Hardware

While the key components of the Web Cube may be the same as your average, pocket-sized mobile hotspot, the device as a whole is much bigger. Almost a 10cm cube (it’s 9.5cm high) it’s a distinctive addition to your desktop, with white base and top plates sandwiching a frosted midsection that reveals a fluted inner pillar. An array of blue LEDs cause the whole thing to glow when a device is connected via WiFi.

Physical controls are limited to a single button on the top, which doubles as a WPS pairing key and, with a longer press, a power button to shut the Web Cube down. Three of the top edges have tiny hatches, one sliding out for the SIM card, another hiding a reset button and external antenna port, and the last a microUSB port used for firmware updates. Unfortunately you can’t plug an external drive into the USB connection and share its data across the network.

Inside the Huawei-made device there’s a HSPA+ radio supporting up to 21.6 Mbit/s downloads and up to 5.76 Mbit/s uploads, network depending, along with a WiFi b/g/n router supporting up to five WiFi connections at any one time. 3G signal strength is shown via blue LEDs on the top panel.

Setup

Three is aiming for plug and play simplicity with the Web Cube, and the most confusing part is probably going to be loading the SIM. The quick-start guide shows where to slot it in, though hopefully in-store sales staff will do that for most users; then it’s just a case of plugging in the mains power lead and watching the Web Cube load up automatically.

Both the SSID and WPA2 encryption key are preconfigured, each printed on the base of the Web Cube as well as on the back of the quick-start guide. We were connected and surfing in sixty seconds from plugging the modem in, in fact.

As with most routers, there’s a browser-based control panel for checking status and accessing more complex settings. The home view shows data connection, upload/download speeds and a data counter, along with icons for signal status and how many WiFi clients are connected; you can also turn off the main body light. There’s also text message support, including incoming and outgoing messages; it’s worth noting that any WiFi user can access this and send SMS billed to your account. While you can’t turn off text messaging or lock it down with a passport, you can put in an incorrect service center number and block the functionality that way.

Log into the admin pages, and the Web Cube’s true router abilities become visible. It may look toylike but there’s most of the advanced settings and options that you’d expect from any wireless hardware: a DHCP server, static routing, MAC filtering and optional WiFi bridging, a firewall (sensibly on by default) and IP filtering, virtual server support and a DMZ. If you want to lock down the Web Cube to only support visiting certain sites, you can do it.

Performance

Mobile broadband download speeds are obviously dependent on carrier coverage, and the Web Cube’s 110cm cable doesn’t give you a huge amount of flexibility to move the modem around. Still, the integrated signal strength meter does make positioning easier, though we’d recommend doing some online speed tests just to see where the best results can be had.

Shifting the Web Cube one meter closer to the window saw download rates double (to 4.06 Mbps) and upload rates more than quintuple (to 1.72 Mbps), for instance, so there are significant benefits to be had in experimenting. At least, unlike most wired home broadband connections, you can take your pick of locations, as long as they’re near enough to a power socket. Moving to the other side of the building saw download rates jump to 5.89 Mbps and upload rates to 2.74 Mbps.

As for WiFi strength, we had no problems keeping a connection even with three walls (one external brick) and solid wooden doors between us and the Web Cube. In fact, our test computer was still showing full signal strength at the time. This could be the Web Cube’s biggest advantage over traditional mobile hotspots, which generally suffer from relatively short range WiFi radios.

Pricing

Three offers two options for Web Cube data packages. If you’re willing to commit, you can get 15GB of data per month on a two year £15.99 agreement, and pay nothing upfront for the modem itself. Those feeling more flighty can opt for a £15 month-to-month package, getting them 10GB of data instead; they’ll also have to pay £59.99 for the Web Cube.

There’s no unlimited data option, however, and Three tells us the target audience wouldn’t really want it, though we’re not so sure that’s actually the case.

Wrap-Up

It’s easy to be dismissive of the Web Cube, at least at first glance. Three’s HSPA+ can deliver reasonably speedy burst rates but still lags behind top-tier wired broadband connections, while you also miss out on the battery-powered portability of a traditional mobile hotspot. Unlike the carrier’s own WiFi Hub – which shares a USB modem’s connection over WiFi – you don’t get wired ethernet either, and the Web Cube is even larger.

Where the Web Cube begins to show merit is in its ease of setup and WiFi performance. Ignore the advanced settings – as most users will – and you can be up and running moments after plugging in. It’s portable enough that you can take it on holiday with you, and the data plans, while missing an unlimited option, are probably enough for casual users. The dramatically stronger WiFi range than a battery-powered hotspot singles the Web Cube out for semi-fixed usage too.

Definitely a niche gadget, then, but if you fit the target demographic then there’s plenty of appeal. We can see the Web Cube being ideal for broadband-shy grandparents or catering to a temporary office; it’d make a good backup option if your home broadband goes down. More advanced users will undoubtedly be able to find cheaper ways to share out a 3G connection, but if simplicity is your guiding star then the Web Cube will take some beating.

A £5 initial top-up is good for 250MB of data (that expires after 30 days) over Vodafone’s 3G network. Of course, there’s also WiFi if you’d rather not use the 3G. Those who buy the PS Vita 3G elsewhere will be able to get WipEout 2048 themselves by slotting in a Vodafone SIM and topping up £5.

Released in Japan in December 2011, the PS Vita has struggled to gain a grip on sales, with a lackluster line-up of titles blamed for continuing disappointment at the checkout. That will hopefully change by the time the Vita drops in the US and Europe, with the promise of cheaper downloaded games; however, Sony is courting further disappointment with the news that, in the US at least, PSP owners won’t be able to port their UMD games over to their new PS Vita.

The PS Vita has a 5-inch OLED multitouch display, twin analog sticks, Bluetooth, WiFi and a rear-mounted trackpad. Inside there’s a quadcore ARM Cortex-A9 processor, and Sony loads its own NEAR location-based gaming app.

Motorola had succeeded in having most of Apple’s 3G-enabled range blocked from sale in Germany after a ruling last December, with the injunction going into effect earlier today. However, Apple managed to have the injunction suspended amid claims that Motorola refused to license the 3G/UMTS patent in question under FRAND terms.

Those terms – “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” – mean that Motorola must agree to license the patent, deemed necessary to 3G/UMTS standards, to anyone who requests it. Motorola runs the risk of encouraging unwanted attention from the European Commission if the company is believed to be not playing by FRAND rules; Samsung is under antitrust investigation over similar behaviors.

