HTC's Percentage Response To Apple's Antennagate Demo

Apple's Friday press conference, now dubbed Antennagate conference has definitely angered many, including several rival handset manufacturers. Some of the manufacturers such as Nokia and RIM have released an official response already towards Apple's statements but not all of the companies are taking Cupertino's words and opinions to heart. HTC's Droid Eris was arguably the most affected byt he grip of doom, its bars dropping to zero when held ,but the Taiwanese company's keeping any controversial opinions to itself for now. Instead it simply shared a simple percentage to clear the air.

Apple claimed over 0.55 percent of customers called AppleCare with reception-related complains, HTC's Eric Lin informed Pocket-lint the Droid Eris technical suport rate was only 0.016 percent, nearly thirty-four times lower - although with a seven-month head start, we have to wonder if the Eris sold close to three million by the time Verizon bought the axe down. HTC's approach is definitely different from that of the other companies brought into the mix.

Microsoft Windows 7 Tablets To Be Released This Year

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer giving the keynote at the Worldwide Partner Conference told everyone in the audience to expect Windows 7 slate computers before the end of the year. These devices Ballmer said will be designed with both consumers and enterprise users in mind. The software maker is said to be working with a number of manufacturers to bring the tablets to the market. "They will come from the people you would expect. From Asus, from Dell, from Samsung, from Toshiba, from Sony," Ballmer said. He did noticeably fail to mention Hewlett-Packard in the list of vendors and previously HP was seen as one of Microsoft's key partners in the category of tablet-style computers until it bought out Palm for $1.2 million earlier this year. Many observers think HP now plans on introduce a slate based on Palm's webOS. Another of Balmer's presentation slides, however included HP in the list of vendors developing Microsoft-based slates. Other vendors listed on the graphic included Lenovo, Fujitsu, Onkyo, MotionComputer, Pegatron, Hanvon, and MSI.

Without saying the name of their major competitor, Ballmer said Microsoft expects to take a significant piece of the slate market by delivering a wide variety of devices that fit in both home and business environments, all of which will be compatible with Microsoft's suite of management and security tools. "We want to give you a consumer-oriented device, but a device that fits and is manageable with today's enterprise IT solutions," Ballmer said. "They'll come with keyboards, they'll come without keyboards, they'll be dockable, there'll be many form factors, many price points, many sizes. But they will run Windows 7," he added.

With more than three million iPads sold in the device's first 80 days in the market, Microsoft will need to move quickly to get some of the momentum in one of technology's hottest new markets. What do you think of the thought of a Microsoft tablet? Would you be willing to buy one? Share your thoughts below!

Logitech Revue – Google TV Running Android Coming Soon

During the Google I/O conference, Google announced the newest product they had been working on, Google TV. Yesterday, the Logitech Revue (the first Google TV box) passed FCC approval, and as usual, the FCC was kind enough to provide some pictures of the device. The device sports some pretty decent specs as well, which include:

• Android 2.1
• 1.2 Ghz Atom CPU
• 4 GB Memory
• 2x HDMI 1.3
• 2x USB
• S/PDIF out
• Ethernet (presumably 10/100/1000)
• IR headers
• 802.11n

The Revue meshes well with the Logitech Harmony remote and acts as a WiFi access point for your entertainment devices. It helps unify many devices such as the TV, receivers, DVR, etc. and even comes with free 720p video chat software. You will have to bring your own webcam though but that isn't too bad. The device also supports many existing Android Apps and allows users to control everything via iPhone or Android devices as well as the previously mentioned Harmony remote and other IR devices. As of right now, there is no solid release date or pricing information, but it is expected to ship later this year for less than $500.

Fring Brings Video Calling To HTC and Dell Androids

If you are one of the people with an Android phone that has a front-facing camera and you know your friends and family have front-facing camera phones as well there finally is a cheaper alternative for video calling. The free IM app, Fring, is finally supporting the Streak and Evo 4G whereas other phones like X10 will have to rely on their main cameras. Fring isn't locked on to any particular connection method, so if you have an unlimited monthly data plan then you will be introduced to a world of free 3G video calls. A direct competitor for Apple's FaceTime.

