The latest version of the Netflix Android app released today added 16 new devices to it's support list. No one expected it to work on tablets but thanks to Droid-Life who got confirmation that this latest version does in fact work on Honeycomb Tablets. Are you excited yet? Click the download link below to grab it!

If you wander into one of your local Verizon stores, you may be surprised to find all the new marketing posters for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE already in place. This has apparently happened without anyone at Verizon actually getting a firm release date. We can probably guess that it should be very soon, and some rumors peg it for Thursday, which would make it tomorrow. This seems unlikely, but at the very least we should be able to expect it within the next few days. For those who want to pick up the 4G LTE version of this excellent device, we can keep our fingers crossed...

[Download] Netflix 1.3 working on Honeycomb Tablets

The latest version of the Netflix Android app released today added 16 new devices to it's support list. No one expected it to work on tablets but thanks to Droid-Life who got confirmation that this latest version does in fact work on Honeycomb Tablets. Are you excited yet? Click the download link below to grab it!

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Verizon Officially Confirms Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE Launch on July 28th

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB™ 10.1 WITH 4G LTE AVAILABLE AT VERIZON WIRELESS

4G LTE and Wi-Fi Models Available; 8.6 Millimeters Thin and Weighing in at 1.25 pounds

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 with 4G LTE will be available July 28 in either Metallic Gray or Glossy White in Verizon Wireless.

Key features:

· 4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage areas

· Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

· Android™ 3.1 Honeycomb platform – supports Google™ Mobile Services including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™, Google Maps™, Google Movies™, Google Books™ and Android Market™

· Adobe® Flash® 10.3 technology

· NVIDIA® Tegra2 dual-core 1 GHz application processor

· 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display with WXGA 1280 x 800 resolution

· 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat capabilities

· 1080p HD video playback on a HD TV or other 1080p HD device

· Samsung Media Hub – offers a vast lineup of critically acclaimed films and TV programs for rent or purchase. Media Hub has been redesigned, allowing customers to playback Media Hub content on their TV through an HDMI adapter (sold separately). Purchased content

Sprint Premier Customers can Order the Motorola Photon 4G Early, Starting Today!

It's really cool to see how Sprint goes out of their way to reward their loyal customers. Their newest offering for Sprint Premier customers is that you can order the brand new superphone, the Motorola Photon 4G, today, which is a couple days earlier than the actual release. Premiere customers can now order the device before it is made publicly available on July 31 for $199 on contract.

This is pretty cool if you just can't wait, but don't forget that frequently the third party retailers like Amazon and Wirefly end up selling new devices for significantly cheaper on or shortly after launch day. Sometimes a little extra patience can stuff another $20 bucks in your pocket.

Nissan Releases Official Android App for their EV 'The Leaf'

Nissan has just released a pretty nifty Android app for owners of the new Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle (EV). The app has some fairly impressive features and basically allows you to remotely control several aspects of your EV. Here's a quick quote from the AndroidPolice article detailing some of the more notable features,

If you have an active CARWINGS subscription, then you can view the battery's current charge level and even begin charging the car remotely from your phone if it's connected to a power source. The application will also be able to tell you how long it is until the charge will be completed. Other features made available through the app include the ability to remotely control the climate control system in the car, so you can have it all warm and toasty by the time you get in to drive. You can also see the remaining driving range.

This level of interactivity is only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to this burgeoning new EV market. In the future, it is likely we will have apps that allows us to use navigation systems to determine where the closest charging station can be found. What other app ideas can you guys come up with that would interact nicely with EV's of the future?

Newest Nielsen Report Indicates Android OS is U.S. Top-Dog with 39% of Market

The newest Nielsen marketing data tracking report has been released, and it has some good news for both Android and Apple. According to the data, Android now accounts for the highest percentage of smartphone operating systems with 39% of the market. Apple is in second place with 28% for iOS, while Microsoft comes in at 9%, and Palm and Nokia’s OS both round out the bottom at 2% each. It's not all gloom for Apple, as they actually take the top crown as far as hardware manufacturing goes; however, that is also because they only build their own device for their iOS, whereas Android has several companies building Android phones.

Of course all of these companies will soon be releasing newer products later this year, so these numbers could fluctuate some this fall. It'll be interesting to see how the newer Android variants, like the Droid Bionic and the Samsung Galaxy SII fair against the new iPhone 5. Of course, it's always fairly interesting to read these kind of statistical charts, but really, we'd like to hear more from you, our readers. Anyone have any predictions?

