Internet Marketing Updates

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Samsung Galaxy Note Headed To The US Early Next Year

Yesterday we heard that Samsung had shipped over one million Galaxy Note handsets, and one thing we missed in the announcement was that Samsung has now officially confirmed that the Galaxy Note is headed to the US in 2012.

We have previously heard a rumor that the Galaxy Note would launch with US mobile carrier AT&T in January, this has still yet to be confirmed by AT&T, although now it looks like a possible date considering the recent Samsung announcement.

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Original Story Samsung Galaxy Note Headed To The US Early Next Year

Acer Iconia Tab A700 Coming To CES 2012

Acer recently launched their latest Android tablet, the Iconia Tab A200 and now it looks like they will be launching the new Iconia Tab A700 at CES 2012 in January, as some details of the device have been leaked.

The guys from NoMobile (Translated), have got their hands on some photos and details of the device and it will feature a 10.1 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels.

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Original Story Acer Iconia Tab A700 Coming To CES 2012

Friday, December 30, 2011

Sprint announces Honeycomb update for Evo View 4G tablet

Honeycomb comes to Sprint's first HTC tablet, the Evo View 4G.

(Credit:
HTC)

Sprint today announced that the Android 3.2 Honeycomb update is now ready for its Evo View 4G tablet.

Following closely on the heels of HTC's similar announcement for the Flyer, the update brings a number of important changes.

For example, the HTC Scribe digital pen will now work with all applications, essentially turning it into a navigation stylus. Additionally, the Evo View 4G now supports document signature capture, a feature that will surely please business users.

The carrier cautions that, once installed, users will find that the home screen has been reverted to the "out of box" layout. Widgets, app shortcuts, and the wallpaper will be switched back to the initial design.

There's no need to worry, though, as nothing is actually being removed. According to Sprint, the "unique structure of the Honeycomb layout" is the reason for the adjustment.

It's also worth pointing out t... [Read more]

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia

Acer already spilled the beans on its Iconia Tab A200, a 10.1-inch slab powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, but whatever happened to that Tegra 3 touting A700? It went to Russia, of course. According to NoMobile.ru, the A200's slimmer, but more powerful brother will debut at CES 2012 next month. The Ruskie site pegs the tablet's 1920 x 1200 resolution screen at 10.1-inches, which is bordered by SIM and micro-USB slots, a dedicated rotation lock switch, the standard volume rockers, an audio jack and a micro-HDMI port. On its rear they found a textured back garnished with a five megapixel camera sporting a built-in flash -- the whole unit weights 650 grams (1.43 pounds) and boasts a ten hour battery life. When can we see it? At CES, says NoMobile.ru, or in stores if you're willing to wait until March. We'll poke around Acer's offerings next month and let you know what we find. Can't wait? Follow the source link below for a few more pictures.

[Thanks, Erik]

Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

'Star Trek' mailbox glows at night

Does this mean that mail gets delivered at warp speed?

(Credit:
ModXMV)

Reddit user ModXMV has one cool uncle. ModXMV posted a pic of the uncle's creation, a DIY "Star Trek" mailbox dubbed the NCC-USPS.

In my imagination, the uncle is actually a Scottish engineer in a red shirt.

The project consists of a standard mailbox with an original-style Enterprise docked above it. This would be right at home outside of William Shatner's mansion.

The mailbox looks like it provides ample room for deliveries of back issues of "Starlog" and shipments of props purchased on eBay. There's no word on whether or not it is phaser-proof.

Here's hoping that a crew of disgruntled "Star Wars" fans doesn't come around swinging light sabers at the NCC-USPS.

The solar-powered creation lights up a night to help guide postal deliveries at late hours. It may also function as a beacon for the next time the Enterprise crew ends up back in time on Earth to save the whales.

(Via Ubergizmo) [Read more]

Electronic diaper for men siphons away pee

The Humany pad for men has a urine sensor, a suction hose, and a special pocket for you know what.

(Credit:
Tim Hornyak/CNET)

TOKYO--Downed a few too many beers this holiday season? No problem. Just tuck your organ into this electronic diaper for men and you won't have to get out of bed to visit the loo.

