Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime detailed, launching in December

Asus has announced that their Eee Pad Transformer Prime 'hybrid' tablet will be available for purchase worldwide in December. The tablet will be the first to launch with Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, codenamed Kal-El.

                                        

We had our first glance at the Transformer Prime last month when Asus chairman Jonney Shih briefly showed the tablet during an interview at conference AsiaD. Specifications at that time were limited but we now know all of the juicy details.

Nvidia’s quad-core (technically it has five cores) Tegra 3 SoC will indeed power the unit, a chip that Nvidia says is five times faster than their Tegra 2 overall. More specifically, web browsing will be four times faster and graphics will perform three times better than its predecessor.

Additional specs include a thin 8.3mm (0.33-inch) body that weighs only 586g (1.29lbs). The 8MP rear camera features an LED flash, F/2.4 aperture and a back illuminated CMOS sensor with low-light noise reduction. A 1.2MP shooter can be found on the front and a 1280 x 800 resolution Super IPS+ display coated with Corning Gorilla Glass features a max brightness of 600 nits.

The Transformer Prime will ship with either 32GB or 64GB of internal flash storage and both feature a micro SD card slot for expansion and easy file transfers. Other standard features across all models include 1Gb of system memory, a 3.5mm combo audio jack and a micro HDMI port . Battery life is rated at a full 12 hours on the tablet and 18 hours when using the optional dock.

Pricing will range from $499 for the 32GB model to $599 for the 64GB version while the optional mobile dock accessory will set you back another $149. The tablet will initially ship with Android 3.2 although we suspect an Ice Cream Sandwich update won't be too far off.

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Kindle Fire early adopters to have access to thousands of apps

Amazon has announced that their upcoming Kindle Fire tablet will launch with several thousand apps available for download in addition to Amazon’s own feature programs. All apps are Amazon-tested on Kindle Fire and will be available exclusively though the Amazon Appstore.

Amazon started talking with app developers the same day they introduced the Kindle Fire and they claim the response has been overwhelming. All of the industry-leading social and music networks will be available – Facebook, Twitter, Pandora and Rhapsody, just to name a few.

                                            

Netflix has also developed an app for Kindle Fire that will allow subscribers to log in and watch television shows and movies anywhere with Wi-Fi access. The Weather Channel is another featured app available to Fire users.

Casual gamers have plenty to look forward to as well. EA, Zynga, Gameloft and PopCap Games were highlighted in the press release, each looking forward to porting hit titles to the Kindle Fire. Some of the mentioned titles include Words With Friends, Plants vs. Zombies and Jenga, among others.

App pricing hasn’t been specified yet but we suspect apps will be priced the same as they are in the Android Market. It’s worth mentioning that once you purchase an app through the Amazon Appstore, it becomes available on your other Android-based devices as well.

Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire is slated to ship on November 15 and features a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 IPS display, a dual-core ARM processor, 8GB of storage, a USB 2.0 port and runs a custom version of Android Gingerbread. Battery life is good for up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback with wireless disabled. Buyers will also be rewarded with a complementary 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, a service that normally runs $79 per year.

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Get a Motorola Droid Razr for $111.11 at Amazon Wireless

Motorola has launched their Droid Razr smartphone today via Verizon Wireless but it’s Amazon Wireless that is offering the best deal to new subscribers. To celebrate today’s date (11-11-2011), Amazon is selling the Droid Razr for only $111.11, down from the regular price of $299.99.

                                                        

As with most good deals, there are a few restrictions you need to be aware of. First, the deal only applies to new Verizon Wireless customers. Existing customers eligible for an upgrade are reportedly being offered the phone for $249, although we haven’t been able to independently confirm that. A two year service agreement seals the deal, which is par for the course with smartphone contacts these days.

Additionally, Amazon’s fine print states that users who receive this deal must maintain service with Verizon in good standing for a minimum of 181 consecutive days. Failure to activate the phone or if service is canceled before 181 days will result in a $250 charge per device.

This isn’t the first time that Amazon has offered Verizon phones at a ridiculously low price. Last month the company offered all Verizon phones (minus the iPhone) for one penny to new subscribers who signed a two year contact. That deal lasted nearly a week; we are unsure how long today’s deal runs. As of writing, the phone is listed as backordered on Amazon’s website with a note that suggests it will ship in 8 to 9 days.

The 4G LTE Droid Razr packs a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display operating at 540 x 960 resolution, 16GB of internal storage and an 8MP rear camera.

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Lenovo readies 10.1" Ice Cream Sandwich tablet with Tegra 3

So far Asus remains the only company to officially announce a Tegra 3 based tablet but it looks like Lenovo will be joining the fray soon. According to a report on Engadget, the Chinese manufacturer is readying a new 10.1-inch tablet equipped with Nvidia's quad-core processor as well as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The yet-to-be-named device will reportedly sport 2GB of 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM, a standard USB host socket covered by a pop-out flap, a back-facing camera of unknown resolution with an LED flash, a "Special Fusion-Skin Body" and a fingerprint scanner on the backside that apparently doubles as an optical joystick. There's no information the dimensions and weight of the new tablet but Engadget speculates it will be significantly thinner than the IdeaPad K1.

