Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile With LG just recently announcing that they have sold more than two million LG Optimus One units, it’s not really surprising that AT&T would also want to have their hands on these budget-friendly Android smartphone. It’s quite surprising how LG managed to sell one million units of the LG Optimus One in one month. Yes, folks it took LG just one month to achieve this remarkable feat. Now, about the AT&T LG Optimus One phone, what’s interesting about this is whether AT&T will rebrand this phone into LG Optimus A. Whatever their final decision will be, if you’re an AT&T customer and you’re eyeing this phone, be prepared to shell out not more than $50. Cheap, right? Well, that should go with a 2-year service plan of course. Still - very affordable. Read [LG Korea] Via [Unwired View] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones Have you been dying for another mid-ranger Android phone? A phone with a slightly under-powered CPU, a small screen and an average camera? Well, Acer is ready to give you exactly what you want with it’s relatively affordable beTouch E140, provided you live in Italy. The Acer beTouch E140 is about what you’d expect from a mid-range smartphone. It has a small 2.8-inch screen, a 600 MHz CPU, a 3.2 MP camera and all the normal radios plus one for FM. It runs Android 2.2, with a few packed-in apps with no talk of a specialized skin over the OS. The packed-in apps include Acer Spinlets to stream music and post it on your favorite social networks, Acer urFooz to create an avatar for social networks, and apps for Facebook and Twitter. Again, the phone isn’t exactly impressive, but it serves to get the job done. All we know now is that the phone will be available in Italy for 200 Euros, presumably unlocked. It seems like a great choice for T-Mobile or AT&T to pick up as a free smartphone option. Read [Phandroid] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers According to a rather small statement recently released by T-Mobile, the large U.S. carrier announced it will be manufacturing tablets with 4G access for launch in 2011. Having already launched smartphones with 4G capabilities, it is no surprise T-Mo wanted to add bigger and better products such as tablets. Interestingly, the statement made no mention of what OS would be used for the tablet, but I would venture to guess at least one tablet will launch running Android, which would be a nice complement to its ever growing list of Android smartphones. The full statement can be read below: "T-Mobile is working closely with the majority of our OEM partners to deliver 4G products by integrating HSPA+ into roadmaps in 2011 as the dominant global standard. Consumers will continue to see HSPA+ fuel future innovation in a variety of mobile consumer electronics from smartphones and tablets to emerging devices. T-Mobile will continue to be at the forefront of wireless innovation, delivering an aggressive 4G product lineup in 2011, including 4G tablets."
Via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones About a week ago, an odd story came out of Texas reporting of a Motorola Droid 2 actually exploding in the owner’s ear. As you can imagine, the story spread quickly and put Verizon Wireless and Motorola in a negative light. A Motorola employee involved with the Droid department reached out to PCMag claiming that the phone had previously been dropped and then the user unsuspectingly tried to make a call, thus resulting in the many facial stitches and bloodied phone. Even though the owner claims the phone exploded as he heard a popping noise, the Motorola employee offers this insight: [T]he only things that could explode in a phone would have resulted in a phone that did not work, yet this phone worked. And there was no explosive damage to the device (things inside blown outward, etc).
It would not be surprising if Embry decided to add in the detail that the phone exploding making for a stronger case. And in out litigious society, he is probably looking to sue Motorola and make a quick buck. However, if the phone fell and he decided to use it anyway without noticing the cracked glass, one can’t simply point a finger at Motorola. Read [Gearlog] Via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Laptops, Web, Google  While many geeks are still sitting uneasy hoping to get a knock on the door from Fed-Ex bringing a test unit of the Cr-48 Chrome OS notebook, Google has been destroying some as part of their latest YouTube video. In short, the video is showing off why using Chrome OS and working in the cloud is beneficial. You know, so you will not lose all of your data is you lose, damage, break or in this case destroy your laptop. Needless to say, if you want to see some computers being broken feel free to watch the above video—it is actually quite entertaining. Watch [YouTube] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here's your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles! - Sprint to Epic 4G users; about that recent Android 2.2 update business, it was a leak so avoid it
” It seems that Android 2.2 update news for the Samsung Epic 4G was little more than a leaked version and sure you can still follow the directions that were provided and have your handset running Froyo—but…” MORE » - Google Cr-48 Chrome OS notebook specs
” While we have seen a fair bit on the recently announced Cr-48 notebook from Google, here is a simple listing of the specs that we have so far. 12.1 inch LCD display Wi-Fi 802.11n Built-in 3G…” MORE » - Asus E600 Windows Phone 7 Hits the FCC with AT&T bands
” Remember the Asus E600 Windows Phone 7 that was spotted in the wild a couple of months ago? Since then we have not heard anything about it, until now. Said phone was reported…” MORE » - iPad 2 already in the works, might ship by February 2011?
