Video calling has been extremely slow to catch on, but adoption is finally set to explode according to a recent forecast from NPD Group-owned market research firm In-Stat. According to the firm’s figures, 63 million people could be counted as active video calling users in 2010. In 2015, that number is expected to balloon to 380 million. “While the mobile arena is relatively nascent, it has fueled much of the growth in usage over the course of 2011,” In-Stat analyst Amy Cravens said in a statement. PCs will remain the most popular platform for video calling, but the technology’s expansion to smartphones, tablets and even televisions will also play a role in accelerating adoption. Connectivity is key on mobile devices though, and smartphone-based video calling experiences leave much to be desired due to shaky cellular connections. The rapid rollout of 4G LTE networks around the world should help to improve the mobile video calling experience dramatically, however. NPD In-Stat’s full press release follows below.

Video Calling to Surpass 380 Million Active Users by 2015, Says NPD In-Stat

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., November 29, 2011—Video calling is a communication service that has become fairly common in the PC market but has recently expanded to other screens, including mobile devices and TVs. While many of the players cross over between screen-types, the dynamics in each market are quite unique. Still, all are expected to experience significant growth. New NPD In-Stat (www.instat.com) research forecasts the total number of active video calling users will surpass 380 million in 2015, a monumental increase from 63 million in 2010.

“While the mobile arena is relatively nascent, it has fueled much of the growth in usage over the course of 2011,” according to Amy Cravens, Senior Analyst. “The entry of players with significant market presence has been critical in pushing mass adoption in mobile video calling. Currently, the living room market is still quite small; however, In-Stat expects to see significant developments in this market in the coming years.”

Key analysis includes:

• PC video calling will continue to account for the majority of video calling minutes throughout the forecast period.
• Skype is the market leader in video calling solutions across screen types: PC, mobile, and TV.
• Integration with other applications, particularly social networking, will be a significant market driver.
• Active usage rates vary significantly across screen types.

New NPD In-Stat research, Video Calling Across Screen Types: PC, Mobile, and Living Room (#IN1105253MCM), provides an end-to-end review of the video calling market from screen type through end-user survey results of usage data. In addition, this latest research provides the following:

• Consumer usage patterns by screen type including adoption, frequency, and duration of call
• Relevance of distribution models by screen type and significant relationships
• Analysis of market drivers and barriers
• Impact of other communication applications, such as social networking,
• Forecast of active users and minutes of usage by screen type and region
• Profile of leading and emerging video calling providers including, AOL AV, Apple FaceTime, fring, Google Chat and Hangouts, Microsoft Kinect, ooVoo, Raketu, Skype, and Tango.

Facebook on Wednesday took the wraps off of the latest major addition to the world’s most popular social network: video chat. Through a partnership with Skype, Facebook video users will now be able to video chat with each other through the company’s new service… for free. The service works just like Skype’s standard video calling service, but video calls can be initiated right from within the Facebook website with a simple click. “A few months ago, we started working with Skype to bring video calling to Facebook,” Facebook wrote on its blog. “We built it right into chat, so all your conversations start from the same place. To call your friend, just click the video call button at the top of your chat window.” Facebook video calling will roll out to all users over the next few weeks.

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Skype announced on Wednesday that its Android application now supports video calling on select devices. The application is particularly attractive because it allows mobile users to connect with other users on Mac, Windows, TV, iOS, or other Android devices. Skype says the app was built with a complete new redesign, too, which includes a new main menu, easier contact navigation, quick access to your profile, and more. There’s even a new “mood” message box that allows you to show what you’re up to or how you’re feeling. Skype for Android requires Android 2.3 and above, as well as a front-facing camera for video chat. It currently supports the HTC Desire S, the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, the Sony Ericsson Xperia pro, and the Google Nexus S. Skype says it also has plans to roll out support for additional handsets in the near future. Hit the jump for a video demo of the new client in action.

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Research In Motion on Monday announced a new video chat application and service for its PlayBook tablet. The announcement, which came from the company’s BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, marks the addition of another service that likely should have been available on the device at launch last month, but may have been omitted due to the company’s rush to release the device. The video chat app itself looks like it covers most of the core video calling functionality users might desire, such as one-click calling, incoming call notifications, picture-in-picture so users can see their own feed in a small window while the other chatter’s feed displays full-screen, and the ability to swap between the PlayBook’s front-facing camera and its rear camera. RIM’s video chat app fro the BlackBerry PlayBook will be available for free in BlackBerry App World beginning May 3rd. Hit the jump for RIM’s full press release.

RIM Announces New Video Chat Application for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet

Allows BlackBerry PlayBook users to easily share special moments with friends and family

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the availability of the BlackBerry® PlayBookTM Video Chat application – an easy and fun way for friends and family to place and receive video calls between BlackBerry® PlayBookTM tablets over an internet connected Wi-Fi® network.

“BlackBerry is a renowned mobile communication solution for connecting users to the people and information that matter most throughout their day,” said Tom Goguen, VP, Collaboration and Social Networking at Research In Motion (RIM). “With the BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat application we are excited to be enabling our customers to share important moments and events with family and friends via video calls. With the BlackBerry PlayBook’s high-resolution video cameras and stunning display, a Video Chat call is the next best thing to being there.”

