Is Verizon Testing iPads?

Verizon does not currently offer service for any Apple devices, but a new report suggests it might be at least testing one out.

The Boy Genius Report quoted Wednesday that according to one of its "highly placed sources," Verizon is testing the iPad on its network.

"We have been told that the model they are testing is a CDMA-compatible device, and while our source mentioned LTE in some capacity (possibly another model), we haven't been able to independently confirm that part of it," the BGR report says.

A Verizon spokesman said the company had no comment on the report.

Verizon is one of a few wireless networks that uses CDMA. AT&T is currently the only wireless operator in the U.S. that offers 3G service for the iPad, and it employs GSM technology. LTE (which stands for Long-Term Evolution), which several carriers including Verizon and AT&T are adopting, is a 4G technology that promises peak download speeds of at least 50Mbps.

It's important to remember that companies test devices all the time, and Verizon looking at how any device operates on its network does not necessarily mean it will offer it.

The timing of the source's tip to BGR is interesting, however: it comes the same day that AT&T announced it is changing its mobile-data plans, including the plan for the iPad. Instead of the original choice of $15 for 250MB per month and $30 for unlimited mobile-broadband use, AT&T now says iPad users can pay $15 for 200MB of data per month, or $25 for 2GB each month, with no unlimited-use option.

[via CNET]

Is Verizon Testing iPads?

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Android Tablets on Show by Foxconn and Hardkernel

Two 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet designs that run Google's mobile Android software are on display at the Computex electronics show in Taipei, one from Foxconn Technology and the other by Hardkernel.

The tablet from Foxconn is a reference design made to show vendors what kind of tablets could be put into production quickly, and uses Nvidia's Tegra chipset inside. Few details about the reference design were available. Foxconn is the trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry, the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronic devices.

The other tablet is a product from South Korea's Hardkernel named the Odroid-T, and uses a Samsung Electronics' S5PC110 1GHz chipset. The devices includes external GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, a Micro-SD slot, standard SHCH slot and more. The company's Web site says it will be available in June, but does not list a price.

Both devices used Android version 2.1 and the Hardkernel model ran more smoothly. The company appears to have tweaked the Android software to run better on tablets. Android was designed by Google for smartphones.

The chipsets on both devices were both designed for high definition and 3D video, which companies believe will be important for the tablet market because people will watch a lot of video on the devices.

Over a dozen tablets designed to compete with Apple's iPad are on display at Computex this week, mainly with Android or Windows 7 software.

[via PCWorld]

Android Tablets on Show by Foxconn and Hardkernel

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Amazon Vs. Apple Be Damned: Publishers Pine for a Universal E-Book Format

Giants and upstarts of publishing gathered at the annual BookExpo America last week agreed e-books will transform the business, but believe the big change will come when there is a standard format across which all e-books can be published and shared.

The industry has been going through a tumultuous period as Apple and Amazon duke it out for dominance in the nascent market for electronic books.

Both want their devices — the iPad and the Kindle — to be the one consumers use to read e-books, and each wants to be the biggest virtual store were such content is sold.

For Michael Serbinis, chief executive of Kobo, a company that allows users to buy e-books and read them on most devices, that battle is a distraction to the real changes coming.

"Today you can buy a book at Barnes and Noble and you can buy a book at Walmart and you don’t have to keep them in separate rooms in your house," he said. "You buy a book from Apple and Amazon and you have got to keep it tied up with your Apple universe or your Kindle universe."

Ultimately, consumers want freedom, said David Shanks, chief executive of leading publisher Penguin Group USA.

"Our fondest wish is that all the devices become agnostic so that there isn’t proprietary formats and you can read wherever you want to read," Shanks told Reuters. "First we have to get a standard that everybody embraces."

The issue, he said, is the fear of piracy and how to set a common digital rights management system to thwart it.

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Amazon Vs. Apple Be Damned: Publishers Pine for a Universal E-Book Format

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Apple Reports iPad Sales Have Topped 2 Million

In today's news, Apple Inc. has announced that iPad sales have continued to skyrocket and are now at over 2 million since its launch about two months ago.

Cupertino, California's powerhouse began selling the iPad on Friday overseas in Asia and Europe and was an instant success. The iPad's original release on April 3rd in the States continues to gain success as well on a daily basis, and sales have been reported to be above 200,000 units per week.

However, Apple Inc. does not publicly break out sales figures by any specific region, according to Natalie Harrison, a company spokeswoman.

The company had previously stated that it had sold 1 million iPad's in the United States an astonishing 28 days after its launch. As a result of the strong demand at home, Apple had pushed back the start date of its international sales.

Apple Reports iPad Sales Have Topped 2 Million

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New Amazon Kindle Expected This Summer

Amazon could release a new slimmer Kindle in August, Bloomberg News reports, citing "two people familiar with its plans."

Bloomberg reports that the new Kindle would be thinner than existing models and although the next model would still offer a black and white screen, it would have a sharper and more responsive display.

The Kindle 2 is 0.36 inches thick. The Apple iPad, a rival device, is half an inch thick.

