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- Archos G9 Honeycomb tablets hit pre-order September 20th
- SanDisk Announces 64GB MicroSDXC for mobile phones
- HTC Runnymede will launch as the HTC Bass
- AT&T 4G LTE Network in the wild September 18th
- HTC Vigor Press Image Revealed
- Android gets the nod for in-flight entertainment on Boeing 787 Dreamliner
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 hits pre-order in US from $470
- HTC Sensation and Sensation XE to hit UK October 1 in white color
- Sony announces software dev kit for PlayStation Suite to land in November
- Samsung announces new UK Premium Samsung Apps Store
- Sharp kills Galapagos 5.5 and 10.8 tablets, 7-inch version inbound
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE update coming soon, only bug fixes
- HTC Desire HD receives a Beats Audio-enabled Rom, beats Sensation XE to the punch
- Sphero for Android coming late 2011
- ZiiLabs announces Jaguar3, Thinnest Honeycomb tablet around
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 16GB for only $349 [Deal]
| Archos G9 Honeycomb tablets hit pre-order September 20th Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:47 AM PDT The upcoming Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablets from popular maker Archos are set to finally be available for pre-order soon. The new G9 tablet series was first announced in June, then quickly spotted on video a few days later. New details have confirmed they will both be available for pre-order starting September 20th.
This is the new G9 series offering both the Archos 80 and the 101, one being an 8″ Android 3.2 tablet and the other a 10.1″ standard sized tablet. Our man Chris Davies from SlashGear had some time to check them out and here is our hands-on live coverage. With optional 3G/4G modem stick slots and extended storage up to 250GB in hard drive space these offer both a competitive price, and unique features most tablets don’t have to offer. Both tablets feature dual-core processors and Android 3.2 Honeycomb combined with a slim package and much better viewing angles compared to previous Archos products. The Archos 80 G9 8GB series will start at $299 and is now available for pre-order and the rest should be available shortly at popular online retailers such as Amazon, Newegg, and more starting September 30th. Other model pricing has also been revealed at: ARCHOS 80 G9 16GB – 1.5 GHz at $329 We will be sure to get some more hands-on with these in the near future and check out all that Archos has to offer. [via Engadget] )
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| SanDisk Announces 64GB MicroSDXC for mobile phones Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:24 AM PDT SanDisk has been busy stuffing as much storage as possible onto something as small as a fingernail and today they’ve announced the 64GB MicroSDXC (extended capacity) cards for mobile phones. I know many users myself included have been using plenty of cloud storage options lately but having a 64GB MicroSD would really be awesome and I can’t wait to get one in my hands. It will be known as the SanDisk 64GB MicroSDXC “Mobile Ultra” card.
I don’t see any speed class rating on the card but most likely it will do just fine. I’ve found most SanDisk cards perform the same or better than many 3rd party options with a high rating anyways so I’ve always just stuck with SanDisk myself. Many current smartphones on the market only offer SDHC support (up to 32GB) and many phones probably wont work with these new SDXC cards yet but I’d sure love to try on all my phones I have lying around. While SDXC was announced back in 2009 I’ve yet to see phones that official support the platform so we might have to wait for more details from manufacturers unless some of our current phones already support it. Most spec sheets list SDHC as that is what is readily available. SanDisk has mentioned the 64GB SDXC cards should be available starting next month for the low low price of just $219. A high price to pay indeed but I’m sure some users will jump at the opportunity. Kingmax announced the same capacity micro’s earlier this year but aren’t for sale so SanDisk will be the first to market as usual. Would you pay $219 for a 64GB MicroSDXC card for your mobile phone, or would you rather just get by with a 32GB until prices become more reasonable? [via PCMag] )
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| HTC Runnymede will launch as the HTC Bass Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:09 AM PDT New details regarding the HTC Runnymede have surfaced yet again and sources are claiming it will be called the HTC Bass. Maybe HTC has been telling Dre to hit that beat and he’s answered with some bass. We recently received the full spec sheet of the Runnymede and more on that can be seen here. Who thinks the Runnymede will have a nice bassline?