Given the increased video quality and the improvement in the clarity of the video as well as more tolerable lag, the affordability of mobile data all combined seems like 3G video calls might be able to make a comeback and stick around. One of the only things to really watch out for is the fact that Fring's video uses about 1MB of bandwidth each minute, so for those of you who aren't on unlimited data plans, please be careful. The folks over at Engadget had some hands-on proof which you can find below:

HTC Looking To Shut Down Phone Firmware Site

Some of you might be familiar by a person who goes by the name Confipper on the internet, he is a man who has earned a reputation by tearing apart ROMs, often for unreleased devices and then pulling out unique information for people to see. He runs a site called Shipped ROMs with a bunch of well ... shipped ROMs for a wide variety of phones on it, and it seems HTC in Taiwan have taken an issue with it. They are saying that they have "very strong reasons to believe that the HTC Intellectual Property was illegally obtained by fraudulent means" in a strongly-worded cease and desist letter sent to him earlier today. HTC's US branch released the following comment:

"While HTC tries to take a hands off [approach] about the modder / ROM chef community, this site's sole purpose [is] to make HTC's content available for download from a source other than HTC. That content is not just the open source parts and kernels of Android but all of the software that HTC itself has developed. This is a clear violation of our copyrights and HTC needs to defend itself in these cases."

Basically HTC is just not for official ROMs being hosted on unofficial servers. The issue here is that anyone can dump a ROM from a phone and flesh it out, so we can't imagine that there's any competitive concern and no first-party site makes so many firmware builds available for so many devices in such a concise and well organized way as Shipped ROMs. At the end of the day, its HTC's property and it seems like they are probably in the legal right here but the bad public relations effect with some of the companies enthusiasts make the whole situation a bit more troubling that it's probably worth.

Samsung Tablet Spotted and Caught on Video

The Samsung tablet which has been rumored to be released sometime in the near future has surfaced and this time on video. Previously coined names such as Galaxy Tab, the tablet has reappeared as The Samsung Galaxy Tape in its 28 second (blurry) video. The site which published the video OLED-Display.net writes that the specs of the Galaxy Tape, which will carry the P1000 model number will be:

• 7" Super AMOLED display


• 1.2 GHz A8 Processor


• 16GB internal storage


• SD-card reader


• 32GB expansion capabilities


• 4,000 mAh battery


• Android 2.2 "Froyo"


• 370 grams (0.82 lbs)

Take a peak at the video below:

Novation Announces Dicer Controller For Digital DJs

Novation recently announced the USB Dicer controllers for all the digital DJs out there. The backlit devices, which are sold in pairs, can be mounted to the corners of turntables for easy access, and they're compatible with Scratch Live DJ. You can control Serato Cue-Point, Loop Roll, and Auto-Loop all from the Dicers, without actually having to touch your laptop. Not only does that allow the DJ to mix more but also makes them look a lot cooler. The Novation Dicer will be available starting in late June or early July with a price tag of $99. You can find the press release below:

Novation introduces Dicer, a performance controller designed especially for the digital DJ, and seamlessly integrated with the cue-point and looping features of Serato Scratch Live.

Supplied in pairs, the compact USB-powered devices are compatible with any Scratch Live setup, whether using turntables or CDJs. Dicer is the ultimate performance upgrade for Serato, and in fact for any digital DJ. With a pair of Dicers in your DJ setup, you can mash-up your beats on the fly, and create a unique performance every time you play.

Multi-colour backlit soft-touch 'dice' buttons provide real-time visual feedback from the software, and Dicers are so small and rugged that they can be dropped into your laptop bag at the end of the night. Their compact form factor and versatile mounting options enable them to be fastened securely on the corner of turntables, CDJs or a laptop: Dicer mounts into the 45RPM-adaptor hole on a Technics 1200-series turntable, or on to any flat surface using Novation's removable DJ putty. Battle-style or standard, Dicer fits ergonomically into any turntable setup, and one-deck configurations are fine too: just use the reusable DJ putty to secure the second Dicer to your laptop.