Key features of the PlayBook Video Chat application include:

• One-Click Video and Voice over Wi-Fi Calls – with just one click users can make a call from their Video Chat contact list, log of recent calls or simply by entering the BBID email address of the person they want to call.
• Incoming Call Notifications – users will receive a notification pop-up when a new video call comes in, allowing them to accept the call as either a video or voice call, or decline the call. For those quiet moments – such as when while watching a movie or playing a game -users will also have the ability to simply set the “Do Not Disturb” option and the BlackBerry PlayBook will automatically ignore all incoming calls.
• Powerful In-Call Functions – by using the picture-in-picture function users can easily preview their own video image prior to placing the call in order to see what will be displayed on the other end. They can also easily switch cameras from front to rear so their friends can see what they are seeing, and for private moments users can mute/unmute audio or make or take calls using voice only.
• Friends List – BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat comes complete with a Friends List for maintaining your favorite contacts. A picture can easily be added to a contact to personalize the entry and a Call Log makes it simple to keep track of received and missed calls.

The BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat application will be showcased this week at BlackBerry World 2011 (www.blackberryworld.com) in Orlando FL. It is expected to be available on May 3 and will be distributed to existing BlackBerry PlayBook customers through an over-the-air software update and will also be available on BlackBerry App WorldTM.

With the ThunderBolt, HTC has delivered yet another “first 4G smartphone” following its EVO 4G for Sprint (and the often forgotten MAX 4G introduced in 2008). It’s the first handset to run on Verizon’s brand new 4G LTE network, and it’s an Android smartphone powerhouse that is easily the fastest smartphone on the planet in terms of data speeds. That’s not to say the device is perfect, however. The release of Verizon’s first 4G handset was pushed back several times, spanning almost two months, and I’m not so sure all of the wrinkles were ironed out even after all of the delays. But the ThunderBolt is finally here and I’ve spent some quality time with it over the past week or so. Read on to see if this is not only the fastest smartphone on the planet, but one of the best as well.

Hardware / Build quality

The HTC ThunderBolt packs a punch in the specifications department. In addition to being the first Verizon handset to be released with 4G LTE compatibility, the ThunderBolt stays at the top of the smartphone pack with competitive specs like a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 4.3-inch Super LCD display, an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, and more.

As far as the build quality of the HTC ThunderBolt is concerned, it’s a tank — but I’ll get to that part in a moment. The ThunderBolt seems to be very well manufactured in typical HTC style; it feels very sturdy, durable, and solid. There are no creaks, no parts wiggling, and nothing I could conceivably see being an issue down the road with normal use and wear and tear.

The device is, however, extremely large and heavy. It’s one of the widest, thickest, and heaviest smartphones on the market. It absolutely dwarfs an iPhone 4, for instance, and it could pretty easily could swallow a T-Mobile myTouch 4G in a couple bites. It doesn’t necessarily feel as thick as it looks thanks to the heavily tapered edges, but some slick tapering can’t do anything to mask the phone’s heft. Another thing that just might be a personal niggle is the kickstand… I mean, I just can’t honestly ever see myself using it in any scenario. As heavy as the ThunderBolt is, I would like to have seen HTC strip out as much as possible, and the kickstand definitely could have been stripped.

The design identity of the ThunderBolt is typical HTC — literally, aside from little changes here and there, one HTC device could pass for another most of the time these days. The ThunderBolt specifically doesn’t seem to offer much in the way of differentiation beyond its bulk, at least, and its design seems dated. Compared to, say, the aluminum unibody HTC Inspire 4G, the ThunderBolt just feels kind of last year. That, coupled with the viciously thick and heavy body makes it hard to swallow from a hardware perspective alone. Thankfully that’s not all a smartphone is nowadays.

Display

The 4.3-inch display on the HTC ThunderBolt is beautiful. The viewing angles are here are straight up incredible — noticeably better than the HTC EVO’s screen. Colors are very rich, whites are bright, and text is pretty crisp. With such a big display, however, the 800 x 480-pixel WVGA resolution shows its shortcomings. This is a common issue among devices with larger displays: since they spread the same number of pixels over a larger surface compared to modern sub-4-inch displays, the result is a less impressive picture. The ThunderBolt’s display is still great, but I would have loved to see one of HTC’s qHD displays on here.

Software

The ThunderBolt runs the latest version of HTC’s Sense UI and for all intents and purposes, this is about the same experience as any other HTC Android handset released in the past year or so. There’s really no need to get into this for the millionth time — it’s Froyo with HTC Sense. We should all know it very well by now. If you’re a fan of HTC’s customized UI, you’ll be pleased to know that the experience is still tip top, and coupled with LTE data, a 1GHz processor and 768MB of RAM, it’s speedy and responsive as well. If you’re an Android purist on the other hand, you’re going to have some major issues.

Noticeably absent from the ThunderBolt is the much-touted Skype app with support for video calling. We’re not sure why it wasn’t included on the ThunderBolt, though there are most certainly other video calling apps available for download in the Android Market. It would have been great to have some clarification on why Skype didn’t make it on here though, considering how popular the service is compared to other video chat solutions.

4G LTE

In a word? Wow. As soon as I picked up my review unit from Verizon’s headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ, I was in 4G LTE heaven. Heading back toward New York City, I was cruising along at download speeds of around 15Mbps. As I set the device up, all of my Android apps reappeared on the ThunderBolt almost immediately with no effort from my end. Web pages load at desktop-like speeds in the Android browser and apps that move data seemed to breathe sighs of relief compared to how they run on other Android devices. I really hope Verizon’s LTE network can maintain this level of performance once it actually has a fair amount of traffic on it, but since 4G is a much different beast than 3G, I’m confident Verizon’s 4G network will maintain a high level of performance.

