Android 2.2 Froyo finally arrives for Motorola DEFY owners in the UK

Indeed regarded as a long time coming, but for Motorola DEFY owners in the UK, they’re finally able to experience all the commotion that Android 2.2 Froyo is packing along.

For the better part of the last 2 months, US owners of the rugged style handset have been swimming with all the features commonly expected with the tasty frozen treat. Obviously, we find good old Adobe Flash support, the ability to install apps directly to a secondary storage medium (microSD card), and an overall improvement to the handset’s performance. In order to get in with the new update, owners will simply need to navigate to Motorola’s support site to download it.

Again, it’s always nice to see handsets graduating from Éclair to Froyo, but the next question is quite obvious – when will we see Gingerbread, or will it even come?

source: Motorola via Mobileburn

Verizon is extending its free mobile hotspot functionality with its 4G LTE smartphones

Knowing that Verizon is going to bring its 4G LTE network to 19 more cities come this Thursday, customers in those specific areas will be happy to know that Verizon has extended the free mobile hotspot functionality with its line of 4G LTE equipped smartphones.

Already, we’ve seen Big Red extend the free mobile hotspot trial to June 16th, but they’re once again pushing it to the later date of July 6. Naturally, this will undoubtedly ring a bell with existing customers with 4G LTE smartphones – like the recent LG Revolution. As much as some people out there are hoping to see it extended even further, those who wish to continue tethering will have to shell out some kind of monthly fee – though, the actual pricing is still unknown at this point. However, it’s known that a software update will be pushed out some time around July 6, where upon installation, will remove the mobile hotspot offer.

In the meantime, feel free to continue using that ever-useful feature without worries – especially when Verizon’s 4G LTE network is wickedly fast.

source: Droid Life via Engadget

Angry Birds smacks through the 250 million download mark across all platforms

Riding its wave of success, Rovio’s remarkably popular Angry Birds is continuing its onslaught of being one of the most widely recognized games around the world. In fact, it just recently pushed pass the impressive mark of 250 million downloads across all mobile platforms, which is undoubtedly a monumental mark for anything!

That figure is actually up 50 million from the last public announcement that the company made back in mid-May, when they announced hitting the 200  million mark. Even at that level, the game is essentially downloaded on the average of 1.79 million times per day since first coming to light. Naturally, we expect to see those figures rise even more as Windows Phone 7 is gearing up to see the popular game as well at the end of the month.

Like a freight train out of control, the momentum that Angry Birds is pushing out is indeed unstoppable, as we’ll more than likely continue to see the game branch out to new audiences, while existing ones wait for the next iteration of the game.

via Pocket Gamer

Reports claim details of Google Nexus 4G

The Google Nexus S came out at the wrong time, launching with a single core CPU just months before dual-core Tegra 2 phones began to hit the market. Because of that, the rumor mill has been nonstop trying to out the next Google Nexus phone (the Nexus 4G for the purposes of this article). There were rumors that it would be made by LG, and that it would feature a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, but nothing solid has come through. Now, BGR is claiming exclusive information about the Nexus 4G including specs. 

First, let's set the table with the information that is most likely true. We know that there will be a successor to the Nexus S, and given Google's track record with Nexus devices, it's a safe bet that the Nexus 4G will be the first phone to ship with Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Ice Cream Sandwich is due this fall, and is said to merge features of Gingerbread and Honeycomb, which leads many to believe that it will make capacitive function buttons unnecessary because the soft function buttons of Honeycomb should make the transition to phones. 

The BGR report is also claiming that the Nexus 4G will feature a dual-core CPU clocking in at either 1.2 or 1.5GHz, but will more likely be an OMAP or Snapdragon CPU, not a Tegra. BGR also continues the rumors that the Nexus 4G will have a 720p "monster-sized screen". It also says that we can expect 1 GB of RAM, 1080p video playback, a 1 MP front-facing camera, a 5 MP rear-facing camera, and a 4G LTE radio. 

