Hasta La Gadget!

What we’re seeing this morning is a couple of photos that have appeared on Picasa with the name Sony Nexus X attached to them – dare we assume? Though quite likely an elaborate mock-up of what could be in the future, the notion of a Sony Nexus device is not new – back when the Xperia Play was released, it was revealed that it was a Nexus device before being turned down in favor of the Nexus S. It also plays well with the notion that Google’s future Nexus releases will go with more than one manufacturer rather than just Samsung or HTC.

Here with this Sony device we’re seeing a complete lack of “Xperia” brand naming and some form shaping unlike anything Sony has delivered before. You can see some styling choices that certainly ring a Sony bell, enough to make us think it’s possible, but the family resemblance with the Galaxy Nexus makes one believe this might be a hybrid. This device has some metal (or plastic that’s made to look metal) on the bottom back, soft plastic up top, and a single LED flash near a large-lensed back-facing camera.

NOTE: If you weren’t already, take an extra grain of salt with this supposed leak. It’s more important at the moment to think about the implications of such a phone rather than assuming this one is real – but keep in mind that it COULD be real, too. You never know until you know!

There’s a single microUSB port on the left of the device along with three pogo-pins for wireless docking. It appears that this device will be released with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or greater, such is the color scheme in the user interface. The front of the device also has a right-side front-facing camera and two sensors as well. You’ll also notice a lack of any off-screen buttons, the home set of three being rather Nexus-friendly right along the bottom inside the display.

This device, if it is indeed real, could be released at the same time as the LG Nexus 4 (or Nexus G), with more than one manufacturer bringing the heat at the same time to show Google’s power. This is the new vision for Google, a re-imagining of their original Android mission to release a single phone that would be out on every single carrier at once. Will Sony be able to do justice to the next version of Android in a vanilla iteration? We shall see!

[via Xperia Blog]

Sony Nexus X mockup appears unlikely is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple is tipped to be readying an imminent iMac update, with a distinctive new physical design that adopts a teardrop-shaped profile. The new all-in-one, according to details and what’s said to be an internal image shared on Chinese forum WeiPhone, is “considerably thinner” than the current model, the tipster claims, with a curved rear panel and tapered edges rather than the crisper lines of today; up front, a more advanced lamination process is believed to be implemented.

That process – where the glass top sheet and the display panel itself are glued together – increases the quality of the picture, as well as reducing some thinness, and would follow similar optical-lamination implementations in Apple’s iPhone and iPad lines. However, issues around extending that lamination system to the larger, 27-inch iMac display may mean that Apple only releases the 21.5-inch model initially, with the bigger version following on later.

Exactly how much the two models will cost is also unclear, though the tipster claims Apple will be hiking prices of the updated iMacs. It’s also unstated whether Apple is using Retina Display panels, which have proliferated among the company’s smaller mobile devices but are yet to show up on 20+ inch models.

As for the electronics themselves, according to the source the image below shows parts of the new iMac’s logic board. iFixit‘s Kyle Wiens has supposedly said that the hardware does bear some resemblance to what Apple is currently using, with the circular silver disc in the upper middle portion of the image looking similar to the WiFi antenna assembly currently hidden behind the plastic Apple logo on the rear of the iMac.

The block circled furthest left is a hard-drive, held in what looks to be a removable caddy arrangement, with the Bluetooth antenna flagged up on the top right edge. Earlier leaks suggested Apple would ditch the optical drive from the iMac, something else that could help reduce the computer’s depth.

It’s possible Apple could use its rumored iPad mini event, believed to be taking place on October 23, to launch the new iMac, with the sources indicating a debut late in October or in early November is likely. Apple is also said to be readying a Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro for the same event.

What remains to be seen is whether Apple will also update its Thunderbolt Display, now over a year old and based on the same aesthetic as the current-gen iMac, at the same time as revealing a new all-in-one. Patchy stock availability of the display has been affecting some retailers since early September.

[via MacRumors]

Thinner iMac with teardrop profile imminent tips board leak is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Well this is interesting: we don’t even know if the iPad Mini officially exists yet, but pricing for a whole range of iPad Mini variants has popped up in Media Markt’s (a German retail chain) internal system. First spotted by schimanke.com (via Mobile Geeks), this list gives us some insight into the pricing structure Apple may go with. Of course, this is all assuming that the iPad Mini is a real device, as so far, we’ve received nothing in the way of actual confirmation for Apple. In other words, tread carefully, because even though this is exciting, it doesn’t mean much until Apple gives official word.

