PS Vita vs. Gree at Tokyo Game Show

The 2011 Tokyo Game Show was just a little while ago, and while there weren’t any mind-blowing surprises there were still a number of important announcements from the usual attendees as well as some newcomers. In the mobile gaming realm, both the Playstation Vita and the games for the Gree social network were attracting a lot of attention…

AT&T’s Motorola Edison (Atrix 2) Dances For The Camera.

The previously leaked (many times) Motorola Edison (read: AT&T’s Atrix 2) has gotten a new round of hands-on time compliments of TIMN. From what we can now see, the Edison/Atrix 2 will take AT&T’s crown for top-tier Android device. In all actuality, the Atrix 2 is basically AT&T’s Bionic. Consider the specs:

• 1 GHz TI OMAP 4 processor w/ 1 GB of RAM, 4.3″ qHD LCD display, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p video capture, 1,730 mAh battery and Android 2.3.5.

What appears to be missing unfortunately is LTE. Instead, users of the upcoming Atrix 2 will have to make do with HSPA+. And while HSPA+ isn’t too shabby in some necks of the woods, when said necks get crowded it goes downhill fast. On that same note, the software running on TIMN’s Edison/Atrix 2 is still fairly beta in nature meaning LTE could have simply been disabled. *Fingers crossed*

What’s most exciting, however, is that the Atrix 2 moves away from the atrocious PenTile display technology that the first-gen Atrix used. How the PenTile tech has made it this far with as grainy and pattered as it looks is beyond us. Either way, better tech is coming.

Look for more info on the AT&T Motorola Edison/Atrix 2 as the rumored Thanksgiving launch date approaches.

Review: We Go Hands On With The Hands Free SuperTooth HD

With almost 10 states already banning cell phone use (30 states for novice drivers) and over 30 that have banned texting while driving, the Bluetooth hands free options of today are coming more and more necessary. But do you want to give up the frills of staying connected just to have a safe trip? Out of a 24 hour day I have my phone in my hand around 16 of those, and during the 5 I am sleeping, it is usually there as well. But since I live in Portland it is against the law for me to have said phone anywhere near my face let alone in my hands. I have never been a fan of Bluetooth ear pieces but could never find a car only device I actually liked. But after reading up on this $129 Bluetooth car kit I started to get excited about using something that didn’t have to burrow its way into my ear canal.

Do you think this slick little device can withstand the billion other Bluetooth options out there? Hop on in to find out…

Round-up: Facebook Timeline, Music Sharing, And More!

Facebook dropped a bombshell today — many bombshells in fact. The upcoming Open Graph powered Facebook is an entirely new animal that once finely tuned, will revolutionize how we share and interact across the open web.

Two of the biggest announcements today revolved around music and video sharing. The former will see partnerships with a handful of streaming services such as Spotify, Rdio, and Mog while the latter will feature heavy weights Vevo and Netflix to name a few. The most interesting aspect of it all is how music/video content will easily and seamlessly integrate with users’ timelines, how it can be shared between users, and the doors it will open for music/video discovery.

Through all the good news today is a small hiccup — the coveted Netflix integration within Facebook doesn’t work in the U.S. yet. We have backwards, outdated laws to thank for that. But according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, a bill is already weaving its way through congress with verbiage specifically designated to making Netflix + Facebook 100% legal.

Finally, the hugely hyped sharing app/service, “Color” was reborn today. Soon Android and iOS users will have a much better, re-designed Color app that pulls heavily from Facebook while also deeply integrating with said social network. Specifically, the app makes use of four key features: Feed, Timeline, Friends and Inbox. Basically, think of this new Color as a sort of Facebook-y/Instagram/Picctu mashup for the masses.

There’s so much more to cover, though. So hop past the break and check out the in-depth videos!

HP Flip Flop: Apotheker Out, Whitman In.

Previous rumors stating HP was potentially looking to replace Leo Apotheker (who was hired not even one year ago) have progressed much further than originally believed. Today the company announced that Apotheker is officially out. In his place will be former eBay CEO, Meg Whitman.

The move is hardly surprising. In less than a year Apotheker single handedly (with the boards blessing) destroyed HP’s hard work and effort created by former CEO Mark Hurd. The consumer oriented webOS has all but been killed and the company’s HP business was even put up on red alert. It goes without saying very few people will miss Apotheker.

Though Apotheker wasn’t alone. The board helped. Earlier today SAI ran a story which cited an unnamed HP board member who flat out admitted the board was “too tired from the infighting” (they apparently hate each other) to properly choose a replacement CEO for Hurd. The most astonishing admission, however, is that few members of the board actually met Apotheker before hiring him as the company’s CEO.

A new day for HP? More importantly: Can webOS survive? Finally: Should HP’s board be replaced?

Verizon CEO To Government: “Not Allowing AT&T/T-Mobile Merger Will Hurt U.S. Wireless Customers.”

If you thought Verizon’s stance would mirror Sprint/Nextel in opposing the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, you’re in for a world of surprise. During an investor conference on Wednesday, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam stated that the government needs to allow the merger to allow the cellular industry to keep pace with the customer demand.

“We need to be very thoughtful on what the impacts would be to the overall industry if this is a way to regulate the industry without actually passing regulation.”
…
“I have taken the position that the AT&T merger with T-Mobile was kind of like gravity. It had to occur, because you had a company with a T-Mobile that had the spectrum but didn’t have the capital to build it out. AT&T needed the spectrum, they didn’t have it in order to take care of their customers, and so that match had to occur.”

The statement is somewhat surprising considering AT&T would leapfrog Verizon in total customer base by many tens of millions. So why are they supportive of the merger?

HTC Sense 3.5 Devices Get 3 Free GB Of Dropbox Storage Under New Partnership.

Good news for owners of HTC devices running the new Sense UI 3.5: You get free Dropbox storage! A new partnership between HTC and Dropbox will see 3 free gigabytes of storage allotted to Sense 3.5 devices. Combined with the free 2 GB of initial storage, specific users will now start out with 5 GB of free storage.

While only two phones currently run Sense 3.5 (HTC Rhyme and Sensation XE) the list will continue to grow through the rest of 2011 and into 2012.

The partnership is a great one for customers as it will allow them to easily save data to “the cloud” and prevent data loss situations when their phone is lost/stolen. The only hurdle now is to actually educate users on how to differentiate between where the data is being stored.