[Rumor] AT&T May Begin Throttling Data for their top 5% of Heaviest Users

This is unconfirmed at this time, and there are no details regarding which plans could be affected, but there is a possibility that AT&T could soon start throttling the data bandwidth for their top 5% of heaviest users. This is probably designed for people who have been grandfathered into one of the older unlimited plans, because it doesn't make sense to throttle users with tiered data plans. If we find out any more details, or if any of you hear anything, let's post them in this thread.

Sprint News: LightSquared Deal Officially Announced; Q2 Financials Loss Reported

Today is a good news/bad news day for Sprint. We'll share the good news first because it is really great news, and the bad news isn't really that awful. First, Sprint officially announced today that the deal with LightSquared will go through. This is something that wasn't really a well kept secret in the industry and had been reported on for quite some time now, but it's still really great news to see if officially confirmed and that everything is good for the deal to move forward.

Interestingly, it looks like this deal is very "forward-thinking", in that Sprint doesn't plan to offer LTE immediately. Primarily, this deal allows LightSquared to begin building their LTE network on top of Sprint's infrastructure, and eventually begin offering LTE to customers in the future. This means that Sprint will continue to offer WiMAX to customers and continue to support it for the foreseeable future. For the interim, this deal basically allows LightSquared to grow their company while renting spectrum from Sprint. This will ultimately boost Sprint's operating capital, and eventually allow them to leave the eventual dead-end of WiMAX for future LightSquared powered LTE service.

The bad news for Sprint right now was their second quarter financials. Sprint actually added an additional 1.1 million subscribers (prepaid and wholesale) to their base. Unfortunately, they lost 101,000 in their postpaid contract customer sector, which is their primary "bread and butter" for revenue. Because of this, they were not able to post a profit this quarter, and actually posted a loss of $847 million on revenues of $8.3 Million.

In the long run, this won't be terrible news, as Sprint has been rapidly gaining an improved image in the community. They have the best deals on smartphones & data plans, they offer the most incentives for new and existing customers, and they were recently rated a tie for number one with Verizon for excellent customer service. As the saying goes, "sometimes it's darkest, just before the dawn." Perhaps, we are simply seeing the dawn of a new decade of success for the Now Network.

Samsung Galaxy S II U.S. Sign-Up Page is Now Live

The Samsung Galaxy S II U.S. sign up page is now LIVE!
Head on over to Samsung’s site now then and register to receive word on when this beast of a phone will be landing on our shores

Be sure to check out Tech News Blog - covering Samsung Galaxy Family of phones.

Android Gmail App Updated to Version 2.3.5; Improves Performance and Battery Life

The geniuses at Google recently updated the Gmail app for Android to version 2.3.5, and it is available now on the Android Market. Amazingly, this newest version of the Gmail sync app actually claims to be able to improve your battery life, amongst several other performance enhancements and tweaks. One of its newest features allows you to only sync your priority emails, which will allow your phone to use less bandwidth and less power from the battery. Also, the new update includes a slew of additional new features like the ability to set “Show Pictures” for specific senders and a new option that allows you to set custom alert tones for the various labels. Furthermore, you can also now turn off sticky message actions, and the app also has better TalkBalk support for accessibility.

Toshiba Promises a Fix for the Thrive Tablet's 'Sleep Problems' Next Week

Apparently, Toshiba has already developed a fix for their Thrive Tablet's penchant for "snoozing" too long, and that fix is scheduled to arrive next week after further testing. Apparently, they are also throwing an additional performance enhancement into this update that will improve multimedia playback capabilities. How's that for a "two-for-one"? Of course, you could argue they should have caught this issue in testing before they released the device, but at least they are getting it fixed fairly quickly. Any of you guys experiencing this problem with your Thrive tablet?

5 Million Galaxy S II sold in 85 Days

Samsung announced that they sold 5 million Galaxy S II phones in just 85 days (on July 22nd). That's a lot faster than the Galaxy S which took 125 days to sell 5 million. The Galaxy S took 7 months to reach 10 million units and Samsung says that the S II is expected to reach that amount sooner too. And it's not even on US soil yet.

