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HTC Wildfire priced by T-Mobile, coming to UK on June 14
The biggest outstanding question about the Wildfire has now been answered by at least one carrier -- T-Mobile will be delivering HTC's student-friendly handset at the £20 ($29) per month price point on two-year contracts. Frankly, that's a bigger financial commitment than we'd expected to have to make, but it will presumably include unlimited (which in T-Mobile lingo means a 3GB fair use policy) data use and a healthy allowance of calls and texts. If that doesn't rub you up the right way, look out for Virgin Mobile to reveal its pricing in the near term, having announced it'll be carrying the phone via a tweet.
ASUS EeeKeyboard shipping out now
The saga, dear friends, is at an end. After making it to pre-order status last month, the EeeKeyboard is at long last ready for public consumption. Lest you've forgotten, this truly all-in-one pc comes with an Atom N270 inside, a gig of RAM, and old reliable Windows XP Home to keep you company. A 5-inch 800 x 480 multitouch display is supported by a Broadcom Crystal HD chip for decoding of high-def video, UWB connectivity to wirelessly stream to a nearby HDTV, and a battery that promises four hours of autonomous use. Yours for only $599. [Thanks, Joe F.]
Google updates Nexus One page, tells Verizon customers to get a Droid Incredible instead (update: the Verizon Nexus One is dead)
Now this, this is all kinds of silly. Google has been busy updating its phone sales site, and the latest word for Verizon Wireless subscribers encourages them to look at the "similarly feature-packed" cousin of the Nexus One, the Incredible. Importantly, what's missing from the new wording is the "coming soon" tag, suggesting that for all intents and purposes the Nexus has been obviated by the arrival of the Incredible. In a separate blog post updating us on carrier partnerships, Google again reiterates its mini-advert for the new HTC phone on Verizon while keeping mum about the Nexus One's future. A true CDMA variant of le superphone should still be coming wearing Sprint regalia, but it's disappointing to see Google use such doublespeak techniques. Is the Verizon Nexus canceled or not? Update: We just heard back from Google -- the Verizon Nexus One is dead; long live the Incredible. Here's the official statement: We won't be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC. Now, that's certainly reasonable, given the similarities between the Nexus One and the Incredible, but here's a question: given that the Incredible runs Sense on top of Android, isn't the closest Verizon analogue to the Nexus One experience actually the Droid, which runs stock Android 2.1? Considering Motorola's recent moves away from Google, maybe this is a sign of something deeper.
Redbox deal with Fox puts a 4 week hold on new releases, starting with Avatar
Consider that Redbox / Fox lawsuit cancelled -- as well any plans you had to watch Avatar this weekend for a buck a day. Under their new distribution agreement (starting with this week's blockbuster flick) the movie maker will directly supply Redbox but only 28 days after a movie is released and with the directive they will not be resold later. No real surprises here considering the recent slew of similar agreements affecting our favorite budget rental options, including the note that this applies to Blu-ray discs as well, with no word when they will be available outside of "testing in select markets." It's cool, we were just waiting to watch The Blind Side this weekend anyway.
iPad 3G: Available April 30 in the USA
Apple today announced retail availability of the iPad 3G -- which also features Wi-Fi, of course -- for Friday, April 30th at 5:00 pm. The Loop reports those who pre-ordered the 3G version of the iPad should start receiving shipments that day same day. The iPad 3G includes a US$130 premium over the standard Wi-Fi-only iPad, but that provides the luxury of joining AT&T's data network on an at-will basis. Rather than being locked to a 2-year contract, iPad 3G can purchase a month of data at a time. Two plans are available: 250MB will run you $15 and the unlimited plan will set you back a cool $30. While resident iMac-fiend Steve Sande didn't wait for the iPad 3G, I did and I'm excited to make another trek to the Apple Store next Friday. What about you, dear readers, anybody out there a little less green and a little more eager to go shopping? [via The Loop]
Apple names April 30th, 5PM as date and time for 3G iPad retail launch
There was a bit of confusion with Apple's online store update yesterday as to when the 3G version of its iPad will actually make its retail debut. Let that fog of ignorance be no more, as Cupertino has today named April 30th, a Friday, as the day the WiFi + 3G slate will arrive in stores. In American stores, that is, don't get all excited if you live outside the 50 states. That's also the date when early (read: before yesterday) pre-orders will be fulfilled. Deliveries for those were promised for "late April," though clearly this date has more of the late and less of the April to it.
