White iPhone 4 to be available in the Netherlands tomorrow?

It's reported that two carriers in the Netherlands - T-Mobile and KPN will start selling the white iPhone 4 tomorrow.

This is the word coming from the lads at GSM Helpdesk.nl, who also claim that both the 16GB and 32GB versions of the pale smartphone will be available in Holland when it's eventually released. This speculation is boosted by the facts it's now available on the site of the Dutch T-Mo (we can't verify since when it has been placed on the carrier's page), and that 2call.nl is also offering the (soon to be not so) mythical phone for pre-order.

There's a mounting pile of evidence that suggests we are soon to see a wide-scale launch of the white iPhone 4 around the globe. It's speculated that this handset will be available for both Verizon and AT&T in the US.

source: GSM Helpdesk.nl (translated), T-Mobile Netherlands (translated) and 2call.nl (translated)

iFixit introduces a $30 transparent back panel for the GSM iPhone 4, pure plastic

If you are one of those folks who get fascinated by the inner workings of your gadgetry, you have no doubt been following the disassembling exercises of iFixit with the iPhone 4 and other gizmos.

Now the site has taken the efforts to their logical extension. iFixit introduced a completely transparent back panel for the iPhone 4, made of plastic, which allows you to show the world the marvels of mobile device engineering inside Cupertino's finest every time you lift the phone.

There is a step-by-step guide for replacing the panel, which basically consists of removing the two Pentalobe screws by the dock connector, and pushing the back panel up so you can safely pry it off, and insert the clear panel in its place:

An added bonus of the $29.95 transparent back panel is that it is plastic-fantastic, so you wouldn't care about scratching it too much. If you want everyone to see your iPhone 4's guts, you are obviously not into all that boutique design nonsense in the first place. For now iFixit only offers the transparent rear panel for the GSM version of the iPhone 4, since the Verizon one has differences in design, and there's no word if/when it will be offered for the CDMA iPhone 4.

source: iFixit via Electronista

HTC Doubleshot could be the first dual-core QWERTY slider, coming to T-Mobile in July

HTC obviously has a knack for naming its side-sliding QWERTY handsets for T-Mobile in a Starbucks fashion. After we had the HTC Espresso internal name, which turned out to be the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide, we now have another QWERTY-laden smartphone, leaked from a user agent profile, and named after a caffeine-induced bliss.

It is called internally the HTC Doubleshot, and, although we've heard about it before, some additional specs now reveal that it is not an HTC Sensation version for T-Mobile, but a totally different handset.

It very well might turn out to be the first dual-core handset with a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard might be similar to the one on the T-Mobile G2 that you see in the thumbnail, which we found to be excellent in our review.

The HTC Doubleshot will sport a 1.2GHz chipset, and, given HTC's traditional ties with Qualcomm, it will be the same third generation dual-core Snapdragon that is in the HTC EVO 3D. It is not faster than the other dual-core chipsets, but returns pretty decent benchmarks nonetheless.

The handset is also to have a 4" display with 480x800 pixels of resolution, and run Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

HTC Doubleshot sample photo of the Potomac river, dubbed "HDR test toward Virginia"

The camera seems to be 6MP+ (most likely the 8MP shooter from the latest HTC Android crop), judging from the leaked photo on the right.

It is taken with the handset by an HTC employee in Washington, D.C., and dubbed "HDR test toward Virginia" on Picasa. So, yes, obviously some HDR post-processing capabilities will also be in play on the dual-core handset with a physical QWERTY keyboard.

The HTC Doubleshot is supposedly appearing in July on T-Mobile's network, in your choice of two different colors.

source: PocketNow & Picasa

Chinese blog explains how to tell the real white iPhone 4 from the conversion kits, reveals every detail in the process

A post at the Chinese IT168 forum has made a complete guide how to tell the real white iPhone 4 from the one made with aftermarket conversion kits, or the fallouts from the initial batches where the leaking light problem was found, and consequently Apple canned the project until it figured it out (ten months later).

The post is chock-full of clever advice and comparison pictures - for example, when you connect the real white iPhone 4 to your computer, its icon is that of a white iPhone, whereas the imitation's icons are of the black one, since that's what's inside. If you don't have a computer handy, you can just look inside the headphone or data ports - if they are black, then the thing has been converted, but if white, the chances that you scored the real deal increase exponentially.

If the audio jack and the data port's interior is black (left), then it's an aftermarket conversion kit; if white - it might be the real deal

What we found most interesting in the whole post, though, was the comparison of the light leak problem in the white iPhone 4 with the black version. While this issue still exist, it seems to have been brought down to a minimum, and has finally complied with Apple's rigid quality standards, which has obviously led to Cupertino greenlighting the mass production of the white iPhone 4.

