Groups such as Filesonic are cutting out file-sharing publicly to stopper up Megaupload-related mishaps. Conspiracists have an idea on why Megaupload has been targeted. Megaupload’s CEO’s home has been raided. Meanwhile the supreme court has ruled warrantless GPS tracking illegal. Pirate sharing websites have upgraded to 3D. A judge has ruled that the Fifth Ammendment does not cover hard drives. There’s a battle going on involving the ex-Megaupload users and the FBI. And Dotcom has been denied bail. Guy Fawkes has been called upon again to defend piracy, this time in Poland parliament.

We got a Spectrum by LG in the house and have reviewed it in full. The Samsung Galaxy S III has been tipped, confirmed, and considered for release at Mobile World Congress 2012. Samsung’s iPhone burn ad series continues. We’ve been slapped in the face. We’ve got a review of the ASUS Transformer Prime with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. We’ve got an unboxing and hands-on of the DROID RAZR MAXX with a review on the way. We’ve got a fight going on between Speck, Logitech, and Cygnett for the iPad 2. We got a hands-on look at Qualcomm AllJoyn.

Star Wars: The Old Republic gets a major update. You might want to get your tissues out again because Diablo III is getting more pre-release tweaks and a producer change. Good luck seeing that inside the first couple of quarters here in 2012. Saddest days!

There’s a brand new Xbox 720 in the works with an AMD 6000 GPU and an inability to play used games. A Windows 8 based Kinect notebook has been spotted. Both Microsoft Xbox Live and Steam are coming to iOS and Android. Nintendo will be releasing the Wii U fabulously. We’ve got a review of the V-MODA Limited Edition Crossfade LP2 super deluxe over-ear headphones. We went hands-on with a Mercedes-Benz DICE interior concept as well as the new Mercedes-Benz mbrace2.

Facebook Timeline is now fully live and mandatory. Wikipedia is in works to become the world’s free mobile website. Philip Berne wrote a lovely column about Booth Babes. Chemists have created the first envelopes for artificial life.

Evi turns up as a surprise hit in the Siri alternative world. Over 350,000 iBooks textbooks were downloaded in the first three days they existed. Half a million iPhone 4S users downloaded and loaded the brand new jailbreak that broke this week. Apple’s secret packaging testing room has been revealed. More iPads than HP PCs have been sold in Q1 2012. Some fabulous new iPhone 5 specs have been leaked by a Foxconn worker. Chris Davies calls Apple TV an embarrassment while Don Reisinger spoke on what Apple TV needs to become more than a hobby – he also noted how he’d much rather have an Xbox 360.

We disprove Lytro on iPhones. On how well Nokia did this past quarter, Chris Davies noted that they bought time, That Clock Is Ticking. In the Windows Phone world we’ve got a Nokia Lumia 710 review while the much more fantastically spec’d Nokia Lumia 900 comes closer and closer to an LTE UK release. There’s also a Nokia Lumia 910 coming up soon as well. The 2012 version of MIX for Microsoft Developers has been nixed for the year. So has BlizzCon 2012. There’s also that teeny tiny Raspberry $25 PC edging closer and closer to reality. Alienware’s 2012 lineup has been revealed.

Financial results came in from Verizon and the folks at Apple (complete with the most fantastic quarter for iPhone EVER.) There’s a few Nokia financial results plus Netflix dropped their numbers down and AT&T jumped in too. Nvidia let loose their earnings as well.

Featured: Don’t miss our review of LG’s newest Verizon 4G LTE phone, the Spectrum. Also, if you’re into cool automotive technology, you have to check out our hands-on report of Mercedez-Benz’s tricked-out new mbrace2 platform. It’s pretty dope. And if that isn’t enough Mercedez-Benz goodness for you, we also took a ride with an interior concept that is pretty mind-boggling.

Gaming: The PlayStation Vita launch is less than a month away and today we learned details about what bundled goodies to expect when the anticipated device finally goes on sale. Check out the details right here. Our Chris Burns also took a look at how Steam’s emerging mobile platform might capture a whole new audience.

