Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Still Coming To Australia

Yesterday’s headlines were all about how Apple was successful in blocking the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being sold in Australia. That news is yesterday’s news; the latest report from The World Street Journal says the device is still coming to the southern hemispheric continent.
According to their report; Apple was successful in blocking a variant of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being sold in Australia. This variant is one that Samsung says they weren’t planning on selling in that market. This means you can still expect Samsung’s answer to the iPad 2 to be released “in the near future.”

Bye Tegra II; Google Selects TI OMAP4 As Preferred Ice Cream Sandwich Processor

NVIDA’s Tegra 2 processor has been running the streets since being released on the Motorola Xoom. Google made the processor the preferred Honeycomb chipset, and other smartphones followed the trend by upgrading to the dual core power it offered. Times have changed and Google is now moving on to another major chipset company for the next generation of their software.

Texas Instruments is being selected to offer their OMAP dual core processor as the go to chipset for devices that’ll run Google’s next generation Android 4.0 Aka Ice Cream Sandwich.

“What we do is pick our partners, a semiconductor partner, an operator, and an OEM and then combine them all together. This is the device that engineers have on their desk when they come in the morning.”

This is great news because TI makes incredible processors and so hopefully we’ll see some improvements in our next round of super-phones. This is sad news for NVIDA though, because Google’s sponsorship brought them a lot of costumers and attention, with that gone, they might not be as relevant in the mobile space anymore.
What are your thoughts on this chipset switch? Can you hear that? NVIDA’s stocks dropping.

Google+ iPhone app out now!

When Google launched its Google+ service at the tail end of last month, it promised that an iOS app would be making its way to the App Store soon, and today that's exactly what happened. The official Google+ app for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4 (iOS 3.1 or later required) is now available for download, and it looks fairly similar to the app that's been available to Android users since G+'s introduction. You can find a couple more screenshots of the app below, and if you're ready and raring to download, the iPhone Google+ app can be found right here (iTunes link). There's no word on when or if iPod touch and iPad users will get access to the Google+ app, but we'll let you 
know more when we do.

New Android Trojan Malware Infection Can Record Phone Calls

There is a new bit of malware malfeasance attacking 'Andy'. This new Trojan does something that we haven't seen before; it is able to record phone calls while also recording your data. This Trojan stores its .AMR files locally on your phone's external storage. An additional configuration file installed by the infection gives remote server access to the creators of the app. This allows them to retrieve the recordings from your phone’s microSD card. 

The easiest way to spot the infection is that it requests an excessive number of permissions, including the ability to record phone calls. This should obviously send up a "red flag" alert in your mind, but we need to warn all of our less tech-savvy friends and family members. The ZDNet article sums up nicely how we can educate others,

Samsung Galaxy R Announced

The Samsung Galaxy S II is one of the most hyped Android phones to date, with millions of copies sold; Samsung just announced a cheaper priced spin-off for those that aren’t swimming in money. This mid-range device was originally rumored under the name Samsung Galaxy Z, but today’s announcement by Samsung indicates it is going to be released with the name Galaxy R. The notable changes are all downgrades to hardware components.

The screen was downgraded from a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus to a 4.2 inch Super Clear LCD. The camera isn’t as stunning anymore, stepping down from the 8MP to a 5MP. Samsung may also be changing the processor from their Exynos dual core processor found in the Galaxy S II, to the popular NVIDA made Tegra 2 chipset. The last notable change is with the storage memory; according to the announcement it will be downgraded to 8 GB rather than 16 GB the Galaxy S is currently offering.

This is certainly a less powerful device than the current "King Kong" of the Android world. The specs have made this fall in-line with the mid-range crowd, rather than stand out like the Galaxy S II does. Hopefully the release date and price will make this a great deal in comparison to the rest of the competition. 

Sprint Getting LG Black And Samsung M930

The LG Black is one of the best devices that came from LG this year. The device has a very sexy, and simple design all in a thinner form than the iPhone 4. The leaked document above has the LG Black going under the name LG LS855, and indicates it will be coming to Sprint’s network sometime in October. 

The other device worth nothing is the Samsung M930, which people are speculating is a replacement to the Samsung Transformer that has been getting some decent sales on Sprint. Engadget, along with other blogs, have said this device will have many similarities to the Verizon 4G Droid Charge device, so if that's true, Sprint has another great looking device coming along with the LG Black.

HTC Desire Gingerbread Update Ready?

Many HTC Desire users have been patiently waiting for their promised update to Gingerbread. This update has been pushed back countless times, but one XDA member seems to have received some information that might help calm the impatient. According to an HTC rep that he spoke to, a few unbranded HTC Desires in Europe, (not all), should be getting the update as we speak. 


