pictionary.

THQ Inc. said Thursday that the uDraw GameTablet will be available for the two consoles over the holidays. There's a Wii version out already for $70, but THQ is not saying how much the new, high-definition versions will cost.

Zuckerberg: Contract for Facebook ownership 'fake'

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says emails and a signed document that form the basis of a New York man's lawsuit claiming part ownership of the social networking phenomenon are fakes.

Zuckerberg's statements were included in papers filed Thursday by his attorneys in federal court in Buffalo. The attorneys want expedited access to the original materials, copies of which were filed with Paul Ceglia's lawsuit, and to examine Ceglia's computers and electronic media.

Nokia dismisses Microsoft takeover report

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop on Wednesday dismissed as "baseless" a report that Microsoft had agreed to purchase the Finnish company's mobile business.

"There are absolutely no discussions," Elop said at the D9 technology conference here hosted by All Things Digital. "The rumors are baseless."

The website Boy Genius, or BGR.com, reported on Wednesday that according to industry insider Eldar Murtazin, Microsoft has struck a deal to buy Nokia's mobile phone business for $19 billion.

Nokia hired Elop, a former Microsoft executive, to be its chief executive in September and in February the Finnish company announced that it was abandoning its smartphone platform to adopt Microsoft's mobile operating system.

Elop said the first Nokia smartphone using the Windows Phone 7 software would be released in the fourth quarter of the year.

He briefly took a prototype out of his pocket but quickly put it back without providing so much as a glimpse of the screen.

Sprint's HTC EVO 4G is getting 2.3 Gingerbread today

Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G unleashed the 4G wave in the States by being one of the first 4G-enabled phones, but with the passing of time it has lagged slightly in another area – that of Android updates. That’s changing today as Sprint officially confirmed that one of the most popular Android phones to date has gotten Gingerbread and can be manually updated now. To give your EVO 4G Gingerbread love just follow the path:

Menu > Settings > System Updates > HTC Software Updates > Check Now > OK >Yes

For those who are not that impatient, the update is confirmed to automatically roll out starting June 6th. Transitioning to Android 2.3 is done in two simple steps as the update is carried on over the air. The instructions below are given on Sprint’s website:
1.    Users will receive a notification that Android 2.3 is available for download.

2.    Once the user has downloaded the update, they will be prompted to install the update. The user will be notified that their device will be disabled during the installation process. The phone will be ready to use once the process completes.

So while rumors were split about a June 3rd and June 6th date for the update, it turned out that both are true. It’s not yet clear whether the update will bring the latest 2.3.4 flavor of Gingerbread, but – apart from the minor changes in the UI - it’s expected to fix some bugs including battery discharges, the ability to sync multiple Gmail accounts and display email attachments. Feel free to let us know how your update went and whether you personally find the promised improvements!

source: Sprint via Electronista

Motorola blames third-party apps for slow performance of phones, finds salvation in Motoblur

Motorola Mobility is Motorola's division responsible for its handset business and while smartphones have been booming lately you can’t say the exact same thing about Moto's financial results. On one hand, the company has released a couple of well-balanced smartphones like the Motorola Atrix 4G, but on the other hand performance on some phones has remained sub-par. Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, found the one and only reason for that… in poorly coded third-party applications which are not filtered on the Android Market. By downloading them, users overload system resources and end up having a slower phone overall. Jha mentioned that 70% of people who return handsets running Android are actually suffering from third-party app problems.

"For power consumption and CPU use, those apps are not tested. We're beginning to understand the impact that has," Jha stressed. The solution? As surprising as it might sound – Motoblur. Motorola’s Android UI skin has more than just the obvious purpose of boosting the looks and social functionality of a Moto-branded device – it’s also to be used to control third-party apps and their ability to greedily consume the majority of your handset’s resources. The company plans to collect this data about used applications and issue a system warning when it detects an application that uses say 35% of your memory: "We are getting to the place that we should be able to warn you," Jha added.

