IBLOG SPACE

Aliph’s Jawbone ICON was our consumer Bluetooth headset pick back in early 2010, but more than 18 months later it’s perhaps overdue a refresh. Along, then, comes the replacement, the Jawbone ICON HD and its new Bluetooth dongle accessory, The NERD. It might have a geeky name, but the promise is complete simplicity. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut. Hardware Outwardly, there’s little to mark the difference between the 2010 ICON and the new ICON HD. It’s the same 44.1 x 18.25 x 25 mm and 8.2g chassis with textured fascia, a springy circular ear grip and a somewhat stubby aesthetic that stands a little further out from the head than we’d prefer, a look that’s over-emphasized by the short length. Inside there’s Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with multipoint support for pairing with two devices simultaneously along with A2DP to handle stereo sound (albeit in mono). Up to eight device pairings can be stored, and the quoted range is 10m; in reality we managed considerably more before stat

If you are a DirecTV subscriber, a new gadget might be on the way that will liberate all of that content you have on your DVR at home and allow you to watch it from mobile devices. The box is rumored to be called the Nomad. There has been no official announcement of the device at this point from DirecTV. The existence of the device surfaced on a teaser page spied on the DirecTV website simply noting it was coming soon. The little Nomad box is expected to be able to take all the content that you have DVR’ed and shoot it out to your mobile devices. That is really all we know about the Nomad at this point, everything else is an unknown. It sounds a lot like the Slingbox to me. Reports claims that the nomad would work with iOS, which would make sense. I would expect if the device launches that it would also support Android at some point. It would be great to be able to access my recorded shows using my iPhone. I wonder if the streaming would require WiFi or if 3G connectivity would work to

We had some issues with the HP TouchPad back when it first landed and we reviewed the tablet. I had always thought that the chances of a third OS making it in the tablet market were slim. Most tablet shoppers go for the iPad and the ones that don’t go iPad were looking for Android tablets. WebOS just never had a chance I think. I was correct in my thoughts as evidenced by the fact that HP killed the TouchPad and then slashed prices to move the tablet inventory it had on hand. If you are the owner of a TouchPad and were feeling bad for buying what was shaping up to look like a tablet you spent hundreds of dollars on what would soon be a paperweight with no updates or new software, at least for now that isn’t the case. At launch, TouchPad came with Quickoffice that allowed you to read documents created by the Microsoft Office software. There were a lot of people that were really hoping for an update that would allow the TouchPad to edit documents as well. Yesterday that update arrived. Q

OnStar has announced a new update for the iPhone and Android versions of the RemoteLink app. The app will work with any RemoteLink-enabled vehicle. The new update is cool because it allows the driver to select a destination using their smartphone and then shoot that destination over to the car for turn-by-turn driving directions. The app also allow the user to shoot an address from their contact list to the car and it supports voice search so the user doesn’t have to type. Once the destination is sent to the car, it can be accessed via the OnStar turn-by-turn nav system or though the vehicles integrated nav system. As soon as the destination is activated, it will be ready to go inside the car at startup. The updated version of the app is available right now on the Android Market and iTunes. You have to be driving a RemoteLink compatible vehicle for the app to work, check with OnStar to find out if your vehicle is compatible. I suspect only more recent models will work with RemoteLink.

In the world of Italian exotic sports cars, a few names stick in my mind. Those names are Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini. All three have a penchant for producing some seriously fast cars. Compared to Ferrari and Lamborghini, Maserati often has almost as much focus on luxury as performance. Maserati has a new version of its sweet GranTurismo sports car called the GranTurismo MC Stradale. The MC Stradale version of the GranTurismo gets a 4.7L V8 engine pumping our 450-horsepower. According to Maserati, that engine will push the MC Stradale to a top speed of 186 mpg thanks to its extra grunt compared to the normal GranTurismo and improved aerodynamics. Other than performance, the car looks fast sitting still. The car apparently has all the luxury touches inside that the GranTurismo S offers. However, the MC Stradale can only be enjoyed by two people at once since it lacks the backseat that other GranTurismo versions have. The car looks good, but I am not such a fan of the front bumper

There has been a huge amount of rumors swirling around the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S. Several rumors point to the launch of the device in October, but we still know nothing concrete on the launch date. New reports are coming in that the iPhone 5 dual mode is showing up in usage logs. According to reports, the listing for a device believed to be the iPhone 5 showing two different sets of mobile country codes and mobile network codes used to identify mobile carriers has been showing up in the logs. One developer, that asked not to be named according to TheAPPera, also claims that some registrations for its app were logged from a new Apple device using codes for AT&T and Verizon. That could all be rubbish since we have no idea what developer is making the claims. The hardware photo here is the Qualcomm MDM6600 that supports both modes and is in the CDMA iPhone 4 and iPad 2 already. It could be what powers the dual mode iPhone. These rumors seem to point to the new iPhone in testing.