The injunction enacted today comes at the same time as Motorola was granted a second injunction, this time over iCloud rather than FRAND patents. It’s unclear if Motorola will stump up the €100m bond required to actually follow through on that injunction, however.

The iPhone 4S is excluded from the sales block, presumably because it uses a different baseband chip to earlier Apple 3G-enabled devices. The iPad 2 WiFi + 3G, along with the iPhone 3G and iPhone 4, use Infineon wireless hardware, but Apple switched to Qualcomm GSM/CDMA hybrids for the iPhone 4S.

Motorola’s win in December was around a FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) licensed patent, deemed essential to 3G/UMTS standards. The ruling this week is not believed to refer to a FRAND patent, however. Samsung is currently under investigation by the European Commission for potential antitrust behaviors around FRAND patent licensing, and it’s unclear if Motorola’s decision to enact the injunction this week will see it also placed under the EC microscope.

Interestingly, the sales ban only applies to Apple’s online store; physical German stores, including Apple’s own retail locations, are apparently free to continue selling the devices. “Even if some iPad and iPhone models are currently unavailable in our online store in Germany,” an Apple statement (machine-translated) said, “customers will likely have no problem finding these devices in our stores or [at] authorized dealers.”

Update: Apple has given us a fuller statement (non-translated):

“While some iPad and iPhone models are not available through Apple’s online store in Germany right now, customers should have no problem finding them at one of our retail stores or an authorized reseller. Apple is appealing this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.”

[via FOSS Patents]

There’s also a microSD card slot, WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with a rear 5-megapixel camera. GPS, stereo speakers, a headphones socket and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera round out the main specs, along with a 4,000 mAh Li-Ion battery.

On the software side, Swype comes preloaded along with various sports apps, together with the usual suite of Google software.

The ZTE Optik will go on sale this coming Sunday, February 5 2012, priced at either $99.99 with a new, two-year agreement, or $349.99 upfront. Data plans will be $19.99 for 1GB of data, $34.99 for 3GB of data, $49.99 for 6GB of data and $79.99 for 12GB of data, with tethering a $29.99 per month add-on.

[via Android Community]

“As LTE networks are deployed alongside 3G networks,” Cristiano Amon, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm said in a statement, ”the ability for multimode 3G/LTE mobile devices to connect to different network technologies will be an important part of providing the best possible mobile voice and data experience to consumers.”

The demo used Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC), allowing a single radio to shift a call between 3G and 4G networks. Existing LTE devices have used CSFB (circuit-switched fallback technology) which automatically step a radio down from 4G to 3G when a voice call is to be made. Paired together, manufacturers can use a single 3G/4G chip rather than two separate radios.

Verizon is tipped to be trialling VoLTE in two US cities currently, with a full rollout believed to be intended for 2013. The carrier demonstrated the technology in early 2011, though not with transition to a 3G network, and has since committed to including LTE support in all its future smartphones.

A WiFi SSID and encryption password are preset, and once you plug the Web Cube into the mains it automatically starts sharing its HSPA+ connection. Up to five wireless clients can be connected at any one time, and the range is around 30 feet.

Three says 2-5Mbps download speeds should be typical, though suggests peaks of up to 10Mbps could be achieved. Two packages will be offered, a month-to-month option at £15 with a £59.99 upfront hardware charge and 10GB of data, and a 24-month agreement for £15.99 per month with no upfront charge and 15GB of data.

The carrier is targeting students, renters, those who frequently move and people who don’t want the hassle of a landline for traditional wired broadband, though we can see the data cap being a potential issue if the Web Cube is your sole connection. Three intends to trial the modem in Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh before a broader roll-out across the UK this year.

Warning bells had rung in 2011, when Samsung attempted to use its 3G/UMTS patent portfolio to attack Apple over the iPhone and other 3G-enabled devices such as the iPad. Apple argued it was covered to use the technology by its agreement with Qualcomm, which supplied the wireless hardware used in the iOS smartphone; Samsung countered that its own licensing agreement with Qualcomm didn’t in fact cover Apple’s use of the modems.

That caught the attention of the European Commission, which began to question whether Samsung’s use of 3G patents in the case met with previously agreed standardization policy. The patented technology itself isn’t in question – in fact the patents have already been deemed vital to 3G standards – but Samsung may have inadvertently revealed that it refused to license them to Apple under so-called “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” (FRAND) terms agreed in 1998.

Whether or not that’s the case will be questioned during the EU’s investigation, announced earlier today, with Samsung facing allegations of potential antitrust behavior. However, two rejected cases Samsung had hoped to bring against Apple in German courts – each around use of patented 3G tech – suggest there’s more afoot than has been publicly discussed so far.

If found guilty by the EU, Samsung could be fined up to 10-percent of the annual revenue it makes deemed related to the topic of the investigation. With record smartphone revenues in 2011, that’s something the company would undoubtedly like to avoid. The EU has been keen to point out that an investigation is not necessarily an indication of guilt, and told the Washington Post that the decision to undertake an enquiry was of its own choosing, not prompted by complaints from Samsung’s rivals. For the moment, Samsung looks free to sell its own products in most markets, but the choices the company made to fight back against Apple and others could end up coming back to haunt it.

“The European Commission has opened a formal investigation” the EC said today in a statement, “to assess whether Samsung Electronics has abusively, and in contravention of a commitment it gave to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), used certain of its standard essential patent rights to distort competition in European mobile device markets, in breach of EU antitrust rules.”

Samsung, among other companies, agreed to FRAND terms back when 3G standards were settled upon in Europe. As part of that agreement, Samsung is obligated to license out the wireless technology it filed patents for to other manufacturers, and to do so at rates that are not extortionate.

However, Samsung has cited the patents in claims against Apple in 2011, arguing that although it has licensed the technology to radio chipset manufacturer Qualcomm, Apple is not covered by that agreement. Apple argues differently, though neither it nor Qualcomm will release details of their contracts for Samsung to look into.

“In 2011, Samsung sought injunctive relief in various Member States’ courts against competing mobile device makers based on alleged infringements of certain of its patent rights which it has declared essential to implement European mobile telephony standards. The Commission will investigate, in particular, whether in doing so Samsung has failed to honour its irrevocable commitment given in 1998 to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to license any standard essential patents relating to European mobile telephony standards on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. The Commission will examine whether such behaviour amounts to an abuse of a dominant position prohibited by Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)” European Commission

However, two recent attempts to use 3G patents against Apple have been rejected in German courts, though specific reasons for the failure of the cases have not been given. No estimate for the length of time that the EC investigation will take has been given.

