27
Nov
playbookslogo

Now You Can Pre-Order Books On The Play Store

Posted by in Google, News

When Ron tore down the most recent Play Store APK, he discovered references to pre-orders hiding within. It wasn't clear at the time just what this option would apply to, but now we know! It's books! According to a new help page, if an item on Play Books is not yet available, you may find a pre-order option that you can use to place a reservation. Neat!

2012-11-27_15h39_52

The page also states that when you place a pre-order, your credit card will not be charged until the book is available. This may be nice for some people who would prefer to pay later rather than sooner.

16
Nov
nexus-4-imagen-oficial

Teardown Of Nexus 4 Finds World Band 4G LTE Chip That You Probably Can't Use

Posted by in LG, News, Nexus 4

It was a little surprising to see Google announce a new Nexus device this year without LTE support. While LTE deployment is still lagging behind in many regions, the good old USA is fast becoming blanketed with speedy 4G. Now that the Nexus 4 is in the wild, iFixit has taken it apart, and you'll never guess what they found. Yes, a 7-band 4G LTE radio chip. The plot thickens...

nexus4

The chip in question, the Qualcomm WTR1605L (highlighted in green above), supports all currently operating LTE networks around the world. This chip is probably a holdover from the LG Optimus G design, which the Nexus 4 is based on.

02
Jul
unnamed (1)

Official (And Open-Source) iFixit App Hits The Play Store – Tear Down And Repair From Anywhere

Posted by in Applications, News

Perhaps the most popular (and complete) free repair manual in existence, iFixit, launched an official app for Android recently, bringing detailed step-by-step repair instructions and (of course) the saucy teardown images we've come to know and love from the service's online counterpart to your Android devices.

For those who don't know, iFixit provides users with incredibly detailed repair guides for a huge variety of things from laptops to mobile devices, game consoles, and even cars, including great imagery and nice explanations for why hardware is the way it is.

The free repair manual's official app offers the same easy-to-grasp instructions as iFixit.com, delivering them to your mobile device with a simple, easy interface.

25
Feb
Capture

Motorola XOOM Gets A Teardown, 4G LTE Chip Upgrade Takes 10 Minutes, Not 6 Days

Posted by in Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

The good folks over at iFixit gave the Motorola XOOM a teardown this morning, and aside from the ridiculous 57 screws holding it together, it has been deemed pretty tinker-friendly, scoring an 8/10 on the repairability meter.

One interesting piece of information did emerge during the XOOM's disrobing, though - in regard to its much-touched LTE upgradeability. The teardown's author noted that the XOOM ships with a dummy mini-PCI board, presumably holding the 4G LTE radio's slot. What's so fascinating about that? Well, the author claims a seasoned technician could swap out the dummy card and close up in about 10 minutes.

02
Nov
image

Samsung Galaxy Tab Gets A Traditional Tear-Down, Grudgingly Reveals Weighty Battery Pack [Video]

Posted by in Galaxy Tab, News, Videos

While many of us would be happy to have any kind of Galaxy Tab at all, there's a certain breed who won't rest until they've eviscerated their latest electronic acquisition for the greater good. One such fellow is Finnish mobility blogger JKK at jkkmobile.com, who took it upon himself to dismantle his shiny new tablet and show its insides to all and sundry.

As you can see in the video, the bulkiest component of the Galaxy Tab is easily its battery, with an impressively large 4000 mAh / 14.8 Wh rating. With a pack that is about a third of the entire device's volume, it's no surprise Google's Tim Bray found the battery life more than adequate.