Patent Filing Shows Possible HTC Media Player

HTC Media Player

(Image Credit: patentbolt.com)

It seems that HTC may be preparing its own personal media player that may compete with the iPod Touch of Apple. This reported HTC media player was revealed through a patent design that was uncovered recently by Patent Bolt, which also gave some of the details of the device.

The patent design for the purported HTC media player was applied for by the company in 2011 and it may feature a design similar to the latest smartphones being offered by the company.

Speakers are found along the bottom and top portions of the HTC media player which would give indications of a possible stereo sound feature. Another speaker is also located at the back of the device along with the typical kickstand of HTC and a camera.

The design also shows a micro-HDMI or a micro-USB port on the HTC media player and it may also feature a 3.5 mm headphone jack to link the device with a speaker set or docks.

Although the design of the HTC media player shows the appearance of an HTC smartphone, there were no indications of GSM, 3G or even LTE connectivity according to Patent Bold. This also hints at the possibility that this supposed HTC media player may feature Wi-Fi connectivity which is similar to the Galaxy Player of Samsung.

The reported HTC media player did not come as a surprise to some industry watchers since HTC has invested a good amount on the Beats technology. The upcoming offering of the device will allow the company to start making its own niche in another market.

The supposed HTC media player may benefit from the recent rebranding of the Google Android Market into Google Play since it is expected to have a number of new Google apps and games.

Aside from the increasing number of apps and games on Google Play, HTC may also create its own collection that may be used on the reported HTC media player.

Buying and Contributing With ModMyPi Raspberry Pi Casing

Raspberry Pi

(Image Credit: wikipedia.org)

The Model B of the Raspberry Pi recently became available in the market although a number of consumers appear to be waiting for the latest stocks to be produced and shipped. While waiting for the release of the new stocks of the Model B of the Raspberry Pi, consumers can look for a way in putting together a case for the product.

The Raspberry Pi does not come with a case although it has no problem when it is being used. However the internal components of the device can be protected if it will be placed inside a case.

Marco Alici, a hobbyist designer, was able to create a case design for the device although there is supposedly another case that is already scheduled for release and comes with an enticement to purchase it.

The latest case for the Raspberry Pi is produced by MOdMyPi, which features a split design and will have five color options, blue, black, red, white and green. Buyers of this case for the product will not only have a choice of mixing up the colors which will allow users to have a two-color casing for the Raspberry Pi.

The price tag of the ModMyPi casing is at $12.70 for the white and black color options and is scheduled to be available by April 5. The other color options will require another $3.15. International shipping will also be added to the total cost of the casing which would give it a total price tag of $18.99.

However it appears that buyers of the ModMyPi casing will also help the Raspberry Pi Foundation since five percent of the profits of the company from the sales of the Raspberry Pi casing will be donated to the foundation. This will give the charity another source of funding depending on the popularity of the casing.

Restraining Order Against Asus Transformer Prime Sales Denied

Asus Transformer Prime

(Image Credit: asus.com)

The release of the Asus Transformer Prime was not without hitches since Hasbro asked for a restraining order to stop the company from using the Transformer name in selling the tablet.

According to Hasbro, the Asus Transformer Prime resulted to confusion between the name Optimus Prime and Transformers. The lawsuit was filed by Hasbro last December at a federal court in Los Angeles. The toy manufacturer also accused Asus of taking advantage of the association between the toys and the new tablet.

But the temporary restraining order request of the toy manufacturer was denied by a judge.

According to the judge, the toy manufacturer was not able to show that there was confusion among consumers on the toy products and the Asus Transformer Prime. He also indicated that the company was not able to prove that the continued sale of the Asus Transformer Prime will affect irreparable injury.

The Asus Eee Transformer device was the initial tablet from Asus that can be converted into a laptop and uses the Android OS of Google. It was initially unveiled by the company during the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. The Asus Transformer Prime was later introduced by the company to become the first Android-powered tablet to feature the Tegra 3 processor of Nvidia.

Following the ruling, a representative from Hasbro indicated that the company was disappointed with the ruling and it aims to continue to fight to protect the company trademark. However it was not all good news for Asus sine the court filing also showed that sales of the Asus Transformer Prime for the months of March and April only reached around 80,000 units.

How Will The Next Amazon Kindle Fire Be Promoted?

Amazon Kindle Fire

(Image Credit: amazon.com)

A ten-inch version of the Amazon Kindle Fire may be in the works if latest reports are to be believed. Even as the exact sales figures are not available, the Amazon Kindle Fire appears to be the best competition to the iPad of Apple so far.

