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Microsoft's 15-inch Surface Book 2 comes to 17 new countries
Microsoft first launched the Surface Book 2 in November, but so far, both the 13- and 15-inch variants have only been available in the US. That's about to change, however, as the 15-inch model is now on pre-order in Australia, Canada, France, German, the UK and other European nations where, until now, only the 13-inch model was sold. On top of that, starting in February, Microsoft will release both Surface Book 2 models in places where it has yet to go on sale, including China, India, Italy, Qatar and other parts of Asia and the Middle East.
T-Mobile will start selling the Apple Watch September 25th
Well folks, it seems the rumblings were in fact correct. T-Mobile will begin selling the Apple Watch this Friday when it's also scheduled to hit shelves at Sprint. As you might expect, Big Magenta is offering some zero down and zero interest options (while supplies last, it seems) for two years to make Cupertino's wearable even more attractive. The payment plan only applies to the Sport models which are $349 (38mm) and $399 (42mm) if purchased at full price. When you do the math, that's $14.54 and $16.62 for 23 months with the final payment for each going up a few cents. If you'd prefer the pricier Apple Watch you'll have to shell out the entire $549 (38mm) or $599 (42mm) to take one home. Full details on the available models and band options reside at the source link below.
You can finally buy a OnePlus One with ease
If you've been eyeing the OnePlus One in the months following its debut, but haven't secured an invite to purchase, you're in luck. On Tuesdays, anyone can buy the 16GB Silk White and 64GB Sandstone Black without the previous requirement for 24 hours, starting at 3AM ET (12AM PT, 8AM GMT, 4PM HKT). The so-called flagship killer will set you back $299 (16GB) or $349 (64GB) for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM, 13-megapixel camera and Cyanogen's 11S OS that's powered by Android. The company has its own software in the works, though, and it's set to reveal that OxygenOS later this week. Of course, the previous invite system can still be used to shop every other day of the week, but at least now there's some hint of normal sales for the popular handset startup.
LG's G Pro 2 starts rolling out across Asia
If you love your screens large but hate the bezel, LG's G Pro 2 smartphone has arrived to Asia, replete with a 5.9-inch, IPS 1080p display and meager 3.3mm side frames. It also sports cutting-edge niceties like 4K video recording and the drum-to-unlock Knock Code, along with a 13-megapixel camera, Snapdragon 800 chip and 3GB of RAM. It'll hit Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam in the coming days, with North America and Europe to follow at an unspecified date. There's still no word on pricing, but given those specs, it's not the budget phone you've been looking for.
Samsung's Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 ships in the US February 13th for $850, up for pre-order now
Arriving in the US just in time for Valentine's Day, the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is set to ship stateside February 13th with an equally beefy $850 price tag. If you'll recall, the 12.2-inch behemoth was announced back at CES and sports the same S Pen chops as the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 outed then as well. The 64GB WiFi version is up for pre-order for folks in the States over at Office Depot, should you be looking for extra screen real estate and don't mind the added heft that it requires. Need a quick refresher on the device? Take a peek back at our hands-on to do just that. [Thanks, Matt]
Apple iPad Air goes on sale today in 42 countries, prices start at $499
Anyone in need a full-sized iPad that's lighter than last year's model can start hammering Apple's online store now. The new iPad Air is now on sale, marking Apple's biggest tablet launch yet. Starting with Australia, by the close of November 1st, it will have landed in 42 countries, and you know what? We kind of liked it. Online orders can be placed at the source link, or you can visit your nearest Apple retailer in person for instant iPad gratification.
Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch for Sprint: ships October 4th with 'unlimited data for life'
As has become the norm, Sprint's primary differentiator is its "unlimited data for life" policy affixed to new flagships. Granted, the carrier isn't promising that the amount it charges for said data will remain the same for life, but at least you'll have the option to pony up for it. Following the footsteps of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, Sprint has announced that its version of the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear watch will arrive on shelves October 4th. The former will cost $349.99 on a two-year contract (a full $50 more than most of its rivals), while the latter will go for $299.99 outright. Outside of being compatible with Sprint's LTE airwaves and including a bit of carrier-branded bloatware, the handset itself will be the same one that we've previewed extensively.
Samsung shipping ATIV Book 9 Plus and ATIV Tab 3 in the coming weeks, promises business-minded variants this fall
B&H may have jumped the gun a bit, but here's the word from the proverbial horse's mouth: Samsung's high-specced ATIV Book 9 Plus will be available for pre-order in the United States beginning August 18th, with shipments of the $1,399 laptop to commence shortly thereafter. For those in need of a brief recap, the 13.3-inch rig packs a QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) touchpanel, a Core i5 4200U processor, 128GB SSD, a battery good for 7.5 hours and a copy of Windows 8. Meanwhile, that ATIV Tab 3 that we handled back in June is getting a proper ship date of its own, with Sammy assuring Americans that they'll be able to snap one up starting on September 1st for $699.99 -- thankfully, that tally does include a Bluetooth keyboard / cover combo. It's said to be the planet's thinnest Windows 8 slate at 0.31-inches thick, with a proposed 7 hour battery, preloaded Office Home & Student and one of those always-lovable S Pens. For whatever it's worth, it appears that Samsung's distaste for Windows RT in the States hasn't carried over to tablets with Windows 8 onboard... yet, anyway. Oh, and for the enterprising individuals in attendance? Samsung has promised "to introduce versions of both products specialized for business use in the fall." Nifty!