Looking at the leaked listing, we can see that Apple may have quite the collection of iPad Minis planned. Internal storage options start at 8GB and go all the way up to 64GB, with Wi-Fi only and 3G variants of each model. Each one also comes in white and black, so if this listing is legitimate, customers will have a wide range of options to choose from. Have a look at a break down of the pricing below:

8GB Wi-Fi only – €249 ($323)
8GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €349 ($452)

16GB Wi-Fi only – €349 ($452)
16GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €449 ($582)

32GB Wi-Fi only – €449 ($582)
32GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €549 ($711)

64GB Wi-Fi only – €549 ($711)
64GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €649 ($841)

With those prices, it seems that Apple isn’t all that concerned with competing with the Google Nexus 7 directly. The 8GB Nexus 7 only costs $199, remember, and Apple’s cheapest iPad Mini comes it just north of $300. We’re hesitant to say that this is the real deal, mostly because Apple has so far remained silent on the existence of the iPad Mini, but with all of the leaks that have happened in the past few weeks, it’s hard not to believe that the iPad Mini is on the way.

The current whispers are telling us that Apple will reveal the iPad Mini at a press event on October 23, but so far the company hasn’t sent out any invitations to such an event. If October 23 is indeed the big day, that means we don’t have much longer to wait until the iPad Mini is made official. Stay tuned, because we’ll have all of the details you need to know right here at SlashGear.

iPad Mini pricing appears in German retailer’s internal listing is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A leaked batch of AT&T training documents reveal an anti-piracy plan in the books, which includes sending warning notices to flagged accounts. In what seems to be a completely draconian measure, any subscriber who’s account is flagged multiple times for copyright infringement will have access to frequently-visited websites (Facebook? YouTube?) blocked until they complete an online course on copyright. The warning notices will begin on November 28th.

This comes after the team-up of AT&T, Comcast, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon, who joined ranks with the MPAA and RIAA to form the Center for Copyright Information (CCI). The providers and MPAA/RIAA set out an agreement in which Internet subscribers would receive warnings for downloading copyrighted items. The subscriber will receive several warnings before the provider can then enact a harsher punishment.

None of the five providers have publicly commented on their involvement in the anti-piracy scheme. The leaked AT&T training documents provide the first glimpse into the plan, which is not without (extensive) controversy. The documents explain the upcoming changes to staff, and include this bit of info: “AT&T will not share any personally identifiable information about its customers with content owners until authorized by the customer or required to do so by law.”

An alleged source within the Center for Copyright Information told TorrentFreak that all five providers planned to launch the program on the same day. If true, this means that Verizon, Comcast, Cablevision, and Time Warner customers will begin receiving piracy notices November 28th, in addition to AT&T subscribers. The “online education tutorial on copyright” will be triggered on the fifth or sixth warning notice, at which point access to certain frequently visited websites will be blocked until the tutorial is completed.

[via TorrentFreak]

Leaked AT&T training documents reveal anti-piracy plan is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The next Nexus family device set to be released by Google and LG appears to have been revealed essentially top to bottom by a man with a prototype. This LG Nexus device being a prototype shown off by the Onliner lends quite a bit of detail as far as how this device will look and feel, but does not send out final details insomuch as it’s working with software that’s already out on the market and does not seem to be performing as it would have to in benchmark tests of several types. This review of the device release today is therefor a look at the ideation process behind Google and LG’s collaboration.

The photographs above and below appear very much to be showing an LG device based on their recently revealed LG Optimus G, a device with a quad-core processor from Qualcomm and a massive camera. The USA versions of the Optimus G have two different cameras, one model with a 13 megapixel camera, the other with an 8 megapixel camera. This LG Nexus device quite likely has an 8 megapixel camera, this assessment based on the apparent size of the module compared to the G and our understanding of how Google advances their Nexus line one step at a time – aka they wouldn’t skip 8 and go right to 13.

The Galaxy Nexus, a Samsung device, surprised the masses last year with a release that included a 5 megapixel camera. We expect that this LG device – if indeed it does pan out – will include an 8 megapixel camera at least. This prototype carries with it the code LG E960 as well as the name “Mako”. It’s also been suggested that this device is code-named LG Nexus 4.

The LG Nexus 4 name comes from the idea that it is the 4th major Nexus smartphone on the market – or will be in the near future. The prototype review we’re seeing today shows the device to be extremely similar to the Galaxy Nexus in size and shape with a slightly more flat front and back, a glittery sort of back panel not unlike the Optimus G, and a front panel with glass that curves downward near its edges.

The display is shown here to be an IPS LCD and has the same amount of pixels that the Galaxy Nexus had at 720 x 1280 across a 4.7-inch panel. The image you’re seeing below shows the device next to the iPhone 5, that device having a 4-inch panel, both devices apparently showing the same wallpaper to make it clear which is the brighter and the sharper of the two. We do not know if the reviewer here made both devices hit their maximum brightness.

Keep your eyes peeled for a real look at this device as it leaves its prototype stages and brings on the next generation of Google’s Vanilla-flavored Android system. We’re expecting a very clean version of whatever Google has to offer next for Android with no carrier additions. What we’re suspecting, in addition to this, is a worldwide release – or something close to it – with Google’s own Google Play store online offering up the device for sale for everyone all at once.

We shall see soon, and very soon, if the rumors are correct!

[Thanks Gene for the tip!]

LG Nexus Prototype detailed in full is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.