Two rather odd bits of news from over on Android Community – one, there’s an Australian whose figured out a way to connect phones directly without the use of carriers, and two, mister Chad Ochocinco has his hands on a Motorola XOOM, so you know it’s about to get weird. Next get a glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy S2 – or is it just a Video Dummy? On SlashGear we’ve got a post on how Android Honeycomb lead designer Matias Duarte notes that Android 3.0 is for more than just tablets. The CEO from Netgear apologizes about his remarks regarding Apple and her leader, Google offers speak2tweet to keep Egyptians connected, and Google accuses Bing of copying search results. All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
Galaxy Tab sales “smooth” not “small” insists Samsung
Galaxy Tab returns sky-high say analysts: Froyo to blame?
Samsung Galaxy S2 teaser stars an FX blooper [Video]
Notion Ink Adam Blotchy Pixel Qi Screen and Defective Camera Shown Off by Rambler
Android 3.0 Honeycomb ROM for NOOKcolor released [Update: Video]
Google offers speak2tweet to keep Egyptians connected
Puget Systems talks about fix for Intel Sandy Bridge flaw
RadioShack announces Fresh Phone February
Yahoo! Mail cause of Windows Phone 7 phantom data use

SlashPhone
Samsung Galaxy Player Pre-Order Available on February 4th
Introducing “SG Comics Presents”
BlackBerry Torch 9800 Covered in 18K Gold

Android Community
HTC Inspire 4G due at AT&T Feb 13 priced at $100
Galaxy Tab sales “smooth” not “small” insists Samsung
Linux Foundation offers Android dev courses
Honeycomb for NOOKcolor ROM released [Update: Video!]
Aussie develops software that connects phones directly without a mobile carrier
Motorola XOOM gets football flaunt as Chad Ochocinco shows off slate
Galaxy Tab returns sky-high say analysts: Froyo to blame?
Cowon D3 Android MP3 player hits pre-order
Sony Ericsson XPERIA update released: Multitouch for X10, ANT+ for X8
Samsung Galaxy S2 teaser stars an FX blooper [Video]
LG Optimus 3D official: 3D display & camera, coming to MWC 2011
Notion Ink Adam Blotchy Pixel Qi Screen and Defective Camera Shown Off by Rambler
Dell Streak 7 Review by Ben Bajarin

SlashGear
Google accuses Bing of copying search results
AT&T HTC Inspire 4G hits February 13 for $100
Panasonic LUMIX GF2 priced plus Camcorders & Point-&-Shoots
Samsung: Galaxy Tab sales “quite smooth” not “quite small”
Android 3.0 Honeycomb for more than tablets says UI head Duarte
Android 3.0 Honeycomb ROM for NOOKcolor released [Update: Video]
HTC 7 Mozart headed to T-Mobile USA?
Boxee Netflix delayed again: DRM to blame?
Roku announces official support for USB drives
GSLO gets first shipment of Volt solar iPhone cases for testing
Sony patent app hints at future thin camera design
Samsung Galaxy Tab returns as high as 16% researchers claim
Best Buy offers big screen deals for the Super Bowl
Planar adds new 55-inch LED backlit HD resolution LCD to Clarity Matrix video wall line
Google offers speak2tweet to keep Egyptians connected
Epson unveils PowerLite 915W and PowerLite 905 projectors
Cowon D3 hits pre-order in UK packing Android under the hood
Sony HX100V packs in 30x optical zoom while HX9V offers 16x optical zoom
Puget Systems talks about fix for Intel Sandy Bridge flaw
Free In-flight Gogo Facebook access: Get poked at 30,000 feet
RadioShack announces Fresh Phone February
Satin Silver PS3 is Sony Japan exclusive from March
Sony Move Server project to push PlayStation Move to PCs
Apple blocks Sony Reader app: new in-app purchase rules could scupper Kindle
Netgear CEO apologizes for Apple comments
Yahoo! Mail cause of Windows Phone 7 phantom data use
Samsung’s Galaxy S2 makes unplanned teaser appearance [Video]
LG confirms Optimus 3D ahead of MWC 2011: 3D camera & HDMI
Apple Posts iOS 4.2.6 Firmware – Verizon iPhone Ahoy!

