IBLOG SPACE

Is Facebook feeling the heat from Google+? It certainly looks that way; the social network is pushing its ubiquity message hard with the new release of Facebook for Every Phone, promising that the new app – which will apparently work on over 2,500 different devices – delivers “a great Facebook experience” for users “no matter where they are or how they access our site.” Functionality on offer includes the usual News Feed, Inbox and Photos, as you’d already find on, say, Android or iOS devices, but also brings photo uploading and the ability to search for friends from the contents of your address book. Facebook has also worked with carriers in various countries who will, as was the case with Facebook for Feature Phones, be offering free data access for the app, at least for a limited time. Those carriers include Three in the UK, O2 in Germany and various Indian, Turkish and other networks; the full list is below. You’ll need a Java-compatible phone to use the app, which should include m

News Corp has been working to purchase the British pay-TV company BSkyB since last year. New Corp has now dropped its bid to purchase the British company after all three main political parties in Britain teamed up to call on Rupert Murdoch’s company to cease its bid to buy the company. The loss of the deal is seen as a major blow to News Corps plans for expansion in the UK. The proposed deal was worth £8bn and the cessation of talks for purchase concluded a year of negotiations. The fall through of the deal comes in the wake of the high-profile iPhone hacking revelation that journalists at News Corp. paper News of the World were hacking into iPhones to get information for stories. News of the World was shut down after it was discovered that journalists there had hacked into a phone belonging to a teen that was murdered. News Corp. COO Chase Carey noted it had become clear the purchase would not happen in the current climate. Murdoch’s company will have to pay BSkyB a fee of about £38.5

I know that a bunch of iPhone users are waiting anxiously for iOS 5 to hit so they can upgrade. The latest beta 3 version of the OS has a very cool new feature that heavy users of FaceTime will really appreciate. The feature is AirPlay mirroring. That means the iPhone can mirror your FaceTime call to a larger screen via an AirPlay enabled device. There is no guarantee the feature will make it into the final version of iOS 5 since it has only surfaced in the beta 3 version. I can see this being a very cool feature for chatting with groups and it might make the iPhone 4 an inexpensive video conferencing solution for business to use rather than having to buy an expensive dedicated system. Someone at Tipb got to try the feature hands on and said it is indeed “magical.” Of all the features of the iPhone 4, I have never once used FaceTime. Video calling just doesn’t seem that interesting to me. Obviously, you will need an AirPlay device for your TV to get this service to work.

AT&T has announced that it will be the exclusive carrier for the Sony S2 tablet, with the Honeycomb slate using the 4G HSPA+ network. The S2, lest you forget, is the more unusual of Sony’s tablet pair, with dual 5.5-inch touchscreens in a clamshell form-factor. The news comes as little surprise, given we saw the S2 clear through the FCC with an AT&T-compatible HSPA+ modem back in early June. Of course, what that also means is that there isn’t support for AT&T’s fledgling LTE network, the second strike in its 4G drive. Yesterday the carrier unveiled the first two modems for its LTE service, though only suggested that they’d go on sale sometime this summer. Unfortunately there are no pricing or availability details for the Sony folder, with AT&T merely saying that the S2 is expected to hit shelves later this year. There’s also no word on which network will be providing the connectivity for the Sony S1, the more traditional slate that has also been spotted with WWAN abilit

If you still don’t have an eReader one of the best out there is the Amazon Kindle 3G. The cool part about having a 3G connection in your eReader is that you can get new books anywhere you happen to be without having to search for a WiFi connection. That is a very nice thing if you are on a trip or at the lake and finish your book then get bored and need a new one. The normal price on the Kindle 3G is $189. AT&T has always been the sponsor of the 3G service on the Kindle 3G and that service has always been free. The new sponsored version of the Kindle 3G is even cheaper with a price of only $139. The catch is that you get advertisements from AT&T. The ads will come in the form of special offers and sponsored screen savers. A lot of people will decide that the ads are a worthwhile trade off to save $50. The 3G still has no contract or charge for the life of the device. The 3G connectivity is also the same speed as the full price version of the Kindle. “Kindle 3G is more convenien

