Section: Computers, Hardware, Gadgets / Other, ebooks Aside from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, another player who has been slugging it out with the two giant publishers in the ebook market is - Kobo. Kobo also has an e-book reader as well as iPhone and iPad apps. It’s catalog of e-books are quite impressive and comprehensive as well. To add depth to its offerings, Kobo has just announced that newspapers and magazines are now available on the Kobo reader, iPhone and iPad apps. So if you have the Kobo reader or any of the Kobo reading apps, check out the Kobo ebookstore to get access to newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, The Seattle Times, The New Yokr Times, and more. Kobo is also treating us all for a two-week free trial in downloading any or all of these newspapers. That means you can enjoy free access to these publications in two weeks, after which you’d be prompted to get a regular monthly subscriptions for these newspapers with fees starting to as low as $13.99. Subscription to magazines starts at $2.99. Once subscribed to any of the newspapers or magazines, Kobo customers will get their succeeding issues of the publications via electronic delivery to their Kobo device or Kobo reading apps. Nothing innovative here though. Amazon has been doing this for their Kindle Store. But it’s worth noting that Kobo is trying to keep up with the major players. This gives e-book fans more options. Read [Business Wire] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Gadgets / Other, Peripherals 
The HP Envy 17 3D was first announced way back in the beginning of September, when the Envy 14 and non-3D 17 were released. Now, after nearly two months of waiting, the HP Envy 17 3D is finally available for purchase, starting at just $1599. The base model for the Envy 17 3D includes an Intel Core i7 running at 2.8 GHz, 1GB AMD Radeon HD 5850, and 6GB of RAM. The screen is 17.3-inch, HP 3D Ultra BrightView Infinity LED, with a resolution of 1920x1080. Of course, the laptop also ships with 3D active shutter glasses. There is also a Blu-ray drive included in the price, so you can watch 3D Blu-ray movies, should you find any out there. For the price, the HP Envy 17 3D is actually not bad. It’s about $1000 cheaper than the comparable MacBook Pro, and includes 3D and Blu-ray, which is lacking from any Apple product. Also available today from HP is the Wireless TV Connect. The Wireless TV Connect is a system that allows you to stream 1080p video from your PC to your TV. The system connects to the HDMI ports on both devices, and should just work, without any need for drivers. Seems simple enough, if you want to spend $200 for what equates to a wireless HDMI connection. Read [Engadget] and [Slash Gear] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Accessories, Smartphones Do you look what other people are using for cases at grocery stores, post office or on trains? Yeah me too. It fascinates me what some people are willing to live with to protect their precious gadgets. Today, we’re looking at a couple of cases from AGF: the Ballistic and the classically named Vandelay. 
The Ballistic Big. Encapsulated. Brick. Those are the three words I believe best describe the Ballistic HC (for Hard Core). Ballistic makes this case for the iPhone, BlackBerry Curve 8500 and 9300 and HTC Evo. In envision my Cousin Ben the firefighter loving this case. AGF says the Ballistic case offers four layers of protection. The iPhone get put into a hard case with snapping top piece that covers the screen with a very clear and capacitive film, so it looks and performs as you’d expect, and as a red flag item - it passes with high marks from me. An optional outer layer, that feels like silicone, gets stretched over the hard case. The buttons, volume, home and top, are covered while the mute button and pin connector have plugs over them. Using this case was better than I expected. With the phone inside this cocoon of protection, I expected some difficulty using the device. Not so. All the buttons worked as if nothing were over them. I even found the hard case somewhat attractive on its own. To be fair, hitting the mute button is tough, but I’ve not seen a case where it is easy. Here’s the iPhone with Ballistic HC case vs wall smackdown:  Extra bonus: the case comes with a nice holster. The Ballistic case sell for $49.99, a reasonable price for protection of this kind in my book. 