If, when documentation around the court’s decision is released, the former turns out to be true, Samsung could push ahead with its remaining patent suits and still stand a chance of winning against Apple. However, if the German court has decided that Samsung has, in effect, exhausted its rights under the patents, that would be a far more significant decision.

That, it’s suggested, would potentially see all bar one of Samsung’s remaining patent complaints rejected, leaving the company’s legal battle in relative tatters. Apple continues to claim that its use of the patented technology is covered by its deal with Qualcomm, which supplies certain radio chips, and that it has no further obligation to Samsung.

Samsung has demanded access to the Qualcomm contracts though is yet to gain copies; the company has said that it believes the information the documentation contains could have a huge impact on its various cases against Apple worldwide.

Hardware details on the two new PlayBook models are uncertain. The 3G+ of the new 7-inch version is apparently a chipset limitation, preventing LTE being included. However previous leaks of PlayBook OS 2.0 revealed LTE iconography and support for 1280 x 800 resolution, which could indicate one or both of the new models are stepping up to a more pixel-packed screen.

The first BlackBerry 10 handset isn’t expected until September this year, according to the source, in keeping with RIM’s own public “late-2012″ timescale. Exactly what the device will be is unspecified, though it seems likely to be the BlackBerry “London”, the only phone believed left uncancelled from those we’ve seen leak from the Canadian firm.

Before that point, however, there’ll supposedly be two new BlackBerry Curve handsets, targeting emerging markets; one will be 2G-only. PlayBook OS 2.0 will drop at the end of February 2012, while the PlayBook Admin Service will drop this coming summer. Meanwhile, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion - which will allow remote configuration, locking, secure wiping and connectivity management across BlackBerry phones, the PlayBook, Android smartphones or tablets, or an iPhone or iPad – will arrive in April, a month later than RIM previously expected.

RIM is expected to preview BlackBerry 10 at Mobile World Congress 2012 late next month – a timescale that would fit in with the tipped PlayBook OS 2.0 release, suggesting the two could well coincide – though that’s said to be a behind-glass showcase with no hands-on devices available. In the meantime, RIM is supposedly working with investment bank Goldman Sachs on exploring the potential of selling off the company.

Exactly which products ASUS has in mind is unclear. The Transformer series currently consists of three models, the original Transformer - of which a 3G version already exists – and the Transformer Prime launched late last year, along with the new Transformer Prime 700 series with a 1080p-capable display and redesigned back cover for improved wireless performance, announced at CES last week.

However, with the success of both Transformer and Transformer Prime, more products in the series seems likely. ASUS also revealed the Eee Pad MeMo at CES, though it is not part of the Transformer series and, so far, there’s no sign of a 3G-enabled version.

Back in early December, ASUS Germany first broke the news that no UMTS/HSPA version of the Transformer Prime would be offered, claiming demand for 3G-enabled tablets was too low to make it worthwhile.

ASUS had disappointed many by announcing back in November that it had no plans – at launch, at least – for a 3G variant of the Tegra 3-based Transformer Prime. The company’s German division then reiterated that last month, claiming that no UMTS/HSPA model was incoming.

All that seems to have changed in the intervening weeks, however, with the Transformer Prime 3G now expected to debut at the end of Q1 this year. There’s no word on what type of wireless it will support – whether GSM/UMTS or CDMA/EVDO – or indeed if there will be a 4G version with LTE or WiMAX, but a more powerful GPS module is also promised to address concerns around location services.

CES 2012 will bring a 7-inch tablet – potentially this leaked model – and a 10-inch “high resolution” model, according to ASUS’ Samson Hu, while two further 10-inch models will drop in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, ASUS has a 150-strong team working on its Windows 8 model, though we’re a little confused as to the mention of ARM chipsets given Microsoft is believed not to have the Windows 8 on ARM build of the OS ready until mid-2013.

We’ll hopefully know more next week as the Las Vegas show kicks off in earnest.

The $9bn figure has come from RBC Capital Markets analyst Jonathan Atkin, but carrier CEO Rene Obermann has refused to countenance shareholder payout cuts for 2012. Investors will get an annual dividend of at least €0.70, he confirmed this week, while Deutsche Telekom has reiterated its intention to buy back €1.2bn in shares over the next three years.

“Achieving growth is very, very difficult, that’s why the shares need another attractor …  achieving growth is very, very difficult, that’s why the shares need another attractor” Rene Obermann, CEO, Deutsche Telekom

That pressure to keep investors happy means customers may end up suffering. T-Mobile USA has to share Deutsche Telekom’s attentions with the company’s businesses in Germany and other European countries, meaning that $9bn injection to keep its 3G/4G service in line with carrier rivals may prove tough to scrape together.

As for AT&T, some analysts believe it “should be fine strategically” but, Baird analyst William Power suggests, “ it begs the question what might be next for it.” Contrary to the FCC and Justice Departments concerns that AT&T buying T-Mobile USA would have been bad for competition, analysts reckon the opposite is true.

“Without the combination, we think the wireless industry will be further weakened by continued hyper-competitive activity,” Nomura analyst Mike McCormack wrote to investors this week, “particularly regarding subscriber acquisition costs.” Each quarter, carriers spend considerable time and effort with promotions and discounting to try to lure customers away from rivals, a pattern that has seen ARPU (Average Revenue Per Unit) drop as monthly bills are slashed.

The carrier is yet to give any suggestion as to what may have caused the outage, or indeed publicly confirm the problems. Downtime does not appear to be consistent across all areas, though a brief glance at the support forums suggests locations in California, Ohio, Michigan, New York and more have been affected.

Bandwidth for data has been high on Verizon’s agenda in recent weeks. The company has agreed several acquisitions of AWS spectrum from cable providers, including a $3.6bn deal with Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House, and grabbing Cox’s spectrum for $315m.

We’re waiting to hear back from Verizon as to what the issue might be and whether there’s a timetable for it to be addressed. Until then, a WiFi hotspot is your friend.

Update: Some are reporting 3G is working fine for them, and only Verizon 4G is down. Verizon tells us it is looking into the problem.

Update 2: We’re hearing multiple reports that 4G is back online; is it working for you? Still no word from Verizon as to what, exactly, went wrong.

