T-Mobile to Get iPhone 3GS?

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According to a recent tweet by Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson, T-Mobile is slated to get the iPhone 3GS this year. The tweet follows:

A T-Mobile manager casually mentioned to me that they're going to get the iPhone 3GS (but not 4, oddly) later this year. Common knowledge?

It may not be common knowledge, but the rumor that the iPhone would come to T-Mobile has floated around, as it would be easier to shift the iPhone to another GSM carrier as opposed to a CDMA one (such as Verizon, in which a rumor suggest the iPhone will come to them Q1 2011).


However, there are a few things that make this piece suspicious, despite coming from a usually reliable source.
-Why just the 3GS, and not the iPhone 4?
-Why was the information just tweeted, and not written up in a formal article by Wired?
-Why not ask your own coworkers if its common knowledge?

While the speculation of the iPhone coming to T-Mobile has been floating around lately, it has always been the rumors that the iPhone was coming to Verizon that has been the strongest. Is this just another rumor? Or is it possible that we could finally be seeing the iPhone coming to more carriers as soon as this year? Only time will tell.

Google Looking to Launch iTunes Rival

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A recent rumor stated that Google is looking to start a iTunes-like service in order to compete with Apple's dominance in the industry. Google has reportedly been in talks with several major record labels, further suggesting that a Google form of iTunes is coming.

It is likely that Google would be planning to release this service in December, just in time for the middle of the holiday season.

Many other companies have tried to compete with Apple in the music before, but without much success. The most recent competitor is Sony, who is expected to launch there own music store sometime in 2011. Major record companies are encouraging this competition, because some feel that Apple has gotten too much dominant control in the music industry.

If anyone can bring down Apple to a less dominant level, Google can.

Android 3.5 to be Honeycomb, 3.0 Gingerbread Not Far Away

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Not long ago, it was found out that Android 3.5 (thats just a tentative release number) is going to be Honeycomb. Honeycomb is said to focus on optimizing the operating system for tablets, with Gingerbread still the bigger release for smartphone users.

That stated, Honeycomb is expected to be a pretty minor release, just as 2.2 Froyo was to 2.1 Eclair.

Why the name Honeycomb? Android has nicknamed all of if its releases after sweet foods. So far the list has included Cupcake (1.5), Donut (1.6), Eclair (2.1), Froyo (2.2), as well as the upcoming Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

With all this talk about Honeycomb, you may be asking yourself, "What about Gingerbread?" Well Gingerbread is expected to come sometime in October, and it should not be long after that in which manufacturers start releasing devices with the 3.0 OS loaded. The update should include a large renovation of the User Interface, with the hope that it will significantly decrease the need for manufacturers skins on top of the vanilla UI. Other features possible are 3D gaming, improved copy/paste, media streaming from PC, Google Music integration, a 1280x760 resolution for screens larger than 4 inches, and more.

Hopefully Google will provide smartphone and tablet users with a refined OS while still being able to meet their quick timeframe.

Dual Mode HTC phone likely headed to Verizon

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A new HTC slider phone has hit the FCC, and has created quite a buzz around it. The reason for the buzz is that the device is a dual mode cdma/gsm phone, something very rare in phones. The benefit to having this in a phone is that it makes it easier for people travel and take their phone with them.

The phone appeared with the Verizon labeling and a slide out qwerty keyboard, with little known about its under the hood specifications. It is known however that the device has a 4 inch screen, and meets the rumored specifications for Android 3.0.


This is expected to be yet another solid phone from HTC, but are consumers going to get tired of the 4+ inch designs on every phone?

Apple Refreshes iPod Line, Apple TV

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At Apple's annual media event yesterday, the new line of iPods was announced. This may be one of the best iPod lines yet, with several new features as well as a few lost ones. To begin with, the iPod touch has front and rear facing cameras and the iPod shuffle once again has buttons. The iPod nano underwent the largest change, losing its click wheel completely in favor of a touchscreen, but also losing its video recording and playback capabilities.

The iPod classic will have no changes, and it is expected that the line will be dropped within the next year.

The refresh of Apple TV was another big talking point at the event, with the device being launch with a new price of $99, a large decrease from the original price of $229. The emphasis on the new Apple TV is on renting of TV shows and movies.

Once again Apple has managed to revamp its line in a big way.

Samsung Galaxy Tab First Commercial Released

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Following today's announcement of the Galaxy Tab in Berlin, Samsung has released a new commercial advertising the device. The commercial is very upbeat and almost Apple-like. The commercial highlights key points such as a large display, a full web browsing experience, optimized email, and a complete communications solution.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is a 7 inch tablet, running Android 2.2, and possesses a 1Ghz processor; the same as those seen in Samsung's Galaxy S devices. It also has a 1024x600 TFT-LCD screen (no Super AMOLED screen as seen in the Galaxy S smartphones).

In addition to that, it functions as a phone as well.

The final line of the commercial, "More possibilities on the go: the Samsung Galaxy Tab", is expected to be the tagline for the product, and we can expect to hear it much more as Samsung pushes the device.

Watch the commercial below:

Samsung Epic 4G Now Available At Sprint

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The Samsung Epic 4G has now been officially released at Sprint since yesterday, and it appears that it is doing very well, although not quite the blockbuster the HTC Evo 4G was.

The prominent features of this phone are that it includes a 1Ghz processor, a 4 inch Super AMOLED screen, a 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash, a front facing VGA camera, a physical QWERTY keyboard, and access to Sprint's 4G network.

This is a great Android phone, but it comes with a price. $249.99 with a two year agreement. This makes it the most expensive of Samsung's Galaxy S smartphones and even pricier than the HTC Evo 4G.

This phone has been selling well for Sprint thus far, but with the high price tag, is it sustainable?