Sony Unveils Successor To PlayStation Portable

Sony has revealed the first details on a long-rumored successor to their struggling PlayStation Portable platform.

The next generation portable, code-named NGP, is scheduled to hit stores later this year.

Revealed during an event in Japan early Thursday, the NGP will feature a 5-inch OLED touchscreen, front- and rear-facing cameras, gyroscope and accelerometer, Wi-Fi and 3G support, and built-in GPS.

The device includes two thumbsticks, addressing a big complaint against the PlayStation Portable.

NGP will also introduce a new software format for games. Each title will be released on a small card using flash memory, and allow users to store downloadable content and their game saves on the card.

According to the official PlayStation blog, Killzone, Uncharted and Call of Duty are among the franchises expected to appear on NGP.

Facebook To Launch First Cell Phone

Smartphone manufacturer HTC will launch two Facebook branded cell phones next month, London financial daily City A.M. reported Wednesday.
HTC is due to unveil the tie-up with the social network giant at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The phones are expected to run on a tweaked version of Google's Android operating system and will prominently display users' Facebook messages and profile content on the home screen, City A.M. said.
HTC produced a design draft of the phone that bears the website's blue and white color scheme and official logo.
It is unclear whether the Facebook phone will be tied to an exclusive mobile carrier.

Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook Page Hacked

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's fan page was hacked Tuesday -- a high-profile breach on a site that constantly faces scrutiny about its handling of its members private data.

The message that appeared on Zuckerberg's page under his name read: "Let the hacking begin: If facebook needs money, instead of going to the banks, why doesn't Facebook let its users invest in Facebook in a social way? Why not transform Facebook into a 'social business' the way Nobel Price winner Muhammad Yunus described it? http://bit.ly/fs6rT3 What do you think? #hackercup2011"

The message received a flurry of more than 1,800 "likes" before it was removed from the page. Facebook's representatives have not returned calls seeking comment.

Zuckerberg wasn't the only famous figure to have his Facebook page hacked this week. A hacker posted a message on French President Nicolas Sarkozy's wall on Sunday that stated the president would not run for re-election.

Sarkozy responded with a post saying no "qu'aucun système n'est infaillible" -- which translates to 'no system is infallible.'

NFC Could Make the iPhone a Payment Machine

Bloomberg reported this week that Apple Inc. is working on Near Field Communication (NFC) for the iPhone and iPad that could turn these devices into payment machines -- perhaps even allowing buyers to pay using their iTunes gift card balances.

NFC could be one of the most intriguing mobile technologies available today, one that can take a phone and enable you to make a payment by waving it near or touching it against a terminal.

A PC World article from last fall defined NFC as "a short-range wireless technology that, for example, can be used to make contactless payments." The article also pointed out there are still obstacles to widespread adoption, including getting merchants to install NFC readers, which could take time.

There is currently a dearth of supported NFC-enabled phones, although this is changing, as Internet Evolution ThinkerNetter Alan Reiter pointed out in November 2010. Google's Android OS has NFC support today, and if Apple gets on board, it will only increase usage.

Indeed, a survey conducted by technology market intelligence firm iSuppli Corp. predicts that by 2014, 220 million cellphones will be NFC-enabled, or approximately 13 percent of all phones sold. And that number could be conservative if Google and Apple get into it in a big way.

Intel Taps Will.i.am For Creative Director Job

William James Adams Jr., better known as Will.i.am of the popular music group Black Eyed Peas, was named Intel's new director of creative innovation, the chip maker said Tuesday.

Adams, a Grammy winner with multiple platinum albums, will work with Intel on developing new technologies, music and in technology advocacy, Intel said in a statement.

It is "a multi-year, hands-on creative and technology collaboration with Intel," the chip giant said.

The unusual personnel move comes just a week after Intel made a similar announcement related to multimedia.

Last week, the company announced that Erik Huggers, director of the BBC's (British Broadcasting Corporation) Future Media & Technology division, will join Intel as corporate vice president and general manager of its Digital Home Group.