The SII sold 3 million units in 55 days, they sold 2 million in just 30 days, so sales are actually accelerating as Samsung introduces the phone into more and more markets. In this rate the will cross the 10 million mark soon, beating Samsung's own original expectations.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Major Update to be Unveiled in New York Aug 3rd

At first glance, this seems like an odd story. Samsung is holding a press event in New York on the 3rd of August, just to announce a software update for the Galaxy Tab 10.1. This begs the questions as to why a software update would need such melodramatic fanfare. Looking more closely at the plethora of feature addons and changes that are scheduled to be demonstrated, it starts to make more sense. Apparently, this is a pretty big deal to Samsung, and they wanted to use this as an excuse to drum up more attention for their product. Here's a breakdown of some of what we will see with this "major update":

• Fully Customizable Samsung TouchWiz UX with Live Panel and Mini Apps Services
• Re-designed Samsung Media Hub User Interface
• Amazon Music Cloud Player, Amazon Kindle and Words with Friends Applications
• Enterprise Mobile Solutions

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HTC Puccini 10.1 Inch Android Tablet Further Revealed in Leaked Images

The above and below images are of the HTC Puccini. Although further details regarding this tablet are sketchy at best, the pic definitely shows that the tablet will utilize a stylus just like it's smaller cousin the HTC Flyer. The pics also reveal that the device will have an 8-megapixel camera with what appears to be a dual-LED flash, as well as stereo speakers and a microphone. As soon as more details emerge regarding a full feature-set and potential launch dates, we will share them with you.

New Android App Lets you Control Your Onkyo AV Equipment Remotely.

The HiFi Audio manufacturer, Onkyo, is set to release their first Android app that lets you operate a smattering of their home-theater systems using your Android smartphone. As well as using your Android as a remote, the Onkyo Remote App also lets you browse content and stream audio from your Android. It is designed to work with the TX-8050 and all Onkyo A/V network receivers released this year. The app is scheduled to be launched in August. Here's the full press release:

Onkyo Announces Remote App for Android

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ (7/25/11) -- Home audio specialist, Onkyo, demonstrates its ongoing commitment to greater convergence in home entertainment with the announcement of its first application for the Android mobile platform. Onkyo's Remote App for Android will allow owners to integrate wireless audio from an Android-based device into their Onkyo home theater system, and provides a range of remote control functions.

Operating over a wireless local network, the application will allow Onkyo owners to stream music stored on an Android device to an Onkyo network audio system. Music played through an Onkyo system gains far greater power and fidelity.

Users will be able to browse networked content without needing to view on-screen menus on a connected display. Instead, they will use the touch-screen GUI on their Android device to navigate menus and control a variety of functions, such as selecting the input source or adjusting the volume and tone. Furthermore, users will be able to control output in individual zones in a multi-room distributed audio set-up.

Available in August as a free download from the Android market, the Remote App for Android will be compatible with all of Onkyo's network A/V receivers released in 2011, as well as with the TX-8050 stereo network receiver.

HTC EVO 3D Now FREE at WireFly for a New Contract; Only $50 for Renewal

WireFly always has great deals on Android smartphones, but this one is downright silly. The barely a month old HTC flagship phone the EVO 3D can now be had for the low-low price of "FREE" on a new Sprint Contract over at Wirefly. Also, if you want to renew your individual account, you can get still get the phone for a paltry $50 bucks! Plus, Wirefly is still shipping for free as well, so it's hard to beat this deal. No telling how long it will last, so hit the link below to snap it up.

Chromebooks Now Available Starting at Only $349 dollars!

Despite earlier reports that suggested Google may release Chromebooks at a higher price-point, instead they are launching starting at just $349 dollars. The cloud-based net device from Google could eventually become the next evolution of technology for the computing world. It heralds another step toward Google's vision of information easily and quickly available to everyone. Here are the details on the launch:

Chromebooks now available.

You asked to be notified when Chromebooks became available. We're pleased to inform you that they're available starting at $349.

Built for the web.
Listen to music. Play games. Edit photos. Thanks to the Chrome Web Store, you can find apps to do anything.

Stay connected.
With a long-lasting battery and built in WiFi and 3G, it's easy to stay connected anytime, anywhere.

Boots in 8 seconds. Resumes instantly.
Chromebooks are fast — and are designed to get faster over time as they get automatically updated.

