Hasta La Gadget!

Google is about to throw down. At next week’s NYC Android event, the big G is expected to yell “me too!” and reveal a full line of Nexus devices. Watch out, Mr. Consumer. These devices aren’t just for the nerds. Google is ready to take the Nexus brand mainstream and provide legitimate alternatives to the iPhones, iPads and Galaxy devices of the world.

Nexus 4

Despite the name, this is not a 4-inch device. The Nexus 4 is the fourth Nexus smartphone, which appears to have a 4.7-inch 1280×768 resolution screen. The LG-made phone, with all its specs, was outed by UK phone retailer Carphone Warehouse (leak product page is not available). It’s said to pack a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor and runs Android 4.2. Inside the 9.1mm thin body resides NFC, 8MP camera, and 8GB of storage.

No word on US pricing but it could be relatively inexpensive. Carphone Warehouse lists the SIM-Free version of the phone at £389.95; the SIM-free Galaxy S III is £499.

Nexus 7

The little $199 Asus Nexus 7 tablet is a hot seller and Google seems ready with new versions. A 3G version was recently revealed by the FCC database, which lists the tablet with WiFi and HSPA+ (3G) capabilities. The tablet is expected to have 32GB of onboard storage, but that spec is not listed in the FCC documents.

Google is also expected to discontinue the 8GB version, drop the price on the 16GB N7 and release a 32GB WiFi-only Nexus 7. This is Google’s answer to the iPad mini.

Nexus 10

The Samsung-made Nexus 10 could be next week’s big announcement. At this point its existence is nearly confirmed thanks to a leaked user manual and sample pics from Google’s own Vic Gundotra. The tablet is rumored to have a 10.1-inch screen like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1. The leaked manual indicates it will sport the standard assortments of ports and cameras including microUSB, micoHDMI, and dual-cams — no microSD card slot, though.

There are still a lot of unknowns with the Nexus 10. Will it undercut the iPad with a cutthroat price. Will it be available with 4G? Will the screen have a PPI higher than the new iPad?

The Google invite states “The playground is open.” And with three new toys all but confirmed, there will certainly be a lot to keep Android fans entertained through the holidays and into the new year.

This seems like yet another boring refueling video taken by a KC-135 Stratotanker’s flying boom operator—until the NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS plane almost crashes with it. At the last second, the Sentry’s pilot pushes down in a massive negative G-force party, avoiding a fatal outcome. Things look fun when a major disaster is averted. [The Aviationist] More »

International shipping estimates for the iPad mini, freshly put up for preorder today, continue to extend, though new orders of the black WiFi-only model in the US are still expected to ship by November 2. Presales of the new 7.9-inch tablet began just after midnight Pacific time and, unlike with many other Apple launches, did not sell out of launch day stock in the first couple of hours. In fact, it’s taken several hours – into the afternoon in Europe – before initial stock of both black and white iPad mini units has been exhausted.

The UK, French, and German Apple stores are all listing the iPad mini WiFi as shipping in two weeks, up from the November 2 prediction they originally carried at the top of the day. Stock of the white & silver version was quick to disappear, with supplies evaporating within minutes, but after a few hours of European availability only the very cheapest black model was showing signs of constraint.

Without actual sales numbers from Apple, it’s hard to know exactly what’s happening with stock of the iPad mini. One possibility is that the company prepared particularly thoroughly ahead of this launch, making sure that the bottleneck affecting previous releases was not repeated; analysts suggested that Apple could have sold considerably more iPhone 5 units in its release weekend had it been able to muster sufficient units to meet actual demand, for instance.

Alternatively, Apple could be prioritizing the US market with stock, hence the shortages in Europe but not America, or indeed it could simply be taking US buyers a while to wake up to place their preorders. Some may be opting for the WiFi + Cellular models, which have more vague release estimates of “mid-November” and “late-November” for the US and Europe respectively.

Or, demand overall could be lower than anybody expected. Apple along with many industry commentators have been confident that the iPad mini – the cheapest iPad to-date – would be a hit, but the smaller slate is yet to prove itself in the marketplace.

Did you preorder an iPad mini? Let us know in the comments.

iPad mini: Did Apple get launch supplies right, or is nobody buying? is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Meteorologists are forecasting what could be the worst storm to hit the eastern United States in more than 70 years. Dubbed the “Frankenstorm” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the system could potentially pummel the Mid-Atlantic and northeast with gale-force winds and snow at the same time. Yes, that sounds like a scene from the Biblical rapture. But the Frankenstorm isn’t just possible—by the end of this weekend, it could be likely. More »

Rugged laptops aren’t too common in the everyday consumer world, but they can easily be found out on construction sites and even on the battle field for military use. Panasonic unveiled the “semi-rugged” Toughbook CF-C2 convertible tablet PC earlier today, and it’s built for those who need a little bit of added protection when out in the field.

The Toughbook CF-C2 is the company’s latest 12.5-inch convertible notebook, and it comes with Windows 8 Pro out of the box. Inside there’s a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3427U vPro processor, 4GB of RAM (expandable to 8GB), and a 500GB hard drive (as well as 128GB and 256GB SSD options). On the outside you’ll find a pair of USB 3.0 ports, as well as an LCD IPS display with a 720p webcam at the top.

The display offers five-point multitouch and a digitizer for stylus use. Connectivity options include 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and your choice of either 4G LTE or Gobi global 3G, but we can’t imagine anyone picking 3G over LTE, but unless of course LTE isn’t available in your area, in which case 3G is sadly your only option.

The Toughbook CF-C2 can withstand up to a 30-inch drop (approximately right below waist height), and can take up to six ounces of a beverage being spilled over its magnesium alloy body. The convertible tablet/laptop will start shipping in December, with the base model setting you back a steep $2,949.

Panasonic announces Toughbook CF-C2 with Windows 8 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.