Just like Launchpad, which revolutionised the way electronic musicians play Live, Dicer will change the way the Scratch Live DJ performs. With Dicer on the corner of the turntable, CDJ or laptop, you have instant control of Serato's Cue-Point, Loop Roll and Auto-Loop features literally at your fingertips, allowing you to throw tricks into your set without touching the computer. Now, you have the freedom to turn your DJ set into a true performance.

A pair of Dicers requires just one USB socket; an included mini-jack cable provides data connection and bus power to the second unit. Dicers are class-compliant MIDI controllers, and they can be used straight out of the box on a Mac or PC without installing any custom drivers or additional software. As standard MIDI devices, Dicers can be programmed to control any MIDI-compatible software, such as Native Instruments Traktor, Ableton Live or Propellerhead Reason. What's more, using Dicer's shift functions, up to 60 MIDI assignments can be made, to control everything from effects plug-ins to software samplers and instruments.

Dicer is expected to be in stores in late June/early July 2010, priced:

USA: $99.99 MAP
Germany: €99.99 inc. 19% VAT
UK: £79.99 inc. 17.5% VAT

[How To] Gain Root Access To HTC EVO 4G

The Evo 4G was rooted some days ago, we have the instructions and it couldn't be easier. If you're new to this, we suggest you read through the thread at XDA Developers and then read through it again. After you think you don't have any more questions, read through it one more time. (Note: THIS WILL WIPE YOUR PHONE.) For the advanced, it's this simple:

1. Download this file (PC36IMG.zip). Move it to the root (as in top level) of the Evo's storage card.

2. Turn the phone off. Once it is, hold down the volume button and the power button until you get a white screen and some text. You're now in the bootloader. It should automatically start checking the PC36IMG.zip file you put on the card.

3. Once it's done, it'll list all the images on the card and ask if you want to flash. (Last chance to stop the whole procedure.) Say yes, and we're on our way. It'll look like this as it's going:

4. After it's done, it'll ask if you want to reboot. Do it.

That's it. You have a rooted ROM. You'll want to rename or delete the PC36IMG.zip image file that you put on the card, so that next time you enter the bootloader it won't try to automatically update again. You can do that by plugging in the phone, choosing "HTC Sync" and going to your favorite command line prompt and typing:

adb shell mv /sdcard/PC36IMG.zip /sdcard/root-PC36IMG.zip

Leave the phone plugged in if you want to go on to the next section and load the custom recovery otherwise, you're done.

Flashing recovery for custom ROMs

If you're going to want custom ROMs on the Evo, you need to flash the recovery image. Here's how you do that.

1. Download this file (evorecovery) to your desktop. Then unzip it.

2. Return to your favorite command line prompt and type "adb reboot recovery" (without quotes). This will reboot the phone into recovery mode. It looks like this:

3. Once it's in recovery mode, go back to your computer. Find the evo-recovery file that you unzipped. Inside are a series of files. For Windows, double-click "recovery-windows.bat." (If you're running Windows Vista or Windows 7, right-click it first and choose "Run as administrator." Let it do it's thing, and you'll now have the custom recovery module so you can back up the phone, flash custom ROMs, etc.

That's everything. Props to the folks at XDA and everybody who worked on this project. Once you're done here, head on over there and be sure to thank them for all that they have done!

Innoversal's Pixel Qi-Based Tablet Expected To Launch In September

Innoversal, a new company in Taiwan which was looking to change the world, found itself hosting a striking 10.1-inch device that grabbed our attention. Pixel- Qi-based prototype devices were what the company was messing around with but the highlight was the expansive 3Qi capacitive touchpanel, with a 1024 x 600 resolution, and the ability to save battery life by flipping the backlight off in broad daylight. The current build was relying on three ambient light sensors to determine whether the backlight would be on or not, but after asking the company to implement a dedicated toggle on/off switch along with the border before shipping out, the company agreed. Innoversal will be shipping the product under its own branding in Taiwan, but is certainly open to selling the design to other major manufacturers who wish to slap their own logo on the device. If everything goes well, we can expect to see the device take off in September (globally), with a 16GB + 3G / WiFi model retailing for between $5430 and $550.