Things look great over the ThunderBolt’s Wi-Fi hotspot feature as well, with no speed degradation that I could see. In fact, I was continually hitting speeds above 20Mbps with my MacBook Air connected to the ThunderBolt. It is pretty incredible to think that this is over a cellular connection, especially for any of us who remember using tedious WAP pages on a tiny black and white cell phone display in years past. Verizon’s 4G LTE service is truly the next generation of fast — it’s easily the fastest cellular network I’ve ever tested.

Phone calls / Speakerphone

Voice quaily is decent on the ThunderBolt, but not great. As far as the ear speaker is concerned, I’m not a fan of what HTC delivered on its handsets in this regard recently, and that includes the EVO 4G. These phones are always uncomfortable to talk with, and some even sound like you’re talking on a tin can. Unfortunately, the ThunderBolt falls into that category for me. I would have loved the ear speaker to be a tad lounder in certain environments, and additionally, calls just didn’t sound that clear to me. Callers on the other end weren’t overly impressed with the quality of voice calls either, and some went as far as to use particularly colorful language to describe the audio quality. I’ll spare you the details.

Another problem comes into play when speakerphone is enabled, and this is an area where HTC typically shines so I was disappointed. When the loudspeaker is used while the kickstand is closed, the audio becomes slightly muffled. It’s not severe, but it is something to take note of and something that definitely annoyed me. It’s clear enough in most cases, but in noisy environments I found myself wishing I could eke a little more out of it. Callers also told me that I sounded a little “staticky” while on speakerphone, but I was still audible and I was never asked to speak up or repeat something I said.

Talk and Surf

Uh oh. AT&T has really focused on the remarkable capability its phones possess that allows them to make voice calls and move data simultaneously. Verizon Wireless phones have historically not had this ability. I would argue that “talk and surf” capability is hardly as important as a vocal minority makes it seem to be, but that’s neither here nor there. The bottom line is that AT&T’s advertising firm now has its work cut out for it.

The HTC ThunderBolt is able to send and receive data and carry voice calls simultaneously. It the first of many Verizon Wireless smartphones that will be able to carry voice calls while moving data, and it can do so over Verizon’s new 4G LTE network as well as its older 3G EVDO network. I tested this capability a great deal over the past week, and it has worked flawlessly for me. Whether connected to 3G or 4G, apps and web pages on the ThunderBolt continue to hustle along while voice calls are being made. I’m not sure if this new technology plays a role in the noticeably degraded audio quality I noted above, but the functionality is there so and many users will be elated.

Battery

The ThunderBolt’s battery is obviously a major point of discussion. How does the Verizon Wireless’ first 4G LTE smartphone do in the real world? Well, not that great to be honest — especially with a 1400 mAh battery. Over 3G, the ThunderBolt can easily power through a normal workday. On 4G, however, I couldn’t get more than around 4.5 hours of usage at best… a figure that is not at all acceptable to me.

What makes matters worse is the fact that 4G can’t be switched on and off by the user. There is no widget to disable LTE and there’s not even a menu setting you can check on and off to enable or disable 4G. While there is a method floating around to do this by entering into the phone’s field test mode, this doesn’t even come close to cutting it. While enthusiasts might be comfortable with a “hack” like this, the average consumer will never even know the option exists. Other 4G smartphones like the HTC EVO 4G and the Google Nexus S 4G have a simple widget that disables 4G, and it really helps with battery life. When users don’t have a need for speed, they should definitely have an easy way to turn LTE off and stretch out that puny battery.

Verizon has an extended 2750mAh battery that will effectively double the battery life of the ThunderBolt. To be honest, the extended battery adds so much extra thickness and weight to a phone that’s already way too thick and too heavy, there’s no way I would even consider using it regularly. Most people will likely feel the same way and a widget to disable 4G would have been a much cheaper and more user-friendly way to fix the battery life problem. I get that Verizon wants to deliver a consistant user experience that showcases its beastly new 4G network, but I don’t think a 4G widget would have detracted from that experience or confused anyone.

Conclusion

The HTC ThunderBolt is a phone from the future in many ways. It delivers the fastest internet speeds of any device I have ever tested (at least 2-3 times faster than anything else, in fact), and it runs on a very fast (and customized) version of Android to deliver great performance. In many ways, however, the ThunderBolt resembles phones from a year or two ago — in styling and in thickness and heft.

I’m not a fan of any smartphone that features a display beyond 4-inches, and the sheer thickness and weight of the ThunderBolt makes it a non-starter for a role as my daily driver. In addition, the poor battery performance makes it a tough sell. It’s awesome that I can use the ThunderBolt to email presentations, download files and and stream video at ridiculous cellular data speeds, but all that means nothing if my battery dies after just a few hours of usage. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the HTC ThunderBolt isn’t the right device for you, however.

My advice is to definitely play with one in person at a Verizon Wireless store to see if the device is your perfect Android match. If you can look past the poor battery life — or if you don’t mind reinforcing your pants pockets so that the added weight and size of the extended battery doesn’t rip right through them — then you’ll find yourself with an amazingly fast smartphone packed with all the bells and whistles you need.

Remember your first Sidekick? That black and white screen… but oh, the AOL Instant Messanger. T-Mobile is back at it with a brand new Sidekick, though quite a few things have noticeably changed. For starters, this isn’t your younger cousins’ Sidekick Slide — Microsoft-owned Danger is nowhere to be found on here — Google’s Android OS powers the Samsung-manufactured device, and it’s pretty feature packed. The new Sidekick 4G rocks a 3.5″ display, support for T-Mobile’s 21Mbps 4G HSPA + network, a 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird CPU, front-facing video camera, signature Sidekick QWERTY keyboard with “pop-tilt” hinge, and is preloaded Twitter and Facebook applications. Two color choices, matte black and pearl magenta will be available from T-Mobile when the device launches “later this spring”. Pricing has not yet been announced. Full press release after the jump!