Now, for the obligatory skepticism: nowhere in the article does BGR give any indication of who the source is, where they work, or why we should trust this information. We understand needing to protect identities, but there is nothing to indicate that this information is from a source we can trust. In a small point of skepticism, a 5 MP rear camera seems a bit weak for a next gen phone, especially a phone that won't be out until late this year. The last trouble spot is the generic 4G LTE radio. 

Pegging the radio as LTE means that the phone would not be available on Sprint or T-Mobile, which until now have been the anointed carriers for Google Nexus phones. So, either the report is wrong, and the Nexus 4G will have either WiMAX (Sprint) support or HSPA+ (T-Mobile) support or both, or the phone will be on either Verizon or AT&T. No Nexus phone has come anywhere near Verizon, and it seems highly unlikely that the Nexus 4G would break that, because Verizon wants to control features like tethering. 

That leaves AT&T. If we assume that the T-Mobile acquisition will be approved, it would make more sense. AT&T has promised to have 70 million Americans covered with LTE by the end of the year, so the Nexus 4G could be a flagship device for their network. But, AT&T would have to give up considerable control in order to allow a Google experience phone. 

We know that there will be a new Nexus phone this fall and it will be packing Ice Cream Sandwich, but until it comes from Google. The rest is still rumor, because even this new information leads to more questions than it answers. 

source: BGR

Acer slashes tablet shipment target by more than a half

Acer has slashed its 2011 target for tablet shipments by nearly 60%, or more than a half its initial aim for the year, Chairman JT Wang said at a shareholder meeting. The revised yearly target stands at between 2.5 and 3 million slates, down from the initial projection for 5 to 7 million shipped tablets.

"The third quarter will be considerably more stable. It will be similar to the second quarter or better. The fourth quarter will be even better," Wang added. Acer also noted that it plans to see sales of tablet reach 800,000 units the second and third quarter each.

The Taiwan-based company is the world's second-largest computer maker, but it is Acer's future strategy for emerging devices that led to major restructuring back in March. Former CEO Gianfranco Lanci stepped down in March over disagreements related to the company's tablet future. It  has missed its last three quarterly forecasts and shares have sunk 30% since the Taiwanese have started restructuring.

Currently, Acer only offers its 10-inch ICONIA TAB A500 running Honeycomb in the States and while it might not have the thin profile of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the prospect of 4G LTE connectivity on the Motorola XOOM, it could still entertain you with its sub $500 value. Feel free to also check out our detailed review of the Acer ICONIA TAB A500 to get all the details about the company's current standings in tablets.

source: Reuters

HP files six more TouchPad trademark patents

HP has filed trademark patents for the names TouchPadFlex, TouchPadPro, TouchPadTwin, TouchPadGeo, TouchPad7, and TouchPadGo, most likely for the future iterations of its webOS tablet line. We are especially curious what idea lies behind the TouchPadFlex.

The HP TouchPad tablet can be preordered starting June 19th, and should be shipping July 1st, at $499 for the 16GB model. HP released a bunch of videos promoting various features of the webOS slate. A 3G version should be available later this summer on AT&T.

The mothership HP is also launching a huge marketing campaign to backup its webOS products, booking names like Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Kanye West for the festivities.

The giant computer manufacturer is a bit late to the tablet party, so it is obviously not sparing any efforts to fuse quality hardware and software, and get the word out. The six trademark names in the TouchPad line it filed for also mean that it could very well be hard at work for the next generations of its webOS slates.

via UnwiredView

Desktop docking station for the HTC EVO 3D appears on Best Buy's site for $50

As we inch ever closer to the inevitable release date for the highly anticipated HTC EVO 3D, we’re bound to start seeing more accessories coming into the mix as well.

With that in mind, Best Buy’s web site has the Micro USB Desktop Docking Station listed on the their site for the price of $49.99, which can aesthetically improve the look of the handset while it’s charging peacefully. As its name implies, it’s basically your ordinary pedestal charging station that will actively juice the handset when it’s connected to a computer – and as you can see, it positions the handset in a landscape orientation. Besides making the HTC EVO 3D cool looking while charging, it doesn’t really offer any additional functionality.

