Lenovo announced three new tablets with 10.1-inch displays on Wednesday morning, including the IdeaPad Tablet K1, the ThinkPad Tablet, and the IdeaPad Tablet P1. The Android3.1 (Honeycomb) powered IdeaPad Tablet K1 will be targeted at the everyday consumer and is equipped with a 1280 x 800 resolution screen, HDMI-out, a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s also the first Netflix certified Honeycomb tablet. The 32GB IdeaPad Tablet P1 will be available on July 20th for $499.99, and the company confirmed that a 3G model will also launch in the U.S. at a later date. Lenovo will market its ThinkPad Tablet to business users. It’s equipped with a Gorilla Glass display, features a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, runs Android 3.1 (Honeycomb), has a full-size SD card slot and a USB port, and can be bought with an optional digitizer pen. The 16GB and 32GB ThinkPad Tablets will be available on August 2nd for $479 and $589, respectively. Finally, the IdeaPad Tablet P1 runs Windows 7 and is powered by a 1.5GHz Intel processor. It will be available in the fourth quarter of this year. Read on for the full press release.

Tablet family gives consumers and business customers a variety of choices

First Android 3.1 “Honeycomb” tablet certified for streaming from Netflix

Global tablet portfolio delivers thousands of apps and services for consumers and business customers alike
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – July 20, 2011: Lenovo today announced its first family of tablets – the IdeaPad* Tablet K1 for consumers, the ThinkPad* Tablet for business customers, and the IdeaPad Tablet P1 for home and office use. The new Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1 and ThinkPad Tablets are the Company’s first mobile internet devices featuring the Android^ 3.1 platform, and the IdeaPad Tablet K1 is the industry’s first Android-powered tablet certified to deliver Netflix* video streaming. The Android-powered Lenovo tablets also provide access to more than 250,000 apps in Android Market^ as well as apps tested for the Lenovo device in the Lenovo App Shop.*

“Tablets are extremely personal technology devices. That’s why we’ve created a family of tablets that has something for everyone, including entertainment-friendly features and content for consumers, or business-friendly features to enhance productivity for professionals as well as security and manageability for IT managers,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president and president, Mobile Internet Digital Home business group, Lenovo. “So whether it’s the IdeaPad for entertainment or the ThinkPad for business, we have listened to our customers and are delivering Android-powered tablets designed to meet their particular needs.”

Netflix Anyone?
As the first Honeycomb tablets certified for Netflix, Lenovo tablets can help turn every night into “movie night.” With HDMI output and Digital Rights Management (DRM) built directly into the IdeaPad and ThinkPad tablets, Netflix members can instantly watch movies and TV shows streaming from Netflix directly to a big screen TV,

“We’re very excited to see that TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix will be available on Lenovo’s family of Android-powered tablets,” said Bill Holmes, Netflix vice president of Business Development. “This is not only an important development for our company as we seek to expand the benefits of our services to more people, but also means that consumers now have greater choice in selecting a tablet device that best fits their entertainment needs.”

NVIDIA Anyone?
Building on Lenovo’s heritage of innovation, quality and reliability in PCs, Lenovo’s new tablets deliver an accelerated mobile experience. The IdeaPad and ThinkPad tablets feature NVIDIA* Tegra* 2 dual-core mobile processors that offer extreme multitasking, noticeably faster web browsing with built-in Adobe* Flash* Player, console-quality gaming and low power consumption for improved battery life.

“The Tegra 2 dual core processor is the perfect fit for Lenovo’s tablets,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager, Mobile Business, NVIDIA. “Consumers can now enjoy the whole web with Flash, console quality gaming, high definition video, and streaming Netflix. These are a must have for today’s tablets.”

IdeaPad Tablet K1: Open the Box and Play
Weighing just 1.63 lbs, the highly mobile IdeaPad Tablet K1 offers integrated Bluetooth* and 802.11 Wi-Fi connectivity. The IdeaPad Tablet K1 offers several key features and tools as standard, for flexibility, power and security to enjoy digital content anywhere. Simply put, the Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1 helps users who want:

More out of the box: The Android-powered Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1 is preloaded with more than 40 apps from partners like Netflix, Amazon*, Adobe, Electronic Arts**, Rovio*, Zinio*, Dataviz*, and others (over $50 in value), including favorites like Need for Speed**Shift, Angry Birds*, Kindle* reading app and Documents to Go*.

More entertainment: Users canbrowse all websites and watch online videos with ease thanks to Adobe Flash Player 10.3. Plus, with DRM, they can rent movies in every available format. At a later date shortly after launch, users will also be able to both rent or buy movies to play off-line with a new application Lenovo will pre-load.

More social networking: Users can access an entire network of friends and social sites all in one place, with Lenovo’s exclusive SocialTouch* app, which effectively creates a one-stop social connection. And since one picture is still worth a thousand words, the Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1 comes with a two-megapixel front-facing and a five-megapixel rear-facing webcam.

More true HD: Users can watch movies and videos in breathtaking HD on a 1280 X 800 resolution screen. The mini HDMI connection allows up to 1080p HD viewing when connected to an HDTV or monitor, resulting in a powerful visual experience.

More cloud sharing: Users can sync, store and share files, music and photos with more integrated cloud storage, and less reliance on their local storage.

More Apps: Users can access hundreds of thousands of apps in Android Market and apps tested exclusively for premium function on the IdeaPad Tablet K1 in the Lenovo App Shop.

ThinkPad Tablet Brings Android to Business
The ThinkPad Tablet combines the superior media and entertainment experience of the IdeaPad Tablet K1 with the security, reliability and manageability features ThinkPad is known for, to create the first true business-class tablet. Designed as a companion computing device for professionals on the go, the ThinkPad Tablet includes an optional digitizer pen, a full-size USB port, full-size SD card slot, and mini-HDMI for connecting to external projectors and displays, as well as an optional ThinkPad quality Keyboard Folio Case with optical TrackPoint*.

Data remains safe on the ThinkPad Tablet with layered data security, and the device is easily supported by IT managers thanks to a suite of business partner solutions that include anti-theft software and the ability to disable the tablet if the device is lost or stolen with Computrace*. Additional security features include virtual desktop support support with Citrix Receiver*, simple zero-touch deployment with LanDesk* and secure email support available from Good Technology*.

