31
Mar
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HTC Flyer, also known as the HTC View 4G in the U.S. on Sprint, is one of the more interesting Android tablets coming out within the next few months, due to its superfast 1.5GHz processor, a perfect for many (as the Nook Color and Galaxy Tab showed) 7" size, palm rejection technology, and the Scribe digital pen.

Sure, we got a few hands-on here and there, but nobody can be as good as HTC itself at highlighting the best features of the tablet, at least until we get our own review units.

In this 6-minute video that surfaced a few hours ago, HTC showcases the tablet's aluminum unibody construction, sleek looks, the new Sense for tablets with improved homescreen swiping, gaming, video playback, and the Scribe pen.

27
Mar
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Pocketnow dropped some images of the HTC Flyer in T-Mobile regalia earlier today, apparently dismissing rumors that the unbranded version of the Flyer would not be headed to American shores. In particular, the image below of a rebranded T-Mobile USA YouTube page would seem to all but confirm that HTC's stylus-sporting tablet will be making a stateside-debut.

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HTC's Flyer tablet runs Android 2.3 (with a planned upgrade to Honeycomb), and utilizes a single-core, 1.5GHz processor. The 7" tablet's pricing has to be confirmed, but speculation on a Wi-Fi only version (read: not this T-Mobile edition) hovered around $500-600. This device will then probably be getting contract pricing, but it's anyone's guess as to how much a subsidy T-Mobile is planning.

27
Mar
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Has your XOOM experience just been incomplete without the ability to view Power Point presentations and Excel spreadsheets? Well, hold on to your triple mocha decaf vanilla sugar free latte, then - QuickOffice Pro HD has arrived to super-size your productivity for maximum tablet utility.

Seriously, though, QuickOffice is a must-have if you need to view formatted documents as part of justifying that Honeycomb-tablet purchase. In addition to reading Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files (both the old 2003 and 2007+ file versions), QuickOffice Pro comes with a powerful file browser utility that hooks into your Google Docs, Dropbox, Box, Huddle, SugarSync, and MobileMe accounts to make accessing your cloud-synced documents a breeze.

24
Mar
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Some combinations are as natural as peanut butter and jelly - Avatar & 3D, Apple & dictatorship, and Conan O'Brien & late-night comedy, to name a few. But are Android apps and the BlackBerry PlayBook also such a sweet match? If you ask RIM, the answer is a firm, definitive "yes."

The BlackBerry maker just confirmed the age-old rumors - it's announced that the upcoming QNX-based PlayBook tablet will support Android apps. There are, however, certain limitations - while the process doesn't sound overly complicated, developers of existing Android apps will need to put some work in to porting their software over, namely "repackaging, code signing, and submitting" it to the BlackBerry App World.

24
Mar
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There's not a whole lot of specificity that comes with this information, but at the same time it seems pretty likely that HTC isn't putting all of its tablet eggs into the Flyer and EVO View 4G basket. DigiTimes is reporting that HTC is planning to release two Honeycomb tablets bearing the Flyer moniker later this summer, both with larger displays than the incoming Gingerbread version.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, as the Galaxy Tab and other small, non-Honeycomb tablets have demonstrated that consumers want a device with a bigger screen and a proper tablet operating system. HTC, it seems, is going to be last of the major manufacturers to enter the Honeycomb tablet foray.

24
Mar
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Great news for those of you holding out for that WiFi-only XOOM of your dreams: Costco has moved up its availability date for the LTE-less version of the tablet from April 1 to this coming Sunday, March 27. So if you walk into your local Costco this weekend, presumably the WiFi XOOM will be there to greet you for the reasonable price of $599.99.

But, if you order online, you'll get a couple of perks (even if it does mean you won't be getting your XOOM on Sunday). Namely, $10 off ($589.99), a free gel skin case, and free shipping. If you can't wait, you can pay $10 more at your brick and mortar location this weekend and let your XOOM go case-less.

23
Mar

Yesterday at CTIA, Samsung unveiled its revamped Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the all-new Galaxy Tab 8.9 (check out our live coverage of the event). Unfortunately, that's about all Samsung did with them - neither was ever powered on. Samsung's CTIA exhibit housed the new devices in glass security cases (as you can see below), while early "prototypes" of the 8.9 and 10.1 running Honeycomb with Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 overlay were available for hands-on time, in order to demonstrate some of the software the company plans to include when the devices are released.

Why no demonstrations of the thinner, lighter, sexier Tabs?

23
Mar
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The second of our HD videos from yesterday's Sprint press conference has finally been uploaded (no thanks to the ultra-crappy WiFi everywhere...). Once again, a quick recap of the specs:

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  • 1.5GHz single-core CPU
  • 1GB RAM
  • 32 GB internal storage
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), will be updated to Android 3.0
  • Sense UI
  • WiMAX (4G)
  • Stylus

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As mentioned in our hands-on with the EVO 3D, the View 4G features a new connector port dubbed MHL. It combines the functions of microUSB and microHDMI into one port. For more details, hit up our primer.

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All things considered, the View 4G has potential in a lot of ways.

23
Mar
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After the Sprint press conference officially ended, they quite literally pulled back the curtains to reveal a large viewing area, with a team of Sprint and HTC employees available to demo the HTC EVO 3D and View 4G. While we weren't allowed to get our mitts on the EVO 3D, we were allowed to play with the View 4G a bit. In both cases, the employees on the floor provided a quick hands-on of the devices. We managed to snag some HD video of the demonstrations for both devices, as well as a few photos.

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As a reminder, the EVO 3D specs:

  • 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm CPU
  • 1GB RAM
  • 4GB ROM
  • 8GB microSD card in box (supports up to 32GB)
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • Sense UI
  • Glasses-free 3D display
  • WiMAX (4G)
  • Dual 5MP cameras for 3D recording

The EVO 3D uses a new port called micro high-definition link (MHL), which combines microUSB and microHDMI into one port.

22
Mar
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As expected, Sprint just unveiled their upcoming EVO 3D handset and the EVO View 4G tablet. Both devices will have WiMax capabilities on Sprint's "4G" network (there was no mention of LTE, as Sprint is rumored to be transitioning to). No prices were announced today, and the release was announced as "this summer" (we expect a June-July release to compete with the iPhone 5).

HTC EVO 3D

As seen in our live blog of the event, the EVO 3D will have a 4.3" stereoscopic (for glasses-free 3D) qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and dual 5MP rear cameras that capture 3D.