Study shows that tablet owners largely ignore 3G plans

Connected Intelligence, a unit of market research firm NPD, found that the willingness of consumers to be paying for wireless data plans to connect their tablets is declining (not that there has been ever enthusiasm for expensive data plans). According to the firm, only 5 percent of tablet users paid for a data plan last spring and it is around 4 percent right now. It is quite apparent that most tablet users feel that Wi-Fi availability is good enough as 65 percent of tablet owners use Wi-Fi (up from 60 percent earlier this year). Interestingly, about 5 percent of tablet owners said they do not connect the devices to the Internet at all.

2DayBlog.com, Study shows that tablet owners largely ignore 3G plans

Apple's A5 chip reportedly now manufactured by Samsung in Texas

. Apple and other consumer electronics companies typically look to the Far East for components, but a new report suggests that the production of Apple's current mobile processors has now moved to the United States. Reuters on Friday reported that the chip powering Apple's current iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models is now manufactured in a new 1.6 million square foot Samsung factory located in Austin, Texas. The report cites unnamed people familiar with Samsung's operations.

Boy Genius Report, Apple's A5 chip reportedly now manufactured by Samsung in Texas

CPU Wars and c-Jump: the nerdiest card and board games ever

Board games and card games are kind of dorky to begin with. And there are plenty of titles out there that hold a special place in the heart of the nerd (just ask one about Settlers of Catan). But, there is a line, a line which even the nerdiest amongst us might not care to cross. For example, c-Jump - a board game that teaches the basics of programming. Some of the spaces you'll land on in the course of your journey down the mountain include "goto jump;" and "switch (x) {". Then there's CPU Wars, for the three people out there that think Magic: The Gathering is too mainstream.

Engadget, CPU Wars and c-Jump: the nerdiest card and board games ever

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 rolls through the FCC packing Verizon-friendly LTE

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 is certainly no stranger to the good people at the FCC, as both WiFi and HSPA+ versions have already run the Commission's gauntlet of radiation tests. The third time's the charm for Verizon customers, however, because a new model dubbed SCH-i815 has made its way to the FCC bearing CDMA and LTE radios built to surf Big Red's network. So, it looks like the Galaxy Tab 7.7 will be making its way to American store shelves sometime soon.

Engadget

See also:
tehnologies2day, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 rolls through the FCC packing Verizon-friendly LTE

Happy Holidroid Contest: Video Challenge

If you’re unsure what this whole "Holidroid Contest" thing is all about, be prepared to get excited. From November 24th through December 25th, Phandroid is giving away a Kindle Fire every single day along with other great prizes like the Galaxy Nexus Galaxy Tabs, JAMBOX, SmarTouch Gloves, Android Phones, Android T-Shirts, Seidio Vouchers and more. Read our announcement post for details. Yesterday’s Winner.
Yesterday was Galaxy Nexus day and to celebrate we had you guys submit captions for a photo of a nice-sized line outside of a Boston Verizon store.






Android Phone, Happy Holidroid Contest: Video Challenge

Sports Tracker app is now available for Windows Phone 7

Sports Tracker is an award-winning app that got its start on Symbian several years ago and has since spread to all major platforms. It has now landed on Windows Phone, including Nokia's own Lumia phones. The app doesnÂ't feature all the goodies of the versions for other platforms, but there's all you need to start using it right away. It supports tracking (distance, duration, energy spent, etc.), recording that info in your training diary, which can be synced with the sports-tracker.com service and shared on Facebook and Twitter.

You can grab the app for Windows Phone right now - it's free.

GSM Arena, Sports Tracker app is now available for Windows Phone 7

Toshiba Japan unveils USB 3.0 TransMemory-EX flash drive

If you're in the market for a new USB 3.0 flash drive, Toshiba may have something for you in the form of the TransMemory-EX, a new USB 3.0 developed by the Japanese company with read and write speeds of up to 220MB/s and 94MB/s respectively, or so Toshiba claims. They will be backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports, although that would result in slower read and write speeds of 34MB/s and 30MB/s respectively. What makes these particular flash drives different from the competition is its power consumption which Toshiba claims is the lowest in the industry, thanks to the low power ASIC controller and dedicated high speed NAND flash memory.

Ubergizmo, Toshiba Japan unveils USB 3.0 TransMemory-EX flash drive

Asus Transformer Prime arrives in Poland on December 21

Honestly, I don't know what to think about this Transformer Prime business anymore. The Asus device which will be the first quad-core tablet on the market is either delayed, or it isn't. That seems to depend most on which country you're in at the moment. A few days ago, Asus contradicted a rumor that the tablet was delayed in the US, saying that the Prime will start shipping on December 19 (that's next Monday, by the way).


Unwired View, Asus Transformer Prime arrives in Poland on December 21

Microsoft Tag adds support for QR codes and NFC, seeks barcode dominance

Last year, Microsoft Tag shed its beta skin and stepped out into the wild world of multi-colored barcodes. Now, Redmond has decided to revamp and expand its system, with additional support for both QR codes and NFC capabilities. The update effectively allows businesses and individuals to create their own proprietary Tags or QR codes, while enabling consumers to scan said codes with their Microsoft Tag apps, or NFC-enabled smartphones.