Offering a 10.1” WXGA (1280×800) display weighing a mere 1.65 lbs, the ThinkPad Tablet also comes with an IPS display for a 178-degree viewing angle and scratch-resistant Corning* Gorilla* Glass. This business-class device keeps professionals connected, productive and entertained while they’re away from the office and their home.

Get more on the go: When work happens on the go, ThinkPad Tablet allows users to view and edit Microsoft Office documents with the preloaded Documents to Go app by DataViz. Or they can jot down notes that automatically convert to handwritten text with the optional ThinkPad Tablet Pen. When even more versatility is required, users can plug in the Keyboard Folio for fast, comfortable and accurate typing and mouse control.

Get better connected: With WiFi connectivity, 2GB of free cloud storage, a standard size USB port and SD Card Reader, and Lenovo’s unique file copy utility, sharing media files and documents with other people and electronic devices is easy. Presentations may look even better when connecting to an external monitor via the built-in mini-HDMI port. Users can conveniently sync key files and folders with their tablet every time they plug into their Windows 7 PC. With apps like ooVoo*, dual cameras allow users to show either themselves or what they are looking at in a video conference. Users can keep in touch with friends and business contacts using Lenovo’s exclusive SocialTouch* app, which puts social networks, email, and calendar notices all in one easy-to-use interface.

Get down to business: ThinkPad Tablet can connect to a range of devices and networks without hands-on help from IT administrators. Users can utilize corporate network passwords to access their device and connect to corporate email with the specially certified app, Good for Enterprise*. IT managers can easily create access unique corporate preloads from the Lenovo Image Technology Center as well as share and distribute company purchased or developed apps to numerous devices through a custom, corporate-controlled app store. Most importantly, users will have the ability to protect confidential data with robust security features including SD card encryption, lost device disablement and anti-theft software.

Get solid protection: ThinkPad Tablet customers will have access to Lenovo’s full portfolio of enterprise-level services, such as ThinkPlus* Support, which provides business customers direct access to advanced technicians with tablet specific experience, and Tablet Protection, which gives business customers coverage for non-warranted damage from operational and structural damage due to drops, minor spills, electrical surges and other accidental damage incurred under normal operating conditions. In addition, Lenovo’s Imaging Services help save IT departments from having to do custom images for each machine, and ensures that even with flash images, the warranty is protected and the tablet is ready-to-go right out-of-the-box.

IdeaPad Tablet P1 with Windows 7 Does Double Duty in the Office and on the Couch
Lenovo’s 10.1” IdeaPad Tablet P1 with Microsoft* Windows* 7 features a 1.5GHz Intel* processor so users can be more productive with Office* documents, or get creative with photos while on the move.

The IdeaPad Tablet P1 boasts a multitouch touchscreen display and optional stylus pen for added flexibility, easy access to Web content thanks to full Adobe Flash Player support and HD playback, and Microsoft Security Essentials for an extra layer of security. At just 14.5mm thin and weighing less than 2lbs, the IdeaPad Tablet P1 with Windows 7 offers portability, power and versatility for the office, in the home and on-the-go.

Lenovo App Shop — Premium Ecosystem of Apps and Content Services
In addition to the hundreds of thousands of apps available in Android Market, IdeaPad Tablet K1 and ThinkPad Tablet users have access to apps in the Lenovo App Shop — a unique app marketplace, which features popular applications that have been tested specifically for Lenovo IdeaPad and ThinkPad Tablets. The Lenovo App Shop offers apps within a broad range of categories including music, movies, books, productivity, social networking, weather, printing and more.

The Lenovo App Shop will also support enterprise applications and a private corporate application store to help businesses more easily integrate tablets into their daily operations. In addition, Lenovo will offer country-specific applications, currency, and languages.

Pricing and Availability
The 32GB model IdeaPad Tablet K1 is priced at $499, and can be ordered in the U.S. starting July 20, 2011, through select business partners and retail stores nationwide, or online at www.lenovo.com/tablets.
The product will be generally available in the U.S. in August 2011 and generally available worldwide during the third quarter 2011.

The 16GB ThinkPad Tablet is priced at $479 without the digitizer pen, and at $509 including the digitizer pen, for Wi-Fi models. The 32GB ThinkPad Tablet (Wi-Fi model) with digitizer pen is $589. There is also an optional keyboard portfolio carrying case available for $99. At a later date, shortly after launch, ThinkPad Tablets with 3G will become available. ThinkPad Tablet can be ordered in the U.S. starting August 2, 2011, online at www.lenovo.com/tablets, or through business partners nationwide. The product will be generally available in the U.S. in August 2011 and generally available worldwide during the third quarter 2011.

The IdeaPad Tablet P1 will be available in the fourth quarter 2011.

All Lenovo tablets come with a one-year warranty. Lenovo also offers warranty upgrade options that can extend the IdeaPad product warranty for one additional year, and the ThinkPad Tablet for two additional years.

Research In Motion is currently working on a media box codenamed “BlackBerry Cyclone” that will launch later this fall, BlackBerry news site NerdBerry.net reports. The rumored media hub is said to be similar to Apple’s iOS-based Apple TV box, which connects to a television and plays streaming video content from iTunes. The BlackBerry Cyclone’s purported capabilities include Netflix streaming, YouTube streaming and streaming from media devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network. The unit will also reportedly feature an HDMI-out port. The move would be a peculiar one from RIM, as it does not have an iTunes competitor to speak of and even with the extremely popular multimedia market, the Apple TV has not been an overly successful device for Apple. The Cupertino-based company announced the million-unit milestone for its refreshed Apple TV late last year, but we haven’t heard much about it since that time. RIM is also in the midst of prepping its first QNX-powered smartphone for release in 2012, not to mention seven BlackBerry handsets due to launch later this year, so we would hope the bulk of its attention is focused on these infinitely more important products.

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We’ve already seen plenty of leaks and even a how-to video on Verizon’s upcoming Motorola DROID 3, but now full 360-degree images of the phone have been leaked. The images confirm what we’ve seen before: the DROID 3 will offer a similar design to the two DROID phones that came before it, including a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It will, however, get a hardware spec boost. We’ve heard the device will pack a 4-inch 960 x 540 qHD display, a dual-core processor, support for HDMI-out, and an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video. The latest rumors suggest that the phone could be announced as soon as July 7th, but unfortunately it doesn’t look like support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network will be included.