iPad 3G coming by May 7th
Apple has just updated its online store with a shipping date for the 3G-equipped variants of its iPad. As you can see, all varieties of the hallowed Apple tablet should be out and about by May 7th -- meaning that some deliveries could sneak out even earlier -- and you can expect AT&T will be ready and waiting for you to activate that $30 a month unlimited data plan. Just for the European record, that means the iPad will be out in full force for American consumers three days ahead of the announcement of specific international availability. Ah well, at least that gives the UK and others hope that they might see the 3G and WiFi-only slates coming out at the same time, which should be somewhere around the end of May. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: We've heard from numerous tipsters that 3G iPads pre-ordered before today are still on track for a somewhat woolly "late April" delivery. It seems, therefore, that the new date relates to pre-orders being taken from here on out. Here's the direct quote from Apple's email: "To Our Valued Apple Customer: Thank you for your recent order of the magical and revolutionary iPad 3G. We would like to confirm that your order will be shipped in late April as communicated at the time you placed your order. You will receive a confirmation notice when your order has shipped."
International iPad release pushed back to "late May," pre-orders start May 10
This will come as a disappointment to our international readers, but it seems that Apple has pushed the international iPad release back an entire month. The iPad's UK page used to say "Coming late April." Today that was changed to "Coming late May." The good news is that Apple has set a pre-order date of May 10th in the UK, Canada, France, Australia and Germany. In a press release today, Apple said that the iPad's US popularity is to blame for the lag: "Demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks as more people see and touch an iPad." Apple also said they sold more than half a million iPads in the first week.
Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus could be coming to Europe by the end of this month
Time to get those speculative juices flowing again. Pre Central have unearthed the above O2 Germany promotional poster displaying a Palm Pixi stood in front of such smartphone luminaries as Sony Ericsson's X10 and Motorola's Milestone. Given that the Pixi has yet to make the hop over the Atlantic, their supposition is that we're looking at its Plus variant and that this early flier is indicative of a soon-ish release for the Euro-bound Plus devices from Palm. Can we be any more specific than that? Why yes we can, thanks to Laurent Guyot, a French PR chap, who indicates an April 27th launch date for the Pre and Pixi Plus on the SFR network. Put as much trust into this info as you feel appropriate, though it does look like a resoundingly logical time to get these handsets out into eager European hands. [Thanks, Garth]
Apple tweaking iPhone to work better on AT&T's network
Powerpage.org cites a Wall Street Journal article reporting that Apple has worked with AT&T to "rejigger" how the iPhone works with AT&T's towers, resulting in a reduced load for some tasks. It was not clear what changes were made, but apparently a "crash course in wireless technology" allowed them to figure out how the iPhone can get along better with AT&T. Such news indicates the lengths that Apple is willing to go to in order to be a good partner with AT&T. While few people are singing AT&T's praises, apparently there is an effort within the company to improve the network in large cities to reduce the number of dropped calls. According to Powerpage, "A random performance test released in February found that AT&T's 3G network speeds had improved by 84%." The problem is that AT&T's 3G speed has never been the main issue. AT&T is, and has been, very happy to compare themselves to Verizon when it comes to 3G speed. When it comes to reliability (i.e. how well you can actually use that speed) and availability, however, AT&T's 3G has consistently come up short. Not to mention that whole tethering issue that AT&T hasn't mentioned in several months, despite having originally promised it would be available by the end of 2009. If Apple is working on a CDMA/Verizon-compatible iPhone, AT&T's efforts are probably going to be too little, too late. After almost three years of consistently disappointing iPhone users with poor 3G availability, dropped calls, late availability of MMS, and even later availability of tethering (assuming it is ever available), iPhone owners have little reason to stay with the company.
