In This Issue... - Opera Mini 6 and Opera Mobile 11 announced
- AT&T announces the 10.1 inch 4G capable Acer Iconia Tab A501
- Verizon is bringing LTE to 145 markets by the end of 2011
- Netflix streaming is currently down
- Apple iPad 2 international pricing for the Uk, Canada, Germany, France and Australia
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has stock Gingerbread, 6 games
- Apple continues rolling out the iPad 2 on Friday
- Rant: Pundits are confusing emotions with economics of AT&T / T-Mobile deal
- Check Amazon for 6 Gold Box video game deals today
- Nokia Astound Symbian smartphone announced for T-Mobile
- Samsung 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon tipped as the Droid Charge, may be arriving April 7th
- HTC EVO 3D smartphone specs revealed ahead of official announcement
- NPD says American's love big screened phones
- Digital Chocolate unleashes the undead on Facebook with Zombie Lane
- Boxee to release version 1.05 by end of March, will arrive with "huge browser update"
- RIM announces BlackBerry PlayBook Wi-Fi release details including prices & dates
- Apple sues Amazon over the Appstore
- Amazon launches the Appstore right on schedule
- T-Mobile Sidekick 4G will sell for $99.99 on contract
- T-Mobile G-Slate by Lg will be $529.99 on contract
- T-Mobile G2x will be it's first 42 Mbps 4G phone
- T-Mobile doubles "4G" speed in some cities, more to come in the future
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 images and specs leaked ahead of CTIA
- Google updates Latitude app for iPhone, adds 30 languages to Google Places
- Twitter turns 5 today
- Sprint to launch the Nexus S 4G this Spring, packs Android 2.3, 1GHz processor
- Mtable desktop stand review
- Sprint BlackBerry 4G PlayBook page points to summer launch
- More Recent Articles
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Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Web, Web Browsers Opera has just announced the latest versions of two of its mobile browsers - Opera Mobile 11 and Opera Mobile Mini. In case you’re not aware, Opera Mobile 11 is the mobile browser meant for Android, Symbian and Meego smartphones while Opera Mini is the version for used specifically by smartphones with slower platform. As such the Opera Mini compresses date before rendering it to your phone to speed up your browsing time. In addition, the new version of Opera Mobile 11 fully supports HTML5 and offers fast, powerful web browsing if your smartphone is running on unlimited Internet data plan or on Wi-Fi. While the Opera Mini browser is best used for phone on pay-as-yo-go plan as it reduces the date consumer by your phone when browsing the web. As for the new features of these two mobile web browsers, both now have improved scrolling, panning and zooming capabilities, pinch-to-zoom for devices that support this, share button for posting to Twitter, Facebook, My Opera and vKontakte, and most especially these browsers also now support tablet devices and are in fact optimized with a brand new interface. If you’re looking for an alternative browser for your smartphones or tablets, you might want to give either the Opera Mobile 11 or Opera Mini 6 a try. via [Opera] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware Image via: Slashgear Acer’s bid to enter the growing tablet market in the U.S. just got a boost by way of getting support from none other than AT&T. The Acer Iconia Tab A501 4G Android tablet will be released by AT&T starting this summer. Although pricing and distribution details are yet to be announced, it will be interesting to find out how the Acer tablet will fare up with the currently available and soon to be released tablets in the U.S. such as the BlackBerry PlayBook, Motorola XOOM, Samsung Galaxy Tab and of course the iPad 2. Does the 10-inch Acer Iconia Tab A50 stand a chance at competing against those tablets? It seems like so, especially if you’re going to look at what this tablet will be offering. These include - Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, NVIDIA Tegra 250 1GHz dual core process with integrated graphics, high-resolution display with wide viewing angle, 5MP rear-facing camera, HD front-facing camera for video chat, and HDMI port for 1080p video playback on HDTVs. Hopefully, AT&T makes the Acer Iconia Tab 501 affordable enough to make it competitive with other tablets. That’s possibly the only way to get a piece of the tablet market share, especially since Acer is joining quite a bit late already. Via [PR Newswire] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile If you live in a mid-sized city in the US, it looks like you’ll be able to enjoy Verizon’s 4G LTE sometime by the end of this year. Verizon has just announced 39 new markets, with a total of 145 markets getting the advanced network by the end of this year. The map above shows where Verizon Wireless is planning to roll out LTE. The yellow and green dots are where it is already in place. The green stars are where Verizon will put 4G by the end of the year. It looks like major cities in almost all states will be enjoying the 4G speeds by the end of the year. Those in Wyoming, Montana, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware, Virginia and Alaska are left out in the cold for now. All other states will have at least one city with 4G coverage by the end of the year. Read [Droid-Life] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Content, Video Providers, Web, Online Music/Video A disappointed three year old with an iPod touch and the Netflix app prompted me to head on over to the Netflix website—and low and behold—they are down. Bummer. Anyway, if you check out the site as of now you will greeted with the dreaded reminder that the ‘cloud’ is not always as perfect as we hope it is. The message reads as follows; “We're sorry, the Netflix website and the ability to instantly watch movies are both temporarily unavailable.”