Other Stuff: For all you science nerds, here’s an interesting piece – NEOShield international asteroid threat-reduction group forming now. We also found a scoop on a mysterious ZTE tablet that was outed by the FCC. If iPad news is more your style, check out this: Blue Spark Digital condenser microphone for iPad revealed and detailed.

It’s been a busy day, but we’ll be back on Monday night for another roundup of the best stories of the day right here on Slashgear.

For those of you interested in following the entirety of our CES 2012 content, both at the event and outside of the event but relating to the timeline, head to our tag [CES 2012]. Everyone interested in exploring what we’ve scooped up here live at the events in Las Vegas as they unfolded and in-person, head to our portal by the name of [CES Live]. Both tags will continue to be filled out over the weekend and, if you’re lucky, into the oncoming week. As with all events that have so many products in them that there’s no physical way for everyone to cover them all, so too do we want to give you all we’ve got.

We’ve also got additional comprehensive wrap-up posts on the way, including our favorite picks, the best-of for the entirety of CES 2012 separated by category, and opinion columns both here and over at Android Community regarding what we’ve seen over the last week. This very moment I must leave you with one question:

What was YOUR favorite device, product, or moment from CES 2012 that you’ve happened upon thus far?

In space there’s been a few different items – NASA has two Grails in orbit around the moon, first of all. As for when the world is going to end, we’ve created a 2012 Doomsday debunked: a NASA rundown guide for everyone fearful of the end inside this year. We got to peek at the falling Russian space probe courtesy of an amateur photographer.

We ran down our top five posts of the entirety of 2011, this list including some real oddities, to be sure. Michael Crider reviewed the HP ENVY 15. We’ve got hands-on with both the HP Omni 27 and the Pavilion HPE h9 Phoenix gaming PC. The HP Folio 13 is coming up soon as well. Check out the tiniest of reviews, also, for the AAXA P4 Pico Projector courtesy of Cory Gunther.

There’s a column by Philip Berne which tells all of you travelers out there to Stop Whining and Turn Off Your Phone. Another column written in the past week, this time directed at Google, has your humble narrator saying Android updates should never have been offered. A column by Chris Davies demanded answers from the creators of BlackBerry: Licensing BB10 is desperation; Then again, RIM’s desperate.

The Meizu MX Android smartphone has been launched in China. The master developer and hacker by the name of Koush has launched a mobile internet tethering app undetectable by carriers. We rounded up our Android tablets through 2011. Similarly, we had a post made up only of iPad 2 news through 2011. Then there’s the bootloader unlock and Ice Cream Sandwich update information drop for the ASUS Transformer Prime. The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update will come with rules for manufacturers. Google has a Nexus tablet coming soon. Apple will possibly be releasing two iPad units inside 2012.

Windows Phone got its Siri alternative in an app called Ask Ziggy. Android developers have also upped the ante with an Iris and CheCha teamup. Much in the same way everyone loves Siri, your humble narrator’s column about Snoop Dogg let you know why there’s always a king. SOPA has been creating such a fury that Nintendo and Sony have dropped support for the bill officially. Meanwhile there’s a bug running around Facebook stealing all your passwords.

Apple is prepping a late January event in NYC, likely having to do with book publishing or smart televisions. That said, we asked you a million dollar question: If Apple outs a $300 iPad, will you be able to resist? Another big question asked over the past week: Are you awesome enough to work for Stephen Hawking? Also Kodak went bankrupt.

Velocity Micro dropped information about a projector and Ice Cream Sandwich tablets, very likely to be showing up at CES. Sony Ericsson teased what’s possibly the Arc HD, and had a leak of a device known as the Pepper. Razer has teased a Project Fiona for July 10th. Logitech will have a device known as the Cube. Corning revealed they’d be letting loose Gorilla Glass 2.

As for CES coverage beyond that, you’ve got several options. You can hit up the handfulls of leaks post, the post made as a guide for beginners, and such guides for individual categories as our smart TV guide, and of course, Stop Whining and Go To Las Vegas. Also you should probably check out how Don Reisinger called the Death of CES – see if you agree. Our entire coverage of the events can be found inside the [CES 2012 portal] if you please!