T-Mobile Sidekick Is Reborn

New Sidekick 4G is a Lightning-Fast and Stylish Communication Hub, Delivering Evolved Messaging and Entertainment at 4G Speeds

BELLEVUE, Wash., and DALLAS — March 15, 2011 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.,1 today unveiled the new T-Mobile Sidekick® 4GTM by Samsung. The new AndroidTM-powered smartphone pays tribute to its heritage with its stylish good looks and a killer keyboard while redefining messaging and upgrading to 4G speeds. One of T-Mobile’s fastest smartphones running on America’s Largest 4G NetworkTM, the new Sidekick 4G is capable of delivering theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps.

The T-Mobile Sidekick has long been known for its innovative and distinctive design, and the Sidekick 4G does not disappoint. The 3.5-inch display marks the first Sidekick to feature a touch screen and its sturdy “pop-tilt” hinge reveals the previously acclaimed, five-row QWERTY keyboard that has long been a Sidekick hallmark and the reason behind its status as an exceptional messaging device.

The new Sidekick 4G leverages its quality keyboard along with Sidekick Group TextTM and Cloud TextTM to redefine messaging. Sidekick’s Group Text feature lets customers create, name, manage and participate in reply-all group text conversations, enabling them to lead their network in conversation and social planning. Group Text breathes new life into one of the most popular forms of messaging allowing Sidekick 4G customers to initiate and share the benefit of the application with SMS-capable devices from flip phones to smartphones. In addition, Cloud Text provides the option to text with friends or groups across platforms, whether from the comfort of their PC’s large screen and keyboard, or from their new Sidekick 4G.

“Backed by the faster speeds on T-Mobile’s 4G network, the new Sidekick 4G offers customers both speed and style,” said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “We’ve reinvented the messaging experience that made the Sidekick such an iconic device, and supercharged it with communication and entertainment experiences that take full advantage of our 4G network.”

Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile, said, “We are proud that T-Mobile selected Samsung to help create the next-generation Sidekick and carry the iconic Sidekick brand and device to the next level. Samsung redesigned the new Sidekick 4G with our best-in-class hardware, combined with T-Mobile’s 4G network speeds, the Android operating system, and unique messaging and entertainment features, to make this a perfect match for both loyal Sidekick fans and new Sidekick owners.

The new Sidekick 4G also comes preloaded with Facebook® and TwitterTM applications, and provides easy interaction with customers’ social networks by allowing them to update their status from the notification pane and browse their feeds from the home screen. They have the ability to sync their social network contacts to the phone’s address book, which lets them post to their friends’ walls or comment on their status. And multitasking is easier than ever with the Sidekick 4G’s jump key, an easy-to-access physical button that enables customers to quickly switch between active applications, even during a phone call, or assign keyboard shortcuts to their favorite functions or applications.

In addition to a communication hub, the new Sidekick 4G is now an entertainment hub. With speeds as fast as home broadband, enjoying a favorite TV show or surfing the Web on the go is a breeze. Sidekick’s Media Room features one place to enjoy music, videos, movies, YouTube®, T-Mobile TV® and Slacker Radio, and to search for content regardless of the source. The integrated media player, also accessible through the Media Room, spans across all media including music, video and Internet radio. Customers also have the option to rent or purchase their favorite movies and TV programs directly from the Samsung Media Hub, which offers a robust collection of movie and next-day TV show titles from CBS, Fox, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, Paramount and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. Customers now have the option to place Media Hub charges directly to their monthly T-Mobile service bill.

Complementing the messaging communication features, the new Sidekick 4G is equipped with a VGA front-facing camera and pre-installed T-Mobile Video Chat powered by QikTM, to ensure you are always present with your social circle. Powered by Android 2.2 (Froyo) and a speedy 1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, so consumers can keep up with their favorite blogs while on the move, search for the must-try dinner spots and map the way to their next destination — all at blazing fast speeds. The new smartphone will also offer dynamic media features and integrated GoogleTM services, including GmailTM, Google MapsTM and access to thousands of applications on Android MarketTM.

The new Sidekick 4G also comes equipped with DriveSmartTM from T-Mobile, a first-of-its kind service from a U.S. carrier, that helps prevent distracted driving. When initiated, DriveSmart Basic provides automatic incoming call and message management, sending a customizable note to callers and senders, letting them know that the recipient is driving and will respond when it’s safe. DriveSmart Plus offers the same functionality, with the added capability to automatically activate when the handset is in a moving vehicle, as well as advanced parental controls for enhanced peace of mind when teen drivers are behind the wheel.

Offered exclusively to T-Mobile customers, the new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G is expected to be available later this spring in two stylish colors — matte black or pearl magenta. Customers can visit http://sidekick.t-mobile.com/ for more information.

ViewSonic announced on Monday the immediate availability of its unique dual-boot tablet, the ViewPad 10. First announced this past November, the ViewPad 10 is an Atom-based tablet that features a 10-inch 1024 x 600-pixel touchscreen display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat. Most notably, however, it features a dual-boot configuration that allows users to boot either Android 1.6 or Windows 7 on demand. ”The lines of professional and personal life are blurring, which creates a need for devices that are suited for both sides,” said Adam Hanin, vice president of marketing for ViewSonic Americas, in a statement. “The ViewPad 10 delivers just that by enabling users to merge business productivity with personal enjoyment anywhere, anytime.” The ViewPad 10 is available immediately for $599 (16GB SSD, Windows 7 Home Premium) or $679 (32GB SSD, Windows 7 Professional). Hit the break for ViewSonic’s full press release.