Japan's Unicharm Humancare recently showed off its new Robo-Humany Urine Aspiration diaper at the Eco-Products 2011 trade show in Tokyo.

The pad has a cozy penis pocket, an electronic urine sensor, and a suction tube that's hooked up to a bedside vacuum with a tank. When the diaper detects urine, the vacuum starts sucking until the pad becomes virtually dry once again.

In a demo, a Unicharm staffer doused the diaper with liquid, which was immediately whisked away in the tube to accumulate in the tank. A maximum of 0.5 cc (0.01 ounces) remained in the pad.

Compared with a regular adult diaper, the Robo-Humany pad was significantly lighter and dryer after getting several ounces of liquid. Unicharm says that after use, its automatic adult diapers are only a tenth the weight of regular adult diapers.

Designed with Japan's graying population in mind, the diapers can reduce the frequency of diaper changes, toilet trips, and the number of nursing staf... [Read more]

LG details its Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans

LG's Nitro HD, also globally known as the Optimus LTE, will be one of the first to bite into Ice Cream Sandwich.

(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)

LG unwrapped more details about its Ice Cream Sandwich software upgrade schedule for existing LG Android smartphones.

The news, which popped up today on LG's Facebook page, confirms much of what we already knew--that Optimus phones like the Optimus LTE and Optimus Black (known in the US as AT&T's Nitro HD and Sprint's LG Marquee, respectively) will indeed receive the latest Android operating system in 2012.

More specifically, the global updates will begin in the second quarter of the year for the LG Optimus LTE, Prada phone by LG 3.0, Optimus 2X, Optimus Sol, my Touch Q, and the Eclipse.

The third quarter will see Ice Cream Sandwich land on the LG Optimus 3D, Optimus Black, Optimus Big, Optimus Q2, and the Optimus EX.

Updates present a huge c... [Read more]

Apple Suppliers Getting Ready for iTV Production says Source

Rumors have been floating around for months now that Apple would be launching a new HDTV that has been dubbed the AppleTV or iTV. Apple already had the AppleTV set-top box that has been around for a while and has been selling decently in the latest form.

AppleTV

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Original Story Apple Suppliers Getting Ready for iTV Production says Source

Google Plus Hits 62 Million Users?

It would appear that Google’s attempt at a social network, Google+ is becoming more popular, according to Paul Allen, who has been releasing estimates ever since the service launched, Google+ has now reached over 62 million users.

This figure is up from 43 million users in December, and if it continues to grow at this rate, Google+ would reach the 100 million user mark by around February or March of 2012.

Google+ (...)
Original Story Google Plus Hits 62 Million Users?

Windows Phone Marketplace Reaches 50,000 Apps

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Market Place has hit a new milestone, according to a recent report there are now more than 50,000 apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

According to All About Windows Phone, 17,276 apps have been added to the marketplace in the last 90 days and a total of 8,010 apps have been added in the last 30 days.

Nokia Lumia 800 (...)
Original Story Windows Phone Marketplace Reaches 50,000 Apps

Google Activates 3.7 Million Android Devices Over Christmas

Google’s Andy Rubin has announced that the company has activated over 3.7 million Android devices over Christmas, which include Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

That works out at around 1.85 million Android devices activated per day, which is quite an increase over the normal 700,000 devices that are normally activated every day.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus (...)
Original Story Google Activates 3.7 Million Android Devices Over Christmas

Apple’s iPhone 4S Headed To China In January?

It looks like Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S is about to launch in China, and the device is expected to hit the stores around the middle of January 2012, although this has yet to be confirmed by Apple.

According to a recent report from Fortune, the iPhone 4S has now received the final certification it needs in order to go on sale in China, and the device could launch on the Chinese New Year which is the 23rd of January.

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Original Story Apple’s iPhone 4S Headed To China In January?

LCD Makers Pay $538 Million In Price Fixing Case

A number of LCD manufacturers have been accused of price fixing on LCD panels, the companies include Samsung, Hitachi, Sharp, Epson Imaging Devices and more.

It looks like the companies in the case have decided to settle, and they will pay out a total of $538 million to settle the allegations that they have fixed the prices of LCD panels over a period of eight years.

