The next-generation iPad will feature a larger battery and a new camera, according to RepairLabs. The website obtained what it claims to be the rear shell of the upcoming iPad 3 from an industry insider in China. After examining the shell and comparing it to an iPad 2 case, RepairLabs noticed the mounts for the logic board were quite different, meaning the board itself will likely be a different shape. The rear case also apparently reveals that the iPad 3 will include a larger battery pack, in line with earlier rumors. The device is also expected to have a “different camera” as well, and the site suggests the front display will also be new. There has been speculation that the next-generation iPad would be slightly thicker, but the site claims that could be false after examining the rear case. Apple is expected to unveil the iPad 3 next month.

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Google has reportedly been hard at work developing glasses with a built-in heads-up display (HUD) on one lens. The glasses reportedly look very similar to Oakley’s Thump sunglasses, which allowed users to load songs onto a small flash drive and listen to tunes through integrated ear buds. According to 9to5Google, the glasses will be equipped with “hardware near the equivalent of a generation-old Android smartphone,” which means we’ll likely see a 1GHz processor and internal storage in the 8GB to 16GB range. The glasses will also be capable of voice input and output according to the report, and they will be able to capture photos using a front-facing camera. A user may even be able to navigate through menu items by tilting his or her head, 9to5Google said. The pilot program for Google’s HUD glasses is expected to launch soon but the devices are reportedly still far from ready for a mass roll out.

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Last year a number of leaks and photos suggested that Apple had a redesigned iPod nano with an integrated camera in the works. The new device wasn’t released last time Apple refreshed its iPod family, but now another round of pictures has surfaced that lends credence to the possibility that such a device may launch in the near future. The images show a camera-equipped iPod nano complete with its signature clip design, and the device appears to be the same size as the current-generation iPod nano. It remains unclear if Apple will ever release an iPod nano with a camera but the source, Apple.pro, has published early details surrounding Apple hardware in the past that ended up panning out. Another report published Wednesday by MIC Gadget suggests that the device pictured is actually a prototype from several months ago that did not pass Apple’s tests. The site says some problems have been ironed out however, and that the new nano could become available in the coming months. Several additional pictures follow after the break.

[Via MacRumors]

Read [Apple.pro] Read [MIC Gadget]

In the upcoming book “Inside Apple,” it is explained that Steve Jobs expressed great interest in light field camera maker Lytro. The late Apple co-founder even met with the company’s CEO Ren Ng, who after finding out Jobs wanted to meet, rushed to his home to discuss product design and photography according to an “Inside Apple” passage obtained by 9to5mac. “The company’s CEO, Ren Ng, a brilliant computer scientist with a PhD from Stanford, immediately called Jobs, who picked up the phone and quickly said, ‘if you’re free this afternoon maybe we would could get together,’ ” the book reads. “Ng, who is thirty-two, hurried to Palo Alto, showed Jobs a demo of Lytro’s technology, discussed cameras and product design with him, and, at Jobs’s request, agreed to send him an email outlining three things he’d like Lytro to do with Apple.” Read on for more.

Intrigued by the technology, Jobs asked the CEO to outline three specific things that the company would want to work on with Apple. Lytro cameras can capture “all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space,” also known as “the entire light field.” Afterwards, users can edit the photo and choose which area should be the focal point of the image, with the ability to refocus it later using a special file format with an integrated viewer.

Lytro’s pictures are taken instantly, and the company claims its image capturing system is like no other. It is quite possible, theoretically, that a future iPhone could feature a high-powered Lytro sensor with built-in viewing software that could be used to refocus the image on the smartphone.

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Samsung announced is Exynos 4212 processor on Thursday, a new dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip. Samsung said the 4212 offers a 25% increase in processing power, 50% higher 3D performance and “double the logic density and a 30% lower power-level over the previous process generation” chip, which currently powers most of its Galaxy S II smartphones. The Eynos 4212 will be used in both tablets and smartphones; currently, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 8.9 run dual-core Tegra 2 chips from NVIDIA. The Exynos 4212 processor also supports 1080p HD video recording and playback. Samsung expects to begin sampling the Exynos 4212 during the fourth quarter of this year. The company also announced a new 16-megapixel CMOS image sensor for tablets and smartphones, as well as a 1.2-megapixel HD video module that will be included in future device for video chat. Read on for the full Exynos press release from Samsung.

Samsung Unveils its Next High-Performance Application Processor for Smartphone and Tablet Devices

Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum 2011

TAIPEI, Taiwan–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced the latest addition to its Exynos product family – the Exynos 4212 – a dual core ARM Cortex™-A9 application processor, designed on Samsung’s advanced 32nm High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) low-power process. With best-in-class performance, the dual-core Exynos 4212 offers mobile device systems architects a new solution designed to support a high-quality user-experience and energy-efficient requirements of smartphones and tablet devices. Samsung’s new Exynos application processor is displayed at the eighth annual Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum held at the Westin Taipei.