But rest assured, they also note that “engineers are working hard to bring the site and ability to watch instantly back up as soon as possible.” Lets just hope soon really means soon because an angry three year old without the ability to watch Netflix on her iPod touch is not a fun way to spend an evening. Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware Apple has confirmed the international release of the iPad 2 to 25 more countries this coming March 29. The iPad 2 will be released at exactly 5 p.m. local time on Apple’s authorized resellers and distributors in those countries, as well in their respective online stores starting 1 a.m. Prices for the iPad 2 in those 25 countries as given by Apple is based on the U.S. pricing so it will depend on local taxes to be applied by the respective countries. So, if you really want to know how much the iPad 2 will cost these countries, you have to check their respective Apple Online Stores. AppleInsider is running down a breakdown of iPad 2 pricing in the UK, Australia, Germany, Canada and France. These iPad 2 prices are as follow: UK iPad 2 Prices - 16GB Wi-Fi - £399.00
- 32GB Wi-Fi - £479.00
- 64GB Wi-Fi - £559.00
- 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G - £499.00
- 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G - £579.00
- 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G - £659.00
Canada iPad 2 Prices - 16GB Wi-Fi - $519 (CAN)
- 32GB Wi-Fi - $619 (CAN)
- 64GB Wi-Fi - $719 (CAN)
- 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G - $649 (CAN)
- 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G - $749 (CAN)
- 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G - $849 (CAN)
Australia iPad 2 Prices - 16GB Wi-Fi - A$579 inc GST
- 32GB Wi-Fi - A$689 inc GST
- 64GB Wi-Fi - A$799 inc GST
- 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G - A$729 inc GST
- 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G - A$839 inc GST
- 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G - A$949 inc GST
France iPad 2 Prices - 16GB Wi-Fi - 489 € including VAT
- 32GB Wi-Fi - 591 € including VAT
- 64GB Wi-Fi - 693 € including VAT
- 16GB W-Fi + 3G - 609 € including VAT
- 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G - 711 € including VAT
- 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G - 813 € including VAT
Germany iPad 2 Prices - 16GB Wi-Fi - 479 € including VAT
- 32GB Wi-Fi - 579 € including VAT
- 64GB Wi-Fi - 679 € including VAT
- 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G - 599 € including VAT
- 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G - 699 € including VAT
- 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G - 799 € including VAT
The question now is how many iPad 2 units will be available on March 29 in those countries? So, good luck in getting your iPad 2 folks! Read [Apple] Via [TiPB] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile Well this is a bit surprising. It looks like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play won’t be loaded with the typical Sony Ericsson Android UI. Instead the Xperia Play will be sporting a stock version of Gingerbread. The photo above was taken by the guys over at Phandroid, and it clearly shows a simple Gingerbread UI on the Xperia Play. A Verizon representative confirmed for them that the Xperia Play will indeed not have a lot of customization in terms of the interface. Not sure if that means the Timescapes apps found in other Xperia Android phones will be there, but you can easily ignore it if it is there. The phone will obviously include the PlayStation Suite, and Phandroid found a total of six games hiding inside. The games will be bundled with the phone at launch and include Crash Bandicoot and Madden NFL 11. When the phone does launch it’s not clear if the games will be trials or full games. We did hear before that Crash Bandicoot would ship with the device, so at least that one should be a full version. For the rest we’ll just have to wait a while. Read [Phandroid] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple After a successful US launch a few weeks ago Apple will be rolling out the iPad 2 to a few more countries this coming Friday. Those countries will have to follow all the same rules we did, even though they had to wait a while to get theirs. On Friday, March 25 Apple will launch the iPad 2 in 25 countries. Those countries include Canada, Mexico, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Austria, Ireland, and a number of other European countries. For each country the iPad 2 has the same suggested pricing in US dollars, so it should cost about the same. The same rules apply where buyers will have to wait until 5 p.m. local time to buy the iPad 2 in stores. Or, you can buy the tablet online at 1 a.m. Those in Asia will have to wait a bit longer for the iPad 2 as Apple has announced that Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea among others will see the iPad 2 sometime in April. Read [Apple] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Features, Originals 
