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Sony Xperia Tablet S official: slimmed-down design, Tegra 3, IR remote and Android 4.0, starts at $400
Looks like those leaked slides showing Sony's Xperia-branded tablet were right about pretty much everything. (Well, everything except the price, anyway). The company just formally announced the Xperia Tablet S and, as rumored, it features a Tegra 3 chip, Android 4.0 and up to 64GB of built-in storage. Like last year's Tablet S, it has that distinctive folded-over magazine shape, except this go-round it's made of metal, and measures between .35 and .47 inches thick (the weight, too, has dropped to 1.26 pounds, down from 1.31). Sony also kept the Tablet S' IR emitter, which allows the tablet to double as a universal remote, and this time you can program shortcuts to do things like watch sports. Rounding out the spec sheet, there's a full-size SD slot, a 9.4-inch (1,280 x 800) IPS screen and a 6,000mAh battery promising 10 hours of runtime. As we mentioned, the tablet will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, but Sony is promising an upgrade to Jelly Bean as soon as it can optimize all its custom apps. And indeed, there are quite a few specialized applications here. For starters, there's a new Watch Now app that allows for live TV-viewing (cable subscription required), with the option to "check into" shows and share comments on Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile, Sony added a Guest Mode that lets you create custom user profiles, forbidding the use of certain apps -- a handy parental control tool, we say. Naturally, Sony also threw in Music and Video Unlimited, where you can buy content from Sony's vast movie and song catalogs. Finally, the tablet comes with 5GB of space in PlayMemories, Sony's new cloud storage service. The tablet will be available September 7th, though Sony is accepting pre-orders starting today. It will start at $400 for the 16GB model, with the 32GB going for $500 and the 64GB for $600. And yes, as those leaked slides indicated, there will most certainly be accessories. For starters, there's that optional Surface-like keyboard we heard about, priced at $100. There's also a three-position stand, with HDMI output and a USB adapter for a charging. That, too, costs $100. Sony is also selling a charging cradle ($40), a plain-Jane stand ($25), a dock speaker ($130) and a carrying case, priced at either $51 or $80, depending on whether or not you get it in leather. We very much expect to get some hands-on time at IFA, so stay tuned for first-hand impressions.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 joins the ICS party with Android 4.0.4 update
If 8.9 was the number of inches you required from your Samsung Galaxy tab, you may have been a little frustrated at the general lack of much expected ICS updates. Especially as many of your Galaxy cohorts had already received theirs. Well, wait no more, as the download is finally here in the US. As you might expect it's 4.0.4, and it apparently comes with a new -- and many say better -- version of TouchWiz. Better slide that finger down about 8.7-inches across the screen, and dig up those update settings then.
Ice Cream Sandwich update won't be coming to HTC's Incredible S, says Bell Mobility
Even though Jelly Bean's the latest mobile OS to come out of Mountain View, there are still OEMs and carriers working on delivering the not-so-fresh Ice Cream Sandwich update to some of their earlier handsets. Now, unlike what we'd previously heard, it appears HTC's Incredible S won't be on the receiving end of said 4.0.x refresh, with Bell Mobility taking to Twitter to reveal that the Taiwanese outfit "will not be updating the Incredible S with ICS." Still, things could potentially take a turn for the best, as the Canadian carrier told a cheerless S owner, "If that changes, I'll let you know." As for us, well, we'll have to hold off on making any changes to our current Ice Cream Sandwich list.
Samsung announces Drive Link, a car-friendly app with MirrorLink integration
Until self-driving cars become mainstream, it's best to keep eyes on roads and hands off phones. With this in mind, Samsung's debuting Drive Link, an app that balances in-car essentials with driver safety, complete with approval from the no-nonsense Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association. It's all about the bare essentials -- navigation, hands-free calling and audiotainment from your phone-based files or TuneIn. Destinations can be pulled from S Calendar appointments or texts without trouble, and the text-to-speech feature means you won't miss a message, email or social media update. The best bit is that via MirrorLink, all these goodies can be fed through compatible dash screens and speaker systems. Drive Link is available now through Sammy's app store for Europeans sporting an international Galaxy S III, and will be coming to other ICS handsets "in the near future."
HTC Proto goes under spycam, reveals secret identity: the Desire X
It seems the newest member of HTC's mid-range smartphone line-up -- previously known as the Proto -- is actually the Desire X, according to several Scandinavian retailers (see coverage). Also, Hong Kong blog ePrice, who gave the new model the blurrycam treatment, claims that the specs line up with all the rumors: a 4-inch, 800 x 480 display, Android 4.0 with Sense 4.0, Beats Audio, dual-core 1GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera. HTC should formally out the phone this week at IFA, but its European presence and similarity to the China-only New Desire V means it's likely an international version -- without the continental sticker shock.