Lenovo Miix 10 Windows 8 tablet now on sale, slated to ship on August 16th
Remember that "watered-down ThinkPad Tablet 2" we were able to ogle back in June? Eh, don't bother lying -- the Miix 10 name is hitting you as the freshest of the fresh, and honestly, there's no shame in that. Lenovo's latest Windows 8 slate is now officially featured on the company's site, with orders being accepted now and early shipments expected to commence on August 16th. For those curious, $600 nets you a 10.1-inch tablet, replete with a 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760 CPU, integrated graphics, 2GB of LPDDR2 memory, a 1,366 x 768 native resolution, 64GB of eMMC flash, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 1MP front-facing camera and a two-cell Li-Polymer battery. Interested? You can part ways with your credit card number right here.
New Nexus 7 now available to order from Google's US Play Store
As of now, Apple's still wholly content letting Google and its clan of followers dominate the sub-$300 tablet market. Hence, the new Nexus 7. For those drawn to a thinner, lighter, more powerful version of the Android-based slate, orders can now be placed directly through Google's Play Store... for customers located in the United States. Both the 16GB and 32GB WiFi-only models are still on track to ship by next Tuesday, while those on the lookout for a cellular version will need to wait a few more weeks. It's Friday. You probably just got paid. And really, what's $230 between friends?
Selfridges to get Blackberry Q10 ahead of official UK launch, available this Friday for £580
The keyboard lover's BlackBerry is on its way, and the first place to sell it will be none other than our old favorite, Selfridges. The UK department store will carry a black version of the Blackberry Q10 exclusively between April 26th and April 28th, according to a tweet from Blackberry UK, well before other retailers. You can pre-order it now for £580 (at the source) or, if you'd like to meet other people who also love keyboards, grab one at the store starting Friday.
PSA: T-Mobile's iPhone 5 pre-orders start rolling today
If T-Mobile's recent event cussed you into wanting one of its tweaked A1428 iPhone 5s with LTE, AWS HSPA+ and no contract strings attached, you can now order one up. Apple's flagship can be had through the carrier for $99 down and 24 payments of $20 for a total of $579 -- a snappy $70 savings over buying one directly from Cupertino. Meanwhile, T-Mo's Simple Choice plan starts at $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data, with an additional 2GB for $10 and unlimited 4G data for $20. Just remember that should you opt into an iPhone 5 through T-Mobile then decide to opt out of your contract, the device will stay carrier locked until you pay it off or trade it back -- unless you're willing to skirt the law, of course. Hit the source to make your reservation.
Existing iPhone 5 handsets cannot have AWS HSPA+ support enabled, but Apple is shipping the new A1428 carrier-unlocked on April 12th
Starting April 12th, Apple retail shops as well as Apple's online store will begin selling the new and gently tweaked A1428 model of the iPhone 5. For those paying attention, that's the same model number as AT&T sells today, but Apple's enabling support of the AWS bands from the factory on the new guy -- and sadly, Apple affirmed to us that it's not something that can be enabled via a simple software update for A1428 iPhone units already in circulation. To say that another way, existing iPhone 5 owners on AT&T cannot simply apply a software patch to have AWS HSPA+ 42 support added. You'll need to buy a new phone next month. (Note: AWS LTE does and will indeed work, whether you have the current, AT&T iPhone 5 or this new, updated model. It's only HSPA+ 42 that is lacking on the current model.) That said, the A1428 edition of the iPhone 5 that Apple will start hawking on April 12th (in lockstep with T-Mobile's launch date) will arrive unlocked out of the box. By default, Apple will sell these at full MSRP in a "SIM-in unlocked fashion," as confirmed to us by an Apple representative here at T-Mobile's event in New York City. Of course, those wishing to pay T-Mob's advertised $99.99 up front price will also be able to do so right at an Apple store, but eager jetsetters that are simply looking for a frictionless way to purchase an unlocked iPhone 5 that works on both AT&T and T-Mobile's LTE bands have but a few weeks to wait. Oh, and yes, we confirmed with Apple that the new A1428 will indeed support AT&T's LTE network. In other words, your T-Mobile iPhone 5 will run uninhibited on AT&T's LTE network if it's unlocked. To boot, Apple is quickly phasing out the existing A1428 hardware, and will soon replace all of them with the new, AWS-enabled model. In theory, that would mean that iPhones purchased through AT&T (after April 12th) would also ship with the appropriate firmware to let AWS support run free, but of course, then you're up against AT&T's far less friendly unlocking policy. For US users anxious to snag a truly unlocked iPhone 5 that'll hum along on pretty much every LTE band in the developed world, Apple informed us that its 24-hour locations will begin selling these promptly at 12:01AM on 4/12. For those who order from Apple's online site, you'll need to phone up T-Mobile to have the unlock applied. Update: We've updated this post to clarify that the lack of AWS is only for HSPA+ 42. The older model phone phone does not lack AWS on LTE and so will have no problems connecting to LTE.