HTC Desire confirmed for March 29 launch on T-Mobile UK
Whatever you've got scheduled for this coming Monday, make sure to leave a slot to visit your nearest T-Mobile store. The UK Deutsche Telekom representative has now officially confirmed that the Desire will be landing in its stores on March 29, supplementing the already available online and telephone ordering availability that comes with a 7-day delivery time. If our time-space telemetry is correct, that means at this point you're probably better off trying to grab one in store than putting your smartphone destiny in the gruff hands of your local delivery man. Check out the price plans for this handset below -- there are a couple of surprisingly affordable options that include 3GB of 3G allowance per month. [Thanks, Jason]
HTC Legend already trickling into customers' waiting hands?
That certainly was a timely review, wasn't it? Dutch site Tweakers.net is reporting through a number of its forum members that previously ordered HTC Legends are being scheduled for delivery as early as today, beating the phone's announced early second quarter availability by a solid three weeks. That's great news for anyone comfortable sticking with a lower-res display and a middle-of-the-road processor in exchange for one of the slickest, most metallic shells on the market today -- but for those hoping for something a little more... ahem, Desire-able, the wait continues. And yes, we'd like to apologize profusely for that pun.
HTC Desire, Legend and HD Mini show up on Amazon UK, expected to arrive on April 1
Slowly but surely, HTC's latest trifecta of handsets is making its way westwards. After appearing on Amazon's Deutsche hub with a pre-order value of €519 ($707), the Desire has now reached the UK with an even steeper £528 ($795) price and an estimated arrival time of April 1. Let's just hope this pattern doesn't continue or we'll be looking at a four-figure sticker when this thing comes all the way Stateside. The HTC Legend is also slated for an April 1 delivery and carries a price of £400 ($602), while the HD Mini will straggle a tiny bit with an April 14 launch and a palatable £369 ($556) price. All are without contractual obligations, so it'll be interesting to see what incentives carriers can come up with to get us to jump on board. [Thanks, Ron]
ThinkPad X201, X201s and X201 Tablet join G455 and G555 in Lenovo shipping party
When Lenovo said the new X series would be ready in early March, it meant early March. It's only the second of the month, but the company's online retail site is already prepared to ship you any one of its Core i7-refreshed ultraportables -- whether it be the standard X201, the svelte X201s, or the multitouch-enabled X201t -- while also adding availability of the G455 and G555 machines for the budget-conscious crowd. The X201t is notable for being the first 12-inch X series unit with a touchpad, though its price is no less eyebrow-raising, with the cheapest configuration costing a cool $2,134. If you don't strictly need a swiveling touchscreen, the far saner $1,349 and $1,099 stickers are attached to the base X201s and X201 models while the new G series asks for a meager $699 investment. [Thanks, Shedd]
Spring Design's Alex pushed to first week of March
February 22nd came and went with nary a word from Spring Design about its Alex availability. Now, after a bit of prodding, we're being told to check back during the first week of March; that's when you'll be able to order your dual-screen, 3.5-inch Android and 6-inch EPD e-Reader. So, $359 for Alex or $499 for the iPad launching just a few weeks later... decisions, decisions.