Thhe purchase will snag you one of the best power-saving mobile displays as of right now, a 1.66Ghz Atom N450 processor, an integrated SSD (16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities), an SDHC card slot, 8 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, a SIM card slot (for 3G data), USB 2.0 connectivity, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and a 6-cel (5300mAh) battery. The device will supposedly sport Windows 7, Android, Ubuntu, and Chrome OS, with the last 2 being on display at the show. The working display model was also very lightweight and sturdy so this is definitely a tablet everyone should be looking forward to. Check out the video below:

Samsung Galaxy S Tweeted!

Samsung South Africa's official Twitter page posted an image of a tablet which they referred to as the "Galaxy Tab". As of right now, all we know is that it runs on Android with the TouchWiz UI, operates on 3G networks, has a front-facing camera, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The fact that a "Phone" icon also exists suggests that the Galaxy Tab will also be able to place calls, although it isn't clear yet if a handset or Bluetooth device will be required. A later tweet from Samsung South Africa also claimed that "this particular one is a 7" model and has a high-res TFT screen. It makes sense considering that such a large AMOLED display would be incredibly expensive to produce and sell and that there is currently a shortage of AMOLED displays as well. The S-pad rumors have been around for a while now but the tweet confirms that it's actually in the works. Stay tuned for more info by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feeds.

Eee Pad and Eee Tablet Announced By ASUS

Computex 2010 started off with with some hot news as ASUS revealed its two newest products in its Eee product line, the Eee Pad and Eee Tablet. Both are two dissimilar devices aimed at different markets. Lets begin by discussing the Eee pads starting with the more popular one which would be the EP121. It features a 12" touch screen display, a webcam, a USB port, a CULV Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, a Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, and a battery than can withstand up to 10 hours of continual use. EP121 users will have the option of picking up what is bille as "innovative hybdrid keyboard/docking station" as well. The other Eee Pad which was revealed was the EP101TC. We aren't sure what this one brings to the table exactly as it wasn't made clear but we do know it has a 10" display, a webcam, a USB port, and a pre-loaded Windows Embedded Compact 7. The two Eee pads are said to be in the $399 to $499 price range and are tentatively due for release in Q1 2011. The other products whose information was released were the Eee tablets. It's not as fancy as one might think but it's definitely a notetaker's dream thanks to the stylus-dependant 2450 dpi resistive touchscreen display. The tablet has a 2 megapixel camera (which is said to be useful for taking pictures of whiteboards and lecture notes), while the OS support for tagging allows for quick retrieval of information while super speedy 0.1 second page load times make a navigation a dream. The other known specs about the tablet included Wi-Fi, a USB port, support for microSD cards, and a battery life rated at 10 hours. The Eee tablet should be available for $199 to $299. The press release can be found below:

Stay Connected and Multitask with the Eee Pad

Engineering excellence meets stunning design in the ASUS Eee Pad, an ultra-slim and light yet high-performance slate device designed to provide users with a real time cloud computing experience. The Eee Pad will be available in two configurations.

The 12″ Eee Pad EP121 is a full-featured slate computer that serves as a multimedia player, e-reader, and compact computing device. Powered by a CULV Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and the Windows® 7 Home Premium operating system, it effortlessly handles multitasking tasks whether enabling users to check their email and calendars, have video conferences, or process Microsoft Word and Excel documents simultaneously. The ASUS Eee Pad EP121 offers two convenient modes of character input-an embedded virtual keyboard or an innovative hybrid keyboard/docking station design. All of this power is available in a personal computing device that delivers up to 10 hours of usage.