Twitter Blocked in Egypt, Company Confirms

Twitter confirmed on Tuesday the Internet messaging and communications site had been blocked in Egypt, where thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

"We believe that the open exchange of info & views benefits societies & helps govts better connect w/ their people," the company wrote in a message, or tweet, as it confirmed the blocking of its service.

Firefox, Google Chrome Adding "Do Not Track" Tools

The Firefox and Google Chrome browsers are getting tools to help users block advertisers from collecting information about them.

Alex Fowler, a technology and privacy officer for Firefox maker Mozilla, says the "Do Not Track" tool will be the first in a series of steps designed to guard privacy. He doesn't say when the tool will be available.

Google Chrome users can now download a browser plug-in that blocks advertisers — but only from ad networks that already let people decline, or opt out of, personalized, targeted ads.

The next version of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser, which is still being developed, will include a similar feature, though people will have to create or find their own lists of sites they want to block.

Sony PSP2 To Have 3G Connection, OLED Screen

The rumored revamp of the Sony PlayStation Portable will have a multitouch OLED screen, a much faster processor, and 3G connectivity, a report from Nikkei, a Japanese newspapaer says.

The biggest departure from the original PSP and PSP Go models would be the 3G connection, which is said to be supplied by NTT Docomo in Japan. There's no information about whether a monthly fee would be required, how much it would be, or whether the connection would support both phone calls and data. Presumably, calls wouldn't be possible, since it would render the existence of a PlayStation Phone—which has been all but confirmed—moot.

The Nikkei reports says the new processor for the PSP2 will be a version of the Cell chip found in the PlayStation 3, scaled for a portable device. Such a processor would use up battery life faster, but switching from an LCD to an OLED screen should get some back. This would be consistent with Sony expanding its use of OLED display technology in recent years.

A multitouch screen is almost a given, since the technology is a de facto requirement in most current portable devices.

Ad Invasion Of Twitter Just Beginning

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Microblogging service Twitter, which is ambitiously trying to grow revenue, is expected by Internet research firm EMarketer to more than triple advertising sales this year to $150 million.

Twitter generated $45 million in ad revenue in 2010, the first year the microblogging service sold advertising. However, the company didn't announce its advertising program until last April, so the $45 million figure doesn't reflect a full year of ads. Major advertisers include Sony Pictures, Doubletree Hotels, Red Bull and Starbucks.

EMarketer also predicts Twitter ad revenue will hit $250 million next year -- assuming it continues to increase users and provide a return on investment to advertisers this year.

"If Twitter can grow its user base and convince marketers of its value as a go-to secondary player to Facebook, it will succeed in gaining revenue," said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer principal analyst. "In 2011 it must work overtime to give its early advertisers a positive experience."

While Twitter's advertising revenue will continue to be dwarfed by Facebook's -- EMarketer expects the social networking giant to pull in $4.05 billion in ad revenue this year and $5.74 billion in 2012 -- the microblogging company's ad sales should surpass those of Myspace by next year.

Motorola's Xoom Hits Shelves Feb. 17

Motorola's much-anticipated Xoom — considered the biggest challenger to Apple Inc.'s wildly popular iPad — will reportedly debut Feb. 17 at Best Buy, including outlets in the Sacramento region.

The 10.1-inch Xoom, which uses Google's Android Honeycomb operating system, will sell for $699, according to Droid Attic and Engadget. Motorola has not confirmed the date or pricing for the Xoom, which received rave reviews at the Consumer Electronic Show this month in Las Vegas.

The Xoom includes a 5 megapixel camera in back, with a 2MP lens in front for video chat. The tablet has a dual processor.

Motorola has confirmed the Xoom will hit shelves this quarter, with another model that works on Verizon's 4G LTE network coming in the second quarter.

Apple's App Store Passes 10 Billion Downloads

On Saturday the 22nd, Apple reported that the iTunes App Store had finally passed the 10 billion app download milestone. The 10 billionth app to be downloaded from the store was Paper Glider, purchased by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, in the UK. The iTunes App Store has over 350,000 free and paid apps in its catalog, and Apple had been promoting the 10 billionth app download for several weeks as they inched closer to the goal.

