Hasta La Gadget!

Word has come, straight from the mouth of Sony’s vice president of digital reading, Phil Lubell, that the company has some new Reader models in the pipeline. According to Bloomberg the latest Kindle competitors will probably land in August, just ahead of the launch of the S1 and S2 tablets. Beyond that, it’s all just a guessing game, but it’s probably safe to assume the touchscreens and pleasantly hefty aluminum bodies will remain. Let’s just hope, for the sake of Sony, the new models also come sporting a new low price. With the company’s entry-level Pocket Edition starting at $180, it’s had a hard time keeping up with the Nook and Kindle which start at $139 (without ads).

Sony not giving up on Readers, new models expected in August originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  Bloomberg  | Email this | Comments

Apparently, when Motorola was trying to figure out why its Xoom has struggled so mightily in against the iPad 2, the company didn’t focus on its high starting price or slightly heftier hardware. Instead, it decided the issue was the screen — in particular the format — and rumor has it that Moto is working on a new tablet (probably not the Xoom 2 we’ve glimpsed) that ditches the 16:9 ratio for the more square 4:3 found on Apple’s slate. Supposedly the non-widescreen device will sport an extremely pixel-dense 2048 x 1536, 10-inch display and run Ice Cream Sandwich when it lands later this year or early next. We’re not entirely convinced this will pan out and, honestly, we’ve always preferred the more more modern widescreen format — but, if the iPad sells with it’s old-school ratio we suppose it’s worth a shot.

Motorola rumored to be hard at work on high-res, 4:3 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  Fudzilla  | Email this | Comments

Did you know that your second-gen Apple TV has a Bluetooth radio hidden inside it? Well it does but, until now, the only way to access it was with a little jailbreaking and some command line chops. That could all be changing though, with the release of iOS 5 this fall. 9to5Mac pulled some interesting code from the latest developer beta of iOS indicating that support for Bluetooth keyboards is coming to the Apple TV and, potentially, the ability pair other devices as well. In addition to making search without the iPhone remote app far less painful, a keyboard is an essential part of bringing apps to the tiny media box — something that has been rumored would happen for quite sometime. It’s possible these capabilities will only be unlocked on some unannounced third-gen streaming device, but we’re hoping this will bring a little life to our still reasonably new iTunes boxes.

Apple TV to score Bluetooth support with iOS 5, make search slightly less painful? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  9to5Mac  | Email this | Comments

After countless teases and broken dreams, Spotify finally seems about ready to launch here in the US. Earlier this week the streaming media service debuted a landing page for hopeful American customers and the company has agreements in place to allow streaming from Universal Music Group, Sony Music and EMI. According to insiders in touch with the Wall Street Journal, Europe’s favorite subscription music program will finally be opening its doors to those draped in the red, white, and blue next week. Of course, none of this is confirmed and, with plenty of others having a chance to enter the market, it’s unclear if Spotify’s thunder has been stolen before it could even lift the digital gates.

Spotify may launch next week in US, finally stop crushing hopes and dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

The iPhone 4 is currently only available through AT&T and Verizon.

Sprint may be next in line to join Apple’s iPhone ranks.

It’s highly probable that a Sprint iPhone will debut before the year’s end, according to Shing Yin, an industry analyst at Citadel Securities.

Because Verizon is ending its unlimited data plans Thursday, and because Sprint features cheaper pricing for comparable plans on AT&T and Verizon, the carrier “could offer an attractive proposition for more price-conscious users (a demographic that we think is increasingly important to Apple following the rise of Android),” and “could be a relatively stronger seller than the Verizon iPhone,” according to Yin.

Yin’s report is careful to mention that he doesn’t think the actual device will be priced less than an iPhone from a competing carrier — just that Sprint’s service plans cost less.

Expanding to other carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile would help give Apple a leg up against increasing competition from Android, which by many reports show it outpacing Apple sales and taking up a large chunk of the smartphone market.

Now that Apple’s exclusive partnership with AT&T is over, it makes sense for the company to target the remaining big carriers in the United States to increase the iPhone’s presence.

“The main thing for Apple is increased distribution, which is more important now than when the iPhone was first released,” Yin told Wired.com in a phone interview. Distribution is a big advantage for Android phones, which are available in a multitude of models across multiple carriers, he added.

Apple rumors have increasingly focused on the company potentially releasing a more affordable iPhone for the masses. A statement by Apple COO Tim Cook saying that the company is “not ceding any market” seems to be the catalyst for much of the speculation, including the idea that there may be two new iPhone models in September. Currently, an unlocked iPhone 4 without a data plan goes for a whopping $650.

Although Yin’s analysis is primarily speculation based on industry trends, a May report from AllThingsD from another analyst, Peter Misek, agrees that Apple’s next iPhone won’t be limited to AT&T and Verizon.

“Industry checks indicate AAPL has or is about to announce new carrier deals in time for the holidays with T-Mobile and Sprint,” Misek wrote. “Additionally, we believe another China carrier could launch the iPhone in the next 12 months.” On Apple’s last earnings call, management was asked about launching the CDMA iPhone at other carriers, and responded: “We are constantly looking and adding where it makes sense, and you can keep confidence that we’ll continue to do that.”

And although competitors Verizon and AT&T would likely be displeased by Apple sharing the iPhone wealth with other carriers, they would be “unlikely to attempt to block Sprint from getting the iPhone,” according to Yin.

Yin also says he wouldn’t rule out T-Mobile from selling the iPhone in the near future, as well. Since Sprint is the next largest carrier after Verizon and AT&T, it makes sense that Apple would open the iPhone to their customer base next. “I would expect a T-Mobile iPhone soon after, though,” Yin says.