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Motorola Xoom priced at $800
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Handhelds, Rumors, Wireless / WiFi,
Multiple leaks from Verizon point to a $800 Minimum Advertised Price for the Xoom, the upcoming tablet from Motorola. The Xoom is the highly anticipated Android device that'll be running Honeycomb, the latest version of Android. This likely means it will be unsubsidized, available without contract, since the same sheet points to a much lower $250 price for the HTC Thunderbolt. Still, this is quite a high price for a tablet, especially when compared with the market leader right now, the iPad, so it's a bit of a surprise. The price will likely go down over time, and deals might be announced (like lower prices with data plan subscription,) but the high cost may impact the Xoom's success.
Read More 
| Android Central
Gallery: Motorola Xoom priced at $800
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Apple iPad 2 rumors are like the last X-Files movie: we know there's no basis for them, but sometimes..."I Want To Believe."
Apparently, even industry analysts aren't immune to fantasies, with many predicting that the iPad's unborn child will ship roughly 40 million units next year, far more than the first iPad's estimated 12.9 million for 2010, according to iSuppli.
Here are the most prevalent rumors about iPad 2 that have been circulating the Web, along with our take on whether you can believe what you read:
1. There Will Be Three Versions: Wi-Fi, CDMA, and GSM
The first-generation iPad comes in two versions: Wi-Fi-only and GSM (3G), with local carriage limited to AT&T. But upstream component makers apparently told DigiTimes today to expect three versions of the iPad 2, supporting at least or one of: Wi-Fi, GSM, and CDMA. It even found shipment ratios of 3:4:3, respectively, and claims Apple will begin shipping them in January, which, based on this year's iPad supply-chain schedule, would land the iPad 2 in stores by April 2011.
CDMA technology is carried by Verizon, Sprint, MetroPCS, US Cellular and Cricket, though local carriage would probably be limited to just one of them (barring hacking). With an iPad on Verizon's network, it would have even more appeal, and that 40-million-units number is starting to look a bit more realistic.
Our take: Hard to say. Volume was never Apple's greatest concern, but perhaps it has learned a thing or two from locking its U.S. iPhones with AT&T for so long.
Click to continue reading Top 10 rumors about the iPad 2
Gallery: Top 10 rumors about the iPad 2
HTC Thunderbolt to be first Verizon 4G LTE smartphone?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2011, Handhelds, Rumors,
Verizon Wireless is set to unveil a half-dozen 4G LTE smartphones at next week's Consumer Electronics Show. Will the first device it shows off be the HTC Thunderbolt?
Droid Life on Tuesday posted photos of the HTC Thunderbolt, which it says will be Verizon's first 4G LTE device. The site didn't have any details on specs except to note that it looks a lot like the Desire HD. The device features a kickstand and Google branding.
Verizon said it has no comment.
Click to continue reading HTC Thunderbolt to be first Verizon 4G LTE smartphone?
Gallery: HTC Thunderbolt to be first Verizon 4G LTE smartphone?
Skype mobile video calls may be coming soon
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Rumors, Wireless / WiFi,
The big rumor this weekend making the rounds is that Skype may be planning to bring video calls to mobile platforms soon. A document was discovered by Engadget showing some help topics like "How do I make video calls with Skype for iPhone?" Also, Skype has been saying it will make some new video related announcements at CES next month. Could this mean Skype users will be able to use their iPhone 4 with something other than FaceTime? So far it's always been a sticky issue to use video on phones because of the high bandwidth requirements. The real question here is, if true, will Skype video calls be Wi-Fi only, or will you be able to make these calls over 3G?
Read More | Engadget
Gallery: Skype mobile video calls may be coming soon
Playstation Phone to be called ‘Xperia Play’
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Rumors, Video Games,
While 'PlayStation Phone' seemed to be the way to go for what is essentially a PlayStation phone, the device is most likely going to be branded 'Xperia Play' by Sony Ericcson.
This comes after learning of a number of .com, .net, and .org domain names registered as XperiaPlay by a PR agency known as Jung Relations, whose long list of clients includes Sony Ericcson.
Xperia Play is set to launch at MWC this February, but won't reach retail store shelves until April.
Read More | Xperiax10
Gallery: Playstation Phone to be called ‘Xperia Play’
Microsoft to announce new tablets at CES 2011?