Update 3: Verizon has given us the following statement:

“Verizon Wireless 4G LTE service is returning to normal this morning after company engineers worked to resolve an issue with the 4G network during the early morning hours today. Throughout this time, 4G LTE customers were able to make voice calls and send and receive text messages. The 3G data network operated normally.”

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

“This is one of the highest payments ever agreed between two companies for the termination of a purchase agreement” Deutsche Telekom said in a statement about the break-up fee. While the cash will be welcome in the company’s bank account, it’s the AWS spectrum AT&T is forced to hand over that could really be the prize: a package consisting of spectrum in 128 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs), including 12 of the top 20 markets.

“Both companies are in agreement that the broad opposition by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and the U.S. telecommunications regulator (FCC) is making it increasingly unlikely that the transaction will close. Both companies are of the opinion that important arguments in support of the transaction have been ignored, such as the significant improvement in high-speed mobile network coverage for the U.S. market, as well as the positive employment effects. In addition there was no indication that either authority would move away from it’s non-supportive stance in return for concessions from the parties in terms of the scope and structure of the transaction” Deutsche Telekom

Those markets include Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Baltimore and Seattle. Meanwhile the roaming agreements will help fill in the gaps in existing UMTS coverage, taking T-Mobile USA’s served population to 280m, a 50m increase on today.

“Deutsche Telekom would like to express its gratitude to AT&T and to Randall Stephenson and his team for the positive cooperation over the past few months” the company concludes. “Our working relationship was characterized by fairness and respect at all times.”

Update: T-Mobile USA has released a public letter to customers, claiming its “ focus is unchanged” from before.

Update: The changes aren’t so clear-cut after all; more details after the cut.

Samsung’s attempted use of 3G patents to cow Apple has been a particularly controversial strategy. Back in September, Apple accused its rival of manipulating open telecom standards, arguing that Samsung had in effect cheated in its handling of the 3G ratifications by failing to disclose that it held patents in certain technologies while simultaneously pushing for them to be included in the final standards.

In fact, Apple alleged, Samsung specifically attempted to change its licensing agreement with Qualcomm – which produces 3G modems such as those found inside the iPhone 4S – to exclude Apple from coverage. That strategy looks to have collapsed, by Samsung’s own admission, with Apple falling under Qualcomm’s umbrella license.

It’s unclear whether Samsung’s decision will rescue it from investigation by the European Commission over alleged misuse of FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) patent licensing. Apple claimed Samsung was seeking “outrageous” licensing terms not in keeping with FRAND requirements.

However, two of the four new patents Samsung has sued Apple over today are FRAND patents – the others are unencumbered ones – though details of what exactly they cover have not been revealed.

Update: Samsung has clarified its position today, Florian Mueller reports. “Samsung says it only excluded products with Qualcomm chips without prejudice,” he says, “for the mere purpose of streamlining one particular case.” The company’s legal team has not waived its right to use those 3G patents against products using Qualcomm chips in future cases.

The Transformer Prime currently runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb, with only the Galaxy Nexus – fresh to Verizon today - getting Google’s latest platform so far, at least officially. Android 4.0 brings with it an improved UI, better multitasking control and many other improvements; there are more details in our Ice Cream Sandwich review.

ASUS Italy also confirmed that it would only be offering a WiFi version of the Transformer Prime, rather than WiFi + 3G model, just like ASUS Germany before it. Android smartphones and other handsets are generally capable of WiFi tethering, the company suggests, and so the market for a 3G-enabled slate is minimal.

More on the ASUS Transformer Prime in the full SlashGear review.

[via Electronista]

In fact, WiFi-only use is now up to 65-percent, indicating tableteers are sticking to WiFi hotspots and avoiding cellular data plans. “Concern over the high cost of cellular data plans is certainly an issue,” NPD’s Eddie Hold says, ”but more consumers are finding that Wi-Fi is available in the majority of locations where they use their tablets, providing them ‘good enough’ connectivity.”

Hold told SlashGear that NPD had 3,300 participants in the survey, with a mixture of WiFi-only and WiFi + 3G tablets owned.. “But even Wi-Fi only tablets could be connected through smartphone-hotspot or Mi-Fi options” Hold pointed out to us.

“In addition,” the survey concluded, “the vast majority of tablet users already own a smartphone, which fulfills the ‘must have’ connectivity need.” That sentiment seems, in part at least, to be increasingly echoed by manufacturers producing tablets. ASUS, for instance, confirmed earlier this month that it had no plans to produce a 3G/UMTS version of the Transformer Prime, citing low customer response to the variant.

[via PC World]

Samsung filed the suit against Apple back in October, requesting an injunction against the then-freshly-launched iPhone 4S on the grounds that it infringed upon two 3G WCDMA patents the Korean firm holds. “[Apple] has continued  to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology” Samsung claimed, suggesting that “it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation.”

The specific patents involved and Samsung’s trigger-happy legal attack have gone on to cause some headaches, with the EC now undertaking an investigation as to whether FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) licensing laws have been broken. Samsung had muddied the waters with its claims that “as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents.”

A similar hearing to the French one is scheduled to be staged in Italy on Friday, December 16 FOSS Patents reports, and while the outcome is obviously still undecided, Apple is likely quietly confident that the Italian court will feel the same way as their continental cousins.

Meanwhile, a power-dock keeps the AFC running while it’s bridging your cellphone’s 2G/3G/4G connection to your WiFi router. ip.access suggests production versions of the concept could be battery powered, meaning even greater flexibility in where the palmsized femtocell could be placed.

For instance, a hotel or bar WiFi connection could be used, with the AFC bridging that to get smartphones and other cellularly-enabled devices online for voice and data, even if there’s no regular signal available. Integrated GPS could be used – along with auto-setup systems – to automatically get the AFC working with a public hotspot. Of course, it would also likely be used by carriers themselves to make sure subscribers weren’t bypassing international roaming fees by using the ip.access kit abroad.

“In an LTE world, this would be the ultimate in personal metro zone hot spots” ip.access CTO Dr Nick Johnson concludes. The AFC is functional but unlikely to go on sale in its current form.

