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T-Mobile unveils holiday lineup: Nexus 4, HTC 8X, Lumia 810 to land November 14th
T-Mobile was set to have its own splashy product unveiling today in New York City, but a certain Sandy put the kibosh on that. Now that Google's let its trio of updated Nexus products out of the bag, Magenta's ready to give us pricing and availability for the Nexus 4, HTC 8X and Lumia 810 which are set to hit the carrier's shelves this November 14th. Both Google's and Microsoft's (signature) flagships will be available for $199 on a two-year plan, while Nokia's lower-end WP8 handset will go for $149 with the same contract duration. Also, joining the crowded launch lineup that day is Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for $349 with a two-year agreement. As for the newly HSPA+ capable Nexus 7, well, you'll be able to snag that refreshed slate on Google Play just one day later. Of course, T-Mo hasn't forgotten about its value-minded sub base, offering up LG's Optimus L9 on the 31st of this month at an affordable $79 on contract. So if it's options you wanted this holiday season, Magenta's doling them out in spades. Hit up the break for the official PR.
Google announces $299 32GB Nexus 7 with HSPA+ mobile data
Google's not only introduced some new devices today, it's also delivered a few updates to its flagship Nexus 7 tablet. That includes a new, unlocked 32GB model with HSPA+ mobile data that will set you back $299 -- and run the just-announced Android 4.2, naturally. Look for it to be available in the Google Play store in the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada (where it's priced slightly above par at $309) on November 13th. No word yet on retail availability beyond Google Play, but you can sign up to be notified when it's available to order there at the link below.
Nexus 7's new pricing is official: 16GB for $199, 32GB for $249
Although it's an open secret at this point, Google has finally officially announced a 32GB Nexus 7 for $249/£199, and that the 16GB version has dropped in price to $199. Also available with unlocked HSPA+ access for another $50, the Nexus 7 now has several flavors to fit in the middle Google's "best of" lineup. Buyers that have been waiting to grab the expanded-capacity edition have their choice of retailed to choose from, in a variety of countries, and it's in-stock and ready to ship on Google Play. Aren't we all glad the waiting is finally over? Nexus 7: 16GB for $199 and 32GB for $249; available in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan, and also through our retail partners Gamestop, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Walmart.
Office Depot and GameStop drops Nexus 7 16GB price to $199
Google's incoming 32GB Nexus 7 may be one of its worst kept secrets, with most estimates (and those leaks) pointing to a $249 price tag and a launch date later this week. However, it also appears that the 16GB model will drop its price down to $199, according to leaked images from both Office Depot and GameStop -- great news for anyone who's so far held off from grabbing the first Nexus tablet. While an official announcement's been delayed by the forces of nature, we expect to hear more from Google sooner rather than later.
Ubuntu lands on Nexus 7 slates with Canonical's one-click installer
If you'd rather not let your Nexus 7 live out its life as a Jelly Bean-toting device, Canonical's freshly minted Ubuntu Nexus 7 Desktop Installer can help. Instead of allowing Ubuntu to ride shotgun with Android, the installer requires unlocking the device's bootloader, which wipes the slate clean. Once the Nexus 7 is unlocked, started in fastboot mode and connected to an Ubuntu machine, the one-click installation software takes care of the rest. Roughly 10 to 15 minutes later, your tablet will be running full-blown Ubuntu. Since development is currently focused on getting the core of the desktop OS up and running, there's no tablet-specific Unity UI to see here. However, Raring Ringtail is set to flesh out the mobile experience with an emphasis on sensors, memory footprint and battery life, among other features. Those who regret ousting Google's confection-themed operating system can simply reload their device with stock Android. For the entire walk through, hit the first source link below. [Thanks, Keith]
Google postpones October 29th event over Hurricane Sandy worries
We hope you weren't basing your calendar around Google's big Android event on October 29th. The company has confirmed to us that it's postponing the event to an as yet undetermined point in the future due to Hurricane Sandy, whose East coast arrival will follow so closely before the New York City gathering that Google isn't willing to take the chance on its big day. If you're experiencing a sense of déja vu, you're not alone -- Google delayed last year's event revealing the Galaxy Nexus out of respect for the late Steve Jobs. While it's not what we'd call an auspicious start to Google's holiday launches, we can at least hope for an abundance of riches when the company is ready once again. The full statement waits below. "We are canceling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more."
Nexus 7 with North American 3G passes through the FCC, might spoil the surprise
At this rate, there might not be much new to show in Google's playground. ASUS has passed a ME370TG tablet through the FCC's approval process -- which sounds ordinary, until you remember that the current Nexus 7 is the ME370T. The G, from all appearances, refers to 3G: there's an Intel XMM 6260 chipset inside supplying HSPA that would work for all North American GSM carriers, and most likely beyond. We don't know whether any of the rumored capacity changes will carry over, or even if this tablet will necessarily surface at Google's October 29th event, but the filing and recent out-of-stock notices suggest more than ever that the reference Android tablet is near a significant makeover.