Boy have we got some tidbits for you today. More TouchPad posts than you can shake a stick at, T-Mobile’s expanding their 4G network and their stranglehold on the Android world with a sweetest phone ever award being given to its new myTouch 4G Slide, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve got some Apple news! So just sit back and kick it while we hook you up with a couple ah links that’ll have you reading all night long, and all day long, and all the livelong afternoon long. We’ve got a myTouch 4G Slide Hands-On and Unboxing on SlashGear, a FULL REVIEW of the myTouch 4G Slide over on Android Community, and another hands-on with the same device, again Android Community striking like lightening aside us. Oh and here’s your inexpensive phone of the day: Motorola XT316 – it’s cheep! Today we ALSO had a hands-on with the mystical LG 3D phone by the name of LG Thrill, aka AT&T’s version of the Optimus 3D. SEE! Best Buy Take Tablets Seriously SEE! Nexus+, the Google+ Phone SEE! Samsung Ice Cream

So you thought you had a lot of markets, you carriers you? Check out a bit of the ol’ expansion at the hands of T-Mobile! Here we’ve got a list of 56 markets that T-Mobile will be expanding their HSPA+ 42 network into. That’s T-Mobile’s bigtime 4G network, incase you did not know, and with the sweetness already hitting 170 million Americans in 152 markets, one ocean to the other. This exceeds what T-Mobile is saying was their initial goal of reaching 150 million Americans with increased 4G speeds by the middle of this year and, keeping in mind that they’ve already reached 200 million Americans in more than 190 markets, we’re gonna go ahead and say they’re doing pretty well. T-Mobile lets us know that this push for the speediest 4Gs includes the upcoming launch of a couple of 4G-capable devices that, wouldn’t you know it, we just happen to have here in the office. First there’s the myTouch 4G Slide which we’ve posted a hands-on of yesterday – it’s slick and sweet and takes photos galore

We’ve got our fingers a tap tap tapping away already at the Android Market version 3.0.26 just announced a couple hours ago via Google, and what do you know? We’d love to give you a full look. This newest version of the Android Market has a full facelift and opens the Movie and Book doors to the world for full rental and purchase options. You’ll have to update your Videos and Books apps to gain access to these new bits of media – but all the new versions work today! First what you’re going to want to do is take in the big changes in the front of the market. You’re going to see some big rectangular boxes dominating the landscape now, each of them containing a shortcut to a piece of media you can purchase, each of them color-coded so you know if they are apps, books, games, or movies. You’ll still be accessing the market with your Google account, so no need to update your credit card information or anything like that. Movies The first item that should be on your docket to look at is Vide

Here’s a stylish protective case from ZAGG that turns your iPad 2 into a mini laptop. It’s called the ZAGGfolio and it features a carbon fiber exterior design with a durable microfiber lining. But it not only looks good, it also combines a removeable Bluetooth keyboard and a built-in stand. The ZAGGfolio’s space-saving keyboard is ultra thin and has a built-in rechargeable battery rated for weeks of use between charges. The keyboard can also be removed from the case and since it uses Bluetooth it ca stay connected to the iPad 2 even at a distance. It also works with the iPad 2 in both landscape and portrait orientations. Additionally, there are iPad 2 specific keyboard shortcuts such as volume control, music control, home, search, and copy and paste. The ZAGGfolio is priced at $99.99 and is available now for pre-orders. Shipping will be free and is estimated for July 21.

Your iPhone and iPod touch may soon become the ultimate portable gaming machine with the Mophie Pulse case featuring ViviTouch haptics technology. The new case promises to bring “bone-shaking” vibrations and “pulse pounding” stereo sound that transfers what’s happening in your games into a more immersive experience. The ViviTouch haptics technology is more advanced then typical motor-driven haptics implementations. Instead of feeling your device either vibrating or not, ViviTouch delivers a broad spectrum of vibrations that can even seem to travel across the screen. For instance, a pinball bouncing off a wall will feel a certain effect very different from guns shooting in a game. Also, different guns selected in a game could produce different effects as well. It converts electric energy directly into movement and even uses 70 percent less battery power. Developers do not need to use the ViviTouch API to generate vibrations, instead the audio energy from a game is converted to recreate

One of the most widely anticipated Android devices inside 2011 has been this lovely little animal right here, the DROID BIONIC. This will be the first Verizon 4G LTE device to be running a dual-core processor and it’ll be “coming this summer” after months of delays and a near-cancellation. We’ve got a whole stack of newest possibly specs for this device below right below the signup page for you. Check it! You can access this signup page right over at Verizon and be sure to tell em SlashGear sent ya! That or just enter your email and they’ll send you the info right after we get it first. Sound good? Sounds good! Meanwhile, our pals at Android Community have just last night had a tip that uncovered the most recent specs for this miraculous devices. They’re from China and third hand, which doesn’t do a whole lot for their credibility on their own, but they’re very similar and most of the time exactly the same as previous leaks of information on this device, so let’s have at em! System: A