ViewSonic Delivers the Best of Both Worlds With Immediate Availability of Its ViewPad® 10 Tablet

10.1″ Dual-Boot Tablet Brings to Customers a New Level of Convenience

WALNUT, CA–(Marketwire – March 7, 2011) - ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced North American availability of the ViewPad 10. Giving users a choice between Windows^® 7 and Google Android™ within the same device, this 10.1″ dual-boot tablet is ideal for maximizing business productivity alongside entertainment.

“The lines of professional and personal life are blurring, which creates a need for devices that are suited for both sides,” said Adam Hanin, vice president of marketing for ViewSonic Americas. “The ViewPad 10 delivers just that by enabling users to merge business productivity with personal enjoyment anywhere, anytime. We are proud of our 10-year tablet history and are dedicated to further extending our tablet product portfolio to meet every individual need.”

Packed with a high speed Intel^® Atom™ 1.66GHz processor and integrated 2GB of memory, the ViewPad 10 is a powerhouse of mobile computing. Built with a 1024×600 panel with LED backlight technology partnered with capacitive multi-touch functionality, the device provides a crystal clear viewing experience, even when multitasking across several applications.

The ViewPad 10 enables consumers to take Windows on the road, allowing access to Flash-based content and programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat, wherever they are. Plus social media applications like Facebook and Twitter, sharing photos and surfing the Web through Google’s Android 1.6 platform are only a switch away, making this device the perfect companion for those looking to work, play and share on the go. Throw in the built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 1.3 megapixel built-in front camera, the ViewPad 10 is fully optimized to keep users connected.

To ensure the ViewPad 10 grows with each person’s individual needs, the device offers expandable memory options via a micro SD card slot for up to 32GB of additional space. The dual-boot ViewPad 10 is now available — with Android 1.6 and either Windows 7 Home Premium (with a 16GB SSD hard drive) or Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD hard drive) for respective ESPs of $599 and $679.

Apple’s latest media-rattling event has come and gone, and we’re now left to sort through all that magic and focus on the product itself. We also need to process any tidbits we might have missed amid the fracas. The star of the show was Apple’s new iPad 2, of course, and initial reactions are obviously overwhelmingly positive. In the end, we’re looking at a thin, sleek, sexy new tablet that will obviously sell like hotcakes. But is Apple’s new iPad 2 really the iPad it should have been? Hit the break for several key areas where Apple’s new iPad falls short.

New year, same screen

The display on the new iPad 2 is, unfortunately, the exact same resolution as last year’s model. We know users are going to need a reason to buy the third-generation iPad when it launches next year — or even later this year, if rumors pan out — but technology moves fast enough that a bump in display quality would have made the new iPad 2 infinitely more appealing and still left plenty of room for improvement with the iPad 3. Looking at the iPad display next to the iPhone 4′s Retina Display is, plainly put, sad. But unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for the third-generation model to see a significant bump in screen resolution.

What’s so mega about those pixels?

With all that space on the supersized iPad body, I would definitely have liked to see an amazing new rear camera on the iPad 2. Snapping pictures and recording videos with the 9.5-inch-tall iPad 2 is going to be ridiculously awkward at best, and Apple could have at least done users the service of making the resulting images and videos stunning. In the same vein, video calls made via FaceTime could have yielded a much better experience if the front-facing camera raised the bar rather than sneaking beneath it with VGA resolution. I expected more.

It needs more G’s

It’s 2011. Sprint has a live WiMAX network, Verizon Wireless has a live LTE network, and AT&T will begin rolling out its LTE network soon enough. 4G is so important, apparently, that AT&T and T-Mobile found it necessary to rebrand their 3G networks as 4G. Yet the new iPad is only compatible with 3G cellular networks. Apple should be ahead of the curve here, or at least on the curve. Instead, the new iPad 2 is behind the curve. Snoop knows what I’m talking about.

It’s still just a toy

Apple’s iPad, and consumer tablets in general, are still just toys. Fun toys, of course, but toys nevertheless. Simply put, they can’t replace any consumer electronics device that was on the market before Apple kicked off the tablet craze last year. They can perform plenty of tasks quite well, but not better than the other device they might hope to replace. When it comes to watching movies, a TV is best. When it comes to working, a laptop is best. When it comes to browsing or sending emails on the go, a smartphone is best. And so on. I would like to have seen Apple introduce some compelling new use cases for the iPad — some innovative new functionality that makes the iPad “the best” at something. As it stands, Apple’s second-generation tablet is still only best at being a sexy, expensive, ultimately expendable toy.

With Apple’s iPad media event only a day away, many people are asking just what Apple is expected to announce tomorrow. We have heard rumors and seen purported next-generation iPad parts leak practically since right after the first iPad launched. Thanks to third-party case manufacturers, we have also been given renders and even physical mockups of the forthcoming iPad 2. We’ve tried to separate the nonsense from the plausible, and here’s what we’re expecting from tomorrow’s event:

• A much thinner and lighter iPad. We’re talking seriously thin.
• A slightly thinner bezel around the iPad’s display, making the device’s footprint just a tad bit smaller.
• A dual-core Apple processor, possibly named A5
• 512MB of RAM
• A front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for FaceTime HD
• A rear-facing 2-megapixel camera
• Support for AT&T and Verizon Wireless networks out of the box
• Photo Booth for iPad
• Availability within 1-2 weeks, new price points starting at $399 for the entry-level Wi-Fi model
• Announcement and preview of iOS 5 to be released in the summer

We’ll know definitively tomorrow just after 1:00PM ET, but in the meantime, chime in with your own predictions and wishes, alright?