Samsung LCD (...)
Original Story LCD Makers Pay $538 Million In Price Fixing Case

Sharp Aquos IS14SH Android Smartphone Announced In Japan

Sharp has launched their latest Android smartphone in Japan, the Sharp Aquos IS14SH, which comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and the device features a 3.7 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels.

The Sharp Aquos IS14SH also comes with a slide out numeric keypad, plus an 8 megapixel camera and 4GB of built in storage, there are no details on what processor it is running.

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Original Story Sharp Aquos IS14SH Android Smartphone Announced In Japan

Sony Ericsson LT28at To be Called The Xperia Ion?

We recently saw some leaked details on Sony Ericsson’s latest Android smartphone, which has the codename LT28at and is expected to launch with US mobile carrier AT&T.

Now according to a recent report by Fusible, it would appear that the device may be called the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion, as the company has just registered this new trademark.

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Original Story Sony Ericsson LT28at To be Called The Xperia Ion?

Quad Core Meizu MX Coming Next Year?

Meizu recently announced their latest Android device, the Meizu MX which is scheduled to go on sale in January 2012, and it will come with a dual core 1.4Ghz processor.

We previously heard that Meizu will launch a quad core version of the handset, and it would appear that the quad core Meizu MX will feature Samsung’s new quad core Exynos 4412 processor.

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Original Story Quad Core Meizu MX Coming Next Year?

Untethered jailbreak now available for pre-A5 iPhones, iPads and Touches

It's just a few weeks since pod2g revealed his untethered jailbreak for iOS 5 and -- boom -- all of a sudden it's up for the DL. The exploit has been incorporated into redsn0w 0.9.10, the Pwnage Tool and Chronic Devteam's Cydia package, and it works on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (including the CDMA version), iPad 1, iPod Touch 3G and iPod Touch 4G, so long as they've been updated to iOS 5.0.1. Meanwhile, pod2g is reportedly now looking for a way to snap the shackles on A5-based devices too, but hopefully only after he's taken some rest -- a burned-out jailbreaker is no good to anybody. Full instructions are at the source link.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Untethered jailbreak now available for pre-A5 iPhones, iPads and Touches originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ASUS Eee PC 1225B proves netbooks will still be kicking around in 2012

The death of the netbook has been greatly exaggerated -- at least that's what ASUS is praying holds true for next year. Its latest addition, the Eee PC 1225B, refreshes the spec sheet seen on the 1215B. You'll find it's still based on AMD's Brazos chipset -- thus the B -- and will apparently arrive on two different gear speeds; one with an AMD C60 dual-core 1GHz processor and another toting AMD's dual-core 1.65GHz E450 APU. Up to 4GBs of DDR3 RAM and storage options starting at 320GB should ensure a respectable bang for your buck. On top of that, there's an 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 display, integrated webcam, a smattering of USB ports (both 2.0 and 3.0) and the same VGA and HDMI outputs found on its predecessor. Notebook Italia reckons that these new netbooks will start at €349 ($455). If you're not ready just yet for the heady specs (and prices) of an Ultrabook, you can visit ASUS' official site at the source for the full spec breakdown.

[Thanks Marco]

ASUS Eee PC 1225B proves netbooks will still be kicking around in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Toshiba Thrive 7" review

As 2011 draws to a close, it's fun to look back and think about how we began the year testing the first Honeycomb tablet, and are now ending it elbow-deep in me-too slates, many of them cut down to smaller sizes. So it should surprise no one, then, that Toshiba released the Thrive 7", a mini (and aptly named) version of the original Thrive, which went on sale last summer.

But in Toshiba's case, shrinking a tablet and calling it a day is a dicey proposition. After all, the 10-inch Thrive had some baggage -- namely, middling battery life, a chunky, toy-like design and a bug that initially kept it from waking after recharging. Indeed, the Thrive 7" looks near-identical, and even packs the same Tegra 2 chip, 16GB of storage and vanilla take on Honeycomb. Still, it brings an LED flash, keeps its big brother's 1280 x 800 display and costs less than the original did when it first came out. So are these improvements enough to make this smaller Thrive stand out? And how does it stack up against all those other 7-inch slates we've been testing lately? Let's find out.