AT&T hosted an event in NYC today that previewed their phone lineup for the upcoming holiday season. One of the devices was the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, the PlayStation smartphone with the slide-out game controller keypad. We reviewed the Xperia Play back in May when it debuted on Verizon, and now it looks like it will be hitting AT&T as a “4G” HSPA+ handset. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play for AT&T will come sporting Android 2.3 Gingerbread, making it only the second Android 2.3 device to launch on the network. The first being the HTC Status also known as the Facebook phone. The Xperia Play will also run on AT&T’s HSPA+ “4G” network that boasts theoretical speeds of up to 21Mbps. However, pricing information and date of availability have not been announced. Specs for the phone should remain relatively the same as what we’ve seen of the device so far, but a new color option has been revealed. The AT&T Xperia Play comes in a metallic navy blue. But before you get too

Joyous day of awesome days, Evernote now has a tablet version available for all Androids. While they certainly did have integration with tablets before – we’re looking at you, HTC Flyer – this is the first time Evernote has presented a version of their environment made to work on all larger screened Android 3.x Honeycomb-laden devices. This version will give you the ability to create notes continent rich text, lists, and checkboxes, and there’s a brand new widget, speed improvements, and more! The first big change here is your Home Screen. It’s here that you’ll start your Evernote day and it’s here that you’ll end it. You screen will be dominated by a new “Snippet View” which takes all of your notes and makes them into simple to browse boxes of information. Along the edge you’ll see that you’re able to view notebooks, tags, and notebooks that have been shared with you. Along the top edge there’s a New Note button alongside Map View and Search. Inside notes, inside New Notes more specif

The folks at AT&T are getting really ramped up for the release of the HTC Status (also known as the HTC ChaCha in some circles,) with a couple of videos that’ll make you more than ready for the drop, the first of which is a video only about how the device is able to come with you anywhere around the world as it’s got more connectedness than a spaceship. And that’s not all! And yes, the rumors are true, the physical Facebook button will STAY a Facebook button instead of turning to a G+ button. We’ve got a full review of the original edition of this device, that being the HTC ChaCha, our man in England mister Chris Davies still having the device on hand for us to compare with. This version will be quite similar but ever so slightly different as the guts had to be modified so that they’d be able to fly over the ocean. That said, watch this first video so you can see some sweet international action: This device, if you did not know, has a 2.6-inch display above a full QWERTY keyboard a

Microsoft’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) kicked off yesterday with a keynote that had CEO Steve Ballmer acknowledging poor sales of the company’s Windows Phone 7 handsets. That may soon change with the upcoming Mango update. The company today gave a sneak peek at WPC of several exciting new handsets on the way. Catch the video after the break. Corporate VP of the OEM Division at Microsoft, Steve Guggenheimer revealed several new Mango handsets including one from Samsung that resembles the Galaxy S II Android model. It could be the SGH-i937 that is currently being tested and could sport a Super AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel camera, a front-facing camera, and a slender build. Guggenheimer said that he was particularly excited about the Samsung device and noted that it was extremely thin and light. However, no details and exact specifications were revealed during the presentation. Other devices mentioned on stage included Acer’s first Windows Phone, a pink waterproof hands

The HP TouchPad launched not more than two weeks ago and is already getting a price cut on Amazon and Best Buy. Although many folks like the WebOS 3.0 platform, it still needs work. Plus, the TouchPad hardware has been highly criticized in reviews. These factors in addition to the HP TouchPad 4G announcement may have spurred these price cuts. At Amazon, the HP TouchPad price was shaved off by $10 dropping it to $489.99 for the 16GB model and by about 5% to $572.65 for the 32GB model. Similar discounts were given at Best Buy except that the 32GB model got only a $20 discount that meant a price of $579.99. Although these discounts now price the tablet below the iPad 2, they’re not all that huge and compelling. This is especially so knowing now that a TouchPad 4G is on the way for a launch in time for back to school. It makes it worse to know that the TouchPad 4G has a spec boost from the 1.2GHz processor to a 1.5GHz processor. If you were hoping to pick up an HP TouchPad, would you take