Vandelay The Vandelay case is a bit more basic a case but still with some protection. This case is a slide on from the bottom with a bottom cap piece that snaps into place. Available in either a red pattern or carbon fiber finish, I found the red shell to have a slightly grippier texture vs the shiny plastic of the carbon. The carbon looks and feels pretty cool though. The Vandelay seems slightly thicker than other cases, say the Speck but that’s thanks to the corner and back protection built in. The fit is unbelievably tight to slide the phone in, they nailed the tolerances on this case. No slop at all is felt. At $34.99, it’s a reasonably good case with some protection. What makes it even better is the addition of a holster, if you are into that. The holster can hold the phone in or outwards and has a very positive click letting you know the phone is locked in. Cleverly, the holster clip extends out so it doubles as a kickstand, helpful when you want to watch that Apple streaming Keynote. It’s an intelligent solution for a bonus feature. Final thoughts The Ballistic case is really impressive. Reviews on their site are all 5-star, saying things like “This case is UNBELIEVABLE!! Worth every penny!!” and “This thing is A TANK”. I think what I like best about it is the custom levels of protection - heading out rock climbing - throw on the outer layer. Just going shopping - leave it off. I like that kind of personalization that you can’t really get with other cases. The Vandelay is in no-mans land. Not a slim case and not an overly protective case. It looks OK but is too bulky for my tastes. Company site: [AGF] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers Back in October we learned of the CherryPad, which was an Android tablet that was coming with a $188 price tag. In terms of the specs, they were nothing over the top, but at the same time the seemed more than fair for a sub-$200 price point. Just as a refresher, the CherryPad was said to feature a 7 inch (800 x 480) resistive touchscreen display, 800MHz Samsung ARM11 processor, 256MB RAM, 2GB internal storage and Android 2.1. Interestingly enough, and this is the part where it began to sound a little to good to be true—they were touting full access to the Android Market. Well, it looks like that last statement may have been accurate and as of late it looks like those who were brave enough to order have been getting the runaround and in turn they are beginning to cry scam. The detail are spelled out over at CrunchGear and paint a rather unpleasant picture. “That said, folks who ordered a CherryPad probably haven't seen it yet even though news of the device first appeared in September and most CherryPads should have shipped already. One reader, WCS, wrote us saying that he expected his pad to ship on October 15. That date rolled by and on October 20 he received a "tracking number" that tracks no existing package in the UPS, Fedex, DHL, or USPS databases. And then he waited.”
Via [CrunchGear] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, HDTV, Computers, Laptops, Netbooks  BJ’s is running some decent specials in the run up to Black Friday. From HDTVs to 3D, BJs got some good prices for those looking to jump the Black Friday gun. The debate on the quality of Black Friday deals rages on as the economy putts along. This may be as good as we see as retailers look to stem losses for the year.
Here’s the deals: TVs
-Sony 55” 1080p,#KDL55EX501, $100 off, now $1199.99
-Vizio 42” 1080p, #E420VL, $50 off, now $549.99
-Samsung 3D 1080p Plasma with 2 pairs of glasses and 4 3D movies -$300 bundle, now $1699.99 (expires 11/30)
-Vizio 47” 1080p, #M470VT, $150 off, now $899 Laptops
-Sony VPCEE31FX 15.5 HD. $70 off, now $529
-Toshiba L655D-S5094 15.6 HD, $30 off, now $469 (expires 11/30) More: [bjs.com] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Web Not that long ago we heard word that Evernote for webOS was “on the back burner” and while that was disappointing to hear it was not all that surprising given the situation with Palm at that time. Well, flash forward till today and it looks like things may be getting a little brighter for Evernote users on webOS. First, we have word of an update—an update that should be welcomed for all as it will be correcting a data loss bug. The latest update for Evernote on webOS will bring the version up to 1.1, though as of now it is not yet available by way of the App Catalog. That said, it will be arriving shortly, however for those who cannot wait there is an option to download directly from the Evernote User Forums. With that, there is another bit of good news coming from the Evernote Team; “We’re also working on some more significant improvements that we will make available, first on the forum, and then in the Palm catalog.”
In other words, this is not going to be the last update for Evernote on webOS. Via [PreCentral] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones  If you’ve ever been scanned or use a scanner at a trade show, here’s something new. Launched last April, the iLeads app uses an iPhone as a lead generator. Simply scan the badge with the phones camera and you’ve got all their contact info and ability to make notes right then and there. The company is finding users are taking more notes which should translate into more sales post-show.