“As innovative technologies appear on the mobile landscape, the market continues to embrace further developments and performance acceleration in mobile computing”

“As innovative technologies appear on the mobile landscape, the market continues to embrace further developments and performance acceleration in mobile computing,” said Seh-Woong Jeong, executive vice president of System LSI sales & marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is addressing this trend with its powerful low-power Exynos family of processors based on its proven design technology and cutting-edge process technology for performance and power improvements at the system level.”

Leveraging its deep sub-micron expertise in high-performance/low-power technology, Samsung designed the Exynos 4212 on its 32nm low-power HKMG logic process technology with dual Cortex-A9 cores. Samsung’s 32nm HKMG process node is specifically tuned to offer a competitive, cutting-edge platform with double the logic density and a 30 percent lower power-level over the previous process generation.

In addition to the 25 percent increase in processing power, the new processor features an enhanced graphics processing unit (GPU) that is capable of delivering 50 percent higher 3D graphics performance over the previous processor generation from Samsung.

The Exynos 4212 incorporates a rich portfolio of advanced codec accelerators that support digital still images, video recording and play-back at 1080p full-HD resolution, an image signal processor and an on-chip HDMI 1.4 interface.

Samsung’s new Exynos 4212 application processor will be sampling to select customers in Q4 2011.

Samsung also launched a new website dedicated to its Exynos family of application processors. Designed to facilitate easy communication with industry partners and end users, the new micro site offers detailed product and event information as well as user experiences. More information can be found at www.samsung.com/exynos.

The image above, which shows a plate of sushi accompanied by a rather bland looking avocado roll, is reportedly the first publicly-posted image captured by the upcoming iPhone 5′s new 8-megapixel camera. Pocketnow claims to have found the image hosted somewhere on the web, though it neglects to specify its source. Previous images in the blog’s “test photo” series, of which this post is a part, typically source images from Flickr or Picasa. In this case, the image’s EXIF data indicates that it was captured by an iPhone 4 but the rest of the data suggests that a different device was used. “Although the image has been cropped to 2235×2291 (5.12 megapixels), the original picture was a much larger 3264×2448 — or just shy of eight megapixels,” the blog says. “What’s more, the lens was recorded as a 4.3mm f/2.4, which is closer to that of a point-and-shoot than the iPhone 4′s actual 3.85mm f/2.8.” Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to launch next month alongside an updated iPhone 4.

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Apple has repeatedly accused Samsung of “copying” its products, but it looks like Microsoft is now the one following Apple’s lead. A class action lawsuit filed in Seattle on Wednesday accuses Microsoft of unlawfully tracking users of smartphones that run the company’s emerging Windows Phone 7 operating system. According to the complaint, the camera application in Microsoft’s Windows Phone software continues to track users’ locations and transmit that data to Microsoft even if users opt-out of Windows Phone’s tracking and feedback functions. The class action suit seeks an injunction as well as punitive damages. Earlier this year, Apple was caught tracking iPhone and iPad users’ locations and storing them in a hidden file on the devices. Apple would go on to state that the issue was caused by a bug, and the Cupertino-based company quickly issued a software update to remedy the problem. Numerous complaints were filed as a result of the scandal however, and while damages have been minimal so far, several cases are still outstanding.

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Last month, we brought you exclusive images of HTC’s first 10-inch tablet, the HTC Puccini. Now, a few screenshots have leaked that give the device a little more context. We expect the Android Honeycomb tablet to be equipped with an 8-megapixel camera, a dual-LED flash, a 1.5GHz processor, and to end up landing on AT&T with support for the carrier’s HSPA+ network. The shots leaked on Friday all but confirm the tablet’s launch on AT&T. We can see it’s loaded with a few bloatware applications including AT&T Code Scanner, AT&T MyText and AT&T FamilyMap. It also looks like the Puccini will come preloaded with a few games including Cordy and Let’s Golf 2. HTC’s Snapbooth software is present, but we don’t see Scribe installed, which means this tablet might not offer all of the stylus-friendly features the HTC Flyer did. Read on for more images.

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T-Mobile has officially announced that it is now pushing out Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) to its LG G2x customers. The update includes the following enhancements:

Improved battery life

Improved front-facing camera operation when using Qik record and share

Improved disabling Car Home

Helps address unexpected reboots.

T-Mobile confirmed the update is rolling out over the air (OTA) now, but you should be able to manually check for the software by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Update. We heard early reports that some G2x customers were experiencing a lot of bugs with their devices so we hope this update fixes most, if not all of them.
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In addition to exclusively revealing the first photos of AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II earlier this morning, we also got our hands on the first solid images of HTC’s upcoming 10-inch slate, codenamed the HTC Puccini. While confirmed specifications are light for the time being, the tablet will feature an 8-megapixel camera with what appears to be a dual-LED flash, as well as stereo speakers and a microphone. Also, as we can clearly see in the image above, the Puccini will support stylus input just like the HTC Flyer. Earlier reports suggest the tablet will include a 1.5GHz processor, Android Honeycomb, HTC Sense and a 4G LTE radio. There’s still no word on a launch date, but let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later. Check out the rest of the photos in our HTC Puccini gallery below.