Granted that we’re treated with a price point for this useful accessory, it’s stamped with the “coming soon” tagline – albeit, we’d expect to see this one available come launch day.

source: Best Buy via Android Central

Color Co-Founder Peter Pham steps down, $41 million of venture capital at risk

Do you remember Color? The social network/photo sharing start-up which made waves in the tech world by being able to attract the whopping $41 million in its infancy, now seems to be in trouble. Co-founder Peter Pham, ex-VP of business development in Photobucket, and one of the possible reasons behind Color's capital injection, has reportedly stepped down. TechCrunch was the first to report the news which wasn't yet officially confirmed. Pham's Twitter profile still claims that he heads the start-up, but his most recent tweet hints at his possible resignation: “Father - much more important job than founder.”

At the same time, the Android version of the application, which first launched fro iOS, seems to be pulled from the Android Market and might have been ditched altogether. On Color's website, we can read only that “new Android version [is] coming soon, stay tuned.” 

The idea behind Color is of a social network based on proximity and mixed with the photographs you choose to share. Promising? Yes. But just as we pointed out in our initial report about Color – hardly worth $41 million. So while Color could still progress, it now seems much less likely.

source: TechCrunch and mocoNews

Gingerbread update for the Motorola DROID 2 Global is now available for download

Well that certainly didn’t take too long, especially when it was yesterday when we reported that Gingerbread was coming to the Motorola DROID 2 Global soon, but now the long awaited software update is being pushed out to handsets.

Of course, you can obviously wait for that nifty notification to pop up on your handset asking your permission to download and install it, but if you haven’t seen it yet and itching badly for it, you can always initiate the good old manual process instead. Even though it might take some time to download the 103MB update, which brings the OS to version 4.5.600, it packs along some exciting new stuff on top of the traditional things you expect with Gingerbread.

Now that the trifecta is complete, as promised by Verizon, there’s plenty of Gingerbread love to go around with these devices. So what else are you waiting for at this point?

via Electronista

A closer look at the estimated $1.3 billion operating costs of iTunes

New reports are out that are using the numbers given at WWDC and some passing comments by Apple to give a rough estimate of operating costs for iTunes. The number going around is $1.3 billion per year just to run iTunes, the App Store, and iBookstore. But, those numbers are estimates based on incomplete data, and supported by a comment from Apple that is by no means definitive.

The numbers

According to Apple's numbers given at WWDC, iTunes has served up 15 billion song downloads, 130 million book downloads, and 14 billion app downloads. All of those numbers are huge, but need to be put into context of course. iTunes opened up for music sales in April 2003, so that's 15 billion song downloads in a bit over 8 years. Meanwhile, the App Store has been active for just under 3 years and has hit 14 billion app downloads. And, of course all of these numbers are downloads, not purchases. All of that to say that iTunes does a lot of business. The storage space and servers needed for all of the music, video, books and apps available in the store are one thing, but the bandwidth is another thing completely.

The task of calculating operating costs for iTunes was a complex process done by Horace Dediu at Asymco. What he did was used Apple's released download estimates and combined that with average song cost and average cost of apps to determine the content margins for songs and apps, which is what Apple would keep after paying developers or music labels. Dediu puts the monthly iTunes income at $313 million, and monthly content margin of $113 million. Dediu then extrapolates from comments by Apple that iTunes runs at break even, so assuming that all of the monthly content margin is put back into operating costs, which leads to the figure of $1.3 billion annually.

The missing factors

The trouble with those calculations are that they don't take into account two big things: books and video. iBooks and video may not add much revenue compared to music and apps, but the storage and bandwidth needed for video can quickly overtake music just because of the size of files. Unfortunately, Apple didn't release numbers for TV shows and movies at this year's WWDC. As of last year, the total downloads for TV shows stood at 450 million TV episodes and 100 million movies. So, even if the video service is far smaller in number of downloads, that could potentially add a lot to operating costs. Apple's own support page estimates that while a 4 minute song is about 4 MB, a 45 minute TV show is 200 MB for standard def and 600 MB for HD, and a 2-hour movie is 1-1.5 GB for SD and 3-4.5 GB for HD. That's a lot of data to be stored and processed.