Old scanner rentals were slow, typically wired and cost exhibitors an arm and a leg. Bartizan’s iLeads looks to move around that old way of business by making it mobile and everywhere. I can’t tell you how many contacts I meet in line for lunch, wandering through the halls or in the loo, all places where previously you didn’t have a scanner. With iLeads, that all becomes possible. (except maybe in the loo, where it’s just bad form). “Bartizan debuted iLeads to trade show exhibitors with resounding success at the 5th International Cloud Expo in NYC. An unprecedented 90 percent of Cloud Expo’s exhibitors utilized the lead retrieval mobile app to collect their leads. Typical lead retrieval system use is low, hovering around 30 percent. This significant boost in exhibitor adoption to 90 percent illustrates the excitement and interest from show organizers and exhibitors for the latest and very best in mobile lead retrieval.” These are impressive numbers for the scanning business. So far, only an iPhone app exists though I’d expect Android can’t be too far behind. Read: [Business Wire] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Email / IM, Mobile, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking, Web Apps Can you recall the last time Yahoo did a revamp of one of its major web products - Yahoo Mail? I didn’t realize that it was five years ago. That was too long, right? Anyway, so the new Yahoo Mail interface is currently in beta preview. You can check it out by following this link. You may or may not like it but it still is a good news considering that Google has been introducing new features to Gmail, one of Yahoo Mail’s fierce competitor in the webmail space. So, what are the new features that we should expect from the new Yahoo Mail? First, it’s now faster. According to Yahoo, Yahoo Mail was re-architected from the ground up to make it perform with blazing speed. The there’s “obligatory” social features. Particularly for the new Yahoo Mail Beta, Twitter and Facebook integration is as its fullest, as well as IM and SMS. For one thing, you can now tweet or retweet or even send a text message while reading what’s in your Inbox. And when you receive an email containing Flickr, Picasa or YouTube links, you can preview the contents right inside the email. Yahoo Mail also now has a powerful search tool. This is particularly helpful if you don’t delete your email messages. Search is as sophisticated as refining it by sender, attachment file, date or folder location. Then, Yahoo also made its spam protection technology for webmail even more robust using Hadoop technology. Hopefully, the new Yahoo Mail will be a less spammy experience for all of us. Finally, the new Yahoo Mail Beta promises offer the same experiences no matter what device you are using to access your email. And yes, they’ve got a video demonstrating the new features of the new Yahoo Mail beta. Check it out after the Read link and tell us what you think. Read [Yodel Anecdotal] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Netbooks Today, Apple announced that their online store is now open in China. Previously, customers in China needed to visit an Apple store or purchase through another vendor to get Apple products (or participate in the grey market that sends someone to New York to buy a boat load of iPhones, then haul them back to China). To celebrate the opening, Apple is throwing in free engraving and free shipping. "We are thrilled to open our newest online store in China," said Tim Cook, Apple's COO. "With personalized engraving, configure-to-order options and free shipping on everything, the Apple Store is a great destination for our customers in China." Perhaps even bigger news, the App Store is now available in Simplified Chinese featuring localized apps and popularity charts specific to China. That’s pretty handy. Read: [Apple] Image credit: iphonecruncher.com Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, VoIP, Mobile, Web, Google Google Voice users have not had much luck in terms of webOS. Sure there was the gDial Pro app, however that has since been removed from the App Catalog after Google made some changes, not to mention the restrictions that prevented it from working as the developer truly wanted. But that is the past, and moving forward it looks like webOS users may have another option for using Google Voice. Of course, I say may and I use that on purpose because at this time we have the word of a developer. Granted the developer in question (Connor LaCombe, aka kandutech) seems reputable enough, and actually has a few other apps in the App Catalog however we will believe this when we see it happen. With that, the app is called Voogle and is noted as being almost ready for beta testing. Being a fan of both Google Voice and webOS I am going to be on the lookout for this one. Via [webOSroundup] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking 
Who says Myspace is dead? Not content with being the go-to for bands and pervs, the company has launched a new beta site and is rebranding. The new message: “a space where people can express themselves, enabling users to personalize the logo and make it their own – just as they can throughout Myspace.” That’s right, their logo is your logo, or something like that. We’re having a hard time, as you can see, being positive about this. So much seems disjointed and late to the game. The phrase, “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic” comes to mind. The beta site will have a mobile version, coming soon. Also planned are iPhone and Android applications for those mobile devices. If you’re blowing the doors off a new release, we’d suggest having all these pieces together, ready to go. Maybe a launch event, if you are serious. The beta site features users pages, customized with contextual content. New content bubbles up through the pages introducing the reader to new happenings, music and more. The site shows off the new Myspace logo as well. The site will also off a ton of new products. Content, trending content (ala Twitter), and badges, oh yes - don’t forget the badges. Now you can be rewarded with badges for Myspacing it up. "This marks the beginning of an exciting turning point for Myspace. Our new strategy expands on Myspace's existing strengths - a deep understanding of social, a wealth of entertainment content and the ability to surface emerging cultural trends in real time through our users," said Mike Jones, CEO of Myspace. "Myspace is unique in that it is powered by the passions of our users, who program the site by expressing interests, sharing tastes and knowledge around particular topics, and scouting out up-and-coming subcultures. This is the just the first step and there will be many more features, programs and improvements to come." Anyone getting excited on this? Read: [Myspace] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers  There you go folks, the latest mobile carrier to officially announce the availability of the Samsung Galaxy Tab happens to be T-Mobile. True to previous rumors, T-Mobile is indeed releasing this much publicized Android tablet come November 10th. And for how much? $399 under a two-year T-Mobile data contract. Other terms of the deal requires you to shell out $35 activation fee to get this tablet running once it lands on your lap.
