Rumors

Apr

Clove Outs June 6 Release Date for LG Optimus 3D In The UK

Posted by Zak Stinson in Devices By Manufacturer, LG, News, Optimus 3D (p920) / Thrill (p925), Rumors

Continuing with the trend of high-end Android devices getting speculative release dates, LG's 3D smartphone, the Optimus 3D, has been given a release date of June 6 by online UK retailer Clove. They say that the device should be on their shelves by that date, but gives the caveat that this information is "subject to change - but accurate at this time."

With a 1GHz dual core processor, 4.3-inch WVGA display and a 5MP dual-lens camera to capture glasses-free 3D content, this is going to be a worthy opponent to the HTC Sensation, which has been rumored to have a June 8th release date.

Apr

[Updated] Is Motorola Prepping A Blur-Less Device For Virgin Mobile USA?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Motorola, News, Rumors, Virgin Mobile

Update: It looks like the homescreen is just a generic placeholder, because it's the same one used here for the Optimus V at Best Buy. Thanks Nate!

This may not be of interest to the 7 people out there that actually like Motorola's Blur interface, but for the rest of us this is pretty good news. It looks like Motorola is prepping a new DROID-esque Android 2.2 device for Virgin Mobile USA, and it appears to be sans-Blur in the one leaked picture that Pocketnow has obtained.

With that said, it looks like the device may still be running some sort of a custom interface, judging by the three-column homescreen grid, which is not currently possible with stock Froyo's four-column launcher.

Apr

[Unconfirmed] Is An HSUPA-Enabling Software Update Coming For The Motorola ATRIX?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Mods, Rumors

Last Updated: April 29th, 2011

Last month, AT&T confirmed that an HSUPA-enabling update was in the works for the Motorola ATRIX 4G and was expected to hit sometime in April. Well... April is here and guess what? It looks like they may actually deliver on that promise.

nate2569, a user over at the XDA forums, received not one, but two mysterious updates on his ATRIX yesterday evening. The first one was a software update to bring the system up to version 1.75 and there was some initial confusion, so nate2569 uploaded a picture displaying some of the "About Phone" contents for proof. Have a look:

Notice anything special?

Apr

Toshiba's Android Tablet To Be Called "Thrive"?

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Rumors, Thrive / Regza / Antares / AT100, Toshiba

If there's one thing we still don't know for sure about the Toshiba Android tablet, it's its name. At this year's CES, when the product was first announced and demoed, Toshiba refused to give up the name, simply referring to it as "the unnamed Toshiba tablet." The company then followed up with the site named just TheToshibaTablet.com, leaving us guessing and puzzled as to why it takes months to give a gadget a name. Then came guesses - Antares and ANT were both considerations, but it now seems like both were actually wrong (or rather, could be internal names) and the real name of the tablet will be...

Apr

Motorola Working On Ruggedized Android Tablet, Presumably For Rugged Individuals

Posted by David Ruddock in Gingerbread 2.3, Motorola, News, Rumors

From today's "probably should have seen it coming" pile, Engadget has come into possession of what looks like a presentation slide for a ruggedized Android tablet being developed by Motorola:

I know, the text is illegible, so here are the main points to take home:

7" capacitive LCD
1GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor
1GB RAM, 8GB NAND onboard storage
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
Stylus for signature capture
Removable battery good for 5.5 hours of video
Can withstand 4' drop onto plywood (oak, cherry, ash, maple certifications pending)
Works in temperatures of 0-50 degrees Celsius
Tons of enterprise-friendly security
Fingerprint scanner

This device is clearly targeted towards business, and probably specifically towards businesses with employees out in the field, where the tablet's ruggedized nature will protect it from the harsh, plywood-filled world.

Apr

Samsung DROID Charge Launching April 14 At Sears, Incredible 2 To Follow On April 21

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Rumors, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Verizon Wireless, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

Last we heard, Samsung's DROID Charge was scheduled to be released on April 7th - yesterday. Well needless to say, that date has come and gone without so much as a mention of Samsung's LTE handset; however, thanks to Sears, we now have a new timeline: April 14.

The leak also brings news that's bound to make HTC fans smile - the Incredible 2's release date has been rescheduled from April 28th to the 21st, a decidedly welcome change.

Finally, Sony Ericsson's Xperia PLAY is, apparently, still pegged for a 4/28 release, despite reported supply shortages.

Of course, all this info comes with a disclaimer - in the words of the leaked pamphlet itself, "[these] launch dates [are] subject to change." Still, it's refreshing to at least have a general idea of when these three smartphone behemoths will be available for purchase - that way, you can start preparing yourself and your camping materials for a long night outside your local Verizon store.

Apr

HTC Incredible 2 Press Shots Surface, Evince DROID Branding

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Rumors, Verizon Wireless

Like all good things Verizon, the HTC Incredible 2 didn't remain hidden from the public's eye for long; following the release of a leaked RUU and a Big Red roadmap confirming the device's impending launch, PocketNow got its paws on the following triad of press shots:

From the looks of it, the Incredible 2 will be virtually identical to HTC's popular Incredible S, with the exception of a Verizon logo and the inclusion of a CDMA radio. In fact, Android Central reports that it'll sport the same 8MP camera, Android 2.2.1 firmware, and HTC Sense keyboard.

Also noteworthy is that, as shown by the eerie red robot eye, the Incredible 2 will most likely belong to Verizon's DROID family.

Apr

Motorola Droid X2 Benchmarks Confirm Tegra 2 Processor And qHD Display

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid X2, News, Rumors, Verizon Wireless

The rumors surrounding the Droid X2's hardware have been kind of sporadic, but it looks like we are starting to get a more definite look at what will be packed under the hood of this device. Some benchmarks that have appeared over at Nenamark are basically confirming the presence of a Tegra 2 dual-core processor and a qHD display, the latter via the device's reported resolution of 960x540.

This new information suggests the device is most likely a finished product and that release is upon us, making a launch sometime in May seem even more plausible.

Source: Nenemark via Droid Life

Mar

Rumor: Google To Incorporate Google TV Into The Next Version Of Android

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Rumors

We've all heard that Ice Cream (the next version of Android) is supposed to combine Gingerbread with Honeycomb, but our friends over at Phandroid have gotten the inside track on some additional information, and it looks like Google TV may become part of the bundle as well. While Google TV has gotten off to a rocky start, incorporating it into Android seems like it would be a smart move for Google.

So what does this mean? In all honesty, it could mean a number of things. One thing that I would count on, though, is consistency. All Google devices (TVs, tablets, and phones) would be running off of the same source code and utilizing the same APIs, providing a more streamlined experience.

Mar

Rumor: Google Plans On Tightening Its Grip On Android To Reduce Fragmentation And (Hopefully) Get Rid Of Unwanted Custom UIs

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, News, Rumors

Last Updated: April 1st, 2011

For everything that we love about Android – openness, customization, large selection of devices, etc. – there are things that we hate about it, too, like fragmentation and manufacturers pre-loading devices with crapware and (some) custom UIs. It seems, though, that Google is looking to change all of that. Insiders from companies “in the Android ecosystem” have told Businessweek that Google is starting to crack down on changes that manufacturers are allowed to make to Android. This includes more than just interface tweaks and added “features”, and it is said that Google wants to be more selective with hardware, as well.