Samsung on Thursday announced that an AT&T-ready version of its Nexus S smartphone will be available from Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile Stores beginning on July 24th for $99.99 on contract. The Nexus S offers a “pure Google” experience and is the first device to get new Android updates. It runs Android 2.3.x (Gingerbread), is powered by a 1GHz processor and is equipped with a 4-inch Super AMOLED Contour display, a 5-megapixel camera, a forward-facing VGA camera for video chat, and a 1,500 mAh battery good for up to 6.5 hours of talk time. Pre-orders for the Nexus S for AT&T begin today. Read on for the full press release.

SAMSUNG MOBILE ANNOUNCES AVAILABILTY OF NEXUS S ON AT&T

Nexus S hits Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile specialty stores, as well as online on July 24; pre-sale begins July 21

DALLAS – July 21, 2011 – Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.1, today announced the upcoming availability of Nexus™ S from Google™ through Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile specialty stores and www.BestBuy.com/Mobile.

Optimized for AT&T’s network, and powered by Android™ 2.3, Nexus S offers an experience with uniquely powerful technology. Nexus S is designed with Samsung’s special Super AMOLED™ touch screen technology providing a premium viewing experience.  Nexus S runs off of a 1 GHz Samsung application processor, producing rich 3D graphics, as well as faster download and upload times. With Nexus S AT&T customers will now have access to the latest and greatest Google applications and Android updates first.

Nexus S will be available at Best Buy in stores on July 24 for $99.99 with a new, two-year activation. In addition, the phone is available for pre-sale in Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile specialty stores and online at www.BestBuy.com/Mobile beginning July 21.

The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Tuesday its May ruling that Kodak did not infringe on Apple’s patents will stand. The two companies have been locked up in two separate legal battles for the better part of this year. Here’s how it started: Kodak first filed lawsuits against Apple and Research In Motion and accused both firms of infringing on its camera patents. That case was called “In the Matter of Certain Mobile Telephones and Wireless Communication Devices Featuring Digital Cameras, and Components Thereof.” A judge has already ruled in favor of RIM and Apple in that lawsuit, and it could end up costing the camera maker millions of dollars. Shortly after that case was filed, however, Apple responded with own suit against Kodak titled: “In the Matter of Digital Imaging Devices and Related Software.” That’s the suit that Kodak won in May and the one ITC ruled today will stand. “We are pleased that the commission has confirmed the ALJ’s finding that there is no violation by Kodak,” David Lanzillo, a Kodak spokesman, told Bloomberg.

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A second video of Nokia’s “Sea Ray” Windows Phone has been leaked online. We first saw the Sea Ray during a company presentation by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. In that video, Elop described the “pillow shaped” backing of the “top secret” device and discussed its Gorilla Glass display. The new video leak gives us a full 360-degree tour of the Sea Ray and we’re definitely impressed with what we see so far. The phone has a thin form factor, a large display, and metal accents on the volume controls and around the phone’s camera. If you look close enough it looks like there’s the typical Carl Zeiss branding around the camera lens, too. The videographer even powers on the Sea Ray and gives us a quick tour of Windows Phone Mango running on the device. Hit the jump for the video.

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A Samsung QWERTY slider with Verizon Wireless branding was recently leaked by Android Central. The phone’s slide-out QWERTY keyboard and overall design make it look stunningly similar to the Epic 4G on Sprint, but it’s supposed to offer beefier hardware. Rumor has it the device will run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network and is powered by Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread). It’s equipped with a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, possibly a Super AMOLED Plus display, an 1,800mAh battery, a 5-megapixel camera as well as a forward-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chats. If it does indeed pack a single-core processor, you can be rest assured this probably won’t launch as a modified Galaxy S II. Depending on the price and release date it looks like the phone could serve as a good option for those who want an alternative to the Motorola DROID 3. Read on for a two more images.

[Via Android and Me]

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Apple may have delayed the iPhone 5 launch until next year due to an overheating dual-core A5 chip, a new report from Sohu.com suggests. Rumor has it (and it’s purely a rumor right now) that Apple will instead launch the iPhone 5 later this year or early next when the A6 chip is available — or after it figures out the A5 overheating problems. Sohu.com also said Apple will instead introduce a slightly upgraded “iPhone 4S” device, with the same form factor as the iPhone 4, in September or October. The device is expected to feature an 8-megapixel camera, and it will also sport a faster dual-core processor, two specs that are on a par with earlier reports. With all the recent chatter surrounding a more significant iPhone update due later this year, it’s likely that Sohu.com is working with old intel in this instance.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

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