Last year Microsoft let an inexpensive unlocking tool into the Windows Phone Marketplace. That app, ChevronWP7 apparently also came with a limited number of “tokens” which are now entirely gone. Microsoft gave ChevronWP7 10,000 tokens, which meant the app could only be sold a total of 10,000 times. The last fo those 10,000 sales happened at the very last minutes of 2011. So the app is no longer available for purchase, which means no more simple unlocks for Windows Phone 7. The number was agreed upon by both the creators of ChevronWP7 and Microsoft, so it was known that this was coming at some point. Now we just have to wonder if Microsoft will give more tokens for the app. Certainly not everyone wants to unlock their smartphones, but it’d be nice if those who come to the platform later would have the option. Read [The Next Web]  
We all know the story of WebOS, from the Palm Pre to the sale to HP and the eventual open-sourcing of the OS it hasn’t been a perfect journey. According to some, however, WebOS was doomed before Palm put out the first Pre on Sprint back in the Summer of 2009. According to a source talking to the New York Times, WebOS was doomed from the start because the tech simply wasn’t there. The OS was built on web standards, with the basis being the WebKit engine that’s used in Chrome and Safari. The problem was that WebKit apps wouldn’t run nearly as fast as native apps on the iPhone. There were also engineering issues, with another source telling the Times that there was nobody at Palm that was able to bring all the aspects together into one smooth running mobile operating system. The whole of WebOS was built in just nine months, which meant some cut corners in the first version. Later versions would have HP’s money behind them, but that was after key people behind the OS left. The most high-profile departure was Matias Duarte who designed WebOS and is now working with Google on Android. The whole account is actually rather sad given the potential of WebOS. The move to HP which seemed great at first, but was tarnished by the CEO shifts that went on at the company. Maybe we’ll see something great come out of the now open-sourced project, but that seems rather unlikely. Even if you didn’t like WebOS at all, the Times’ story is well worth the read to get all the details. Read [New York Times]  
Sprint’s mid-range Samsung Conquer 4G is about to benefit from a pretty sweet promotion starting on January 8th if a leaked flyer turns out to be true. Currently, the smartphone is available for $99 on a two year contract but under the new promotion, it will be dropped to $49.99 on a two year contract, and it will be available as a Buy One Get One deal. Essentially, if you purchase the Conquer 4G from Sprint any time between January 8th – March 10th, you will be eligible to receive another Conquer 4G absolutely free on a two year contract. Just to recap the specs, the Samsung Conquer 4G features a 3.5 inch touch screen display, 1GHz processor, Android 2.3, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of onboard storage, and a 3.2MP rear facing camera. Via [SprintFeed] 
  A new rumor indicates Asus has another tablet it will possibly debut at CES 2012. The new tablet, according to Notebook Italia, will have a 7-inch screen. The estimated price of this smaller tablet is expected to be $299.
Notebook Italia isn’t sure if this 7-inch tablet is just a smaller version of the Transformer Prime or if it’s the Eee Memo Pad. If we are looking at the Eee Memo Pad, expect a 1280 x 800 screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, at least 16GB of memory and support for connecting to a 3G network. The tablet will also supposedly have a keyboard dock that will transform the tablet into a mini-laptop. CES is right around the corner, so all will become clear by then. Via [Notebook Italia] Image Credit: Notebook Italia  
Hasbro isn’t the only entity to take issue with the Asus Transformer Prime. People who purchased the Asus Transformer Prime opened their shiny quad-core tablet only to learn the bootloader is locked. Asus’ Facebook page is currently littered with posts from disappointed customers criticizing Asus’ decision to lock the bootloader. By locking the bootloader, Asus is preventing the Android community from having complete control over the Transformer Prime’s functionality. Android users love rooting their devices in order to benefit from custom ROMs. A lot of the time, custom ROMs actually improve the overall user experience. As the premier quad-core Android tablet, it wouldn’t be wise for Asus to get on the bad side of the Android community. There’s always a chance Asus will provide a way to unlock the bootloader on the Transformer Prime. A lot of HTC’s devices also had locked bootloaders, but the company provided a way to unlock it due to many customer requests. Via [Asus Facebook Page]   We’re used to seeing malicious and misleading apps in the Android Market. Microsoft even capitalized on the harsh reality of Android malware by offering affected Android users free Windows Phone 7 smartphones. No matter how secure a platform maker’s app store may claim to be, there is always something that falls through the cracks. In Microsoft’s case, a fake Spotify app made it onto the Windows Phone Marketplace and is scamming unknowing customers out of their money.