The device is expected to hit the market before the end of the year -- though it's not clear if that launch window is for the company's home country of China or elsewhere.

Other tablet manufacturers, including HTC and Acer, are also expected to announce Tegra 3 and ICS powered tablets during the CES and Mobile World Congress shows early next year. There are no details on HTC's device at this point other than the possibility that it will be joined by a quad-core smartphone. As for Acer's tablet, all that's been said is it will reportedly launch as the A510 -- an obvious successor to the Iconia Tab A500 sporting a similar design.

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Google giving away 10 Galaxy Nexus smartphones on Twitter

Google has launched a contest on Twitter to give away 10 Galaxy Nexus smartphones in 10 days to promote the phone’s pending release. The promotion started on Saturday and will run until Monday, November 21.

                                     

To enter, you must first have a Twitter account and follow @googlenexus. Each day Google will post an essay question or puzzle for hopefuls to answer. To submit a solution, reply to Google's tweet and include the #googlenexus hashtag.

To give you an idea of what to expect, the first challenge presented contestants with an image and asked them to decipher a code to finish the following sentence: “#GalaxyNexus is well-traveled, coming to @googlenexus from [answer].” The answer was “The Sandwich Islands”, although I have no clue how to arrive at that answer based on the hint. Any ideas?

Challenge two required users to make something geeky and edible. Photo and video submissions were accepted for this challenge and entries were evaluated based on creativity, originality and use of humor. The third challenge is set to kick off today at 3pm PST. A complete list of rules can be found here.

Samsung and Google announced the Galaxy Nexus at a press event in Honk Kong on October 18. The handset features a curved 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display running at 1270 x 720 resolution, a 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, your choice of 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, a 5MP rear camera with zero shutter lag, backlit-illuminated sensor, built-in stabilization and LED flash and a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chat.

Aside from its impressive hardware specifications, the device is the first to ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Google’s latest mobile operating system. The phone will be sold exclusively by Verizon Wireless in the US although an exact launch date hasn’t been announced.

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Secret "Google X" lab reimagines our future

Many large enterprises are known to tinker with blue-skyprojects from time to time. Google is certainly no exception but the blue sky itself may be no limit for the search giant, a company run by two young idealists, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Word of Google's clandestine facility first oozed its way into public eyes this summer. Dubbed "Google X", only a handful of people actually know where the facility is located. Very little is known about the lab itself or the people involved, but you can bet Google has been working on some fascinating concepts behind its closed doors. 

When Google employees were asked about the project, very few know anything at all. Even fewer know more than it just exists, the New York Times reports

, although the location of the lab is thought to be somewhere in the Bay area of Nothern California.

                                               

One of the people pegged as being involved with the project is Sergey Brin. When Larry Page was announced as CEO, Sergey was appointed as "head of special projects". Internally, Sergey is known as the "Head of Google X", sources close to Google told the Business Insider. Larry Page and Eric Schmidt are also known to participate, having contributed many of the 100 ideas found on Google X's research and development list.

Little is also known about the list itself, but the projects found on it include a "space elevator", not to mention a number of ideas involving robotics and artificial intelligence. Many of these items are still conceptual in nature, but New York Times sources claim one of these projects will be released by the end of this year. No one was able to provide details about what we can possibly expect.

Google spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, wouldn't comment on Google X specifically, but said:

"While the possibilities are incredibly exciting, please do keep in mind that the sums involved are very small by comparison to the investments we make in our core businesses"

Google's autonomous vehicle experiments are a good example of the company's seemingly eccentric interests. Headed by Sebastian Thrun, the co-inventor of Google Street View,  the "driverless car" project has logged over 15,000 miles of autonomous driving since 2010. Sources claim Google continues to investigate having such vehicles manufactured.

Will we be seeing a space elevator soon? Probably not. But armed with one of the world's largest piles of money, Google is in a very good position to pursue the impossible.

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HP X7000 Wi-Fi Touch Mouse has dedicated Facebook button

HP has quietly launched their X7000 Wi-Fi Touch Mouse, combining wireless connectivity and touch-sensitive technology into a slick looking pointer. The unique curved shape which arcs to the right, however, means left-handed users need not apply.
We looked at HP’s Wi-Fi Mobile Mouse earlier this year and despite a poor click zone on the primary left and right click buttons, the mouse worked flawlessly. HP has brought that same Wi-Fi technology to the X7000 which means that instead of pairing it with a Bluetooth adapter or a USB dongle, the mouse connects directly to your notebook’s wireless connection.

                                            

Additionally the X7000 features a touch-sensitive strip not found on the mobile mouse. This looks similar to the strip found on Microsoft’s Explorer Touch Mouse in that you can speed through web pages with the flick of your finger.
Other technical specifications include an adjustable laser sensor that tops out at 1600 CPI, six programmable buttons (one dedicated button to upload to Facebook), rubber side grip, Teflon feet and nine months of battery life. Do note that you will need a machine running Windows 7 to use the X7000.
Product dimensions of 4.86-inches (L) x 3.52-inches (W) x 1.83-inches (H) indicate this is a full-size desktop-style mouse, something to consider if you were hoping for a slimmer addition to your travel bag. Of course, the mouse could still be used with a traditional desktop, provided you have a wireless card installed or your motherboard supports this feature natively.

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