This actually makes sense because the HTC Bass (Runnymede) has a bunch of awesome specs like a 4.7″ display and a powerful 1.5 Ghz processor but the display is not a qHD high-res screen and the processor is only single-core. Could it be that HTC beefed up the specs while keeping this mid-priced and will bundle it with some awesome Beats Audio headphones? I have a feeling that is what we’ll be seeing, because how much bass can the phone really give us especially if you use some terrible skullcandy or iBud headphones with it. We all know HTC purchased Beats Audio but I didn’t think they’d be naming many phones after it although it does give them a nice marketing ploy. We can expect to see some crazy Dr Dre commercials coming shortly no doubt (see below). According to sources the HTC Bass will be announced soon and be available sometime early next month. No official details on a date or pricing was revealed. Bonus Beats Audio Commercial [via Phandroid] )
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| AT&T 4G LTE Network in the wild September 18th Posted: 15 Sep 2011 09:48 AM PDT We’ve heard plenty about AT&T’s 4G LTE market and seen plenty of leaked phones for it too, now it seems they are finally making it official and will be launching their 4G LTE next-gen wireless network starting September 18th. They’ve already launched their first 4G LTE tablet the HTC Jetstream so whoever bought it might finally have 4G coverage soon, although only in a few markets at first.
Speaking for a conference today AT&T CFO John Stephens revealed that his carrier will finally be flipping the switch on its LTE network this Sunday, September 18th, coming to five markets. They include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston as well as plans to add an aditional 10 markets before the end of 2011. While this is a good start Verizon has been adding 15-25 new markets almost every 3 weeks as of late and are making a huge leap ahead in this race. With AT&T 4G Hotspots and USB sticks being available since August, AT&T plans for this launch to breath some fresh air into their network and boost sales. With the HTC Jetstream finally here, the HTC Holiday coming soon with 4G LTE as the HTC Raider, and possibly another Galaxy S II coming later this year with 4G LTE they have a pretty solid starting offensive line. With Verizon just releasing the DROID Bionic we sure hope AT&T plans to release something similar here very soon, they need to. More details should be surfacing regarding their 4G LTE roll-out as well as upcoming phones and tablets so stay tuned. [via PhoneDog] )
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| HTC Vigor Press Image Revealed Posted: 15 Sep 2011 09:31 AM PDT The much rumored HTC Vigor has finally popped its head out again for everyone to get a quick look. With no surprise here it looks a bit similar to most of the recent HTC offerings, although that isn’t a bad thing as they have stellar build quality. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this 1.5 Ghz dual-core powered LTE rocking phone either. More details after the break.
A few weeks back the first HTC Vigor images leaked showing us a glimpse of the backside of the phone. I feel it looks just like the DROID Incredible, and now the front has the same shape and design too with this new press photo. Latest rumors and this leaked roadmap claims the Vigor will be the Thunderbolt 2, or will at least replace the Thunderbolt. I have a feeling those rumors will be untrue and instead this will be a DROID Incredible HD or Incredible LTE. As for specs, we have what is rumored to be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a huge 4.5″ HD 1280×720 resolution display. Pair that with an 8MP camera on the rear, 2MP front for video and some Beats Audio integration things are sounding quite nice. We don’t see the Beats Audio logo but that doesn’t rule it out either. Hopefully more details on this phone drop soon, it recently cleared the FCC and we might even see it at the upcoming HTC Media Event on September 20th. [via Pocket Now] )
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| Android gets the nod for in-flight entertainment on Boeing 787 Dreamliner Posted: 15 Sep 2011 07:34 AM PDT Boeing has been working in the 787 Dreamliner for a long time now. After lots of delays one version of the aircraft is finally cleared to be delivered to buyers by the FAA. Today we have learned that Boeing, the maker of the 787 Dreamliner has chosen the Android operating system to provide passengers with in-flight entertainment like music, video, and apps. The OS may even provide airline-specific apps to passengers.