Motoblur has largely been the company’s attempt to differentiate in the crowded Android market. But Jha mentioned while Android as a whole is developing very fast, standing apart from all other phone makers is increasingly hard: "The negative is all of us are competing extremely hard to get more market share and attention," Jha clarified. What’s your opinion about the Motoblur skin and do you find its planned filtering function safe and needed? Don’t hesitate to voice your opinions in the comments below.

source: PC World

Adobe CEO casts dark clouds over iOS, Android to overtake it because of Flash support

Adobe’s man in charge Shantanu Narayen might not have been the biggest proponent of Apple, but his recent predictions go way beyond that – Narayen has predicted that Google’s Honeycomb platform will eventually overtake Apple’s iOS in the tablet wars because… it supports Flash.

Currently, the iPad is Apple’s stronghold in tablets, occupying a large portion of tablet sales, while Honeycomb tablets despite their great number have a relatively low market share. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs have stated numerous times his opinion about Flash causing crashes and slowing down significantly performance. While there’s certainly a grain of truth in that, Narayen says:

"It’s a business model issue, its all about control of the applications that you can run on that platform that bring that platform to life."

Adobe’s chief executive also mentions that Flash on iDevices is not exactly a no-go:

“"What Apple doesn't allow us to do is to build flash content within the browser," Narayen added. "If you can build the application using our tools and compile it down to the iDevice platform that works"

The CEO also mentioned that the feud between Adobe and Apple is a myth, but at the same time he was far from optimistic about the impact of Apple’s decision to go with no Flash support. As the industry is slowly shifting to HTML5, Adobe seems prepared for the transition. "We actually not only welcome the evolution of HTML, we are actively contributing to it. Adobe is contributing typographic expertise and design aesthetics," Narayen concluded. How will that help sales of Honeycomb tablets remains a mystery as HTML5 is also supported by the iPad 2. In either case, let us know if you think that Adobe Flash is such a critical factor in your perception of a tablet in the comments below.

source: Pocket-lint

HTC EVO 3D clears the FCC; June 24 release looking good

Sprint's HTC EVO 3D has gotten a step closer to its release after passing the FCC's strict testing procedures. The smartphone's filings showed up on the commision's web page just recently, and as an added bonus, we are also being treated to a glimpse of the handset's internal schematics.

Digging through the documents we see all the hardware specifications that we expected – MSM8660 chipset and support for Sprint's CDMA, EvDO, and WiMAX networks. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also on board, of course, and a nice little touch is the 3-axis gyroscope, which will give a little more sense of awareness to the EVO 3D.

Now that there is one less obstacle in the way, it looks like the alleged EVO 3D release date may turn out to be correct after all. If you are impatient to get your hands on some glasses-free 3D goodness, your days of anticipation may be coming to an end in about three weeks time.

source: FCC via Wireless Goodness

AT&T to introduce shared mobile data plan soon

While speaking at the D9 conference yesterday, Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T, revealed that the carrier is not that far away from launching a shared mobile data plan. Details may be scarce at this time with prices and data caps still anybody's guess, but the advantage of being able to share your data allowance between several devices is more than obvious.

Lets say that you own a tablet and a smartphone, for example. Signing up for a shared data plan will allow you to pay a single monthly data fee and to use your megabytes on whichever device you prefer. Sharing the same data allowance with your loved ones via a family plan sounds like another great way of saving on data expenses.

We have heard talks about shared data plans before, but it is great to hear that they are closer than ever to becoming a reality. However, will they really make data more affordable or will just trick people into paying more for wireless broadband? We will find out as soon as all details are announced.

source: AllThingsD

Apple’s iCloud free at launch, $25 yearly subscriptions come later on?

Apple’s iCloud service is no longer a rumor – Apple itself posted a preliminary confirmation of its upcoming announcement of the cloud-based music service. But while we knew that Cupertino was close to signing a deal with the four major labels giving it access to a vast majority of popular artists, the LA Times broke news that agreements have been inked by Apple today.

