Amy Eichelberg

During a recent conference in San Francisco, Google’s Eric Schmidt has confirmed that the next iteration of the Android operating system- Ice Cream Sandwich- will be released either in October or November. Here’s exactly what Schmidt had to say, “We have a new operating system, internally known as Ice Cream Sandwich for some reason, which is being released in October/November, which everyone’s really excited about.” The confirmation caught on video is embedded above. The video is a bit long, so if you’re only interested in the Ice Cream Sandwich details, fast forward to 30:20 for all the Android related details.  Android Ice Cream Sandwich is expected to run […]

With your paycheck in hand and the weekend right around the corner, you might just be in the market for an Android tablet that won’t drain your wallet. Well, Viewsonic has been hard at work to create a budget-friendly tablet that still offers similar benefits of those other pricey Android slabs. Originally introduced at the IFA show in Berlin, the Viewsonic ViewPad 7e is now available for pre-order for only $199.99. For the money you’ll receive a 7-inch Android 2.3 device equipped with a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, 4GB of internal storage, microSD slot for additional storage, and a mini HDMI

In what signifies the first launch of a PlayStation-certified smartphone for AT&T, the Sony Xperia Play 4G will be the latest addition to the carrier’s portfolio come September 18th. The 4G moniker is slightly misleading as this device will be maxing out at HSPA+. Regardless, the device is competitvely priced at a low $49.99 with a two year contract, making it a $150 less than what it launched on Verizon for. The Xperia Play 4G is expected to equip gamers with Android 2.3.3, a 1GHz CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, a 4-inch display (854 x 480), and will rock an exclusive ‘stealth blue’ color mode. AT&T customers

It has only been nine months and three days (but who’s counting) since the Motorola DROID Bionic was first introduced to the world. Now after numerous delays and a complete revamp of the device’s design, the day is finally here. Spec highlights include a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM a 4.3-inch qHD display, Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, and compatibility with Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network. For everyone who waited around, and then waited some more, you can claim the beast of a smartphone for $300 and a 2 year contract. Head on over to the source link for Verizon’s official

Yesterday we reported that Sprint had joined the US Department of Justice in filing their own antitrust lawsuit against AT&T in an effort to block the pending merger with T-Mobile. No surprise here that AT&T has something to say about the latest legal blow. The company responded to Sprint by stating, This simply demonstrates what we’ve said all along – Sprint is more interested in protecting itself than it is in promoting competition that benefits consumers. We of course will vigorously contest this matter in court as AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile USA will: help solve our nation’s spectrum exhaust situation

Verizon Wireless has finally made the Motorola DROID BIONIC official by releasing confirmed device details and pricing. The highly anticipated Android smartphone launches Thursday, September 8th, for a steep $299.99 on contract. Device spec highlights include a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM a 4.3-inch qHD display, Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, and compatibility with Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The full Verizon press release follows below. VERIZON WIRELESS AND MOTOROLA RAISE THE BAR WITH DROID BIONIC™ BY MOTOROLA Unsurpassed Power, Speed and Entertainment On the Fastest, Most Advanced 4G LTE Network in America BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.  – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility,

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Google’s South Korea offices have been raided by federal authorities over alleged antitrust violations again. The Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ambushed Google’s Seoul offices on Tuesday, armed with claims that the search giant severely limits its competition by allowing its own search engine to be the default option on Android handsets. NHN and Daum Communications, South Korea’s largest mobile search operators, filed a complaint with the KFTC back in April, stating that the Android platform is “systematically designed” to discourage users from switching to different search engines. Their complaint further outlined that Google purposely blocks competitors by delaying OS certification for

The Acer Liquid Mini has now officially received the Ferrari treatment, in the looks department that is. While the phone now sports the bold and undeniable Ferrari emblem, don’t expect this red racer to blow you away with its speed. While the Liquid Mini Ferrari edition comes preloaded with engine ring tones and racing-themed wallpaper, what lies underneath the hood leaves us feeling a little disappointed. Same as Acer’s Liquid E, the special edition Gingerbread-based handset includes only 512MB of RAM, a 3.2-inch display, five megapixel camera and only a 600MHz processor. It’s not clear why Acer didn’t upgrade the Ferrari edition to at