What about Pepsi? How will RC Cola ever succeed? Coke is too big and buying other bottlers will stifle innovation and make life worse for all of us. Oh please. The clamor over the falling sky regarding the AT&T - T-Mobile hook up is getting to be a bit much don’t you think? Luckily, you’ve got me to help guide you through what is overt emotion and what just makes sense. While the soda pop analogy isn’t perfect (you’ve got limited spectrum and past monopolies to work through) it isn’t too far off in the big picture. Let’s take another look at the “losers” the media has put forward: Google From Om Malik, “I think the biggest loser in this could be Google. In T-Mobile, it has a great partner for its Android OS-based devices. Now the company will be beholden to two massive phone companies — Verizon and AT&T — who are going to try to hijack Android to serve their own ends.” Malik doesn’t mention that really, AT&T and Verizon are/have been trying to hijack Android from the word go. Yes, T-Mobile was first to market with an Android phone but it’s time to stop pretending that they were the reason it is succeeding. T-Mobile is a #4 carrier, don’t pretend like their influence changed the course of history. Android will do just fine on AT&T, Verizon Sprint and any number of the MVNOs they get onto. Why? If Android is nothing else, it’s competition. Competition for iOS, competition to restart Motorola, I am certain competion will continue to thrive under a new regime. Manufacturers Again from Mr. Malik, ” they just lost any ability to control price and profits on handsets because now there is a single buyer that can dictate what GSM phones come to market. Even with LTE becoming the standard for the 4G world, it would essentially be a market dominated by three buyers (should Sprint go with LTE), which would place handset makers at the mercy of the giants.” I’d argue they never had this power. Who besides Apple, dictates pricing, profitability and what phones can come to market? Does Apple have anything really better than a good design and marketing? What is stopping HTC from repeating this? I’ll tell you what is: history. For years, companies just made whatever the carriers would buy - the very devices we hated or loved because of their simplicity. Packed to the gills with bloatware, carriers stuffed in added money making schemes. I’d argue Samsung is doing a better job with their Galaxy line but it’s becoming too diluted with all the variations. If consumers want it bad enough in the new paradigm, carriers will have no choice but to bring it out or fear it on another network. We also shouldn’t forget that running more of one model phone is more efficient than running 14 different customized varieties for each different carrier. There is some cost savings here that can be passed along to keep pricing constant. Innovation Phandroid: “Less competition means less innovation (T-Mobile USA was the first to launch an Android Phone, a testament to the underdog taking risks whereas the industry giants can afford to play "wait-and-see" or become complacent with their current offerings. Less competition means fewer choices (fewer devices, less service plan variety, etc…)” Are we already forgetting that lumbering giant (albeit #2) AT&T made the deal to get the iPhone out? Verizon answered with the Droid. Are there better phones on the market that are not making it to the top players? Has T-Mobile pioneered good phones that were not gobbled up (and arguably done better with marketing getting the device into way more hands?) by the big carriers? If there is money to be made (keep reading to the Consumers section and you’ll see there is) innovation will be alive and well. Sprint From Business Insider: “Sprint used to be able to say, “at least we’re bigger than T-Mobile.” Not anymore—Sprint will officially be the runt of the U.S. wireless industry, and may have to find a buyer.” Wow. I expected a bit of a better argument from BI that moved beyond name calling. FYI, I suspect Sprint will do just fine, in fact, they’ll gain customers becuase of this. If you’re a T-Mobile customer now, you’re either a loyal German (T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telecom) or not a fan of bigger companies like Verizon and AT&T. That latter part is not going to change (to be fair, being a loyal German probably won’t change either). Sprint will gain because they are the little guy and there’s enough Americans with the “stick it to the man” attitude to keep them afloat for some time to come. Perhaps, in the carrier business, it’s time for the “we’re #3 and we try even harder” motto to rise. Consumers Yes, I’ll yield prices will probably go up. A bad thing for consumers? Not necessarily as bigger margins will draw more to innovate to grab a piece of it. Sprint is a very real player here and could be the spoiler if AT&T oversteps its warrant. If AT&T jacks up the pricing, expect an exodus to Verizon and probably more likely, Sprint. Manufacturers, eager to get phones on one of the 3 carriers might resort to building better phones, faster devices, more compelling purchases to attract business. That’s a good thing for consumers in my book, even if we have to pay a little more to get it. Spectrum From Matt Maroon: “This will be particularly disastrous for mobile networks because, since they operate via radio waves, it requires a potential upstart to acquire large amounts of spectrum to compete, and in this day in age there isn't much left to go around.” Now this is a good argument, only it really doesn’t have anything to do with