“This time there will be no model with UMTS. We want to emphasize that we are aware of the strong demand for UMTS models in Germany and would like to serve. However, in many other countries’ UMTS networks are not so common and so the worldwide sales volumes for UMTS models are not particularly large. Furthermore, most UMTS pads are sold in Germany through the Telco channel and there are 1 EUR especially subsidized products requires a contract, the price point may not make an Eee Pad Transformer Prime unfortunately” ASUS Germany (translated)

Asked on the company’s German Facebook page whether a UMTS Transformer Prime was in the pipeline, ASUS admitted that while it was aware of some demand, limited support for UMTS worldwide meant it would not be cost-effective to develop. That’s an unusual stance, given UMTS/HSPA is used across Europe, in Asia and – on carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, albeit using different bands – in the US.

What seems reasonably likely is that ASUS isn’t convinced either that customers would stomach the cost of an unlocked Transformer Prime 3G with the price of a pentaband UMTS modem integrated, or that carriers would sufficiently subsidize such a model to make it worthwhile producing. Of course, that’s not to say that ASUS in the US might not put together a CDMA/EVDO Rev.A or even LTE version of the Transformer Prime for Verizon, for example, since the German division is only talking about UMTS.

More on the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime in our full unboxing with hands-on first-impressions!

[via NotebookItalia]

“On November 25, 2011, HTC withdrew its appeal in the IPCom EP1186189 case, finding that the appeal had become redundant since the German Federal Patent Court had previously held the relevant claim of the patent to be invalid. IPCom’s original injunction covered only one HTC handset, which is now obsolete and is no longer sold in Germany. Furthermore, HTC has modified its implementation of the UMTS standards, so even in the unlikely case that the Mannheim court reinstates an injunction, it will have no impact on HTC’s sales in Germany” HTC statement

According to HTC’s statement, it withdrew its appeal against IPCom on the basis that German courts had previously “held the relevant claim of the patent to be invalid” the actual judgement is still yet to be finalized, it’s pointed out. Meanwhile, HTC’s suggestion that only a single device, the T-Mobile MDA Touch Plus, is impacted, contradicts the company’s March 6 2009 warning that “once effective, the injunction will prevent HTC from selling or importing its mobile devices into Germany.”

Back in 2009, HTC said it was “working with its chipset supplier to identify an alternative solution and believes the court decision has limited impact on our financial results or sales activities.” A similar reference to a modified implementation is mentioned in the new statement, above. Whether or not the court can be persuaded of that is the key issue: FOSSPatents points to a similar case, filed by IPCom against Nokia, in which the same judge sitting at HTC’s hearing found against the Finnish firm and deemed the patent to be essential to 3G/UMTS standards and not necessarily something that can be worked around.

The actual size of the A700/A701 is unspecified, though we’re assuming it would come in at around the 10-inch mark otherwise the resolution might end up counter-productive. The A700 is listed as being WiFi-only, while the A701 has a 3G radio integrated, as is Acer’s usual pattern for its tablet line-up.

OS could be Android Honeycomb, going by the browser user agent, rather than Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; still, Acer has promised ICS upgrades early in the new year. Other hardware isn’t detailed, though dual cameras are likely, along with HDMI connectivity and the usual array of Bluetooth and GPS.

No word on when Acer might make the Iconia Tab A700/A701 official.

[via Notebook Italia]

“In effect the informal policy of not suing Apple for patent infringement was terminated when Apple sued Samsung for patent infringement in California and then elsewhere … Apple was on notice that it was infringing Samsung’s essential 3G patents from April 2011 at the very least and thereafter proceeded with its eyes wide open to take steps ultimately in Australia in October that involved infringement of patents” Samsung legal team

Apple fought strongly for an August 2012 hearing, claiming it could not be ready to present its case in time for late Q1. However, the judge on the case – Justice Annabelle Bennett, who granted Apple a preliminary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia earlier this year – denied the request, on the basis that by then it was entirely possible that Apple could have a new iPhone on the market and Samsung would “have to recast [its] entire case to deal with a new product.”

In return, Samsung agreed to hold off plans to seek a ban on iPhone 4S sales in Australia until the March hearing. Patent law experts are describing the decision as the first time Samsung has been able to lead the process somewhat in this entire saga, though its use of 3G patents as a potential weapon has also earned the company an investigation over alleged abuse of those standards.

With this second-gen tablet, meanwhile, ASUS is withholding its decision on integrated WWAN support until it sees which way the market falls. “We are only planning on the WiFi only version for now” ASUS told us, “but depending on how the market reacts we may decide to launch a 3G one as well.”

Meanwhile ASUS also confirmed UK availability and pricing for the Transformer Prime. The UK will only see the 32GB version, and come bundled with the keyboard, priced at £499 including VAT. However, whereas the US will get the Transformer Prime in December, UK customers will have to wait until January 2012 for the Ice Cream Sandwich tablet to go on sale.

More on the Eee Pad Transformer – including US pricing details – here.

The 3G packing Tablet S will have model number SGPT113JP / S and the 3G version of the Tablet P will have part number SGPT211JP / S. The S will run Android 3.2 and have an IPS screen and use the Tegra 2 chipset at 1GHz. The screen is 9.4-inches and it has a resolution of 1280 x 800. It also comes with an IR remote for controlling media.

The P tablet will have the same 5.5-inch folding display with a resolution of 1024 x 480. A button press will allow the user to watch only one side of the screen. They both have DLNA compatibility. There is no mention of a date these 3G versions will come to the states.

[via AVWatch]

Previous Kindles had allowed general web access using the 3G models’ integrated cellular modem, though the user experience was generally underwhelming until the third-gen brought the Webkit engine to the table. Just as with downloading ebooks and browsing the Kindle store, accessing regular webpages was included in the no-charge 3G access.

That’s all changed in the new Kindle Touch 3G, with all webpages bar Wikipedia access being out of reach for the 3G connection. The Kindle Keyboard 3G, the renamed third-gen Kindle, still has 3G webpage access, so that’s a good reason to opt for the older model if you think you might want to go online more often.

[via Beyond Black Friday]

Without the Special Offers discounting on the Kindle Touch 3G, the ereader is $189, while the entry-level Kindle jumps from $79 to $109 if you don’t agree to allow adverts on your homescreen. In fact, only the Kindle Fire doesn’t seem to come with an advert option, though there’s the possibility of promotions being injected into the Kindle Silk browser system.

Outside of the US, however, things are not so clear cut. With Special Offers not yet being an international service, that only leaves the non-subsidized pricing available; in the UK, for instance, the entry-level Kindle is £89 ($139) with WiFi only, and there’s no sign of the Touch or Touch 3G models. The Kindle Keyboard is still on sale in the UK, but the Kindle Fire is not.