The daily has something interesting about the pricing of iCloud as well: it will be free initially for people buying music from iTunes so they can upload their tracks to the cloud, while later Cupertino plans to monetize it by transforming it into a subscription-based paid service.

The subscription fee will be around $25 a year, but Apple will pair income from subscriptions with commercials around iCloud. Apple will have to share 70% of all revenue from the music service with labels, while 12% go to publishers holding songwriting rights. The remaining 18% are what’s left for Apple, the LA Times quotes “people knowledgeable with the terms.”

Eventually, iCloud will morph into more than just a music-sharing service – a repository for all types of iTunes content like movies and TV shows, another “knowledgeable” source added. It seems that Cupertino has managed to quietly outpace its major competitors in the music-sharing space like Amazon with its Amazon Cloud Player and Google with its Music Beta, both of which failed to sign all four major labels.

source: LA Times via ElectricPig

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to launch in metallic gray

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is no ordinary tablet – it underwent a major overhaul after the launch of the iPad to match the slim reality of the iSlate, but as slim as it is it’s nowhere close to the premium metallic feel of the second-gen iPad. At least in its white version, but Samsung has read your mind on this and will ship that Galaxy Tab 10.1 in a metallic gray variation, bringing serious business looks and underlining the solid horsepower and capabilities of the tablet.

You’ll be able to pick up the gray version when the tablet launches stateside on June 17th. We can only hope that it will come with some neat accessories like that nifty keyboard dock for the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab sibling. While you wait, feel free to browse the pictures below, courtesy of Android Central, and share which version appeals the most to you.

source: Android Central

Toshiba Thrive tablet lands in July with a full USB port, starting at $429

We were quite impressed handling what was known just as the Toshiba Tablet at the CES show way back in January. Even though the prototype was still running Froyo at the time, Toshiba managed to differentiate it from the rest in the Android tablet pack, and now it let it out officially, naming it the Toshiba Thrive. 

Apart from the usual goodies for a nice Android slate, like a 10.1" display with 1280x800 pixels, Android 3.1 Honeycomb, a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 chipset, 5MP rear camera and 2MP front one, the Toshiba Thrive sports an unorthodox ports collection. It sports a miniUSB port for hooking up peripherals like your video camera, an HDMI-out port, a dock connector, and, get this - a full-size USB 2.0 port, which with the recent update of Honeycomb to 3.1, is supported by Android.

Toshiba Thrive sports a variety of back covers

Not too shabby of a collection to stand out, but Toshiba didn't stop. It provided the back cover with the so-called Easy Grip rubberized finish, and made the covers swappable with others in a different color, for when you get bored of the looks. Removable back cover also means that you can take out the battery and swap it with another one, something that can't be officially done on any other major tablet. These additions mean that the Toshiba Thrive is not as thin and light as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, or the iPad 2, for example, but at 10.70x6.90x0.60" (272x175x15 mm) and 27.20 oz (771 g) of weight it's not overly obese either. Toshiba says that the battery will last 7 hours of HD video playback and will recharge to 80% for 1.5 hours.

On the sides you'll have a separate button to lock the screen orientation, for when you are annoyed of your tablet switching modes from the slightest twist of the hand, which happens pretty often. In the 16:10 widescreen format,Toshiba has planted some of its Resolution + image enhancement technology for when you are watching movies, the same one from its flat screen TVs. Stereo speakers with SRS technology are also onboard.

A few accessories round up the Toshiba Thrive offering - a case that doubles as a stand, and a dock with two additional USB ports, plus HDMI.

The official Toshiba Thrive accessories include a case that doubles as a stand, and a dock with two additional USB ports plus HDMI

The Toshiba Thrive will be starting at $429, but for an 8GB Wi-Fi version, then comes the 16 gigger for $479, and the heavyweight 32GB version will run you a cool $579, plus they all have an SD card slot, should you wish to add more storage. Toshiba's first foray in the world of Android will be available in mid-July from major retailers like Best Buy, Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot, RadioShack, and Amazon. Are you game for the Toshiba Thrive, or would you rather have a thinner slate?

source: Engadget

PhoneSuit battery case for the iPhone provides 2100mAh in a thin package

PhoneSuit describes their Elite Battery Case for the iPhone 4 as "The thinnest, fastest charging iPhone 4 battery case to provide over 100% power". And while we haven't tested the case for ourselves, the combination of appearance, color options, and minimal bulk give the case a solid head start.