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The HTC EVO 4G is definitely one of Sprint’s most popular smartphones. In fact, even almost a year after its release, it’s still selling like hotcakes. Sprint faced serious demand issues with the EVO 4G well after the launch, and the nation’s first 4G smartphone is still one of the best. Let’s talk about the HTC EVO 3D, though. The follow up to the original HTC EVO 4G is packed to the brim with features, and will be the first 3D-capable device on the market when it launches. Is the HTC EVO 3D a better phone than the original EVO 4G? Does the addition of a 3D display add real value to the phone or is it just a headache-inducing novelty, as it is on other portable devices? Hit the break to find out.

Hardware / Display

The HTC EVO 3D builds on the original EVO 4G in every way possible. It’s thinner, it feels better in the hand, and it’s way more powerful. While the first EVO featured a 1GHz processor, the EVO 3D runs a smoking 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm CPU with a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 qHD display, dual 5-megapixel cameras around back for 3D photo and HD video capture, 1080p HD video playback, a front-facing camera, and a whopping 1,730 mAh battery.

The device stays true to some of the first EVO’s styling cues while introducing a much more refined, almost retro look if you will — at least from the back. The front of the device sports an anodized black aluminum frame and the Android menu buttons below the screen look almost identical to the original 4G device. An addition this time around is a dedicated two-step camera shutter button on the right side complete with 2D / 3D switch to toggle 3D capture for photos and video. While a dedicated camera shutter button is great, I’d actually have preferred one a little smaller, as I hold the device in my right hand mainly when I’m using it and the shutter button can get in the way sometimes.

You’ll also find a volume up/down key on the right side. On the left side you’ll see a lone microUSB port, and toward the top of the EVO 3D there’s a 3.5mm headset jack and a power button. Unfortunately, the power button has little to no tactile feedback, and it makes locking and unlocking the EVO 3D somewhat tedious. The EVO 3D feels incredibly solid and well-built though, and while the diagonal grooved pattern on the rear battery cover could be considered distracting at times, it feels worlds better than the EVO 4G.

The display on the HTC EVO 3D is an interesting subject. On one hand the display is pretty sharp, colors look great, and it’s decently bright. On the other, because of the 3D stereoscopic screen overlay, it’s not as sharp as other HTC devices like the Sensation 4G. More on that shortly.

Software

The EVO 3D runs HTC’s latest Sense 3.0 user interface, which is identical to the HTC Sensation 4G I recently reviewed. As such, there’s not much need to go over everything again. In the case of Sprint’s new EVO, Sense blends its nifty 3D effect with an actual 3D-capable display making for a much more cohesive experience for consumers. I was actually a tad bit disappointed that more of the device wasn’t “3D” at first, as I figured HTC and Sprint would extend the 3D capabilities beyond just photo / video capture, and video playback. Instead, I haven’t noticed much if any difference between the Sensation 4G and the EVO 3D as far as HTC’s UI is concerned. Regardless, the 3D effects on HTC Sense 3.0 are decent enough.

3D

While 3D televisions are still lackluster, glasses-free 3D works much better on a mobile device in my opinion. One of the great things about the EVO 3D is that the screen doesn’t require you to wear glasses to view 3D content (can you imagine having to wear a pair of 3D glasses when looking at your smartphone?). The stereoscopic screen is decent. It’s two panels that make one, in straight up terms, and you have to have a perfect viewing angle in the middle of the device for it to work, otherwise you’ll see two images overlaid on each other and won’t get the actual 3D effect.

After using the device for around 10 minutes on and off, I finally got the hang of the perfect positioning, and 3D content looks good, not great. The effect seems pretty natural, though the screen itself has what looks like ridged scan lines running through the display. It’s not always overly noticeable, but I’m someone who notices something if it’s off by a pixel, and this screen sort of looks like those old hologram baseball cards that you’d turn left to right to see an animated scene.

As far as the 3D content, you have the ability to capture 5-megapixel images in 3D or 720p HD video in 3D. With an HDMI-out port that also doubles as a microUSB port, throwing your 3D content onto a 3D-capable TV or display couldn’t be easier: just connect that micro-HDMI cable and you’re good to go. I like the ability to sort of future-proof your content by taking 3D stills and videos.

The EVO 3D also comes preloaded with The Green Hornet movie in HTC’s Watch movie service for free, though I couldn’t get it to load no matter how hard I tried. I kept getting a “downloading license” message and no movie, but hopefully this issue is ironed out ahead of launch. There’s also a 3D Spiderman game that looks pretty decent, though it’s more of an arcade-style ordeal. Besides other 3D games available to purchase from Gameloft, YouTube now supports 3D content on the EVO 3D, and there is a little icon next to the video letting you know it’s available in 3D.

Phone / Speakerphone

Using the phone on the EVO 3D hasn’t been the best experience. Phone calls sounded distorted most of the time with the earpiece speaker, callers sounded hollow and thin, and volume wasn’t too great either. Signal reception is a different story, as the EVO 3D performs great in this department. Sprint service typically isn’t incredible, but the way the EVO 3D latches onto signals make it that much better.

The rear speaker on the EVO 3D performs pretty well. It’s pretty loud, though it lacks some low and mid-range oomph and it lacks projection as well. The speakerphone fares about the same — it’s loud, but not that loud, and it’s a little flat.

Battery

The EVO 3D packs a huge 1,730 mAh battery, and while you’d think that was enough, you kind of have to think again with a 4G-capable device. In 3G mode the EVO lasts for up to a day with moderately-heavy usage. With 4G WiMAX on and connected, however, that quickly drops to around 4-5 hours of on and off usage. It’s better than the first EVO, but it’s definitely not ideal. If you don’t live in a 4G service area, the EVO 3D should be able to get your through a day under normal circumstances. Light up 4G, and you’ll probably have to recharge some time in the early afternoon unless your phone just sits idle on your desk all day.

Conclusion

HTC’s EVO 3D is the first device to hit the market in the U.S. with a stereoscopic 3D display, but that’s just an added feature. At the end of the day, the EVO 3D is a better, faster, thinner, lighter, and more capable EVO 4G. The battery life is slightly better, the screen has been improved, there’s a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1080p HD video capture, and plenty more. The 3D part is just a nice add-on.