For users seeking additional mobility, ASUS is proud to present the 10” Eee Pad EP101TC that runs Windows Embedded Compact 7, which provides an engaging user experience and delivers instant connectivity to the Windows world. It also provides a familiar full-featured user experience across various connected devices and cloud computing services.

* * *

ASUS Provides Tomorrow’s Technologies Today at Computex 2010

Innovative Eee Pad and Eee Tablet extend ASUS’ leadership in Cloud Computing

Fremont, California (May 31, 2010) – ASUS’ leadership in innovation and design will once again be the focus at Computex 2010 in Taipei, Taiwan. ASUS will proudly showcase a wide range of products across five major categories: cloud computing, gaming, enthusiast-level PC components, multimedia and green computing. As a technological leader in cloud computing, ASUS offers a broad lineup of cloud-connected devices featuring on-the-fly data and multimedia sharing capabilities that consumers crave in today’s market.

The Notepad Goes Digital with the Eee Tablet

Innovation meets cloud computing at Computex 2010 with the ASUS Eee Tablet. With a 2450 dpi touch resolution screen, the Eee Tablet is one of the world’s most accurate and sensitive digital note taking devices, and gives the user the feel of writing on paper. Users can select one of the built-in notepad templates and have the option to store, sort and tag, organize or browse through them. Real time text annotations can also be made on-the-fly. The Eee Tablet makes reading easy, with text file page turns taking just 0.1 seconds-nine times faster than the page turns of normal e-readers. Reading documents or books remains easy on the users’ eyes even after prolonged viewing periods.

The ASUS Eee Tablet features a built-in 2 megapixel camera that captures detailed images, letting the user grab screenshots of lecture slides and write notes on them instantly. It easily syncs up with a PC or notebook via USB or Micro SD to ensure that all notes, content, and calendars are constantly kept up-to-date. With up to 10-hours of battery life, the Eee Tablet has enough power for a variety of tasks. At the end of the day, users not only have an electronic notepad, but a media player and e-reader as well.

USB-Powered Desktop PC Monitor Currently In Development By Samsung

USB Displays have been getting more and more popular as of late but usually they are around 7-inches, which is pretty tiny. They are pretty well suited for people who want to get that Tweetdeck or IRC window off their main desktop, but thats really about it.

Samsung is about to change that with its new 18.5-inch LCD display. By "improving the transmittance of the panel and the luminance efficiency of the backlight,", the company should be able to keep power consumption down to 6.3W, which is low enough that a USB 2.0 cable is sufficient to power the device as well as supply the data.

There is ONE drawback though, apparently the device uses and edge-lit backlight that limits the device's lifetime to 30,000 hours compared to 50,000 for existing monitors. According to Tech-on! we should be able to see the displays hit store shelves sometime in 2011.

Qik Charges $4.99 Monthly Fee For Video Chatting On HTC Evo 4G

We all thought the mandatory $10 "premium data add-on" for Sprint's EVO 4G would additionally include YouTube and Qik video chat, well we were only half right. The people over at Android Guys have what seems to be an alleged to be scan from Sprint's training materials, and according to one image, Qik will cost everyone another $4.99 monthly via PayPal (not through the carrier) to use. It has been confirmed and it's a bit of a bummer to see the premiums continuing to add up. Luckily Fring's Skype video is still free and you can see in the video below that it works pretty well.

Samsung Expects Major Smartphone Growth Thanks To AMOLED Displays

If you want the scoop on the current state of mobile displays, Lee Woo-jong, VP for marketing at Samsung Mobile Display, is a good person to ask. He has been telling the Reuters Global Technology Summit that his company gone into the black with its AMOLED production line. The research projects at the production line show a 50 percent jump in smartphone shipments in 2010 when compared to 2009. This is expected to boost demand, which is already exceeding supply for high-quality displays. Samsung says the shortages might be experienced all the way until next year, but it has reiterated its belief that AMOLED is the future with a $2.14 billion investment into expanding its production lines, while predicting a 30-fold growth in shipments of such displays by 2015. Who would want to complain with every handset looking like the Wave?