T-Mobile and AT&T. This assignment of public spectrum has been flawed from the get go. No matter how you slice, any company that gains an advantage in spectrum without paying limited resource pricing (especially if we have run out as Mr. Maroon suggests). As limits on resources become apprent, price go up (gasoline anyone?). That escalation should have been made a price to pay for aquisition. It’s not like governement couldn’t see this coming (see United States vs AT&T, 1974). This is a valid point and something that should be addressed immediately, outside of an AT&T discussion. AT&T didn’t cause this. Summary Spit at me, give me the bird, disagree with my logic. The fact remains that this isn’t the apocolypse everyone is seeing. This is business. Big ones buy little ones when there’s something to be gained. In America, we champion the little guy. Rarely are Consumer Reports #1 rated products the best sellers. Consumers emotions change buying habits. Apple and other companies rely on this emotion. Don’t let the pundits emotions get confused with how the market will react. Have no fear that awesome mobile devices will continue to evolve and come to market at an ever-quickening pace. AT&T, Verizon and/or T-Mobile can’t stop this freight train of technology.
Image credit: Phandroid Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile It looks like the previous Nokia C7 coming to T-Mobile rumors were indeed accurate. The handset is going to be called the Nokia Astound and is set to arrive on April 6th for $79.99. Though worth noting on that price, it comes after a $50 mail-in-rebate and along with a two-year agreement. Otherwise, the Nokia Astound will feature a 3.5 inch capacitive touchscreen display, 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and 720p video recording, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and will be running Symbian^3. In addition, the Astound will come with access to Nokia’s Ovi store as well as with some pre-loaded goodies including Facebook and Twitter integration, games such as Fruit Ninja and Slacker Radio for your streaming music needs. Via [Nokia] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Samsung and Verizon announced a 4G LTE smartphone during CES and well, it has since been an unnamed device. Well, flash forward till today and it looks like it has been named. Of course, before we spill the details on the name we should point out that this is still unofficial. In other words, these details have not arrived by way of Samsung or Verizon. That said, it looks like the handset will be called the Droid Charge. And furthermore, for anyone that has been anxiously waiting for this device to come available, it looks like that may be happening sooner rather than later as word of a Costco pre-order has been leaked and is said to begin on March 24th. And slightly better yet, the Droid Charge is expected to be available and in-stores beginning on April 7th. Otherwise, for those who may have forgotten or just need a refresher on the specs, the Droid Charge (formerly known as the Samsung 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon) will feature a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display and 1GHz Hummingbird processor along with an 8 megapixel rear facing camera and 1.3 megapixel front facing camera. Via [Droid-Life] and [AndroidCentral] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile While we are still waiting for Sprint to make the official announcement, it looks like the specs of the HTC EVO 3D smartphone have been revealed by way of a product card found within a CTIA booth. With that, the EVO 3D will arrive with features to inched a 4.3 inch qHD (960 x 540) 3D touchscreen display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, rear facing 5 megapixel camera with flash, front facing 1.3 megapixel camera and Android along with HTC’s Sense user interface. Otherwise, the rear camera will be capable of recording 1080p video in 2D and 720p video in 3D. Via [PocketNow] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile 
We love big things in America: big cars, big houses, big waistlines and apparently big screened mobile phones. According to a new study by NPD, the fastest growing segment of mobile phones occurred in the 4.0” and larger while phones with 3.5” to 3.9” screens remained mostly flat and smaller than 3.5” nosedived. It would seem as devices become more capable, screens will grow to provide users with a better experience. Fueled by phones like the HTC Evo 4G and the Droid X, 4.0” to 4.5” segment grew to encompass 24% of the market in Q4 after debuting in Q2 of last year. The mid range screen sized devices remained constant seeing just a 3% increase in year over year numbers landing at 40% of the market. The smaller screen segment was hit hard as smartphones become more popular; the segment showed a 27% decrease landing at 34% for the quarter. “The explosion in Web and video content available for smartphones has caused consumers to rethink their phones’ sizes,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. “Larger displays offer a richer media experience, as well as a roomier surface for on-screen keyboards. Handset vendors are continuing to push the envelope of pocket real estate to complement the video capabilities of 4G handsets.”