Even though word spread quickly that Gail Davis was the winner of the countdown, apparently it didn't get to Gail quite fast enough: when Eddy Cue, Apple's VP of iTunes, called her to congratulate her and inform her that she was the winner and recipient of a $10,000 iTunes gift card as her prize, she reportedly politely declined and hung up, thinking it was a prank call. She came to her senses shortly thereafter, and thankfully Apple called her back to try again.

The 10 billionth app was Paper Glider, a free game in the iTunes App Store where you control a paper airplane floating on the breeze across an office or a landscape for as long as you can or until the end of the level where you guide the plane out of an office window. The app has already updated its description page on the iTunes App Store to let everyone know its status as the 10 billionth app.

Nvidia Reportedly Ready to Unveil Tegra 2 3D Next Month

A leaked slide of Nvidia's upcoming Tegra 2 3D platform surfaced over the weekend, revealing a few details Nvidia reportedly plans to unveil at the Mobile World Congress in February, TechEye.net reports.

There are two versions of the processor being readied, including the AP25 chip for mobile phones and T25 for tablets/slates. These parts will scale ARM's Cortex A9 processor to 1.2GHz, a 200MHz increase over Tegra 250 series CPUs. As the leaked slides reveal, Nvidia is touting the ability to reach 5,520 MIPS, compared to 5,000 MIPS on a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor.

Assuming the slides are legit, look for these Tegra 2 parts to start shipping in Spring 2011.

Facebook Won't Share Phone Numbers & Addresses

OK, Facebook members, time to take a deep breath. We know Facebook's kind of stealthy revelation on Friday night that it would allow third party apps access to your mobile phone number and address (with your permission) probably upset you, if you were paying attention. But after users expressed their displeasure with it this weekend, the social network has decided to suspend that ability — for now.

A post on Facebook's Developer Blog by Jeff Bowen, who handles platform developer relations for the company, said that Facebook was "now making a user's address and mobile phone number accessible as part of the User Graph object," and acknowledged that this was "sensitive information" that has to be approved by the user, using the now ubiquitous "standard permissions dialog" box that most of us see when asked to allow a third party app access to our Facebook info.

But judging by the example given on the post, it's easy enough to overlook when the average Facebook user has become conditioned to clicking "Allow" on those permissions. (How many people do you know who always read the fine print, every time?)

While 828 people "liked" the post, the comments below it show the tide turned quickly, prompting Facebook to retreat and take back this action last night at 11:25 p.m. in a post by Douglas Purdy, director of developer relations.

Apple Stays Quiet About Jobs' Future

Apple executives answered questions about the company's products and the state of the Korean technology market Tuesday, but they offered no insight into the most pressing issue before the world's most valuable technology company: Is Steve Jobs coming back?

Jobs told Apple employees in an e-mail Monday that he is taking time off to "focus on my health." He remains CEO during his medical leave, but Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook has taken charge of all the company's day-to-day operations.

How the management change will affect Apple's business and whether Jobs is likely to return are open questions right now. Apple didn't talk about Jobs during the company's hourlong quarterly earnings call Tuesday and none of the financial analysts on the line asked about the future of the man named "CEO of the Decade" by Fortune Magazine.

"I can't believe nobody asked the question," said Brian Marshall, an analyst with Gleacher & Co. "It was a pretty disappointing quality of questions," he said. He couldn't say why the issue of Jobs' health and his future at Apple didn't come up. "I guess people just assume that Steve's going to be CEO forever," he said.

Twitter Worm Pushing Rogue Antivirus Scam

Thousands of Twitter users are believed to have been hit with malicious links tied to a rogue antivirus scam circulating the microblog service.

The scam is spreading through malicious links abusing the goo.gl URL shortening service. According to Kaspersky Lab, the malicious links redirect users to different domains with an "m28sx.html" page. That HTML page redirects users to a static domain with a Ukrainian top-level domain. From there, blogged Kaspersky Lab Senior Malware Researcher Nicolas Brulez, the domain redirects the user to an IP address pushing fake antivirus.

"Once you are on this website," Brulez blogged, "you will get [a] warning that your machine is running suspicious applications and you are encouraged to scan it. … The user is invited to remove all the threats from their computer, and will download a fake Anti Virus [sic] application called 'Security Shield.'"