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

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Apple has rejected Sony’s Reader for iPhone application, with the New York Times [subscription required] reporting that Apple now insists that from now on all in-app purchases must go through its own systems. According to the report, developers have been told that they can “no longer sell content, like e-books, within their apps, or let customers have access to purchases they have made outside the App Store.” It’s unclear at this stage what this means to existing titles, like Amazon’s Kindle app, which allows users to load ebooks bought on other Kindle devices or software into the iPad version.

Currently, ebook purchases made for Kindle on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad are made not using Apple’s in-app purchase system – which would see Amazon handing over a 30-percent tithe on all transactions – but by loading up the Amazon store page in the browser. New titles can then be downloaded in the Kindle app itself; alternatively, all ebooks purchased from Amazon are accesible in a cloud store, even if they were not bought in the iOS browser.

It seems that Apple is changing the rules, however, so as to ensure that it gets a share of the purchase action in future. A similar push was reported back in January, when magazine and newspaper publishers were told that they would no longer be allowed to bundle inclusive digital access to iOS versions of their content with a print subscription.

According to a Sony statement, the company is “exploring other avenues to bring the Reader experience to Apple mobile devices” but has “reached an impasse at this time”:

Reader for iPhone

We would like to update everyone on the status of our Reader™ for iPhone® mobile application. We created an app that we’re very excited about, which includes all the features you’ve come to expect from a mobile reading application – including access to your existing collection, synching with your Reader Daily Edition™ and purchasing new content as is possible on other mobile platforms.

Unfortunately, with little notice, Apple changed the way it enforces its rules and this will prevent the current version of the Reader™ for iPhone® from being available in the app store. We opened a dialog with Apple to see if we can come up with an equitable resolution but reached an impasse at this time. We’re exploring other avenues to bring the Reader experience to Apple mobile devices. We know that many of you are eagerly awaiting the application and we appreciate your continued patience.

[via TechCrunch]

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Netgear CEO Patrick Lo has apologized for his choice of words in recent statements regarding Apple and the company’s future after Steve Jobs steps down as CEO, which some interpreted as references to the Apple founder’s health. In an email statement sent to Macgasm, Lo says that while he stands by the opinions stated on “supporting open standards and environments,” he “deeply regrets” the contentious wording.

Full statement after the cut

In fact, alluding to Jobs’ health was “never my intention” Lo insists, going on to say that “I wish Steve only the very best.” In the original quote, Lo had told reporters that “once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not far away, then Apple will have to make a strategic decision on whether to open up the platform”; we’re guessing he meant to refer to Jobs as CEO, rather than imply some sort of health-related absence.

Hi. As many of you know I spoke in Sydney on Monday, at a lunch with more than a half dozen of Australia’s leading technology and business journalists. We covered a wide range of topics including the emergence of new IP protocols, cloud computing, wireless routers/repeaters in the home, the National Broadband Network (a current major Government project in Australia) and much more. During the course of the discussion, I shared my views about the future of Apple and Microsoft, as well as the surge of Android. Some of my comments were covered by the media who attended, and were reported more broadly outside Australia by media and bloggers who picked up on the story.

I stand by the opinions I stated on the business issues. Supporting open standards and environments in order to ease seamless networking integration of multimedia content is good for the consumer and good for content providers.

However, I deeply regret the choice of words I used in relation to business decisions Apple must grapple with in the future in relation to open vs. closed systems, which have been construed by some to be references to Steve Jobs’ health and which was never my intention. I sincerely apologize that what I said was interpreted this way, and I wish Steve only the very best.

