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Latest Gear Live Videos
Is Amazon preparing to launch an Android-powered Kindle tablet?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Handhelds, Rumors,
Is Amazon preparing to launch an Android tablet? Peter Rojas of gdgt thinks so, and the time does seem right for a refresh to the company's Kindle e-reader; the last time the product got a major upgrade was two years ago. And, as Rojas points out, there's a wealth of circumstantial evidence that points toward Amazon readying a tablet.
Apple has thoroughly dominated the tablet market since the iPad first went on sale about a year ago. The company sold more than 14 million iPads last year, and analysts project that Apple will move as many as 60 million iPad 2s in 2011 (though first-quarter sales were down). Although there was buzz that the Motorola Xoom, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, or the BlackBerry PlayBook might present some competition for Apple's wildly popular tablet, no company has yet been able to produce a tablet worthy of taking on the mighty iPad. Amazon might be the most likely candidate.
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No new game consoles from Microsoft or Sony until 2014
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Microsoft, Rumors, Video Games,
Get comfortable playing your 6-year-old Xbox 360 or 5-year-old PlayStation 3, gamers, because it doesn't like like Sony or Microsoft plan on releasing new consoles for another three years since the current consoles still have strong sales figures.
"Both MS and Sony are telegraphing to each other that they're delaying, to milk the current [generation] and fill in previous craters better," said an anonymous source, who Kotaku described as an "insider who has worked with the first-party companies like Sony and Microsoft."
Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in 2005, while Sony unveiled the PS3 in 2006. So based on the traditional five-year lifecycle of gaming consoles, a refresh is due this year.
Click to continue reading No new game consoles from Microsoft or Sony until 2014
Gallery: No new game consoles from Microsoft or Sony until 2014
All the iPhone 5 rumors in one place
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Rumors,
Looks like Reuters is the latest to add to the tally of iPhone 5 rumors. Citing three anonymous sources "with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain," Reuters claims Apple's fifth-generation iPhone will have a faster processor, and begin shipping in September.
That means mass production of the phone would have to start no later than August, with an announcement likely to come at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Reuters' report is the latest in a series of rumors about the release date of Apple's next iPhone. Most rumors about the fifth-generation iPhone have focused on when the official announcement and launch date will be, which may face delays caused by the Japanese crisis.
In case you haven't been paying close attention, here's every what various sources have reported about fifth-generation iPhone in the last few months:
Click to continue reading All the iPhone 5 rumors in one place
Gallery: All the iPhone 5 rumors in one place
Apple ending rebates on MobileMe and iWork, updates to follow?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Rumors, Software,
Apple has inexplicably ended two long-offered rebates for MobileMe and iWorks, fueling speculation that it will launch revamped versions of both software suites any day now.
"The 'Buy a Mac and Save $30 on iWork' and 'Buy a Mac or iPad and Save $30 on MobileMe' promotions will both end on April 18, 2011. Resellers must remove any reference to these promotions by close of business on that date," Apple wrote in an alleged letter to resellers obtained by 9to5Mac.
You can still download a free 60-day trial of MobileMe or pay $99 for the annual subscription; iWork is free for 30 days and $79 to purchase thereafter.
Apple MobileMe remotely stores your files and photos, and pushes email and calendar updates to your iOS device or Mac desktop. It launched in 2000 and was last updated in 2008 during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), held every June.
In December 2010, an Apple fan emailed Steve Jobs to complain about MobileMe, and Jobs reportedly replied, "Yes, it will get a lot better in 2011."
Click to continue reading Apple ending rebates on MobileMe and iWork, updates to follow?
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Samsung planning dual-core 2 GHz smartphones for 2012
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
Samsung may be developing phones that run so fast, they'll leave today's most cutting-edge dual-core phones in the dust. The company apparently has dual-core 2GHz smartphones in the works, which would theoretically be capable of 4GHz speeds, says Korea's Maeli Business Newspaper.
"We are planning to release a 2GHz dual-core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year," the paper reports a "high-ranking official" from Samsung said. "This product will have the data processing capacities of a regular PC."
The report comes as dual-core 1GHz phones such as the Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X, which was the world's first dual-core phone, are just beginning to become available. A phone running with two 2GHz chips would technically be capable of running at speeds up to 4GHz, though real-world tests almost never match specs.
