october

Tablets
October 25, 2011
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ViewSonic ViewPad 7e 7-inch Android tablet landing in October for $200

By on October 25, 2011 at 12:00 AM.

ViewSonic ViewPad 7e 7-inch Android tablet landing in October for $200

ViewSonic announced on Monday that its ViewPad 7e Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) tablet will be available in North America by the end of October for $199.99. The ViewPad 7e offers a 7-inch display with an 800 x 600-pixel resolution, a user interface with 3D “holographic visual effects,” a 1GHz processor, 4GB of storage, a micro-HDMI port, a 3-megapixel camera, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats and a microSD card slot for adding up to 32GB of additional storage. On paper, its $200 price point certainly sounds like a bargain compared to more expensive tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The ViewPad 7e runs the Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone operating system with somewhat outdated specs, however, which means most users will probably seek out the more powerful Amazon Kindle Fire, which also costs $200. The ViewPad 7e supports 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi networks and it remains unclear if ViewSonic will also launch a 3G version with U.S. carriers. Read on for the full press release. More →

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Business
October 5, 2011
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HP to decide fate of PC division this month

By on October 5, 2011 at 9:05 AM.

HP to decide fate of PC division this month

HP’s newly appointed CEO Meg Whitman said the company will decide this month whether or not it is going to spin off its personal systems group (PSG). “We have to make a final decision about what to do with the PC division,” Whitman said. “It’s a decision I want to make much faster than my predecessor. I want to make it before the end of October.” HP’s former CEO Léo Apotheker originally said the verdict would be determined by 2012. Earlier this month, the company’s chairman Ray Lane explained he will “lobby” to keep HP’s personal systems group if his firm “can’t offer a better proposition to customers and investors.” Lane explained HP will likely still call the PSG group “HP PC Business” even if a spin off does occur, and he said the PC business may be more successful outside of its parent company because it is on a different track than HP’s enterprise business. More →

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mobile
September 20, 2011
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Apple to launch white iPod touch in October, no hardware changes in sight

By on September 20, 2011 at 8:01 PM.

Apple to launch white iPod touch in October, no hardware changes in sight

Apple will announce a new version of its iPod touch during the first week of October when it takes the wraps off of the next-generation iPhone, according to MacRumors. Apple will not redesign or revamp the iPod touch in any major way. It will instead launch a white model of the popular multimedia player with slight tweaks to the ambient light sensor and with the addition of an oleophobic screen coating. Parts for the new iPod touch first surfaced in July, and the images suggested that the overall industrial design would remain untouched. Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also said he expected Apple to hold off updating the hardware of the iPod touch this year due to a tight supply chain and continued demand for the iPhone and iPad. The white iPod touch is expected to hit the market in mid-October. More →

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mobile
September 9, 2011
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Sprint to offer iPhone 5 in October with unlimited data

By on September 9, 2011 at 12:15 PM.

Sprint to offer iPhone 5 in October with unlimited data

Sprint will offer the iPhone 5 in mid-October and will bundle it with an unlimited data plan, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The carrier hopes its unlimited data plan offering will attract customers away from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which both cap iPhone data packages. Sprint currently offers all-you-can eat data and voice plans and its Everything Data plan starts out at $69.99 per month with 450 peak minutes. “The advantage of unlimited is, it’s cheaper for the big users,” Bank of Montreal analyst Peter Rhamey explained to Bloomberg, noting that unlimited plans are attractive because “people don’t like bill shock.” Bloomberg’s report is on a par with a recent Wall Street Journal article that also suggested Sprint will begin selling the iPhone 5 in October. In addition, BGR exclusively reported that Best Buy is anticipating selling a Sprint-branded iPhone 5 and that pre-orders should begin soon. More →

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Business
August 30, 2011
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Sprint to hold 'Strategy Update' media event on October 7th

By on August 30, 2011 at 8:01 AM.

