Lucky Android fans could get their Nexus 7 tablets as soon as July 13th

Android fans who preordered Google's flagship Nexus 7 tablet through the Google Play store could get a nice big treat in the mail as soon as Friday. DroidMatters reports that Google has started shipping Nexus 7 preorders and some customers could see their tablets arrive as soon as July 13th. The site discovered that some tablets were arriving on Friday through a posting on the XDA-Developers forum showing an order sheet for the Nexus 7 with a scheduled delivery time of July 13th between 2:15 pm and 6:15 pm. DroidMatters speculates that other retailers will start shipping their own Nexus 7 preorders now that Google got the ball rolling.

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Kouziro crafts wired-only, 21.5-inch Android 4.0 mega tablet

We're wondering if Kouziro saw the ASUS Transformer AIO and developed a little Freudian envy. That would certainly help explain the company's FT103 tablet, which at 21.5 inches is one of the biggest devices running Android 4.0 without veering into full-size TV territory. If you're having sudden flashbacks to the Toshiba Excite 13 and dreading the thought of lugging around all 11 pounds of this slab, you'll breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Kouziro doesn't make any pretenses surrounding portability: there's no battery, and a kickstand keeps it upright on a desk rather than crushing your lap. The lackluster 1GHz TI OMAP 4428 processor and 8GB of storage certainly won't do much to draw attention, though. All the same, the HDMI input and 1080p screen resolution could make it a very clever secondary display for another device, and the extra-extra-extra-large size lets it stuff in two full USB ports and Ethernet along with the usual front camera and mobile expansion. The late July release in Japan and the ¥34,800 ($437) price aren't outlandish for what's in the box — just brace yourself for psychoanalysis from friends and family after taking the FT103 home.

Le Pan II receives Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich update at long last

 
Earlier this year at CES 2012, the world was introduced to yet another Android-powered tablet (which frankly, has flooded the market by the dozens, making it rather tough to pick out one that is very different from the rest) in the form of the Le Pan II. Half a year ago, it ran on Android 3.2 Honeycomb which was a tablet-centric version of Android, and we are pleased to announce that from July 15th onwards, the Le Pan II is on the receiving end of the Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system update.

This operating system update will introduce recent tabs when you press the home button, making life far easier whenever you are working on the tablet itself. Not only that, users will be able to benefit from the NFC feature thanks to the inclusion of Android Beam, letting you share content wirelessly with other compatible devices. In addition, we ought to be able to see an improved battery life, better and more stable Wi-Fi connectivity, better processing performance, and the ability to adjust the usage of RAM automatically while freeing up additional internal memory space. Your camera on the Le Pan II should also work in a faster and smoother manner.

There are also whispers that this holiday season, we could be looking at a third generation Le Pan tablet with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in tow. Time will reveal all rumors, so let us sit out on this one and wait.

Nexus 7 tablet receiving Android 4.1.1 update

Android 4.1.1 just made itself available on the AOSP servers yesterday, and evidently it's wasting no time in heading towards the world's first Jelly Bean tablet. The ASUS-built Nexus 7 is now receiving the update — a 12.6MB download that boosts the version number to 4.1.1. Our in-house unit isn't pulling down the new edition just yet (nor is our Galaxy Nexus), so it seems to be one of Google's typical phased releases. At any rate, Android Central is reporting that the code “improves performance and responsiveness system wide,” while also adding Google Wallet to your app library.

Hyundai reportedly launching three Android tablets in Russia this year

It seems that Lamborghini isn't the only car manufacturer interested in expanding its business to mobile devices. According to a Russian blog, Hyundai will be launching three tablets running Ice Cream Sandwich this year in Russia. Interesting isn't it? One of the three is a 7-inch Kindle-like tablet dubbed as Hyundai HT-7B. This tablet will reportedly sport a 1024x600 display and a 1 GHz Samsung CPU. Other purported features of the tablet include a 1 GB RAM, Wi-Fi and GPS support, a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 3-megapixel camera, 8 GB built-in storage, and a 4000 mAh battery.