With sales reaching a couple of millions, the Amazon Kindle Fire is the best-selling tablet that does not use the iOS of Apple. Despite using an Android OS, the tablet offering of Amazon gets its promotion and support from the Amazon ecosystem instead of the Android.

In fact a number of observers do not consider the Amazon Kindle Fire an Android tablet and simply an Amazon product. Due to this, some are speculating on what the next version of the device will offer into the market. Some have hinted at a more business-focused tablet.

Earlier reports have suggested that a ten-inch version of the Amazon Kindle Fire is under development, which would put it in direct competition with the Apple iPad and other Android-powered tablet. Entering this segment in the market will result to more competition for the upcoming version of the device.

The success of the Amazon Kindle Fire was primarily due to the $199 price of the device, which targets buyers who may have developed some interest in tablet devices and would not want to spend too much for the device. The price tag of the Amazon Kindle Fire shows the retail-savvy of the company.

Some observers have also indicated that the possible ten-inch Amazon Kindle Fire may not be priced at under $200 without affecting the present market of the device. With a price higher than the price tag of the current Amazon Kindle Fire would not make it too appealing to impulse buyers, who may have a hand in the string sales of the original device.

It will be necessary for more enticements to be given by Amazon in order to encourage consumers to purchase the ten-inch Amazon Kindle Fire, which may affect the sales of the current version of the device. It would not be a good idea for Amazon to have its own products competing against each other, making it quite difficult to market the next version of the tablet.

However with a company such as Amazon, it may have something in mind in order for the company to promote the current version and the upcoming ten-inch Amazon Kindle Fire. It would boil down to the promotion for the two devices with one being promoted as an e-reader while the other can be promoted as a video device that also functions as an e-reader.

This will remain uncertain until the supposed ten-inch version of the Amazon Kindle Fire is finally launched into the market by Amazon.

Motorola Blade To Feature Design of Droid Razr

Motorola Mobility

Three unannounced units of smartphones from Motorola saw their details and images revealed recently. Among these smartphone trio is a device that may carry the name Motorola Blade.

The initial specifications as well as images of these Motorola smartphones, including the supposed Motorola Blade, were leaked online recently and it showed that they have a similar design as the Motorola Droid Razr and the Motorola Atrix 2. These upcoming smartphones are expected to be released into the international market.

The first smartphone is the device that is anticipated to carry the name Motorola Blade. This particular smartphone appears similar to the Motorola Droid Fighter, which was also leaked recently.

The supposed Motorola Blade will feature a display screen of at least 4.5 inches and will feature soft keys near the bottom of the device. The camera at the back is supposed to be an HD camera which hints at a 8MP to 13MP unit.

The supposed Motorola Blade is also as slim as the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, which hints at a 3300mAh battery. The Motorola Blade name was based on threads at Phone HK.

Aside from the supposed Motorola Blade, information about the Motorola XT760 was also leaked recently. Featuring the Gingerbread Android 2.3 OS, this mid-range smartphone has a touch-only design and may feature a qHD TFT LCD display with a resolution of 960 by 540.

The smartphone also features a dual-core 1GHz ST Ericsson chip and an 8MP camera with an autofocus function.

The third Motorola smartphone that was leaked recently was the MT680, which is similar to the Motoluxe. The device features a WVGA LCD display screen with a 480 by 800 resolution, dual-core 1GHz or 1,5GHz processor, 5MP camera, and the Gingerbread Android 2.3 OS.

The actual names of these smartphones remain uncertain including the supposed Motorola Blade particularly with the tendency of Motorola to name the international versions of their devices using their model number.

Drop Test Conducted For iPad 2 and New iPad

New iPad

(Image Credit: apple.com)

A drop test was made recently to find out which tablet offering of Apple will last longer. The test involved the iPad 2 and the new iPad, which may shock some consumers.

A video showed the iPad 2 and the new iPad dropped on a hard surface at different heights. It was a conducted by SquareTrade, a consumer electronics warranty firm. However it appears to be an unscientific test as the video shows people smiling as the two iPad were dropped face down on a hard surface.

Watching the video may scandalize observers since it also produces a recurring shattering sound of the internals and screen of the iPad 2 and the new iPad. However it also shows that the display of the new iPad may not be as durable compared to that of the iPad 2 although some may say that there was no difference at all.

Nikon D800 Tops Recent Image Sensor Test

Nikon D800

(Image Credit: dpreview.com)

A recent sensor test evaluated the latest high-end DSLRs that were introduced by the biggest digital camera manufacturers in the world. Basing on the image sensor test conducted by DxO Labs, the Nikon D800 has outclassed some of its competitors in the market.