The other trouble with the calculations is that they are based on comments by Apple that iTunes runs at "just above break even". Using this statement, Dediu assumes that all of the potential content margin is put towards operating costs. But, there is no real reason to believe Apple's statement on the matter. Apple has been known to gloss over revenue numbers, especially when they pertain to margins. iPhones notoriously pull a higher product margin than any other handset on the market, and that's by a big amount. Apple's vertical integration in production, and closed systems allow them to tightly control costs throughout their product lines. Apple is also known to make special deals with certain content providers which could change the numbers. Overall, Dediu is using incomplete numbers and an unverifiable claim about the operating costs of iTunes.

If we really look at the numbers that Dediu comes up with, they don't really mean anything. Adding in iBook sales and video sales adds revenue to the iTunes ecosystem, which changes the numbers if we do assume Apple's claims. And, as far as operating costs, video alone adds a huge burden as far as storage, bandwidth and processing. Combine that with the assumption that all revenue is put back into operating costs, a claim which can't be verified, and you get numbers that are impressive and sound good, but may not be anywhere near accurate. To be sure, Apple spends a huge amount of money operating iTunes, and maybe we'll see the numbers on that some day. But, these are not those numbers.

source: Asymco for iTunes cost estimates & Apple for content file sizes

HTML5 beats Adobe Flash at video playback, falls behind in everything else

It is really awesome seeing what an extensive comparison has been made between the graphical performance of HTML5 and Adobe Flash when running on a variety of mobile devices. Software architect Sean Christmann took his time and set up a number of benchmarks testing how well each platform performed in different scenarios ranging from vector and bitmap rendering to HD video playback.

Nine different smartphones and tablets were used for the test, all of them running the latest official version of their respective operating system. Even though HTML5 has been quoted by some as a potential Flash replacement, the end results were mostly in favor of Adobe's platform. Could it be because Adobe itself partially funded the research? Well, this doesn't seem very likely because identical source codes were being used for every type of test.

The benchmark results showed that HTML5 outperforms Adobe Flash in 720p video playback

When all the testing was done, it turned out that Adobe Flash had no troubles rendering simple and complex 2D graphics at high framerates, yet HTML5 was a clear winner when it came down to playing HD videos in H.264 format. Most devices were dropping a considerable amount of frames when rendering them with Flash, while using HTML5 for playback gave much better results. Just to be sure that all data was correct, Christmann decided to go for overkill and actually counted every frame rendered with a high speed camera.

So, it looks like Adobe Flash is not anywhere near becoming obsolete, but there is still a lot to be desired in terms of video rendering performance. Hopefully, future software updates will be able to do something about it.

source: Craftymind via GigaOM

HTC changes its mind, Gingerbread will after all come to HTC Desire

The HTC Desire was released nearly a year ago, but it's still one of the most popular Android handsets out there. The future cooperation of the handset with the latest of Android Gingerbread, however, was on a bumpy road. First the Taiwanese phone maker set the bar high saying the HTC Desire was getting Android 2.3 Gingerbread, then all of a sudden just yesterday HTC backpedaled in a post on its Facebook page:

“Our engineering teams have been working hard for the past few months to find a way to bring Gingerbread to the HTC Desire without compromising the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect from our phones. However, we’re sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to accept there isn’t enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire. We’re sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you.”

You can already guess what happened just the next day, can't you? HTC completed the cycle with a 360 turn: “Contrary to what we said earlier, we are going to bring Gingerbread to HTC Desire,” the company followed up on Facebook. So taking into account how quickly the company backtracked, one starts doubting the veracity of the issue with the insufficient memory as it doesn't seem very likely for the company to be able to fix in one day what it has been “working hard for the past few months.”

HTC was brief and didn't give a release date for the Gingerbread update on the HTC Desire, but our hopes are that it will come soon rather than late. Patience is a virtue, especially for those Android updates, isn't it?

source: HTC

Fahrenheit for iPhone Review

Introduction

There are times in life when looking out the window to figure out what the weather is simply feels like too much of an effort. That is when our smartphones come in handy with their trusty weather applications and widgets – a single glance at your device's home screen is enough to find out whether you will need a raincoat or a beach towel should you decide to go outside and will even provide you with a reliable weather forecast for the days ahead.