In terms of the pending AT&T and T-Mobile merger, the United States Department of Justice isn’t the only one with a bone to pick these day. Sprint has just officially jumped aboard the big litigation train and filed their own lawsuit against the controversial merger. The Now Network’s lawsuit was filed today in the District of Columbia against AT&T, Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile’s German parent company), and T-Mobile. Sprint has not been shy when it comes to voicing their discontent with the pending merger. Their filing outlines their overall concern that the merger will severely hurt consumers, corporate customers and of course, carriers

The slick looking Samsung Galaxy S II is finally showing off in all its white color glory courtesy of Vodafone. The Android Gingerbread handset made its official debut today with Vodafone just a few short days after its official UK launch. Lucky Vodafone consumers can score the 4.3 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen smartphone for free with a 2-year contract and a £36 monthly plan (approximately $58 a month). As things are becoming official over in the UK, we’re still unsure when this beauty of a device will make its way to the states. However, for our friends in the UK looking

The Samsung Stratosphere, one of Verizon’s next generation handset as revealed by Pocket Now, aims to give Big Red customers a little variety. With Verizon’s portfolio packed with numerous 4.3 inch devices, the carrier could benefit from a few new options.The Stratosphere hopes to achieve this with its full QWERTY keyboard. More importantly, the hardware keyboard would make the Stratosphere the first Verizon handset of its kind to offer LTE. Detailed specs for the Stratosphere still remain unconfirmed. However, the handset is speculated to sport a Super AMOLED Plus display, Android 2.3.4 pre installed, 2GB internal storage, and 5MP rear / 1.3 front cams. Pricing and availability

The HTC Amaze 4G, or otherwise known as the HTC Ruby, has leaked yet again but this time in clearer images. Recent leaked blurry camera images of the device had it colored in white, but this time the device shows off its black color mode. The distinct grille at the top of the pictured black version also indicates that the Amaze 4G is destined for the T-Mobile network. The Amaze 4G is rumored to house a 4G DC-HSPA + radio capable of hitting download speeds of 42 Mbps. Additional rumored specs include a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.3-inch 960×540 qHD display, and 16GB of

Gateway’s TP Series A60 tablet has made an appearance on Future Shop and looks extremely similar to Acer’s Iconia Tab A500. Gateway looks to have just re-branded the 10.1 inch Honeycomb slab for themselves. The 16GB Gateway A60 comes equipped with 1GB RAM, a dual-core 1 GHz Tegra 2 processor, a front facing two mega pixel camera, a rear facing five mega pixel camera, and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity. As expected the Gateway A60 is also priced at $399.99, same as the Iconia Tab A500. Interested consumers can purchase the Gateway A60 tablet from Future Shop now. Source

A new Verizon teaser video for the Motorola DROID Bionic confirms a September 8th launch date. September 8th was a popular launch date among recent blogosphere rumors surrounding the device. The 31 second video, which is mostly in Korean, displays the launch date before showing “DROID Bionic” and “2011.9.8″ in another frame of the video. The highly anticipated DROID Bionic is expected to hit Verizon with full 4G LTE glory and is widely expected to sport a 4.5-inch screen. Additional rumored specs include an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p video, a front-facing camera for video chat, and an HDMI-port. With the launch

According to a leaked memo obtained by BGR, it appears that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores are anticipating taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 starting next week with a launch date scheduled for the first week in October. The memo further mentions that Sprint will in fact be carrying the iPhone 5 at launch. Despite a solid confirmation from Sprint yet, the Now Network has been widely expected to carry the iPhone 5 for quite some time now. Best Buy makes sure to note that Apple product introduction and launch dates are subject to change. As with most rumors and leaks surrounding the