The news comes by way of Mark Larson at Boeing. The massive airliner will be fitted with Android-based servers and touchscreens. Panasonic is the company that built the screens for the Dreamliner and each seat from first class to economy will have the screen on the back. The screens in business class and first class will be non-touch because the screens will be too far away to reach them. Apparently testing is going on for gesture based screens for those seats. Boeing already has 820 orders for the giant 787 and the Android choice locks competitors out of the airline industry in at least the 787. I think that Android screens with games, streaming video, and the ability to chat with folks on the ground will make flights much less tedious. [via Ausbt] )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 hits pre-order in US from $470 Posted: 15 Sep 2011 06:17 AM PDT Samsung went official with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 Android tablet not long ago. The tablet hasn’t been out of the closet for long at all and its up for pre-order now. Laptoping is reporting that the tablet has now gone on pre-order in the US and will slot between the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Tab 7.7 in the line. The 8.9-inch screen of the new tablet has a resolution of 1280 x 800.
The WiFi only version of the Tab 8.9 has landed at Best Buy for pre-order in two versions with one packing 32GB of storage and the other offering 16GB of storage. The tablet will come later in LTE versions. Both versions of the tablet have 1GB of RAM under the hood. Other features of the tablets include a 3MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, a USB port, Bluetooth, and both are gray. We had heard before that the processor is a 1.0GHz dual-core unit. The GT-P7310MAVXAR with 32GB of storage pre-orders at Best Buy for $569.99. The 16GB GT-P7310MAYXAR pre-order will set you back $469.99. The tablets are expected to land in late September. [via Laptoping] )
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| HTC Sensation and Sensation XE to hit UK October 1 in white color Posted: 15 Sep 2011 04:29 AM PDT The HTC Sensation and Sensation XE smartphones have so far been offered in black only. Geeks like to have a choice when they are buying a new smartphone so HTC has a white version of both the original HTC Sensation and the Sensation XE coming in a few weeks. The new color devices are pegged for launch on October 1 according to UK phone seller Phones4u.
That Sensation XE smartphone has only surfaced this week and looks to be a very nice device indeed. The Beats Audio tech and the included Beats headphones will make it a superior music phone. The XE also has a faster 1.5GHz processor compared to the 1.2GHz part in the original Sensation. HTC also has some new Windows Phones coming as well. According to Phones4u, the Sensation XE in black or white will be free on £36 or more 2-year agreements. The normal white Sensation will be free on plans at £31 monthly or higher. If you don't want a contract that Sensation XE will cost you a much heavier price at £489.95 according to retailer MobileFun and the date it lands is listed as October 7. [via SlashGear] )
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| Sony announces software dev kit for PlayStation Suite to land in November Posted: 15 Sep 2011 03:42 AM PDT Sony made an interesting announcement that will make a big difference in how many games are offered from developers for the Sony line of PlayStation gaming systems and Android devices. The announcement is of the new PlayStation Suite or PS Suite SDK and the SDK will hit for software devs in November. The kit will make developing games for multiple PlayStation devices a snap.
The SDK will let the developer create content for PS Certified devices, hardware certified through the PS Suite license program and the PS Vita. What that means is that the developer can use the SDK to create games that will be playable on the PlayStation, Sony Ericsson Android phones, Sony tablets, and the PS Vita. Sony also says that it will accelerate the expansion of PS Certified devices to add new devices to the current line. Sony will provide content for the PS Certified devices starting at the end of October on the PS Store. The service will start in Japan, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and others. The SDK supports the C# as the programming language and the code runs on a virtual machine on PS Certified devices and the PS Vita. )
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| Samsung announces new UK Premium Samsung Apps Store Posted: 15 Sep 2011 02:58 AM PDT Samsung has made an announcement for the UK today that it is opening a new apps store. The store is called the Premium Samsung Apps Store for Android. Samsung says the UK is one of the first locations to get the new store offering premium apps like games and more. The purpose of the store is to sell premium apps to users that complement the free downloads that Samsung offers already.