Samsung May Have Sold More Phones than Nokia and Apple in Q2; Sold 6Million Galaxy S2

Even though the Samsung Galaxy SII phone hasn't even hit the States yet, there are reports that over 6 Million of them have been sold world-wide already. This has apparently greatly bolstered Samsung's global phone sales in general to a very high degree. According to a recent Strategy Analytics report, Samsung may have sold as many as 21 Million cell phones world-wide during the second quarter, which would put them ahead of both Nokia and Apple. Nokia sold 16.7 Million during Q2, and Apple sold 20.3 Million iPhones. If these numbers turn out to be accurate, that would make Samsung the world's number one cell phone manufacturer. Even if the real numbers end up being smaller than these, at this rate, Samsung will eventually reach that point anyway, if their products can survive the legal battles with Apple. It'll be interesting to see how much these numbers are further affected when Samsung finally releases the Galaxy SII in the United States.

Motorola Atrix 4G Now Getting Gingerbread 2.3.4 via OTA Update

If you are the proud owner of a Motorola Atrix 4G, you will be happy to know that a new OTA update is coming your way that includes Gingerbread 2.3.4, a new version of MOTOBLUR, and a host of improvements and bug fixes. Here's a partial list of the update goodies:

• Better app performance
• UI refinements
• Android 2.3.4
• New version of MOTOBLUR
• Faster webtop browsing
• Improved Gallery and Music apps
• Full 1080p playback
• App sideloading
• And various other performance enhancements & bug fixes.

All you need to do is go into your Settings menu, then go to About Phone, then System Updates, and the update should be available. Or, you can just wait a few days and the OTA will take care of its own "rollout" process.

[Rumor] Asus Eee Pad Transformer May Get 'Official' Netflix Support with Android 3.2

There is some indication that the Asus Eee Pad Transformer may be getting official Netflix support soon. This support may come when the tablet gets its Android Honeycomb version 3.2 update. For about a week now, most Android tablets have had "unofficial" support if you went to the trouble of "side-loading" the Netflix .apk file; however, the Transformer was the only one that this didn't work with, and required you to root and flash a custom .zip file onto it if you wanted Netflix.

Looking at Asus' newest Transformer spec webpage shows that the tablet can support Netflix. To put two-and-two together, recent reports indicate that Android 3.2 should be coming to the tablet very soon, which suggests the support has been built-in to the newest version of Honeycomb. At least, this is the logical chain of reasoning on Droid-Life, which seems pretty reasonable.

Did the iPad help accelerate the demise of the Macbook?

I was quite sad when I heard the news that the Apple Macbook series was no more. The Macbook represented a great machine at a great price point. It had enough hard drive space to be used as a primary machine. The display size was decent and usable... much better then an 11" screen and it was generally a workhorse. You could upgrade the RAM and HD quite easily, so it was a great starting point for someone on a budget just trying to get into an Apple computer.

Apparently, Apple disagreed. You now have 2 choices at that price point. Buy a Macbook Air and sacrifice screen size and hard drive space for faster processor, lighter weight and sleeker design. Or, you can make do with a Tablet, the iPad. I'm not a big fan of typing on the Apple iPad (or any tablet or small device for that matter) so I don't see college kids running out to buy an iPad instead of a Laptop computer. Nor do I see a college kid ponying up $1300 for a well equipped Macbook Air that would compete with the Macbook in value.

Unfortunately, it's not up to me  We must all give a moment of silence for our fallen friend that's been so valuable to us over the years and probably made die-hard Apple fans who eventually upgraded to other products. We salute you Apple Macbook and we hope to see you return again someday down the road.

iPad's Market Share Said to have Fallen to 61.3 Percent

Reuters reports today on new figures from Strategy Analytics, which say that Apple’s iPad only had a 61.3 percent share of the tablet market in the second quarter, not bad, of course, but down significantly from 94.3 percent in the year-ago quarter. According to Strategy Analytics’ figures, the second quarter of 2011 also saw Android increasing its market share to 30 percent, up from 2.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. However, as MacRumors reports, Strategy Analytics figures have come under some scrutiny and debate, in particular from Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, who says that Strategy Analytics only looks at shipped products, not tablets that have been actually purchased by customers, and therefore their figures don’t reflect the Android tablets that are left on store shelves

T-Mobile Says G-Slate More Than Two Times Faster than iPad 2

BGR reports today that a page that has just appeared on T-Mobile USA’s website is getting rather carried away comparing its new Honeycomb tablet, the LG G-Slate, to Apple’s iPad. On the website, T-Mobile says that the G-Slate is more than two times faster than the iPad 2, and three times faster than the Motorola XOOM. T-Mobile also makes a point of mentioning how much cheaper the Slate is that the other tablets, coming in at $399.99 with a two-year data package, or $599.99 without. An equivalent iPad costs $729, and XOOM $599/$799. Boy Genius Report got in touch with T-Mobile about its claims that the Slate is so much faster than the iPad and XOOM, asking specifically how the company came up with those speeds. 