Del Harvey, director of Trust and Safety for Twitter, tweeted during the day that the company was working to remove the malicious links and reset passwords on compromised accounts.

Apple: 160 Million iOS Devices Sold So Far

Apple announced during its first quarter earnings conference call the number of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices through the December quarter hit the 160 million mark. Peter Oppenheimer, the company's CFO, revealed the figure on Tuesday during his conference call remarks.

The quarter's iPhone sales helped boost the number of iOS devices in the wild with some 16.2 million units sold. In comparison, the same quarter last year saw 8.7 million iPhones sold.

"This represents 86 percent year-over-year growth compared to IDC's latest published estimate of 70 percent growth in the global smartphone market overall in the December quarter," Mr. Oppenheimer said.

As of the end of the quarter, Apple had iPhone distribution deals with 185 carriers in 9 countries.

Schmidt Out As Google’s CEO, Page To Take Over

Eric Schmidt is stepping down as CEO of Google Inc., and Larry Page, who helped start the search engine, is taking the top job as of April 4.

Schmidt will stay on as executive chairman of Mountain View, Calif.-based Google (NASDAQ: GOOG).

Page is now the company's president of products. Schmidt will help him get up to speed for the company's top job before he leaves, Google said. Page may have something to learn, as the last time he held the top job at Google was in a very different era, from late 1998 until Schmidt replaced him.

Sergey Brin, Google's other founder, isn't changing his role at the company. He will keep "focusing on strategic products," Google said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

The company portrayed its change at the top as evolutionary rather than revolutionary. "Larry ... is ready to lead," Schmidt wrote on his blog, adding via Twitter: "Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!"

Schmidt said that although what he called the "triumvirate approach" of leadership by himself, Page and Brin has real benefits, it is time "to clarify our individual roles so there's clear responsibility and accountability."

Schmidt became CEO of Google in July 2001, when he'd already been chairman of the board for several months — Google put him on the board and made him chairman in March of that year.

He was chairman and CEO of Novell Inc. before coming to Google, and he also worked for Sun Microsystems, where he was chief technology officer.

Google has been expanding its presence in Pittsburgh. The company came to town in 2006 when it opened an office on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in the Collaborative Innovation Center. Last year, the company moved into roughly 40,000 square feet of space at the redeveloped Bakery Square, and earlier this month, it confirmed that it intends to take up more than 100,000-square-feet in the building.

On the same day the company announced the management shake-up, it reported year-end profit of $8.5 billion, or $26.31 a share, up from $6.5 billion, or $20.41 per share, a year ago.

Today's World: PIRACY

10 years have passed by of the 21st Century. Man has advanced to a more greater stage. Last century the internet was invented and this century the number of users using the internet has just risen beyond imagination. Internet has become an important part of most of the people, and so has piracy taken it's roots in today's modern world. The copyright infringement of software (often referred to as software piracy) refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer software. Copyright infringement of this kind is extremely common. Most countries have copyright laws which apply to software, but the degree of enforcement varies. Companies and markets just suffer due to this because their sale of software products or internet related stuff is just being shared among many millions of people just by the method of software-copy. The advantage to the people having pirated software is that they need not have to buy those particular softwares and can use them for free though that particular software can only be used after buying legally. The big loss of the company selling those products is that once they release  a particular software in the market, the pirated copied software starts getting into many hands. The sale of the company suffers because the sale they were expecting just got destroyed because of the sudden rise in the piracy of their software.
                          Companies suffer and markets fall due to this problem which is clearly present in all the countries of the world. Each and every Government of different countries have taken strict measures against piracy, but while controlling the ever-growing piracy, the world of hackers were just born who would even break open the software code and make it pirated though it was made and distributed to the market with tough password protected code. The world is also trying to get to those hackers and they have been successful on several occasions. This is what is piracy and it's dangerous effects and consequences.

Sraman Biswas

Piracy possibility emerges with Mac App Store

A weakness in copy protection--the antipiracy mechanism at the heart of many a digital distribution system--has reared its head with Apple's brand-new Mac App Store.

