People in Europe have been waiting for a while to enjoy the glorious speeds of 4G LTE. Although some countries in the continent will still have to wait a bit more for the launch of the network, Germany can celebrate since they will be getting the HTC Velocity, the first 4G LTE Android-powered smartphone in Europe.

Vodafone’s German arm will launch the device “sometime soon.” The Velocity is a variant of the HTC Vivid LTE handset that was released in the US on AT&T’s network in the previous year.

Similar to the Vivid, the Velocity comes equipped with a 4.5 inch qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960 and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Although the screen is not as big as the one on the Galaxy Note, it’s more than enough for the first 4G LTE phone to arrive.

The handset features two cameras: an 8 megapixel rear facing camera with 1080p video capture and a front-facing 1.3 megapixel shooter to satisfy all your video chatting needs. The phone will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and you can expect an update to ICS to arrive in the coming months. Other features include 1GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board memory.  The device will arrive in Germany first and we expect it to make its way to other parts of Europe later this year. But for everyone in the UK, you will all have to wait until the 4G auctions are completed.

[ source ]

Just last Friday we covered news regarding a very possible Droid 4 launch on the 10^th of this month. The good news is that we now have official word for Verizon that this is indeed the correct launch date.

The Droid 4 was first introduced at CES earlier this year as a very thin, dual-core beast that also features a slide out five-row QWERTY keyboard, and edge-lit keys that deliver fast, precise typing. Overall it looks to be a rather impressive phone all except for one flaw, it doesn’t run ICS (at least not right out the door), instead coming with 2.3.5 gingerbread.

For those looking to get their hands on the Droid 4, you will be able to purchase it on the 10^th from either brick and mortar locations or online. The device will cost $199.99 with a new 2-year contract.

[ source]

Android fans rejoice! Another unique piece of Android swag for your collection has arrived, the Andru. This charming little guy not only manages to light up his eyes while charging, he can also move his arms, which is great for those like me that are either fidgety or have severe ADD (they kind of go hand-in-hand though).

I can’t help but admit that Google did a phenomenal job when choosing a mascot for its platform. Even if you prefer iOS or Windows Phone, you must admit that a Window-shaped charger or an Apple charger wouldn’t look even half as cool as this.

While certainly not the only Android-themed charger out there, it is certainly one of the most refined looking I’ve seen. The best part? It’s only $25 from Gen, which really shouldn’t be any more expensive than a plain-Jane USB charger at your local big box retailer.

[ source ]

Google Chrome has finally hit Android mobile devices, well, those that happen to be lucky enough to run Android 4.0 at least. According to Google Chrome blog, the new Chrome app is all about Chrome such as speed and simplicity, a (supposedly) no compromise browser that is every bit as good as the desktop version many of us have come to know and love.

Chrome for Android Beta also features the ability to sync with the seamless sign-in that allows you to take your personalized web browsing experience with you, wherever you go, no matter what device. It also has tabbed browsing and loads your top search results in the background while you type, speeding up your search experience.  The downside to Google’s Chrome is that you won’t have the choice to use this new browser unless you have a brand new Android 4.0 device, or one of the lucky devices that has managed to receive an upgrade.

Chrome is available for download in the Android Market for users in the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

Do you have an ICS device? If you’ve managed to test out Google Chrome on ICS for yourself, let us know what you think of the experience. Is it as good as Google hypes it to be or does it end up falling short?

[ source ]

The Google Goggles app on Android phones is pretty neat, being able to recognize objects in the real world and provide you with relevant information, but it doesn’t exactly happen in real time. Google wants to change that by entering the realm of true augmented reality.

There’s word going around that Google is actively pursuing the developing of AR glasses and they’ve already entered the prototype stage. The idea is that they’ll connect, presumably over Bluetooth, to your smartphone. Then, as you gaze upon the world, your view will be overlaid with relevant info, like driving directions, office space for rent, or something about the sandwich you’re about to eat.

What’s weird is that the AR Google Goggles don’t use a transparent display to do this. Instead, you get an opaque display over one eye and presumably a regular lens over the other eye. It’s like wearing an eyepatch, sort of, but when your brain combines the two images, it’s like the data is being overlaid. Sort of.

At least that’s the idea. As you can imagine, this is very early in development and it’ll likely be quite some time before the product is commercially viable. They need to deal with processor size, battery power, logistic, connection issues, and so on. I’ve used Vuzix “video glasses” before and I didn’t like them. I can’t imagine this opaque display over one eye would be all that much better.

Motorola has confirmed that out of 6,200 refurbished Xoom Wi-Fi tablets, 100 of them were still bearing previous customers’ data when they were sold on Woot.com. That means data such as email messages, passwords, bank account details, and media like photos and videos could have been on those devices when they reached the hands of new customers. If such info reaches the wrong hands, the original users might end up having a lot of sleepless nights in the future.

Motorola hasn’t so far given out details regarding how exactly this happened. They are just saying that the “information that may be accessible to the purchasers of the impacted refurbished tablets may include any information that the original user elected to store on the tablet”.

But to make sure that the previous customers do not end up becoming victims of information abuse, the company is offering a free 2-year subscription to Experian ProtectMyID identity theft alert service. (If you returned a Xoom between March and October 2011, you can sign up for the service by calling (866) 926-9803).

Motorola intends to retrieve the data loaded tablets from the new buyers. If you bought a Xoom tablet from Woot.com between October and December 2011, you can check whether your device is one of those 100 devices.

And to stay away from such troubles in the future, we recommend you to reset your device to factory settings before returning it to the company or selling it to someone, if it powers on that is. You can also keep the memory card with you or just erase everything on it.