The Elite Battery Case provides 2100mAh of battery power, compared to 2000mAh with the Mophie Juice Pack Plus. And, supposedly, the 70% charging efficiency will recharge more than 100% of your iPhone's 1420mAh battery. It can also fully recharge your overworked iPhone in under 2 hours.

Like its competitors, the Elite Battery Case has a multi-LED readout, to monitor the case's battery life. But what's really special about the case? It's real selling point is that it is only 17mm (0.67 in) thick. To be fair, that's only 1mm thinner than the Mophie Juice Pack Plus, but when your device starts out at 9.33mm thick, every bit makes a difference.

The Elite Battery case is also cheaper, at US$79.95, and will eventually include a number of attractive color options. Pre-orders are available now, shipping on June 20th. At the initial launch, only black and white are available, but the other colors (see below) are "coming soon".

source: PhoneSuit via Gizmodo

HTC opens Sense to developers, launches HTCDev portal

Qualcomm’s Uplinq conference hosted HTC’s chief executive officer Peter Chou for some exciting announcements – the Taiwanese phone maker launched the HTCDev portal opening access to its Sense UI for developers. With tools like the HTC OpenSense SDK and support documents, all to become available at HTCDev, developers will be given the opportunity to better suit their apps to HTC’s Sense leveraging its functionality. The first to take advantage of the offer and provide deeper integration of their apps were Google, Gameloft and LinkedIn among others.

"People tell us how much they love HTC Sense," Chou said at his keynote speech. "Now we will make Sense available to developers."

Microsoft imposes limits on bulk app publishing

If you're a user of Windows Phone 7, or any smartphone OS, you've probably learned that the 'New' category isn't an effective means of finding the best apps. But recently, Windows Phone users have been plagued by so-called 'bulk app publishing', in which developers will release 50 or even 100 apps at once, effectively flooding the 'New' category.

And, in an impressive show of customer regard, Microsoft has imposed restrictions to alleviate the problem. Writing on the Windows Phone Developer Blog, Todd Brix admits that bulk publishing "degrades [the] customers' experience...pushing the other new apps out and reducing the diversity of the shopping experience."

So, effective immediately, developers can only post 20 apps per day. They can still submit them in greater numbers, but only 20 can be certified on any given day. Twenty might still sound like a lot, but it will decrease the likelihood of seeing 100 minor variations on a single app crowding the 'New' category of the Marketplace.

Of course, there's still the issue of spam apps. But we can't single out Microsoft for letting those slip through. That's a problem for another day.

source: The Windows Phone Developer Blog

Is Sprint about to get a $20 billion deal from LightSquared?

According to a story in Businessweek attributed to anonymous sources, LightSquared and Sprint are close to shaking hands on a 15 year contract that could pay Sprint as much as $20 billion. Both sides would share the costs of building out an LTE network that both companies would use. The end result would be that LightSquared could rollout faster than planned and Sprint-besides receiving the massive windfall-would have access to its partner's spare capacity which could save the nation's third largest carrier as much as $240 million annually.

Last year, LightSquared agreed with FCC conditions that the carrier offer service to 100 million Americans  by the end of 2012 and 260 million by 2016. Despite recent reports that LightSquared's LTE towers interfere with GPS signals up to 20 miles away, the company hopes to start service next year. A final report on the GPS problem is due at the FCC on June 15th and LightSquared says it does have a solution to the problem.

