Samsung Continuum & LG Vortex Android Smartphones Heading to Verizon on October 29

Two more Android devices will soon make it into Verizon’s shelves, as early as this month. Two Android smartphones, the Samsung Continuum and LG Vortex could be joining the Verizon band wagon by October 29.

This puts the total number of new Android phones to be launched soon on Verizon to six, with Droid Pro, Droid 2 Global, HTC Merge and the Motorola Citrus coming to shelves soon. But the Samsung Continuum and LG Vortex are expected to hit the streets two weeks earlier than the others in the list.

The duo is rich with interesting features. The Continuum, which is a Galaxy S device (SCH-i400), has its own share to novelty with a dual screen feature.

As all other phones, Continuum also has a major screen meant for navigation, viewing and other smartphone purposes of the user. In addition to this, there is a second screen at the bottom of the major one, acting like a ticker. The ticker screen will flash info like weather, notifications, RSS updates, etc.

Rumors around the city suggest that the Continuum is armed with a 1 GHz Hummingbird processor and 336 MB of RAM.

LG Vortex, the second unexpected new comer this month, comes with a 3.2 inch HVGA (480×320) touchscreen. Being a slightly redesigned model of LG Optimus One, it comes with a 600 MHz processor and a 3.2 MP camera.

No word on the pricing though, but Verizon is expected to come out with a confirmation soon.

Via : gizmocrave

DROID 2 Global Advertised While On Hold with Verizon, Still Not Announced

You can hear all about the new and yet-to-be-announced Droid 2 Global from Verizon simply by calling their 1-800 number and chillin’ out on hold for a while. The device which we all figure will replace the Droid 2, has an overclocked processor (1.2GHz) and global roaming capabilities which we exclusively showed you, but still won’t be acknowledged by Big Red or Motorola.

Our money is on the Droid Pro and D2 Global launching the same week in early November, so stay close as we’ll likely have more very soon.

Via : droid-life

Droid Pro, Droid 2 Global, Moto Citrus, HTC Merge And Palm Pre 2 To Hit Verizon On Nov 11?

Verizon has quite a few juicy handsets lined up for us, though there hasn't been an official launch date for many of them just yet. The good news is that whispers are going around that November 11 will be a very busy day for Verizon as the carrier will be launching the Palm Pre 2, HTC Merge, Motorola Droid Pro, Droid 2 Global Edition and Motorola Citrus on the same day.

That's certainly a lineup to scare competitors, not to mention the freshly-announced Palm Pre 2 which will be attracting attention due to the use of webOS 2.0. Pricing details weren't mentioned just yet, but we'll be keeping an eye on it, so stay tuned!

Via : ubergizmo

FaceTime Works In The Middle East on the iPod Touch

When the iPhone 4 launched in the Middle East — specifically in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar — it did so without support for FaceTime. Needless to say, this prompted some speculation. Why would Apple have dropped theFaceTime capability only from Middle Eastern iPhone 4? Was it a carrier restriction… or was Apple trying to sidestep Middle Eastern governments getting interested in regulating the new video chat standard?

It now seems like the real explanation probably has more to do with carrier restrictions than anything else. According to iRamadah, FaceTime works in the Middle East on the new iPod Touches, despite the fact that even on the iPhone 4, FaceTime is a WiFi-only standard. Seems at this point more likely that the carriers kicked for whatever reason than anything to do with Big Brother.

Via : cultofmac

Griffin intros new cases for iPod touch 4G, nano 6G

Griffin Technology has introduced its new lineup of cases for the fourth-generation iPod touch and sixth-generation iPod nano. The lineup includes the Outfit Gloss for iPod touch 4G, a translucent hard shell polycarbonate case featuring a slide-on design, open access to all ports and controls, and an included microStand for $25, as well as the Outfit Mist for iPod touch 4G, a translucent snap-on polycarbonate case featuing two-tone paint, open access to all ports and controls, and an included microStand. It also sells for $25, as does the Reveal for iPod touch 4G, a slim hard shell polycarbonate case featuring a transparent back, black rubber accents on the sides, built-in coverage for the volume and sleep/wake buttons, open access to all other ports and controls, and an included microStand.

iPod touch 4G is a two-piece hard shell polycarbonate case featuring open access to all ports and controls, an included microStand, and a color-shifting paint scheme that shifts from green to purple as you move the case. It sells for $35. Also made for the iPod touch 4G, the AeroSport XL is the company’s latest AeroSport armband, with a strap that is 50 millimeters longer, one-piece construction with a lycra core, a plastic, touch-through display cover, a hidden key pocket, and a headphone port cutout. It sells for $30. Finally, the AeroSport for iPod nano 6G features the same construction techniques as the iPod touch version, but sports a different design that allows the nano to be slid into place following the fitting of the band to an arm. It sells for $20; all of Griffin’s new accessories for the fourth-generation iPod touch and sixth-generation iPod nano are available now.