The latest 36MP high-end DSLR from Nikon scored 95 in the sensor test of DxO Lab. The test evaluated a number of sensor attributes whenever the Nikon D800 is used in shooting raw images and the sensor of the Nikon D800 reportedly has “no weak points”

Three features were reflected by the score achieved by the recently unveiled Nikon D800, the color depth, low-light performance, and dynamic range.

The color depth measures the accuracy and vividness of the color. Low-light performance evaluates the capability of the camera sensor in capturing images under dim light with little image noise while dynamic range is the range between the full complete white and full black of the image.

For the moment the inventory of the Nikon D800 is still short and it may take some time before the supply will be able to equal the demand for the DSLR. The score is shows the quality of the image when it is converted into an 8MP image. The resolution of a camera can overcome image noise when the image is viewed in a particular size.

However zooming into the image will show a different story and photography enthusiasts who would want to look into the performance of the Nikon D800 can look into the pixel-by-pixel image based on the scores given by DxOMark.

The dynamic range of the Nikon D800 topped the test for dynamic range as it spanned 14.4 exposure values. Each step up will increase the amount of light by twofold.

The color depth of the Nikon D800 was also the best among dull-frame DSLRs or cameras with a sensor size of the 35mm of the old film camera. The medium-format image sensors were the only models to outperform the upcoming Nikon DSLR although these models were much more expensive compared to that of the Nikon D800.

However the Nikon D800 finished third in low-light photography due to the high megapixel number which results to smaller individual pixels. The Nikon D4 SLR is the top the low-light performance test since it has a smaller number of pixels, which were also larger.

The performance of a camera is based on its sensor although this is only one factor that will determine whether a camera is a good buy or not. The Nikon D800 is far much better compared to the Nikon D700 and is considered similar to that of the Nikon D4, which is designed for use among photojournalists due to its better durability and low-light performance.

 However despite the result, it is still uncertain if the Nikon D800 will outperform the Canon 5D Mark III. Until an evaluation is made, it will remain uncertain.

Image of Panasonic Lumix GF 5 Leaked

Panasonic Lumix GF 5

(Image Credit: slashgear.com)

An image of an upcoming Micro Four Thirds digital camera from Panasonic was supposedly leaked recently although some observers have some doubts on the reliability of the supposed image of the Panasonic Lumix GF 5.

The leaked image shows that the Panasonic Lumix GF 5 looks like a combination of the body of the Panasonic Lumix GF3 and the grip of the Panasonic Lumix GF1. The upcoming offering of Panasonic will feature a twelve-megapixel sensor that has an enhanced signal-to-noise ration which will give it a quality similar to the Panasonic Lumix GF3.

The Panasonic Lumix GF 5 will also feature an ISO of up to 12800 while the autofocus is reportedly fast. The fact that the image looked like a vintage filtered photo and the skipping of a number from the Panasonic Lumix GF3 has resulted to doubts on the veracity of the supposed image.

However if the leaked image is genuine, the Panasonic Lumix GF 5 will hint that Panasonic is branching its Micro Four Thirds series to two directions, for the serious photographers and ordinary photography enthusiasts. The G, the GH, and the  GX series of camera is designed mainly for serious photographers while the GF series has less features and controls compared to the firmer.

Since the Panasonic Lumix GF 3 was not much of a success, some observers are speculating if the Panasonic Lumix GF 5 will be able to help flagging sales of the company.

Shortage in the Nikon D800 Supply Anticipated

Nikon D800

(Image Credit: dpreview.com)

It appears that the supply of the new Nikon D800 DSLR may be running low, which would make it much more difficult for Nikon fans to purchase the device.

Nikon Japan reportedly posted a notice which will make it quite frustrating for a number of consumers who may wish to get their hands on the Nikon D800. The latest 36.3 MP full-frame Nikon DSLR, which entered the market on March 22, comes with a number of features including the capability of recording 1080/30p videos.

According to the company, the reservations and rather high demand for the Nikon D800, the inventory appears to come out short and it remains uncertain as to when additional units will be available for Nikon fans.

However the notice posted by Nikon Japan has not given any information on whether the D800E is also affected by the shortage. This alternative to the Nikon D800 does not come with the anti-aliasing filter, which facilitates the increase in eth sharpness of the image.

For the moment Nikon USA has not issued any statements in connection to the shortage in the supply of the Nikon D800.

Added Cost of New iPad Absorbed by Apple

New iPad

(Image Credit: apple.com)

The cost of the 32GB 4G version of the new iPad is reportedly higher compared to a similar model of the iPad 2. However it appears that this extra expense was not passed on by Apple to its customers. Instead the company is absorbing the nine percent extra cost for this particular model of the new iPad.