With this announcement, T-Mobile will officially be the first carrier to make the Samsung Galaxy Tab available to Android-tablet-hungry customers. Verizon previously announced that it will be releasing the tablet on November 11. Sprint on the other hand will unleash it on November 14. Since we’ve pretty much covered the Samsung Galaxy Tab in previous news, by now we guess that you’ve probably learn so much about what this Android tablet is capable of doing based on its specs and features. But if you insist, this is how T-Mobile is marketing the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Some of its salient features include - a 7-inch multi-touch screen, Samsung Media Hub support, Slacker Radio support, preloaded Asphalt5 HD game demo, Flash support, and Qik Video Chat. So what is it going to be? From which carrier are you getting your Samsung Galaxy Tab? Read [T-Mobile], Product [Samsung Galaxy Tab] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Gaming, Portable Rumors have been circulating for what seems like forever that Sony Ericsson was working on a PlayStation-branded phone. Now, thanks to Engadget, we have what appears to be proof that such a phone does exist. The photos look like a PSP Go that hooked up with the Xperia X10, but with a stock Android build. According to Engadget’s source, the phone should be running on Gingerbread (whether that be 2.3 or 3.0), and will have a custom Sony Marketplace for games, hopefully in addition to the Android Market. For specs, it seems we have a 1 GHz CPU similar to the (800 MHz) CPU found in the G2, 512 MB of RAM and 1 GB of ROM, and a screen somewhere between 3.7- and 4.1-inches. That strip between the D-pad and face buttons is a multi-touch surface, presumably put there instead of trying to squeeze two joysticks into the device. It’s not clear if this is supposed to be the replacement to the PSP, or just another way to play downloadable games from PlayStation Network. It would make sense for the device to be put out soon as a phone that can play PSP games, or for Sony to announce the device as the successor to the PSP sometime next year. Hopefully Sony can find a way to make current PSP and PS1 games playable on this PlayStation phone, so those purchases aren’t for naught. Also, there needs to be a version of the PlayStation Phone that doesn’t have a phone, like the iPod touch is to the iPhone. But, this is all just speculation, we’ll have to wait to find out more. For now, Engadget has two galleries with more photos. Read [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile .jpg) London based newspaper City A.M is reporting the follow up to the Nexus One will be available through Carphone Warehouse. Google’s Nexus One was produced by HTC and was the top of the line phone when launched. The phone was also an attempt by Google to change up how people acquire phones as Google sold this phone direct from it’s own Android store. The experiment was not a success.
An industry source said: "It looks like Google is experimenting with the future of its mobile model in the UK. It tried releasing through a single carrier, now it is trying a single retailer.”
The paper noted the Nexus Two will ship with Gingerbread, the next release of Android OS. It is unclear, according the to the paper if HTC will again manufacture the device. The paper belives Samsung is out but Motorola may get the nod. Read: [City A. M] via [Phandroid] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks Barnes & Noble officially announced the not-so-well-kept-secret that was the Nook Color yesterday afternoon, and it looks like our sister site TeleRead was not only on site but also managed to secure some video of the presentation. So here, for your viewing pleasure is the Barnes & Noble press event, which is presented below in two videos and run for about 25 minutes in total. Via [TeleRead]   Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile We have heard numerous reports and numerous stories about the delays of the white iPhone 4. Those have included everything from issues with the glass supplier to the non-matching buttons. That said, it looks like those who happen to still be waiting are going to be waiting a bit longer. According to a recent report on Reuters, the white iPhone 4 is not going to arrive until sometime in the spring of 2011. “Apple Inc said on Tuesday that it would delay release of its eagerly anticipated white iPhone again, this time until next spring.”