Core i5 / i7 roundup: Panasonic fits Core i7 in netbook chassis, Dell and HP machines spotted at Staples
What we know as the astronomically expensive Toughbook laptops over here, the Japanese know as the wildly spendy Let's Note machines over there. Their nomenclature is today getting upgraded by one, as the F9, N9, and S9 Let's Notes make their debut housing a Core i5-520M processor. We like the F9's 14.1-inch display and 1440 x 900 resolution best -- those are pretty much ideal dimensions for a portable workhorse -- but the real new hotness is the R9, which crams a Core i7-620UM into essentially the size of a netbook. 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 250GB storage drives are standard across the range, and the Japanese release is scheduled for February 17. In other news, a 17-inch Dell Inspiron with Core i5-430M guts is now up for sale on Staples for a measly $649, while a similarly specced HP dv4 can also be found for a Benjamin more. Hit those source links for more.
ASUS' Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon's German portal
Tired of waiting for the Eee PC 1201T to ship? Impatient, aren't we? We've been wondering about the status of this here netbook since it came to light last November, and now it looks like the Germans are about to get a real, live taste of AMD's Congo platform. Boasting a 1.6GHz MV40 CPU, the same look and feel that we've grown accustomed to on Eee PC netbooks, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, ATI HD3200 GPU and Windows 7 on the OS front, this is certainly one of the more unique machines in the sea of Atomized "me-toos." The pain? €399 ($560), and the first batch is expected to ship out tomorrow. Here's hoping the price dips somewhat when it makes its Stateside debut.
Yamaha's cinema-lovin' YSP-5100 and YSP-4100 soundbars ship this month with breathtaking price tags
Yamaha's YSP-5100 and YSP-4100 soundbars (or Digital Sound Projectors, as the sophisticates would say) emerged early last month over in Japan, but then CES happened. In a stellar effort to jog our memories, the company has just announced that both units will be on sale here in the States prior to January's end, and while each comes with a laundry list of features, the MSRPs are downright shocking. Both bars offer up 40 beam drivers, two woofers and a dedicated amplifier, while the 5100 adds a pair of tweeters. They're also equipped with HD Audio decoding (TrueHD DTS-HD Master Audio, etc.), 1080p-compatible HDMI sockets (4 in/ 1 out), internal upscaling, a UniVolume feature to maintain a consistent volume level between different sources and an integrated FM tuner. Sounds nice, but the internal yAired wireless technology must be the icing on the cake, as the $2,199.95 (5100) / $1,899.95 (4100) price tags clearly have some sort of premium baked in.
Motorola Motoroi coming to USA in March
Well, isn't this a novelty? The well practiced skill of lusting after Korean gear from afar won't be necessary with Motorola's latest Android 2.0 handset, as we're hearing the Motoroi is headed to US shelves this March. Moto Korea head honcho Rick Wolochatiuk was on hand at the Korean launch to confirm that the new handset "will be launched in other markets around the world," with the US specifically confirmed for a March release. The Motoroi, if you recall, is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen spliced atop hardware good enough to record 720p video and output it via HDMI. An 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash should ensure you get pretty decent photos too. But what are we doing telling you about it when there are perfectly good promo videos after the break? Go get 'em!
Sony VAIO Z brings Quad SSD drive and dynamic graphics switching to Europe in March
Announced at CES with a "late Spring" availability, we just got word that the Core i7-620M pumpin' VAIO Z series from Sony will be hitting Europe in late March. The Z's biggest claim to fame is its ultra-fast Quad SSD, a rather unique Sony innovation that writes data in parallel to four SSDs (up to 256GB total capacity in RAID 0) at speeds up to 6.2x faster than typical 5400 rpm laptop hard disks. Sony also fits the Z with a hybrid graphics solution that combines 1GB of NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with Intel HD graphics allowing you to automatically (or manually) switch between "speed" and "stamina" modes... presumably without requiring a logout if we're reading "dynamic" correctly. Rounding out the specs are 6GB of DDR3 SDRAM, 802.11n WiFi, integrated optical drive, and optional VAIO Everywair 3G mobile broadband module all stuffed into this 13.1-inch laptop with 1920 x 1080 pixel LED backlit display with 210 x 23.8-32.7 x 314mm and 1.43kg footprint. Power AND portability? Come give us a hug Sony.