There will be a number of apps on the Premium store and some of the more popular ones include Zenonia, the Sims 3 HD, Need for Speed Shift HD, and 9mm. Samsung notes that there is no sign up process required and the new store makes it easy for Samsung smartphone owners to get premium apps. Apps purchased on the store are paid for using a credit card. In the coming future the premium apps will be able to be billed directly to the customer’s phone bill. Future payment options will also allow the buyer to deduct the cost from a SIM card balance. The prices of the apps will vary depending on the app and the pricing is noted on a per app basis on the store. UK Samsung owners can start downloading today. )
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| Sharp kills Galapagos 5.5 and 10.8 tablets, 7-inch version inbound Posted: 15 Sep 2011 02:42 AM PDT Sharp has announced that it has ended the production of the first two Galapagos tablets, the 5.5-inch and 10.8-inch versions. Sharp isn't killing the line though, it still has plans to launch a 7-inch tablet. The two killed Galapagos tablets are no longer available to order. I would assume that means that there is no more stock on them since presumably Sharp would want to move all that inventory rather than just stop taking orders on them.
Sharp does note that it will continue to offer eBook downloads on its store. That means if you own a Galapagos tablet you will still be able to use it as an e-reader. That 7-inch tablet that is still in the works is the A01SH that we first talked about back in August. We know the tablet will have a screen resolution of 1024 x 600, a 5MP rear camera, and a 2MP front camera. It will also have a mobile broadband modem inside good for downloads at up to 42Mbps in Japan. The OS for that coming tablet will be Android 3.2 Honeycomb on NVIDIA Tegra 1 dual-core and the battery life is in the area of 7.5 hours. There are plenty of other 7-inch tablets on the market today and the hardware inside that Sharp tablet isn’t special. I hope the A01SH is cheap or I don't think it will do well. [via SlashGear )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE update coming soon, only bug fixes Posted: 14 Sep 2011 05:36 PM PDT Samsung and Verizon are all prepped to start the OTA (over the air) update for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Verizon 4G LTE (see our review) this week. Sadly the update appears to only be a very minor one that should fix some 4G LTE connectivity issues and a few other bugs.
I know many users (myself included) were hoping this would be an update to Android 3.2 Honeycomb or even the recently released Touch Wiz UX that the Wi-Fi version received but it is neither. This update is a minor software update and nothing more. While I wish we were receiving an update to the stable 3.2 Honeycomb, I’m still happy that they are providing some fixes and hopefully users have a more stable connection following the update. According to the info provided by Verizon we will see data connectivity enhancements and fixes, then a slew of improvements for email and browsing the web on your Galaxy Tab 10 with 4G LTE. Usually once these update notes appear at Verizon Support the updates shortly follow within a few days so we can expect to see this any time now. I’ll be sure to update once it starts hitting tablets. Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
 Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
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| HTC Desire HD receives a Beats Audio-enabled Rom, beats Sensation XE to the punch Posted: 14 Sep 2011 01:47 PM PDT We all know that HTC acquired Beats Audio with the intentions of bringing better audio fidelity to HTC Android phones. We have heard tons of news regarding this the past few weeks, and just this morning HTC announced the HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio. Apparently those smart developers have beat HTC to the punch and have developed a Desire HD rom with Beats Audio integration, details below.