The fake app is simply called “spotify.” It also uses one of Spotify’s trademarked icons. For $0.99, the app claims to allow a user “access to all new songs, trailors, [sic] lyrics new techs and news all in a same place [sic] in a single touch.” Based on the lack of punctuation, a misspelling and an overall butchering of what makes a sentence flow properly, it’s clear Spotify is not behind this app. No matter what platform you’re on, the real Spotify app doesn’t cost anything. The ability to use all the functionality of the real Spotify app will cost a monthly fee. Obviously, the fake “spotify” app does not provide access to millions of songs. It’s just a collection of links for music, tech and movie news. Site [Windows Phone Marketplace]  
Asus seems to be ready to bring back the glory days of the netbook this year. Leaking out ahead of the upcoming CES 2012 are press shots of Asus latest netbook line – now called the Eee PC Flare Series. Even more exciting perhaps is the fact that the Eee PC Flare will be available in two versions, each of them sporting a different form factor. These Eee PC Flare are the Eee PC 1225 and Eee PC 1025. Obviously, one will sport a 12-inch display while the other 10-inch. The Eee PC 1225 will be available with AMD Fusion processor and Cedar Trail. Details are still scarce for now. But we do know that the Eee PC Flare netbooks will feature the familiar chicklet style keyboard along with some discreet hinges and with the Asus logo situated on the bottom of the screen. The netbooks might also be available in various funky colors. Stay tuned with us as we bring more about these new netbook babies from Asus as we give you more coverage from CES 2012. Via [Notebook Italia]  
Those who have been eyeing the Sony Tablet S but have felt a bit turned off because of the price may be happy to learn this — the price has recently been cut. Coming by way of the Sony Style store, the Tablet S pricing now begins at $399.99 for the 16GB model. And taking that a step up, the 32GB model is now $499.99. Of course, those prices were previously $499.99 and $599.99 for the 16GB and 32GB model respectively, which means $100 has been slashed from both. That being said, the Sony Style listing is noting these as “sale” prices and the discount is instant. Both storage options are available and showing as in-stock, however we are unsure if this will end up being a permanent or temporary price cut. Otherwise, the Sony Tablet S features include a 9.4 inch (1280 x 800) touchscreen display, NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of internal storage, a full-sized SD memory card slot, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 0.3 megapixel front facing camera, 5 megapixel rear facing camera, microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack, 5000 mAh battery and is running Android Honeycomb. And lastly, the Sony Tablet S weighs in at 1.5 pounds and measures in at 9.5 x 6.8 x 0.3 inches. Via [Sony Style] and [BetaNews]  
While the details are rather scarce on this one, it looks like the Samsung Galaxy Note may be coming to AT&T. Well, that is what this image would make you think anyway. Bottom line, the web has churned up a rendered image of the Galaxy Note with AT&T branding. That being said, we have no idea if or when an official announcement will be coming, however with CES just a little over a week away at this point — we suspect that may be a good time. And assuming an announcement comes soon (during CES) we could see the Galaxy Note available with AT&T sometime during the first or second quarter of the year. And lastly, a recap of the specs — 5.29 inch Super AMOLED display, 2 megapixel front facing camera, 8 megapixel rear facing camera, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and TouchWiz 4.0. Via [SamMobile] and [AndroidCentral]  More Recent Articles | 