“An independent third party conducted testing to compare T-Mobile’s G-Slate, AT&T’s iPad 2 and Verizon Wireless’ Motorola XOOM,” a spokesperson told BGR, before going on to explain that the testing took place in New York and Seattle, in 30 locations. The total sample size was 300 tests. Surely this is really more a test of network speed though, rather than of the quality of the tablet, as the G-Slate has the advantage over the other two of running on T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ service. 

North Carolina Town Council Ditches Paper for iPads

The New York Times has just published a fascinating article about the town of Cornelius, N.C. (pop. 25,000), which has replaced town council paper work with iPads, swapping printing endless piles of meeting agenda packages with iPads for the town’s commissioners. Speaking to the Times, along with police chief Bence Hoyle, town manager Anthony Roberts explained why the town council had made the decision. Roberts said that for each meeting, 20 agendas at 200 pages per agenda would have to be printed up, making 4,000 pages per meeting, which would then be recycled. And aside from those printing and paper costs, simply putting the agendas together took eight hours per agenda, with changes often having to be made. Chief Hoyle also added that each agenda would have to be delivered to the town commissioners by the Police Department to ensure that they got it in time. 

“We see it as a money-saving measure. We see it as saving our taxpayers money,” Roberts told the Times, going on to explain that the town owns 16 iPads in total, which are given to the department heads, mayor, board members, town clerk, finance director, police chief and the I.T. team. Roberts didn’t give a figure as to how much money exactly the town would be saving, but he estimated that the town would have saved the $8,000 spent on the iPads in approximately a year and a half.

[Download] Netflix 1.3 working on Honeycomb Tablets

The latest version of the Netflix Android app released today added 16 new devices to it's support list. No one expected it to work on tablets but thanks to Droid-Life who got confirmation that this latest version does in fact work on Honeycomb Tablets.

Apple Legal Rampage; Threatens GetJar over "App Store"; Files 2nd Infringement vs HTC

If you were a lawyer working for Apple right now, you would probably both love and hate them; Love them, because of all the money you are making from them, and hate them because of all the endless work they are making you do. You can add two new targets to the legal onslaught coming from the rampaging fruit. Apple has just threatened a lawsuit against GetJar, a 3rd party app store, for using "app store", just like they did with Amazon, telling them to "stop using 'Apps Store'". Luckily, the "little company that could" will not bow to Apple's demands and flatly said, "No." GetJar have decided to stand up to what they call Apple's "bullying". It's almost surprising that Apple is pursuing these legal actions over the term "App Store", because their trademark of it is still being contested by Microsoft in a USPTO case that is still unsettled at this time. And, of course, they are still fighting it out in court with Amazon for the same issue, and even had a legal setback in the case recently. 

Regardless, it appears that the fruit will do what the fruit does, and they aren't stopping there with their legal shenanigans. Apparently, Apple has also filed a 2nd ITC patent infringement complaint against HTC over (publicly) unspecified devices, and seeks to block the import of "personal electronic devices" by HTC. There is no comment from HTC regarding this yet, and, although their previous case with Apple regarding similar issues hasn't been decided yet, it should be finished by August 5th. Perhaps we will know something more then. This is almost precisely what they are doing with Samsung too.

I am not one to become a fan-boy, or anti-fan-boy, of one company over another. I tend to follow the technology that impresses me the most, even if it comes from a competitor. I admit, that there are several devices from Apple that are very impressive, but when it comes to stuff like this, it really makes me scratch my head. I am all for a company protecting their intellectual property rights, but from the beginning of this, the idea that Apple could trademark something as generic as "app store" just seemed... unjust. When does Apple need to take a step back and reevaluate how their behavior makes them look in the public eye? At what point does "protecting your IP" become "abusing the legal system for strategic market advantage"? Right now, it just seems like Apple is picking on everybody and everything "just because they can." Apple's PR people should rein in the legal department before they irreparably damage the company's reputation, if they haven't already. 