” If Digitimes’ report this morning is reliable, we might be looking at a possible shipment of the iPad 2 starting February 2011. According to the report, Foxconn Electronics in Shenzhen, China has already been notified to start manufacturing the iPad 2. Initial…” MORE » - White iPhone or white lies?: coming Spring 2011
” According to new signage going up in Apple stores, the mythical beast that is the white iPhone will be available in Spring of next year. Apple showed off the white iPhone 4 during…” MORE » - Android 2.3 reportedly rolling out to current Nexus One users
” Earlier today Google officially unveiled the Nexus S with Android 2.3, the Android 2.3 SDK and now it looks like current Nexus One users are already getting the Gingerbread update. I guess if nothing else, this quick roll-out of Android 2.3 is a perk of having…” MORE » - Sprint officially rolls out Android 2.2 update for the Samsung Epic 4G
” There is a bit of good news for anyone sporting an Epic 4G smartphone with Sprint—the Android 2.2 update has come available. And as a bragging right of sorts, this means the Sprint and the Epic 4G have become the first Galaxy S handset in the…” MORE » - Google launches a new ebookstore, should Amazon start worrying now?
” Google has just strengthen its presence in the ebooks market as it launch the new Google eBookstore. Finally, Google has laid out its long-standing plan of collating ebook titles for several years now. The result? an eBookstore boasting of more than…” MORE » - Google makes the Nexus S official
” The Nexus S has been a long time coming, and with all the leaks we’ve known just about everything about the phone. Today Google finally formally announced the Nexus S, the first Gingerbread phone, designed to take full advantage of…” MORE » - Phone gaming kicking PSP/DS to the curb
” It would appear that according to an Interpret report that gamers are increasingly giving play time to their phones while their portable gaming units gather dust. The…” MORE »
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple Despite Apple products coming to more and more retail locations, Costco has confirmed that they will no longer be selling any—including iTunes Gift Cards. Yup, those looking for Apple will have to shop elsewhere moving forward. And while this may sound like a silly thing to post, you have to take into consideration that Costo is the largest of the membership warehouse stores and the third largest retailer overall in the US. In other words, they were probably selling a decent amount of goods. Needless to say, the removal of Apple gear is said to have been through mutual agreement between the two companies, however while Apple had no comment, Costco has stated that “in the past couple months, we agreed to wind down.” Via [SlashGear] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Computers, Gadgets / Other, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack 
What's the most common phrase heard around the Gadgetell newsroom? Is it "I love Apple?", "that's cool!" or "sweet!"? Answer: none of them, it's "they are on crack." This week we take a look back at the things that made us chuckle in the tech world. This week, it seems there were more folks on dope than not. Lets get to this week's accused: Rooting for the truth?
A tablet grab bag?
Black is the new, well, uh, black
Google’s flip on Openness 
Root for the truth, Giants or hackers? I am so confused, I don’t know who to fear. Do I fear the truth I am not supposed to see? Do I fear the Internet giants that shut down users at a governments whim? Do I fear the loosely organized hackers that reap their revenge by attacking the giants? I think I fear them all. Our Sue Walsh reports, “the cyberwar launched against several major websites by supporters of the embattled WikiLeaks continued through out Thursday, led by a group of hackers calling themselves Anonymous. The group distributed software and launched DDoS attacks aimed at disrupting sites that dropped the site as a customer, including Amazon, Paypal,Visa, Mastercard, and others.” My confusion circles back to something I teach my kids: every time you touch a computer assume that everyone is looking over your shoulders. Sure, I believe that the government should have some things that are not shared publicly to be able to do their job, but from what I’ve seen in the leaks - it’s all petty stuff. Offensive names? Sure. It’s like someone wrote down what is writ on the State Department bathroom stalls. I am not sure I can get behind shutting off accounts for Wikileaks at the governments request? Aren’t warrants needed to do such things as shut down bank accounts, stores and such? Isn’t Paypal, Visa and Amazon the modern world equivalent of a bank and store? So here I sit with my giant foam finger, unsure who to cheer on, who to be mad at and who to fear. Any suggestions? 
A tablet grab bag? Gadgetell’s Arnold Zafra says, “Notion Ink has just given more details about its upcoming Android tablet which according to them is not just your ordinary tablet device but a more revolutionary kind. First and foremost, the Notion Ink Adam will start shipping on January 6, should you decide to place your orders now.” Never heard of Notion Ink? You’re not alone. In fact, the folks interested in pre-ordering are buying it on, get this, faith. Yes faith. It is unknown if the tablet even has access to the Android Market. 7,000+ comments asking questions about the spec, about the process, about shipping and nothing offered. Even better, there’s mystery features. “One of my wish was to design a product where every fortnight you can receive a new update which isn't just a security bug fix, but a discovery of something which already existed, sort of un-locking a part.” My VW Jetta had this: one rear window stopped responding to power controls. Then I had to wedge pennies in there, just to keep the window up. Not the kind of mystery feature I hoped for. All that said, at least one variant sold out already. They must be doing something right, right? So who’s on crack: the developers or the almost site-unseen buyers? 