Sprint has said that it would spend $5 billion over the next 3 to 5 years on technology that allows different spectrum bands on a single base station. For its part, LightSquared needs to add another $3 billion to the $1 billion it has in the bank, to completely fund its network. The alleged contract between the two would pay Sprint up to $2 billion a year from LightSquared in the beginning of the pact, to help pay for network equipment and construction costs. After that, Sprint will receive an annual payment based on the number of LightSquared's users on the network and their usage patterns. While the value of the proposed deal cannot be determined yet, Credit Suisse AG analyst Jonathan Chaplin says the deal is worth $1.2 billion in recurring revenue for Sprint.

While LightSquared is also rumored to be in talks with AT&T about picking up some of the latter's spare LTE capacity, the former has already signed deals to provide high speed 4G service to Cricket, Best Buy, Cellular South and Open Range. Meanwhile, Audrey Schaefer and Bill White, speaking for LightSquared and Sprint respectively, both declined to comment on the speculated pact between the two firms.

source: BusinessWeek via Engadget

Sony Ericsson announces 20 new games for the Xperia PLAY

We told you recently that the popular indie game, 'Minecraft', would be coming as an exclusive for the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY. But today, SE announced another 19 titles coming out for their gaming-centric mobile device.

In addition to 'Minecraft', there are 9 other exclusive titles coming to the Xperia PLAY, including: 'Battlefield: Bad Company 2', 'Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six', 'Desert Winds', 'Ruined', 'Icebreaker', 'Sleepy Jack', 'Cracking Sands', 'Armageddon Squadron 2', and an "unnamed fighting game" from Khaeon Gamestudio.

The other, non-exclusive titles include: 'Pocket Legends', 'Star Legends: The Black Star Chronicles', 'Eternal Legacy', 'Guns n Glory 2', 'Dungeon Hunter', 'Pocket RPG', 'D.A.R.K.', 'Samurai II: Vengeance', 'Vendetta Online', 'Order & Chaos', 'Happy Vikings', 'A Ball Game', and 'Lumines'.

Steve Walker, head of marketing at Sony Ericsson, said that "As Xperia PLAY becomes available to Verizon Wireless customers in the U.S., the portfolio of great games continues to grow." And, in addition to the aforementioned titles, SE confirmed that many more PlayStation 1 titles will become available in the future.

To get a look at these titles in action on the Xperia PLAY, keep an eye on the E3 expo from June 7th to the 9th, where Sony Ericsson will be offering hands-on looks at these and more.

source: Sony Ericsson

Motorola CLIQ 2 update adds apps, kills bugs, and improves battery life

Motorola CLIQ 2 owners are happier now that their device has received the 1.1.30 update. According to Motorola, the update improves the speed of loading widgets and wallpaper on the phone. And because a handset with a dead battery is useless, CLIQ 2 users will be ecstatic to learn that battery life has been improved with the upgrade, especially when using Wi-Fi and Google Maps.

A number of new apps will be added to the handset after downloading the upgrade. MobiTV, Lookout Mobile Security, UNO and Motorola's Family Room are added to the phone while other apps like Audio Postcard, AppPack and apps that allow you to make calls over Wi-Fi are updated. Those times when the Motorola CLIQ 2 freezes or programs close at random are supposedly over with after the update is installed. Once downloaded, the new software is expected to improve the accuracy of haptic feedback when you are typing on the keyboard. Check the source link for a complete changelist.

Motorola suggests that before starting this OTA update, you make sure that your battery is charged to at least 50% of full strength with an active SIM card in the device. To save yourself from high data charges, the manufacturer also suggests that you update the phone while on a Wi-Fi connection.

source: Motorola via Engadget

Search giants make websites easier to find

Google, Bing and Yahoo are working together to enable websites to tag content in a way that lets search engines better categorize and prioritize the information in results.

The Internet rivals launched a schema.org initiative to promote a common format to "markup" Web pages with data detailing for search engines exactly what sites contain.

A variety of options are available to website makers when it comes to marking up pages, and the search engines believe a common standard will mean less work for publishers and more accuracy in ranking results.

Google devoted to search and staying nimble: CEO

Google executives assured investors that the Internet giant remained devoted to search and advertising while embracing risky new projects that could lead to big payoffs.

