Hasta La Gadget!

In a move that’s making as clear a statement as can be made without outright saying the final word, Ubuntu has set up a timer with the words “tick, tock, tablet time” attached, lining up perfectly with the HTC event tomorrow morning. If there’s one thing that’s clear in the world of technology news reporting, it’s that there’s no such thing as a coincidence – and never more than in situations such as these. The doors open at 9:15 AM EST for a 10AM start in New York City – Ubuntu’s reveal looks to be set for the event’s start.

We saw a demonstration of the Ubuntu mobile operating system earlier this year at CES 2013 and found it to be interesting, if not titillating enough to want to use on an otherwise Android-based smartphone in the near future. At the moment that operating system is working quite well on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, a device that otherwise would be running the most basic Google-only stripped-down version of Android. Because both systems have very similar roots, Ubuntu is able to be hacked in quite easily.

You’ll also want to know that Ubuntu already has a bit of software you can run on your Android device easily: Ubuntu for Android. This software (as shown in the demo video below) allows you to work in a familiar Android UI when your on your smartphone and a lovely desktop mode when you’re connected to a larger screen with your HDMI-out (or whatever mirroring method you generally work with.) This would be the perfect jumping-off point for an Ubuntu tablet.

But what’s the point of all this if it’s closed-source? What we’r hoping-against-hope for here is a real-deal open environment the likes of which HTC has been warming up to over the past couple of years. If HTC’s Bootloader Unlock initiative is any indication, we’ll likely see more open and free excellence in the very near future. Sound alright to you?

Also note – HTCGlobal posted a picture earlier today of a set of covered devices, each of them rather small save for one nearest the camera. Is that an Ubuntu tablet we see? Could be! Join us tomorrow when the countdown clock is up right here on SlashGear – we’ll be live from both New York City and London – double coverage for all!

Ubuntu tablet tease counts down to HTC event is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There’s a movie out there right this minute by the name of Sound City, a documentary about the recording studio by the same name, and the creators and collaborators of this movie are set to play a single show in New York City this month to celebrate its release. Sound City closed as a commercial recording studio in May of 2011, this prompting the head of the project, music legend Dave Grohl, to create the film and the media that now surrounds it. The band that will play a single show in NYC this month is what’s known as a “Super Group”, consisting of some of the most well-known musicians of the past several decades.

This morphing band has played one other show and there’s apparently no plan for it to ever play together again in the future – but you never know. The first show was played at Sundance with a performance that lasted three hours and included a lineup that could only be beaten by the one that’ll be working on the 13th. The original lineup included Grohl, Steve Nicks, Rick SpringField, John Fogerty, Alain Johannes, Taylor Hawkins, and more.

The lineup for February 13th, 2013 includes Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick, Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine, Krist Novoselic, and Fogerty, Springfield, and Nicks as well! Foo Fighters members Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel and Pat Smear will be rocking and rolling with the crew as well. This concert will have ticket sales starting on February 5th at 4PM EST from everyone’s favorite CAPTCHA dropping ticket source: Ticketmaster.

Each of the members of the Sound City Players are included in the group due to their involvement in heating up the Sound City recording studio over the past 40 years. The studio was originally incorporated in 1969 and played host to such epic albums as “After the Gold Rush” by Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors”, Dio’s “Holy Diver”, and Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” The documentary film “Sound City” is available for purchase in digital format now and the soundtrack for the album “Sound City – Real to Reel” will be available on March 12th.

The track “Cut Me Some Slack” from the album as recorded by Paul McCartney and the three living members of Nirvana (Grohl, Novoselic, and Smear) is up for sale right this minute – the rest comes later! The documentary itself is up on iTunes for both rental and purchase – whatever strikes your fancy!

[via Rolling Stone]

Sound City Players set single NYC show for film celebration is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Today we’ve seen quite the showing by the company formerly known as Research in Motion, starting with no less than a complete re-naming of the company to “BlackBerry”. If that gesture weren’t enough to convince the public that the group was and I all-in on their 2013 bid to necessitate the BlackBerry universe, two new devices and a fully functional reboot of the operating system were certainly meant to. We’ve got hands-on with both of the newly delivered smart devices, accessories they’ll be using, and details on the whole day ready for your perusal right this minute.

You’ll want to start your journey with a few news bits appearing before the main event in NYC this morning, with the company still known as RIM way back then (two days before today) showing movie and music deals galore for BlackBerry 10. BlackBerry 10 was also granted the ability yesterday to do 12-person video chat with ooVoo technology as detailed by the company once again. Just this morning we also saw BlackBerry World gaining loads of new apps and games prior to the official launch of BlackBerry 10.