Check out first the LG Google TV launch tip, it telling us that CES is very well possibly the place where LG shows Google TV 2.0 for the first time. On that note, there’s the massively anticipated LG 55-inch OLED HDTV everyone’s been losing their mind over, along with the LG DM92 IPS display with a 1mm bexel. That’ll be a thing to see for sure – but what’ll they be using to show it off? That’s the real question. Of course then there’s Samsung’s Smart TV CES preview which assures us that LG and Samsung will be bringing out the boxing gloves for this show, no doubt.

As far as mobile devices go, Sony Ericsson’s been showing off some smartphones under a sheet. There’s also a 13-megapixel photo set that popped up last month said to be coming from the Sony Ericsson LT28at Android AT&T device of unknown nature. Of course AT&T will have more than just a little bit of presence with the Samsung Galaxy Note, more than likely showing up at the show right at the front door.

Intel’s Medfield 32nm process chip will be there in force, not least of all in such dreams as the mystery LG smartphone they say they’ve certainly not got. Nokia noted that they’d have some cool bits such as Windows phones like the AT&T Ace, the regular stuff they’ve had over the past couple of months, but also such possible gems as this this strange little nametag that, although they probably wont sell, will be on their vests. ASUS will be bringing their Transformer Prime for some sweet Ice Cream Sandwich action I’d be willing to bet, and although they’ve not officially said so, a 4-inch Eee Pad may well be appearing as well.

There’s a report that says Microsoft is in trouble with the CES crew, but they’ll certainly be showing up at this year’s event, Windows-a-blazing. Sony will be having a wedding-type event. Android will be appearing on TV. And one whole heck of a lot of other completely disparate releases will be taking place at all times of the day. We’ll be going to visit such fabulous brands as Audi, Lenovo, LG, Panasonic, and Qualcomm.

SO, without giving away our whole plan of attack at once, know this: you’ll be able to crunch on our whole set of coverage here on SlashGear through our [CES 2012 portal]. We’ll be releasing additional previews through the rest of the week – stay tuned!

This month Snoop Dogg took part in a week long promotion on The Price is Right in which he and other celebrities appeared on the show to raise money for their charity of choice. As he shows up behind a curtain which also reveals a fabulously stylish vehicle in which he rides, the contestant up at the time on the show loses her mind in appreciation of his being there to play the game with her. Much in the same way, many readers of tech blogs both read and contribute to the blogs they love because they find themselves tied to them with some innate form of loyalty.

The same can be said about many people’s favorite tech reporters. Many of your favorite tips and leaked sets of images have been passed on to specific writers rather than the blogs they writer for because they feel that these specific people are the one’s they want to see reporting the news they’ve got to offer. Snoop Dogg didn’t seek out The Price is Right, the producers of the show sought out him. They wanted to reach the viewers they know he lights up well with (young people, mostly,) and he said certainly, as with each disparate appearance his audience doth grow.

So I ask you this, reader: do you read specific blogs, writers, or neither?

[video via MTV]

We had two gigantic reviews of the iPad 2. The first and primary of the two was the iPad 2 Review, done by Vincent Nguyen, the other was by Chris Davies saw things from a different perspective: iPad 2: The Skeptic’s Review. We also had a rather simple world-record-holding unboxing by yours truly of the white 16GB Wi-fi version as well. Have a peek at some very early benchmarks, browser benchmarks, and an iPad vs iPad 2 battle for the bloodlust in you.

Sales exploded on the iPad 2 immediately after its announcement inspiring such strange occurrences as homeless standing in line, selling their spot for cash for food.

Early in the year we ran with our SlashGear 101 series with an article on Jailbreaking, this a hacking process becoming more and more common on iOS products throughout the 2011 months, including on the iPad 2, of course. Another article spoke on the power of the iPad 2 in devaluing everything. The war between Samsung and Apple started in force back in April with Apple suing Samsung over the Galaxy line of devices – we saw this continue throughout 2011, many of the cases still open today. The iPad 2 itself was opened up as well with an iPad 2 Wifi + 3G teardown as well as an iPad 2 Wi-fi only for all your innards curiosity – they blended the iPad 2 as well. The Smart Cover was torn down as well.