Patrick Lo,
NETGEAR
Chairman and CEO

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That’s right all ye shipmates, as the pre-order stage for Verizon’s version of the Apple iPhone is only a few days away, it seemed almost inevitable that at any time now, there’d be a firmware update to all iPhone across the universe. Turns out that time was now, and the update is here. It’s iOS 4.2.6 (8E128) and you’re just gonna love it.

Of course, you’ll not see very many changes (if any at all, whatsoever) if you do grab this update, but you’re encouraged to look for it anyway as it is the next in line for the device. When the Verizon iPhone was demoed earlier this month, it featured iOS 4.2.5, so changes and tweaks to the system since then are probably minor.

UPDATE: apparently only the Verizon version of the iPhone (yes, there are some floating around out there already) will be getting this update, at least in the near future as far as we know.

[Via MacRumors]

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• iPhone firmware 2.0 has already been jailbroken!

“iOS Cellular Protocol SW Engineer-SH/BJ” doesn’t have the sex appeal of “chief designer” or anything, but someone is being sought for that very position, to work under the Haus of Apple. And what does the job entail? Among other duties, “Implementation, Integration, customization, enhancement and maintenance of L1-3 Protocols for one or more of the following air interface: GSM/UMTS, CDMA (1x/EVDO), LTE etc.” You read that right, LTE. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such the technology listed (hello there, since-removed “Cellular Technology Software Manager” job posting), but at the same time, it’s not surprising that Apple’s looking to the future. Just don’t get your hopes up for an LTE iPhone or iPad in the near future.

Apple job posting calls for another LTE expert originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First let me tell you what you can have for free. Win a gigantic television, and there’s not much you’ve gotta do to grab it – SlashGear’s Final Football Matchup Toshiba TV GIVEAWAY! Next, have a peek at our Full Macworld Roundup including all of the Best in Show winners. Have yourself a read of a column by Tim Bajarin entitled Technology meets the History of Jazz. See why today’s the day Apple Fears Honeycomb. Get your bees knees out and read about Android 3.0 Honeycomb in our two full guides: [USER FEATURES] and [DEVELOPER FEATURES]. See Ben Bajarin’s review of the Dell Streak 7 and his on-time analysis by the name of What Honeycomb Means for Tablets. See our FIRST EVER SG Comics comic – SG Comics Presents: Angry Turds.

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
What Went on at Macworld This Weekend? [Best of Show Winners Listed]
Google recruiting for internal devs as App Store war escalates
LG G-Slate makes second video tease; ports & flash on show [Video]
Canalys stats show Android became world’s leading smartphone platform in Q4 2010
MLG Vault case makes your Xbox 360 look evil
Developer Programs Android Toy to Move, Send Morse Code
Android Toys Series 2 Tiny Preview

SlashPhone
Nokia E7 Available For Pre-order in Indonesia
Amazon German Offered LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black For €499
Lenovo May Partner up With NEC on Smartphone Project
Samsung Introducing Four Varieties of Galaxy Smartphone