LG will show off a cool new robotic vacuum cleaner at IFA 2011 called the Roboking VR680VMNC. It remains me more than a little of the Toshiba robot vacuum that I talked about a few days ago. The LG offering has three cameras and a host of sensors that help it to navigate your home and clean things up. The coolest thing is that the LG Roboking vacuum can be controlled remotely. The vacuum connects to the WiFi network in the hoe and can then be controlled from just about anywhere using your smartphone. The cameras will stream live images to allow you to check on your home or pets while you are away. The vacuum is also very quiet so it won’t disturb those at home when it activates and goes off to clean things up. The vacuum produces 18db of sound and is also able to understand some voice commands as well. The vacuum is set for release in Korean September. The robot has several settings for cleaning and can avoid things in its path and fun a zigzag pattern to cover all the area. The voice

There was a photo floating around earlier this month that was originally said to be the Samsung GT-I9220 smartphone. That photo was later shown to be of a different device and that could have raised doubts in the minds of some as to whether or not the Samsung smartphone actually existed. The GT-I9220 does exist and as of yesterday, the smartphone had its WiFi certification. The certification sheet for the GT-I9220 has turned up on Wi-Fi Certified. The sheet shows that the smartphone has WiFi onboard all the way up to 802.11n speed and will work with 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi networks. The smartphone reportedly has a 4.3-inch super AMOLED HD screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 with 326ppi. The operating system is said to be Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread on the GT-I9220. The phone is also supposed to have dual-core 1.4GHz CPU and an 8MP camera. With IFA 2011 kicking off soon the hope is that the device will get official at the show. Some of our team will be on hand to fondle the smartphone if it

Ken Block is the master of hoon, the art of driving fast in small spaces. Block is the guy laying waste to tires and varied locations in the Gymkhana video series. The best of the videos all was the last one Gymkhana Four. It’s hard to beat gorillas, flames, and sharks all in one video laced with awesome driving. Ford has announcedthat block’s awesome Fiesta has gained Ford sync tech inside. Block’s awesome Fiesta racing car is called the HFHV or Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle. The HFHV is a competition ready race vehicle and Block will use the car for all sorts of different racing and hooning sessions. Ford points out that Sync will not replace Block’s co-driver Alex Gelsomino in rally events because turn-by-turn directions are not allowed in rally competition. With Sync, Block can drive the car and use his voice to activate things like phone calls and music. The HFHV has 600 HP and is based on the M-Sport WRC Fiesta rally car. Block plans to use the car for North American competition i

Epson has offered an app for iOS devices called PrintJinni for almost a year now to allow the smartphone user to print photos and other items using the smartphone. Epson has now announced that it has a new app on the Android Market that will allow the Android smartphone or tablet user to print directly from their device as well. The Android app is the called Android iPrint. Users with the app installed can print to any Epson wireless AIO printer. In addition to printing documents and photos from the smartphone, the app will also allow the printing of content from cloud services like Box.net, Dropbox, and Evernote. Users can also print web pages and configure the print options from the app. Advanced printing options on the app include the ability to choose and print multiple photos at one time. Printing from the phone with or without borders is supported on photos. Users can also choose different scanning resolutions and image types and optimize the print quality. The app is on the Andr

Active Media Products has a ton of SSDs for all sorts of products and uses that are in its SaberTooth line. The last of the products we talked about was the SaberTooth ZF SSD that was aimed at use in small notebooks and other devices. Active Media Products has rolled out another new SSD in the series called the SaberTooth M1. This storage drive is very small and made to slip into an mSATA port. The SSD is offered in several different storage capacities including 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. All of the capacities use the same hardware with JEDEC MO-300B mSATA spec support and a Jmicron JMF605 4-channel controller. The drives interface with the SATA-II 4Gbps interface and use MLC NAND inside. The SSDs sip power to help extend the battery life of the device they are plugged into. Other features include ECC for reliability, bad bit management to prevent errors, and a wear leveling algorithm to help extend the usable life of the SSD. The SSDs come with a screwdriver and an installation guide to he