"We don't want to choke innovation," Google co-founder and chief executive Larry Page said at an annual meeting of stockholders at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, on Thursday.

"We have a few things that may be speculative or risky and you hope you are building a billion dollar business," he continued. "But we spend the vast majority of our resources on search and advertising, where we make most of our money."

Hackers claim new Sony cyberattack

Hackers have claimed to have compromised more than one million passwords, email addresses and other information from SonyPictures.com in the latest cyberattack on the Japanese electronics giant.

The claim was made by a group of hackers calling themselves "Lulz Security," who published a number of files online containing lists of thousands of stolen email addresses and passwords.

"We recently broke into SonyPictures.com and compromised over 1,000,000 users' personal information, including passwords, email addresses, home addresses, dates of birth, and all Sony opt-in data associated with their accounts," Lulz Security said.

Hot deal: Groupon files for highly anticipated IPO

Online coupon seller Groupon Inc. is dangling its most tantalizing deal yet -- an initial public offering of stock.

The prospect is likely to intensify a debate about whether an investment bubble is forming around promising but still unprovenInternet companies.

Groupon took the first step toward selling itsstock on Wall Street by filing its IPO papers Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The much-anticipated filing comes just two weeks afterLinkedIn Corp., a popular Internet service for professional networking, saw its shares double in their first day of trading. That surge evoked memories of the early stages of the dot-com boom in the 1990s.

FBI to probe Google's charges of China hacking email accounts: Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says that Google's allegations of Chinese hacking of its email system are "very serious" and will be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Clinton told reporters on Thursday that the Obama administration was disturbed by the charges, which the Internet company says include breaches of email accounts belonging to senior U.S. officials.

Google said Wednesday that personal Gmail accounts of several hundred people, including senior U.S. government officials, military personnel and political activists, had been exposed. Google traced the origin of the attacks to the home city of a military vocational school in China whose computers were linked to an assault 17 months ago on Google's systems.

Wi-Fi version of BlackBerry PlayBook comes to Sprint on June 5th says executive

This Sunday, June 5th, Sprint will be launching the Wi-Fi version of the BlackBerry PlayBook according to a tweet sent from Sprint's Marketing Director, Gerald Evans. Evans' personal blog says the 16GB device will be priced at $499.99 and will be available at Sprint's retail stores, through telesales, Business sales and from Sprint's web site. Mr. Evans also wrote that Sprint will have the 4G version of the tablet later this year.

Just a few days ago, we reported that a Google search for Sprint PlayBook resulted in the discovery of a web address reading now.Sprint.com/PlayBook. We hoped that this was a clue that the WiMax enabled version of BlackBerry's tablet was about to be launched, but it looks like in retrospect, that it was a clue for the Wi-Fi version of the PlayBook that will apparently be launched by Sprint in 3 days. As for the 4G version of the BlackBerry PlayBook, it looks like it might be a few weeks at the least before that Gerald Evans gets to write about that model in his blog.

source: Twitter via Crackberry

This tweet from Sprint's Marketing Director says to expect Sprint to launch the Wi-Fi version of the BlackBerry PlayBook this Sunday

LG Optimus Black wins race of smartphones in new LG video

Getting a tour of Europe before an expected launch in the U.S., the LG Optimus Black is a sleek device with a 4 inch NOVA screen that offers a brighter 700 nit display, all in a package that weighs just 109 grams and is 9.2mm thin. As a way to promote the lightweight design of the Optimus Black, LG put together a video of a smartphone championship race.

The competition was cleverly given names that make it fairly easy to identify. For example, Ivan, with a 3.5 inch screen, is the Apple iPhone 4. The Samson Gary S. Jr is none other than the Samsung Galaxy S II. There are two other phones that compete in the race and we won't give away the result, although you probably can figure out which handset wins.