Gallery: Toshiba Thrive 7" review

Continue reading Toshiba Thrive 7" review

Toshiba Thrive 7" review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

China launches high-speed test train capable of 310 mph, shaped like an ancient sword

According to an old "Simpsons" quote, there's nary a thing that can outrun a greased Scotsman. That's no longer the case, as Chinese train manufacturer CSR Corp Ltd. unveiled a 500 km/h (310 mph) high-speed test train over the weekend. The train, which consists of six cars, is shaped to look like an ancient sword, reinforced with carbon fiber, and has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts. Similar (if not identical in terms of proposed speeds) projects currently under construction include the 310 mph maglev train planned by Southwest Jiaotong University, the Tokyo to Osaka bullet train planned for 2045 and the proposed 269 mph maglev train from Anaheim to Las Vegas. The test unit is part of China's trillion dollar effort effort to build 13,000 km (8,078 miles) of high-speed rail network by 2012, and about 20,000 km (12,427 miles) by 2020. This new launch comes after a series of high-speed train-related troubles throughout 2011 in which the former Railways Ministry chief, Liu Zhijun, was accused of pocketing $122 million and subsequently terminated from his position; this was followed by a July collision between two high-speed trains in Wenzhou, which killed at least 40 people and injured another 210. Still, the new test train tops out at 310 miles per hour and is shaped like an ancient sword, so past snafus can probably be forgiven.

China launches high-speed test train capable of 310 mph, shaped like an ancient sword originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Quad-core Meizu MX may arrive in May with revamped UI, says company founder

We already knew that the dual-core Meizu MX will eventually meet its quad-core variant, but the question is when? Well, the ever elusive Jack Wong (who's actually taken a step back from the CEO position while acting as some sort of chairman) told fans on his forum that the new Android phone will probably arrive around May next year -- almost half way through the current one-year product cycle. Additionally, the Flyme OS's UI will see some big changes to accommodate Android 4.0. Can't say we're surprised, but we sure would be if the chip turns out to be something other than the leaked Samsung Exynos 4412 SoC from last month.

Quad-core Meizu MX may arrive in May with revamped UI, says company founder originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pantech Pocket review

Hundreds of smartphones of all shapes, sizes and colors pass through the doors of Engadget HQ every year, so it's natural for a few oddball devices with crazy form factors to end up in our hands from time to time. The Motorola Flipout, LG DoublePlay, Kyocera Echo and Samsung DoubleTime are all instances of carriers trying something new, seeing what sticks. Of course, pushing out a phone with an unproven form factor is a huge gamble for a mobile provider, and as a result they only ship to stores in low volume and rarely receive any kind of marketing campaign at its launch. Indeed, the vast majority of these types of phones are low-end devices aimed at young adults and first-time smartphone buyers, but we still find it adventurous to take a break from the monotony of black slabs and try out something completely different.

The Pantech Pocket is definitely unique -- not because it flips or slides a weird way or because it has two and a half screens, but because its 4-inch display, whose 4:3 aspect ratio promises 20 percent more horizontal real estate. Did AT&T's gamble on the display pay off? Is it worth the $50 that AT&T demands with a two-year commitment attached? Time to find out below.

Gallery: Pantech Pocket gallery

Continue reading Pantech Pocket review

Pantech Pocket review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

LG Prada 3.0 sashays over to South Korea because Android phones are so hot right now

Do you take your Android phones with an extra dose of designer? Then LG's Prada 3.0 is probably already on your radar, ready to mix and match with your walk-in closet of wardrobe options. This respectably specced, luxe update is right on target to hit South Koreans' manicured mitts tomorrow, with first dibs going to SK Telecom and a release on KT to follow on January 5th. The usual two-year contract pricing applies for both operators, but contract-averse users can also snag the stylish handset for 899,900 won (about $778) outright. That's the high price you pay for fashion (and a minimalist UI overlay), but at least this forward-looking device is set to fatten its figure with Ice Cream Sandwich in Q2 of next year. Of course, by then, it'll already be terribly gauche to own one anyway.

Gallery: LG Prada 3.0 phone