The store, launched yesterday, includes digital rights management (DRM) technology designed to ensure that only a program's purchaser is authorized to run the program. But a hack distributed online apparently can be used to get around the system in some situations.

Although several have reported successful use of the hack to circumvent copy protection, it stems from problems in how software developers get their applications to verify permission to run, not from an irreparable problem with the Mac App Store's DRM.

Nevertheless, the issue spotlights the painful realities of DRM. When it's used, hackers often find a way around it, as happened for example with Blu-ray and DVD encryption. But commercial content creators naturally are averse to seeing their digital products spreading willy-nilly for free, and Apple's removal of DRM from music in iTunes in 2009 and Amazon's option to lend Kindle books are the exception rather than the rule. Just this week, a group of entertainment industry powers unveiled a new DRM and copy-protection technology called UltraViolet.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Big Bucket Software's Matt Comi, developer of a game called The Incident that's vulnerable to the hack, said he'll be releasing a new version of his software.

"Too bad they didn't release a Mac App Store beta to developers--maybe we would've noticed this," Comi said. Despite the problem, he added, "First day's sales came in a few hours ago and we're very pleased."

With the Mac App Store hack, a person copies three files--digital receipts--from a freely downloaded application such as Twitter to another app such as Angry Birds that otherwise would have to be purchased before it runs. That second app essentially uses the free app's authorization. Of course, a bootleg copy of the second app must first be obtained, but that's rarely proved an obstacle in for those evading copy protection technology.

News of the hack spread quickly yesterday--but shortly afterward came more news that apparently at least part of the problem lies with the software developer and Apple's suggested verification procedures rather than with a terminal problem with the technology.

"For apps that follow Apple's advice on validating App Store receipts, this simple technique will not work. But, alas, it appears that many apps don't perform any validation whatsoever, or do so incorrectly, like Angry Birds," Apple watcher John Gruber said.

But another observer, Sean Christmann, also laid some blame on Apple. Although Angry Birds developers followed only two of the five steps Apple recommends for verifying the software is authorized to run, Apple's instructions are flawed, Christmann said in a blog post.

Specifically, he said Apple recommends a verification process that checks a text file separate from the application's binary file--in other words, an ancillary file, not the file the computer actually runs. He recommended a validation procedure that uses the application itself.

"At the end of the day, if your app is popular enough it's going to end up on a pirated site, but for the time being, by following the instructions above, you can avoid having your app easily cracked with TextEdit," Christmann said.

Comi had this description of the matter: "The issue relates to comparing bits of data from one file (the Info.plist, in other words, the app's metadata) to bits of data in another file (the receipt). As long as those files are consistent, the app will launch. Pretty obvious in retrospect but easy to overlook. The fix is to not refer to the Info.plist."

The Mac App Store is open for business.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Asked if it plans a new version of Angry Birds, Rovio Mobile said, "We'll look into it."

Chester Wisniewski of security company Sophos also cautioned about a side effect of the problem: people might look for pirated software instead of going through the App Store. "Be cautious where you get things," he said in a video. "Don't pirate software. It's the best way to get trojans onto your system."

The Angry Birds application is a good example. "Unfortunately, Rovio did not follow the best practice guidelines that Apple set forth on what to do to prevent this application from being pirated," Wisniewski said. "It's quite easy to imagine it's going to be widely distributed."

credit: cnet

CES: ARM CEO on Microsoft, tech's rise (Q&A)

LAS VEGAS--The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show may be remembered as marking the year that a small U.K. chip designer began to eclipse the largest chipmaker in the world--that would be Intel, of course.

Warren East, chief executive of ARM, sat down with CNET for a few minutes at CES on Thursday to discuss some of the seismic events that took place at CES centered on ARM.

A flurry of big announcements put the ARM chip architecture front and center this year. Those include Microsoft's intention to move its next major release of Windows to ARM, Nvidia's plans to develop high-performance ARM processors based on a new architecture license with ARM, and Motorola's demonstration of a new tablet and high-end smartphones based on ARM chips.

ARM CEO Warren East.