Is talking on a giant phone in your future? Let us know in the comments. Read: [NPD] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Content, HDTV, Web, Online Music/Video While we are still waiting on the complete change log from Boxee, it looks like they have spilled the details on an upcoming update for the Boxee Box which is set to arrive before the end of this month. The update was detailed by the VP of Marketing from Boxee on the TechWebcast podcast and notes that this will bring users up to version 1.05. As to the changes that one can expect to see—a “huge browser update.” And by that they are apparently referring to a browser that will now have access to more (flash-enabled) websites as well as more speed in terms of launch and page load times. Plus, there was also said to be improved support for HTML5 as well as CSS3. With that, Boxee users should be on the lookout as we are more than half-way through March as it is. In other words, this update should be arriving sooner rather than later. Via [techAU] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers It looks like the BlackBerry PlayBook details that everyone has been waiting for have arrived—the availability date and the pricing. In short, the PlayBook will be available in the US and Canada beginning on April 19th. In terms of pricing, $499, $599 and $699 for a 16GB, 32GB and 64GB model respectively. And as for where you can make the purchase, in the US that will be at Best Buy and in Canada that will be at Best Buy and Future Shop. And lastly, for those who feel like they cannot wait any longer and need to part with their hard earned money—pre-orders will be available in the US as well as Canada beginning today. Keep reading to check out the full press release… Via [RIM] Minneapolis, MN and Waterloo, ON - Customers eagerly awaiting the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet can begin placing their orders today. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) and Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), a preferred retailer for the BlackBerry PlayBook, today announced the pricing and launch date for the highly anticipated tablet in the U.S. and Canada. The BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi will come in three models, featuring 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at $499, $599 and $699 respectively. It is scheduled to be available from all Best Buy stores and Best Buy Mobile stores in the US, as well as Best Buy and Future Shop* stores in Canada, on April 19. Customers in the US and Canada can place their orders beginning today by visiting their local Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile or Future Shop store or by ordering on-line (after 8am ET) at: U.S. – www.bestbuy.com/playbook Canada - www.bestbuy.ca/blackberry or www.futureshop.ca/blackberry “Previews of the BlackBerry PlayBook have generated tremendous excitement and we know that customers are eager to get their hands on one,” said Craig McLennan, Regional Managing Director, North America, Research In Motion. “We share that excitement and we are very pleased to announce that customers can begin placing their orders with Best Buy today.” "Tablets are becoming a bigger part of our business everyday and the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook will heighten the level of excitement in this category," said Scott Anderson, head of merchandising for Best Buy Mobile. "RIM has a tremendous history of producing great mobility products for our customers and we are excited to help launch the BlackBerry PlayBook." BlackBerry PlayBook is the world's first professional-grade tablet. It features an ultra-portable design and delivers industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development environment. BlackBerry PlayBook specifications: - 7” 1024x600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
- Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
- 1 GHz dual-core processor
- BlackBerry® Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
- MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
- Support for high resolution video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)
- 1080p HDMI output
- Dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
- 1 GB RAM memory
- Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
- GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
- Stereo speakers and stereo microphones
- Wi-Fi® (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
- Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support
For more information about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, please visit www.blackberry.com/playbook.