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: CES, CES 2011, Handhelds, Microsoft, Rumors,
Microsoft, along with various hardware partners, entered the tablet market a decade ago, but it was never a big success for them. Now that the iPad has taken off, and with Android tablets also looking strong this Christmas, the New York Times has an exclusive report saying that Microsoft is about to release a series of new tablets at CES early next year. According to inside sources, Steve Ballmer will introduce devices from Samsung, Dell and others, and try to get Microsoft back in the race. However, unlike the iPad and Android tablets, they will run Windows 7 or 8, a full desktop OS, and include a slide out keyboard.
Of course the fact that they will run a full OS brings questions like how much battery life they will have. Also, some of the marketing points will be for people to "work on Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint while doing work”. This seems very similar to what the UMPC and previous Windows tablets were about, and it seems like a repeat of previous attempts--including last year at CES where Ballmer announced their new tablet initiative.
Read More | New York Times
Gallery: Microsoft to announce new tablets at CES 2011?
Mac App Store to launch without Game Center, in-app purchases
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Apple, Rumors, Software,
Back in October, Steve Jobs explained in length how the iOS successes that Apple is enjoying have convinced them to incorporate it back to the Mac platform, and the first piece of that is the an introduction of an App Store in OS X. Promising that the Mac App Store would be live within 90 days, this puts it at some point in January at the latest. Now, Apple is informing developers that some expected features will not be available for Mac OS apps. Namely, in-app purchases, and Game Center. This means that desktop applications will not have access to these features which have started to be common in iOS devices. Whether this is due to a delay on Apple's part, or they simply do not intend to provide these features on the Mac, is unknown as of yet.
Read More | 9 to 5 Mac
Gallery: Mac App Store to launch without Game Center, in-app purchases
Microsoft won’t talk Windows Phone 7 sales numbers
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Microsoft, Rumors,
Microsoft's great dive into the modern smartphone market with Windows Phone 7 was launched over a month ago now with great hype and millions poured into marketing worldwide. And then, nothing. Yesterday, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore (the Director of Windows Phone Program Management) was asked at the Dive Into Mobile conference how their phone is doing. Yet once again, they dodged the question multiple times. Techcrunch extrapolates that since companies usually jump on the opportunity to promote their sales figures, the fact that Microsoft has gone silent, and in fact refuses to speak numbers, then sales of Windows Phone 7 must be disappointing. Indeed, Belfiore said it could be a couple of years before WP7 gets "good marketshare". Meanwhile, the General Manager for Windows Phone Developers Charlie Kindle said WP7 was a "long term project". While it's just conjecture at this point, if the numbers end up being disappointing, there's no question it would deal a large blow to the company as they try once more to break up against the iPhone and Android handsets.
Read More | Techcrunch
Gallery: Microsoft won’t talk Windows Phone 7 sales numbers
Google set to announce Cloud Picker storage service
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Rumors,
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According to some reports around the web, it would appear Google has a new cloud storage service called Google Cloud Picker in the works. The service would allow people to store images and documents on the web, and would tie into Google services like Docs, Apps and Sites. The service was found by some bloggers who saw the login screen, and Techcrunch has reached out to Google and heard that this was some code pushed prematurely, hence a yet to be released system. It makes sense too, since with the company's focus on cloud-only computing, with ChromeOS coming soon, people would need an easy way to keep their data on the web as well as their applications. The details such as how much storage will be offered and whether it will be free or not are still unknown, but we'll keep an eye on this one.
Read More | Techcrunch
Gallery: Google set to announce Cloud Picker storage service
Microsoft aiming to start new TV service using Xbox 360?
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Rumors,
Today Reuters reports on talks that Microsoft has had with several television networks about adding TV show content to the Xbox 360. While the details aren't known, one possibility is that the company could become a virtual operator and sell subscriptions to networks like ABC and NBC, or even add HBO and Showtime as subscription options. This would allow Microsoft to keep competing with rivals like Google (see the currently flailing Google TV) and Apple ( who recently released an updated Apple TV.) Microsoft actually has an advantage here if they choose to move into this area since the Xbox 360 is already in millions of homes, and adding services to the existing platform like that is much easier than releasing and expecting consumers to purchase a new device. If Microsoft plays their cards right, we could see the Xbox 360 take the top position in the battle for the living room.
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: Microsoft aiming to start new TV service using Xbox 360?
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