Samsung to re-examine Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab Ice Cream Sandwich update

Late last week, Samsung announced that the highly-popular Galaxy S line and original Galaxy Tab would not be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Outraged customers took to the web en masse to express their disapproval of Samsung's decision. The technology giant originally claimed that the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab were having trouble fitting Samsung's entire Android suite, which includes its custom TouchWiz user interface, because of the device's limited memory. Due to customer demand, however, the company is now backtracking from its original announcement and re-examining the devices, MSN Korea reports. Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Motorola's Droid Xyboards now $50 cheaper at Verizon

Available at Verizon since earlier this month, the Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2 and Droid Xyboard 10.1 were launched at prices starting at $429.99, and going up to $729.99. Now Verizon seems to have realized that those prices were too high (especially since they all require a new 2-yr contract agreement). So it decided to offer each of the Xyboard models (8.2 16GB, 8.2 32GB, 10.1 16GB, 10.1 32GB, and 10.1 64GB) for $50 less. You can go here at Verizon to choose any of the Xyboards right away. Both the Motorola Xyboard 8.2 and Xyboard 10.1 feature dual-core processors, and run Android 3.2 Honeycomb (but will most probably be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich next year).

Acer A200 and A700 tablets set to debut at CES

Earlier this month, Acer announced its Iconia Tab A200 tablet, a 10.1-inch device running Ice Cream Sandwich and NVIDIA's Tegra 2 processor clocked at 1GHz. The slate is supposed to land sometime in January and should make its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show. It is also suggested that Acer will be releasing a robust Tegra 3-powered device dubbed the Iconia Tab A700, as reported by NoMobile. The Russian site says the tablet features a 10.1-inch display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. Additionally, the device sports a dedicated rotation lock switch, a micro-HDMI port, and both a SIM and micro-USB slot. On the back of the tablet is a textured design with a five megapixel camera and built-in flash. The A700 weighs 650 grams (1.43 pounds) and boasts 10 hours of battery life according to the report. Much like its less powerful brother, the A700 will debut at CES in January, however it reportedly won't arrive in stores until March.

Toshiba has a Tegra 3 tablet in the works?

A new tablet has popped up in the benchmark listings on AnTuTu's website (AnTuTu is a benchmarking app for mobile devices) and this time it belongs to Toshiba. The tablet is listed under the name “Tostab06″ which is similar to the other names that Toshiba has been using for its previous tablets. While it wasn't explicitly stated that the tablet was running on a Tegra 3 processor, it does list a clock frequency of 1400MHz and its results are comparable to those of the ASUS Transformer Prime - a Tegra 3-powered tablet, which has led to the speculation that the “Tostab06″ uses the same quad-core processor as well. Other than the benchmark results, there are no additional details about the tablet, so there's not much to say for now, but it sure looks like the Tegra 3 is following in the footsteps of its popular predecessor - the Tegra 2. Expect many more tablets in 2012 to be running on NVIDIA's Tegra 3 SoC.

Quad-core Acer Iconia Tab A700 Android tablet shows up in photos, should debut at CES 2012

That rumored Acer Iconia Tab A700 tablet has been finally spotted in some photos, allowing us to see that it doesn't look too different from the already announced Iconia Tab A200. Unlike the A200, though, the A700 has a camera on the back (5MP with flash), a quad-core processor (Nvidia Tegra 3), and a 10.1 inch display with a higher resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixels (WUXGA). Other features: 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.5mm headset jack, Dolby Mobile sound, MicroUSB, Micro HDMI, front-facing camera, and a 9,800 mAh battery. Acer should officially announce the Iconia Tab A700 at CES 2012 (10 - 13 January). Since the A200 comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the A700 will most likely run ICS, too.

Acer Iconia Tab A700 detailed

The Acer Iconia Tab A200 recently went on sale in the UK, and it looks like the tablet has an older sibling in the works. According to a Russian mobile site, NoMobile.ru, there is going to be a new Acer tablet that will make its debut next month at CES 2012 - the Acer Iconia Tab A700. The tablet will be thinner than the A200, and will feature a 10.1″ (1920 x 1200) display, the Tegra 3 processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera with built in flash and a touted battery life of 10 hours. The tablet will features SIM card and MicroUSB slots, a dedicated rotation lock switch, volume buttons, an audio jack, and a micro-HDMI port. No word on pricing but the tablet is expected to hit the stores in March 2012. Stay tuned for more details.

Photos of Intel's Medfield Android developer tablet emerge

Intel's upcoming Medfield mobile processor will most likely be the focus of the company's Consumer Electronics Show keynote next month. The Medfield has been reported to outdo NVIDIA's Tegra 2 and even Qualcomm's S3 dual-core processor. An Android Community tipster recently got his hands on a Medfield developer tablet, the site reports, and he raved about the quality of the device. According to the tipster, the 10.1-inch tablet is thin and the weight feels good without giving the device a cheap feel. The device runs Android 3.x Honeycomb and is powered by Intel's 1.6GHz dual-core Medfield Atom processor. It also sports an array of useful ports, including micro-USB, mini-HDMI and microSD slots. Medfield-powered devices are set to be released in the first half of 2012.

Latest update brings TouchWiz to Verizon's Galaxy Tab 10.1

When Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 first launched earlier this year it was running a stock version of Honeycomb. At CTIA 2011, the South Korea-based vendor showed off its TouchWiz user interface and promised an update for tablets in the near future. While Wi-Fi versions of the slate were updated soon after the announcement, Verizon's LTE variant was left untouched - until now. Verizon is currently pushing an over-the-air update that brings TouchWiz along with other fixes and improvements to the Galaxy Tab 10.1. TouchWiz includes numerous custom widgets, a mini app tray, and various “Hubs” for social media, reading, and music and videos. Other additions for the device include support for DivX video along with Bluetooth 3.0 and Samsung's AllShare DLNA solution. It would be best to connect to Wi-Fi when applying the update, which is a 351MB download.

Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES

Acer already spilled the beans on its Iconia Tab A200, a 10.1-inch slab powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, but whatever happened to that Tegra 3 touting A700? It went to Russia, of course. According to NoMobile.ru, the A200′s slimmer, but more powerful brother will debut at CES 2012 next month. The Ruskie site pegs the tablet's 1920 x 1200 resolution screen at 10.1-inches, which is bordered by SIM and micro-USB slots, a dedicated rotation lock switch, the standard volume rockers, an audio jack and a micro-HDMI port. On its rear they found a textured back garnished with a five megapixel camera sporting a built-in flash — the whole unit weights 650 grams (1.43 pounds) and boasts a ten hour battery life. When can we see it? At CES, says NoMobile.ru, or in stores if you're willing to wait until March.

Samsung may offer ‘value pack' instead of full Android 4.0 for Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab

Samsung originally went on the record stating that it will not provide an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade for the Galaxy S or 7-inch Galaxy Tab. The company originally cited memory issues related to its TouchWiz user interface, but on Tuesday, reports surfaced suggesting that Samsung HQ was reconsidering its original statement. A more recent report published by the South Korean website Duam on Wednesday, however, said Samsung may instead offer an “Android Value Pack” that will include a number of enhancements to both devices without the need for full-blown Android 4.0. Duam said the value pack update could offer improved web surfing, better multitasking, new widgets, camera improvements and more. Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.