What on earth is Google thinking? Don’t they already have a photo sharing service called Google+? Or better yet, Picasa? Then there’s that other service by the name of Pool Party. Isn’t that something that Google has whipped up as well? Turns out all these things are sort of true in one way or another, Google has its hands deep into more than one photo-sharing or otherwise social networking with photos site, Photovine only being the most recently uncovered. What Pool Party is, just so we can understand the difference from the outset, is a invite-only beta app that works for both Android and iOS. It’s an app that places emphasis on creating and sharing group photo albums in real time – best used at say, oh I dunno, a pool party. Better grab some waterproof phones though, your myTouch 4G Slide wont survive such punishment. What Photovine is, on the other hand, is, as they’re saying, “a fun way to learn more about your friends, meet new people, and share your world like never before.” As

Back in April we talked about Netflix considering some major changes to their pricing plans and today the company has officially unveiled those details. But they’re not quite what we were expecting. The most popular DVD-rental service in the country has decided to unbundle their DVD and streaming plan so that each must be separately subscribed with a result of costing more. The unlimited DVD and streaming bundle used to cost customers $9.99 a month, but will now cost $15.98 a month as customers will have to separately subscribe to the DVD plan for $7.99 a month and the streaming plan for another $7.99 a month. Additionally, the company has announced new DVD plans of $7.99 a month for 1 DVD out-at-a-time or $11.99 a month for 2 DVDs out-at-a-time. The reasoning behind this move? Netflix explains that when they first unveiled their unlimited streaming plan and treated DVDs as a $2 add on, they didn’t realize that there was still quite a large demand for DVDs. Since it did not make financ

Nikon announced a new lightweight and affordable macro lens for DX-format shooters called the AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens. The new glass is versatile and ideal for extreme close-ups as well as general portraiture and HD movies with stunning sharpness and flattering bokeh. The AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.53 feet or about 6.4 inches. This allows you to really get up close for both still photos and HD video with a life-size 1:1 reproduction ratio. To ensure great lens performance while up close, Nikon’s Close-Rance Correction System is used to to achieve critical focus. The lens is very compact and weighs only nine ounces. It’s also super quiet with Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor technology that lets you get closer without disturbing your subject. A great travel companion for your DX-format DLSR, this compact, versatile, and affordable lens is priced at $279.95. For more information visit the product page.

Other World Computing (OWC) today announced a new OWC Data Doubler 1TB DIY Kit that can add up to 2TB of internal storage to your MacBook or MacBook Pro. The kit offers a conversion bracket and a 1TB 9.5mm hard drive to swap out the your current internal optical drive. You can also replace it with an up to 2TB drive, a RAID array, or some other customized configuration. The OWC Data Doubler 1TB DIY Kit comes with an optical bay converter bracket, a Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 9.5mm hard drive, a detailed model-specific installation guide, a five-piece toolkit, and plenty of free online “How To” resources and installation videos. The kit is fully compatible with the following MacBook models: MacBook 13″ “Late 2008” ‘Unibody’ and later models (All) MacBook 13″ “Late 2009” ‘White Unibody’ and later models (All) MacBook Pro 13″ “Mid 2009” ‘Unibody’ and later models (All) MacBook Pro 15″ “Late 2008” ‘Unibody’ and later models (All) MacBook Pro 17″ “Early 2009” ‘Unibody’ and later models (All)

T-Mobile’s next big phone is all set to launch this month, and that is the myTouch 4G Slide. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the phone this morning and snapped a few photos for everyone to enjoy. The myTouch 4G Slide will launch on July 27th just as recent leaks suggested. I’ve messed with the myTouch 4G Slide this morning for a while and so far I can tell you that this phone rocks. For more details on the phone here was theofficial announcement. I have plenty of pictures below so check em out. First off I’ll mention some hardware specs then toss the photos and video below for your viewing pleasure. The myTouch 4G Slide boasts that new powerful 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor just like the Sensation and EVO 3D from Qualcomm. Featuring a 3.7″ 480×800 super LCD display (no qHD here), it has 768 MB Memory and 1GB RAM. The new kids on the block are the 4 row QWERTY keyboard that slides out, and around back HTC has boosted the camera and they are claiming “best camera on any smartphone” i