Apple’s FaceTime video chat service for Mac exited beta on Thursday to coincide with the release of the company’s refreshed MacBook Pro line. It also comes bearing a new price tag: 99¢. FaceTime is Apple’s branded video calling service that allows Mac, iPhone, iPod touch and soon, iPad users to make video calls for free over land-based Internet connections. The service is free to use and the associated app is free on Apple’s iOS-powered devices, but now it carries a small, one-time fee on existing Mac computers. The app is free and pre-installed on Apple’s new MacBook Pro models, however.

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Skype announced Thursday that it will acquire mobile video software and service provider Qik. Unconfirmed rumors suggest the deal will be worth approximately $100 million. Qik specializes in mobile video broadcasting and video calling services, the latter being an area that Skype has been particularly interested in lately. Qik emerged among a group of similar services but broke out in 2010 thanks to carrier and manufacturer deals that helped net the service 4.4 million new subscribers over the course of the year. Qik’s bread and butter is currently the Android OS, though it also offers clients for other platforms including iOS and Symbian. “The Qik team has delivered exceptional video experiences for its mobile partners and millions of end users across a range of devices,” said Skype CEO Tony Bates in a statement. “Qik’s deep engineering capabilities and strong mobile relationships will be an impressive complementary fit with Skype.” Hit the break for Skype’s full press release.

Skype To Acquire Qik

Combined companies bring deeper video capabilities across devices

LUXEMBOURG, 6 January 2011 — Skype today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services that enable individuals to capture, instantly share and preserve great moments on video from anywhere. Qik has 60 employees, and is headquartered in Redwood City, California and has an office in Moscow, Russia. The transaction is expected to close in January 2011. Terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.

Qik was founded in 2006 and offers innovative and flexible solutions to capture and share video with anyone across mobile devices, the web, and desktop platforms. Videos can be shared in real time or stored so moments can be viewed later, allowing for video messaging, sharing and archiving. The Qik service is available on over 200 mobile phones across the Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms, and comes pre-loaded on a wide variety of mobile handsets through partnerships with leading handset manufacturers and carriers.

Both Skype and Qik have a common purpose of enriching communications and sharing with video, across any device. The acquisition of Qik helps accelerate Skype’s leadership in video by adding recording, sharing and storing capabilities to Skype’s product portfolio. Through this acquisition, Skype will also be able to leverage the engineering expertise that is behind Qik’s Smart Streaming™ technology, which optimizes video transmission over wireless networks.

“The Qik team has delivered exceptional video experiences for its mobile partners and millions of end users across a range of devices,” said Tony Bates, Skype’s Chief Executive Officer. “Skype’s software enables an estimated 25 percent of the world’s international long distance voice calling minutes*, and approximately 40 percent of those Skype-to-Skype calls are happening over video. Qik’s deep engineering capabilities and strong mobile relationships will be an impressive complementary fit with Skype.”

Together, Skype and Qik will focus on providing a richer, more integrated experience that will allow people globally to share experiences in real-time video across different platforms, as well as, store those moments so they can be viewed anytime later.

“Qik has worked very hard to solve complex problems that allow millions of people everyday to take advantage of sharing their lives with those people who are most important to them,” said Vijay Tella, Chief Executive Officer of Qik. “Joining Skype allows Qik’s team to unite with Skype’s talented team to develop new and innovative products for our customers and partners.”

* 2010 TeleGeography Research issued on January 6, 2011; 24.7% of total international PSTN and international Skype-to-Skype calling minutes.

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Google just dropped this bomb of a video on its Android YouTube page, and it is the first real look of the Android 3.0 operating system, known as Honeycomb. From the video we can see that Honeycomb is indeed only for tablets and not for smartphones due to the usage of the “Entire for Tablets” phrase. Google Talk video calling is a go, but the biggest change is obviously the redone user interface which has carried over Gingerbread’s darker, more polished and professional looking changes into what looks to be a very sophisticated tablet experience. Oh, and yes, there is built in video calling through Google Talk. Video after the break!

To celebrate the arrival of Skype’s mobile video chat on the iPhone 4, today’s Throwback Thursday looks back fondly on another ultimately fruitless attempt to popularize video calling: the AT&T VideoPhone 2500. AT&T had swung and missed with video calling before, but the introduction of the VideoPhone 2500 in 1992 would be the home run the company had been waiting for. Costing just $1,599.99 per phone or $1,449.99 each if you bought two or more, this puppy was going to bring video calling to the eager masses. Grandparents would be able to see their precious little grandchildren from across the country, workaholic dads would be able to video-call their kids before bedtime, tweens would be able to take sexting to the next uncomfortable level… wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little. But alas, no one wanted to pay an arm and a leg for a video phone, no one wanted to cough up between $30 and $90 each month for video calling, and in the end, no one was really interested in the service at all once the novelty wore off — just like we’re seeing today with mobile video chat.

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

Here it is ladies and gentlemen, the heir apparent to the myTouch 3G throne and T-Mobile’s second HSPA+ handset, the myTouch 4G. The new device, which is manufactured by HTC, has all the trimmings of a flagship device: 1GHz processor, front and rear facing cameras, vivid touchscreen display, and, depending on whom you ask, a 4G radio. The myTouch 4G is getting the lion’s share of T-Mobile’s ad buys these days, but how does the handset perform when put to the test by your friends at BGR? Hit the jump to find out.