Matte Black suddenly is gorgeous, ugh. VIP media members are peeing all over themselves over the Google Cr-48. I had a Honda CR-125 and loved that bike. The Google version pales in comparisson. If you’ve ever wanted to see the biggest difference between Google and Apple, here it is. Google offered these units (which will never see the light of day for consumers) as proof-of-concept examples of where Google Chrome OS is at now. The hardware is matte. Matte screen, matte black, matte emotions (that means dull). Good God the thing is ugly. From afar, it looks identical to every Dell, ThinkPad I’ve ever owned spanning 15 years. I hate black laptops. Walk down any busy airport and you’ll see nothing but matte black Windows work stations where cardiac patients, er business people, peck away at their inboxes. The world is unexcited by matte black laptops. Yet, these over-hyping media outlets disagree. In fact, they find Google’s matte revolution refreshing. Are you freakin kidding me? Wired’s Charlie Sorrel: ” THe Cr-48, though, is gorgeous, coming on more like a stealth-fighter than a low-powered laptop.”
Wolfgang Gruener, Conceivably Tech: “This is not your average prototype notebook. There is a substantial amount of brainwork that went into the design of this device. Nice job, Google.”
Paul Miller, Engadget, “We’re obviously pretty taken with the hardware design look and feel” Even if Apple were showing off a new OS, you can bet it would be on something that stood out. Something that made a statement. Google’s black box is understated, unmemorable (save for a missing key, huzzah!). You say Google wanted the OS to stand out, not the laptop they won’t be selling? I say hogwash. This is the chance to make a “wow” moment and we got plain jane. Color the darn thing red, blue, or white. Heck I’d even settle for a shade of gray. Throw us a frickin bone here. It’s so boring I don’t even care about the OS. 
Google’s closed keyboard One feature you might have noticed, or not, is Google’s removal of the Caps Lock from the “revolutionary” CR-48 demo machines. It’s not an option, like leather seats, that you have to pay extra for, it’s just gone. Has Google crossed a line? Yes, says the I LOVE TALKING IN ALL CAPS fan page on Facebook. 210 “likes” strong, this group is pissed at Google disregard for keyboard openness. The group is considering a complete ban of all Google properties. Take that Google. When contacted regarding the Facebook groups actions, Google responded with more threats. It seems Google’s level of frustration with all caps is reaching all time highs, as the practice is messing with their algorithms . Google is currently re-purposing their Google Street view camera vehicles to go door to door asking permission to remove CAPS LOCK keys. Google says they are open to forcibly removing the key if it comes down to it. “If someone says they need the CAPS LOCK, chances are they are an internet troll or noob and probably deserve to have the privilege taken away. It is one privilege that we believe should never have been extended.” -Anonymous Google source. It is unclear if Google will force manufacturers adopting the Chrome OS to comply with a ban on CAPS LOCK. We suspect Congress will take up the issue, allowing public debate whether the Founding Fathers would support free use of the CAPS LOCK or if protecting us from ourselves is job #1. Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks Trying to stand out in the eBook space is difficult. Amazon seems to be the reigning king, while other big companies like Barnes & Noble and Apple are trying to carve out their place. Sometimes forgotten, Kobo is trying a new approach to eReading as a way to stand out. Kobo is trying to go social. Kobo’s newest product is called Reading Life, and it will try to make readers more involved with books. To make reading social, Kobo is trying a number of different ideas it seems. The first idea is the most obvious: readers will be able to share books and excerpts with their friends. Reading Life will also feature statistics like how often you read, how fast you read, how many pages your turned. The statistics will be able to tell you how you read and your preferences, and will also be useful for activity achievements. You’ll even be able to check-in with characters or places in the books you’re reading. Over time the books you read with Reading Life will create a personal book cover that you can then share with your friends on Facebook. Kobo’s idea is certainly interesting, and a bit surprising that it hasn’t been tried before. It seems that Kobo took all of the ideas of social networking out there at the moment, and stuck them all together. Checking into a fictional place or with a fictional character sounds just a bit strange, but it could work. Achievements seem like a good idea to make people read more, it certainly worked for Foursquare and Microsoft with the Xbox 360. Read [Business Wire] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, HDTV, Portable Video, Features, Originals Two weeks ago today we announced the giveaway—Sam’s Club was kind enough to offer up a 7 inch Vizio portable LCD TV to one lucky reader. Well, today is the day the contest comes to a close and we have picked a winner. The winning email was sent from Salina Martin. With that, if you are reading this Salina, go ahead and check your inbox as we have sent off an email asking for your shipping address. Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Gaming, Mobile, Portable  We have mentioned Dungeon Hunter 2 several times in the past and today we return with a bit of good news—the teasing has come to an end and the game is now available in the App Store. Unfortunately though, at this time the version that has come available is for the iPhone and iPod touch. That said, those interested can hit the download link below. The game is priced at $6.99.