8GB Nexus 7 no longer available at Google Play store
Google seems to have run out of the 8GB version of its Nexus 7 tablet. Sometime today, the $200 slate went from "In Stock" to "Coming Soon", with the Play store giving would-be purchasers the option to sign up for an email notification when it becomes available once again. Might this be a case of demand exceeding supply, or could the least capacious Nexus 7 be on the outs -- making way for a forthcoming 32GB version? No one outside of Mountain View can say for sure, but odds are favorable we'll find out at next week's Android event. Stay tuned. [Thanks, Jeffrey]
Apple announces 7.9-inch iPad mini with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329
Well, hello there, the worst-kept secret in tech. Apple's iPad mini is the company's newest device, a 7.9-inch tablet that's designed to go toe-to-toe with Google's Nexus 7. For now, it'll sit alongside the iPad 2 and fourth-generation iPad, and as it packs the same 1,024 x 768 display as the second-generation slate, apps will carry across without any resizing. While Phil Schiller didn't mention Google or the Nexus 7 by name, the rival slate (and Google's app library) was compared to the newest iOS device. On stage, he claimed that the screen, which is .9-inch larger than the Nexus 7, gives the iPad mini 35 percent more display area than Google and ASUS' collaboration. On the hardware size, the 7.2mm thick, .68 pounds device has been manufactured with an "all new" process that gives it the same anodized edges as you'll find on the iPhone 5. If you were hoping for equal specifications to the big-daddy iPad, you may be mildly disappointed. While it will pack a 5-megapixel camera and an LTE modem (if you opt to buy a cellular model), it's running the last-generation A5 CPU. However, the slower internals and less potent display may account for how the company has been able to squeeze out a claimed 10 hours of use despite the constrained space for a battery. Pre-orders for the $329, 16GB WiFi-only model begin on Friday (October 26th) and will begin shipping on November 2nd. The cellular-equipped models will begin shipping a few weeks afterward on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, with the 16GB base model costing $459, running all the way to $659 for the 64GB unit. %Gallery-169066% For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!
Editorial: Turning point for the tortoise and the hare
That meteor shower was a bust. I'll never get back the five minutes I spent waiting to be awed. Anyone similarly impatient will be in gratification heaven for the next week, as the biggest cosmic bodies in the tech cosmos streak across the sky with announcements, device releases, price shifts and earnings reports. Tossing astronomy aside for its failure to bedazzle, I turn to astrology to illuminate the upcoming eventful days. From a This Week in Astronomy blog: "A Venus-Pluto-Uranus T-square will be testing relationships and finances. The Sun enters Scorpio and aspects every slower planet except Pluto, and there's an intense Mars-Jupiter opposition." I don't understand most of that, but I know about opposition. That fits. The energy of opposition crackles in the ecosystem warfare waged this week by Apple, Microsoft and Google. Switching now from inscrutable astrology to fables (because next to cosmic messaging I like simple allegories to explain life), we can see that the slow-but-steady tortoise is placing the most audacious bet.
32GB Nexus 7 tablets appear at retail with $249 price tag, October 29th street date
Ahead of Google's Android event on the 29th there's additional confirmation of a storage upgrade for the Nexus 7, as 32GB units have now been spotted on shelves at US retailers. Seemingly dead-set on matching the LG E960 "Mako" Nexus G for the title of worst-kept secret, we've received this photo of a tag for the new unit at a Sam's Club (with a placeholder price). Reports on Android Central and The Verge also mention hardware spotted at Staples locations, with one person actually succeeding in buying one. All of that follows a listing on the Staples website and one Japanese buyer apparently receiving one early by accident. According to the tags and receipts, the new units are scheduled to go on sale the same day as the Android event, and at the same $249 price of the current 16GB model. Now that the alleged Sony Nexus phone has been exposed as a fake we don't know if there will be any surprises left, but if you want to buy anything from Google's brand then patience (or at least shopping around) is probably your best strategy. [Thanks, Adam]
32GB Nexus 7 surfaces on Staples' business portal, roughly matches 16GB model's price
What appears to be a 32GB Nexus 7 has already been spotted in Japan, and now a screenshot reveals that the slate has been listed on Staples' business-centric storefront. Staples Advantage pegs the tablet at $248.37, placing it on par with the current 16GB model. If a Nexus 7 with beefed-up storage and a price tag similar to the one above does materialize, Google could put one of the current models on the chopping block to maintain its two SKU offering. The retailer also lists an October 18th availability date, but we're not holding our breath for such a quick reveal.