Fahrenheit is an iOS weather application that is unique in its ability to display the current outdoor temperature right there on your Springboard. If you have ever used an iOS device, you probably know that the built-in weather app cannot do that and will constantly tease you with its icon fooling you that it is sunny and 73 degrees outside. The magic is done in a very clever way – by making iOS think that Fahrenheit has a number of pending messages to display, which causes iOS to show a notification bubble on the app's icon with the number of messages being the current outdoor temperature.


Functionality

Fahrenheit provides a ton of useful weather information

Besides being trickier than iOS' default weather app, Fahrenheit impressed us with the ton of information that it provides such as the UV index for the day, current wind speed and a 3-hourly forecast. If that is not enough, Fahrenheit can also draw pretty temperature maps and a cloud radar view of the area. The app can even tweet weather data with a couple of taps – a feature that we tried ourselves and found out that it works like a charm. Fahrenheit may be a full-featured weather application as it is, yet its functionality can be extended even further. If you have an extra dollar to spend on an in-app purchase, you can add satellite, wind, and rain radars to the list of features that the app has.

Fahrenheit can draw a temperature map and a cloud radar view of the area

One of the drawbacks of Fahrenheit is that you cannot switch to Celsius just like that. It wouldn't be named as it is, now, would it? If you are used to metric units, you will need a separate application called (you guessed it) Celsius, which is definitely inconvenient considering that it has to be purchased separately. In essence, both apps are pretty much the same with the units in which temperature is measured being the only difference. Another imperfection of Fahrenheit is that it has a hard time displaying sub-zero temperatures on its Springboard icon because the number of notifications simply cannot be equal to or less than zero. In such cases, the app will notify you of the temperature drop with a message.



Conclusion

So, is it worth spending $0.99 on Fahrenheit? Well, despite being a great weather app with more than a few useful features, it would be wiser to wait for iOS 5 and see what the platform's revamped weather application will have to offer. On the other hand, a dollar will not really hurt your budget, so if you need a weather app right now, then we would certainly recommend giving Fahrenheit a shot.

Fahrenheit for iPhone [iTunes link]

Sprint's Employee ID pack spills the LG Q, Motorola Sunfire, Samsung Chief and LG Optimus B

The Sprint ID pack for employees, which contains links to sales tips, device specifications and the like, has four new devices listed - the LG Q, Motorola Sunfire, Samsung Chief and LG Optimus B - with Sprint logo placeholders instead of pictures next to the names.

It also lists the Epic 2.3, which is most likely the long-awaited update of the Samsung Epic 4G to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The Motorola Sunfire is probably just the internal codename for the recently announced Motorola PHOTON 4G, while the Samsung Chief could be the mid-range SPH-D600, also leaked as the Samsung Conquer, with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. We doubt it is a WiMAX version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, but hope dies last.

The two LG handsets are trickier. The LG B was the codename of the LG Optimus Black when we first heard about it, so this might as well be the Sprint version of the handset with the brightest display out there. The LG Q, on the other hand, might turn out to be the LG Slider/Gelato, which is rumored to appear in Sprint's portfolio come September. Obviously the carrier has a lot planned for its roadmap, and we'll be hearing about these pretty often.

via AndroidCentral

Apple's chief of retail Ron Johnson moves on to J.C. Penney

J.C. Penney scored a bit of fresh thinking poaching Ron Johnson, the man responsible for Apple's glitzy stores, and Cupertino's successful retail strategy in general, which rakes in $3.2 billion of sales revenue.

The 109-year old department store chain could certainly benefit from Ron's disciplined approach to retail, whose directions range form where to place each item in the store, to the way you share information about Apple's gadgets, even outside work. Apple's chain of 323 stores worldwide has definitely helped to make it one of the most valuable brands, bringing visibility and differentiation to the company.