The higher cost for this model of the new iPad was caused by the increase in the cost of producing the next version of the Apple tablet. Despite the increased cost, Apple has not increased the price tag of the device.

A recent tear-down analysis made by HIS iSuppli showed that the cost for the components of the new iPad for the 32GB 4G model was nine percent higher compared to the iPad 2 that features 3G connectivity.

The cost of producing this model of the new iPad is $375 with $11 going to the assembly while $364 for the components. This is more than fifty percent of the price tag of the device in the market which is at $729.

The increase in the cost of the components of the device can be attributed to the retina display of the new iPad along with the bigger battery and the 4G LTE connectivity feature. The cost of the retina display, which is produced by Samsung, is around $87 or $57 higher compared to the display used on the iPad 2.

The applications processor of the new iPad is also produced by Samsung and may be the source of the battery cells for the device. This would indicate that half of the cost for the components of the device is due to the components produced by Samsung.

Distagon T* 2.8/15 Announced by Carl Zeiss

Distagon T* 2.8/15

(Image Credit: dpreview.com)

May will see the delivery of the camera lens with the widest angle from the Distagon line, the Distagon T* 2.8/15 according to the premium camera lens manufacturer, Carl Zeiss.

The upcoming entry into the Distagon lineup will feature a super wide angle lens will have a price tag of $2,948 when it will be released into the market.

The Distagon T* 2.8/15 will likely appeal to photography enthusiasts who are focus on landscapes and architecture which require wide shooting angles that offer more time to manually focus the lens. The Distagon T* 2.8/15 will join the other fixed focal length lenses of the Distagon line from 18mm up to 35mm.

Only a small number of clients will be able acquire the Distagon T* 2.8/15 due to its high price. Despite this the German lens manufacturer continues to maintain its position among photography enthusiasts and professional who may be eager to acquire the device given the reputation of the company that offers lenses with a premium reputation, optical quality, and a solid build.

The Distagon T* 2.8/15 will feature fifteen optical elements which include a pair of aspheric elements along with glass that has an unusual partial dispersion that offers an amazing improvement for chromatic aberration. The chromatic aberration happen naturally as different light colors travel in different paths across the lens. This will result to color fringes in high contrast areas particularly along the edges of the image.

The distortion is controlled extremely well on the Distagon T* 2.8/15, which is not easy to do for super wide angle lenses that have the tendency to bend parallel lines outward. The close focus distance of the Distagon T* 2.8/15 is 25cm and does not offer any autofocus, which is normal for the lenses from Zeiss. Due to this focusing will be done by the users themselves.

The Distagon T* 2.8/15 also has its own built-in lens hood for protection although a 95mm screw-on filter can still be added into the lens.

First-Time New iPad Buyers Account For Half of Users Surveyed

New iPad

A survey conducted by UBS showed that around 46 percent of buyers of the new iPad were first-time buyers of the device. The survey was conducted among users who lined up in New York during the Friday launch of the latest version of the tablet offering of Apple.

Around 38 percent of the new iPad buyers were reportedly upgrading their original iPad units while the remaining 16 percent was not specified by the investment company.

The survey also revealed that 45 percent of the buyers were aiming to purchase the 16GB version while 54 percent wanted the Wi-Fi only version of the new iPad, which has drawn more buyers compared to the first iPad. Since users already have a data plan with their smartphones, it was a possibility that they did not want to get another device which also requires a data plan for the users.

Long lines greeted the flagship store of Apple in New York with 78 percent of those in line did not try to order the new iPad online before heading to the local Apple retail outlet. The first weekend following the release of the new iPad saw sales reaching three million units and the waiting time is currently around three weeks for users who order the new iPad online.

UBS had earlier projected sales of around twelve million units of the iPad by the end of the first quarter of 2012 although if the inventory of the device was higher, the projection would go higher. UBS has also indicated that the stocks of Apple may reach around $675. Currently Apple shares are just under $600.

Apple had also announced recently that a quarterly dividend will be given by the fourth quarter in the current fiscal year. This follows the record sales of the new iPad, which was higher compared to the initial sales of the two previous versions of the device.  The dividend is worth $2.65 for every share of Apple stocks.

Following the release of the new iPad, industry watchers have started to home into the upcoming iPhone 5, which is expected to be released sometime in October. 

Canon 17mm-40mm F4 L USM Successor May Be On Its Way

Canon 17mm-40mm F4 L USM Lens

(Image Credit: canon.com.au)

The Canon 17mm-40mm F4 L USM lens is considered as among the more popular lenses of Canon. It is one of the best-selling lenses in the lineup of Canon and it appears that a successor may be in the offing.