2DayBlog.com, Microsoft Tag adds support for QR codes and NFC, seeks barcode dominance

Moving Brands reveals proposed HP brand redesign, HP remains noncommittal

HP has gone through some big changes in the past year, and it turns out it's also been considering a rather drastic change to its identity - one that may or may not yet be adopted. That's been revealed by the team at Moving Brands, who began working with HP on a complete redesign of the company's brand in 2008, and have now shown off what they've come up in an exhaustive case study on their website. At the heart of it is a new logo, which traces its history to HP's original 1941 design, but takes on a decidedly more modern appearance; gone are the familiar circle and rounded corners, and in are some sharp lines and hard edges.



Engadget, Moving Brands reveals proposed HP brand redesign, HP remains noncommittal

Verizon Galaxy Nexus hands-on

. We finally got our hands on Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and… well, it's almost identical to the HSPA+ version we reviewed last month. It's thicker, though we actually like holding and using the Verizon unit better because the slightly thicker case makes one-hand a bit more comfortable. There's also a small, small, (notice how we're saying small?) lip around the display that isn't there on the HSPA+ version, but most people probably wouldn't even notice such a minute case difference.





Boy Genius Report, Verizon Galaxy Nexus hands-on

eBay Find of the Day: 1987 Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV is a 1,200-mile time warp

The Lamborghini Countach remains the Kleenex of supercars. Its bombastic wedgy shape was so overexposed in the 1980s, it's a wonder it didn't wind up in therapy. As the decade wore on, the Countach picked up more and more plastic surgery, but even so, mid-1980s examples have an unmatched blend of swagger and silliness. And if you're going for a car transported straight out of Tony Montana's seething dreams, don't you want to find the best one.
This black beauty offered for auction is a 1987 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole with just 1,200 miles on the odometer.

Autoblog, eBay Find of the Day: 1987 Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV is a 1,200-mile time warp

Feds launch Carrier IQ investigation

. Federal investigators have launched a probe in order to examine Carrier IQ's smartphone software, which tracks a range of activity and sends certain data to wireless carriers without users' knowledge. Carrier IQ executives met with officials from both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commuission on Tuesday, The Washington Post reports. "We are complying with all investigations at this time as we have nothing to hide," said Carrier IQ representative Mira Woods.

Boy Genius Report, Feds launch Carrier IQ investigation

Corsair Vengeance gaming peripherals now available

Back in September we reported that Corsair was set to launch new gaming peripherals, specifically a set of keyboard and mice that was designed with both MMO and RTS gamers in mind. These peripherals were targeted for release by the end of October, but evidenced by this forum thread, Corsair apparently did not meet that target. The good news is that both the Vengeance K90 keyboard and Vengeance M90 mouse are now available.

Ubergizmo, Corsair Vengeance gaming peripherals now available

Romeo Ferraris and Autodelta team up for a supercharged goodbye to the Alfa Romeo Brera

We've seen Romeo Ferraris tune all manner of vehicles, but oddly none from the automaker with which it shares the first part of its name. That's all changing, but not with a current Alfa Romeo model. For their latest project, RF has turned its attention to the recently discontinued Alfa Romeo Brera. Long considered one of the most beautiful designs mired by a substandard chassis, the Brera went out of production over a year ago. But to give it one last swan song, Romeo Ferraris has teamed up with venerable Alfa tuning firm Autodelta.

Autoblog, Romeo Ferraris and Autodelta team up for a supercharged goodbye to the Alfa Romeo Brera

Gold PS3 One Piece edition

In order to mark the release of the PS3 exclusive known as One Piece: Kaizoku Musou, Sony has decided to roll out a golden PS3 version with Luffy from One Piece right smack on it. Of course, this particular model is not going to make it in time to appear under your Christmas tree this December, so that you can feign a look of happiness on your face, but rather, it will only hit the sales deck in the Land of the Rising Sun from March 1st onwards, where the bundle has been slapped with a price point of ¥38,170 (which roughly translates to $489), where it will be accompanied by a copy of the game itself and a gold-covered 320GB PS3.

Ubergizmo, Gold PS3 One Piece edition

Nokia Lumia 710 for T-Mobile hands-on (video)

Deja vu. Absolutely. Nokia's chosen to make its first, big Windows Phone splash stateside with the humble Lumia 710 on T-Mobile. Eager Espoo fanboys and girls were likely hoping the company would've opted for a Red, White and Blue polycarbonate debut (see: Lumia 800), but that's not the black and white story being told here. So, put your hands down if you already have a smartphone to call your own - this one's aimed squarely at mobiledom's stragglers. At $49 on contract, it's a value proposition that could very well lead the uninitiated down a live-tiled, Mango-laden path and help Microsoft ensnare a larger user base for its OS.