I actually liked being able to take photos and videos in 3D and play them back right on the device. I also enjoyed hooking the phone up to my 3D television and playing back the content in 3D. Like I said earlier, I like future-proofing content, and I’d rather have 3D content that 2D content if I can.

It took a couple days for the HTC EVO 3D to grow on me — from the build and design, to the user interface, to the 3D aspect — but after spending a week with it, I can confidently say this is my favorite Sprint phone, hands down. The Motorola Photon 4G is interesting, and from what I saw I liked it a lot. The EVO 3D, however, offers a complete end-to-end Android experience with HTC’s Sense 3.0 UI, and coupled with improvements in every area over the original EVO 4G, plus the ability to capture and view 3D content, it makes for one hell of a compelling package.

The HTC EVO 3D will be available from Sprint for $199 with two-year agreement starting June 24th.

While Nintendo has been quiet when it comes to the specs of its newly announced Wii U gaming console, preliminary details are beginning to emerge from the E3 2011 show. We obviously already know plenty about the Wii U touchscreen controller, which we went hands-on with yesterday, but the console itself is a bit of a mystery. A few of Nintendo’s hardware partners got a little excited, however, and we now have a few pieces of the puzzle. We know the Wii U will support full HD 1080p gaming, and now we also know it will be facilitated by a custom Radeon HD graphics processor from AMD. In addition, IBM will be supplying Nintendo with a 45nm multi-core processor with embedded DRAM for the console.There are also four USB ports on hand, an HDMI port, an S-video port and component jacks, and the console with obviously feature 802.11n Wi-Fi. The rest, for the time being, is still a mystery. In case you missed it, we’ve also included Nintendo’s full press release below.

NINTENDO’S UPCOMING Wii U CONSOLE FEATURES CONTROLLER WITH 6.2-INCH SCREEN

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2011–At the E³ Expo, Nintendo introduced a new paradigm for video games and home entertainment: Wii U^™, a new console that includes a controller with a 6.2-inch screen. Adding a second screen to the living room creates a multitude of new video game experiences while offering families a variety of options to customize their entertainment.

Previously, video games played on a home console have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. Furthermore, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Visitors to the E³ Expo will see firsthand the type of gaming experiences made possible by Wii U and the new controller such as:

• In single-player games:
  • The new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV.
  • The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope.
• In multiplayer games:
  • The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV. This will offer a wide variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities.

In addition to the 6.2-inch screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers. Adding these features to the Classic Controller^™button scheme – two analog Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons – will enable a breadth of game-play experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players.

Wii U combines motion-sensing game play with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote^™ or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories. The Wii console has sold more than 86 million units globally and greatly expanded the overall audience for video games. Wii U aims to expand that audience even further. Developers worldwide are already working on new games and experiences for the console.

“Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together,” said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. “The experience enabled by Wii U and the new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers.”

Nintendo 3DS^™, which lets users see 3D images without the need for special glasses, launched in the United States on March 27 and continues to evolve. Owners will find that their Nintendo 3DS experience is different every time they pick up the system, thanks to new content and updates delivered by Nintendo, by third parties and exchanged between users.

A new system update is now available for the Nintendo 3DS system. Users who connect to a wireless broadband Internet connection and install the system update will instantly gain access to the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of games and applications for download using a cash-based system.

Users can browse original 3D software, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), classic Game Boy^™ and Game Boy Color games, and more than 350 games and applications currently offered for the Nintendo DSiWare^™ service. Visitors can also see videos and screen shots for games, plus see how other players rank games.

The system update also provides Nintendo 3DS owners access to free items, including an Internet browser that can show 3D images on sites specifically designed to show 3D images, a download of a re-mastered 3D version of the NES^™ classic Excitebike^™ game (free until July 7) and Pokédex^™ 3D, which lets users discover and view more than 150 Pokémon^™ from the Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games in visually engaging 3D.

Nintendo also announced a huge lineup of upcoming new and fan-favorite franchise games, many of which are playable on the E³ Expo show floor in booth 4922.

• Nintendo 3DS: Super Mario^™, Luigi’s Mansion^™ 2, Mario Kart^™, Kid Icarus^™: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda^™: Ocarina of Time^™ 3D, Star Fox 64^™ 3D, Animal Crossing^™, Paper Mario^™, Picture Lives!, The Rolling Western^™.
• Wii: The Legend of Zelda^™: Skyward Sword, Kirby^™ Wii, Wii Play^™: Motion, Mystery Case Files^™: The Malgrave Incident^™, Mario Party^™ 9, Rhythm Heaven^™ and Fortune Street^™.
• Nintendo DS^™: Kirby^™ Mass Attack, Professor Layton and the Last Specter^™, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker^™2 and Super Fossil Fighters^™.

Nintendo kicked off its E³ Expo Presentation by announcing a number of initiatives to celebrate the 25^thanniversary of The Legend of Zelda. A re-mastered 3D version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches for Nintendo 3DS on June 19, while Wii owners will see the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the 2011 holiday season. Additionally, Nintendo announced a tour of orchestral concerts featuring music from the beloved franchise. Additional commemorative activities will be announced at a later date.

For the duration of the E³ Expo, Nintendo will provide fans with exclusive videos and Nintendo content on the Nintendo Network. People can visit http://e3.nintendo.com to watch developer interviews, get all the information about new games and see coverage coming directly from the show floor. The same exclusive content also will be streamed through the Nintendo^® Channel to Wii owners who have a broadband Internet connection.

For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com or http://www.facebook.com/nintendo.

Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced that it will carry a 4G LTE version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android Honeycomb tablet. The device — currently the thinnest tablet on the market — will be available in two capacities, 16GB and 32GB, and will launch in two color schemes: “metallica gray” and “glossy white.” Save for its 4G LTE radio and updated operating system, the tablet is nearly identical to the special edition that we reviewed earlier this month: it offers a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, a 1280 x 800 resolution display, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, and a 3-megapixel rear camera. Pre-orders begin on June 8th, and you can pick up the 16GB version for $529.99 or the 32GB model for $629.99 with a new two-year contract. Verizon Wireless also said that it will offer a range of accessories for the Galaxy Tab 10.1, including a full keyboard. Hit the jump for the full press release.