A recently-discovered patent filing by Canon showed the supposed details of a replacement for this particular lens.

The new lens will reportedly come with a variable aperture range of F2.8 up to F4. The F2.8 aperture of the upcoming replacement to the Canon 17mm-40mm F4 L USM lens will facilitate the capture of sharper images under lowlight conditions. This is reportedly an enhancement from the Canon 17mm-40mm F4 L USM lens.

The moderate pricing coupled with its high quality has made the Canon 17mm-40mm F4 L USM lens among the most sought-after lenses of Canon. The F4 aperture of the lens along with its ultra-wide angle has also contributed to its popularity especially when photography enthusiasts use it on a full-frame digital camera.

The Canon 17mm-40mm F4 L USM lens is among the cheapest L lenses in the market. For the moment, no other details are available on the upcoming successor to this widely used Canon lens.

Android-powered Camera Being Considered by Samsung

Samsung is currently among the elite manufacturers when it comes to Android-powered smartphones. However it appears that the South Korean company may not limit itself to smartphones using the Android OS since Samsung is apparently looking at the possibility of manufacturing an Android-powered camera.

A recent report on Engadget revealed that Samsung is taking into consideration the possibility of an Android-powered camera.

During a tour inside the headquarters of Samsung, apparently the research and development department of the company was looking into using the Google OS on a digital camera.

This does not come as a surprise for some industry watchers since Samsung has been in the forefront of developing Android-powered devices. Due to this it is reasonable enough for the company to explore the possibility of developing and Android-powered camera.

However no prototypes were shown by the company since the Android-powered camera concept was still being considered by the company.

Although it is still being considered, if the company decides to produce an Android-powered camera, it will not be the first to do so since Polaroid had unveiled earlier the Polaroid SC1630 Android smart camera during the Consumer Electronics show near the start of the year.

According to Polaroid, the 16MP camera, which features a 36mm to 108mm zoom lens, may enter the market within the year. This will be the first of a number of devices that Polaroid will be producing in the future. Some industry watchers have been anticipating an Android-powered camera but no such device was made available in the market up to now.

Even though numerous photo apps are available for Android devices, some industry watchers have indicated that an actual Android-powered camera will be better compared to the camera units found on tablets and smartphones that are currently being offered in the market.

Sony Alpha SLT-A57, Featured-Filled Entry-Level DSLR Camera

Sony Alpha SLT-A57

(Image Credit: asia.cnet.com)

Sony introduced the Sony Alpha SLT-A57, the successor to the Sony Alpha A55V. The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is the most recent translucent-mirror digital camera of Sony that offers users new features even as the integrated geo-tagging capability was removed.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 comes with a better body design and better image processor even though it has an identical resolution as its predecessor. The new camera offering from Sony will offer better image quality although it may not fully use its maximum ISO 16000 sensitivity.

Some of the features that come with the camera include the Auto Portrait Framing feature which facilitates the positioning of the subject within the frame using face detection. Cropping on the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is also facilitated by the same feature using face detection, which has exasperated some observers since the technology used by Sony makes sure that the image is 16MP rather than using the size it was cropped in.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 also uses AVCHD 2, which supports 1080p videos, and comes with the new EVF. The camera also features the first-curtain shutter found on previously-released models along with the Picture Effects feature.

Instead of using an optical viewfinder, a phase-detection autofocus system on the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 features is run using its fixed internal reflex mirror since the Sony Alpha SLT series uses an LCD viewfinder together with a three-inch LCD screen.

The burst shooting mode of the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is reportedly faster than DSLRS from Nikon and Canon that have the same price as the Sony camera. The Sony unit can shoot 12 fps using the 8MP resolution while the 16MP resolution allows the device to shoot 10 fps.

At full resolution the burst mode is at 8 fps using the manual aperture control.

Sony compared the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 with the D5100 of Nikon and the EOS Revel T3i of Canon which showed that its auto-focus system was more versatile with its fifteen discrete auto-focus points that are found on three cross-sensors.

Some industry watchers have indicated that the features offered by the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is suitable for the price point it is offered in, which may be appealing to a number of videographers and sports photography enthusiasts who are conscious of cost.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 with the 18-55mm kit lens has a price tag of $800 while the body-only kit is priced at around $700.

Keeping In Touch With Class Through The Tag Heuer Racer

Tag Heuer Racer

(Image Credit: racer.tagheuer.com)

Tag Heuer is a manufacturer of luxury watches from Switzerland and it appears that the company will be offering a luxury Android-powered smartphone, the Tag Heuer Racer.