Lenovo's K860 phablet gets priced in China: 2,188 yuan on August 28th
Lenovo's K860 has been making the rounds for a while now. That five-incher's specs are hardly a secret. But, what has continued to evade us was a price and release date for this quad-core Exynos-powered beast. Thankfully, the Chinese manufacturer has finally come clean and we are happy to tell you the phablet will be hitting shelves tomorrow, August 28th, for 2,188 yuan (about $344). The initial run of this heavily skinned ICS handset will be fairly limited unfortunately -- only 2,000 will be released on the first day. But, we're sure a wider release can't be far behind.
ZTE's alleged 'Blade III' smartphone gets photographed ahead of official announcement
Let's be honest, ZTE isn't exactly the best at keeping its upcoming devices secretly under wraps before eventually making them official -- and, well, such is the case with the latest, unannounced Blade III. Finnish retailer Verkkokauppa's currently listing ZTE's purported Blade III as a 3.5-inch (800 x 480) slab that's sporting Ice Cream Sandwich, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU (MSM7227A) and a 5-megapixel rear shooter. Still, as FoneArena points out, these alleged specs go against other rumors circulating around the web, which indicate the Blade III is boasting a 4-inch display rather than the smaller sized 3.5-incher listed on the Finnish site. Whatever it may be, let's just hope ZTE's next Android smartphone doesn't come with any backdoor woes.
Archos readying 9.7- and 8-inch versions of its 101 XS tablet
Archos' new Coverboard-decked 101 XS tablet isn't the end of its Android efforts for 2012. During our briefing, the manufacturer revealed that it has both a 9.7- and 8-inch model incoming. The duo are set to arrive before the end of the year, and will, aside from dimensions, pack the same list of features we saw on the bigger model. Each will come with its own, perfectly-sized keyboard cover and what's likely to be the same raft of connectivity options seen on Archos' first XS tablet. The 8-inch model (80 XS) will pack a 1,024 x 768 resolution screen, while the larger 9.7-inch slab (97 XS) will house a 1,280 x 800 16:10 screen, a ratio that differentiates it, if only a little, from the slightly bigger model unveiled today. Archos is keeping some vital points -- like pricing -- a secret for now, but we'll update with more details as soon as we hear them.
Archos 101 XS review: a tablet that puts the keyboard center stage
More Info Archos outs G10 xs tablet line, readies Transformer Prime contenders Archos teases G10 xs with first press shot, vows launch in three weeks Archos 80 G9 review Archos has had its hand in the slate game since the early days of "internet media tablets," and while its products don't have quite the same brand recognition as, say, Samsung's, we've found the French company's devices to be some of the best-value tablets available. Budget-minded prices and innovation don't usually go hand in hand, but in the case of its new 101 XS Android 4.0 tablet, Archos has a few tricks up its sleeve. The slate boasts a keyboard cover and kickstand, along with a magnetic hinge allowing the lid to attach to the display. Arriving in November for $400, the Archos 101 XS is a productivity-minded take on slates, complete with a full set of keys and a bundled copy of OfficeSuite Pro. Do the hardware and software add up to a killer combo? Read on to find out. %Gallery-163130%
Archos announces 101 XS tablet with built-in keyboard dock, arriving in November for $400
Archos recently dropped a few hints about a Gen 10 tablet, and, just as promised, three weeks later the device is getting its official unveiling. Meet the Archos 101 XS, a 10-inch slate running Ice Cream Sandwich and a dual-core TI OMAP-4470 processor. Staying true to the company's budget-friendly rep, the 101 XS will go for $400 when it drops in November, and that includes the tablet's main attraction: a keyboard dock that also acts as a cover to protect the 1,280 x 800 display. The so-called Coverboard attaches to the tablet's body magnetically, and there's a dock for securing the device when you want to type. The Coverboard sports a full QWERTY layout along with home, back and recently open buttons for navigating the Android OS. Speaking of which, Archos says the XS will be upgradeable to Jelly Bean in October. Other key specs include 16GB of internal storage, a 1.3-megapixel, 720p webcam and a 1.3-pound, 0.31-inch-thick design. To complement its new slab, Archos has also announced several new docks and covers. The Boombox speaker dock will charge your 101 XS while you soak up 32 watts of music playback. If you'd prefer to hook it up to your existing system, the Cradle dock has audio-out ports alongside a pair of USB sockets that can be connected to portable hard drives -- and more music. A selection of pouches and sleeves will also be up for grabs for anyone who's willing to leave that Coverboard behind. Pricing info for these accessories is yet to come. For more info, head past the break for the press release (and photos). We also have a full review of the 101 XS -- check it out here. Jamie Rigg contributed to this report.
Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE review: the best full QWERTY phone on Sprint's network
More Info Motorola ICS UI review Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE available August 19th for $200 Photon Q 4G LTE is coming 'very soon' The future of Motorola post-acquisition may still be a mystery, but the manufacturer has managed to stay quite active over the last few weeks: it unveiled the Atrix HD, its first smartphone with an HD display and native ICS build, and there's already much anticipation around Verizon's Droid RAZR HD ahead of the holiday season. For the here and now, however, it's Sprint's turn to soak in the Moto love with the Photon Q 4G LTE. (Say it five times fast.) Naturally, the name of the phone doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. As you'd expect, it's a follow-up to last year's Photon 4G that trades WiMAX for LTE and adds a full-sized QWERTY keyboard. What the name doesn't tell you, though, is that this phone costs a lofty $200 on contract, and features a qHD ColorBoost display (not to be confused with the Atrix's 720p screen, which uses the same branding). In other words, it's gotta be pretty good to have any success at that price point. How does the latest Googorola device hold up against the rest of Sprint's LTE lineup? Is it worth the premium? Follow us southward to find out.%Gallery-162994%
Diamond Multimedia outs AMP1000 Android set-top box: Gingerbread-based, 1080p, sells for $120 (update: ICS coming this week)
Diamond Multimedia's more commonly known around the web for selling Mac and PC capture cards (among other things), but as of today, the company's officially entering the set-top box game with its AMP1000. The media player itself is running a not-so-new flavor of Android -- Gingerbread, to be exact -- which will be used to bring a slew of familiar entertainment tidbits to the bigger screen, such as a media player capable of 1080p playback, an evolved internet browser and an oversized photo viewer, as well as other content like games, ebooks and magazines -- all of which can be downloaded from Google's Play repertoire. Although Diamond Multimedia's formally pricing the AMP1000 at $120, there's a Facebook-only offer that knocks the price down to a mere $100. Now, will it be enough to compete with, say, Vizio's $99 Google TV box? We'll let you be the judge of that. Update: Well, in case you weren't fond of the AMP1000's Gingerbread innards, Diamond Multimedia's got something in the works to solve that problem. A company rep has contacted us to let us know Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming to early adopters "later this week," as well as noting that all future units will come with the creamy OS already onboard.
Apple's calendar subscriptions servers unavailable to users [Updated]
For years Apple has made available their own and third-party calendar subscriptions on their iCal Calendars site. Now Apple has appeared to have taken their iCalendar subscription servers offline. The servers host iCalendar files which anyone with an app that supports the iCalendar (ICS) standard can subscribe to. iCalendar files can be used in popular apps like Calendar on iOS and OS X and Google Calendars. Subscribable calendars are an easy way for people to add a mass amount of data -- like holidays or sporting team events -- to their planners. Once subscribed, the calendars automatically update when any changes are made on the server side. I've used two of Apple's own iCalendar subscriptions (for US and UK holidays) in my calendar apps for many years, but over the last few days I've noticed that the subscriptions were showing a refresh error warning icon. After trying to refresh the calendars manually an error-1 dialog request started appearing. To be clear, Apple links many calendar subscriptions on its iCal Calendars site. The only ones that are affected, however, are the ones hosted on Apple's own calendar servers (for example, those beginning with: webcal://ical.mac.com/ical/xxxx.ics). I've reached out to Apple for comment to see if this is a temporary issue or if they'll be shuttering their iCalendar services for good. Users who are currently subscribed to Apple-served iCalendars will still see events in their Calendar apps since the last time it was refreshed. However, if you delete the subscription, with Apple's iCalendar server currently offline, there will be no way to get the entries back. Update: As of 7pm GMT on 08/21/12 Apple appears to have put their iCalendar servers back online.
Custom ROM brings Android 4.0.4 to the Desire HD, does what HTC wouldn't
HTC wasn't too popular when they denied Desire HD owners a hearty mouthful of Ice Cream Sandwich, but as usual, the community over at XDA Developers has stepped up to make it happen. Despite HTC claiming various technical issues as barriers for the upgrade, Team Blackout's Android 4.0.4 build (aka Blackout ICS Incredible) is said to work perfectly on the device. The complete ROM is based on an ICS build for the Incredible S, and it requires you sacrifice your data in a full wipe before you can enjoy that Sense 3.6 UI. However, if you've got the knowledge to take advantage of this gift, you probably know how to backup all those bytes anyway. Hungry? Then head over to the source for your desirable dessert.