VERIZON WIRELESS ADDS 4G LTE-ENABLED SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB™ 10.1 TO PORTFOLIO

4G LTE-Enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1, Exclusive from Verizon Wireless,  Measures Only 8.6 Millimeters Thin

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and DALLAS – Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), today announced the 4G LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 will be available on the fastest, most advanced network in coming weeks.  The slim and sleek Galaxy Tab 10.1 debuts with Android™ Honeycomb and will be available in either Metallica Gray or Glossy White.  Customers will be able to pre-order the device online on June 8 at www.verizonwireless.com/galaxytab4glte.  When the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits Verizon Wireless stores this summer, it will be accompanied by an array of optional accessories such as a full-sized keyboard dock and a multi-media docking station.

“The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a great option for customers who want to enjoy the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network – the fastest network in America,” said Jeff Dietel, vice president of marketing for Verizon Wireless.  “Customers can also use the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 wherever they are on the nation’s largest 3G network.”

Dietel added, “The tablet market is exploding as customers are discovering new uses for the technology that features a large screen, powerful processing speeds and access to Android Market™’s 200,000 applications.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is perfect for customers who want to take advantage of Google™’s new movie rental option and view their favorite film on-the-go.”

“Samsung Mobile is excited to expand its mobile tablet portfolio with Verizon Wireless to include the 4G LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America.  “The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the thinnest and lightest tablet in the world that delivers a truly mobile multimedia experience on an Android Honeycomb platform.”

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 offers full support for Google™ Mobile Services, including Gmail™, YouTube™ and more. Customers will relish the 10.1-inch enhanced display with a 1280×800 resolution HD screen, 1 GHz dual core application processor, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera.  Both consumers and business customers will find a multitude of uses for the Galaxy Tab that range from video chat to business tools, including those that allow for the opening and editing of documents, spreadsheets and presentations.  The Galaxy Tab 10.1 features Adobe® Flash® Player to deliver an enhanced Internet browsing experience and access to content-rich Websites.

Verizon Wireless will offer two 4G LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 models both priced with two year customer agreements: $529.99 for the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB model.   For more information on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, go to: www.verizonwireless.com/galaxytab4glte.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Media can access high-resolution images of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.)

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including more than 88 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsungwireless.com.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android Honeycomb tablet is now available for pre-order from J&R. The 16GB tablet is priced at $499.99 while the 32GB version will set you back an additional $100. Here’s a quick rundown of its specs: it offers a 10.1-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution, a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, full 1080p HD playback, a 3-megapixel camera capable of recording 720-p video, a 2-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chats, and more. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also happens to be the thinnest tablet on the market right now. If you want a deeper dive, be sure to check out our full review of the limited edition version.  J&R doesn’t specify exactly when the tablet will ship, although we’ve heard the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be available on June 8th.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

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Motorola on Wednesday announced that its sequel to the popular DROID X smartphone will launch later this month. The Motorola DROID X2 will become available for pre-order on May 19th and will launch on May 26th, as previously rumored. The device will cost $199.99 with a new two-year contract, and will feature a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, a dual-core 1GHz processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), an 8-megapixel camera with support for HD video capture, an HDMI-out port, a case that is nearly identical to the original Motorola DROID X, and “double the does,” according to Verizon Wireless. Hit the break for the full press release from Verizon Wireless.

DROID X2 BY MOTOROLA COMING TO VERIZON WIRELESS WITH DOUBLE THE POWER, DOUBLE THE DOES

Fast and Powerful DROID X2 by Motorola With Broad Range Of New Features To Be Available Online Beginning May 19

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the second-generation DROID X2 by Motorola, designed for the consumer who does everything on their smartphone.

Fly through the Web with the DROID X2, which boasts Verizon Wireless’ first dual-core 1 GHz processor for fast webpage loading and Adobe^® Flash^® Player, allowing Verizon Wireless customers to experience rich content online.  The 4.3-inch scratch-resistant and anti-reflective qHD display delivers a sharp, clear view ideal for watching movies, typing emails and playing your favorite games.  Never miss a moment using the 8-megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and stunning HD video capture.  Use the new Gallery app to view, tag and post photos on sites like Flickr^® and Facebook^®, all from one place.

Additional features:

• Powered by Android 2.2, to be updated to Android 2.3
• Mirror Mode allows you to view and share your photos, videos and downloaded movies on a larger TV via HDMI output
• Enterprise-ready with security and IT-grade policies, allowing you to use your DROID X2 for work and play
• Support for Google™ Mobile Services, including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™ and Google Maps™, as well as access to more than 200,000 apps available to download from Android Market™
• Mobile Hotspot capability, allowing you to share your 3G connection with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard featuring SWYPE technology for quick and easy typing of messages and emails

Pricing and availability:

• The DROID X2 will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com on May 19 and in Verizon Wireless Communication Stores on May 26 for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
• DROID X2 customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package.  Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access and an unlimited smartphone data plan is $29.99 for monthly access.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Next Thursday is shaping up to be a huge day for Verizon Wireless subscribers. The nation’s top carrier has already confirmed the launch of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY on that day, and the DROID X2 looks set to drop on the 26th as well. Now it appears as though the LG Revolution will be hitting store shelves on May 26th, too. The LG Revolution will be yet another Froyo phone with a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing camera for video chat, 720p HD video capture support and an HDMI-out port. Hit the jump for a purported spec sheet from Verizon Wireless.

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The BGR team picked up the new and improved Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 from Google’s I/O conference earlier this week, and I have been using it non-stop for the past few days. There’s a lot to discuss here: the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the third Android Honeycomb-powered tablet launched by a major OEM in the United States, and Samsung went to great lengths to revise the design and slice off the extra bulk. The unit I have measures just 0.33-inches thick, which makes it the thinnest tablet available on the market today. It’s powered by a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, contains 32GB of storage, and Samsung promises that there will be an Android 3.1 update coming in the “next few weeks.” Is the Galaxy Tab 10.1 the best Honeycomb tablet yet? Check out our gallery below, and then read on to find out!

Hardware / Display

If you’re looking for a tablet that resembles the iPad 2 but with Android Honeycomb on board, Samsung has nearly nailed the aesthetics with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. My special edition unit has a glossy white back with an army of Android figures marching across it. Most Galaxy Tab 10.1 units will likely have a brushed metal finish, however, which I’ve found to be much more appealing. The border of the tablet is metal, as is the area surrounding the rear 3.2-megapixel camera and its single LED flash — a nicety that adds to the premium look and feel of the device.

