Hasta La Gadget!

Verizon is one of the more common proponents of silly Android device names, in part through its insistence on that “Droid” prefix for some hardware. When its smartphone badges practically demand a pause for breath, you know there’s a problem. Android Central‘s purported copy of a Minimum Advertised Pricing list could show that there’s hope for the carrier yet. The chart shows the HTC DLX (6435LVW) skipping the rumored Droid Incredible X name in favor of Droid DNA — and that’s it. No superlatives, no arbitrary “4G LTE” tags to remind us of the network we already know we’re using. The 5-inch phone might have even been a reasonable launch, as the MAP shows a $200 contract price that would potentially take effect just before Thanksgiving.

Want more? Other smartphones are on the supposedly leaked MAP list as well, primarily focusing on Windows Phone 8 gear: the as yet unconfirmed Nokia Lumia 822 shows up with a $100 price and a mid-November release window, while Verizon’s take on the Windows Phone 8X is present with a $200 price and similar timing. Those who’d rather go for a Samsung phablet than HTC’s aren’t left out, either. The Verizon edition of the Galaxy Note II is on the list with a $300 price and availability that starts immediately — rather convenient, that.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Verizon

Verizon’s HTC DLX may be called Droid DNA, Windows Phone 8 devices get tentative prices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s believed to be a promotional image of the LG Nexus 4 bearing Google’s Nexus branding has leaked, ahead of the smartphone’s expected launch next week. The image, courtesy of tipster evleaks, fits with previous leaked photos of the handset in the wild, though that last sighting didn’t include the bold “nexus” logo across the upper rear of the phone. Update: Not so fast! This might not be as legit as we hoped.

Still, that’s a last-minute addition we’d wager, and everything else is lining up for a launch on October 29. LG execs have apparently confirmed that timescale themselves, and leaks about the Monday Google press conference suggest the new Nexus will be one of the key announcements.

The LG Nexus 4 itself is believed to use a 1.5GHz quadcore Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB of RAM, with an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front. Inside the 9.1mm-thick chassis is a 2,100 mAh battery – fixed, not user-removable – together with either 8GB or 16GB of storage.

Up front is a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 display, using an LCD True HD IPS+ panel rather than the AMOLED we’ve seen on other recent Nexus phones. That’s shared – like much of the Nexus 4 – with the LG Optimus 4, our review of which is here.

OS is expected to be Android 4.2, also tipped to make its official debut on Monday. There isn’t long to wait until we find out for certain; SlashGear will be with Google on the 29th to bring you back all the news.

Update: evleaks has a second shot, this time with the Nexus 4 at an angle:

Update 2: People are pointing out that the first shot includes a non-standard battery gage on the display, which certainly implies it might not be legitimate. The second shot, shown below, doesn’t use the same on-screen image.

LG Nexus 4 leaks in apparently official press shot [Update: Is it fake?] is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve all heard about the much-anticipated iPad mini, which is expected to be announced tomorrow at Apple‘s big event. It seems the iPad 4 is also in the making, with a picture purported to be the device’s lightening dock connector appearing on BGR yesterday. Now, earlier today, another two images have surfaced of a new iPad screen featuring an optically-bonded display and upgraded FaceTime camera. Whether the images belong to an upcoming iPad 4 or the anticipated iPad 3 refresh is unknown, according to BGR.

The images are via Apple.pro, and the source claims they are components for the upcoming iPad 4. Visible in the images is a larger FaceTime camera hole, indicating that Apple is adding a larger camera sensor into the device. Also new is an optically-bonded display, which will improve image quality while reducing glare.

Presently, the iPad features a 0.3MP FaceTime camera, and the iPhone 5 and 5th generation iPod Touch both feature a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera. It seems likely that Apple plans to put the same 1.2MP camera into the iPad 4. Little else is known about the rumored device, except that it would likely be launched in spring of next year.

Presently, Apple seems to be focusing on a miniature iPad, which is said to feature a 7.85-inch display, and to be launched in white or black as 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models. Apple is holding an event tomorrow morning at 10AM PST, which we’ll be liveblogging, and is anticipated to announce the upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina.

[via BGR]

New iPad screen images surface featuring updated FaceTime camera is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Highlights of Google’s incoming October 29 event, including both a new Android phone and a tablet, have leaked ahead of time, with an updated version of Android itself also expected to debut. The line-up has been previewed in an internal video, a source tells The Next Web, including the LG Nexus 4 seen in various leaks over the past few weeks, and a 10-inch Samsung-made tablet with an iPad 3-besting screen resolution.

The Nexus 4, based on LG’s Optimus G, will feature a 1.5GHz quadcore processor – Qualcomm’s APQ8064 Snapdragon, paired with 2GB of RAM – and have a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 display, slightly larger than the 4.65-inch panel of the current Galaxy Nexus. However, while Samsung’s Nexus uses a Super AMOLED display, LG’s will almost certainly use LG’s LCD-based True HD IPS+ panel.

Check out our full LG Optimus G review for more details

It will also be the first to use Android 4.2, previously believed to be called Key Lime Pie, but now tipped to continue the Jelly Bean branding until a more significant OS refresh arrives later on. Among the new features will be “Content in the center” which will put media from the Google Play store in a widget on the homescreen, as indeed the Nexus 7 focused on, along with “Tablet Sharing” that will allow multiple user accounts on each slate.

That will turn Android 4.2 tablets into more communal devices ideal to be shared by a household of users, with each getting their own email and applications. It’s something that has long been requested from Android (and iOS for that matter) and which individual vendors, such as Barnes & Noble with the customized NOOK HD/HD+, had begun to cook up independently.

Android 4.2 will also include an updated panorama mode in the camera, supporting horizontal and vertical panning, a feature that will likely look particularly good on the new Samsung tablet. That slate, which we’ve heard whispers of for some time now, is expected to use a 2560 x 1600 display, and is currently codenamed “Manta” though may well launch as the Nexus 10 so as to fit in with existing nomenclature.

Finally, the video also confirms two new versions of the Nexus 7, including the well-leaked 32GB model, and version with 3G HSPA+ integrated for getting online on the move. It’s unclear at this stage whether Google will attempt to do anything special with data pricing for the 3G tablet.

SlashGear will be with Google on October 29 to bring back all the details.

Google’s Oct 29 Android details leak: LG Nexus 4, Jelly Bean v4.2, Nexus 7 3G & Nexus 10 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Ahead of Google’s Android event on the 29th there’s additional confirmation of a storage upgrade for the Nexus 7, as 32GB units have now been spotted on shelves at US retailers. Seemingly dead-set on matching the LG E960 “Mako” Nexus G for the title of worst-kept secret, we’ve received this photo of a tag for the new unit at a Sam’s Club (with a placeholder price). Reports on Android Central and The Verge also mention hardware spotted at Staples locations, with one person actually succeeding in buying one. All of that follows a listing on the Staples website and one Japanese buyer apparently receiving one early by accident. According to the tags and receipts, the new units are scheduled to go on sale the same day as the Android event, and at the same $249 price of the current 16GB model. Now that the alleged Sony Nexus phone has been exposed as a fake we don’t know if there will be any surprises left, but if you want to buy anything from Google’s brand then patience (or at least shopping around) is probably your best strategy.

[Thanks, Adam]

Filed under: Tablets, Google

32GB Nexus 7 tablets appear at retail with $249 price tag, October 29th street date originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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