Hasta La Gadget!

Several 9to5Mac readers noticed a rather peculiar phenomenon this last week — their freshly-ordered Verizon iPad 2 units shipped all the way from China just fine, only to boomerang back to sender right before delivery time. Now, Reuters has the official word: Apple’s recalling an “extremely small number” of Verizon iPad 2s which were flashed with a duplicate MEID code. Should they have been delivered, users would probably have found themselves unable to connect to 3G, or booted off before long, as Verizon reportedly can only have one device with that unique identifier on the network at once. We’re not sure whether to applaud, but it’s good to see manufacturers taking responsibility for their hardware before it hits shelves.

Update: We spoke with Apple about this, who wouldn’t give us much beyond the official quote — which is, for the record: “Duplicate MEID codes were flashed onto an extremely small number of iPad units for the Verizon 3G network.” That said, we were able to confirm that a few of these 3G iPad 2s sneaked through and got into the hands of customers. Apple is, of course, replacing those free of charge, so if you’re in possession of a brand new iPad that was never able to get on 3G… you know who to call.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Apple returns a few Verizon iPad 2s to sender (updated: some got through) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM's expected the PlayBook to be released on all carriers. Thus far, Sprint is the only one to carry the device. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

A Wi-Fi version of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is now available through Sprint, despite initial skepticism about whether carriers would agree to service the device at all.

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook hasn’t exactly been a critical darling. After lukewarm initial reviews and lackluster sales, it was unclear whether whether any of the big three U.S. carriers would sell the tablet, as was initially planned.

Details on the release raise questions as to Sprint’s commitment to distributing the PlayBook. For one thing, the tablet is only being released in its 16-GB version, with no 32- and 64-GB Sprint versions in sight. And instead of a 4G release on Sprint’s faster Wi-Max network, the company is pushing out a Wi-Fi only device.

Upon the PlayBook’s debut, RIM said publicly that 4G versions of the device would roll out on the three largest U.S. carriers: Sprint, AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

Yet after initial unfavorable reception, not all the carriers seemed to be on board. Verizon backpedaled on its position, claiming the company was “still evaluating” the PlayBook and hadn’t “made a determination as to whether or not [they’re] going to distribute it,” according to a Verizon spokeswoman.

Even Sprint was rumored hesitant, as a leaked memo suggested an indefinite delay on a 4G PlayBook release.

As of April, AT&T plans to distribute the device on its network.

Both Verizon and Sprint did not respond to requests for comment.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is finally among us. At noon Eastern Time today, Best Buy’s New York City store at Union Square will start selling Samsung’s extra-slim 10-inch Tegra 2 tablet, with the first 200 buyers also receiving a matching leather pouch to store their precious inside of. Geographically challenged Android tablet lovers will also be able to pre-order the Tab 10.1 from Best Buy today (eventually, the pre-order button doesn’t currently work) and widespread US availability is still expected on June 17th. Pricing isn’t explicitly listed on Best Buy’s landing page, but we presume it’s the same as we’ve been told earlier: $499 for the 16GB or $599 for the 32GB WiFi-only versions. If you can’t live without some LTE goodness in your mobile life, Verizon’s also promised pre-orders for the 4G-capable Galaxy Tab 10.1 today, though that costs a far less palatable $530 (16GB) and $630 (32GB) on top of a two-year data contract.

[Thanks, Jack and Arturo]

Update: Best Buy has sorted out its systems and all four WiFi variants (black or white, with 16GB or 32GB storage) are up for pre-order.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on sale at NYC Best Buy today, pre-orders now open originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Since Motorola delayed the launch of the LTE-equipped Droid Bionic to carry out “several enhancements,” we’ve debated if this might entail swapping out Tegra 2 in favor of a PowerVR GPU. But now leaked photos are starting to surface, and it would seem that Motorola went and redesigned the body, too. These pics reveal a phone what might be a 4.5-inch qHD display running Gingerbread — not the 4.3-incher with Froyo that was originally slated to ship this spring. Even more intriguing, the revamped handset sports an Atrix-like docking connection, suggesting that new and improved user experience will include the option of a so-called lapdock. And, as an added flourish, Motorola smoothed out the rubberized back cover, nixing the pattern it had at CES. No further word on a launch date, but for now you can get your fill of spy shots at the source link.

New and improved Droid Bionic getting a 4.5-inch display and docking connection? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Would a Droid X by any other name smell as sweet? When we reviewed that phone last year we found it to be a solid performer in a solid chassis. In short: a very good phone. Now it’s back with a new name, or a revised one at least, the Motorola Droid X2 offering the same basic design as its predecessor but packing a lot more heat on the inside — a dual-core dose of Tegra 2, to be specific. Will it tickle your olfactory sensors just like the first X?

Continue reading Droid X2 review

Droid X2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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