There are volume buttons, a power button, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 — when it’s held in landscape view — and there’s a proprietary Samsung charging port on the bottom. I don’t typically use HDMI-out very often, but I love having the option and I was stunned to see that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn’t have a dedicated HDMI-out port. I’ll revisit this in the multimedia section.

The tablet’s display was nice and bright, but when I took it out on my terrace to relax and check email, I found it was a bit hard to see under direct sunlight. I really like the 7-inch display on the BlackBerry PlayBook — it makes the tablet much easier to tote around in a jacket pocket, but I quickly got adjusted to the 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 resolution screen on the Tab 10.1, and especially liked it while browsing websites and playing games.

The Tab 10.1’s hardware spec sheet is impressive, too. It packs a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 32GB of onboard storage, and a 7,000 mAh battery. Unfortunately there isn’t a microSD card slot to be found, so I wasn’t able to add any additional storage. Similarly, while Android Honeycomb 3.1 promises support for USB devices, there aren’t any USB ports on the Galaxy Tab 10.1. That means you’ll be left in the cold if you want to use USB devices with your tablet, unless Samsung can come up with a dongle solution of its own.

Software

I had used Android Honeycomb for a few minutes at times on various tablets, but I had not spent a great deal of time with the OS until the Galaxy Tab 10.1 landed in my lap. The current 3.0 version definitely needs work, so I’m glad 3.1 is promised in the coming weeks. You’ll call me crazy, but I prefer the BlackBerry QNX UI to what Honeycomb has to offer so far. Yes, I know there’s a lack of apps available for RIM’s tablet, but QNX feels so much more spry, especially when it comes to multitasking and flipping around the user interface.

Honeycomb’s UI is easy to use, but I hate that the navigation buttons are on the bottom left of the screen. I love the option to swipe up from the bottom panel in QNX to move back to the home screen. It feels much more intuitive than searching for a button to leave the current app. That reminds me — the app selection for Honeycomb tablets is still pretty slim.

I used the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab, and I wasn’t impressed with how it ran apps designed for smaller displays. Unfortunately, that hasn’t changed a whole lot with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. As it stands there are just a few dozen Honeycomb apps available, most of which cost between $0.99 and $4.99, and none of which were all that exciting. Apple’s iPad offers a totally different experience, but the app selection makes it more attractive and more versatile.

Despite the dual-core processor, Honeycomb was sluggish at times. Sometimes apps would randomly crash back to the home screen, and sometimes new ones wouldn’t install at all. I also had a number of lockups while browsing the web: the website would just freeze so that I couldn’t pan or zoom, and on multiple occasions the keyboard failed to pop-up when I was trying to type in text fields. The only solution for this problem was to reboot the device entirely. I don’t think I used the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for 45 minutes without seeing at least one of these bugs pop up. That’s bad.

The default Honeycomb keyboard was nice and large and I was able to type — slowly — with two hands at once. Most of the time, though, I found myself pecking at the keys, and I couldn’t type nearly as fast as I could with a smartphone. I still peck to type on the iPad, too, but I’ve heard of more than a few people who can cruise on that keyboard, and I’m not sure they’d have the same success with the Tab 10.1.

Honeycomb 3.0 allows you to customize five different home screens with widgets. Version 3.1 will allow you to resize the widgets on the fly, and that’s going to be a welcome addition. I enjoyed most of the widgets, particularly the email ones that allowed me to flip through my inbox, but they don’t branch too far away from what’s available on an Android smartphone. There’s also a useful, albeit ugly, notification system on the bottom right-hand of the screen. It works well, although I hate the look of the clock and buttons for Home, return, and the task manager. The icons are blue and retro-robotic, and I hope Google has plans to make them skinnable.

So what can we expect from the next version of Honeycomb? On May 10th, Google took the wraps off of Android 3.1, the next update for tablets. It will add support for aforementioned resizable home screen widgets and will also allow users to use input devices like keyboards, mice, trackpads, and gaming controllers — provided there’s a USB interface in place. Similarly, multitasking will be enhanced to reduce crashes and improve transitions. Hopefully this also addresses a number of the bugs I discussed earlier. What remains unclear, however, is if this will be available for the regular edition Galaxy Tab 10.1, which may sport Samsung’s custom TouchWiz user interface on top of Honeycomb.

During the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, Samsung gave me a close look at its custom “TouchWiz UX” skin for Honeycomb, the first such UI overlay. I really liked several of the enhanced widgets for social networks, email, and more. I have a feeling this will be used in the European versions of the tablet, but perhaps it’s being saved for a future update.

Camera / Video chat

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 3-megapixel camera that took decent shots, but it wasn’t very impressive. There was noticeable grain in a lot of the images, and while night shots came out OK with the flash, the quality was on a par with a run-of-the-mill smartphone camera. I’m not so sure that it’s a huge deal to offer 5-megapixel cameras capable of recording HD or 3D video, as is the case on the T-Mobile G-Slate, because I’d rather use a more compact phone or dedicated camera for snapping photos instead of a 10-inch tablet. Still, I’m sure more than a few users would enjoy the option.

The 3-megapixel camera is capable of recording 1280 x 720 video (720p HD), and a few quick clips that I shot outside looked decent when I played them back on my computer. The frame rates were smooth and there was just a little distortion when I panned around with the camera. Again, most people will probably use a more compact smartphone for recording video, but the Galaxy Tab 10.1 does a fine job also.

There’s a forward-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chats, and it worked well during a test call to a friend over Google Talk. My buddy said the quality was “typical” and that I looked more crisp when I sat still talking directly into the cam – as opposed to moving around. The audio was solid, the video coming through to my display was crisp, and I was pleased with the performance overall.

Multimedia

Google recently announced its new music locker and video rental services, both of which will be available on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the future. I haven’t had access to the music beta, but I did load up a few movies and tunes on the tablet to test out its speaker and screen. A quick viewing of the movie “Hackers” looked just fine on the screen, and the viewing angles were sufficient enough that two people could easily watch a movie together. The default movie player didn’t have an option to blow the video up to full screen, though, so I was limited to watching it with large borders above and below the clip.

Google’s new Music player application — not to be confused with the aforementioned music locker service — looked excellent on the Tab 10.1’s large display. Album art was displayed nice and large, which made it easy to find the artist I was looking for. The speakers were loud, but not as crisp and full sounding as those on the BlackBerry PlayBook. I also appreciated that Honeycomb places a small music icon in the bottom right-hand side of the screen for easily controlling music from the home screen.