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Google May Increase Prices and Processor Performance of Chromebooks

So far, the Chromebook hasn't been extremely successful for Google. Even in Asia, the netbooks/notebooks aren't selling well. Marketing teams at Google have identified the problem as a price & performance issue, and that they are simply trying to compete in the wrong market segment. Since their release, the Chromebook has been pegged as an entry-level competitor to netbooks and Apple's iPad. Unfortunately, this leaves the $500 dollar pricing of the Chromebook at the very upper end of the pricing spectrum in that tier of product. Google's solution is to upgrade the processor from the Intel Atom that currently runs it, to the Intel Core i3 CPU, and then raise the price above the $500 dollar barrier to the mid-level product segment. Google is currently planning to make this upgrade and move the product into that consumer tier as early as the fourth quarter of this year. 

Ultimately, the real problem for the device is not reality, but perception. Consumers perceive the product as a lower-end and slower device due to the Intel Atom chip that is typically in $300 dollar and less netbooks. Thus, its pricing at $500 dollars seems like too hard of a pill to swallow for consumers that don't realize it can do much more than your typical netbook. From the other side, typical notebook consumers have a perception that the device can't perform many of the same functions as their Windows based notebooks, leaving the Chromebook in a "no-win scenario". Google hopes that by increasing the processor speed and upping the price, they can convince the mid-range consumer that the Chromebook is a less-expensive alternative to a typical notebook computer. Apparently, confidence in Google's ability to make this transition isn't dampened within their OEMs, because Samsung, Acer and Asus, have all agreed to join in with the new upgrades. Now, they just need to translate that confidence to consumers, and perhaps they can make a dramatic turnaround for the fledgling product.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play for Only a Penny at Amazon!

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play just received the most ridiculous price drop on Amazon. You can now get the "PlayStation-dubbed" phone for only $.01 cent on Amazon! Furthermore, this is for any type of contract, including family plans and renewals! It would appear from this that the phone, which has only been out for a few months, hasn't really fared well in sales. How else could you explain practically giving it away? Still, this deal seems like a "no-brainer" to buy for a new or renewed contract for your kids to have an Android phone that they can also play games with. Match this up with Amazon's current "Get $15 for Apps, MP3s, and Kindle Content" Android purchase deal, and you are actually getting paid to take the phone. This really is just an amazing deal on a phone that may not be dual-core, but still packs a decent punch.

Chromebooks Now Available Starting at Only $349 dollars!

Despite earlier reports that suggested Google may release Chromebooks at a higher price-point, instead they are launching starting at just $349 dollars. The cloud-based net device from Google could eventually become the next evolution of technology for the computing world. It heralds another step toward Google's vision of information easily and quickly available to everyone. Here are the details on the launch:

Chromebooks now available.

You asked to be notified when Chromebooks became available. We're pleased to inform you that they're available starting at $349.

Built for the web.
Listen to music. Play games. Edit photos. Thanks to the Chrome Web Store, you can find apps to do anything.

Stay connected.
With a long-lasting battery and built in WiFi and 3G, it's easy to stay connected anytime, anywhere.

Boots in 8 seconds. Resumes instantly.
Chromebooks are fast — and are designed to get faster over time as they get automatically updated.

Samsung Removes Anymode Brand "Smart Case" Accessory From Store Amidst Controversy

Recently, Samsung briefly had a new accessory on their site designed specifically for the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It's called the "Smart Case" from Anymode, and the controversy surrounding it stems from the fact that it looks like an obvious "knock-off" of a very similar product for the Apple iPad2, called the "Smart Cover." Samsung immediately pulled the accessory from their website and issued a statement regarding it. They indicated that the accessory never received official "Designed for Samsung Mobile" certification, and that they were "working with Anymode to address this oversight." They also shared that none of the cases had actually been sold.

Does it seem like they are having an almost paranoid, "knee-jerk" reaction to this because of all their legal fights with Apple? It's hard to blame them... it was probably a wise reaction. Check out the pic above for an idea of what the folding case looks like.

Lenovo Officially Unveils Its IdeaPad K1; Honeycomb with Full Netflix Compatibility

Even though we've heard about it for weeks now, Lenovo finally pulls the cover off their first Android Honeycomb tablet, the IdeaPad K1. Besides the specs listed below, the most exciting thing about this tab is that it is the first Honeycomb enabled device that comes stock with full Netflix compatibility.