Here’s a neat little wireless network camera from Stem Innovation called the iZON Remote Room Monitor that can stream both audio and video to your iOS device. It comes in handy if you’ve been trying to figure out which of your two dogs keeps leaving puddles indoors while you’re away at work. And of course, for those with small children, it’ll be a great way to keep an eye on them and have overall peace of mind. The iZON easily connects to most wireless networks and can be controlled by a free Stem:Connect App for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices. It sits on a magnetic base that swivels and can be mounted to most horizontal surfaces including the ceiling. The iZON provides unlimited viewing over your local network, but can also remotely stream video and audio to your handheld device over 3G networks for up to 5 minutes at a time. Motion sensor controls can be setup so that you receive alerts via push notifications when movement is detected. Similar notifications can be setup for a

There’s some big money floating around right this minute, all of it aimed directly at NFC venture Isis, a soon to be rival of Google’s NFC service known as Google Wallet. Mobile payments will be the way of the future if Japan is any indication, a mobile payment piece of hardware a MUST in every smartphone (and quite a few feature phones too) on the islands if you want to sell a single unit. Bloomberg has some “people with knowledge of the project” who are saying that this investment is set to be a big step toward what Juniper Research says is a $670 billion dollar market by 2015. Isis has ties to the financial industry, partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, Discover Financial Services, and American Express, so they’re certainly legit. Isis formed just this past year and would, if they continue down the road they’re on right this moment, allow customers to receive and redeem coupons on their smartphones, check in, tap tags, and all manner of lovely things with NFC chips. Should three of t

TomTom unveiled a new dedicated GPS navigation device today called the Go Live 1535M that incorporates apps and keeps you connected while on the road. It aims to provide the best navigation experience through comprehensive road and traffic information from its TomTom HD Traffic service with real-time updates as well as to provide convenient access to travel-related apps. TomTom’s Live services include apps like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Twitter. They make it convenient for you to access travel information while on the road, such as finding hotel availability, reading restaurant reviews, and discovering other points of interest. The Twitter integration also lets you automatically tweet your arrival time and location. Additionally, there are apps for checking nearby fuel prices, speed cameras, and weather as well as a Google Local Search app. The TomTom Go Live 1535M also features voice recognition with one-step address entry, Bluetooth hands-free calling, a 5-inch touchscreen, an

While we’ve all heard whispers of the mysterious entity known as Google TV over the past year or so, but just this week we’ve heard the main man, Google chairman Eric Schmidt, speak what he believes the future of the platform will be. Mister Schmidt spoke the MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, speaking broadly to broadcasters all over the land, warning them not to be left in the dust as internet connectivity becomes the must-have of any television-like entertainment system of the future. Watch his entire lecture on the subject below.

HTC’s upcoming Sense UI update to version 3.5 has been leaked in a demo video made available by XDA.cn. The five-minute long video shows the HTC Sense 3.5 running on what appears to be the female-focused HTC Bliss . The interface looks more simplified from the current version with new transitions and lock screens. What’s noticeably gone is the three-button Sense launcher bar that normally sits at the bottom of the screen. In its place there is instead two separate dedicated buttons for an app drawer and phone. There appears to be a new method for adding and removing home screens while the widgets also look to have been tweaked. Overall, the update isn’t a dramatic change from the current HTC Sense 3.0. The first handset expected to run HTC Sense 3.5 UI on top of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is the HTC Bliss, which is expected to launch in late September. Other upcoming devices to sport the new UI include the HTC Holiday and the HTC Vigor .

Microsoft today revealed details on its revamped Windows 8 Explorer interface design. The file manager update focuses on delivering a more streamlined user experience through a ribbon UI that spans across the top of the Windows Explorer interface. It doesn’t look drastically different and retains much of the heritage Windows features while optimizing them for a better user experience. Microsoft program manager Alex Simon posted the details on the Building Windows 8 blog. Simon noted that out of 200 commands in Explorer, they found that the top 10 commands made up 81.8 percent of usage. To make these most used commands most accessible, Simon says that the ribbon UI would be best to achieve an “optimized file manager where commands would have reliable, logical locations in a streamlined experience.” On this new Windows 8 Explorer ribbon there is a “Home” tab that features all the most used file management commands such as Copy, Paste, Delete, Rename, Cut and Properties. The next tab to t