Ron Johnson leaving at a moment when Apple is on top of its game could mean he is just looking for new challenges, or maybe some of his new ideas have been shot down. Either way, it will be interesting to see what J.C. Penney's stores will look like after November when he becomes the CEO. The retailer's stock price is already up more than 17% on the news.

source: WSJ

Nokia to announce a "market disrupting device" on June 21st

One of the biggest events for Nokia, Nokia Connection 2011, kicks off in less than a week on June 21st in Singapore, but some of the mysterious devices coming up as “the next chapter” have already been teased. Namely, Nokia Australia has sent an invitation to iTWire for the announcement and demonstration of a “market disrupting device,” a definition coinciding with the terminology over at Espoo about MeeGo, “a future disruption in mobile ecosystem.”

The disruptor “will be unveiled and demonstrated for the first time by Kurt Bonnici, product and technology marketing manager at Nokia Australia.” But don't expect to hear anything more than the technical details, as swiftly after the announcement, Nokia's chief executive will go on stage for its keynote speech at Nokia Connection.

All additional business details about the mysterious Nokia handset will be given later on. But we expect to see more than just one device as the agenda for the event also includes a speech by Nokia's executive VP for Mobile Phones, Mary McDowell, who will elaborate on “the global launch of brand new mobile devices and related services.” Can we expect a Windows Phone that early? Stephen Elop has pointed out that a Nokia-branded WP device is on track for release this holiday season, so even if something gets announced it will probably take quite a while to reach the end user. What are your expectations about this “market disrupting device”? Feel free to share in the comments below.

source: iTWire

iOS 5 Notification Center cracked open to third party widgets

If we thought we could only run Apple's chosen weather and stocks widgets in our iOS 5 Notification Center area, the jailbreaking community was quick to prove us wrong.

Apple's newest mobile OS version iOS 5, which is still in a beta stage, has been jailbroken, tinkered with, and examined to pieces for the few short days it is in public. Moreover, iOS 5 already has its own set of customized widgets, which bring additional functionalities and altered looks that dispose of that linen background Apple placed in its Notification Center for some reason. 

That reminds us a lot about the early days of Google's Android OS, when coders were hard at work ironing out the kinks, and also of Android's different manufacturers' overlays and custom ROMs that keep on piling functionality on rooted devices. 

UISettings and Widget Task

There is a good roundup of these new Notification Center enhancements and widgets for jailbroken devices with iOS 5 beta and here are screenshots from some of them. First off, we get new widgets. There is UISettings, which inserts connectivity toggles in the pulldown list of notfications, then Widget Task, which will display the multitasking menu there.

System Prefs and Music Center

In development are also Spring Prefs, which displays system information in the Notification Center, as well as Music Center, which shows the current song right there too.

There are a couple of beautification efforts, too, meant to demonstrate that the Notification Center can be themed, if you want to escape from the default linen background of Apple's design team. These range from glossy pulldown menu, to pure black background, as well as one with transparent effects, more akin to Apple's usual design concepts.

iOS 5 Notification Center themes

We don't know what is more surprising - the fact that these Notification Center enhancements were created for an iOS 5 beta, or the speed they were cooked with for Apple's newest mobile OS version that has barely been out. It's a welcome developed nonetheless.

source: MacStories

HP TouchPad available for pre-order on June 19th, webOS tablet goes on sale July 1st

HP has announced that it will start taking pre-orders for the Wi-Fi only version of the HP TouchPad beginning June 19th. The 16GB model of the webOS flavored tablet will cost $499.99 while the 32GB model will cost $599.99. The actual launch of the tablet is expected to be July 1st. Later this summer, a 3G version will be made available for AT&T.

The HP TouchPad is the first tablet powered by the webOS operating system that the Palo Alto based firm acquired when it bought Palm last year for $1.8 billion. The tablet features a 9.7 inch XGA display and has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor under the hood. The device will be available at retailers like Best Buy, Staples, Walmart, Office Max, Amazon.com and from HP's online store.

The HP TouchPad has quite an itinerary. After its U.S. launch at the beginning of next month, the tablet heads over to the U.K., Ireland, France and Germany before heading up north to visit our Canadian friends in the middle of July. Later this year, the tablet will be available in Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.