The Inside

While the first iteration of the myTouch handset — the myTouch 3G — was a solid device, it certainly was not one you could have considered a flagship. However, even with the presence of the G2 and HD7 in its handset lineup, the 4G looks to be the T-Mobile’s franchise device. Combine the advertisement blitz with the device’s spec sheet… and we think it’s fair to say that the mT4G is the S-Class of Magenta’s offerings.

Let’s go over some raw specs. The myTouch 4G comes standard with a 1GHz, second generation Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 Processor; 3.8-inch TFT display with an 800 x 480 pixel resolution; 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, face finder, digital zoom, and the ability to record 720p, HD video at 30 frames per second; front-facing VGA camera; 768 MB RAM; 4GB of internal storage; an included 8GB microSD card (capable of expanding to 32GB); Wi-Fi b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1+ERD; AGPS; and a 1400mAh battery. This impressive package weights in at just 5.4 ounces stands 4.8-inches tall and is 0.43-inches thick.

The myTouch 4G runs the Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system and is skinned with T-Mobile’s myTouch UI. The overlay is a mash-up of several HTC Sense elements and a number of T-Mobile tweaks that, for the most part, do not hinder the phone’s performance. If you’re an Android purist, and can only tolerate handsets running un-modified versions of Google’s mobile OS, you may not enjoy the myTouch experience. For the majority of consumers, however, we feel the myTouch will do just fine. With T-Mobile’s UI comes the ability to change profiles, set screen lock timeouts, link contacts, and more. A lot of the “upsides” of the device we’ll highlight later in the review are a direct byproduct of the myTouch overlay… so we really can’t stay too many bad things about it.

The Outside

The myTouch 4G really is, in our opinion, quite a looker. The device is available in four different colors – black, white, red, and plum – and feels incredibly natural in one’s hand.

On the lower portion of the device’s front are the three Android keys: home, menu, and back. The fourth key, which is typically a search key on other Android handsets, has been replaced with a “Genius” button. The four keys sit just below the screen and are physical keys (not soft keys) that are beveled with rounded edges; the keys feel and function perfectly. Centered below the buttons is an optical track-pad. Just like the BlackBerry Bold 9700, the track-pad can navigate around the OS, scroll through webpages or emails, and, when depressed, select UI elements. We didn’t find ourselves using the track-pad for navigation very often, but it makes editing text infinitely easier. Tap the screen to get the cursor in the general area then slide your thumb left or right over the track-pad to zero in on what needs to be edited. Perfection.

On the upper section of the device is a centered earpiece (duh!) that is flanked on the left and right by an LED notification light and the front facing camera, respectively. The right side of the device is home to the dedicated two-stage camera button and the left side contains a volume up-down rocker, micro-USB port, and docking station contact-points. The top of the device houses the 3.5mm headphone jack and a flush-mounted sleep/wake/power button; the bottom of the device is nearly void except for a pinhole for the device’s microphone. Both the volume up-down rocker and the power button sit flush to the device and are painted in your myTouch’s selected color; the dedicated camera button is raised, textured, and chrome colored. The back of the device has an LED flash, camera lens opening, and speaker grill.

Regardless of which myTouch color you chose, the front of the device looks exactly the same: all black. There is a dull-chrome bezel that wraps around the front touch panel that leads your eyes to the colored portion of the phone. We do have to give T-Mobile and HTC credit for the way the color flows on this particular piece of hardware; it complements the phone without being tacky or distracting. We might even be able to tolerate the plum version…. might. The part of the device that actually wears the color is the plastic casing that wraps around the top, bottom, and sides of the phone. The colored piece also wraps around the back of the handset and borders the battery cover and camera bezel. The battery cover is made of metal and the plastic camera/speaker bezel is painted with the same dull-chrome color that is used on the front of the device.

Now, above we mentioned plastic, and we know what you’re thinking: cheap. This is simply not the case. The device has an extremely solid feel and a really comfortable-to-hold form. It has a little bit of an iPhone 3GS feel to it – especially the white and black models – and that isn’t a bad thing. You really do feel like you’re palming a well-built, durable piece of hardware.

The Upside

Earlier in the review we told you that the myTouch UI brought some desirable features to the myTouch 4G that are not present in stock Android. These features include profiles, threaded email, and security timeouts.

Profiles are something that have been around forever but are missing from stock Android and iOS. Currently, RIM’s BlackBerry OS and Nokia’s Symbian are the only two major players that utilize profiles as part of their mobile OS and we’re not really sure why. For us, profiles make life easier so we’re happy to see them in the myTouch 4G. The device allows you to edit/choose between four pre-configured profiles — Standard, KidZone, Home, and Work. With profiles – referred to as myModes by T-Mobile – you can control your handset’s theme, wallpaper, lock wallpaper, ringtone, notification tone, email notifications, and call forwarding. The KidZone, Work, and Home profiles are preconfigured to have certain behaviors, but they all can be adjusted. The KidZone profile, for example, disables access to messaging, the dialer, and more in case you want to let a child play games on the phone – which we think is pretty neat. If none of the preconfigured options is what you’re looking for, or you want more than the four profiles, you are free to add them. The recently released DROID Pro also has profiles — thanks to the BLUR interface — and we hope this feature makes its way into stock Android at some point.

Mobile email is a big motivating factor for users to take the plunge and buy a smartphone, and the client on the myTouch 4G does not disappoint. The device uses the standard Gmail application to handle Google’s email implementation and uses a client similar to the one found on most HTC sets for Exchange, POP, and IMAP accounts. If you pin the “Mail” icon to one of your home screens, it live-updates with a magenta badge and white text (think iOS) displaying how many unread messages are sitting in your inbox. The client also offers several views: the standard inbox, a Favs view (to browse all the messages from contacts you’ve marked as favorites), an attachments view (to see all messages carrying a document payload), and a conversation view. For us, since we usually have an inbox full of related messages, the conversation view is super helpful. You can also flag Exchange email and move messages into any standard Exchange folder (Trash, Drafts, Sent, etc). The myTouch 4G also respected the fact that our Exchange administrator had configured a password requirement and prompted us to set a device password upon account configuration.