Fujitsu is getting ready to release a new Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet that will not only boast some nice internal specs but will also be designed to protect its innards from unexpected rain showers or an occasional swim in the lake. Dubbed the Arrows Tab F-01D, the tablet comes in a unique waterproof housing. Although no official details are available yet, the Arrows Tab F-01D is expected to have specs that are not too shabby. It will sport a 10.1-inch WXGA display, a TI OMAP 4430 1GHz dual-core processor, and possibly support for LTE connectivity along with GSM and GPRS compatibility for roaming abroad. It’s also expected to have both a front-facing and rear-facing cameras, micro-USB, headphone jack, and 16GB internal storage expandable with a microSD card slot. The tablet, however, is only rumored for a September launch in Japan on NTT DoCoMo. There’s no word on whether it would make it here to the states and it’s also unclear just how waterproof it will be.

Well would you look at that – the wind in our hair isn’t even all the way washed and Infiniti, whom we saw reveal several lovely concepts at Pebble Beach , has come correct with a teaser video for what appears very much to be the Sebastian Vettel-inspired FX50. Red Bull Racing has star driver Sebastian Vettel at the helm here, Infiniti working with him and the team to bring forth a masterpiece of F1-racing top gear inspired bit of concept vehicle for the general public. You’re certainly welcome to draw your own conclusions on what this video could really be pointing towards, but we’ve got a guess that you’re likely to agree with. In the video below you’ll find racer Sebastian Vettel, mastermind Infiniti design chief Shiro Nakamura, and a sea of flashbulbs. Most of the video is thankfully the two main men here speaking on what’s inspiring between their two worlds, the current F1 champion sharing a few tips and laughs with one of the world’s most innovative minds, Nakamura. See if you ca

If you refuse to update to Mac OS X Lion from Snow Leopard for the time being, you may still be able to take advantage of Apple’s iCloud. This news comes from a message that one developer received after he upgraded his MobileMe account to the iCloud but attempted to access it via a machine still running OS X Tiger. The message indicated that the minimum requirement for compatibility with the iCloud is Mac OS X Snow Leopard version 10.6.9. Even though Mac OS X Lion is now out in full swing, it’s expected that Apple will be updating Mac OS X Snow Leopard at least one more time with a 10.6.9 version. And now it looks like the imminent update will also bring iCloud support. Apple, however, has remained quiet about the exact minimum requirements to support iCloud. It has posted only the following: Some features of iCloud require iOS 5 on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2, or a Mac computer with OS X Lion or a PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Outlo

Amazon’s upcoming tablets are expected to sell as many as 5 million units this fall. According to ForresterResearch, Amazon could easily achieve this number as long as it prices its tablets below $300 and doesn’t run into any kinks in its supply chain. And at that volume it would become the top competitor to Apple’s iPad. Apple has sold almost 30 million iPads since the device first launched in April of 2010. The competition from Android tablet manufacturers are still struggling to compete as Apple continues to claim the lion’s share of the market. Apple is expected to dominate the tablet market through at least 2013. A recent casualty in the tablet wars is the HP TouchPad with webOS, which will be discontinued after only about two short months of being on the market. The recent fire sale of the TouchPad for $99 each has successfully driven up demand and has prompted some to believe that Amazon may aggressively price their tablets to start. Sources have claimed that the Amazon tablet w

A Japanese firm called Nichicon has announced a pair of new EV chargers that will be landing in October. The charger is one of the parts of an EV that many drivers don’t think about. A dedicated charger can get the EV back on the road much faster than using a wall outlet. The new chargers are the NQC-A202 and the NQC-A302. The company claims that these are the world’s smallest and lightest chargers for EVs. Both of the chargers measure in at 150 x 35 x 60cm. That makes them about half the size of other chargers that are on the market today. The A202 is a 20kW charger weighing 150kg and the A302 is a 30kW charger and weighs 20kg more than the other weighs. That makes each about 66% lighter than the normal chargers. The chargers can apparently recharge an average EV in about 35 to 60 minutes. They work with vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and others that use the CHAdeMO standard. The huge fly in the ointment for these chargers I that they are insanely expensive costing as much as the EVs t