Although Bloomberg said the next Kindle "won’t include a touch screen or color," a person I’ve spoken with who is familiar with Amazon’s plans but is not authorized to speak publicly said Lab 126, the division of Amazon responsible for the Kindle, is hard at work on multi-touch prototypes for a next-generation e-reader.

As reported earlier this year, Amazon bought TouchCo, a company in New York that specialized in clear multi-touch overlays for computers and electronic readers.

Rumors that the next iteration of the device will still be black-and-white also might be short-lived. As also reported earlier this year, the Kindle job board had been seeking engineers with an understanding of color LCD displays that could possibly be integrated into the next generation of the Kindle.

In addition, earlier this week, Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, told shareholders that a color screen was in the offing. "I’ve seen some stuff in the laboratory, but it’s not quite ready for prime-time production," Mr. Bezos said.

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New Amazon Kindle Expected This Summer

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6 Essential Apps for Your iPad

According to PCWorld, here are six of the most essential iPad apps to have in your arsenal. And for those on a tight budget or without any extra money at all, the following programs won't cost you a dime to download.

ABC Player

Much like the Netflix app, the free ABC Player app for iPad truly feels like the future. ABC Digital’s app lets you watch recent episodes from two dozen ABC primetime and daytime shows on your iPad, without paying a cent or breaking the law. It’s excellent. [Download via Macworld]

Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List

This app from award-winning food site Epicurious.com features over 28,000 delicious, professionally tested recipes from world renowned magazines, popular cookbooks, top chefs, and leading restaurants. The app works on both the iPhone and iPad, giving you an experience optimized for whichever device you're currently using. This next-generation kitchen companion enables food lovers to search for great recipes, create interactive shopping lists, and follow step-by-step, stove-side instructions. [Download via Macworld]

IMDB Movies & TV

IMDb is the world's largest collection of movie, TV and celebrity information. IMDb is also currently the leading app in the Apple gadget family to find US showtimes, watch trailers, browse photo galleries, get US TV listings, find the latest DVD releases, explore popular charts, and share movie info. Their ultimate goal is to list every detail about every movie and TV show ever made. [Download via Macworld]

Kayak Flights

The cost of air-transportation has gone sky-high and everyone but the most well-heeled seeks ways to save a buck when flying. Kayak.com provides one avenue for doing just that with its free iPad app. Kayak Flights is simple to use. Just tap the From and To fields to enter your departure and destination points, choose the dates you’ll depart and return, set a few On/Off options (One-way, Include Nearby Airpots, Prefer Nonstop), set the number of passengers and flight class (Economy, Business, or First), and tap Search. In short order, Kayak Flights produces a list of available flights. [Download via Macworld]

Kindle

Amazon.com has converted its free Kindle app for iPhone into a universal app with the launch of the iPad. Kindle for iPad excels because of its visual customization ability, and its overall simplicity. You can tweak the screen to your liking, and then simply read. While the free Kindle handles only books you purchase from Amazon, it also lets you jot onscreen notes while reading and lets you choose between standard, sepia, and nighttime (grey text on black) page displays. And, of course, Amazon offers far, far more books right now than Apple's iBookStore. [Download via Macworld]

Netflix

If you've got a Netflix unlimited membership and haven't downloaded the free Netflix app for the iPad, head on over to the App Store this instant. With Netflix installed on your iPad, you get access to the thousands of movies and TV shows available from the video rental service's 'Watch Instantly' service. The Netflix iPad app lets you manage your account, report problems, and update your DVD and Instant queues. It supports streaming over both Wi-Fi and 3G connections, and the video quality is pretty impressive over the former. (It's less impressive over 3G due to bandwidth issues.) Whether at home or on the road, Netflix ensures that entertainment is never more than a tap or two away. [Download via Macworld]

6 Essential Apps for Your iPad

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Apple Being Sued by HTC for Patent Infringement

In a complaint filed with the ITC and obtained by Reuters, HTC has accused Apple of infringing five of its patents related to cellphone directory hardware/software and power-management technology in portable devices. Action has been taken against Apple Inc. as of yesterday to halt the importation, marketing, and sale of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States.

"As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible," said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of the North American HTC Corporation. "We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones."

[view HTC Press-Release here]

Apple Being Sued by HTC for Patent Infringement

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Verizon Wireless and Google Working on Tablet PC

Hoping to shake things up a bit in the world of touchscreen tablet computer technology and provide some competition for Apple's iPad, Google is set to launch a new device in collaboration with Verizon Wireless, hopefully soon.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Verizon Wireless Chief Executive Lowell McAdam has confirmed this and says that the tablet is just part of a deepening relationship between them and Google, which has created much success in mobile devices with its Android operating system.

"We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience," he said.

Details including name, manufacturer, release date and operation system are still unknown, however McAdam also stated that, "We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience."

With Apple and AT&T selling over a million units of the iPad already in the first month alone, Google and Verizon are going to have to really step their game up if they hope to create some worthy competition.

Verizon Wireless and Google Working on Tablet PC

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