We saw a few cases here and there worth taking a look at, including but not limited to the Logitach fold-up keyboard, the lovely Verbatim bluetooth mobile keyboard, we got a bit pumped up about the iFrogz iPad 2 Summit Case, and the HandStand 2 was and still remains to this day the only one to attach the iPad 2 to our hand for fly-swatting. We reviewed the wonderfully giant iXtreamer with internal harddrive, and Macworld 2011 missed the whole party as it occurred back in January. Of course the iPad 2 didn’t completely dominate the year, with January showing off cases for the iPad like the lovely tyPad.

We got a look at some fabulous Stealtharmor protective skins, both orange and tungsten – plus we had a St. Patrick’s Day Green Skin giveaway as well. There was also a lovely Wrapsol giveaway for their cool iPad 2 screen protectors. We got our hands on the Griffin DJ Cable and djay app for the iPad 2, we got a close look at KORG’s iELECTRIBE Gorillaz app, and the party doesn’t stop there.

Late in June the iTunes App Store reached 100,000 iPad apps after long last, and even earlier than that, in April, Apple’s Q2 earnings showed the iPad to be selling massively already – this showing what’d be common for earnings reports throughout the rest of the year. Back in January there’d only been 60,000 apps for iPad, if you’d like to know. We got the opportunity to check out the Samsung Windows 8 tablet as it sat as a developer device back in September, it providing one of the most unexpected contending packages for the iPad 2 of the year. The iPhone 4S was revealed, and the iPad 2 finally had a partner running the same dual-core A5 chip it’d been running for months.

As Don Reisinger if he thinks the world would be the same without the iPad, or Apple for that matter. Tablets in the Android and other software arenas started to reach below the iPad with sub-$500 tablets, but it just did not seem to matter. Chris Davies wrote up a column which included the iPad 2 entitled So You Want A Tablet? and the world said “no, I want and iPad.” On that note: Target changed their setup in October to allow some tablets to be closer to the mobile section than the iPad – from what we’ve heard, it hasn’t smashed sales one bit.

As Steve Jobs passed, everyone on earth, it seemed was saying goodbye to him in their own way. Steven Colbert, for example, sent him a posthumous email with the iPad he had given him months earlier.

Jetstar airlines decided to bring the iPad aboard flights for customers, this deal made clear by their gaming release here at the tail-end of the year. On that note, Apple opened up monthly subscriptions for iPad game publishers. iTunes Match was launched to allow iPad users to access their entire until-then stuck-on-cd music collection through the cloud. Similarly, there was finally, after long last, a release of Facebook for iPad, and there was much rejoicing. For those of you looking to run essentially any application on your iPad, we saw a wonderful bit of magic in Parallels Desktop 7. The video chat giant known as Skype came to iPad (eventually) and we reviewed the app shown in the original iPad 2 announcement to show off its awesomeness: Infinity Blade. And between you and me: the greatest game for iPad or iPad 2 is still Slayer Pinball.

The powerful iOS 5 and subsequent iOS 5.0.1 update downloads brought with them a handful of new functions for the tablet including battery life upgrades and multi-tasking features, not to mention iCloud. Straight from Google came their new Google Currents for iPad app which brought fourth a simple interface for all the greatest blog reading your eyes could handle — check out SlashGear in the tech section! Once Tim Cook took the reigns at Apple, he turned the heat down so to speak, the iPad rolling hard right through this transition era, sales and use blasting.

The mighty Lemur multitouch music controller was brought to the iPad, as was GarageBand from Apple, and music was happy. Then there was Motorola, whom believe it or not, won an injunction against the iPad and the iPhone in Germany – imagine that! Meanwhile a USA judge found Samsung infringing on the iPad, though that didn’t lead to anything more than a slap on the wrist when it came down to it thus far. Also in the realm of near-impossibility is this: the iPad snowboard – strange!

There was a rather interesting comparison done near the end of the year here when the ASUS Transformer Prime was released, it sparring up against the iPad 2 in a gaming battle. Chris Davies suggested the iPad two as 2011′s holiday must have while we had our very own ten apps for your new iPad 2 for the holidays. The year was topped off by Apple’s iTunes Rewind 2011 with iPad apps knocking a the door of 2012. As a bonus, not one but TWO new iPads have been tipped for early 2012 – could this be the year of the 7-inch iPad? We’ll see!