Q: What is the impact of the Microsoft announcement?
East: I've been confidently saying over the last couple of years [that] we're going to have a massive market share in Internet-connected devices with or without Microsoft. Certainly with Microsoft, we're going to have a bigger share. I can't tell how much bigger because it depends how successful compared with some of their competitors. But I can be absolutely certain that Microsoft is going to achieve some significant market share.

What does Microsoft have to do to make Windows successful on ARM in your opinion?
East: They've got to think about the user experience. And make sure it's a competitive user experience. If part of the problem with the user experience is that it takes too long for anything to happen, people are going to get frustrated and [Microsoft] won't achieve the market share that others have.

When you did start talking to Microsoft?
East: We've been working with Microsoft for about 13 years. It would be ludicrous for me to sit here and deny that we've been trying to persuade Microsoft to do something like this for many years.

How difficult is it to move to a different chip platform?
East: It is actually quite a difficult decision for Microsoft to make. It's a very expensive exercise to make Windows and everything else that goes with it run on on a different architecture. The operating system is relatively easy. It's all of the other things that go with it. Device drivers and all of those other things.

And Microsoft announced a chip architecture license last summer, too?
East: We were amazed when they announced the architecture deal in the summer. [Microsoft signed an ARM architecture license.] They actually wanted to announce it. We thought we'd have to announce it. Potentially very sensitive for us. But they actually wanted to announce it. I think they want the world to know that's where they're going so they can bring the ecosystem over and people like Epson will write printer drivers [for ARM.]

And Nvidia is now a big ARM player?
East: Look at what Jen-Hsun [CEO of Nvidia, which is supplying ARM processors to tablet makers such as Motorola and Toshiba] said. He said we'll remember CES 2011 as when the computing world changed. I do feel a certain amount of responsibility now. Nvidia really bet the company on ARM.

Can ARM make it on the desktop and in bigger computers?
East: This is the ARM business model working. The technology is totally scalable [up to the desktop and supercomputing]. [Nvidia's] Tegra is a high-octane version but it's still basically a smartphone chip. What [Huang] was talking about yesterday was going a lot further. They're demonstrating that they're going to extend the ARM world.

What makes the ARM such a power efficient chip design?
East: It's the simplicity of the design. It's a RISC design. What dissipates power is transistors switching. If you've got less transistors switching (ARM), you have lower power consumption.

CES: Motorola unleashes 4G Droid Bionic

LAS VEGAS--Following up the success of the Droid smartphone series, Verizon and Motorola announced the Droid Bionic, a 4G-enabled phone that will be one of the first to run on Verizon's 4G LTE network.

In addition to waving the 4G flag, the Droid Bionic will also gain speed from two 1GHz processors. Other specs include a 4.3-inch qHD capacitive touch screen, an 8-megapixel camera, and a front-facing VGA camera. An HDMI-out connection makes the Droid Bionic compatible with TV monitors.

(Credit: Motorola)

A feature that Motorola is calling "Mirror Mode" will simultaneously stream video to the TV while it plays back on the phone, all in 1080p HD quality. As for the rest, there's 512MB RAM of internal memory and support for Adobe Flash.

The Droid Bionic will be available with Verizon in the "early second quarter" but we don't know pricing yet.

Keep checking back for more details and a full hands-on look.

CES: Motorola reveals iPad-rival Xoom tablet

Motorola revealed its new Android-based Xoom tablet, which the company hopes will dethrone Apple's iPad in this fast-growing market segment.

The Xoom betters the iPad in some ways--it comes standard with front- and rear-facing cameras, including one that can record in HD, compared with none in the current version of the iPad. It also boasts a larger screen with a higher resolution, supports Adobe Flash, and uses Verizon's network instead of AT&T's.

Motorola Xoom tablet

(Credit: Motorola.com)

It will become the first device to run the latest version of Google's Android operating system, known as Honeycomb. The operating system supports multitasking and has been designed explicitly for tablets.

Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this afternoon that the device will be available in stores in the first quarter of 2011 in 3G form. All of the 3G Xooms "are capable" of being upgraded to 4G later this year, he said.