Jon Rubinstein, HP's senior vp and general manager, Palm Global Business Unit says that webOS is what makes the TouchPad a compelling alternative to the competition. He says that the tablet represents only the beginning of what HP can do with the operating system. WebOS offers users of the TouchPad "next level" multitasking experience and the exclusive Touch to Share feature allows compatible webOS handsets to receive web addresses from the tablet at the click of a button. If you get a call or text message on your Palm Pre while using the tablet, you can answer or reply directly from the tablet. And unlike the Apple iPad, the TouchPad is Adobe Flash enabled which means that users get the full web experience on the tablet.

Optional accessories for HP TouchPad include the HP Touchstone Charging Dock, the HP TouchPad Wireless Keyboard and the HP TouchPad Case which is sold separately. So who is planning on reserving HP's first webOS tablet? You can leave us a response in the comment box below!

via HP

Griffin Survivor case for the iPad 2 meets military standards for protection

Whether you're prone to accidents, or just a little paranoid, tough cases are a must. And considering the almost laughably close relationship many people have with their Apple devices, a military-grade case for the iPad 2 isn't unreasonable.

The Griffin Survivor case for the iPad 2 follows in the footsteps of the similar case for the iPhone 4, which combines a shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame with a thick, shock-absorbing silicone shell. An integrated screen protector keeps your vulnerable display safe, while hinged plug-covers keep out moisture and debris.

The Griffin Survivor was designed to meet U.S. Department of Defense standards. More specifically: the screen protector can withstand wind and rain (200mm for 1 hour), the device can be dropped from a height of 6 feet (1.8m), the ports resist sand and dust (18m/sec for 1 hour), and the device can endure vibration at 80 to 2000Hz for 18 hours.

Not that your decision will hinge on this, but there is also a flipout stand that functions in both portrait and landscape modes. For US$79.99, its' a relatively expensive case. But considering your overall investment (financial and emotional), it's well worth it.

source: Griffin via Pocket-lint

BlackBerry Bold 9900 coming 'Super Soon' to Virgin

Virgin Mobile Canada sent out a tweet on Tuesday saying that the BlackBerry Bold 9900 will be joining the carrier's lineup 'Super Soon'. The Bold 9900 takes the highly regarded portrait QWERTY keyboard from the Bold 9000, keeps the same form factor, and adds a 2.8 inch touchscreen. This allows the user to get the best of both worlds, one of the best-if not the best-QWERTY keyboards on a handset combined with a touchscreen.

The software aboard the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is nothing to sneeze at. The BlackBerry 7 OS is the latest build from RIM and includes what RIM is calling "one of the elite browsers in mobile today." As we reported, the new BlackBerry mobile browser eats up JavaScript while in the past, BlackBerry devices like the Storm would choke on it.

Virgin Mobile Canada says the launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is coming 'Super Soon'

For Virgin Mobile Canada customers who are waiting for the launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9900, the wait shouldn't be too long. We would imagine that 'Super Soon' is faster than soon. But it would be a good idea if RIM doesn't rush out this device. After all, RIM has had a bad track record with touchscreen devices. The first touchscreen BlackBerry, the Storm, was launched half-baked and required numerous firmware updates before it became a valuable tool for users. The BlackBerry Torch, with its portrait sliding QWERTY, was a step in the right direction except for the weak specs on the phone. The resolution of the screen was not up to snuff and as we told you, the Torch 2 will apparently bring the phone's specs up to a level where it can compete with the Apple iPhone and Android.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 appears to be a challenger to Apple and Android right out of the box. Besides the improved OS and browser, under the hood is a 1.2GHz single-core processor and 768 MB of RAM. A 5MP camera is on back with the ability to capture video at 720p. A microSD slot can accept a 32GB card. With a Q3 launch expected and Virgin saying it will happen 'Super Soon', perhaps the Bold 9900 will see the light of day as soon as next month. Pricing is still unknown at this point.

source: Twitter via MobileSyrup

T-Mobile launches 'More for Me' daily deal service for Android

T-Mobile has launched the first-ever daily deal aggregator from a national carrier. Android users running version 1.6 or above (i.e. most of you) can download the app for free from the Android Market. While 'More for Me' is a T-Mobile product, it is available to all Android users, and will be expanded to other operating systems soon.