Refresh Roundup: week of October 8th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Android 4.1.2 goes live, gives Nexus 7 owners landscape home screen
We've been seeing a mysterious Android 4.1.2 update mentioned in conjunction with a few unreleased devices in the past few hours, so it's only fitting that we're seeing the official release today. Google's Android Open Source Project lead Jean-Baptiste Queru has posted word that the 4.1.2 release should be available on Tuesday for at least those relying on pure AOSP builds of the mobile OS. While we haven't seen the update reach our own devices yet, some Nexus 7 owners already report getting 4.1.2 on their tablets with a pleasant surprise in store: in addition to the expected bug fixes and performance boosts, the software lets the home screen rotate to landscape mode on the smaller Jelly Bean slate. We're keeping an eye out for when other hardware gets the patch, although it's expected that the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Xoom will follow quickly enough. [Image credit: EETimes]
Purported Nexus 7 with 32GB of storage gets accidentally delivered in Japan
Back when Google ecstatically unveiled its 7-inch Nexus tablet a few months ago, the company decided to keep things simple by only introducing 8GB and 16GB models -- much to the dismay of folks who prefer a device with a bit more storage space. One lucky customer in Japan, however, claims to have unexpectedly received a Nexus 7 loaded with more built-in storage than Mountain View currently advertises, having been delivered Google's Jelly Bean-packing slate with 32GB instead of the 16GB unit that was ordered. Interestingly enough, the surprise delivery comes at a time when Google is rumored to launch a new, more spacious 32GB model as soon as October 24th -- though only time will tell if that's actually going to be the case.
Google makes Gesture Search compatible with Nexus 7, improves app's overall performance
Earlier this morning, Google did the iOS crowd a generous favor by flipping the switch on its Street View service to help alleviate some of those Maps troubles, so it's only natural to take care of the Android faithful as well. With that in mind, Google has updated its Gesture Search to be fully compatible with the ASUS-built Nexus 7, as well as improving the application's UI, boosting search performance, adding support for more languages and allowing contacts without digits to now be searchable. The new version of Gesture Search can be downloaded now via Google Play, straight from your device or by simply using the link down below.
SlingPlayer for Android gets a long-awaited update, adds reminders and better Android 4 video quality
Fans of both Android and Slingbox streaming have had a long wait for a significant update to the SlingPlayer app, to put it mildly -- the last major upgrade was to introduce Kindle Fire support at the start of the year. Imagine our delight when Sling Media posts a pair of low-key but significant updates for Android phone and tablet users alike. Smartphone owners get the most out of the upgrade with a new electronic program guide, a fresher overall look and better high-quality video for any phone using Android 4.0 and beyond. Tablet users do get a more optimized interface for the Nexus 7, however, and both form factors will let avid placeshifters remind themselves when a much-anticipated show goes live in the future. Neither of the updates is a complete revolution, but we would say they're coming just in time.
PSA: $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend
Those who have been keeping a close eye on Google's 7-inch, Jelly Bean-loaded Nexus 7 would know that the company kindly includes 25 bucks worth of Play credit with any purchase of said tablet. Unfortunately, as the famed cliché would tell us, all good things must come to an end -- and, well, such is the case with this neat promotion, which will expire on Sunday, September 30th. Here's the good news, however: there's still a relatively good amount of time for folks interested to get it on the Google Play deal, so now would be the perfect moment to snag what some are calling the best $200 tablet -- and who knows, this might even lead to a post-order Gangnam Style celebration of your own.
Caption Contest: Eric Schmidt does 'Gangnam Style' with PSY
Did you honestly think Eric Schmidt went all the way to Seoul just to launch the Nexus 7 for South Korea, hang out with Samsung's JK Shin and moan about the patent war with Apple? Of course not. The Google chairman also found some time to learn the legendary "invisible horse" dance with PSY, the charismatic oppa in the Korean chart-topper Gangnam Style. While Google Korea was happy to supply a few photos, the only video we could dig up was a surprisingly short one hosted by Daum -- it's embedded right after the break. Brian: "Man, not being the CEO of a multinational corporation sure is hard work." Terrence: "I see you are a fellow disciple of the Carlton Banks school of dance." Don: "Gangnam Style, 2012-2012." Billy: "This song is really about the time I set my socks on fire. I see you still have yours. One moment." Edgar: "Hm... I think we forgot the horse." Richard Lai: "OK Eric, now let's do the elevator scene." Dan: "Doenjang Girls, would you like to buy a Nexus 7? It's wayyy more expensive than a latté." Darren: "Soooo glad this guy put this video on YouTube and not Vimeo. $$$$$$$$" Jon Fingas: "Oppan Google sty-- no, even I can't go that far."
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.