Via : ilounge

Samsung Wave II has its Super Clear LCD tested against Galaxy S Super AMOLED display

Well, "tested" might be a strong word, but the living legend that is Eldar Murtazin has squared up Samsung's latest Bada handset against the company's top of the line Galaxy S for a bit of side-by-side screen comparison action. The 3.7-inch display on the Wave II holds its own admirably against the hyper-advanced Super AMOLED panel alongside it, but it does seem to have a tendency to introduce a slight yellow hue into images, as illustrated above. Regrettably, the Russian weather wasn't conducive to doing any comparisons under sunlight, so we'll just have to content ourselves with even more pictures setting the Wave II up against Nokia's N8 and Samsung's first Bada phone, the Wave numero uno.

Via : engadget

Western Digital ships 3TB Caviar Green 3.5-inch hard drive for $239, 2.5TB for $189

You know that 3TB hard drive that Western Digital slapped into its range of My Book external units earlier this month? Looks like it's finally ready to free itself from those shackles. WD has today announced that it's shipping the component 3TB Caviar Green drive (WD30EZRSDTL) by its lonesome, perfect for those looking to beef up their NAS drives or just add a capacious archive drive to their SSD-equipped desktop rig.

The 3TB monster is hitting just under two years after the 2TB Caviar Green went official, with this guy boasting 750 GB-per-platter areal density and Advanced Format technology. The outfit's also shipping a 2.5TB version (WD25EZRSDTL) for those who aren't quite able to swallow the full three, and both of 'em are bundled with an Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI)-compliant Host Bus Adapter (HBA), which will enable the operating system to use a known driver with correct support for large capacity drives.

Both units should be available to purchase from respected retailers as we speak, with the 3TB demanding $239 and the 2.5TB unit going for $189. Remember when the world's first 1TB drive in this form factor debuted for $400? Yeah... not too shabby!

Via : engadget

HP Announces webOS 2.0 and Palm Pre 2

HP is making things more official now since its acquisition of Palm with an official announcement for both webOS 2.0 and the Palm Pre 2. Initially, webOS showed us so much promise: it is intuitive, elegant, well-designed and has all the features that a modern smartphone OS should have. Unfortunately, the lackluster hardware that came in the form of the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi didn’t do it justice. Hopefully the second iteration of the Pre will fix that.

According to HP, webOS 2.0 will come packed with a number of new features (but we already knew that based on all the leaks we’ve seen). There will be a new browser that supports HTML5 features, a completely redesigned App Catalogue, additional features to unified messaging and mobile-optimized VPN.

When can we see the new OS? Well, it is launching with the Palm Pre 2 this Friday in France with SFR. The U.S. and Canada will have to wait for it in the coming months. However, given its early release in Europe, we’re hoping that we get it in North America much sooner than later.

The Palm Pre 2 bears a striking similarity to its predecessor, but with a few minor enhancements. Instead of the scratch prone plastic screen, HP decided to outfit the new smartphone with glass. It’s also the first Palm handset with a 1GHz processor, which will definitely help webOS 2.0 fly. Additionally, the Palm Pre 2 has a 5MP camera for photos. And yes, it still has a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard, though I’m hoping it’s a little more tactile than the mushy plastic nubs that came on the first phone.

Via : intomobile

Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon 'in the coming months'

And just like that, the rumor mill smirks. HP has just come clean with a device that we've been hearing more and more about over the past few weeks, and with it will come the next generation of webOS that we've been hearing about for even longer. The Palm Pre 2 will be the first device to ship with HP webOS 2.0, with the revamped and renamed (presumably to use on more than just Palm smartphones) mobile OS promising "true multitasking," Stacks (for organizing apps) Just Type, HP Synergy (links your email and social networking accounts), Exhibition (enabling users to run apps designed specifically for the Palm Touchstone Charging Dock) and support for Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 Beta. It's also bringing along a new Favorites tagging option, Skype Mobile (on the Verizon version only), text assist, integrated Quickoffice, VPN support, a redesigned launcher and full support for Bluetooth keyboards and SPP peripherals.

As for Pre 2 itself? Little is being revealed at the moment, but we're told to expect a 1GHz CPU, a five megapixel camera (LED flash, extended depth of field, geotagging, and video capture), glass display and a "sleeker, streamlined design" that still combines a touchpanel with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. In other words, it's a faster, slimmer Pre, and some would argue it's what the Pre Plus should've been. At any rate, SFR customers in France will get first dibs on Friday, with Verizon and an undisclosed carrier in Canada scheduled to get it "in the coming months." Oh, and as for US-based developers? They'll be able to purchase unlocked UMTS versions of the Pre 2 (!) in their homeland, though pricing remains elusive.

Via : engadget

KDDI tacks solar panel onto biblio Leaf SP02 e-reader

Haven't seen enough of KDDI's fall 2010 product line? Good. The company has just outed a new e-reader, and shockingly enough, it actually manages to differentiate itself quite well in the sea of me-too alternatives. The biblio Leaf SP02 (a followup to last year's model) is right around the size of Amazon's newest Kindle, packing a 6-inch E Ink display (800 x 600 resolution), 2GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, included stylus, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, inbuilt 3G and a battery good for around 7,500 page turns. Curiously, there's also a small solar panel adorning the bottom right, and we're guessing that you can (slowly) rejuvenate the internal cell while reading under the sun -- just make sure you keep your right palm out of the way. Unfortunately, there's no direct mention of an expected price, but those stationed in Japan should see it on sale this December for somewhere between free and Yenfinity.

Via : Engadget Japanese, KDDI