The GT Racing cars were the inspiration of this luxury avant-garde Android smartphone that will cost a little over $3,600. The Tag Heuer Racer will feature a sock-proof rubber chassis and is made of titanium and carbon fibre.

Although reports have indicated that the Tag Heuer Racer will come with the latest Android software, the four buttons positioned in front of the device hint at the Android 2.3 OS instead of the Android 4.0 OS.

The design of the Tag Heuer Racer evokes of elegance and the classy style that the watchmaker is noted for. Sleek lines, exposed screws and muscular angles call to mind the sophistication that this Android-powered device will offer to users.

The Tag Heuer Racer also looks tougher compared to other smartphones in the market including the last smartphone that the watchmaker offered into the market, the Tag Heuer Link. Due to this appearance some industry watchers are expecting the new device to feature water-proofing, shock-proofing and the Gorilla Glass display.

For the moment no detailed specifications were revealed about the Tag Heuer Racer although it is expected to create some buzz once it enters the market.

The Tag Heuer Racer will have a few rivals in the luxury smartphone segment which include the BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9981 that is available at Harrod’s, Vertu Constellation T of Nokia, and the AEsir AE + Y, which costs nearly $47,000.

The Tag Heuer Racer is expected to be available at the boutiques of Tag Heuer along with a number of luxury mobile and jewelry shops by July.

Cheap Messaging With the LG Rumor Reflex

LG Rumor Reflex

(Image Credit: letsgodigital.org)

Latest reports have indicated that Sprint will be adding another entry into its LG Rumor phone lineup, the LG Rumor Reflex.

Aside from offering the LG Rumor Reflex to its clients, Boost Mobile will also carry the upcoming LG Rumor Reflex, which comes with an eco-friendly feature. The device will be offered to users who are looking for a device that offers more than what an ordinary device gives to users but are not too keen at acquiring a smartphone.

The LG Rumor Reflex is a 3G device that follows the LG Rumor Touch that was released last year. The device features a WQVGA touchscreen display measuring three inches, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 2MP camera. The device also comes with GPS and Bluetooth support and has an internal storage of 32GB

The LG Rumor Reflex was offered by Sprint last March 11 at around $30 which requires a two-year service contract along with a mail-in rebate of $50. On the other hand, Boost will start selling the device by March 29 at a price tag of around $80 without the service contract.

The LG Rumor Reflex is currently available in grey although it will be offering the device in white sometime in the future. The device is made of recycled materials and uses less power when it is fully charged and plugged in. It has a carbon-free build while soy ink was used on the packaging of the device.

Root Procedure for Sony Tablet P Released

Sony Tablet P

(Image Credit: gsmarena.com)

It appears that the Sony Tablet P can be rooted using the same software that was used on the Sony Tablet S. Coupled with the recent release of a procedure for rooting the dual-screen Android-powered tablet, a number of users will likely try their luck in hacking their respective devices.

The root was released just before the Sony Tablet P will enter the US market through AT&T.

The procedure which gives owners of the Sony Tablet P the steps in rooting their devices was posted on the user forum of Pocketables. The procedure would take only a few minutes for users who have no problem in following the instructions.

 The root will offer users full control of the Android 3.2 OS of the Sony Tablet P and this can be done by simply downloading some files such as the Sony Tablet Root Program and the ADB Installer.

In order to root the Sony Tablet P, the ADB Installer should be run first then the USB debugging is enabled in the settings. After these steps are done, the device will be ready to be rooted using the command-line root program.

However it should be noted that owners of the Sony Tablet P will have to root their devices at their own risk.

The upcoming Sony Tablet P features a pair of foldable 5.5-inch display screens with a resolution of 1024 by 480, dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor,1GB RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. The tablet will run the Honeycomb Android 3.2 OS.

Aside from the upcoming release of the Sony Tablet P, the Sony Tablet S has not been released in the US. The Sony Tablet S will have similar features as the Sony Tablet P although it will only have one display screen measuring 9.4 inches.

Sony had earlier indicated that the Android 4.0 upgrade is going to be released for the international version of the Sony Tablet P although the release for the AT&T version remains unscheduled.

Google Android Tablet May Be Released by May

Google Android Tablet

(Image Credit: pcworld.com)

A seven-inch Android-powered tablet is reportedly in the pipeline for Google that is set to go up against the Amazon Kindle Fire. This upcoming Google Android tablet shows that the internet search giant is aiming to compete with the popular tablet offering of the retail giant.

Although the Amazon Kindle Fire uses the Android OS of Google, which a number of modifications, Google is reportedly collaborating with Asus in creating its own seven-inch Google Android tablet.