As I noted earlier, I don’t think the lack of an HDMI-out port is a deal-breaker, but it is a bit of a shocker. I’ve seen the dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip used in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 output full HD video, pictures, and games to a big screen HDTV. It’s a nice option to have, especially if you want to share content on your tablet with a room full of people.

Battery

When I used the Galaxy Tab 10.1 regularly to surf the web, play a few games, chat, and check my email, I was able to get through about two full days. That’s about what I expect from a tablet with a 7,000 mAh battery, and you’ll no doubt see longer life out of its battery if you use it lightly and leave it idle more often than I did. Unlike a few of the other tablets, which offer more portability thanks to support for 3G connections, you’ll probably be using the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with a Wi-Fi hotspot most of the time, and that means an outlet shouldn’t be too far either. You won’t need to look for one too often, though, as I found the battery to be more than sufficient for my needs.

Conclusion

This is one of the tougher conclusions I’ve had to write. Here’s why: the Galaxy Tab 10.1 itself is a beautiful and thin tablet with an industrial design to die for. But Honeycomb 3.0 definitely isn’t ready for primetime. It was slow and sluggish at times, apps crashed regularly, and the web browser froze often. Hopefully the forthcoming Honeycomb 3.1 fixes those issues, but we’ll have to wait and see.

If you’re in the market for a new tablet, you need to do yourself a favor and go hands-on with Honeycomb first. The hardcore Android enthusiast community will enjoy the tablet, and rightfully so, but I don’t think everyday consumers will appreciate the frequent crashes. The BlackBerry PlayBook’s QNX user interface is more fun, more polished, and more intuitive right now. Apple’s iOS is also dead easy to use and has a much more robust application catalog.

When it comes down to it, is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 worth buying? If you want the thinnest, sexiest Android tablet available today, then yes — but only if you can get around Honeycomb’s current faults in hopes that coming builds will smooth things out.

Verizon Wireless was rumored to be launching the follow up to its popular Motorola DROID X smartphone on Thursday, but Thursday has come and gone and there’s no X2 in sight. According to Android enthusiast blog Droid Life, the anticipated device is now slated to become available later this month on May 26th. A purported internal document suggests direct fulfillment will begin on the 19th followed by an in-store launch one week later. The document goes on to highlight the X2′s “brilliant” 4.3-inch qHD display, its dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, Adobe Flash Player 10 and an 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video capture support. A second leaked document, which can be viewed after the jump, goes on to reaffirm more of the X2′s specs.

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I’ve spent more than a week living and breathing alongside the Samsung DROID Charge, Verizon’s second 4G LTE smartphone, and and it had some pretty big shoes to fill following Verizon’s first 4G LTE smartphone, the HTC ThunderBolt. The DROID Charge is loaded with all the trimmings you could ask for, including a huge Super AMOLED Plus display with colors that will blow your mind, an 8-megapixel camera that can shoot HD video, and of course, support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. But do all of these features make it worth the $299 you’ll have to drop in order to own one? Hit the break for my full review to find out.

Hardware / Display

Samsung told me that the “pet name” for the DROID Charge was the “Stealth,” and that’s certainly an accurate description of its industrial design. The area below the phone’s large 4.3-inch screen tapers down to a small chin, and its rounded edges, glossy mirror gray finish, and sharp accents around the camera lens definitely add to its fighter-jet style. Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus display is one of the clearest, brightest, and sharpest screens I’ve ever seen on a smartphone. The display offers even deeper blacks than the Super AMOLED screen on Samsung’s Galaxy S phones, which is really saying a lot. Colors are stunning and you really just have to see it to understand the beauty, but a beautiful screen this size comes at a cost; the DROID Charge definitely has a bit of heft at just over 5 ounces, but at just 0.46-inches slim it easily slid into my pocket.

Unlike the Galaxy S devices before it, the DROID Charge has hardware keys below the screen instead of touch-sensitive buttons. The keys have nice bounce and each has a soft white backlight that illuminates while the screen is activated. Under the hood the DROID Charge runs on a 1GHz processor, which is a bit lower powered than the dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 devices that have started to infiltrate the market. Still, there’s 512MB of RAM that helps speed things up a bit, and our unit came with a 32GB microSD card so there’s more than enough space to store videos, music, and photos. A 32GB microSD card runs about $60 on Amazon, so I’m starting to see why the DROID Charge is priced as high as it is.

One feature that I really enjoyed using was HDMI-out. You can purchase movies from Media Hub for about $9.99 each, or move files over to the phone using your USB cable, and then output them to an HDTV using a mini-HDMI cable. There were a few hiccups in the frame rates, but otherwise the movie played without a hitch. I’ll revisit this a bit more in the camera section of the review.

Software

Here’s where things get a bit stale: The DROID Charge runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Samsung’s custom TouchWiz user interface on top. I’m not a big fan of TouchWiz — it’s too cartoony looking, the widgets are always larger than necessary, and they don’t use screen real estate efficiently. There are several useful features, like the ability to sync Twitter or Facebook with your address book, but generally TouchWiz turns me off. Thankfully, the DROID Charge’s processor hummed along just fine despite the UI, which can slow things down just a bit on other devices. There are  also other small issues that drive me mad about TouchWiz, though — like its black e-mail interface — and at times I just wish Samsung had stuck with a vanilla version of Android on the Charge.

The Charge’s virtual keyboard mirrors those on Samsung’s Galaxy S devices, and I’m not a fan. The space bar is too small and seems to be positioned too far to the left; half the time I try to type a space I end up hitting the period button instead. This, of course, is where third-party developers come in, and I definite;y recommend installing your third-party keyboard of choice on the Charge.

There’s a fair amount of bloatware on the phone including VerizonApps, a Guided Tour, VZ Navigator, TuneWiki, City ID, Bitbop, and more. Thankfully, though, Verizon chose to use Google as the default search option on the DROID Charge, which is a welcome change from the Fascinate.

Calling / Data

The call quality on the DROID Charge was clear during my tests and I had no issue with dropped calls in New York City or during a trip to Orlando for BlackBerry World. Friends and family on the other end of the line said I sounded good, and the ear speaker was loud enough even while walking on busy streets. The speakerphone had adequate volume as well, but voices were distorted at higher levels. Callers said I sounded fine on speakerphone and they couldn’t tell I wasn’t directly talking into the handset.