Light leakage from the white iPhone 4 compared to the black version still exists, but is brought down significantly from the initial batches last year

Thanks, Philip!

source: IT168 (translated)

Black and white iPhone 4 comparison

Alleged white faceplate of the next iPhone hints at a slightly larger display

Last week we had a few white iPhone leaks - alleged 64GB prototype came from Vietnam with unreleased version of iOS 4, then Vodafone UK let out its white iPhone plans, complete with pics and everything.

Now the same site that follows China gadgetry, and showed us how white iPhones made with aftermarket conversion kits are to be sold in quantities there, dug out a photo of a white iPhone faceplate that doesn't look like the official thing leaked from Vodafone.

The yet-unofficial white iPhone 4 (left) next to alleged iPhone 5 faceplate

We all can only speculate if this is just a mockup, a white iPhone 5 prototype, or the rumored iPhone 4 handset with a fitted dual-core A5 chipset inside, that is supposedly finding its way into game developers' hands to start coding for the powerful silicon.

All we see is that the faceplate is different from the official deal (which is not even announced yet, but will be soon) - in proximity sensor design, and also in screen size and bezel.

The display looks slightly larger, thanks to the thinner bezel, and less space between the screen and phone edges. This coincides with the rumor that the next iPhone, supposedly coming in September, will be a slight upgrade to iPhone 4 externally, including a bump to a 3.7" display, from the current 3.5".

source: M.I.C.Gadget

White iPhone 4 made with aftermarket conversion kit	Leaked prototype of supposedly the next iPhone

Sony announces a duo of PlayStation-certified Honeycomb tablets

Sony's tablet design leaked out in February and we've been waiting to hear more for nearly two months. Now, finally the company announced two new Honeycomb “Sony Tablets” - the Sony S1 and S2 - at its press event in Tokyo and both are PlayStation certified. The tablets both feature the standard Wi-Fi connectivity, but what's more interesting – they are both 3G/4G “compatible” as Sony puts it and we are hopeful that means full 4G connectivity once the tablets are released this fall.

The first one, codenamed Sony S1, also known as the Qriocity, comes with a 9.4-inch screen. It's a close copy of the mockup we saw back in February, focusing around an “off-center of gravity design,” which reportedly makes it easier to hold. Under the hood, an NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip is responsible for running Honeycomb skinned with a “Quick and Smooth” interface, tailor-made for touch input. The tablet also has both front and rear facing cameras. What Sony aims with the S1 is not only standalone functionality, but close integration with the company's line of products as the tablet doubles as an infrared remote for the company's TVs. In addition, PlayStation-certified instantly translates into loads of quality gaming time. Actually, we saw Crash Bandicoot running on the S1 with on-screen controls mimicking the look of a PlayStation controller.

The S2 reminds the Kyocera Echo with its dual-screen setup. Two 5.5-inch screens come with a resolution of 1024 x 480 pixels each. The S2 runs on a Tegra 2 chip and has a camera, while on the software side of things we have a custom-made user interface including a tweaked out book reader application and an email app allowing to type on one of the screens, while looking at the message on the other. The two screens are hinged together making the whole package look much like a bulky case for glasses, but as big as it seems Sony's own Kunimasa Suzuki demonstrated its pocketability by taking it out of the pocket of his jacket.

“‘Sony Tablet’ delivers an entertainment experience where users can enjoy cloud-based services on-the-go at any time. We’re aiming to create a new lifestyle by integrating consumer hardware, including ‘Sony Tablet’ with content and network,” Suzuki mentioned. Check out the video below for a first peek at the look of the tablets and don't hesitate to let us know what you think about the Sony tablets in the comments below.

source: Sony

Mini Coopers provide maxi promotion for the HP Veer 4G in Los Angeles

A precentral reader happened to be on the freeway in Los Angeles when he noticed a trailer loaded up with two Mini Coopers. That alone might be enough to excite some, but more exciting for this gentleman was the ad along the side of the cars for the HP Veer 4G. That's right, we said HP Veer 4G. The 4G tag makes sense since the phone is expected to be launched on AT&T where HSPA+ is 4G.

Actually, when HP released an app for its retail sales reps last month called "Selling webOS", it listed the small, credit card sized device as the Veer 4G (that app has been pulled). In this day and age of 4.3 inch screens, the 2.6 inch screen on the Veer 4G might end up being a hard sell. HP is hoping that there is a market for such a small handset as you can tell from their tagline, "Small is the new big"

For those who really want such a small smartphone, the good news would seem to be that once you see the handset that you're dying for painted on the side of not one-but two Mini Coopers, a launch would seem to be imminent. As we reported, the HP Veer is due to launch overseas next month, apparently as a 3G device.

Thanks PB!

source: precentral

HP is using these Mini Coopers to let everyone in L.A. know that with the HP Veer 4G, small is the new big