Android Community
LG’s Optimus 3D caught in wild?
Dell Streak 7 $200 from February 2 confirms T-Mobile USA
Enspert E201 7-inch Android tablet breaks cover
ASRock to enter Tablet market with Android offerings
Canalys reports Android is the top smartphone platform in the world
Motorola Xoom may land as early as February
Google pushing internal app development in play for mobile software market
LG gives G-Slate another video outing
AT&T to Launch Massive Amount of Android and 4G Devices in 2011
Notion Ink Adam touchscreen damage means Valentine’s delay for some tableteers
Android 3.0 Honeycomb Full Preview Guide [USER FEATURES]
Android 3.0 Honeycomb Full Preview Guide [DEVELOPER FEATURES]
Why Has Honeycomb Disappeared?
Japan Brings Android Tablet-Based Home Phones to Market
Android 3.0 Honeycomb Running on NOOKcolor [VIDEO]
What Android Fans will be Doing on February 3rd at 3AM [LOL]
Boku and Zong Partner Up With Verizon to Offer BilltoMobile Payments
Angry Birds RIO Coming Soon! [With Movie Tie-In!]
NOOKcolor Receives Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Android Honeycomb Event Announced by Google
Dell Streak 7 Review by Ben Bajarin [REVIEW]
Developer Programs Android Toy to Move, Send Morse Code
Sony Ericsson Hallon to be Called Xperia Neo
Ben Bajarin Analyzes what Honeycomb Could Mean for Tablets
Android Toys Series 2 Tiny Preview
Samsung Backtracks on Galaxy Tab Sales Figures – Shipments, Not Sales
Samsung Galaxy Player Pre-Order Starts February 4, Launch Mid-Month
Google IO 2011 : Key Developers Being Sent Early Registration Invites
Why Apple Fears Honeycomb [FEATURED]
HTC ThunderBolt Simultaneous Data and Voice Over 3G Confirmed, Again
Android Tablets Gaining on Apple Quickly
Nexus S Heading To Vodafone Germany
LG Optimux 2X Dump – Live and Static Wallpapers, Ringtones, More [FROM THE FORUMS]
HTC ThunderBolt unofficially unboxed and given a walk-through
Motorola XOOM Super Bowl Teaser Ad Hits the Internet
Nextel Motorola i1Q Spotted
LG Optimus 3D, Are You ready for 3D in the Mobile Space?
Atrix HD Multimedia Dock Retailing for $59?
Which Verizon devices have had rebate changes?
Droid Bionic Appears on Amazon for $149

SlashGear
SlashGear’s Final Football Matchup Toshiba TV GIVEAWAY! [GIVEAWAY]
Apple Xserve axed today
LG Optimus 3D leaks ahead of MWC 2011 debut?
Nintendo 3DS browser & eShop delayed until May
Intel Medfield smartphone prototype gets brief preview
T-Mobile Dell Streak 7 due February 2 for $200
Samsung adds LOVEFiLM streaming to Blu-ray players in the UK
HyperDrive for iPad updated with more storage and features
Bullet counter leaps off PC FPS shooter screen and lands on real weapon
SunBook netbook ships with Pixel Qi transflective display
Nintendo Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS keyboard surfaces
Canalys stats show Android became world’s leading smartphone platform in Q4 2010
MLG Vault case makes your Xbox 360 look evil
MeeGo UI update goes covert ahead of “feature complete” reveal
Angry Birds Rio Coming to smartphones and tablets in March
Blind man drives tech laden Ford Escape around race track alone
Active Media Products SATA Disk-on-Modules are first to hit 64GB
Google recruiting for internal devs as App Store war escalates
LG G-Slate makes second video tease; ports & flash on show [Video]
Apple too closed and Steve Jobs ego-led rants Netgear CEO
Facebook Places Deals hits UK and Europe
iPad 2 uses 1.2GHz dual-core, 30-35% slimmer display, tips analyst
AT&T leak: 12 new Androids in 2011, 20 4G devices
What Went on at Macworld This Weekend? [Best of Show Winners Listed] [FEATURED]
SlashGear Week in Review- Week 5 2011
Nokia E7 hits Indonesian pre-order with big promotions push [Update: Scans!]
Technology meets the History of Jazz [COLUMN]
Dell Streak 7 [REVIEW]
SG Comics Presents: Angry Turds [SG COMICS]
Preview of Android Toys Series Part 2!
HTC Thunderbolt Will Function as Mobile Hotspot
Smart’s First Electric Car in the U.S.
Al Jazeera Puts Egypt Coverage Under Creative Commons License
Apple loses VP of Global Design to PayPal
RIM Releases New BlackBery PlayBook for Business Video
People Use Apps Once 26% of the Time
Ericsson achieves three HSPA records
PS3 taking on the cloud
LG Plans to Push NFC Technology in 2012
Android Tablets Take A Bite Out of Apple in Latest Numbers
Nintendo Sticks Head in the Sand, Pretends Social Media isn’t Happening
Sprint 4G International Roaming
What Honeycomb Means for Tablets [ON TIME ANALYSIS]
Samsung backtracks on Galaxy Tab figures: customer sales “quite small”
Intel design error scuppers Sandy Bridge chipset: recalls ahead