The DROID Charge is Verizon’s second phone capable of placing phone calls while surfing the Internet, and this feature worked perfectly during my tests. I looked up a quick place to eat lunch while I had a friend on speakerphone, and I didn’t notice any drop in call quality or data speeds. BGR Editor in Chief Jonathan Geller, in his ThunderBolt review, wondered if perhaps the poor voice quality on that phone was related to the talk / surf feature, and I’m glad to report that’s not the case with the Charge.

Data speeds on Verizon’s 4G LTE network regularly exceeded 20Mbps on the downlink in New York City, and I typically saw upload speeds around 4Mbps. The download speeds are faster than you’ll find on any other U.S. carrier hands-down and are even on a par with home network connections.

There are drawbacks to being an early adopter, however. During my first week of testing Verizon’s 4G LTE network, it went down for just over 24 hours. Users weren’t compensated for the downtime, and I couldn’t even access a 3G network during the outage. That’s a big deal, especially for business users or those of us who rely on our smartphones throughout most of the day. Similarly, while tethered to a laptop, I noticed that the signal dropped a number of times, and there are reports from some websites claiming the same issue — hopefully this is something that will be fixed in a future software update. I’m not dinging Verizon, though; it’s the first to roll-out such a high-speed network and there are bound to be small hiccups along the way.

Battery Life

The DROID Charge moniker is quite fitting as I found the 1,600mAh needed frequent charging under heavy 4G use. The phone offered up better battery life than the 4.5 hours Jonathan saw with the HTC ThunderBolt, but it still wasn’t great. Generally, I was able to go from about 7:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. with moderate usage on 4G.

If you need to save battery life, there’s an option under wireless network settings to use a CDMA network only. This let me place voice calls and use Verizon’s slower 3G EV-DO network for surfing the Web. It’s definitely a welcome change over the HTC ThunderBolt, which didn’t ship with that option, although an app is now available. With 3G enabled, I was able to get through a full work day with moderate usage. Unfortunately there isn’t a widget to quickly switch networks out of the box; that would certainly be a welcome addition, but I’m sure Android enthusiasts will whip something up to fix that.

Camera

There’s an 8-megapixel camera on the DROID Charge, and I used it to shoot a bunch of photos during a trip to Florida. Images were crisp and colors looked true in daylight. Photos look amazing on the Super AMOLED Plus screen, and they just had a little distortion when I pushed them out to my 32-inch TV using HDMI-out. Pictures snapped under incandescent lights had a decidedly orange hue to them, but were otherwise perfectly acceptable.

A night shot taken of a neon sign, without the flash, had brighter colors bleeding into the darker areas of the screen, even with the camera’s anti-shake feature activated. In lower light conditions, the single-LED  flash did a decent job grabbing our subject, too, but I prefer the dual-LED option on phones like the HTC ThunderBolt.

I shot several HD video clips in 720p, but the DROID Charge defaults to a 720 x 480 resolution, so you’ll want to be sure to activate the HD option for better video. The frame rates were fluid when I played the video back on the Charge’s display, and I was just as blown away when I watched the same clip on my TV using HDMI-out. The video and audio were both crisp and I didn’t notice any pixelation, even when panning the video around. One issue I did run into, though, is that the phone required a reboot when I unplugged the HDMI cable and then tried to plug it back in again to resume playback.

Wrap-up

If you’re looking for 4G speeds, the Samsung DROID Charge is the phone to beat — but you’ll need deep pockets. Sure, I’d take HTC’s Sense user interface over TouchWiz any day, but the DROID Charge offers a few things HTC’s ThunderBolt doesn’t, namely a gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus display and an out-of-the-box option to turn off 4G to save on battery life, which meant I was able to get through a full day with moderate usage when I didn’t need to surf the Web at blazing fast speeds.

The DROID Charge is priced at $299, which is $50 more expensive than its only 4G LTE competitor, the ThunderBolt. That’s for good reason, however. It offers better battery life, a killer display, clearer phone calls, and a much less bulky design — easily worth the $50 difference. Sure, Verizon has a number of new 4G LTE smartphones coming down the pipeline, but if you want in on the carrier’s blazing fast data now, the DROID Charge is your best bet, hands-down.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500, an Android 3.0 (Honeycomb tablet) with a 10.1-inch display, is now available from Best Buy for $450. The Iconia Tab A500 — not to be confused with the Iconia Tab A501 headed to AT&T — is powered by a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor clocked at 1GHz, offers 16GB of onboard storage, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and up to 8 hours of battery life. It also comes with 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, and a microSD card slot that supports up to 32GB of additional storage. Best Buy says the tablet will ship from its warehouse within 1 business day, and we confirmed that local stores in New York City are stocking the device.

[Via Mobile Burn]

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It looks like PC manufacturer Lenovo is planning to throw its hat into the tablet ring, and a detailed report filed by This is my next explains what the Chinese OEM may have up its sleeve. According to the blog, Lenovo is working on a 10.1-inch, NVIDIA Tegra 2 powered slate that packs quite a punch. The device, which will run Google’s Honeycomb operating system, will come in one of three now-standard tablet storage configurations: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB and has a target release date of July. The aforementioned 10.1-inch IPS window will boast as 1280 x 800 pixel resolution which will facilitate control of the tablet’s hardware features: 3G and 4G cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, full-sized SD card slot, HDMI-out, and a laptop-like docking station. The tablet, like much of Lenovo’s hardware, seems to be geared towards the corporate buyer — there are slides dedicated to Cisco, McAfee and Symantec integration and security. But if we know our readers (and we think we do), there will be a few of you adding this tablet to your technology war chest upon its release.

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LG officially announced the long rumored LG Optimus Big on Friday, making it the Korean firm’s largest Android smartphone to date. The Optimus Big runs Android 2.2, sports a 4.3-inch Nova Display, and is equipped with an HDMI-out port, a 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and a 1,500 mAh battery. The NOVA Display is the star of that spec sheet though, and we loved the rich colors and deep blacks when we first saw it on the Optimus Black. The Optimus Big will make its debut on Korea’s LG U+ on April 28th and there’s no word if this beast will swim itself to the United States — but we’d welcome it with open arms if it did.

[Via Pocketnow.com]

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