New Samsung Galaxy SII LTE Variant Shows Up in South Korea; Codename Celox

A new LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy SII has emerged from the shadows in South Korea. Supposedly this new variant not only has LTE, but also sports the following "enhanced" specs:

• 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor
• 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display
• 16GB of internal memory
• A microSD slot offering an extra 32GB
• Gingerbread
• 1750mAh battery
• 800MHz LTE support (at up to 50Mbps upstream, 100Mbps downstream)
• 8MP rear-facing camera, and a 2MP front-facing camera

Considering that the LTE on this device is a different bandwidth than what we see here in the States, (Verizon and AT&T use 700MHz), this phone is probably slated for somewhere else, like Europe perhaps. We will watch this one for any further details.

Perceptive Pixel shows world's largest projected capacitive display at SIGGRAPH, we go hands-on (video)

Perceptive Pixel wasn't kidding around when it launched the planet's biggest projected capacitive display here at SIGGRAPH -- all 82 inches of it were here on display, and naturally, we stopped by to give it a look. While 82-inch panels aren't anything new, this one's particularly special. You see, the company actually procures the panels from Samsung, and then it rips the guts out while bonding its own network of sensors directly to it; most large-screen touch devices simply pop a touch layer on top of whatever TV shows up in the labs, but this integrated approach takes sensitivity to a whole 'nother level. For those unfamiliar with the term 'projected capacitive,' we're surmising that it's actually far less foreign than you think -- it's a technology used in a handful of smartphones, from Samsung's Moment to Apple's iPhone. 3M was also showing off a PC tech preview back at CES, and after using it here on the show floor, there's no question that it's the future for larger-screen devices. To quote CEO Jeff Han: "once consumers get a taste of this on the mobile front, they start demanding it elsewhere."

Android Tablet Shipments Expected to Grow 134% in 2012

A DigiTimes article suggests that while Apple iPad shipments are expected to rise by 55% next year, Android Tablet shipments will likely rise by 134%. The report suggests that Apple's iPad is reaching a saturation point already, and that Android Tablets are basically hitting their stride. Here's a quote from the article,

With Google set to launch its new Android operating system codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich by the end of 2011, while demand for iPad is approaching saturating, shipments of Android-based tablet PCs are expected to increase from 19-20 million units in 2011 to 44-45 million units in 2012, while Apple's iPad shipments will increase from 14-15 million units in 2010, to 35-36 million units in 2011, and to 54-55 million units in 2012.

The story further elaborated that one of the factors that will fuel this explosive growth is that several processor manufacturers, like Nvidia, Texas Instrument and Qualcomm, are making new chips for Android devices, meaning a larger variety of choices will available for consumers. This includes the follow-up to the highly successful Asus Eee Pad Transformer, which is expected to come out at the end of this year. The tablet will supposedly come with the new NVIDIA, Tegra 3 quad-core and will have five-times the 3D graphic processing capability of the current Tegra 2, supporting a resolution of up to 2560 by 1600.

Additionally, industry rumor suggests that Google's Ice Cream Sandwich will arrive as the OS to meld cross-platforms for tablets, smartphones and LCD TVs, just in time to compete with Apple's newest offerings. Next year should be another exciting year for Android fans!

[Rumor] Google's First Ice Cream Sandwich Devices May Come as Early as October

There is a rumor that a source at BGR heard suggesting that Google may actually release their first Ice Cream Sandwich devices in October. The move is designed to coincide with the launch of the Apple iPhone 5 in September or October, so as to entice folks away from considering the Apple product. Basically, Google doesn't want to risk losing customers, that might be coming out of contracts around that time, to the new iPhone. Clever ploy.

Tester Leak Indicates Droid Bionic Battery Life has Improved Battery Life

A leak from YodaDroid, a tester of the Motorola Droid Bionic, indicates from his testing, that its battery life is impressive. This is on top of his tests indicating that the performance of the phone itself and its LTE speeds were excellent. In fact, the tester claims that he gets 15 hours out of the phone with moderate use. The pic above shows some phenomenal network speeds; however, there is no report as to whether these were LTE speeds or WiFi. The pics of this device are coming in droves now. All of these new reports keep making it harder and harder to decide between the SGS2 and the Bionic.

Elektrobit's Android Phone Tailored for Security; Could Win Ugliest Android Award

A company call Elektrobit is designing what they call their Specialized Device Platform for Android smartphones. The purpose is to tailor make Android smartphones for public safety, security and defense industry markets. Their "current" model sports the following features:

• Froyo
• 1GHz single-core OMAP3
• WVGA capacitive touchscreen (either 4-, or 4.3-inch)
• 5 megapixel camera, VGA front-facing camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS with quad-band GSM, tri-band UMTS / HSDPA and CDMA2K / EVDO support

These specs are a bit "lack-luster," but Elektrobit is working on a Gingerbread/LTE model as well, and more powerful options next year. It would be convenient to utilize one of these Androids in the field if you were in one of these industries, but the design could easily win an "Ugliest Android" contest if there were such a thing. Ultimately, law enforcement, protection and military arenas don't need it to be "pretty", so the idea of it is pretty impressive nonetheless. What do you guys think?

YouTube Android App Gets New 2.2.14 Update with Some Great New Features!

There is a new update, version 2.2.14, for the YouTube for Android app. You can download it on the Market now. It comes with some pretty great new features, including the following:

• Bug fixes and performance improvements:
• Edit the title, description and privacy of your uploaded videos
• New uploading UI integrated into the app
• Create/Edit/Delete playlists on the go

These new features already make the easy-to-use app even more accessible. Budding videographers will be even more productive, (or unproductive depending upon how much fun you are having, and what you "should" be doing).

Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi version down to £399 at Dixons (UK)

Our inexplicable fascination with the ever-fluctuating pricing of the Motorola XOOM continues! The Currys/Dixons chain has just SLASHED the cost of owning the wi-fi model of the Android Honeycomb tablet, taking it down to £399.

That’s pretty competitive and puts it on a par with the entry level Galaxy Tab 10.1 – although this is the 32GB XOOM so it actually wins on internal capacity.

Free delivery is included in that price aswell.

Droid Bionic FCC Docs Revealed

Verizon Communications Workers Strike: 45,000 Union Members Demand Improvements

Verizon Communications just had 45,000 union workers strike on Sunday, August 7th. The workers, who are members of Communications Workers of America Union, are primarily from the land-line division of the company and includes employees from the company's FiOS TV and Internet service. Many of the employees on strike are call center employees, field technicians and cable installers. The strike won't likely effect Verizon Wireless, but the news is worth sharing with you anyway, just in case things spill over.

The issues that brought about this strike have been at the "collective bargaining table" since June 22nd, but have been largely dismissed by Verizon Communications Executives. Here's a quote from the PhoneArena article describing that the union workers take issue with,

...Verizon's proposed draconian cuts aiming to tie salary to employee performance, concessions on pensions and requiring workers to pay over $100 monthly for health care premiums, contradicted the fact that the company registered profits from its wired network, while Verizon's top five executives compensation amounted to over quarter a billion in the last four years.

Here is the union's statement regarding these issues,

“Since bargaining began on June 22, Verizon has refused to move from a long list of concession demands. Even at the 11th hour, as contracts were set to expire, Verizon continued to seek to strip away 50 years of collective bargaining gains for middle class workers and their families,”

This issue will be the first big challenge for Verizon's newly appointed CEO, Lowell McAdam. His response to the claim was the following,

"It is clear that some of the existing contract provisions, negotiated initially when Verizon was under far less competitive pressure, are not in line with the economic realities of business today,"

During the strike Verizon has promised that services won't be disrupted, and is utilizing tens of thousands of non-union workers, working 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week to fill in for the striking workers. Paul Secunda, a Marquette University associate law professor and adviser to Verizon during previous strikes said, "This may be the last big strike we see in the land-line business."

It's easy to see both sides of the issue. On the one hand, land-line phones are a dying industry, and you can see Verizon Communications' perspective of needing to maximize the efficiency of the business for as long as possible. On the other hand, the company had 2011 annualized revenues of $108 billion and annualized net profits of $6 billion, and Verizon Communications just received a dividend from Verizon Wireless of around $5 Billion dollars. Furthermore, Verizon’s top five executives received compensation of $258 million over the past four years. At what point do you "take care of the people that helped get you there"

AT&T and Apple Prepare Stores and Staff for iPhone 5 Launch in September

Boy Genius Report has an exclusive story today hot from its sources within AT&T, who say that AT&T has started telling its employees about its launch plans for the iPhone 5, kicking off with instructing employees throughout the company and in retail outlets to complete any employee training that they might currently be undergoing, as soon as possible. The reason for this is to ensure that sufficient employees will be available to deal with the extra customers expected to be flocking to AT&T retail stores once the iPhone 5 is release in September. This follows on from another story on MacRumors that says that Apple is also recruiting extra employees, including asking former employees to return, and asking them to be available from August 15 to September 15. Most current speculation from a variety of reliable sources seems to be pointing to the next iPhone being announced possibly as soon as mid-to-late August, for an early-to-mid September launch.

New Survey Finds That 35 Percent of Consumers Intend to Buy the iPhone 5

PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, published the results of its new survey today about Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 5. The survey found that 35 percent of respondents plan to purchase the iPhone 5 when it is released, most likely, in September. 51 percent of that initial 35 percent said that they would buy an iPhone 5 within the first year of release, 30 percent said they would buy it before the end of 2011, 14 percent said they would purchase the phone within the first month, and 7 percent intended to buy it within the first week.

PriceGrabber also asked consumers what new features they considered to be most important in their decision to buy the iPhone 5; 59 percent said better battery life, 55 percent said cost reduction, 46 percent said 4G network compatibility, 45 percent said a larger screen, and 42 percent said a better camera.

Quote:

"Our survey data confirms the strong following Apple has built around its iPhone, with more than one-third of consumers planning to upgrade to the latest model only a little over a year following the release of the iPhone 4," stated Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber. "Anticipation and brand loyalty are certainly high, but in today's 24-7 work culture and uncertain economic environment, consumers are cautious to look for a reasonably priced phone that will perform optimally over an extended time period."

When asked which smartphone operating system they preferred, 48 percent of respondents said Apple iOS, 19 percent said Android OS, 7 percent said Microsoft Windows, and 6 percent said RIM BlackBerry. The consumers were also polled on what smartphone they would prefer to get as a gift, and again the iPhone 5 came out massively on top, with 69 percent of respondents naming it as their choice. Seven percent said Motorola’s Droid Bionic, 4 percent said the Samsung Galaxy S II, and 3 percent said BlackBerry Curve.

Finally, when asked what they generally use their smartphone for, 88 percent of respondents said phone calls, 77 percent said email, 73 percent said texting, 69 percent answered browsing the Internet, 51 percent said searching, and 50 percent cited the Global Positioning System.