As we recently reported, the LG Optimus Black is now available for free from T-Mobile U.K. with a 2-year contract costing the equivalent of $41 a month or more. Hopefully, the unit's visit to the States will be coming soon.

source: AndroidCentral

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 4G LTE coming to Verizon

Last month  we got word that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 4G LTE would be coming to Verizon Wireless. Today we are one step closer as Verizon officially announced the device. Through the release is still said to be a couple weeks away, pre-orders start on June 8th for $529.99 for the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB model. Both will be avaliable in a Metallica Gray and Glossy White color.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 4G LTE will run on Android 3 Honeycomb and will feature a 10.1" HD display with 1280x800 pixel resolution, 1GHz dual-core processor, 3MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera for video chat, full Flash 10.2 support, and will come in at only 8.6mm thick. Optional accessories include a full-sized keyboard dock and a multi-media docking station.

You can register your email at the Verizon Galaxy tab site to receive notice when it is avaliable.

source: Verizon Wireless

Latest survey of Android versions in use shows a slight increase in Android 2.3.3

In the latest monthly survey of the different Android versions in use, Android 2.3.3 has jumped from a 3% share of the entire Android market (as opposed to the Android Market) to be installed in 8.1 out of every 100 Android models. The most widely used build of Google's open source OS is Froyo which owns a controlling 64.6% slice of the Android pie.

As time goes by, the older versions of Android start losing market share. Android 1.5 and 1.6 are nearly extinct with use in only 1.9% and 2.5% of Android devices respectively. From that level, there is a big jump up to the 21.2% of Android flavored products using 2.1. With tablet use just beginning, there is no surprise that Honeycomb finds itself at the bottom of the usage chart with both Android 3.0 and 3.1 accounting for .3% each of the platform's world. In case you're interested, the data comes from Android devices that have accessed the Android Market over the 14 day period ending June 1st.

The historical distribution chart at bottom shows what percentage of the entire Android ecosystem a specific app can work on. For example, if you have developed an app that works with the build at the top right of the chart, your software will work on 100% of Android devices now and in the future. If the app was developed for a build lower down on the graph, using your finger and following the line to the y-axis will tell you the percentage of Android devices that the app will work on. For example, an app that requires Android 2.2 or higher can be accessed by 75% of all Android devices.

source: Google via AndroidCentral

Apple is already certifying components for the iPad 3

The Apple rumor mill never stops. But, if you're tired of iPhone rumors, how about some iPad rumors instead? Word has been floating for a while that Apple would be releasing the iPad 3 later this year, possibly with 3D capabilities (assuming that fad is still going when we get to the holiday season 2011). Now, it seems that Apple is getting Taiwan manufacturers whipped into a frenzy in efforts to secure component certifications for the next iPad tablet. 

DigiTimes reported yesterday that Taiwan-based Radiant Opto-Electronics has landed the certification to manufacture LED backlight units for Apple. In addition to the LED backlight units, a company has also been certified for light bars. Many other manufacturers are rumored to be in the mix for certification of panels. South Korean Samsung and LG have historically supplied Apple with display panels for iPads, but certification of panels is said to be nearly complete with Taiwan-based Chimei Innolux.

source: DigiTimes

Blurry looking shots give us the first look at the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide

Granted that they might not be the best of shots that we’ve seen of any unreleased phones, we’re nonetheless getting a first glimpse of the upcoming T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide – the follow up successor to last year’s model.

As its name implies, it’s going to be flaunting support for T-Mobile’s HSPA+ data network – while retaining some distinguishable characteristics of the original myTouch 4G. Specifically, you can see from the images that it’s retaining the same intricate looking chrome accent with its earpiece, but it’s also showing its ties to the original myTouch 3G Slide with its landscape style QWERTY keyboard.

In terms of software, the model shown is running Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread with HTC’s latest Sense UI 3.0 layered on top of it. Moreover, it’s reported that the handset runs “just as smoothly as the HTC Sensation” and that it’s also “much faster than the myTouch 4G.” Additionally, the smartphone employs an 8-megapixel shooter and shiny looking metal back cover in the rear.

Knowing that we're literally right around the corner from seeing the HTC Sensation 4G, would you rather overlook it in favor of the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide?

source: BGR