We started out with a genuine Don Reisinger article all about the future of Apple vs Samsung in TVs. Apple used Santa for Siri. The company known as Fusion Garage implodes. Eric Schmidt teased a Nexus tablet in the next 6 months. The Galaxy Nexus went Ninja. Officials stalled on SOPA.

We started out very own Lumia 800 giveaway! Tips led to Google Terminator glasses. Samsung promised Bada 2.0 for 2012 The AT&T T-Mobile merger was dropped entirely. We reviewed the DROID XYBOARD accessories as well as the XYBOARD 8.9 and 10.1. Samsung said GSII and Note for ICS in Q1, 2012. The MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic was officially launched. Apple purchased Anobit for Flash Memory futures.

The PlayStation Vita was apologized for. Sony detailed ICS updates for XPERIA. Google used Santa for Nexus. Microsoft said CES 2012 would be their last. The AMD Radeon HD 7970 Series GPU was announced. We did a lovely review of the tiny Pogoplug Mobile, as well as the TP-LINK TL-SC4171G Wi-fi IP camera.

Steve Jobs won a Grammy. We discussed why Google+ works, for now. We reviewed the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. We reviewed the Three Wi-fi hub XTE MF10. Don Reisinger explained why he considers Netflix 2011′s Biggest Loser. We reviewed the Philips goLITE BLU Energy Light. Xerox PARC founder Jacob Goldman passed away.

We wished you a Happy Holidays. We guided you towards a Galaxy S II for Christmas. Avi Greengart noted how Apple’s Grand Central Station Store is and will be the Future of Retail. There very well may have been a leak of the Galaxy S III. We let you know what to do with your crappy Android tablet. Chris Davies instructed you on Geek Speak and Holiday Headaches.

LG updated us on their Android ICS schedule. Nokia showed off a fancy nametag. We showed you what to buy for your new iPad 2 or your new Android device. Windows Phone’s Market hit 50k applications. Samsung changed their mind several times on their Galaxy line ICS update schedule. There was a tip that said iPhone 5 would be coming and that water was wet. Don Reisinger let us know why he wanted Video Games for Christmas. The CyanongenMod team released info on their ICS launcher.

We reviewed the year 2011 in Android Developers. A tip dropped about two new iPads in January 2012. We got really super mad about Twitter kids. Verizon was down a whole lot this month. We got our own look at the Intel 32nm Medfield SoC reference tablet. We were assured anew that the Raspberry Pi $25 USD computer was on schedule for January. Comscore assured us that Android and iOS were still on top. Stanford University revealed bits of their massive Apple archive. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic had missing brake pads.

Windows had an emergency patch released. China decided they’d be heading to space. Don Reisinger told us all about 32-37-inch Apple TVs. We heard about a possible LG/Intel collaboration at CES. The Acer Iconia Tab A700 was revealed to possibly be coming with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. A shadow joke of an app Siri for Android appeared on the market. An iPad 3 Retina Display appeared in a Korean forum. Philip Berne let us know that it was Time to Upgrade his Parents. We got our hands on a brand new HP ENVY 15. Philip Berne let us know his New Year’s Meta-Tech Resolutions. And of course, we wished you a Happy New Year’s!

What you’re going to see can be prefaced by what we saw in years past, those events and products easily found inside [CES 2011] and [MWC 2011] tags, those leading you to Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress from early last year. This year we’ll be using 2012 tags like so: [CES 2012] and [MWC 2012], and the keys are yours! We’ve already got a whole batch of teasers in both categories setting up the shows without a doubt!

As for big hits this past year, the tops on SlashGear when you consider post views only are thus:

1. Massive networks of stripes appear in Chinese Desert
2. Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera has us seeing spherical potential
3. iPad 2 vs iPad 1 [Original]
4. iPhone 4S Review
5. iPad 2 Review

After that it’s such masterpieces as the Samsung Galaxy S II review, a comparison post by the name of HTC Sensation vs Samsung Galaxy S II, and one of our first glimpses at the hero phone of today: Samsung Galaxy Nexus Pictured Clear as Day. Slightly more popular than the Galaxy Nexus post, believe it or not, is a post comparing the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer vs Acer Iconia Tab A500. You must remember, of course, that when those two tablets were released, the only other comparable Android was the Motorola XOOM. That said, our Galaxy Nexus Review isn’t far behind, and a warzone of a comments post in the “iPhone 5″ leak by Cincinnati Bell surprised us all with its tenacity. We’ll be exploring the significance of the top five in an upcoming post this week!