While 'More for Me' is innovative for its carrier partnership, it really is just an aggregator. The only exception might be that the app includes "exclusive offers from T-Mobile and its partners".

'More for Me' allows you to customize your social shopping experience for your tastes and location. T-Mobile touts that "Customers can get discounts on a wide variety of products, making it easier than ever for people to save money while on the go."

Social shopping isn't for everyone. But if you can tolerate the superfluous notifications, and the often off-target suggestions, you can find some really great deals on the stuff you want. So what do you think? Is it weird for a carrier to manage a social shopping service? And what happens to it when (and if) AT&T is in the driver's seat?

source: Android Market

Beta of iOS 5 reveals double resolution iPad images re-opening speculation on iPad 3 display

Images discovered in the Twitter framework of the iOS 5 beta show a resolution of 1536 x 2048, hinting that the screen on the Apple iPad 3 will have much higher resolution than the screen on the currently released Apple iPad 2. The Twitter framework, new to iOS, is the only framework to have these large resolutions. Apple has built a system-wide Twitter framework into the new build of iOS.

A separate report from a Taiwan newspaper says that the Apple iPad 3 will launch in Q4 of this year, with resolution 5 to 6 times higher than what is currently on the Apple iPad 2. The current resolution is 768 x 1024. Doubling that to the discovered 1536 x 2048 would quadruple the number of pixels, similar to the jump made by the Apple iPhone which went from resolution of 320 x 480 on the iPhone 3GS to the Retina Display of 640 x 960 with pixel density of 326 ppi.

Even though the original report said that the Apple iPad 3 would come with Retina Display, even quadrupling the pixel density would bring the count under the 300 ppi standard that Apple CEO Steve Jobs says is the line separating a Retina Display from a standard one. Based on the 10-12 inches from the eyes that the average iPhone user holds the phone, 300 ppi (pixels per inch) is the limit of the human retina. Apple could redefine the Retina Display standard for its tablet, using the excuse that those devices are held further away than smartphones are. If the new iPad has a screen with resolution of 1536x 2048, it would have a density of 264 ppi, below the current Retina Display standard, but above the current density of 132 ppi on the Apple iPad 2.

As we reported, speculation was rampant before the introduction of the second iPad that the resolution was going to be 1536 x 2048. However, rumors are that engineering problems made it impossible to produce. Concord Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will manufacture a double-resolution iPad 3 after fixing issues with production volume and costs with the displays.

source: AppleInsider

Will the Apple iPad 3 have resolution of 1536 x 2048?

Sprint expands their tablet plan options in time for the EVO View 4G

The folks at Android Police got their hands on a document detailing the new additions to Sprint's tablet plans. Sprint currently offers 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, and 5GB plans for $19.99, $29.99, $44.99, and $59.99 respectively.

But along with the introduction of the HTC EVO View 4G, Sprint is rolling out a new 10GB plan for $90/month. In addition to this data-hungry option, customers with a 3GB plan or higher will have unlimited access to Sprint's WiMAX 4G. Hold onto your seats.

If you already own a Sprint smartphone with an unlimited plan, you also get $10 off your tablet plan when you bundle them together. Sprint recently talked about diversifying their tablet plan options, but we don't think this is what they meant. We expect them to start offering even more flexible plans that will let you purchase by the day, week, or month as well.

source: Android Police via CNET

Starbucks app now percolating in the Android Market

Now available in the Android Market is the long awaited Starbucks app for Android phones. You can enter your Starbucks card number (only one allowed per phone) and track your purchasing history, check the balance on your Starbucks card or add money to it.

Once you enter your card number, your phone will display your card's barcode which can be scanned directly from your phone to pay for a purchase. Other interesting features that would even make Juan Valdez jealous include a Google Maps powered store directory and a feature that allows you to track the number of Stars you have in the coffee seller's My Starbucks Reward Program.

Right now, the app is free and is good only for U.S. Starbucks devotees using an Android handset with Android 2.1 or higher aboard. The app can be used in any of the 6,800 company-owned locations and at the 1,000 Starbucks stores inside a Target retail location.

source: AndroidMarket via AndroidCentral