This update would bring your device to Android 2.3 world, but you’d lose some functionality before getting there. For the people doing the update, you would lose Sense UI, a few apps, and other system files you most likely never needed. This was done to make the update small enough to fit on the phones smaller storage. Nevertheless, if you’re an HTC Desire user, it wouldn’t hurt to check for the update.

Toshiba Thrive 8GB for $380 With Free shipping from eBay Daily Deals

If you've been wanting to get an Android Tablet then this deal might make it easier for you to decide.

This dual-core Android 3.1 tablet can handle all of the peripherals that you can possibly throw at it, and fortoday only, you can grab the 8GB version for $380 from eBay Daily Deals.

So what are you waiting for?

Samsung Galaxy S II For Only $20 at Bell Canada

If you live in Canada and are looking to get a new android phone, then you might want to check out theSamsung Galaxy S II. 

If you head over to the Bell website, you'll see that it is avaiable for only $20 on a new 3 year contract. 

That's a pretty good deal but a very long contract.  Now when are we getting this phone here in the US? 

Apple plans massive retail store expansion ahead of iPhone 5 release

Preparing for iPhone 5 release, Apple is setting up 30 new outlets by the end of the third quarter, planning to expand its retail stores. According to the company’s CFO Peter Oppenheimer, the second quarter record sales of 20.3 million iPhone units and 9.2 million iPad units boosted Apple’s profits to $282 million with a $3.5 billion in revenues.

The average data shows that each of the company’s retail stores generated about $ 10.8 million in each quarter, except for the holiday period, when average sales hit $ 12 million.

Apple’s successful sales are not only due to iPhones and iPads, as Mac computers also sold well, 768,000 units during this quarter. Oppenheimer has also reported that Apple’s stores hosted a staggering number of 73.7 million visitors and that over two million were held Personal Setup sessions, hence Apple’s audience proving to be one of the most loyal ones among the PC and smartphone users.

The first retail store in Apple’s plans is one in Hong Kong, Apple’s Chief Operation Officer Tim Cook arguing that China is a key region for retail expansion. Hoping to benefit from the strong sales in Asia Pacific market, the company intends to open 25 stores in China by the end of the year.

No wonder Apple thinks of China’s market as a key one, since this quarter’s sales in Asia Pacific were double the company’s 16% average growth over the previous quarter. And if we were to compare it with the year ago quarter, Apple’s Asia Pacific sales were three times the company’s average growth of 82% , namely up an incredible 247 percent.

Oracle releases Virtual Desktop Client App for iPad

Oracle has announced the official release of the Virtual Desktop Client application for iPad, available for free download from the App Store on iPads or at Oracle Virtual Desktop Client for iPad on the iTunes App Store

The app provides access to different enterprise applications, including those who require a full desktop, such as Oracle’s Siebel CRM. The users are offered support through desktop virtualization as well as secure access to Oracle’s Sun Ray Software or Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure virtual desktops. After installing the application on their iPad, users must log in with the Sun Ray or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure account and they are free to use multi-touch and gesture-based operation as well as a virtual keyboard including cursor keys.

The fast interface provides multiple tasks and allows users to access different iOS applications. The VPN functionality ensures the users of the app’s security, enabling them to experience highly secure access to all desktops and applications. In addition, the 256-bit AES encryption protects users even in wi-fi connections. The app features an automatic recognition of Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or Sun Ray Software available servers. The multimedia features are as well included in the Virtual Desktop Client App, with Windows Media Player, multimedia playback on Oracle Desktop Virtualization applications and Adobe Flash Player.

This application is included in Oracle’s complete portfolio of virtualization solutions, from desktop to datacenter, allowing users to efficiently manage their software and hardware stack, from applications to storage solutions. The Oracle Virtual Desktop Client Application requires an iPad or iPad 2, an iOS 4.2 or higher operating system and a Sun Ray Software 5.1 or higher or Oracle Desktop Infrastructure 3.2.2 or higher server and it is available for free at the App Store.

iPad 2 keyboard case from Zagg

Any iPad fan is well aware of the fact that their favorite tablet has the option to be fitted to a number of cool and helpful attachments. Some of the most successful have been the keyboard cases. Apart from making your iPad look great, they have also proved to be highly useful and give some users higher ergonomics when using the tablet.

The latest in a long line of iPad 2 keyboard cases comes from Zagg and it’s called the Zaggfolio.The case sports a fashionable carbon-fiber design and microfiber lining. It’s also got a built-in stand and island-style keys. The keyboard is removable and connects via Bluetooth to the tablet.

One very interesting feature is the ability to flip your iPad while in the case to either use it in portrait or landscape mode.

If this new case caught your eye, look for it at around $99.99.