What we have here is a full Android 2.3 Gingerbread ROM, along with HTC Sense UI 3.5 that also includes some fancy stuff from the HTC Runnymede. We first heard about the Runnymede a while back and along with it came a leaked RUU build. Apparently the developers have been digging through that and made a full ROM for the Desire HD using the Runnymede build. Included was the Beats Audio integration and they’ve nicely put everything together for us in one ROM. Being based off the Runnymede you can be sure the Beats Audio integration is authentic although any hardware changes that HTC and Beats may be making is not included, but most likely the main sound improvements come from software changes and music tweaks. This ROM is still a work in progress and they are currently working out a few bugs but many users are reporting the sound improvements alone make this worth a try. If you dare give this a run let us know in the comments below how everything works and sounds. [via GSMArena] )
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| Sphero for Android coming late 2011 Posted: 14 Sep 2011 01:22 PM PDT Well folks, this is a pretty unique accessory or game for Android that has finally entered full production mode and should be available for Android coming late in 2011. This is Sphero, and you can control it with your phone or tablet. Below are some final production pictures as well as a neat hands-on video.
Essentially we have a multicolored glow in the dark tennis ball that is completely controlled by your Android device. There is much, much more to this entire project and that is more of a simple term for the accessory. Sphero is an electronic polycarbonate ball that glows different colors depending on user settings and application options available and the video below should help you understand the possibilities with Sphero. Using on-screen controls to navigate and drive the Sphero users have ultimate control. This was originally showed off at CES with many iDevices like shown in the video but it has finally reached full production level for Android and is available for pre-order from Sphero. It may not be the most practical toy but the options and development opportunities are quite large with this. Available for pre-order now on their website for $129. Some may find that a pretty large price to pay but if you intend on developing for this it’s a small price to pay for a first hand look when the device ships. I want one to play some mini golf throughout my house and to tease the dogs. [via Androidandme] )
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| ZiiLabs announces Jaguar3, Thinnest Honeycomb tablet around Posted: 14 Sep 2011 12:37 PM PDT Today we are seeing a new tablet reference design by ZiiLabs called the Jaguar3. Many tablets are already powerful yet super thin like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the upcoming Toshiba Excite but these guys look to beat them all with this latest release. Measuring in at just 7.4mm thick for the thinnest model and 8.1mm for the larger quad-core version, yes I said quad-core — Details below.
We are still fishing through the details but back in May we mentioned the ZiiLabs quad-core processor and now it appears it might soon be hitting the market. ZiiLabs offers the processor and reference designs for other OEM’s to build on and bring to market their own Android Honeycomb tablets. Below is just one more of the many they’ve designed in the recent past.
They are super thin and sound pretty sexy but what about the other specs you ask? Here’s the details on the rest of the hardware under the hood. ZiiLabs Jaguar3 Specs: -Android 3.2 Honeycomb These options are all available to OEMs that wish to create the ultimate tablet with the ZiiLabs design. Have an ultra-thin 7.4mm dual-core tablet or the slightly thicker powerhouse with the quad-core ZMS 40 SOC. Oh and these are wrapped in a magnesium frame to be ultra strong, yet lightweight. If any of this doesn’t get you excited to see what they can do I don’t know what will. Hopefully we see some of these start to hit the market soon. [via Engadget] )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 16GB for only $349 [Deal] Posted: 14 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT For those that passed on a few of the other tablet deals in hopes for something better this may finally be for you. In what is one of the best prices I’ve seen for the Galaxy Tab yet DailySteals has the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 Wi-Fi 16GB model for $150 off retail, asking just $349. The Transformer and Acer A500 might be nice but nothing compares to the Galaxy Tab at the moment if you ask me.
We all know plenty about this amazingly thin, lightweight, and speedy tablet but just in case here is my Tab 10.1 LTE review. I’ve seen the price drop to $429 on ebay but nothing like this under the $400 level. I do want to mention that this awesome price comes with a small catch, these are refurbished units and that is the cause of this steal of a price. I don’t know about many of you readers but every refurbished item I’ve purchased has turned out just fine other than a generic box or so. I’d have no problems snagging this deal up if I didn’t already own (and love) the Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE. The deal ends in about 9 hours so you better hurry and decide, convince your wife, or whatever else needs to be done to snag this deal while it lasts. Do you guys care if they are refurbished? Or is that enough for you to pass on this deal? Let us know in the comment section below so we can better our deals searching. [via Dailysteals] )
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