Samsung Series 9 Laptop Officially Priced

    Samsung has announced the price of their new 11.6 inch Series 9 laptop at $1,199. The base model comes with a 64 GB SSD, which is somewhat small for a laptop, but this is a sacrifice some buyers will likely be willing to make for ultra-portability. And ultra-portable is an apt description of this little laptop, with a thickness of only 0.63 inches and a weight of 2.31 pounds.
    The base model also comes with an Intel Core i3 processor and 2 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, the maximum amount of memory in this model is only 2 GB, meaning that no upgrades are possible in that area.
    This looks like the Series 9 is Samsung's answer to the MacBook Air. However, some deficiencies in the specs may push potential buyers to the Air. Preorder information can be found here.

Source: Samsung

Asus Transformer Released in Taiwan - UK and US To Follow

    First off, sorry about the break in posting. I had a few things I had to take care of. But enough of that and on to business...
    Asus has announced the release of the Transformer tablet in Taiwan this past week. It costs $14,900 NT (~$500) for the tablet only plus another $3,000 NT (~$100) for the keyboard dock. While this is slightly higher than the previously quoted $399 starting price, it should be kept in mind that electronics are generally a little pricier in that region. Hopefully, this means the US will see a lower price.
    After the Taiwan launch, Asus announced that the UK will be seeing the Transformer on March 30. They also suggested that the US release date and pricing will be announced subsequent to the UK release day.
    Specs remain largely the same as previously described, with a Tegra 2 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 or 32 GB SSD (no 64 GB option as suggested earlier), a 10.1 inch IPS display, 2 USB ports (1 on the dock), 1 mini-HDMI port and an SD card reader.
    Asus has also added some custom apps to the Honeycomb UI that such as MyNet, MyLibrary, MyCloud and an application launcher. In addition to those, the Transformer comes with Polaris Office so that users can be productive when docked to the keyboard.
    I will post more as I hear it.

Source: Asus EEE Facebook Page

IE 9 Reaches 2.35 Million Downloads In First Day

    In the first day of released, IE 9 has been downloaded a reported 2.35 million times. While this doesn't beat out the 8 million of so Firefox 3 received in its first day of release (also snagging it a Guinness Book record), it is still an impressive number considering it is only available for Windows Vista and 7 and must be manually downloaded. If you would like to download it click here.

WiFi-only Xoom Is Officially Coming Out March 27

    It has been confirmed by Motorola that the WiFi-only version of Xoom is going to be here on March 27 and will sell for $599. Many stores will apparently carry the tablet, including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Staples and Walmart. The specs for the Xoom remain the same, with 32GB storage, 1GB RAM, the Tegra 2 processor, and a 10.1 inch display.

Source: Engadget

RIP Zune

    Apparently Microsoft will no longer be supporting the Zune hardware, meaning no more new Zune devices will be produced. They plan on shipping whatever units they have left, but after that, the Zune will be no more. Microsoft does plan to keep working on the Zune software, which is used in XBox 360 and Windows Phone 7. It makes me reminisce about the first generation Zune that I owned and how far they have come since then. But alas, all good things must end. Fare thee well sweet Zune.

Source: Twitter, Engadget

Asus Tweets that Transformer "will be released very soon"

A recent Twitter post by Asus states that the Transformer tablet will be released very soon. That in combination with the submission to the FCC hopefully means the tablet will be here by the end of this month or the beginning of the next (speculation of course).

Source: Twitter

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Demo

    After hearing the VP of Samsung call the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 "inadequate" compared to the iPad 2, some Honeycomb fans may have been disappointed. Fear not phandroids, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been demoed, and it looks amazing. Not only does the tablet itself look quite sleek, but it also seems to show the smooth performance that some complain the Xoom lacked. I was very excited to see how fast the homescreen transitions were, as well as how quickly it handled web browsing. The Google image search also looked fantastic on the demo. In addition to the sexy case and the smooth performance, the cameras on this device are very nice as well. The back sports an 8 MP camera, while the front houses a 2 MP camera. That's huge when compared to the 0.7 MP and 0.3 MP cameras on the iPad 2. Don't take my word for it though, check out the video below.

Source: Android HD

iPad 2 Jailbreak Already Here!

Well, here is my obligatory iPad post (and the only thing I feel is really worth mentioning at this point). It has been barely 2 days after the release of the iPad, and someone has already jailbroken the device to get around using iOS. Comex has been credited with installing Cydia on a white iPad 2. While the jailbreak isn't available for the general public, it is expected to be close now. A majority of people will never bother to jailbreak their device, but for those who want the freedom, I'm sure there is a lot of excitement with this quick development.

Source: Engadget

March 27 Release Date for WiFi Xoom

    The posters at Droid Life have snagged an article from Staples that is advertising the WiFi only Xoom for $599. As you can see, the article advertises March 27 as the date you can pick one up. This is a sooner than the previously estimated April release date that has been floating around. Take the poll about your plans on buying one.

Source: Droid Life

Why I won't be posting about the iPad 2

   Or at least, why I will not be posting a lot about it...I am not going to make it a secret that I do not care for the iPad. I don't know if it is the rabid fanboism of its supporters, the closed platform, the lack of some basic features, or the marketing of a device that is essentially a duplicate of its predecessor, but I just don't care for it. Don't get me wrong, I own an iPod Touch and I love it, but I don't see the lure of the iPad or iPad 2. I do appreciate that Apple has kick started the tablet market from its flailing decline into oblivion though.
    In addition to my dislike of the iPad 2, there is already a massive amount of coverage on it by many sources on the web. Just check out Engadget, as every other post has been about the iPad 2 (hyperbole on my part). I will try to bring the major updates, but mostly I plan on staying away from the topic. Now let the vicious attacks on me for not liking the iPad begin...

Motorola Xoom WiFi Version Also at FCC?

   This information is a little dated, but about a month ago the Motorola Xoom WiFi-Only version was potentially spotted at the FCC as well. This is good news for people dissuaded by the 3G Xoom price of $799, as the WiFi only version is rumored to start at $539 or $599 depending on where you look. Check out Android Central for the story.

Image courtesy of mobilewhack.com

Asus Transformer at FCC?

    It looks as if the Asus Transformer is at the FCC for wireless and bluetooth certification. After a quick search of the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, I found a submission by Asus under the ID MSQTF101. For those of you who don't know how to read the submission numbers, the first three letters MSQ refer to the company filing, and the last combination of letters and numbers refers to the product. Since TF101 is the product number picked by Asus for the Transformer, there is little doubt that this is what the FCC is examining.
    To remind everyone what the Transformer is, this tablet is a 10" affair that will be running Android 3.0 Honeycomb. It will come in with the option of 512 MB or 1 GB of RAM and a 16, 32, or 64 GB SSD. But the most interesting aspect of this tablet is that it will come with a keyboard docking station, changing it into a netbook. In addition, the dock will extend the normal 8 hours of battery life to 16 hours. Pricing is to start at $399 to $699.

Edit: Here is the FCC link if you want to check it out yourself.


Images courtesy of Engadget