Then for your yearly wrap-up posts: stick around SlashGear here in the main news feed for all the “best of” posts you can handle! Everything from Apple to Android, Music to Magical Machines, you’ll know what we’ve brought to you in a vast set of nutshells. Enjoy!

That said, the questions keep on coming: did you get anything neat you’d like to share for Christmas? Did you spend this national holiday outside of the home, or did you spend it tinkering with your Android device to make that perfect kernel for the New Year? Will you be celebrating the new year with an iPhone in hand, or at the keys of a brand new Windows machine? What will you make of this next week?

And what do you look most forward to for the upcoming year in technology and gadgets? This year certainly seemed to be short when it came to reporting the news, did you get everything you expected from the manufacturers that create the toys we work with on the daily? Or is it all about what you’ve got already? What was your favorite device of the year?

We’ll have our own answers to all of these questions in the coming week – meanwhile feel free to answer them one-by-one right here in this post!

1. The world as our office.

As the internet can now be accessed by anyone essentially anywhere on our cool connected planet these days, so too can we write up the news on technology, gadgets, and everything in between from any ol’ place we deem perfect for the job at the time. Have a peek at this video from earlier this month where I’m taking a look at Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on a Galaxy S II, but pay close attention to the sounds you hear in the background. I’m in the comfort of my own home in the company of my lovely daughter who is giggling with glee seeing her papa filming a video for all of you readers out there:

2. Unlimited mobile data.

Because most of us switch through devices so often as the review units come and go, we’re connected 100% of the time as we wish. This is fun as there’s no reason to worry about streaming music from our newly loaded Google Music libraries, and allows us, again, to remain connected no matter how often we’ve been using our smartphones during the month. Even in the airport, even in the middle of the night in a taxi, on the way to and from events, always.

3. Unlimited media collection.

With all of these devices comes the ability to collect everything in our lives for later viewing and listening – most often this coming in the form of something so simple as a smartphone camera. I remember back less than 10 years ago how awesome it was to be able to have a point and shoot camera in my pocket and snap photos and videos 24 hours a day. Now it’s even easier as this is combined with the ability to share the media we’ve collected to social media networks like Facebook and Google+, the latter having just been released inside the last year as well. The following example is from Vince’s recent review of the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung.

4. Processing power.

Each year the chips get smaller and the power gets better, and the ability to use that power more effectively gets better as well. Take a look at your humble narrator’s best attempt at making one of the newest processors’ abilities and functions understandable by the common user: NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 Variable SMP, the brain of quad-core mobile computing, and NVIDIA expands on project Kal-El (Tegra 3) and adds a fifth core, and of course NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core Mobile Processor Revealed and Detailed. Get to know what’s about to be inside your everyday awesome mobile devices.

5. Massive variety.

I’m thankful for the year that’s about to unfold as we’re about to get a whole lot more diverse in the products we review. We’ve been relatively heavy on the mobile end over the past year or so, but have a look today in our review portal, for example, at the spread we’re starting to reveal and prepare yourself to be drown in gadget goodness!

What in the world are you thankful for?

Laptop

Affordable: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e The smallest of several laptops introduced back at CES 2011, this one with a 11-inch 1366 x 768 pixel display with anti-glare and starting in at under three pounds. This laptop integrates an AMD Fusion E-Series APU, comes with a single HDMI port that allows you to connect to a much larger monitor or HDTV screen. You’ll be blasting visuals out with AMD Radeon HD 6310 Graphics chip and your battery should be good for at least 6 hours of uptime without plugging in. [Buy one here!] Starting at $399.00