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HP to tie in music and movie service to TouchPad?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds, Rumors,
Hewlett-Packard is reportedly preparing a movie and music service that would be tied to the upcoming HP TouchPad, according to a report.
According to PreCentral, HP sent out a PowerPoint presentation to some people who signed up for email notices about the HP TouchPad. That presentation included details about an upcoming HP Music Store and HP Movie Store.
The presentation included two mockups that showed, well, movies and music. A copy of the slide that PreCentral published, however, did not include any pricing.
The presentation apparently included one interesting feature, however, a sort of predictive caching.
"According to that slide, the TouchPad will come with a music syncing solution built-in that utilizes cloud servers to sync and remotely store your music," the site wrote. "More than that, it will leverage a 'smart algorithm' to ensure that the music the user is most likely to listen to is cached locally on the device. This service will also allow TouchPad owners to stream music that they don't yet own. There's also mention that this service will allow you to stream music to HP smartphones, presumably once they too are updated to webOS 3.0 like the TouchPad."
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White iPhone 4 set for April release?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Rumors, Videos,
Perhaps having exhausted all the iPhone 5 rumors, it's back to the fabled white iPhone. Reuters reports that Apple suppliers have started production on white iPhones, which could be available within a month.
Apple has not yet made any annoucements; Reuters cited people familiar with the situation. Foxconn's Hon Hai Industry Co. would assemble the devices, the report said.
Chatter about the white iPhone 4 got reignited last month after Apple released the white iPad 2, with no iPhone version in site. Phil Schiller, senior vice president for worldwide marketing at Apple, later tweeted that the white iPhone would be available soon.
"Hi Eric. The white iPhone will be available this spring (and it is a beauty!)," Schiller said in response to a follower's question about where he could get the white iPhone.
Click to continue reading White iPhone 4 set for April release?
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With iPhone 4 demand still high, iPhone 5 production not yet started
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Rumors,
Speculation is growing that Apple won't release the iPhone 5 this summer as expected. In fact, according to a Digitimes report, Apple hasn't even released a production roadmap to component suppliers yet.
Citing "sources at Taiwan-based touch panel makers," Digitimes said part of the reason Apple isn't releasing a next-generation phone is because demand for the iPhone 4 has been consistently strong. Parts shipments have also remained constant, and Apple hasn't given manufacturers a timeframe for when production of the iPhone 4 will wind down.
Apple could release a slightly modified version of the iPhone that isn't a full update, as it did with the iPhone 3GS about two years ago. It's likely that Apple wants to continue riding the momentum of its hugely popular iPhone 4 smartphone, especially as Google's Android platform gains ground. However, the company could skip releasing any kind of phone at all. The rumors, at least, suggest it's highly possible.
Click to continue reading With iPhone 4 demand still high, iPhone 5 production not yet started
Gallery: With iPhone 4 demand still high, iPhone 5 production not yet started
Apple working on hybrid E-Ink LCD display?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Displays, Rumors,
One of the features Amazon champions on its Kindle e-reader is the black-and-white E Ink screen, which puts less stress on the eye than the iPad or iPhone's LCD screen. A recent patent application, however, suggests that Apple is looking to produce a device with a hybrid E Ink-LCD screen.
Not only that, Apple's hybrid screen might have the ability to split into quadrants, with some segments displaying images via LCD and others displaying via E Ink. That, according to Patently Apple "would work very nicely with Apple's proposed use of Spaces on future iOS devices."
Specifically, Apple's patent covers a system for switching between an electronic paper display and a video display based on visual content.
"Based on the one or more features, the control circuitry could selectively enable the device's electronic paper display or the device's video display," Patently Apple said.
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The real story on why Apple is less than pleased with Best Buy over the iPad 2
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Handhelds, Rumors,
Over the past couple of days, rumors have been spreading that Best Buy has been ordered by Apple to halt sales of the iPad 2. The story is that Apple got wind of the fact that Best Buy had been stockpiling iPad 2 units, and didn't like that. However, we've got a very reliable source who just hit us up to give us the real scoop, and it turns out that it's a bit more sinister than a plan to stockpile iPad 2 units for a big weekend event.