Register for Google I/O 2013 now! (update: sold out)
And they're off! Devs, engineers and the simply curious are, right now, pounding away at their keyboards trying to secure themselves a spot at Google's big I/O event for 2013. The $900 tickets ($300 for a limited number of "academic" passes) are on sale as of 7AM PT / 10AM ET at the source link. Of course, as usual, these babies probably won't last more than a few minutes so act fast. Though, if you miss out on your chance to attend, you can always live vicariously through us. Update: Well, that was quick. All those tickets were snatched up in about 50 minutes. So, if you didn't secure your spot, you're sadly out of luck. But don't worry, we'll be there and will make sure to tell you all about it. With as little gloating as possible, of course.
Apple iPad mini and iPad to go on sale in China this Friday
Our friends in China recently got official access to the iPhone 5, and it looks like Apple's ready to give the Far East's biggest market a taste of the cellular versions of it larger-screened mobile devices. That's right, folks, cellular versions of the iPad mini and the 4th-gen iPad will go on sale in China this Friday. To grab one, would-be owners must wait but few more days to make their purchase from either Apple's online store or through authorized brick-and-mortar retailers. Update: This post originally stated that the iPad mini and 4th-gen iPad were late to China. Those models were released in early December. It's the cellular models that are shipping now.
Google's refreshed Nexus 7 on sale now, Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 sign-up pages go live
Remember the 8GB Nexus 7? So long, old friend. The 16GB Nexus 7 has now taken center stage in Google's Play Store, with $199 netting you a slate that's currently boasting a "now shipping" status. Those willing to fork out $249 can get a 32GB model (also listed as "In Stock"), while $299 provides access to a GSM-enabled 32GB model that'll hop onto cellular networks -- unfortunately, that one's listed as "coming soon." Those hoping to keep themselves informed about the incoming Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet can visit the source link in order to register for email updates, with shipments expected to begin in many nations on November 13th.
Nano-SIMs reportedly popping up at T-Mobile stores, ready to welcome your iPhone 5
The iPhone 5 may not be ready for sale unlocked officially just yet, but that doesn't mean T-Mobile isn't ready to be your service provider. As evidenced by the photo above, the folks at TmoNews and YouTuber BigRicksChannel have confirmed that the carrier is now selling iPhone 5-compatible Nano-SIMs. Of course, these'll work just fine with the Verizon-variant of the 4-inch device, as it's technically unlocked out of the box. Need proof beyond a photo? Catch the video after the break to see it connecting to T-Mobile's network for yourself.
Nexus 7 comes to South Korea, causes price envy across the water
If Google-lovin' Koreans were a little jealous after seeing Eric Schmidt turn up in Japan with a Nexus 7-shaped gift under his arm, they needn't be. It looks like the Executive Chairman brought another one along with him on his Asian travels. It wasn't just the hardware that came along for the ride either, with The Next Web reporting that the firm also made movies available in the country's edition of Google Play. The Korean asking price will be a reported KRW 299,000 (about $267) for the 16GB edition, a smidgen less than its neighbor's (¥19,800 / $255). We suspect, though, not quite enough to warrant a ferry ride. Update: As many of you have noted, the currency conversion actually favors the Japanese price. Updated to reflect that.
Nexus 7 arrives in Japan, better late than never
Well, it took a while, but Google has finally launched the Nexus 7 in Japan. The tablet made its state-side debut in July, but it took almost three months for it to cross the Pacific and land in the east Asian nation. Pricing is a little higher than what we've seen everywhere else, with the 16GB model selling for ¥19,800, or about $255. It makes a perfect companion for the recently updated Play Books app that also just made its debut in the Land of the Rising Sun. Update: Price updated to reflect current USD conversion.
AMD Piledriver CPU pre-order pricing leaks out
It's always just been a matter of "when" and "how much," but it looks as if PC gamers looking to score a powerplant upgrade can start planning on specific amounts. AMD's impending FX Piledriver CPUs are now up for pre-order at ShopBLT, an outlet that has proven reliable in the past when it comes to nailing down processor pricing. For those in need of a refresher, these are built using the Vishera design, with the range including between four and eight CPU cores. We're expecting 'em to best the Bulldozer family, and if all goes well, they could be available to the earliest of adopters in October. Presently, the FX-4300 ($131.62), FX-6300 ($175.77), FX-8320 ($242.05) and FX-8350 ($253.06) are listed, but CPU World seems to think launch day quotes will actually be a bit lower. Only one way to find out, right?