Jha didn't announce how much the device will cost and Motorola ended the event without taking questions from reporters.

This will be "the most competitive product in the marketplace," Jha predicted. (Motorola recently split into two publicly traded companies, Motorola Mobility Holdings and Motorola Solutions.)

The Xoom (pronounced "zoom") will operate on Verizon Wireless' network and be upgradeable to 4G LTE in the second quarter of the year, with units sold thereafter including 4G by default. It was not immediately clear if a Wi-Fi-only version would be available, but the companies' statement appeared to indicate it would not be, and the photos of the tablet show a Verizon logo on the top right corner.

Motorola Xoom (hands-on photos)

Jha showed some videos of the tablet in action but told reporters it was still under development and would not be available for hands-on demonstrations today.

In terms of specifications, the Xoom has a dual-core processor with each core running at 1 GHz, a 1280x800 resolution (compared with the iPad's 1024x768), a 10.1-inch 16:10 display (larger than the iPad's 9.7 inches), and supports Google Maps 5.0 with 3D buildings. It can capture 720p video with the rear camera.

Motorola also announced three accessories: a leather case that doubles as a stand, a standard dock for charging and display, and a "speaker HD" dock. The latter includes three USB ports, HDMI output, and built-in speakers. There's also a Bluetooth keyboard, but any should work.

Some of the lingering questions may be answered tomorrow. Verizon's CEO Ivan Seidenberg will be delivering a keynote at 8:30am PT, and Verizon Wireless will hold a press conference at 1 pm PT.

Meanwhile, expect to see other Android-based tablets very soon. Also this afternoon, T-Mobile and LG Mobile Phones announced their G-Slate tablet, which will also run Honeycomb on T-Mobile's HSPDA+ 4G network, and be available in the next few months.

Update 8:45 p.m. PT: CNET TV has posted a six-minute video that shows how the Xoom tablet handles tab-based browsing, Google Maps in 3D, e-book reading through Google's marketplace, and movies. Here's Motorola's Xoom Web site. And here's a CNET first take on the G-Slate tablet including a video.

CES: Freescale chip chops vampire draw to zero

Chipmaker Freescale has designed a USB charger that knows when to stop working.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Freescale will announce availability of Watt Saver, a system that eliminates the "vampire" power draw of wall chargers for mobile phones and other small electronics.

The first generation of Freescale's zero-draw technology is used in AT&T phone chargers.

(Credit: Freescale)

Even when wall chargers are no longer plugged into phones, the chargers still draw a small trickle of electricity, ranging from less than a watt for efficient chargers to over 5 watts. The Freescale system can detect when a phone's battery is full or when it's been unplugged and cut the power draw to zero.

Last year AT&T introduced its Zero Charger, available for $29.99 in stores, using Freescale's technology. Having tested the system with AT&T, Freescale is now talking to other phone and gadget companies about using Watt Saver, said Glen Burchers, director of consumer segment marketing at Freescale.

Watt Saver adds three components to a traditional wall charger, which are typically made by third-party companies rather than electronics manufacturers themselves.

There is a micro-controller which detects when a phone has been unplugged, a capacitor to power the microcontroller, and a relay to shut off power, Burchers explained. The additional components add about $1 more to the charger's cost at retail.

It's designed for wall chargers that have a USB output, but the technology can be used to eliminate vampire power in different power packs, according to Freescale.

On an individual level, the dollar savings from cutting the vampire draw to zero is not very significant--perhaps less than one dollar over the course of a year, Burchers said. But in aggregate, the energy reductions make a big difference, given that there are 4 billion mobile phones already being used and another 1.4 billion sold a year.

Freescale estimates that vampire power from cell phones is about 1,200 megawatts, which is the output of a large power plant. It plans on giving 1 percent of the proceeds from sales of the Watt Saver to a nonprofit dedicated to preserving natural resources.

courtsey: cnet

CES: Verizon to debut 4G Android smartphones

erizon Wireless will use this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as the coming out party for its 4G wireless network.

While many people have been crossing their fingers for news of a Verizon iPhone at CES, the big news from Verizon will likely be the company's announcement of several new 4G wireless products, including at least four handsets and a tablet PC, all using Google's Android operating system.