Battery life on the myTouch is very good. You can easily get 18 to 20 hours out of the battery with moderate to heavy use (not including tethering). The device has a feature called “fast boot” that is on by default. With fast boot enabled the device never actually fully powers down, instead it sort of hibernates. If you’re familiar with BlackBerrys then you’ll know what we’re talking about. When you turn the device off and power it back on, it boots in a matter of seconds, because the device was never really all the way shutdown in the first place. It is a great feature, especially if you want to turn your phone off in a meeting, but does tax the battery more than you’ll want it to if, for example, you turn the device off while you’re sleeping. Having the device off for 8 to 9 hours while we were catching some Z’s spent around 15% of the handset’s battery. We chose to turn the feature off and deal with a 45 second boot time. We like that the option is there, but it is just something to be mindful of as it is on by default. We managed to use our laptop tethered for just over three hours before the battery of the device fully discharged — which is right on par with other Android sets.

Other niceties included the ability to set a security timeout after the screen sleeps, the media room application for sharing digital content using DLNA, the SWYPE keyboard, carrier supported visual voicemail that is free, and the device’s ability to make calls using a connected Wi-Fi network. Call quality over both Wi-Fi and cellular is very good, no anomalies or hiccups to report and the speakerphone is on par with other HTC-manufactured handsets.

The Downside

There were several things about the handset that we didn’t really love and we thought we would point out. First and foremost: the camera. It really is just okay. HTC isn’t known for making the best smartphone shooters and they definitely aren’t doing anything to help break that notion with the 5 megapixel showing on the myTouch 4G. If you’re indoors pictures are blurry and grainy and it is really easy to get completely distorted pictures with very little camera shake. The 720p video the device takes is very good, but getting quality stills out of the myTouch proved to be a challenge.

Another odd issue we were having was slowness and lag when we connected a laptop via the device’s Wi-Fi hotspot feature. We could browse for 20 or 30 minutes at a reasonable pace — some fluctuation in speed but that is expected — but after 30 or 40 minutes the phone’s hotspot would become unresponsive. Once this happened we tried toggling the Wi-Fi hotspot functionality on and off but the only thing that seemed to remedy the issue was a reboot. We saw several tech bloggers throw out S.O.S.’s on Twitter — asking for T-Mobile’s APN addresses — that mentioned the spottiness of the service as well, so we’re pretty sure it wasn’t our device or our location at fault. We mucked around with the handset’s settings a bit and couldn’t really come up with a workable solution. Our connection speeds also topped out at just under 5Mbps even though we were testing in an HSPA+ market.

The third major disappointment was using video chat on the device. It’s just bad. There, we said it. We love the fact that you can utilize VC over your phone’s cellular data connection but even on Wi-Fi we found the audio and video to be choppy, delayed, and uninviting.

Some other annoyances include the fact that in order to switch keyboard layouts you don’t navigate to Settings > Language and Keyboard. Instead, you have to go to an editable text field, press and hold the screen, select text input, and pick a keyboard from there. SWYPE is on by default and it was several hours before we eventually stumbled upon the hidden setting. Not all that intuitive.

Peep, HTC’s Twitter client, is what the myTouch uses for Twitter contact-list synchronization, but you can’t directly access the program from the application menu (it has no icon). For this reason you’ll end up downloading the official Twitter client (which is better in our opinion) and have duplicate notifications until you remove your Twitter/Peep account from the phone’s list of accounts.

Also, the three buttons present at the bottom of all home screens – Phone, All Applications, and myFavs – are not customizable. We like having the phone button on the left (which it is) and the browser button on the right — a la Nexus One — but couldn’t make it happen.

The Bottom Line

Here’s the bottom line: the myTouch 4G is a great phone. It has a great build and feel, workable UI enhancements, and some awesome convenience features. Are the data speeds and video-calling capabilities – two of the features T-Mobile is marketing the hardest – the most amazing we’ve ever seen? Not really, but your mileage may vary.

At the end of the day if you’re a user looking for a smartphone to keep you organized on a network with affordable voice and data plan offerings we can highly recommend the myTouch 4G. If you’re a gadget nerd looking to replace your HTC EVO, keep on looking.

We’re at T-Mobile’s intimate myTouch event right now (we’re currently snuggling up with all four colors — white, black, red and purple), and here are our first-hand impressions:

• It feels good in the hand. The device is pretty slim, has a slight Android chin at the bottom, and all in all seems to be very solidly-built.
• The screen is beautiful, sharp and bright — but not as good as an AMOLED in our opinion.
• It rocks the myTouch UI that first appeared with the myTouch Slide, though it seems a bit more refined now.
• We’re currently watching Vincent from SlashGear and Sascha from PC Magazine try to establish a video call. It was unsuccessful at first, but it seems like they’re having way too much fun now that it’s working. Never mind, Sascha is yelling at the phone now.
• Watching a demo of the phone streaming video to a TV set was pretty cool. After some quick initial buffering, movies, photos and YouTube played effortlessly on the HDTV.

We’re pretty excited for the launch of the new myTouch. It’s packed with features and it nicely compliments T-Mobile’s stock Android G2 device as a younger-focused counterpart. Hit the jump for our full gallery, ok?

Click on over to our T-Mobile myTouch hands on gallery!