• 10.1 1280x800 display
• 1GHz Dual-Core Tegra 2 chipset
• 1GB RAM
• 16/32GB on-board storage; SD Card slot
• MicroHDMI
• WiFi
• A Gobi chip for optional 3G (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint)
• 5MP rear camera; 2MP front
• Android 3.1
• Two-Cell battery for up to 10 hours of life

DC Comics Android App Arrives Just Before Comic-Con 2011

Fans of DC Comics, or just comics in general, will be pleased to hear about a new DC Comics App arriving to an Android near you just in time for San Diego, Comic-Con 2011. DC Comics decided to partner with comiXology, maker of the popular comic book reader app with the same name. The result is the first DC-branded app for Android that lets your purchase and read some of your favorite titles on your android smartphone or tablet. You can download over 3,000 titles from DC Comics and Vertigo, and they are available for purchase from $0.99 to $2.99 per issue. You can even access your purchases through your PC as well

Apple Legal Rampage; Threatens GetJar over "App Store"; Files 2nd Infringement vs HTC

If you were a lawyer working for Apple right now, you would probably both love and hate them; Love them, because of all the money you are making from them, and hate them because of all the endless work they are making you do. You can add two new targets to the legal onslaught coming from the rampaging fruit. Apple has just threatened a lawsuit against GetJar, a 3rd party app store, for using "app store", just like they did with Amazon, telling them to "stop using 'Apps Store'". Luckily, the "little company that could" will not bow to Apple's demands and flatly said, "No." GetJar have decided to stand up to what they call Apple's "bullying". It's almost surprising that Apple is pursuing these legal actions over the term "App Store", because their trademark of it is still being contested by Microsoft in a USPTO case that is still unsettled at this time. And, of course, they are still fighting it out in court with Amazon for the same issue, and even had a legal setback in the case recently.

Regardless, it appears that the fruit will do what the fruit does, and they aren't stopping there with their legal shenanigans. Apparently, Apple has also filed a 2nd ITC patent infringement complaint against HTC over (publicly) unspecified devices, and seeks to block the import of "personal electronic devices" by HTC. There is no comment from HTC regarding this yet, and, although their previous case with Apple regarding similar issues hasn't been decided yet, it should be finished by August 5th. Perhaps we will know something more then. This is almost precisely what they are doing with Samsung too.

I am not one to become a fan-boy, or anti-fan-boy, of one company over another. I tend to follow the technology that impresses me the most, even if it comes from a competitor. I admit, that there are several devices from Apple that are very impressive, but when it comes to stuff like this, it really makes me scratch my head. I am all for a company protecting their intellectual property rights, but from the beginning of this, the idea that Apple could trademark something as generic as "app store" just seemed... unjust. When does Apple need to take a step back and reevaluate how their behavior makes them look in the public eye? At what point does "protecting your IP" become "abusing the legal system for strategic market advantage"? Right now, it just seems like Apple is picking on everybody and everything "just because they can." Apple's PR people should rein in the legal department before they irreparably damage the company's reputation, if they haven't already.

As consumers we really shouldn't desire to see Apple fail in any way. Even if we choose to purchase competing products to Apple, the fact that they are innovative helps push their competitors to make better products. This "cycle" benefits consumers in the long run by continuously evolving the technology, and keeping prices down. Our Androids are better and cheaper because Apple exists. Although I doubt that this negative legal "junk" will actually impact Apple in a big way in the long run, consumers are a fickle bunch,

Netflix now supported (dev users)...

ChromeOS 774.0 (Chrome 14.0.825.0)

Netflix now supported - see image below :

Android Tablets Chew 30% Out of iPad's Marketshare

A new study from Strategy Analytics indicates that Android tablets have finally started to take a bite out of the fruit of the iPad. According to their numbers, Apple's iPad shipments fell sharply during Quarter 2, and Android Tablets were the reason behind it. Android tabs rose from a paltry 2.9% marketshare during the 1st quarter, to a whopping 30.1% during the second quarter. Contrast that with the iPad that went from 94.3% marketshare in Q1 down to 61.3% in Q2, and you can see directly where 'Andy' is eating his snacks.