According to research firm IHS iSuppli, smartphone sales will finally beat dumb-phone or “feature phone” sales by 2015. Despite all the rage around the latest smartphones, feature phones still currently account for a majority of mobile phone sales with only 32.5 percent of sales this year expected to be for smartphones. In their latest report, IHS iSuppli pegs global smartphone sales to reach 1.03 billion units in 2015, which is more than double the 478 million units in 2011 and will make its market share in 2015 jump to 54.4 percent. This pretty dramatic considering that in 2009, smartphones only accounted for 15.8 percent of mobile phone sales. However, within the smartphone sector, the fastest growing category will be the low-end models that have more limited features with less processing power and memory. These low-end smartphone sales are expected to grow 115.4 percent from 2010 through 2015 compared to only 16.4 percent growth for mid-range and high-end smartphones. This differen

Google chairman Eric Schmidt has taken time out from telling people to get over their fear of real names on Google+ to smack down the UK education system, citing “a drift to the humanities” that has left the country floundering when it comes to digital development. “I was flabbergasted to learn that today computer science isn’t even taught as standard in UK schools,” Schmidt said during the MacTaggart lecture in Edinburgh The Guardianreports, pointing out that “your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it’s made.” According to the Google exec, while the UK “invented computers in both concept and practice” it is currently “throwing away” that heritage. Schmidt pointed to the tendency for those in the arts and science camps to “denigrate the other” and ignore the possibility of standing with a foot in each. What’s needed, he maintained, was polymaths: people with broader expertise. “Over the past century, the UK has stopped nurturing its po

It was disappointing news that Verizon passed on the Samsung Galaxy S II, which would have been awesome as a dual-core 4G LTE smartphone, but it looks like the carrier made the decision in order to bring us something that could be even better. Insider sources are saying that Verizon ditched the Galaxy S II for an exclusive on Android’s upcoming flagship handset that will be the first to run Android Ice Cream Sandwich. According to BGR, insider sources have revealed that Verizon chose to forgo the Samsung Galaxy S II in favor of an exclusive on the new Google flagship Android handset also designed by Samsung, rumored to be the Nexus Prime. However, the phone will likely be called the DROID Prime when it hits Verizon. The DROID Prime is expected to arrive sometime in October and will be the very first handset to run Android Ice Cream Sandwich. This latest update is a major overhaul that will unify the Android platform such that one version of Android will work on both smartphones and tab

With the price of fuel today, most drivers are looking for a way to cut what they pay at the pump. A company called SignalGuru has a new system that uses a smartphone and the phones rear mounted camera to see traffic signals and predict the timing of the next light. The goal is to get the driver to the next light without having to stop. That means less wasting gas. SignalGuru claims that the system helped drivers cut about 20% of their fuel costs when tested in Cambridge, Mass. The tech could also be expanded to allow the phone to show the driver where parking spaces and gas stations are. It could also be used for all sorts of other things. The software would recognize the traffic lights in an area and report the light status and location. Using the drivers report and reports from other drivers SignalGuru would be able to predict the next light. The software would tell the driver how fast to drive to get to the next light just as it turns green. The rate of error for the system in test

The Toshiba Satellite L750 Series offers affordably priced all-purpose laptops that target everyday use for students, families, or home businesses. They boast large 15.6-inch widescreen displays that come in either HD or 3D that are great for watching movies and multitasking along with strong all-around performance. And with a price tag starting at $474.99, the series is definitely worth consideration for the budget-conscious. We got to spend some time with the L755D-S5204 model from the series that’s configured with an AMD Fusion accelerated processor, so continue after the cut for our full review. Hardware The specific configuration we have with model number L755D-S5204 comes with an AMD Fusion (aka Llano) quad-core A6-3400M processor. Various Intel processors are available in other configurations of the series. The A6-3400M clocks in at 2.3GHz and is paired with AMD’s Radeon HD 6520G Graphics. The laptop also has 4GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM, a 640GB HDD with 5400 RPM, and a DVD SuperMul

Hurricane Irene may have postponed the much anticipated US debut of the Samsung Galaxy S II to tomorrow, but that hasn’t stopped official press images for the smartphone to start making the rounds. The first press shot to be revealed is that of the WiMAX variant called the Samsung Epic 4G Touch. This particular Samsung Galaxy S II variant was originally rumored to be called the Samsung Within. That didn’t pan out, which is a good thing since the new name is more suited to this epic phone with possibly the slimmest and most lightweight chassis at 8.49mm thin and a powerful dual-core processor. For more details on the phone, you can check out our full review of the European release of the Galaxy S II. Also, not panning out are rumors that the US Galaxy S II would debut on Verizon first. In fact, the latest reports say that the phone won’t be released on Verizon at all, but will launch on the other three major US carriers instead. This does give the Motorola Droid Bionic more chances at s