The upcoming Google Android tablet will reportedly have a price tag of around $199 up to $249 and may be released into the market by May.

Google had earlier partnered with Samsung for its Nexus smartphones, which was released into the market earlier. Following the release of its smartphone, the internet search giant also looked for a partner in the production of the Google Android tablet.

Previous reports revealed that HTC was not quite interested in offering a low-cost device and wanted to control much of the development of the Google Android tablet. On the other hand Acer lacked the capability of developing the device that fit the needs of Google.

The quality of the products of Asus and its production capacity made it a practical choice for the internet search company. Asus also wanted to make its mark in the tablet market in the United States. The upcoming Google Android tablet is also set to come with the latest Google Play Store although little details were revealed in connection to the device.

While the Google Android tablet awaits its entry into the market, reports have also emerged that Apple will also offer an iPad that will go up against the Amazon Kindle Fire. If these reports are true, Google will have another competitor in the niche that is currently dominated by the tablet offering of Amazon.

Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 Set To Enter The Market

Samsung Galaxy Mini 2

(Image Credit: unwiredview.com)

A new reasonably-priced smartphone from Samsung has been made available for pre-orders in the UK market recently. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 is the latest reasonably-priced smartphone from Samsung.

With its rather low price tag some industry watchers are speculating on the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Mini and how it will fare against the performance of an entry-level Android-powered smartphone from HTC, the HTC One V.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 will have a price tag of around $280 at an online retail outlet in the UK that is already accepting pre-orders for the device. The device will reportedly be released within the quarter. The price tag of this upcoming soon-to-be-released Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 in the UK is around £180.

For the moment, the release date of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 remains uncertain although pre-ordering the device will allow consumers to be one of the first ones to own the device.  

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 will feature a3.27-inch display screen with a resolution of 360 by 480, an 800MHz microprocessor, 512MB RAM and a 4GB internal memory, which can be expanded through a microSD memory card. The unreleased device also comes with a three-megapixel rear-facing camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA and GPS.

The Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 will also feature the Android 2.3 OS along with the custom skin from Samsung.

Delays Hit HTC One X Production

HTC One X

(Image Credit: phonesreview.co.uk)

One of the latest smartphone offerings of HTC, the HTC One X is set to be included in the lineup of AT&T. The smartphone will reportedly have the capability of using the 4G LTE network of the mobile service provider.

Sad to say, it appears that the HTC One X will not feature the quad-core Tegra 3 processor of Nvidia. In its place, the Snapdragon S4 processor from Qualcomm will be used.

However it appears that the use of the Qualcomm processor may result to some problems in the inventory of the HTC One X. Qualcomm has reportedly stop the production of the Snapdragon S4  processor nearly a month ago since the company is set to modify its manufacturing process. This will result to delays in the delivery of not only the HTC One X but the HTC One S as well.

For the moment it remains uncertain when production will start again however recent reports have pointed to an increase of the supply back to its previous levels near the end of the current month. This will cause delays in the production of the HTC One X and the end result may be a possible April release of the device may also be postponed.

For the moment industry watchers are still waiting for reports in connection to the production of the HTC One X.

Retina Display on New iPad 3 Result To Updates on iBooks an iTunes U

iTunes U

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With the recent introduction of the new iPad 3 of Apple, the iTunes University apps and iBooks apps of Apple were also updated to fully optimize the HD display of the new iPad 3.

The update for the iTunes U and the iBooks was made by the company recently and it is aimed at users who wish to purchase the new iPad 3.The iBooks version 2.1 will offer sharper text when the retina display screen  of the new iPad 3 is used in viewing them.

Although the sharper text was demonstrated by Philip Schiller of Apple during the event last Wednesday, some industry watchers are still waiting for their own new iPad 3 devices before they will make their judgment.

For users of the older models of the iPad, the new iBook also offers some new features including the capability of highlighting text by swiping a finger on the text to be highlighted and selecting the highlight option. The highlight option comes with the typical options including Copy, Note, Define and Search.

Entering a number of the search field on iBooks will also allow users to go to a particular page on iBooks and some titles have the same pages as the printed copy of the title.

Content will also be display in higher resolutions when iTunes U 1.1 is used on the new iPad 3 although this is the only significant modification that users can expect with the iTunes U for the new iPad 3. There may also be some minor enhancements in the performance of the iTunes U 1.1 when it is used on the new iPad 3.

These are some enhancements that users can expect for the iTunes U and the iBooks apps once they get their hands on the new iPad 3, which is set to become available in the market by March 16.

Do You Want A Free Raspberry Pi Computer?