Sprint to hold 'Strategy Update' media event on October 7th

Sprint will hold a media event on October 7th to discuss the company’s strategy moving forward. While the specific topics to be covered by Sprint’s senior management are unknown, there are certainly a few areas that are likely candidates. First and foremost, Sprint’s plans with 4G moving forward are a bit up in the air right now. The carrier announced a deal with LightSquared that could bring 4G LTE service to Sprint subscribers in the near future, but LightSquared is having issues with its spectrum that need to be ironed out. Clearwire’s future is anything but certain as well. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse did tell BGR that Sprint has 4G-related announcements in store for the fall, so the LightSquared deal was likely just the tip of the iceberg. Sprint is also set to launch Apple’s next-generation iPhone 5 handset this fall, and while we couldn’t get a peep out of the carrier while we were visiting its corporate headquarters back in July, we wouldn’t be surprised if Sprint is a bit more talkative in October when it comes to Apple smartphones.

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General
August 30, 2011
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Asus to launch 5-6 Intel-powered Ultrabooks in October

By on August 30, 2011 at 7:01 AM.

Asus to launch 5-6 Intel-powered Ultrabooks in October

Asus will launch as many as six Ultrabooks in October, Asus chairman Jonney Shih said on Monday. The notebooks will offer screen sizes between 11.6-inches and 13.3-inches. Intel detailed its plans to introduce a new category of notebooks, which it dubbed “Ultrabooks” in May. The chip maker hopes the new category will dominate 40% of the consumer notebook market by the end of 2012 and says the devices will combine the performance of today’s laptops with a tablet-like experience. Earlier reports suggested that mass production of Ultrabooks will begin in September and Intel recently invested $300 million in an effort to speed up the process of creating the devices. The first such device to hit the market is largely expected to be the ASUS UX21. Acer, Asus and Lenovo have all detailed plans to launch sub-$1,000 Ultrabooks during the fourth quarter but Shih said the six from Asus will be priced between $900 and $2,000. More →

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mobile
August 24, 2011
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New report resurrects T-Mobile iPhone 5 rumor

By on August 24, 2011 at 2:05 PM.

New report resurrects T-Mobile iPhone 5 rumor

Will wonders never cease? Just one day after The Wall Street Journal reported Sprint will begin selling Apple’s iPhone 5 in October, a new report resurrects rumors that T-Mobile will also launch Apple’s fifth-generation phone later this fall. Apple blog MacTrast claims T-Mobile will launch the new iPhone in early to mid-October, citing “a contact within T-Mobile who claims to have been briefed on the matter.” BGR exclusively published photos this past April revealing that Apple has indeed been testing an iPhone model compatible with T-Mobile’s 3G network. We also speculated in early July that Apple would launch its iPhone on all major U.S. carriers this fall. Apple’s next-generation smartphone is expected to be unveiled in late September or early October alongside a revamped, less expensive iPhone 4. More →

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Breaking
August 23, 2011
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Sprint to offer iPhone 5 in October, WSJ reports

By on August 23, 2011 at 3:27 PM.

Sprint to offer iPhone 5 in October, WSJ reports

In line with recent analyst speculation, Sprint will offer the iPhone 5 in the “middle” of October, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, noting that the device will be sold at the same time as Apple’s current iPhone 4. That suggests that recent reports about the iPhone 4 being sold as a lower-priced option are accurate. Apple is expected to announce the successor to the iPhone 4 in September or October. The iPhone 5 is expected to be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4 and recent reports have suggested that it will be a “bigger update” than expected. Other reports have also suggested that the device will offer an 8-megapixel camera and a dual-core processor. More →

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Tablets
August 16, 2011
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HTC CFO: Puccini tablet will launch in September/October

By on August 16, 2011 at 9:23 PM.