Both have a new “X-Ray” feature which is used to store sections of titles you’ve read in the ereader’s cache, and allow you to return to them later on. As you can see from the photos, the sub-6oz Touch is considerably more compact than the model it replaces, helped by the removal of the dedicated keyboard.

The Amazon Kindle Touch is available for preorder from today, priced at $99. The Kindle Touch 3G will be $149 and include free 3G access as with the existing Kindle 3G. Both will ship on November 11.

Over the weekend, currently unused code in Amazon’s “manage your Kindle” page was spotted by The Digital Reader, making reference of “Pdocs_Archival_Support” that implies Cloud Drive access from the tablet itself. “Pdocs” is an abbreviation of “personal documents” it’s suggested; meanwhile, there are also code references to “Prime ebooks” that lend weight to rumors of an ebook subscription service.

Amazon is already expected to offer Kindle tablet buyers an inclusive subscription to Prime, that would give them access to streamed music and video. Cloud Drive access would be a natural evolution; currently new users are offered 5GB of complimentary storage, but while you can upload and access content from your PC or Mac, currently there’s no way to grab files saved there from a Kindle.

Of course, eschewing local storage in favor of cloud-based content would also allow Amazon to further minimize component pricing for the tablet. With an estimated purchase price of $250 when it launches – and Amazon tipped to be selling the Kindle tablet at a loss anyway – anything that would shave off hardware costs would reduce the amount of content users would need to buy before the retailer was back in profit.

What Amazon would need to ensure was that users had sufficient connectivity to actually access their content while on the move. As early adopters of Google’s Chrome OS discovered, like the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook we reviewed last week, without internet access a cloud-based system is severely hamstrung. Currently Amazon bundles free 3G access as part of the purchase price of its Kindle 3G ereader; whether it can negotiate similar deals for the Kindle tablet – and its broader use of cloud-based data – could prove a significant differentiator against the rest of the tablet market.

Amazon is tipped to be announcing the Kindle tablet on Wednesday, September 28. For more, check out our rumor-roundup.

However, Apple insists that Samsung’s actual contribution to the 3G standard is nothing more than “bug fixing,” and argues that the company has been selective in how it handles the patent situation because of its own market concerns. Samsung only demanded Apple license its technologies in 2010, the Cupertino company’s legal team claims, holding off until then because of the value Apple holds as a customer of Samsung’s memory and other components.

In fact, they conclude, Samsung is only now rolling out the patent claims so as to counter from their own infringement of Apple IP. There’s also the accusation that Samsung changed its licensing with Qualcomm to specifically exclude business with Apple, Qualcomm’s CDMA chips being found in the iPhone 4 for Verizon and other non-GSM carriers. Any injunction against Apple’s 3G devices, as Samsung has requested, would be premature, the company’s lawyers say, because negotiations are still ongoing. Apple supposedly made an offer, but Samsung rejected it in favor of what are described as “outrageous” royalties.

Apple requested permission to present an expert to the court on why, if Samsung had its way, the ETSI would be undermined, but it was rejected by the judge. The company wants the ETSI to punish Samsung for not disclosing its patent holdings before 3G standardization took place. Samsung will have its own opportunity to present its case before any decision is made.

Hardware and Design

Chromebooks are built to a budget – Samsung is offering the Series 5 in the US at $429.99 for the WiFi-only and $499.99 for the 3G version, while in the UK it’s £349.99 for the WiFi-only model and £399.99 for the 3G – and so you get a mixture of laptop and notebook functionality and style. Our white review unit is eye-catching, certainly, with a glossy lid and gently rounded black plastic elsewhere. Stylistically it reminds us of the N310 netbook, though we wish the rubberized chassis had been carried over too.

Open the thin lid up, and there’s a reasonably sized bezel around the 12.1-inch 16:10 display. Samsung has used one of its so-called SuperBright LED panels, running at 1280 x 800, and we can’t fault the quality or colors; it’s also non-gloss, which makes it easy to use without reflections. Above is a 1-megapixel webcam. The whole thing weighs in at 3.26-pounds, which makes it heavier than a netbook but reasonable for a notebook.

The keyboard and oversized touchpad look somewhat cheap but are decent to type on, the keys themselves being large and nicely spaced. Cost constraints mean you don’t get backlighting. Because of the new Chrome OS the layout is somewhat different to what you might be used to on a Windows or OS X notebook: “ctrl” and “alt” in the lower left are broader than normal, the caps-lock has been swapped for a dedicated Google search key, and the function key row has been replaced by feature buttons. As well as dedicated back/forward keys, there’s a refresh button, full-screen button, window-switching, brightness and volume control.

We may be expected to start our new lives scurrying around the internet pipes, but Samsung and Google do at least realize that we still have peripherals we might want to plug in. Ports on the Series 5 include a proprietary VGA out (with a bundled adapter cable in the box) and two full-sized USB 2.0, along with a mic/headphones combo, a SIM slot (with a Three SIM preloaded) and a full-sized SD card reader. No ethernet port, however, with WiFi b/g/n or, on certain models, 3G to get you connected.

Inside is where things get shaky. The Chromebook Series 5 may be larger than a netbook, but it uses the same Intel Atom processor as you might find in one: a 1.66GHz N570, to be precise, paired with integrated graphics and 2GB of RAM. Samsung’s speakers are weedy and underwhelming too, lacking bass and grating at the top end of the volume range. 16GB of flash storage underlines the web-centric focus.

Overall, then, it all works, but it doesn’t exactly feel premium. That’s okay when you’re spending a couple of hundred on a netbook, but the Chromebook Series 5 occupies the blurred middle-ground between netbook and notebook. It’s a space where strong competition has driven regular Windows laptop prices down to tempting levels.

Software

The browser is undoubtedly the most commonly-used app on most people’s computers these days, so Google’s argument makes quite a bit of sense: why not junk the rest and just live online? Chromebooks promise resilience from viruses and malware – because just about everything is held at bay in the cloud – and utter simplicity, too. If something stops working then you close the browser tab and start again.

For those suffering the blue screen of death or Word disappearing and taking their carefully-crafted thesis with them, that all sounds tempting. Even if you’re an adept computer user yourself, you probably have friends and family who aren’t so skilled, and who likely turn to you for their unofficial tech support. Wouldn’t it be better to point them to a Chromebook and let them scamper freely across the web?