Google TV Coming This Fall - Sony, DISH, Adobe, and Others Join Along

Sony will be the first company out of the gate with a Google TV powered device, with its "Sony Internet TV" devices, which will be int he form of either an HDTV or a set-top box with Blu-ray player, arriving on shelves this fall. The rest of the partners were just as the rumors indicated, with Logitech adding a QWERTY Harmony remote, "companion box" to birdge the gap to existing home theater equipment and eventually video chat capabilities, Intel providing the CE4100 Atom processor at the heart of the devices, and an Android 2.1 OS with Chrome browser brings it all together. DISH Network and Google have admitted to their ongoing trials. DISH announced it will enable "advanced integration" via HDMI on all of its HD DVR receivers this fall while Best Buy is already on board to sell all of this inevitably offer to hook up those IR blasters for a fee, while Adobe is just happy to see another device that runs Flash 10.1. Check out the video form below as well as the press release. You can sign up for updates at Google.com/tv (developers check in here) and stay tuned for more information by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feeds.

Press Release:

Google and DISH Network Collaborate to Develop Integrated Multichannel TV and Web Platform

Enhanced Integration with Google TV Available to DISH Network Customers This Fall

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and ENGLEWOOD, Colo., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Google and DISH Network L.L.C., America's fastest-growing pay-TV provider, today unveiled the launch of Google TV, an open platform that seamlessly integrates multichannel television with rich web media content. This technology brings the full power of the Internet to the television viewing experience.

Google TV merges traditional TV programming with the wide amount of content on the web, allowing viewers unprecedented access, control, and flexibility over all forms of digital content. DISH Network subscribers using Google TV can simultaneously search for content across DISH Network, the Internet and their DVRs. They can overlay online content related to television shows, movies, actors and more; and also hyperlink web content back to multichannel TV.

"DISH Network has enjoyed a strong partnership with Google for many years, built on a common foundation of innovative thinking and risk-taking," said Charlie Ergen, Chairman, President and CEO of DISH Network. "DISH Network's integration of Google TV marks the next evolution in television, and DISH Network customers will be able to enjoy the best of TV and the web in one platform using their existing HD DVR receivers and a Google TV device."

"We are excited to bring the web to television and enable developers to innovate on the Google TV platform," said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google. "With DISH Network's contributions, Google TV delivers a richer user experience and a compelling product for consumers."

The DISH Network Google TV integration is the outcome of a joint development process between the two companies. The companies began their collaborative trial over a year ago by beta testing the technology with more than 400 DISH Network and Google users. Based on continuous feedback from the trial, Google and DISH Network built the Google TV experience that seamlessly integrates traditional TV programming with rich web content.

Google and DISH Network plan to make the optimized Google TV experience available to customers later this fall. DISH Network will integrate the software to enable this advanced integration on all HD DVR receivers. Users can then simply connect their Google TV devices to their DISH Network receivers via HDMI. For more information, visit www.dish.com/googleTV .

iPad Hits the Skies With Bluebox Ai as In-Flight Entertainment

In-flight entertainment isn’t probably the highest priority on everyone’s list but from this July, it might become a new point of differentiation between airlines. Bluebox Avionics recently announced its new Ai IFE system, which seems to involve just giving travelers an iPad to play around with while gliding through the skies. It “leverages the power, flexibility, and quality of the most advanced consumer device ever produced” and offers Bluebox’s proprietary security solution and tailor made apps for each airline. One international crrier has already signed up and more are expected to follow.

So how do you guys feel about having an iPad provided to you when you board a flight? Share your thoughts and comments below. Seems like a good idea for those who are pretty ech savvy but I am sure there will a generation of people who wont care or know what to do with it. Time will tell though!