Technically, Apple has still sold over twice as many iPads than Google has Android Tablets, at 9.3 Million to 4.6 Million respectively; however, that's because it was Apple's market to begin with, and their market to lose, since they pioneered it in the first place. It has to be alarming to Steve Jobs and Co. that Android was able to make such a dramatic jump in such a short amount of time. And, it's only going to get worse, since Amazon plans to get into the tablet market in a big way later this year.

Netflix Updated; Playback on 22 Devices Including Droid 3 & Side-loading for Tablets

Here's some great news for fans of streaming Netflix. The Netflix Android app has been updated and now includes a total of 22 devices on its officially supported roster. Furthermore, several more devices are able to use the app if you side-load the .APK, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Motorola Xoom, and Asus Eee Pad Transformer. Here's a breakdown of the officially supported devices:

• Casio G'zOne Commando C771 with Android 2.2
• HTC Droid Incredible
• HTC Droid Incredible 2
• HTC EVO
• HTC EVO 3D
• HTC G2
• HTC Thunderbolt
• Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet
• LG Revolution
• Motorola Atrix
• Motorola Droid
• Motorola Droid X
• Motorola Droid X2
• Motorola Droid 2
• Motorola Droid 3
• Samsung Droid Charge
• Samsung Epic 4G
• Samsung Galaxy S
• Samsung Galaxy S 4G
• Samsung Fascinate
• Samsung Nexus S
• Samsung Nexus S 4G

If you want to give it a whirl on your unsanctioned device, please do so at your own risk, but here is a link to XDA-Developers with some details and a download. Here is the one for the APK Download, and here is the one specifically for the Transformer.

*Additional Note: The other articles online indicated that their were 24 officially supported devices, but the only list I could find only showed 22. Perhaps an interesting mystery for you guys to solve...?

Staples Offers $100 Off Coupon for Tablet Purchases

If you've been on the fence about getting an Android Tablet, well today's your lucky day. Staples is now offering $100 Off coupon good for any tablet purchase.

$299 Asus Transformer and Acer A500? Or how about a $399 Galaxy Tab 10.1? or a Toshiba Thrive 16GB for a mere $379.99?

Either way you go, this deal is almost impossible to beat, so print the coupon and head to your local Staples now (it ends on 7/30)

Verizon Activates 28 New LTE Markets

Verizon has been on a "roll" lately, with how quickly they are rolling out new and updated LTE markets. *(Feel free to groan now)* There total list of covered areas, according to Engadget, is up to 102 now. Here is a list of their newest LTE enabled spots:
New Markets:

• Decatur and Huntsville, Ala.
• Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Lakeland and Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
• Augusta, Ga.
• Hilo, Honolulu, Kahului-Wailuku and Lahaina, Hawaii
• Carbondale, Ill.
• Wichita, Kan.
• Louisville, Ky.
• Baton Rouge and Hammond, La.
• Springfield, Mass.
• Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
• Toledo, Ohio
• Tulsa, Okla.
• Portland, Ore.
• Wilkes Barre/Scranton, Pa.
• Charleston, S.C.
• Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn.
• Olympia and Tacoma, Wash

Expanded Markets:

• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif.
• Las Vegas, Nev.
• Northern New Jersey
• Dallas-Ft. Worth and San Antonio, Texas
• and Seattle, Wash.

[Rumor] Samsung Working on Galaxy 3D Superphone for End of this Year

A Korean website called, ETNews, is posting a rumor that Samsung is working on a 3D version of their flagship Galaxy SII phone, that will come to retail by the end of this year. Apparently, Samsung doesn't want to be the only Android OEM without a 3D phone, like the LG Optimus 3D and the HTC EVO 3D. The phone's rumored specs are very similar to the current Galaxy SII, with a 1.2GHz Exynos processor, 4.3" display, etc. The primary difference will be two 8 mega-pixel cameras on the back to take 3D pics and video. It will also supposedly come with Gingerbread and possibly an HDMI output so you can display your homemade 3D videos on your home theater system. This could all be speculation, but we will keep an eye out for more info in the future.

Amazon leaked bionic pics

Here is a great look at the Motorola Droid Bionic from Amazon, a bit more believable than the photoshopped Droid Does page we saw a few days back.

Microsoft 's new social networking website

Microsoft is now working on development social networking website tulalip to finish  the empire of facebook . tulalip has lots of new features in comparison between facebook and google new networking site google plus.