New MacBook Airs are set to hit Apple Stores any day now. Preloaded with OS X Lion, the revamped ultraportable notebooks will feature the latest Intel Sandy Bridge processors and the new 10Gbps Thunderboltconnector port. But new reports suggest that’s not all. This latest edition of the MacBook Air will also include the return of a backlit keyboard. Apple’s MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs have all had backlit keyboards until last October’s redesigned MacBook Air launched without the feature. For many, having a backlit keyboard to illuminate keys when lighting is dim is simply a standard feature. Hence, Apple’s omission of it, possibly for battery-saving reasons, was particularly glaring. Insider sources are now saying that the feature will return to the new MacBook Airs, which may ship during the week of July 21. This is a week later than the originally rumored July 14, which was further supported by reports of overnight shifts on July 13 in preparation for the major launch that is belie

Zoom first showed us its H2 portable stereo recorder back at CES 2008 , so the handheld is well overdue a refresh. The Zoom H2n keeps the pocket-sized portability but increases the number of microphones to five, adding four recording modes that can narrow down to capture a single speaker or vocalist, or broaden out to capture the full soundstage. The four modes consist of Mid-Side stereo (with a front-directional pickup as well as pickup from the sides), 90° X/Y stereo (for more natural stereo recording), 2-channel and 4-channel surround sound (both with 360-degree recording). All of the settings for each mode are controlled on the 1.8-inch LCD display, to adjust how much each microphone picks up. If that sounds a little confusing, the video below should hopefully clear things up. There’s also the ability to use the Zoom H2n as a USB microphone, an integrated reference speaker and up to 20hrs of recording time from a couple of regular AA batteries. If you run out of power mid-session,

Google+ users who refuse to list their real names on the social network could see their accounts suspended, as the company pushes to relegate pseudonyms. Katie Watson, Senior Manager of Global Communications & Public Affairs at Google, told New World Notes that the search giant is “working with people to change their profile to include their real name, and then use their ‘avatar-based name’ in the field that asks for other names” so as to restore profiles that have already been frozen, after some Google+ sign-ups chose to use online nicknames rather than their full name. Google+’s profile system allows for a single real name, and then several “other names” along with a nickname. That allows searchers to locate friends they may know from usernames on online gaming services, Twitter or other platforms. However, rather than being optional as to how you use those fields, it seems Google is insisting that those looking for anonymity by not putting their real name online will not be abl

HP will push out a webOS 3.0 update for the HP TouchPad tablet in around ten days time, according to personal systems group chief Todd Bradley. Speaking on the shift of ex-Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein from his role as webOS lead to a more general position at the helm of product innovation, The Boston Globe reports, Bradley suggested that the TouchPad’s July 1 release was, in fact, a “soft launch” for the slate, and that advertising and other efforts will be redoubled from next week. Part of that drive will be the first in what’s expected to be a number of updates for webOS, currently only available on the TouchPad. Speaking earlier this month of the somewhat lackluster reviews of the tablet, Rubinstein insisted that “our audiences get that webOS has the potential for greatness” before going on to claim that “most of the issues they cite are already known to us and will be addressed in short order by over-the-air software and app catalog updates.” HP had already confirmed that an OTA update

Sony’s S1 Android Honeycomb tablet will apparently go up for pre-order on September 1, in the UK at least, lending further weight to rumors of a late-September launch window. That’s according to internal documents shared with This is my next, with Sony Centre stores in the UK apparently readying for a significant push “with staffers instructed to know the device inside and out.” Unfortunately final pricing is still a mystery, so it’s hard to know where the S1 will slot in the grand scheme of Android tablets. We’re expecting it to carry a premium over rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, especially with Sony pushing the PlayStation Suite integration (details on the technicalities of which are also in short supply). Still, as TIMN points out, the S1 is expected to be the first of the reskinned Android Honeycomb tablets, which will make it something of an unusual beast in the market. Our real interest is still around the S2, with its unusual folding fo

If you like to ride bicycles for fun and have a taste for it odds are you have a very nice bike, not something you bought down at Walmart. If you are a well to do cyclist you might want something that is very different from any one riding in your group. You might find this bike with a frame made from black walnut wood appealing. The bike is made by Lagomorph designs and it is one of the best-looking bikes I have ever seen. The bike is a single speed though so it might not be up to the hardcore riders needs. Other features include aluminum dropouts and fittings that are custom made by the company. The bike also uses high-end components in the build making it suited to the wealthy rider. The rims the bike uses are strong and the brakes use titanium hardware. The company also allows the buyer to customize the bike as well. The frame, forks, headset, and stems are available individually for $3,500 and the full bike will cost $6,000.

