15
Oct
2012-10-15_14h10_02

[Rumor] Amazon Is In Talks To Acquire TI's Mobile Processor Business, Puts On Its Big Boy Business Suit

Posted by in Amazon, News

Before we get too far into this, let's point out that this rumor is coming from an Israeli newspaper, so it is easy enough for a company to disavow stories like these. With that disclaimer out of the way: Amazon may be looking into buying Texas Instrument's OMAP business. As we already know, TI has expressed interest in getting out of the mobile game. Not to say they'll stop making processors, but that the focus would be less on tablets and phones, and more on embedded SoCs for a variety of applications (such as automotive, vision, and robotics).

Of course, Amazon uses TI's mobile processors for its Kindle Fire line, which runs a very heavily modified version of Android.

26
Sep
icon

[Update: TI Responds] Texas Instruments Is Throwing In The Towel On Mobile Processors For Smartphones And Tablets

Posted by in News

Update: We inquired to TI about this news, and here's what a spokesperson had to say:

As communicated in this week’s investor event (webcast is available at http://investor.ti.com), the smartphone market has become a less attractive long-term opportunity for TI’s OMAP products, primarily due to vertical integration and market consolidation.  We are reprofiling our investment accordingly, but have no additional details to share at this time.

Overall, TI remains committed to the OMAP platform and our customers. We are accelerating the expansion of OMAP processors into a broader set of embedded applications such as automotive, industrial, enterprise communication, vision and robotics, to grow the OMAP footprint beyond mobile.

02
Feb
introduction

[Updated] Rumor Analysis: Is A New Galaxy Nexus With A TI OMAP4470 CPU Really In The Works?

Posted by in Editorials, Galaxy Nexus, Rumors

A rumor has begun circulating over the past week about the possible existence of an upgraded version of the just-released Galaxy Nexus. At CES, ASUS announced the TF700T, a beefier version of the Transformer Prime (well before the first Transformer Prime has even been released in many countries), leaving a lot of people who bought the first iteration a bit upset. Are Google and Samsung following ASUS's lead and planning on releasing an incremental upgrade to the Galaxy Nexus so soon?

The Story So Far

Normally, our policy is to avoid reporting on stories for which we can’t find good corroborating evidence.

21
Dec
verizon-galaxy-nexus1

[Updated: And The Winner Is...] Mega-Holiday Giveaway #6: Win A Verizon Galaxy Nexus And A Pair Of Klipsch S4A Headphones

Posted by in Contests / Giveaways, Galaxy Nexus, Samsung, Verizon Wireless
Last Updated: January 13th, 2012

You probably guessed this was coming - our Mega-Holiday Giveaway series just wouldn't be complete without a Galaxy Nexus (check out our just-published review). Today, we're giving away one Verizon Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of our friends at Texas Instruments, along with a pair of Klipsch S4A headphones (read our review here). (For our international readers: this particular contest is open to the US only (it's a US-only phone), but you may want to check back tomorrow.)

We've selected randomly from all the entries, and our winner is...

Congratulations, Kyle - We'll contact you for your information in the near future!

17
Dec
Ra101g9_media_1000x550

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Mega-Holiday Lightning Giveaway #3: Win An Archos 80 G9 8GB Classic Or 101 G9 8GB Classic For Doing Almost Nothing

Posted by in 101 G9, ARCHOS, Contests / Giveaways
Last Updated: January 13th, 2012

Another day, another giveaway. Today, we're holding another one of our "lightning" giveaways, which will continue until tomorrow, December 18th at 11:59PM PST. For your consideration, we have two Archos tablets: the Archos 80 G9, and the 101 G9. Both come in the 8GB "Classic" trim and are equipped with TI OMAP4 1GHz dual-core processors, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, and allow for up to 7 hours of video playback. They're both equipped with kickstands as well, so there's no need to go buy a costly tablet folio to enjoy some hands-free video watching. We're giving away one of each model, brought to you by our friends at Archos.

11
Oct
nexus81

Exclusive: Details Of The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Ice Cream Sandwich Phone (Sorry, "Prime" Is Not Likely)

Posted by in Exclusives, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News
Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

At this point, it's pretty clear that we've all been knee deep in Ice Cream Sandwich goodies all week long. We've already given you the Music 4.0.1, Google+ 2.0, and ICS Clock widget APKs, but that's not all - now we have some details regarding the CDMA Verizon Nexus Prime. At least that's what we thought it was called before Google and Samsung decided on the Galaxy Nexus as the final name, according to our reliable source who goes by Geek Vundotra (remember the leaked apps above?).

A few days ago, we heard two variations of very different specs for the Prime: one from BGR, which stated that it should have a 1.2Ghz OMAP processor, LTE, and be exclusive to Verizon; the other came from GSMarena, which stated that the next Nexus (should we call it "Nextus" as one of our readers suggested?) would be packing a monstrous 1.5GHz Exynos and a Power PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU.

12
Sep
0WB0Jl

DROID BIONIC Review: This Is The Phone That The DROID X2 Should Have Been

Posted by in 4G, Bionic, Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

The DROID BIONIC has probably been the single most anticipated Android smartphone in the US. Since its unveiling at CES, subsequent total re-design, and sort-of-delayed release, it has been a long and winding road for Motorola's newest flagship handset. Verizon's massive marketing arm hasn't failed to promote this thing, either - walk into any Verizon store and you'll see employees garbed in BIONIC t-shirts, armed with BIONIC accessory display boxes and a tailor-made marketing spiel, ready to meet you with more LTE and dual-core madness than you can shake a stick at.

So, it's safe to say, this phone has spent extensive time in the hype machine.

09
Sep
minibio

Video: DROID BIONIC First Impressions

Posted by in 4G, Bionic, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless, Videos

I've had the BIONIC just about 24 hours now, and that's enough time to draw a few, basic conclusions about the phone. It's not sufficient for a full review, obviously, but if you're itching to know more about how using the BIONIC is from an Android addict's perspective, you might want to check out my first impressions video.

Basically, I discuss the phone's hand feel, display, performance, and a few other less noteworthy items. It's a bit more than you'll get from walking into a Verizon store and playing with a display model for 5 minutes, but it's a lot less than what you'll see in our full (and extensive) review, which should be coming some time in the next few days.

07
Jul
Solano_Front_1, 3/8/11, 10:28 AM, 8C, 4200x2400 (832+2712), 100%, bent 6 adjuste, 1/15 s, R63.9, G48.0, B75.7

Motorola DROID 3 Now Available At Verizon For $199

Posted by in Droid 3, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

Yep, you read that right - you can pick up a DROID 3 right now from Verizon's online store, complete with free overnight shipping for $199 on a new 2-year agreement or eligible upgrade. If you're a new customer planning to switch to Verizon (or planning to add a line), it's worth noting that you'll be subject to Verizon's new tiered data plans as of today. You can also buy it off contract, and it's not too expensive, either - it'll cost you $460 commitment-free.

Solana_FrontHorOpen_1, 3/9/11, 9:48 AM, 8C, 3900x3300 (1147+2393), 100%, bent 6 adjuste, 1/15 s, R63.9, G48.0, B75.7

If you're getting the D3 on an eligible upgrade, there's no need to worry - you can keep your all-you-can-eat unlimited data, unless you're coming from a featurephone data plan, in which case you'll be forced into tiered data as well.