SwiftKey 3.0.1 brings new themes, languages and bug fixes
Rejoice, Android keyboard enthusiasts! SwiftKey announced today that it's pushing out an update to its popular virtual keyboard that brings new themes, languages and bug fixes. Version 3.0.1 incorporates two new summer themes -- Sky blue and Fuchsia -- and bumps the language count to 44 with the addition of Malay and Urdu. The keyboard now also supports continuous dictation with Google voice typing on Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. Most important, however, are a plethora of tweaks, performance improvements and bug fixes designed to further improve the SwiftKey user experience. We've been using the update for a few hours now on AT&T's red Galaxy S III and it definitely makes our favorite Android virtual keyboard even better. Hit the break for screenshots of the new themes plus the full PR.
Live from Samsung's 'Meet the new way' event in New York City!
It's just about time to "meet the new way." Samsung's sketch-heavy invitation clearly points to some type of pen-input device, and given the timing of the event and the fact that plenty of tablets have already been sold across the pond, we're expecting the Galaxy Note 10.1 to be outed properly... again. Judging from reports earlier this month, there will be plenty of new features (and color options) to be demoed since our last in-depth look at the evolving device, so expect a fairly packed show, complete with the typical Samsung fanfare. The event kicks off at 11AM ET, so stay tuned right here for the play-by-play from NYC.
Sony Xperia S gets a Dark Silver wardrobe, no release date
If you're the media-hungry type sold on Sony's first smartphone in the post-Ericsson era but felt the standard black or white color choices didn't quite fit your style, how about something in between? Sony's outed a new color for its Xperia S, "Dark Silver" -- although we'd say it's closer to grey than the precious metal moniker suggests. There are no changes to anything but the plastic here, so you'll still be getting the same Ice Cream Sandwich device with an impressive display. If you're planning an upgrade soon and the Dark Silver edition is floating your boat, we're sorry to say availability info is absent from Sony's reveal, but we would expect the option to find its way to retailers before too long.
LG confirms Optimus 2X will indeed be updated to ICS... in Korea, at least
The LG Optimus 2X has been no stranger to controversy when it comes to firmware upgrades (for some variants, at least) so we didn't blink an eye when we heard LG Canada's proclamation that the dual-core device would forever remain on Gingerbread -- despite the company's previous statements to the contrary. It turns out, however, that the future of the Optimus 2X may not be all doom and gloom -- for Korea, anyway. The company's Korean branch sent out a tweet mentioning that the phone will indeed be updated to Android 4.0. Though the tweet itself appeared to be country-agnostic, we have reached out to LG reps and received official confirmation, telling us "for now, that tweet only refers to Korean availability." We still haven't heard any news about ICS coming to any of its global counterparts, but we imagine the healthy dev community will likely cook up a few happy options in a worst-case scenario.
HTC One X gets Android 4.0.4 update today: enhances camera app, adds menu functionality to multitasking button
If you thought the One X's capacitive button layout jarred with the Ice Cream Sandwich experience you saw on the Galaxy Nexus, you'll like what HTC's just told us. An update to version 4.0.4, launching today, will allow users to map menu functionality to the lower right 'recent app' key, while it will also treat its owners to white balance and continuous autofocus improvements within its well-received camera app. Expect a handful of stability improvements as well as a dedicated tab switcher for the built-in browser -- if you haven't already made the leap to Chrome. According to HTC, the update for the international iteration rolls out today, with the AT&T version already doing the rounds. The full statement's included below. Let us know how you get on.
CM9's first stable release lands for GSM Galaxy Nexus
Well, it's certainly taken a while, but the popular CyanogenMod finally has a stable version of its ninth iteration. It's yet to hit the ROM's homepage, but that's probably because its only available for the GSM Galaxy Nexus at the moment. The Ice Cream Sandwich-based ROM has clearly posed some issues for the devs, but it's worming its way towards a wide release and work on CM10 (which is based on Jelly Bean) is already progressing quite nicely. In many ways moving to a build of Android 4.0.4 will be a step backwards for those running stock 4.1, but CM9's support for themes, gestures and the top-notch DSP equalizer will surely lure a few away from the official Google release. Hit up the source to download the stable Maguro-friendly release for yourself. [Thanks, Jul]