LG's dual-core Optimus 2X

The carrier, which is the largest wireless operator in the U.S. in terms of subscribers, launched its highly anticipated 4G wireless network in December. But for the past month, the company has only sold laptop cards for the super fast network, which uses a next-generation networking technology known as Long Term Evolution, or LTE.

All that will soon change on Thursday when Verizon's CEO Ivan Seidenberg takes the stage to deliver a keynote address at the CES show. Later that afternoon, the company has scheduled a press conference, where news of the new devices is expected to be unveiled.

Specific details of devices to be announced have started trickling out. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the company will announce 4G smartphones from Samsung Electronics, Motorola, HTC, and LG Electronics.

CNET's Android Atlas reported last month that the company is expected to announce the dual-core LG smartphone and the HTC Thunderbolt at CES. Both these smartphones are LTE-ready. Motorola is also expected to announce the Honeycomb tablet PC, which is also expected to run on Verizon's 4G network.

All of these new devices will use the Google Android operating system. Verizon Wireless has forged a strong alliance with Google, selling its Android-powered phones for more than a year now. In fact, its Droid smartphones from Motorola, Samsung, and HTC are its main line of attack against AT&T and its exclusive deal with the iPhone.

Despite rumors of a Verizon iPhone, it looks like Verizon plans to maintain its close ties to Google. Rumors have circulated for months, that Verizon will get a version of the iPhone once the exclusivity with AT&T ends early this year. Some have speculated that Verizon may announce the new Verizon iPhone at CES, but most experts suspect Apple will hold its own event early this year to make the announcement.

Verizon's 4G push powered by Android devices, clearly solidifies the carrier's strategy to continue selling Google Android devices along with an Apple product.

It's unclear when Verizon will begin selling the Android 4G smartphones and tablets or the iPhone, for that matter. The Wall Street Journal cited sources that said the new Android 4G phones won't be available until midyear. But in an interview with CNET in October, Verizon Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam indicated that 4G handsets would be on store shelves by the end of the first quarter of 2011.

Getting 4G smartphones on the market quickly is critical for Verizon as it competes with rivals also touting a faster 4G network. Verizon is already facing competition from Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA, which each claim to offer 4G service.

In terms of speed, Verizon's LTE service is ahead of the pack. It offers average download speeds between 5 megabits per second and 12Mbps. Sprint's WiMax network built by Clearwire claims to get between 3Mbps and 6Mbps average download speeds. And T-Mobile USA, which is using HSPA+ technology, says it is getting between 3Mbps and 7Mbps average download speeds.

Sprint and T-Mobile already offer smartphones that take advantage of the speedier network. While the market for 4G is still rather small, the potential is huge. Consumers are already clamoring for faster networks to surf the mobile Web, download more apps, and stream rich media such as video and music. And they want to do it on their smartphones.

Sprint has seen success with the HTC Evo, its first 4G device introduced in mid-2010. It offered consumers their first taste of a 4G experience on a mobile handset. It introduced its second 4G smartphone later in the year. T-Mobile also has two "4G" phones on the market: the G2 and the myTouch.

While these carriers are much smaller than Verizon, they still present a threat. More importantly, Verizon needs 4G handsets in the market to combat AT&T, which will launch its 4G LTE network midyear.

Even though AT&T is somewhat late to the 4G party, the company still claims to have the fastest wireless network in the market with the widest footprint. Indeed, about 80 percent of its network supports HSPA+, the same "4G" technology that T-Mobile has used to build its network.

Currently, Verizon's 4G network is in 38 markets and offers service to about 110 million potential subscribers. AT&T claims it offers HSPA+ service to 250 million potential users today. Its LTE service will initially offer service to between 70 million and 75 million customers.

Sprint and T-Mobile also are expected to make 4G product announcements at CES. But it's clear that Verizon and its slew of 4G smartphones and tablets will be the biggest news in mobile for CES.

CNET will be live-blogging both the Verizon keynote speech on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. PT and the press conference later that day at 1 p.m. PT. So stay tuned this week for more details.

courtsey: cnet