Engadget

See also:
digitalhouse, Nokia Lumia 710 for T-Mobile hands-on (video)

Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos

Samsung is reportedly preparing to launch the dual SIM version of its Samsung Galaxy Y Pro. Known as the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos, the handset is said to feature a 2.6-inch QVGA display, a 832MHz processor, a microSD card slot, dual SIM card slots, a front-facing camera, a 3.2MP rear-facing camera, a full QWERTY keyboard, HSDPA, GPS, WiFi and run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Pricing and release date are still unknown at the moment.

TechFresh, Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos

Stem Fruit Piercing Sprayer

Ever wanted to add a dash lemon juice to that salad dressing or other foods. Instead of cutting or squeezing a citrus fruit to get to the juice, why not use another unique method. You can use the Stem Fruit Piercing Sprayer instead. The Stem is a unique sprayer designed primarily for citrus fruits. It features a sprayer head that comes with a rod fitted with serrated teeth at the other end. The sprayer can be pierced directly into any citrus fruit and the juice can be sprayed evenly into any type of food.

Gadget.com, Stem Fruit Piercing Sprayer

Netflix iOS app update now comes with iPad-optimized interface

We've already seen Netflix's more tablet-optimized interface in the latest version of its Android app and now, as promised, the company has brought much the same UI to its iOS app. In addition to giving iPad users the ability to view more content at a glance, version 2.0 of the app also brings with it support for Netflix users in Latin America, as well as a number of stability fixes.

2DayBlog.com, Netflix iOS app update now comes with iPad-optimized interface

Swisscom mentions Nokia Lumia 900 launch date, says it actually meant to talk about Lumia 710

Swisscom, the largest mobile carrier in Switzerland, has suggested that the unannounced Nokia Lumia 900 would be released in February 2012 (thus in two months). The suggestion came in the form of a Twitter response to a customer who asked when the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 would be out. The initial answer was: Lumia 800 in January, and the 900 in February.
However, not long after that, another tweet came to say that, in fact, "the Nokia Lumia 710 will be available by end of Feb. We're not informed about the device you mentioned. Please excuse the mistake."

Yes, they may have mistaken the numbers.


Unwired View, Swisscom mentions Nokia Lumia 900 launch date, says it actually meant to talk about Lumia 710

TeleNav bringing browser-based navigation to your smartphone

Nearly every smartphone on the planet has some kind of mapping or navigation app pre-installed, and for the most part, they get the job done. But mapping and nav functionality in mobile browsers has been a hit-or-miss. However, a new breed of HTML5-powered mobile web-apps stands to change that, and the first company out of the gate is TeleNav. Why would you want navigation functionality in your browser? Let's say you look up a restaurant and make a reservation on their website.

Autoblog, TeleNav bringing browser-based navigation to your smartphone

China slaps duties on vehicles imported from the U.S.

Local manufacturing has become the watchword (or words) when it comes to foreign automakers entering the Chinese market, and for a number of reasons. For one, the market is plenty large enough to make sense out of manufacturing locally instead of importing from overseas. For another, joint ventures with local automakers have been encouraged by the still tightly regulated economy. And now there's another reason: imported vehicles are about to face an extra measure of importation duties.

Autoblog, China slaps duties on vehicles imported from the U.S.

Verizon Wireless Announces White DROID RAZR for December 15th [Awkwardness]

Well Verizon is definitely set to launch something on December 15th. So exciting, isn’t it. It’s the white DROID RAZR. The 4.3 inch dual-core smartphone that’s too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. It’s $300 on contract, or $200 if you buy it alongside the DROID Xyboard.

And with that, I’ll just point you all to our DROID RAZR review and let you handle that huge, hard-to-miss elephant standing in the corner of the room.

Android Phone, Verizon Wireless Announces White DROID RAZR for December 15th [Awkwardness]

Plants vs Zombies and Peggle Finally in the Android Market for $3 Each

Plants vs Zombies and Peggle, two great games from Popcap and EA, have been available via the Amazon Appstore for quite some time but unless they could get it for free with Amazon's Free Paid App of the Day promo most weren't ready to buy it outside of the Android market. If you're one of those people then you can finally download it from the market today. The news that it'd be here this week actually came yesterday but an exact date wasn't given – little did we know that just over half of a day would go by before seeing their respective launches. Peggle is here and Plants vs zombies is here, both $3.

Android Phone, Plants vs Zombies and Peggle Finally in the Android Market for $3 Each

Griffin and Third Man Records team up to add vinyl to your iPhone case

In the market for a new case for that iPhone 4S. A fan of all things Jack White. If so, Griffin and Third Man records have teamed up to put a vinyl spin on your next Apple-friendly smartphone case. The pair has introduced a set of accessories that make use of a legit 7-inch record die-cut to protect the back of your mobile device, blending analog and digital without making a sound. Each case is comprised of a two-part frame that wraps those precious edges - with openings for controls and jacks, of course - and a piece of genuine vinyl, pressed right in Nashville.







Engadget, Griffin and Third Man Records team up to add vinyl to your iPhone case