In some ways, yes. Chrome is familiar from the regular browser already available for Windows and Mac, only now you can’t escape it: Chrome OS has no Start menu or dock bar, no way to minimize the app and see the desktop. In fact, Chrome is the desktop. Where a Windows user might expect to find minimize/maximize and close controls in the top right corner, there’s a clock, wireless indicator and battery gage. The settings icon to the right of the address bar now not only controls browser configuration but the few options Chrome OS allows you: user accounts, touchpad sensitivity, wireless networks and the like.

Go to Gmail, or YouTube, or Google Docs and it’s just as you’d expect from your regular computer. Your bookmarks – if you’re a regular Chrome user – are pulled across too. In fact, if you’ve already committed your online life to Google’s various services, getting up to speed is a simple matter of mashing in your password. Various optional apps bring things like IM+ (for instant messaging), TweetDeck (for Twitter) and Angry Birds (for, well, hurling birds) into your life.

Unfortunately, around about here is where things start to go rough at the edges. Angry Birds may be a suggested game in the Chrome App Store, but it doesn’t play nicely with the Atom CPU. Glitchy graphics are something we didn’t expect to see on a title that plays problem-free on our phone. Full HD YouTube videos were also more than the Series 5 could cope with, though 720p was manageable. Other cloud services – like Spotify, for instance – fall foul of the missing local app support; their music catalogs may be online, but they require a local client in order to access them.

Then come the headaches of trying to step outside Google’s garden. Plugging in a mouse or a USB keyboard is fine, but try to access files on a USB stick or SD card and there are headaches galore. Some of those are merely UI head-scratchers – dragging & dropping may be a common practice on regular notebooks, but try to drag a file from your Chromebook to the little file explorer window that pops up when you plug external storage in and you’ll have no luck; instead, you have to save the file through the browser’s dialog – but others are more frustrating. The range of supported local file types is limited – JPG and PNG for images, MP3 and M4A for audio, MP4 and MOV for video – whereas Google’s online services like Gmail can handle a broader range. Ironically we often resorted to emailing a file back to ourselves so that Google’s online file viewer could display it.

Connectivity

If you want the cloud then you need a connection. Google was much maligned when Chrome OS first launched – on the Cr-48 developer machine – for the absence of offline support. Gmail, Google Calendar, your Google Contacts, everything demanded access to the internet in order to work. If you didn’t have a WiFi network handy or a 3G mobile connection, then your Chromebook was pretty much useless.

Google’s recent update to Gmail, Calendar and Docs, adding offline support, has partially addressed that. Just as in the regular Chrome browser, it’s now possible to cache certain aspects of each service locally, so that even without a connection you can continue to work. In the case of Gmail, that means you can browse through anything up to a week’s worth of messages in your inbox, assign labels and stars, create new emails and reply to existing ones. They’re saved until you next get online, when Gmail can sync again.

Calendar support is less flexible, allowing you to view your appointments and send schedule acceptances, but not actually create a new appointment. Similarly, Google Docs will let you read text and spreadsheets when offline, but you can’t create new ones or edit any existing ones. Presentations are completely inaccessible: forget running your next meeting from your Chromebook if you can’t get online while you’re there.

Altogether, it means the 3G-enabled version of the Samsung Series 5 makes a whole lot more sense than the WiFi-only model, unless you know for certain you’ll only be using it amid blanked WiFi coverage. Whereas integrated 3G is generally a luxury in a notebook, for a Chromebook it can be the difference between being able to work or being sat in front of a “can’t connect” message. In our test unit, Three UK charges £15.99 per month for 15GB of data, a healthy amount; in the US, Verizon offers 100MB per month free (for two years) or various prepay plans ranging from daily to monthly. Bear in mind you’re browsing the full internet, however, not some cut-down mobile version on your phone, and as such general use will consume more MB than you might expect.

Battery

Google and Samsung’s decision to use Intel’s Atom processor is, in part, because of the promise of longer battery life. The spec sheet promises up to 8.5hrs from the non-user-accessible 8,280 mAh pack; in practice, with a WiFi connection, we managed over seven hours of use before we needed to recharge. Of particular note are the standby times, with very little power used up between us closing the lid and opening it later.

Wrap-Up

In many ways the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 – and indeed Chromebooks in general – makes perfect sense. Being able to throw open the lid of your notebook and get online in seconds, with little in the way of config or battery concerns, is a liberating experience. The Samsung design isn’t going to give Apple any sleepless nights, but it delivers in most of the places it matters: the keyboard, the display, the battery.

Unfortunately it also drops the ball when it comes to power, and the Atom processor proves incapable of handling even Chrome OS’ constrained list of applications. Google’s offline support, though recently improved, still makes connectivity assumptions that our daily use couldn’t live up to. With no WiFi or mobile signal the Series 5 was of less use than our smartphone.

Chrome OS has promise, certainly. A simple platform for everyday users remains a tempting prospect; unfortunately, those we gave the Chromebook to in order to test the theory generally came back with questions about file support and other issues. In short, the problems had migrated from over-complexity in a regular notebook to under-complexity in the Samsung. We spend a lot of our time in the browser, yes, but not all of it, and ironically Chrome OS does a very good job of reminding us of that fact. If it was priced to suit its part-time companion functionality – perhaps a hundred or so less off the MRSP – then it would make far more sense. As it stands, though, we’d still opt for a regular notebook over Chrome OS.

Starting off, TruConnect only provides 3G access, but will eventually provide access to 4G WiMAX as well. The service works for connecting both your laptop or your tablet to a 3G connection while you’re on the go and there are no contracts or activation fees.

If you’re a heavy mobile data user, however, the plan may not be to your advantage. At 3.9 cents per MB, the plan equates to $39 per month for 1GB of data usage on top of the $4.99 a month base charge. You can get a 2GB data plan for your iPad on AT&T for $25 a month or a 2GB Verizon data plan for $30 a month.

But if you only occasionally need to access internet while on the go from your laptop or tablet, the TruConnect service gives you that option without having to pay for data that you don’t use. You will have to pay for the devices themselves though, with the USB dongle priced at $70 and the MiFi mobile hotspot priced at $90.