For those still sporting an older iPhone and looking to upgrade to the iPhone 4. It may be time to either settle for the black model or simply resign yourself to waiting for the iPhone 5 and hoping they have the white model roll-out then. Then again, we are coming up on six months into the life of the current iPhone and what self-respecting geek wants to upgrade now knowing we will more than likely see something new in six months. Sorry Apple, but you blew it on the white iPhone 4. Read [Reuters] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Gadgets / Other 
Walgreens is taking the pharmaceutical industry to the next level by putting a Maylong 7” Android tablet on their shelves for just $99. Considering the amount of speculation that the “Indian tablet” stirred up with its impossibly cheap price, I think it would be wise for us to stay skeptical on this one. For a hundred bucks, here is what they’re offering: - Google Android™ Operating System
- LCD color touch-screen 7-inches
- Full Internet browsing capability
- Experience YouTube at your fingertips
- Easy access to emails
- Download and play games
- Included digital music, video player and digital picture viewer
- Digital picture frame
- e-Book reader
- Download and install custom Google Android™ Applications
- CPU: ARM9(VM8505+)
- Memory – RAM: 256MB DDR
- Memory – Flash: Built-in Flash
- Display – Touch Panel: 7-inch TFT LCD
- Display: Resolution 800 X 480 Pixels
- WIFI: 802.11b/g
- Input/Output – Touch Panel: Resistive type touch panel
- Input/Output – Speaker: Built-in loud speakers
- Input/Output – SD/MMC: T-Flash card slot
- Input/Output – Network/USB: Dongle for RJ-45 network and USB connection
- Buttons/Switches: Power On/Off, Volume adjustment
- Battery: Built-in Li-Polymer battery
- Charger – Input: AC 100-240V, 0.5A
- Charger – Output: 9V, 1500MA
- Tablet device with 7-inch color touch screen
- Stylus
- AC Adapter
- Network/USB dongle
- Users Manual
Not bad for $99, not bad at all. According to the fine folks over at tekgoblin, the image of the Maylong tablet looks very much like the body of an iPad with a crudely pasted image running the Android OS. In any event, I know that I’ll be giving Walgreens a call sooner or later to get to the bottom of this. It looks like they only sell the device online with a $4.99 shipping charge. If anyone of you guys happen to get your hands on this little wonder, let us know what you think of it. Read: [Tekgoblin] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Computers, Mobile Computers, Gadgets / Other, Web, Websites Quite frankly, I never really got to download Amazon’s previous iPad app. I still have the Amazon Mobile app on my iPhone but never really get to use it to shop from Amazon online. I still prefer to do my online shopping via the web browser on my Mac. With those said I don’t really know how the previous Amazon iPad app looks like or how the transaction flows within the app when you’re purchasing items. What I do know is that Amazon has decided to rebuild the said iPad app from the ground up and renamed it to - Amazon Windowshop. Amazon Windowshop is available now from the App Store. According to Amazon, Windowshop offers the same selection, same low prices, same fast delivery and same benefits of the Amazon Prime membership. Only this time, the iPad experience will be different with the top to bottom rewrite of the iPad app made specifically for the iPad’s touch screen features. Some of the nice features of the redesigned Amazon iPad app will let you discover more products within a category by mere touch of the category heading, explore Amazon.com’s catalog via categories and subcategories, take advantage of Amazon Prime membership, and definitely so much more. All of these features you get to enjoy via a vibrant and beautifully designed interface. There’s only one minor problem with the new Amazon Windowshop iPad app - you can only browse Amazon.com in landscape mode. There are other users who prefer to use their iPad in portrait mode so Amazon should consider giving this option in future updates. Still, Amazon Windowshop looks promising. And the update came in just in time for the start of this year’s shopping season. I’m pretty sure, many would be using their iPads to shop online. Product [Amazon Windowshop] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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