RIM’s European Managing Director Stephen Bates was put in the hot seat twice this morning as well, getting out some answers that will help BlackBerry 10 along in its immediate future and a few answers that made the company look rather unsure of itself. Leaks of BlackBerry Z10 prices began to flow right as the main event began, with quite a few mobile carriers having added their 2-cents since (this post is continuously being updated, mind you). Verizon made their presence known as one of the first groups to reveal pricing for one of the two devices revealed today.

The actual BlackBerry 10 event began with the President and CEO of the company known as RIM, then BlackBerry, mister Thorsten Heins congratulating those that worked on BlackBerry 10 and held fast with BlackBerry over the past two years. Two years ago was when the process to create BlackBerry 10 began, and as Heins assured the world this morning, they’ll be here for some time to come: Today is not the finish line, it’s just the starting line.”

The rebranding of RIM to BlackBerry should be seen as nearly as important from an advertising and image perspective as the launch of BlackBerry 10. With BlackBerry replacing RIM, there’s now “One Brand. One promise.” BlackBerry 10 has been assured to be “re-designed, re-engineered, re-invented” and ready for action in 2013.

We saw the official announcement of the BlackBerry Z10 as well as the official reveal of the Q10. The first is a 4.2-inch touchscreen display-toting BlackBerry 10 device devoid of physical keyboard keys while the second is a more “classic” design with the widest physical keyboard interface the company has ever delivered on a smartphone.

We’ve got BlackBerry Q10 hands-on for all you lovers of the keyboard and the touchscreen. We’ve got BlackBerry Z10 hands-on for all you lovers of the full-touch interface. We’ve got BlackBerry 10-era accessories hands-on for all you lovers of holsters, speakers, and battery chargers for the future!

BlackBerry 10 has been announced to be launching with 70,000 apps right out of the box including big names like Angry Birds and Skype. Angry Birds, in fact, has been pushed as a free app for early adopters and will be coming to the market with all of its back-catalog titles as well!

Then there’s one of the oddest announcements of the day, that being Musician Alicia Keys being revealed as the new BlackBerry Global Creative Director. At the moment this appears to be a move not unlike Will.i.am joining Intel as Director of Creative Innovation or Futura 2000 representing Samsung. The celebrity / artist / entertainer cross-branding continues!

Have a peek at our ever-expanding BlackBerry 10 tag portal for more information into the future and stick around for our imminent full review of the BlackBerry Z10!

BlackBerry 10 event wrap-up: RIM sheds name for bright future is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week we’re having an up close and personal look at the BlackBerry Z10, the very first all-touch hero for the new operating system known as BlackBerry 10. This machine is the first of two smartphones to use the operating system, the other being the touchscreen/QWERTY keyboard combination device BlackBerry Q10, both of these devices being prepped for 4G LTE action inside the USA and abroad. The BlackBerry Z10 is made to bring on the most impressive display ever offered by BlackBerry (formerly known as RIM) with 4.2-inches of LCD at 1280 x 768 pixel resolution (that’s 355 pixels per inch, if you’d like to know).

This machine works with 2GB of RAM under the hood and a lovely 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus processor to keep you running powerfully into the night. The battery inside this device is 1800mAh strong and is removable and replaceable so you’ll be able to purchase extras for long no-power trips. Internal storage adds up to 16GB while you’ve also got a microSD storage slot for up to 32GB cards at a time.

The front-facing camera on this device is 2 megapixels strong and made for video chat while the back has an 8 megapixel shooter with singe LED flash. Bluetooth 4.0 is included inside as is wi-fi and NFC. The full unit weighs in at 4.8 ounces, that being a bit more than the iPhone 5 (4 ounces) and less than most of the main competitors in the field.

As you’ll be able to see in the photos here and the hands-on video above, the BlackBerry 10 operating system is based on gestures rather than home-buttons where each of the major mobile OS brands in the world rely on at least one central unit. Instead of said button, the BlackBerry Z10 has a rather pure-looking front facade with several physical buttons around its edges.

This machine feels light to the touch but but not so light its uncomfortable, its touchscreen is as responsive (if not more responsive) than the leading touch-sensitive smartphones across the market today, and the software appears swift. We’ll be reviewing this device in full rather soon – until then, have a peek at the hands-on photos (and video immediately if not soon) and let us know if you’ll be picking up the Z10 in the near future!

BlackBerry Z10 hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It looks like some of the hottest MWC action won’t take place in the same country — or even in the same week, for that matter. HTC has confirmed that it will be holding a press event in New York on the 19th of February, which is a few days before the majority of MWC companies hold their press conferences. At the time of this post, we believe this will be the company’s new flagship phone (currently rumored to be called the M7). We’ve also received official confirmation that an event will be held in London as well. Regardless of where they’re held, we’ll be there to get you the info on the latest and greatest from HTC!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC

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