The Toshiba Satellite P740 Series is focused on delivering excellent on-the-go multimedia and entertainment performance. Laptops in this series are 14-inches for easy portability while still providing ample space for movie viewing on its HD widescreen display. Add to that great audio quality with Harmon/Kardon stereo speakers as well as Dolby and Waves audio enhancement technologies. The model we had the opportunity to test out is the P745-S4250, which sports the latest Intel Sandy Bridge chip and retails for $779.99. Continue after the cut for our full review. Hardware The series comes in configurations with either the latest Intel Core processors or with an AMD A6-3400M processor. Our P745-S4250 model is configured with an Intel Core i5-2410M with Mobile Intel HD Graphics. The processor clocks in at 2.3GHz and can go up to 2.9GHz with Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. The laptop also boasts 6GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM, a 750GB HDD with 5400 RPM, and a DVD SuperMulti optical disk drive. Sys

LG has announced that it is slashing the investment plan it has for capital expenditures for 2012 to a three year low. The cut in expenditure is a sign that the demand for flat screen TVs and computers is sagging. We already knew this from the poor sales of notebooks at some of the major makers. LG also announced that it has no plans to build a new LCD factory in 2012. LG has stated that it will spend around $2.8 billion on facilities next year, which is a 33% reduction in the amount that it had in the budget previously. LG had already cut its capital-spending budget a month back to 4.5 trillion won from 5.5 trillion. The WSJ reports that this is the lowest capital-spending budget that LG has had since 2009 when the global economic crisis was in full swing. Analysts are saying that the market is showing no signs of recovering at this time. All the major players in the TV market seem hard hit. Sony reduced its TV shipment target to 22 million units in July, a 19% reduction according to

Rumors of an Apple TV set refuse to die, with the perennial speculation again igniting this week in the aftermath of Steve Jobs’ resignation. The latest grist is from VentureBeat, which has pulled together various analysts and venture capitalists to weigh in on the gossip; Stewart Alsop, of Alsop Louie ventures and a board member of TiVo and Sonos, claims that multiple sources he’s spoken to have confirmed the Apple television project is a work-in-progress, which would run iOS but on a significantly larger display than that of the iPad or iPhone. The soothsayers include long-time Cupertino TV tipster Gene Munster, who has been pushing the idea of an Apple-branded TV set since 2009. Munster’s predictions have had to evolve as time goes on; initially he argued Apple would have the set on the market by this year, a timescale that has since been updated to late 2012 or early 2013. “I think the probability is almost zero that it will be this year” he now says. Alsop claims Apple is likely t

If you have been counting the days to get your hands on the awesome Motorola Droid Bionic Android smartphone the launch is now very close. Motorola has now confirmed that the smartphone will be hitting Verizon on September 8. This will be one of the better Android smartphones of the year. We knew the launch was coming soon since the ads for Best Buy turned up not long ago. Update: Looks like there are questions over whether this is an official Motorola account or not. For now, we’d take this launch date with a big pinch of salt. There is no word on when or if the smartphone will hit other carriers. The Droid Bionic is a 4G LTE smartphone and will feature a dual-core processor and an 8MP camera. The smartphone will also record 1080p HD video. The screen is a 4.3-inch unit and the OS is supposed to be Android 2.3. The phone is expected to hit pre-order status soon. As of now, there is no pre-order link on the Verizon page. If you want a Bionic, keep checking Verizon to see when it hits

The sales of tablets are still growing rapidly on the computer market today. Tablets are taking a big chunk of buyers that would otherwise go to notebooks leaving companies with margins that don’t look good in the wake of sales decreases. Acer announced a quarterly loss for Q2 and the loss was blamed on the success of the iPad. Despite the Acer loss being laid at the feet of a tablet, Acer’s chairman JT Wang says that tablet fever is already cooling. I think that is wishful thinking on Wang’s part at this point. The sales of Acer and other brands of tablets may be cooling, but the iPad has shown little signs of letting up. Wang also thinks that consumers will be wooed back to notebooks with the launch of the Ultrabooks and Windows 8 computers. Wang also noted Acer has conducted surveys that found consumers have high interest in Ultrabooks. The consumer interest in Ultrabooks will be directly tied to the price of the machines in my opinion. Even on the low end, they will be more expensi