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

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It’s been confirmed, Super Bowl XLV will not be the first one with a full HD 3D broadcast (no gimmicky 3D commercials this year either, you can put the paper glasses away) despite featuring a halftime show by James Cameron’s BFFs, the Black Eyed Peas. Still, considering what happened the last time they tried 3D at the House That Jerry Jones Built it’s probably for the best. Still, just because you don’t have one of Cowboys Stadium’s record breaking HD screens you should still enjoy the game in style. In 2011 that means going beyond just the screen, the sounds and the seats — we’ll tell you how after the break.

Continue reading Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLV

Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sarah Brody is leaving Apple for eBay-owned PayPal to help improve user experience and make its payment platform easier to use. The hire of one of Apple’s leading UI designers is a big catch for PayPal.

Brody worked at Apple for seven years where she participated in the design of the original iPhone and the original iPod Nano. Most recently you can find her efforts on the homepages of Final Cut Studio, Logic Pro, and Pro.

[Via All Things Digital]

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The iPad’s dominance in the tablet market took a hit this past fourth quarter as Google’s Android powered tablets jumped from 2.3 percent of tablets shipped up to 22 percent. Apple’s iPad dropped from 95 percent to 75 percent in the quarter, said market researcher Strategy Analytics.

A wider range of devices with Google features like YouTube and Google Maps will probably erode the iPad’s market dominance, said Neil Mawston, director of Strategy Analytics. Its share of the global tablet market will probably drop to 67 percent this quarter, he said. In an interview Mawston reiterated his opinion, “Apple’s volumes will continue to go up, but market share will inevitably go down. Even at $500 retail, based on some research we’ve done, that’s probably two or three times more than what most mass market consumers are expecting to pay.”

This trend will likely continue as customers will clamor to get their hands on tablets and looking for cheaper iPad alternatives. With so many companies like Samsung, Toshiba, Dell, and Acer pushing out Android tablets Apple will have a tough time maintaining its overwhelming lead in the market.

The Wi-Fi only iPad with 16 gigabytes is the lowest end version Apple has, at $499. Jim Wong, Acer’s head of information, Acer is planning to unveil an Android tablet in April for $299. Google’s approach is to give Android away for free so that it can boost revenue from services like mobile advertising and expand the market for its search engine.

The tablet market is about to explode says research firm ISuppli, who predicts 57 million tablets will be sold this year and 171 million in 2014. I’m sure Apple is rushing to put the next generation of the iPad out there to stave off all the challengers to its crown as king of the tablet market.

“If you were to ask me in two years time, will Apple have less than 50 percent of the global tablet market, I think that’s a certainty,” Mawston said.

[Via Businessweek]

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• HTC Android tablets delayed as Google puts support behind LG and Motorola
• Android 3.0 tablets sampling Dec 2010; challenging Steve Jobs at CES 2011
• Gartner forecasts 19.5 Media Tablets in 2010 – Too Low? or Too High?
• An Android shirt Calvin can be proud of
• Invasion of the Tablets

Though it was predated by a usable hack, the Pantech UML290 USB modem — one of just two devices launched so far for Verizon’s LTE network — has finally been blessed with an official Mac OS driver. What does this mean? Well, technically, it means that this is the very first time Mac users are getting any LTE love in the US whatsoever — though with that Samsung-sourced mobile hotspot on the horizon, USB modems might be a tough sale at this point. On a bright note, the availability of the driver today means that Verizon beat its own estimate of February; the UML290′s counterpart from LG, the VL600, is still Windows-only, though we imagine that’ll be hitting soon as well.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Pantech’s UML290 LTE modem for Verizon gets official Mac support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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