HTC CFO: Puccini tablet will launch in September/October

HTC’s 10-inch Puccini Android tablet will hit the market in September or October, HTC’s chief financial officer Winston Yung said during a press conference at the Taiwan Stock Exchange. We published the first solid images of the Puccini in July when we noted the tablet will likely offer a 1.5GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera and stylus input support similar to what the HTC Flyer offers. While earlier rumors suggested the Puccini would launch on AT&T with 4G LTE support, we think the September/October time frame might be too early for that to happen. We expect the Puccini to run on AT&T’s HSPA+ network instead. Yung also reaffirmed HTC’s plans to appeal a recent ITC ruling that found HTC guilty of infringing on Apple patents. More →

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mobile
August 15, 2011
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Apple iPhone shipments could approach 100 million this year

By on August 15, 2011 at 7:45 PM.

Apple iPhone shipments could approach 100 million this year

Apple has placed orders with its manufacturing partners for as many as 26 million iPhone 5 handsets in the second half of 2011 as it prepares for a massive launch this fall. In addition to Apple’s iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 models, this could bring the vendor’s second-half iPhone shipments up to 56 million units, DigiTimes reported on Monday. Tack that massive figure onto the 18.65 million iPhones Apple shipped in the fiscal second quarter and the 20.34 million units shipped in the fiscal third quarter, and Apple could potentially ship just under 100 million iPhone handsets this year. Apple is expected to unveil at least one new iPhone model in the coming weeks, which will then go on sale in late September or early October. More →

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mobile
August 12, 2011
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Apple iPhone 4S and iPad 3 production slated for September, report claims

By on August 12, 2011 at 11:35 PM.

Apple iPhone 4S and iPad 3 production slated for September, report claims

We have heard at least a dozen rumors that Apple will launch the next iPhone in September, possibly alongside the next-generation iPad. Several of those rumors have suggested Apple will announce a new iPhone 5 and an iPad 3 with a Retina Display, while others have predicted the Cupertino-based company will simply announce the iPhone 4S, a marginal upgrade from the current model. The latest rumor from Macotakara.jp says that Apple will begin production of the iPhone 4S in September and will bring it to market in October along with the iPad 3. The iPhone part of this rumor corresponds with an earlier report from TiPb in terms of release timing, though that report also claimed that the iPad 3 won’t launch until next year. Macotakara.jp mentions the iPhone 5 briefly but says it has “not found any information” about the device. BGR reported that the iPhone 5 will land in mid-September and several reports indicate that mid to late-September is still the likely launch time frame. More →

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Exclusive
August 2, 2011
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Apple iPhone 5 to launch in October in Canada

By on August 2, 2011 at 10:02 AM.

Apple iPhone 5 to launch in October in Canada

BGR has reported on several occasions that Apple will announce its brand new iPhone 5 at the tail end of August with a September street date, though it looks like the company might make the iPhone 5 available a little bit later than that. According to confirmed information we have received from a reliable source at Canadian carrier Telus, Apple’s iPhone 5 looks to be touching down on October 1st in Canada. In the past, Apple has flip flopped between releasing its iconic smartphone in the U.S. first and then in Canada, or launching its smartphone simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada as it did with the iPhone 3GS. As such, it is currently unclear if Apple intends to launch the iPhone 5 in the U.S. and Canada at the same time or if we’re still looking at a September launch stateside, which we see as being likely. Hit the break for more. More →

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Gaming
August 1, 2011
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Sony PlayStation Vita could launch in October

By on August 1, 2011 at 8:51 PM.

Sony PlayStation Vita could launch in October

Sony’s brand new portable gaming console, the PlayStation Vita, could launch as soon as this fall according to IGN. A Blockbuster flier in the United Kingdom started the rumor. The advertisement suggests the PS Vita Wi-Fi edition and 3G & Wi-Fi model will both launch on October 28th. A Sony spokesperson confirmed with IGN that the company will begin a “phased global release” during the holiday season, but would not confirm specific dates. We already know that the Vita will cost $249.99 in the United States and that a version with AT&T 3G will be available for $299.99. Hopefully we see the console hit U.S. shores by the holidays, too. Read on for a shot of the leaked flier. More →

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