Google might soon launch a cheaper Nexus tablet. The company is currently working with Taiwan-based Quanta Computer to produce a $99 Nexus tablet boasting a single-core processor that will launch by the end of this year, DigiTimes is reporting today, citing sources. According to the tech-news blog’s sources, the tablet isn’t being developed in partnership …
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The smartphone industry has reached an important milestone. During the third quarter, the total installed base for smartphones worldwide hit 1.04 billion, jumping from the 959 million smartphones in use during the second quarter, research firm Strategy Analytics announced today. Just a year ago, the total worldwide smartphone installed base was 708 million. It took 16 years for smartphones to …
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Sprint Nextel may soon gain control of wireless broadband provider Clearwire without an acquisition, clearing up a stumbling block to Softbank’s $20 billion acquisition of Sprint. Sprint is Clearwire’s largest customer and its largest shareholder with an 84 percent stake, but the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier doesn’t have control of Clearwire’s board. To take control of the company, the …
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Verizon Wireless is set to become the next wireless provider to offer carrier billing for Google Play purchases, according to unconfirmed reports. An internal Verizon screenshot obtained by Droid Life shows that the feature will be enabled later this week, specifically on October 18. It it follows through, Verizon would be the last major U.S. carrier to adopt the billing …
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In 2012, we made some changes to the way we rate televisions, with the biggest one being the new Value score. CNET now apportions 40 percent of the total TV score to value. Whether it’s worth $300 or $3,000, you want to know that the TV you’re buying represents the best you can get for the price, and that’s where …
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Abysmal news for you lovers of super-fast mobile data — Britain won’t be getting a 4G network until 2015, according to plans from telecoms watchdog Ofcom. In its draft annual plan for 2012/2013, Ofcom gave the Old Yeller treatment to any hopes we had of cruising on 4G networks next year. The report reckons roll-out of 4G mobile services will …
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A mock-up of a potential iPad Mini. 9to5Mac Editors’ note, October 16, 2012: Updated after the release of Apple’s October 23 invite. There have been rumors of a smaller, 7-inch iPad since…well, since there was an iPad. The iPad Mini, as it’s being called lately, initially seemed to some like a silly idea: why would you need a smaller iPad? …
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Best Buy has priced a homegrown Android tablet to take on offerings from Apple and Samsung. The Insignia Flex, which the electronics retail giant revealed on Facebook last week, will sell for between $239 and $259 when it hits the market on November 11, according to a Reuters report. The tablet will feature a 9.7-inch screen and be powered by …
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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is growing concerned with the patent lawsuits simmering across the mobile industry. Speaking to U.K. news outlet Metro in an interview published today, Bezos said that he’s worried that the patent lawsuits “might start to stifle innovation.” He also that suggested governments around the world consider intervening in the suits to protect consumers. “Governments may need …
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Sprint has doubled down on Samsung’s big Galaxy Note 2 bet. The carrier has just confirmed that the advanced, 5.5-inch screen Android device will hit its stores shortly. Expected to cost $299.99 when it launches on October 25, both Samsung and Sprint hope the Galaxy Note 2 will offer plenty of catnip for Android users and possibly prove irresistible for …
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If you thought the Galaxy Note 2 pushes design boundaries, take a gander at the new PadFone 2 from Asus. A thinner version of the first PadFone, this device also morphs from tablet and smartphone on the fly. Now chances are the Asus PadFone 2 will never hit American shores since the original PadFone didn’t either. Perhaps that’s why Asus, …
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Asus has crafted a second version of its tablet-converting PadFone, and it’s jam-packed with juicy hardware. The inventively titled PadFone 2 boasts a 4.7-inch display with a 720p resolution, as well as a honking great quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. As if that wasn’t enough terrifying power, it has a 13-megapixel camera on board too. The PadFone 2’s headline …
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Shortly after announcing pricing for its upcoming Surface tablet, the Microsoft device’s engineering team took to Reddit today to hold a virtual Q&A with the site’s users. It was an unusual marketing move by Microsoft, but sending some of its top technical people to interact with the Reddit community offered a rare opportunity for free publicity in a forum where …
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It’s fair to say our appetite for exciting new technology is insatiable here at CNET UK, but occasionally we get so far ahead of ourselves we forget what’s going on in the here and now. Take 4G, for example — we’ve had our eyes firmly fixated on this spot on the tech horizon for so long now, we never for …
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Now playing: Watch this: CNET News Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini launch 1:44 The itty-bitty new Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini goes on sale on 2 November. Phones4U is welcoming pre-orders on phone contracts, while online phone shop Clove is quoting a price of £250. Phone4U is offering phone contracts for the 4-inch S3 Mini with Vodafone, Orange and O2 starting at …
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