Raspberry Pi

(Image Credit: wikipedia.org)

The Raspberry Road Test Challenge is set to offer technology enthusiasts the opportunity to win a free unit of the Raspberry Pi computer. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is working with Element14 in the challenge which asks contestants for any innovations that they will make using a Raspberry Pi computer unit.

Element14 is an electronic design portal of Premier Farnell, a tech distributor. An announcement made by Element14 revealed its collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation last February which involves the distribution of the Model B of the Raspberry Pi computers, which has a price tag of $35.

The model B of the Raspberry Pi computer features 256MB RAM, a pair of USB ports, SD memory card slot, an HDMI port, along with an Ethernet port.

The Model A of the Raspberry Pi computer only features one USB port and has a price tag of $25. The Model A will reportedly enter market within the year.

Following the recent acceptance of pre-orders for the Raspberry Pi computer, the device has attracted numerous technology enthusiasts. However this resulted to a shortage in the supply of the device since the jacks that were made for the units were not magnetic. The company had specified the use of magnetic jacks for the device, since network connections will not be possible if non-magnetic jacks are used.

It will be necessary for the company to remove the wrong jacks on the devices that were already released and change them although the manufacturing plant has nearly finished making the necessary corrections on the first batch of Raspberry Pi computers.

But some problems may arise with the next batches of Raspberry Pi computers since all the Ethernet ports for the device were reportedly not the right one. Even as the company was already looking for replacements, delays may occur in the future supply of the Raspberry Pi computers.

It remains to be seen if this delay in the production of the Raspberry Pi computers will also affect the Raspberry Road Test Challenge. The winners of the contest will be announced by the company by March 14, which is also known as the Pi Day. Interested contestants can check out the guidelines for the contest guidelines at the contest page of Element14.

Production Issue Causes Delay In Raspberry Pi Computer Availability

Raspberry Pi

(Image Credit: wikipedia.org)

It appears that a minor glitch is the main reason for the delay in the production of the Raspberry Pi computer. According to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a wrong jack has caused the delay in the production of the $35 no-frills computer.

The jacks that were supposed to be used on the Raspberry Pi were supposed to have integrated magnets into the schematics and CBOM however the jacks that were soldered in at the factory were not magnetic. Using non-magnetic jacks will mean that the Raspberry Pi computer will have no network connections.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation indicated that it already knew about the problem for four days ago but has not revealed it until recently since they were still evaluating the device to find any other issues on the Raspberry Pi computer.

The current models of the Raspberry Pi computer will require minor fixes to deal with the problem since the jack will be de-soldered before the right one is attached. Nearly all the first batch of Raspberry Pi computer units has been fixed at the production plant.

But another problem has emerged since the company will have to look for the appropriate jacks to be used on the Raspberry Pi computers. This will result to additional delays in the future according to reports. With the increasing demand for the Raspberry Pi computer units, it will be a big challenge for the company to release the devices on time.

Pre-orders for the device was impressive as all of the devices were sold out following the acceptance of pre-orders for this credit card-sized device.

The model A of the Raspberry Pi computer will be released within the year.  The model that is currently in production is the Model B and is set to be released into the market soon.

Both the Model A and the Model B will feature a 256MB RAM although Model B will have two USB ports compared to the single USB port for the Model A of the Raspberry Pi computer. The two devices will also come with an ARM processor and will need an HDMI or RCA-linked display and a keyboard to provide users with the same user experience as a desktop computer.

Blue Color Option for Sony PlayStation Portable Arriving Soon

Sony PlayStation Portable

(Image Credit: blog.us.playstation.com)

A new color option for the Sony PlayStation Portable demonstrates the appeal of this mobile game console among gaming enthusiasts in Japan.

Even as the mobile console has been in the market for a while, Sony reportedly released a new color option for gaming enthusiasts who may want a new look for their devices. The blue Sony PlayStation Portable console was unveiled by Sony in the Japanese market recently.

The new color option for the Sony PlayStation Portable features two tones, marine blue and sky blue. This particular color option comes in a value pack although it contains the same features as the mobile game console that was released three years ago.

Aside from the two-tones of blue, the Sony PlayStation Portable also shows some impressive details including the yellow text found at the front of the device.

The value pack will contain the Sony PlayStation Portable unit, soft shell case, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card, and a blue-colored cleaning cloth. Other important accessories are also included in the value pack for the device.

The blue-colored Sony PlayStation Portable will not likely reach the US market during its April 26 release in the Japanese market. With the numerous color variants for this three-year old mobile game console, some industry watchers are speculating on the number of color options that the Sony PlayStation Vita will have once it enters the market.