Another tablet is the Hyundai HT-9B. This 9.7-inch tablet will feature a 1024x768 IPS display, a 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 CPU, and a Mali-400 GPU. Other features will include a 1 GB RAM, 16 GB storage, 2-megapixel rear and 3-megapixel front cameras, GPS/ Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth support, USB 2.0, HDMI and a 5600 mAh battery. Last but not the least is the 10.1-inch Hyundai HT-10B. This large tablet, also running Ice Cream Sandwich, will be powered by a 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 CPU and Mali-400 GPU. Notable specs will include a 1 GB RAM, 16 GB storage, 2-megapixel rear and 3-megapixel front cameras, built-in 3G, GPS/ Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth support, USB 2.0, HDMI, and a 5600 mAh battery.

Nexus 7 tablets now shipping to pre-order customers

 
To those of you who've pre-ordered a Nexus 7 tablet and you've been holding your breath waiting for it to arrive at your doorstep, well it looks like the wait is finally over. According to a post on the official Nexus Google+ account, it looks like the very first Android Jelly Bean tablet will be arriving at some of your doorsteps today. The Nexus 7 is officially shipping out to pre-order customers, so some of you might be coming home (or staying in and waiting by your doorstep) for a big surprise.

The Nexus 7 has been well received by many blogs (including ours) so we're just as excited as you are about the tablets finally shipping out. For those of you who get your hands on it today, do drop us your first impressions in the comments below, we'd like to know what you think about it.

Hot start for Nexus 7: Major chains report quick sellouts

Reuters reports that some major retail chains have been running out of Google Nexus 7 tablets on the device's first day of availability. According to Reuters, customers have already ripped all the Nexus 7 tablets out of GameStop's inventory while both the Sam's Club and Walmart websites list the device as out of stock as well. While GameStop would not specify the exact number of Nexus 7 tablets it had ordered, a company spokesman told Reuters that it ”blew through the first two allotments,” meaning GameStop won't have any more Nexus 7s to sell until a third allotment becomes available in August.

CyanogenMod Alpha 0.05.1 on NOOK Tablet

 
It is not a week after Barnes & Noble rolled out the latest software version 1.4.3 for the NOOK Tablet and you can say that the developers who worked on an unofficial port of CyanogenMod 9 for the NOOK tablet have wasted no time at all, having updated their version of the software, too. Known as CyanogenMod Alpha 0.05.1, you can tell by the version number alone that this is still a potential diamond in the rough. Forget about enjoying official support for Netflix, YouTube HD, as well as other tasks that have need for hardware video acceleration. In addition, you will find that the microphone in the NOOK Tablet is pretty much useless in CyanogenMod Alpha 0.05.1, so no point speaking to it.

What makes CyanogenMod 9 Alpha is the fact that it delivers Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on a silver platter to the NOOK Tablet, not to mention the ability for you to access the Google Play Store – and subsequently, opening up the door to hundreds of thousands of apps, is worth having a closer look at.

Samsung loses appeal to lift Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales ban

A judge with the United States District Court for Northern California has rejected Samsung's appeal to a lift a sales ban of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, Reuters reported. The rulings is the third and latest legal setback to hit the South Korean manufacturer over the past week. “Samsung is disappointed with the court's decision that denied our motion to stay,” the company said in a statement. “We believe today's ruling will ultimately reduce the availability of superior technological features to consumers in the United States.” U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh on Friday also banned sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone; the move reportedly enraged Google, which then rushed to its partner's aid.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet hits the iFixit teardown labs

We can always count on iFixit to get down and dirty with its spudger and the latest tablet tech, and we're not going home empty handed today. The latest victim happens to be Google's recently announced Nexus 7, which has achieved a “repairability score” of 7 out of 10 (the Kindle Fire squeaked one notch past with an 8), with many accessible components including a replaceable battery and standard Phillips screws. While the site's ultimate goal is to illustrate the delicate process of opening our gadgets while leaving them unharmed, the good folks at iFixit never fail to entertain us in the process, with two dozen high-res photos of the Nexus 7′s innards littering the 21-step repair guide. The most disappointing discovery appears to be the display, which is permanently affixed to its Corning glass covering, but given the tablet's $200 price tag, replacing such a component is not likely to be a cost-effective proposition. There's plenty more to gawk over, but you'll need to head to iFixit to, well, get your fix.