Windows Phone as an OS certainly doesn’t lead the pack, at a party there’s usually one guy with a Windows Phone while everyone else is on Android or iOS.  And this is due to the fact that it is often considered to be lagging behind in features and release time. With the new touch-friendly Windows 8 on its way later this year, Microsoft will try its hardest again to “catch up” and surpass the competition.  It is imperative that Windows Phone 8 becomes something more than a release to bring them up to “the bar,” because well, that’s all Microsoft has done in the past.  And if its future tablet and smartphone initiatives dream of becoming a staple gadget in someones hand, they’re simply going to have to do more.

“I am very excited to hear that Microsoft is making a strong push to catch up to the iOS and Android platforms,” Sina Mobasser, co-founder of iOS and Windows Phone app BarMax said. “But while the specs that were leaked are certainly appetizing, they will not be enough.” Mobasser thinks Microsoft is still “holding a lot of cards close to its chest,” and we have to agree.

Just last week we talked about a leak regarding Windows Phone Apollo, today we are going to try hard to answer another big question:
How does Apollo stack up against Android (or even iOS)? Are it’s new features enough to draw new users in?

Hardware Options

First off, unlike the current iteration of Windows Phone, Apollo will offer multi-core processors and expandable storage through microSD.

In comparison, iOS doesn’t have expandable microSD ports but certainly does do multi-core. As for Android, while they do both just fine, which essentially means this is one area where Microsoft simply ‘catches up’.

Mobile Payments

Apollo is set to use NFC technology to bring us mobile payments allowing you to simply swipe your phone onto a point-of-purchase RFID tag to buy coffee, consumables, and other awesome goods. This is very similar to what Google is attempting with its “Google Wallet” platform.  The big difference here is that Microsoft’s NFC system will play by carrier rules due to its ability to be directly controlled and branded by the carriers. So, at least in theory this trumps Android’s Wallet, and for now at least, even iOS has a no direct comparable ‘wallet’ feature.

Desktop Integration

There is one of the areas where Apollo is really going to shine: direct integration as a companion experience to the upcoming Windows 8 OS. It seems that Windows Phone 8 is actually switching out to the NT kernel (same core as standard Windows), and apps should easily be able to convert between both platforms, something that will make developers happy.

Additionally, both will have very similar interfaces and experiences, making WP feel more like an extension of our desktop/laptop world, and not something completely foreign.

Apps

It is no secret that both iOS and Android win here, Microsoft hopes that by the time Apollo arrives it has at least 100,000 apps in the market.

Data Management

Both Windows 8 and Apollo tout new features that supposedly are designed to make tracking your mobile usage much easier than in the past. Both have “DataSmart” as a live tile that breaks down your overall usage and automatically tries to go for WIFI whenever possible over cellular connections to data.  This seems to be an area that Android 4 has improved on quite a bit, so overall I’d say WP just plays catch up here.

Enterprise

Another area where Windows Phone could likey shine above the competition is in enterprise. WP8 will offer the same native BitLocker encryption that is found is Windows 8, meaning 128-bit, full-disk encryption. Additionally, companies will be allowed to create personalized, proprietary software for their employees with Windows Phone 8.

Overall

Windows Phone Apollo looks to finally play catch up in a lot of different areas that Apple and Google currently lead the pack on. Whether or not its enough to pull in users remains to be seen.

Either way, 2012 looks to be an interesting year for Windows and Microsoft.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Just yesterday, Droid-Life received a new tip that claims the Droid 4 is on its way very, very soon. In fact, just days away with a release date of February 10th. Supposedly this model will cost for $199 with a 2-year contract. The rumor seems at least somewhat believable considering it includes a screenshot from a Verizon equipment guide.

So what does the newest member of the Droid family bring to the table? A dual-core 1.2GHz Processor, 1GB of RAM, a 4-inch qHD display, Android 2.3.5, 8 MP rear-facing 1080p camera, a 720- front-faing camera, 4G LTE, and a 5-row slid-out physical keyboard. This phone will also feature GSM global roaming capabilities.

Is the 10^th is the real launch date for the Droid 4? We’ll find out soon enough.

[ source ]

Ever since the recent launch of the Transformer Prime Android tablet, Asus has been busy with the slate’s issues. But that does not stop Asus from adding new devices to their tablet line-up. We already know that the company is set to introduce a budget 7-inch slate later in the second quarter. But now, it appears like there is yet another tablet.

The leaked pictures of what is being called the ASUS TF300T are flying around the web at the moment. According to the Taiwanese website NCCC, the mysterious device could be the followup to the Transformer Prime.

The “TF300T” code name of the 10.1-inch slate is numerically higher when compared to its predecessors. As you might know, the original Transformer is known as the TF101, while the Prime goes by the moniker TF201.

Unfortunately, no details are available regarding the specs of the device. Looking at the pictures, it appears to have a textured back which is similar to that of the original Transformer.

The rear could also be ABS plastic (different from the Prime’s which is aluminum), which suggests that the above device could possibly be the first 3G/4G equipped tablet from Asus, although it does have a metallic look to it, so it could be either.  Asus may be planning to show this one off at the upcoming Mobile World Congress later this month.

“Woah woah woah, what is that?” In an lackluster lineup for the iPhone 5, trendy hipsters seem to be bored with Apple’s next offering.  But wait, Samsung has something up their sleeve, it’s the Android-powered Galaxy Note.

The teaser is short and sweet, it ends with the scheduled date of release of the Super Bowl Ad: during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on February 5.

Samsung has roped in Bobby Farrelly, who created There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin and Fever Pitch, to direct his first ever TV commercial. And to make things more natural, the footage will be shot using the Galaxy Note’s HD-quality video camera in the ad.  We can’t wait to get one in our hands.