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Apple It was going to happen eventually, we all knew it, Amazon even knew it from the start. Apple has decided to sue Amazon over the name of it’s new Appstore for Android. In case you didn’t know, Apple has the trademark for the term App Store. Amazon simply removed the space to make it into “Appstore” rather than “App Store,” possibly as an attempt to avoid a lawsuit. In the filing Apple points out that other companies have found other words to use. Microsoft has the Marketplace, Google has the Market, App Catalog for Palm and App World for RIM. Apple says it reached out to Amazon three times and was forced to bring the suit about after Amazon failed to give “substantive response.” In Amazon’s defense, other companies have used the term “App Store” before. Even Apple’s big competitor Google has used it for the Web App Store. It’s simply the easiest way to describe a store for applications. It doesn’t make sense for that to be a trademarked term. Whether or not the term is generic enough will probably the crux of many arguments in this case, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. One thing is for sure, though. It won’t really matter what Amazon calls it’s app store after users get it so they can buy Angry Birds Rio. That should buy enough loyalty for a while. Read [Bloomberg] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile As rumored Amazon has officially launched the Amazon Appstore today. The Appstore gives Android users another way to find and purchase quality apps, plus a few perks to test the out before you buy them. One of the most interesting features of the Amazon Appstore is the “Test Drive” option. Basically Amazon let’s you test out the app straight from your web browser. The app opens in a Flash container in your browser, where you can try out the basic functionality (stuff like the accelerometer and presumably multitouch won’t work) of the app before you spend the money. Not all apps seem to be available to test drive at the moment, but the one I was able to test (Bubble Buster) seemed to work pretty well. If you’re still averse to spending money on apps Amazon has you covered with a free app every day. It’s almost like the GoldBox for apps, but they’re free instead of deeply discounted. Apps that aren’t free have the option of being less than you’d find them in the Market as well. Amazon reserves the right to cut prices on apps below the developers list price. Don’t worry, though developers are still getting paid at least 20 percent of the list price no matter what price you get them at. So Amazon even pays the developers for free apps. The first free app is the anticipated Angry Birds Rio, the perfect way to get users to buy into the Appstore. Amazon seems a bit proud of the fact that it landed an exclusive for the app, as it should be. Signing up to get the Appstore is pretty simple, the first time you try to buy an app Amazon asks for your email or phone number. Amazon will then send you a message with a link and instructions to download the Appstore and your apps. Read [Amazon Appstore] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile Surely you’ve been waiting for news on the next phone in T-Mobile’s Sidekick line. We certainly have been, and we’ve finally got some news about the pricing of the phone which should make the teens the phone is made for quite happy. According to Engadget, the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung will be selling for a reasonable $99.99 on contract after a $50 mail-in rebate. That’s on a two-year contract, assuming you’re buying the plan with unlimited data (that’s a minimum of $79.99 a month). If you want the phone but only need the 200 MB per month plan you won’t get the $50 mail-in rebate. So, you’ll be stuck paying the full $149.99 for the Sidekick 4G. That’s not such a bad thing, however. The pricing seems perfect for the teenage market that should love this phone. If you’re not a teen it’s still a great price for the phone. But, since the phone has a dedicated emoticon button this is obviously meant for those who spend more time texting than sending emails. Either way, $99.99 is a great price point for the Sidekick 4G to bring a true smartphone to the texting masses. Paying $149.99 isn’t too bad either. Read [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers After a few months of waiting we finally have some more details on the 3D-capable LG G-Slate which T-Mobile is calling the T-Mobile G-Slate by LG. No, we don’t know what you can get your hands on a device, but we do have a price for you. The 8.9-inch G-Slate will sell for $529.99 alongside a 2-year contract. This being T-Mobile that number is after a $100 mail-in rebate, so you’ll have to dole out $629.99 plus tax at the register. You’ll also be stuck with two years of monthly data fees for the tablet. On the plus side, you’ll be able take advantage of T-Mobile’s 4G network with the device, which means you’ll be able to do some video calling with Qik. Not sure if that means you’ll be able to use the new and improved 42 Mbps network, though. For that price you also get the aforementioned 3D-capable screen and two cameras on the back to record 3D and 1080p video. If that’s not enough, you’ll have to be really in love with both Honeycomb Android and T-Mobile. Or perhaps you could wait for a WiFi version to see if that’s any less expensive. Read [T-Mobile] and [T-Mobile] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile T-Mobile new 4G speed increase is well and good, but it’s a bit worthless without devices to take advantage of it. The first phone to take full advantage for the 42 Mbps offered by T-Mobile increase will come from LG, and will be available sometime this spring. The first phone to take advantage of this network will be the T-Mobile G2x by LG. It’s better known as the LG Optimus 2X, which was announced in January as the first dual-core Android smartphone. It sports the Tegra 2, an 8MP camera on the back and a 4-inch screen. It will be free of any sort of custom UI, favoring stock Froyo. Would be ncie if it were Gingerbread, but stock is better than having a horrid customized UI. Instead of the custom UI the T-Mobile G2x will have a number of built-in apps. There’s Need For Speed Shift HD to show off the power of the Tegra 2 and the screen. There’s also DTS Ultra Mobile which is supposed to give you “a premium surround sound experience.” That sounds a bit difficult, but it should be interesting to play around with. Other pre-installed apps include T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik, T-Mobile TV, N.O.V.A. (a Gameloft-developed FPS) and Zinio eReader. The last, possibly most interesting bit of software is Nvidia’s Tegra Zone so you can find games that really take advantage of the Tegra 2 CPU. The phone only has a release date of “later this spring” and no price as of yet. With any luck we’ll get both of those in the near future. Read [T-Mobile] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile Despite the recent announcements of AT&T buying T-Mobile the latter company won’t just stop making improvements. To help kick off CTIA T-Mobile has announced that it will be doubling it’s 4G data speed. The speed increase means that T-Mobile’s 4G network will theoretically be able to reach 42 Mbps. The first markets to get the speed increase are Las Vegas, New York and Orlando, Fla. Those markets will be closely followed by Chicago, Long Island and Northern New Jersey. It seems like T-Mobile is catering to the East Coast, but the company plan to have the increased speeds too 140 million people in 25 markets by mid-year which should hopefully won’t be so East Coast-centric. Those theoretical speeds are faster than the connection I get at home. Not sure how much we should realistically expect, but even 10 Mbps less at 32 Mbps would be pretty amazing. T-Mobile will likely use the move to further criticize AT&T and it’s poor “4G” network. This could make for an awkward year while the deal goes through. Read [T-Mobile] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware Samsung is set to announce the latest iteration of its highly successfull Samsung Galaxy Tab in time for the CTIA. Pocket Now was able to snag some publicity photos as well as found out some specs of the said new Galaxy Tab. So we now know that it will be an 8.9-inch tablet running Android 3.0 Honeycomb and will have Live Panel homescreen with custom widgets and an app switcher similar to BlackBerry PlayBook. Other things to look out for from the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet include - 1280x800 resolution which is slightly higher than the pixel density of the Motorola Xoom. Additionally, the tablet will be as thin as 8.6 mm and weighs only 470g. Of course, the tablet will have a dual-core 1GHz processing chip. So, what is it going to be for you? Motorola XOOM or this new Samsung Galaxy Tab? via [Pocket Now] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Web, Web Apps, Google Google has just made two important updates to its Latitude app for iPhone as well as Google Places. Not only can you see where your Latitude friends are on the map as well as share you location with them using Latitude iPhone app but you can now also check in at specific places. For Android users, you may recall that this check in feature was made available earlier. Of course it goes without saying that if you use the check in feature of Latitude for iPhone, you’re friends can now easily find out when you checked out to a specific places. That case they would know if you’re still there in case they want to meet you. To use this feature, you just tap the “check in” button to start checking in at nearby places. Similar with Foursquare, the more you check in to the same place will gain you special statuses such as Regular, VIP until you become the Guru. For those checkin in to places in Texas, you’ll also be able to gain various offers at more than 60 places. Using Latitude for iPhone’s check in feature is also 100% opti-in, so if you mind your privacy, you can always opt not to use this feature. The new version of Latitude for iPhone is available now from the App Store. If you have the app installed before you can just hit up the update button to get the app’s latest version. And while you’re at it, you might also wan to check if Google Places app is already available in your language. Google has already updated the app to support 30 more languages. via [Google Mobile Blog] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking, Websites It’s hard to believe that Twitter has been around for five years already. The website has garnered an army of users over the years from average Joes to celebrities. Company co-founder Isaac “Biz” Stone made a somewhatheart-felt post on the Twitter Blog thanking users, co-workers and chronicling milestones of the social media