The Word On The Upcoming BlackBerry Tablet

Have you been wondering about the BlackBerry tablet device you have been hearing about lately? BGR shared exclusive information gathered from multiple sources. The Blackberry tablet is 8.9” and will be strictly a “companion” device. If you are wondering what it is all about, take a look at the Palm Foleo. The BlackBerry tablet will not have any cellular networking built in, and will rely on either a Bluetooth connection to your BlackBerry or the built-in Wi-Fi radio. Additionally, we are hearing the tablet is said to be released in December, but the team working on the project is trying to get it out to the marketplace sooner than that. The device is focused around multimedia usage, things such as e-books, emailing, web browsing, photo viewing. To be honest, as a complementary device that is coming from RIM, we aren’t sure why they are trying here. Rumor also has it that RIM was working on a monochrome version of a tablet device before the iPad was announced. Basically RIM was, at least one time, trying to build a Kindle competitor. The new device seems to have its fair share of issues though as many of the RIM employees have voiced frustration over the initiative. Time will tell how RIM’s tablet turns out to be.

The Word On The Upcoming BlackBerry Tablet

Have you been wondering about the BlackBerry tablet device you have been hearing about lately? BGR shared exclusive information gathered from multiple sources. The Blackberry tablet is 8.9” and will be strictly a “companion” device. If you are wondering what it is all about, take a look at the Palm Foleo. The BlackBerry tablet will not have any cellular networking built in, and will rely on either a Bluetooth connection to your BlackBerry or the built-in Wi-Fi radio. Additionally, we are hearing the tablet is said to be released in December, but the team working on the project is trying to get it out to the marketplace sooner than that. The device is focused around multimedia usage, things such as e-books, emailing, web browsing, photo viewing. To be honest, as a complementary device that is coming from RIM, we aren’t sure why they are trying here. Rumor also has it that RIM was working on a monochrome version of a tablet device before the iPad was announced. Basically RIM was, at least one time, trying to build a Kindle competitor. The new device seems to have its fair share of issues though as many of the RIM employees have voiced frustration over the initiative. Time will tell how RIM’s tablet turns out to be.

Verizon And Google Team Up For iPad-Killer?

 

In a startling move, Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon, told the Wall Street Journal that the carrier is working with Google on a tablet device designed to compete with Apple’s iPad. Coming at a time when the rumor about Verizon getting the iPhone has risen once again from the dead, the comments from the CEO are somewhat surprising. Rumor has it that this is all a clever negotiating move by Verizon to get the best terms it can from Apple.

In the Wall Street Journal interview, McAdam said that the carrier was “looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a table to make it a great experience.” McAdam’s reference to Google’s “archives” was not explained. He also didn’t explain what “working on tablets together” would mean, necessarily, as Verizon makes neither hardware nor software.

The Silicon Valley Insider’s Dan Frommer believes the announcement is a hoax, saying that there’s “ZERO reason for Google and Verizon to pre-announce a tablet collaboration likely several months before anything is available for purchase.” With the possibility of “delays, other disappointments, etc.,” Frommer says there’s “only downside” to trumpeting it now, if its real. While saying that “it’s possible that talks with Apple and Verizon have completely broken down, and that Verizon is really aligning itself with Google for an all-out war.” Frommer still believes that McAdam “is just playing Google to get Steve Jobs to hand over the iPhone and iPad on favorable terms.”

Seems like Google, for its part, is acting as if they had no idea what McAdam is talking about. “Anyone can take the Android platform and add code or download it to create a mobile device without restrictions,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to seeing what contributions are made and how an open platform spurs innovation.”

iPod Touch Prototype With Camera Shows Up On eBay

The iPhone 4G / HD wasn’t the only thing leaked this week from Apple this week. Apparently an iPod touch with a camera is on eBay. It appears to have the same design from August but now with iPod branding on the back. Furthermore, the two devices bear the prototype identification codes “DVT-1” and “DVT-2” (DVT stands for “design verification test” in Apple-speak, according to Daring Fireball), while the DVT-2 model wear san extra bar code label, which is seemingly stamped by the “Apple Development Team.” Unsurprisingly, the eBay listing was quickly taken down, but it’s not like any mere mortal could’ve gotten much use out of the product. Take a look below for some shots of the product.