[via Cult of Mac]

Customers with a 4G LTE data plan or a 3G tiered data plan will not be affected. Hence, if you’re still clinging on to the 3G unlimited data plan you picked up just months ago with the Verizon iPhone 4, the carrier’s reps will be encouraging you to either switch to another device that supports 4G LTE, switch to a 3G tiered plan, or simply use more WiFi whenever you can.

Once you’ve crossed over the line, your speeds will be throttled for the remainder of the current billing cycle as well as for the next full billing cycle. However, Verizon insists that its throttling or “Network Optimization” is different from the practices of rivals such as AT&T and T-Mobile. Instead of throttling your data speeds entirely, you will only be throttled when you’re in a congested cell site. So, depending on your location and your nearest cell tower, your data speeds may or may not be throttled.

The new policy took effect on September 15 and Verizon has posted a more detailed Data Disclosure page here.

[via Droid-Life]

The WCCTV Nano is one of the smallest CDMA or 3G surveillance devices in the world and is designed to be portable and easy to deploy. It’s compatible with most surveillance cameras and provides remote access to live or recorded video over 3G wireless connections via an embedded Verizon Wireless Modem with a static IP. It also has a removable flash memory drive with capacity options from 8GB up to 128GB.

The Nano can be powered by charger or battery and can be configured remotely. Up to six users can simultaneously view live video from six different locations, including a dedicated CCTV monitoring station, desktop PC, laptop, and smartphones running iOS or Android. Pricing details have not been revealed yet.

That gets you the WiFi-only models; if you want integrated 3G, you’re looking at $299.99 in the US or £279.99 in the UK. In the US you’ll need to sign up to an AT&T data agreement in order to actually use that 3G connectivity, and Sony – or Amazon – is yet to confirm which carrier(s) the UK version of the handheld will be offered with.

Otherwise, it’s the same 5-inch 960 x 544 OLED touchscreen, capacitive rear touchpad, GPS, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with dual analog sticks, a pair of digital cameras and various motion sensors. The Vita will be able to play PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store, which will be accessible from the console itself.

No UK release date is listed, but we’re guessing it’ll be similar to the end-of-December launch in the US market.

[via OLED-Info]

The current owner of this seemingly rather rare prototype machine describes it as a pre-production 2007 15-inch MacBook Pro Santa Rose laptop “with red circuit boards and integrated cellular data functionality.” There’s a rather giant antenna which slides up the side of the device’s display and reads “Tyco Proto / #006″, and under the memory cover on the bottom of the laptop is a standard size SIM card slot. And this is only the beginning – oddities described by the owner of this device are best noted by he himself:

The SIM card board is connected to the logic board via a connector not found on production machines. The solder footprint for it is still present on the production boards and not populated, which is interesting. This would seem to suggest that it was a last minute decision to remove the cellular functionality before going into mass production. The optical drive is marked as a “Sample for Evaluation”. Rather than a normal EMC Number the specifications lapel simply says “XXXX”, and the serial number does not show up in Apple’s online database. Rather than use the machine for parts I of course had to put the time into repairing it to its original condition and see what happened! … Please note that the hard drive, battery, ram, and Magsafe adapter are not the original ones that came with the machine, as I received it without them present. …

The biggest question of course is the cell network data functionality. I have unfortunately been unable to get it working with my SIM card, though it is seen by the operating system and recognized as a modem device usable to connect to the internet with various configuration options. It is entirely possible it can be made to work by someone with more software and driver experience than myself but I can make no guarantees. It could be that there was an additional board originally that was not included with this machine, or that Apple could not work out a contract with a carrier for data service (Perhaps AT&T did not want something sure to be a bandwidth hog on its network), or simply that no driver exists. There are too many unknowns . . . . it is entirely possible it never worked, and there is no way to know without finding someone directly involved in the development of the hardware and not under an NDA. According to the seller (whom I contacted again after realizing what the machine was) he used to work as an engineer at Apple and received the machine for software development work. He was allowed to keep it when he left, and since had used it as a personal machine until it stopped functioning and he sold it to me. He says that he never personally saw the cellular data functionality working and does not know any more about it, as it was not related to his work. All my conclusions are solely speculation based on the hardware present and OS response and should not be taken as fact.

The owner also notes that the antenna’s “#006″ marking likely means that this is the 6th in a line of similar prototypes. He also notes that the Logic Board shows hand-soldered reworking of wires.

What do you think? Does this mean there’s a possibility of a carrier-specific MacBook Pro in the future? Perhaps Apple could be preparing a laptop with multiple carrier bands so that it can be sold without a carrier plan attached? Maybe Apple had this awesome idea back in 2007 but has since decided to put it on the back burner?

[via MacRumors]

“We’re aware of legal proceedings between Apple and Samsung in Germany in connection with the Galaxy Tab 10.1″ Vodafone told SlashGear today. “We’re in discussions with Samsung about the position in the UK. In the meantime, we will be suspending pre-orders and contacting customers who have already placed orders. We will update our customers as soon as possible.”

Contrary to some misconceptions, the preliminary injunction does not necessarily affect retailers, only Samsung itself. In Germany, for instance, retailer MediaMarkt confirmed to Forbes that it would continue to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1 until its supplies ran out. Vodafone had not confirmed when the 3G Galaxy Tab 10.1 was expected to begin shipping, but it’s likely the carrier already has stock of the tablet since it usually takes pre-orders only a week or two ahead of shipping devices.

However, even if Vodafone had gone ahead with sales, it could well have reached a point where its own warehouse was empty and Samsung was unable to provide further units. There’s no timeline for when Samsung may be permitted to resume shipments – SlashGear has heard from retailers that it could be anything from 24hrs to several months.

Fusion Garage confirmed back in November last year that it was abandoning its original JooJoo slate, and instead looking to Android for its successor. The company has missed its original launch goal, however; the plan had originally been to get the new JooJoo on the market in the first half of 2011.

This new “JooJoo 2″, then, looks set to follow other Android tablets we’ve seen in recent months. The name given in the FCC testing is “Grid10″ which could imply a 10-inch display, rather than the 12-inch panel of the original JooJoo. Meanwhile, the UMTS band II and V support (as well as quadband GSM/EDGE) implies use on AT&T’s 3G network in the US.

There’s no indication of what chipset Fusion Garage may have used, though we wouldn’t be surprised if the NVIDIA Tegra 2 was inside the slate. The company developed a custom UI for its open-source OS on the original JooJoo, though whether that will be carried over to this presumably Android model is a mystery.

[via Netbook News]