website. “Twitter users now send more than 140 million Tweets a day which adds up to a billion Tweets every 8 days—by comparison, it took 3 years, 2 months, and 1 day to reach the first billion Tweets,” Stone said. “While it took about 18 months to sign up the first 500,000 accounts, we now see close to 500,000 accounts created every day. All of this momentum and growth often pales in comparison to a single compassionate Tweet by a caring person who wants to help someone in need.” It is undeniable the connectivity and advertising possibilities Twitter has brought to the table over the past few years. The only thing to wonder about is the sheer magnitude of daily tweets and their affects. A recent study performed by an analytics company known as Sysomos showed that 75% of all tweets go unnoticed. While this statistic might be an inevitability (as there are some 140 million tweets flying around daily) it would be good to see users refine their posts in order to have a more lasting resonance within the tweeting community. Here’s to another five years of growth, Twitter. #SocialMedia Read [TwitterBlog] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones 
Earlier today, the Sprint website prematurely leaked information about the Google Nexus S 4G launching on Sprint and mentioned it would be fully integrated with Google Voice. Well, only a few hours later, Sprint officially confirmed the rumors involving the Google Nexus S 4G smartphone. It is nearly identical with the Google Nexus S that launched several months ago, but features complete integration with Google Voice and includes the coveted 4G radio. Assuming you live in an area covered by Sprint’s WiMAX 4G service, the Sprint Nexus S 4G will definitely be a great phone to consider. Unfortunately, the product release is set to take place sometime in the Spring for an unknown price point. The major specs and features of the device include a 4 inch Super AMOLED contour display, 5MP rear facing camera, VGA front facing camera, Android 2.3, 1GHz processor, and NFC. The full feature list can be read below: • 1GHz Samsung application processor that produces rich 3D-like graphics, faster upload and download times and supports HD-like multimedia content along with a dedicated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to make playing mobile games, browsing the Web and watching videos a fast, fluid and smooth experience
• 4-inch Super AMOLED display with pinch-to-zoom
• Android 2.3, Gingerbread
• Android Market™ for access to more than 150,000 applications, widgets and games
• Google Voice™, an innovative service that offers advanced calling controls, makes it easy to manage up to six devices with one Sprint phone number, with intelligent call routing and advanced call controls like call screening, blocking and recording, and online management of SMS, voicemail and call logs at www.google.com/voice
• Google mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Maps™ with Navigation, Google Calendar™, Voice Actions and YouTube™
• Messaging – personal and business email and text messaging, as well as IM through a Google Talk
• Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which allows the device to read information from everyday objects, like stickers and posters embedded with NFC chips
• 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability supporting up to six Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously
• Integrated GPS
• 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps
• 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) – peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n Entertainment
• Dual camera: rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with camcorder and flash, and front-facing VGA camera
• Stereo speakers
• Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
• Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack Specifications
• Dimensions: 4.88 inches x 2.48 inches x 0.44 inches (124 mm x 63 mm x 11.2 mm) (LxWxT)
• Weight: 4.62 ounces (131 grams)
• Display: 4-inch (480 x 800) Super AMOLED touchscreen display
• Battery: 1500 mAh Lithium-ion battery
• Memory: 16GB Internal Memory (ROM)/512MB (RAM)
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers Rumors of the PlayBook have been swirling for the past few weeks pointing to an April launch. Now that launch is looking mush less likely as Sprint has finally put up a page for the PlayBook on it’s website. The Sprint page for the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook claims that the 7-inch tablet is set to be available “this summer.” The page basically just lists the specs and features we all know by now. There’s the 7-inch screen, the dual-core 1 GHZ CPU, multitasking, dual HD cameras, Flash and the option to get other BlackBerry features like BBM and email by connecting it to a BlackBerry smartphone. Through the new site you can sign up to get updates about the device, hopefully with prices and a firmer release date. Perhaps we’ll learn more at CTIA when it kicks off tomorrow. It seems a bit unlikely since Sprint already has a bunch of new devices to talk about at the show. If we do hear something, we’ll be sure to let you know. In the mean time RIM has given you plenty of time to debate the choice between the PlayBook, all the new Android tablets and of course the iPad 2. Read [Sprint] via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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