Download [Dungeon Hunter 2 for iPhone (App Store link)] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  Earlier in the week we mentioned that Best Buy was going to be giving the iPhone 3GS away for free (on-contract) and, well, it looks like they will also be doing the same for the BlackBerry Torch. The Torch will come with the same deal, get the phone for free along with a two-year AT&T agreement. Those interested will be able to grab any of the Torch colors they prefer as the black, white and red models will all be available. With that, the one difference between the free iPhone 3GS offering and the BlackBerry Torch offering is the time—the iPhone is just a one day sale and the Torch will remain in effect for the week as part of the Free Smartphone Sales event that Best Buy is running this month.
Via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking  Facebook recently rolled out yet another new design for profile pages and fan pages, and with it came the usual flood of tech issues. According to their “Known Issues on Facebook” page, the list of glitches include missing photo albums, “Send a Message” buttons that don’t work, the inability to delete things from one’s wall, and more. The one that I found particularly bothersome was when the ability to comment on posts made on the walls of fan pages suddenly vanished. I administrate a very busy fan page so this was pretty unacceptable. It’s finally fixed but other issues remain. When I got the new profile design I discovered Facebook had taken it upon itself to create a community page for my writing business. Not only was this done without asking me if I wanted it, I have absolutely NO admin privileges or control over it. Um, hello? It’s MY business. Yes, Facebook has a “Is This Your Page” link that takes you to a form that when submitted is supposed to give you administrative control, but it doesn’t work. It dumps you into the site’s Help Center and sends you an email with a link. Click on it and you’re again dumped into the Help Center. If an email is sent, it’s firmly ignored, This has been happening for months, and the angry complaints in the Help Center and on the Known Issues page are ignored. In fact, Facebook ignores every complaint and tech issue. They never respond to anything on their Known Issues page, never respond to bug reports sent in via the form on their site, and have made their Help Center absolutely useless because the one thing they refuse to provide is actual help or customer service. It is simply impossible to reach a real, live human being and that’s unacceptable. Most other large sites provide ways to reach actual CS reps or tech support people but for some reason Facebook refuses to. This gives the impression they simply don’t care about their users, and they really ought to. We’re the ones that made you rich Mr. Zuckerberg, and unless you want Facebook to end up going down the same road as MySpace, you’d better start treating users with more respect, stop wasting time on design changes, and start caring about real site issues like the broken claim tool for community pages, the constant instability of the chat feature, and all the spammers and scammers that flood the site.
Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile  According to the latest in the rumor mill, which is coming by way of PreCentral Forum user jerseydevil, HP and Palm are planning to launch the “smallest smartphone ever available” next month in France. Of course, that leads many to believe it is the follow up to the Palm Pixi, which will appropriately be dubbed the Pixi 2. And while the details do seem a little sketchy at this time, we can say it fits the pattern given the Pre 2 launched first with SFR France. My question is, and this is coming as a Palm fan—does anyone really care that a Pixi 2 is coming? After all, not many people were that excited about the Pre 2 and the Pixi always had a little less excitement behind it.
Read [PreCentral Forums] Via [PreCentral] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Google Google has rolled out the latest update in terms of the Gmail app on Android, and while the app can now be found in the Android Market, it is only available for those running Android 2.2. In other words, everyone on Android 2.1 or below are going to have to wait a bit. As to the new features and improvements that Froyo users are being given in terms of Gmail for Android 2.3.2—improvements to Priority Inbox, improvements to Compose and the ability to respond to messages in-line. All seemingly worthy updates for the Gmail addict using Android. Read [Google Mobile Blog] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Security, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking, Websites The cyberwar launched against several major websites by supporters of the embattled WikiLeaks continued through out Thursday, led by a group of hackers calling themselves Anonymous. The group distributed software and launched DDoS attacks aimed at disrupting sites that dropped the site as a customer, including Amazon, Paypal,Visa, Mastercard, and others. Amazon dropped the site from its servers, and Mastercard and Paypal both shut down the site’s accounts, making it difficult for them solicit donations and do business. Despite having both their Twitter and Facebook accounts shut down, Anonymous continues their attacks, claiming the sites its targeting are part of a campaign against WikiLeaks goal to create more transparency in government. Some U.N. officials appear to agree with them and have expressed concern that the various shutdowns have created an air of censorship and may be violations of the site’s free speech, despite the fact their posting of hundreds of diplomatic cables has cause chaos in the diplomatic world. What do you think? Does WikiLeaks have a right to free speech? Read [BusinessWeek] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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