AT&T has outed a pair of new 4G LTE modems, ready for launch this summer on the carrier’s fledgling LTE network. The AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G is a USB modem with a built-in microSD card slot, intended for use with a single laptop, while the AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G is a portable router that can share its 4G connection with up to five WiFi-connected clients. Meanwhile, as of July 17 there will be a new range of international data plans, offering more megabytes for your money. Both the USBConnect 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G feature triband HSPA+ roll-back for when you’re outside of LTE coverage, together with quadband GSM/EDGE for when your signal gets really spotty; there’s also GPS. The chunky USB modem measures 2.6 x 1.05 x 0.51 inches and supports up to 32GB microSDHC cards; it’ll work with PCs and Macs. Meanwhile, the mobile hotspot has WiFi b/g/n support, a 160 x 128 color status display, and an 1800 mAh battery good for up to eight hours use. AT&T isn

We have seen some things based on Angry birds that you can eat before, but generally, they were of the cute variety. A woman and her husband created a very cool, but thoroughly disgusting cake that looks like an old grizzled real life version of the green king pig and his little lackey. The cake is so realistic it looks pretty gross. The head reminds me more than a little of those fat warthog looking creatures that guard Jabba’s front door in Return of the Jedi. The creators of the cake baked a normal cake and then froze it. Once frozen they carved the basic shape for the pig heads out of the dough and then crumb coated it. They used some sort of white chocolate molding dough for the crown and to go over the head to give the shiny sheen. The details on the faces were painted with vodka diluted food colors. The little birds are standing on the design using toothpicks. The finished product is very impressive, but I think some might be too grossed out to eat the cake.

Popular digital music app Reason has hit v6 , and developers Propellerhead has celebrated by outing its first audio interface hardware. Now pulling the best of previously independent apps Reason and Record, including analog-style consoles, modeled EQ and extra effects, Reason 6 also also throws in a new “Pulverisor” crunchy compression tool, 64-bit compatibility and more. As for the audio interface, called Balance, it’s a combination two-in, two-out box and a basic control unit. While Balance can only record in stereo, in fact there are eight connections so that multiple sources can be kept wired up and simply be switched between, avoiding cable juggling. There are hardware controls to trigger Reason’s tuner tool, and the ability to “heal clipped recorded audio” even if gain levels have been too high, thanks to Reason automatically grabbing some extended input beyond the manual gain, just in case. Reason 6 will ship on September 30, priced at $449; the cut-down “Essentials” package wil

Panasonic has rolled out a new tablet in the UK called the CF-H2. The tablet is aimed at the field worker that needs a tablet to stay productive that can survive abuse that goes with working in the field. The tablet is powered by an Intel Core i5-2557M ULV processor operating at 1.7GHz. The processor also has vPro technology and Intel HD 3000 graphics. The machine promises performance 400% better than the CF-H1 tablet. Panasonic says that the tablet is perfect for mobile GIS and CAD users and can be used to run diagnostic tools as well. The machine has 2GB of RAM and can be fitted with up to 8GB of RAM. It has a 160GB HDD standard for storage and an optional 128GB SSD. The tablet is designed for users that need to multitask when holding the device with one hand. It weighs 1.58kg, has a fanless design, and can be purchased with a dual touch screen with a digitizer and touchscreen as well. The screen is 10.1-inches wide and uses Panasonic Transreflective tech that allows it to operate wi

Apple’s chief patent counsel will imminently leave the company, according to sources familiar with the situation, despite the current heavy workload of patent-related litigation. Richard “Chip” Lutton Junior could depart Apple as soon as in the next month, Reuters‘ tipster claims, though neither he nor Apple itself have commented on the speculation. Meanwhile, ex-HP deputy counsel BJ Watrous now lists his role as Vice President & Chief IP Counsel at Apple Inc. on his LinkedIn profile, suggesting he will replace Lutton. Watrous has been in the role since June 2011. Apple’s legal department has arguably been one of its busiest in recent months, with the company fielding patent infringement suits and countersuits with a number of high-profile rivals. Most notable are the convoluted spats between the company and Samsung, which saw Apple accuse its rival – and significant hardware supplier – of being an arch “copyist” of the design of iOS, the iPhone and iPad, as well as with HTC, agai