Students being pulled out of Chinese classrooms to build iPhone 5?

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Rumors,

We at Gear Live have been hearing early morning reports from Shanghai Daily that hardware manufacturer, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., AKA Foxconn, has been allegedly pulling Chinese students from classrooms in preparation to build Apple's iPhone 5. The social network, Sina Weibo, has been filling up with claims that at least 200 students from the Huaiyen Institute of Technology were being escorted to Foxconn factories under the guise of being enrolled in a "school to work program" or "Internship." The students will allegedly be paid $224 per month to work 12 hour shifts, six days a week. Now, possibly as a result of public scrutiny,  Shanghai Daily is reporting that students are being brought back to classrooms and instead are  being offered to volunteer for the so-called school to work program.

Click to continue reading Students being pulled out of Chinese classrooms to build iPhone 5?

Read More | Shanghai Daily

Amazon Kindle HD 8.9” 4G LTE Wireless offers 250MB monthly data for $50 per year

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds,

Amazon had one final trick up its sleeve during today's Kindle event, showing off a new Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE wireless built-in. The 8.9-inch Kindle tablet offers the same features as the base Kindle Fire HD 8.9, but packs in an AT&T 4G LTE modem and 32GB of storage space. Additionally, Amazon has worked in a killer deal for this model, as buyers can opt to pay a yearly $49.99 fee for 250 MB or 4G data per month. They'll also receive 20 GB of additional Amazon Cloud Drive storage and $10 in Amazon Appstore credit. 250 MB of monthly data may not sound like much, but it's an incredible deal at $50 per year. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 with 4G LTE Wireless starts at $499. That's $130 more than the 32GB non-LTE model, but it's still much less than $$739 32GB iPad + Cellular tablet. You can order the Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE now, and it'll ship November 20th.

Read More | Amazon Kindle HD 8.9" 4G LTE

Amazon Kindle Fire HD: 7- and 8.9-inch tablets starting at $199

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds,

Alongside the Kindle Paperwhite, the other big news from this morning's Amazon Kindle event was the new Kindle Fire HD. The Fire HD will be available in two sizes--a 7-inch model, and an 8.9-inch version.

The larger version sports a 1920 x 1200 254 ppi display that has a polarizing filter (and laminated touch sensor) to reduce glare. On the inside, the Kindle Fire 8.9 is powered by a TI OMAP 4470 CPU and 1GB RAM. It's got dual stereo speakers (very nice for a tablet,) a high definition front-facing camera (with Skype support,) and even HDMI out. Additionally, it has MIMO dual-band Wi-Fi support, making its wireless connection up to 41% faster than that of the new iPad. Amazon is selling these for just $299 for the 16GB model, a full $100 less than we expected, and they'll ship on November 20th. The 32GB model sells for $369. Those who need mobile data connectivity aren't left out in the cold, as there's also a Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE.

Click to continue reading Amazon Kindle Fire HD: 7- and 8.9-inch tablets starting at $199

The new Amazon Kindle Fire: Twice the RAM, twice the performance, $159

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds,

During today's Amazon Kindle event, the newly updated Kindle Fire was revealed. The 2012 Kindle Fire sees a bunch of hardware improvements that will bring about better performance than last year's model. It packs in a faster CPU, 1GB RAM, a new front-facing camera, and a longer-lasting battery. Despite all the improvements, the new Kindle Fire SD sees a steep price drop, going from $199 down to $159. That's a head-turning price for any tablet. You can order the new Kindle Fire now, and it'll ship on September 14th.

Read More | Kindle Fire

Amazon’s entry-level Kindle is now just $69

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds,

If the Kindle Paperwhite is a little too rich for your pocketbook and you don't need a lit display, Amazon has announced that the entry-level Kindle is now just $69. That is a far cry from the original Kindle that launched at $399, and puts the Kindle at an impulse buy price point. The new $69 Kindle is pretty much the same as last year's model, except that it has a darker bezel, and also has newer fonts, sharper text, and turns pages 15% faster. You can order it today, and it'll ship on September 14th.

Be sure to check out our full coverage of today's Amazon Kindle event.

Read More | Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite offers illuminated touch display for $119

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds,

During this morning's Amazon Kindle event, the new Kindle Paperwhite was announced. This is the e-ink Kindle you've been waiting for is you've wanted to read in the dark. The Kindle Paperwhite sports an illuminated capacitive touchscreen front-lit display that is so subtle that it doesn't cause eye strain. Jeff Bezos made mention that the new Kindle Paperwhite offers 25% more contrast that previous models that used the Pearl e-ink displays, and has 62% higher resolution with its 212 pixels per inch. Equally impressive is that fact that it gets 8 weeks of battery life while using the light. It's all touch with this one, so don't expect any hardware buttons (other than a power button we'd guess,) but it's 15% more responsive than last year's Kindle Touch.

If you wanna get your hands on one, expect to pay $119 for the Wi-Fi Kindle Paperwhite, while the 3G model is priced at $179. They ship on October 1.

Read More | Kindle Paperwhite

Live from Amazon’s Kindle event!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Features, Handhelds,

We are reporting live from the Amazon Kindle event this morning. Expect a new Kindle Touch with PaperWhite technology, an updated Kindle Fire tablet (possibly in two sizes,) and maybe some new content partnerships. Additionally, the rumor mill says we may see a set-top-box, or even an Amazon smartphone. We will know for sure in a few minutes. Follow along after the break!

Click to continue reading Live from Amazon’s Kindle event!

Giveaway: Samsung Galaxy S III

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Features, Google, Handhelds,

The Samsung Galaxy S III is currently the hottest-selling phone in the US. Want one? Good, because we have one to give away! We've teamed up with TRENDOY!, the daily gadget newsletter to give away a Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, and we've made it super-easy for you to enter to win. All you need to do to enter is head on over to our TRENDOY! page and subscribe! We'll choose a winner of the Galaxy S III from our subscribers in a week. Good luck!

Oh, and be sure to subscribe to the Gear Live Newsletter too - we've got a few fun holiday giveaways planned there!

Apple says it never gave UDID info to the FBI

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks,

Apple has chimed in on the saga of twelve million leaked iOS UDIDs. Apple claims that they never gave that information to the FBI, nor did the FBI ever request it from Apple.

"The FBI has not requested this information from Apple, nor have we provided it to the FBI or any organization. Additionally, with iOS 6 we introduced a new set of APIs meant to replace the use of the UDID and will soon be banning the use of UDID" - Natalie Keriss Apple Spokeswoman

Unique Device Identifiers, or UDIDs, are somewhat similar to a serial number or a social security number for devices. It is comprised of about 40 alphanumeric characters that basically identifies you as the device owner. It could be used for targeted ads and marketing analytics, or it can be utilized for development purposes like app and software distribution.

Click to continue reading Apple says it never gave UDID info to the FBI

Jan Strnad: The Summer We Lost Alice

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Independent,

I’ve talked before about my friendship with Jan Strnad - we go way way to the days when Jesus rode a dinosaur, and he was the guy who taught me the secrets to writing comics.

Jan’s cred includes a ton of collaborations with Richard Corben, some of the best of the old underground comix, the occasional work for Marvel and DC (Sword of the Atom), a run on Dark Horse’s Star Wars comics, animation writing (Darkwing Duck), indy comics (Dalgoda) and novels.

I read and enjoyed the heck out of his first novel, Risen, and I’m pleased to report that he’s got a new one coming out this month. Jan’s always been drawn to darker, fantastical material, and The Summer We Lost Alice continues down that path as a supernatural mystery.

Here's what it says at Jan's website:

Click to continue reading Jan Strnad: The Summer We Lost Alice