Mid-Range: Toshiba Satellite P745-S4250 This lovely 14-inch HD widescreen laptop has a fat Intel Core i5-2410M processor, a giant 750GB hard drive, and can work for around, just like the Lenovo, 6 hours of uptime. Harmon/Kardon speakers are built-in with Dolby and Wave audio enhancements, and once again yes, there is a full-sized HDMI port. The only thing this device is missing is Bluetooth support, but there are some oddly enticing features like the ability to plug in your MP3 player to the speakers in the laptop and play music without turning the laptop on.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $799.99

Premium: MacBook Air 13-inch While the first two notebook computers on our list run Windows, this device stands on its own running Mac OS X 10.7, also known as Lion. This notebook packs a 1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, starts with 4GB of memory, and has 128GB of flash storage. For your 13-inch HD display, you’ll be working with Intel HD Graphics 3000. This device gets 6 hours of work time – just like the rest of the laptops on our list, and it’s got the brand new Thunderbolt port with which you’ll be able to use to transfer data and play video – if you’ve got the right cords and equipment. Also the whole device looks gorgeous.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $1,299.00

Smartphone

Affordable: iPhone Upon the release of the iPhone 4S, a new price model hit the many versions of the iPhone that are out today. While the iPhone 4S may still be at a mid or premium price starting at $199, the iPhone 4 can be had for as little as $99 and the iPhone 3GS can be picked up for free. They’re all attached to a 2-year contract on their respective carriers – but so are the rest of the smartphones in the US unless you want to dish out one whole heck of a lot of dollars. They’ve all got the most updated Apple mobile OS as well, iOS 5.
[Buy one here!] Starting at FREE

Mid-Range: T-Mobile G2X This device is one of the rare few found worthy of carrying the first dual-core mobile processor in the world, the NVIDIA Tegra 2. In fact, the international edition of this device (known as the Optimus 2X) actually was the first smartphone on earth to carry a dual-core processor. And LG made the experience awesome, adding little to no changes to the stock version of Android on it and currently running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. PLUS with stock Android (aka vanilla) you’ll have what’s very likely a quicker update to Ice Cream Sandwich than with other custom-UI smartphones. This device has a 4-inch WVGA TFT LCD display and a lovely piece of curved-edge-having Gorilla Glass across the front. There’s a fat 8-megapixel camera on the back, and no frills. For frills, check out the original ATRIX 4G – same dual-core processor with so many accessory options your head will explode, and now that there’s an ATRIX 2 in the mix, you’ll be getting the ATRIX 4G for cheap!
[Buy one here!] Starting at $99

Premium: Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T) Sticking with the set of three, you might expect a device to be sitting here with a price at more than $150 – truth be told, you don’t have to pay that much to get a true quality device these days, with so many smartphones popping up by the week, you’ve only to find the one with the specs you like best and wait for the price you like. As it is, this device is brand new and is still priced amazingly affordably. Though this device is available on several carriers in the USA in slightly different configurations, we’ve got to go with the one that’s closest to the original international Galaxy S II, and the one that’s up for sale right this moment on Amazon.com for, again, less than $150 USD. This is the current hero device for Samsung (if you don’t count the yet-unreleased Galaxy Nexus) and with its lovely 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos processor, Super AMOLED Plus display, and Samsung TouchWiz interface in its most up-to-date state, this device (in either its original international state or this AT&T state) is literally one of the every-day devices for several on the SlashGear team.
[Buy one here!] for $144.99 at Amazon.com

Tablet

Affordable: Kindle Fire Amazon’s next generation tablet has the rest of their Kindle-branded line of mobile computers feeling a bit left out, as its ability to check email, browse the web with a brand new cloud-based functionality Silk Browser that’s set to make the whole experience faster, play games and yes, read books and magazines, sets it in a whole new class of appeal. The $200 price point and the full access to the entirety of Amazon’s vast library of media will likely be a double-whammy for this winter’s holiday season. This tablet has a 7-inch display and is made for entertainment purposes primarily – want to get work done? Look elsewhere.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $199

Premium: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 You might notice that there is no mid-range category for tablets in our guide here – that’s simply because the market hasn’t been fleshed out to a level where there’s a tablet that’s both sitting in the middle with price and still has the ability to wow us with quality. Instead the only safe bet if you really want a tablet at this point is to go big or go home. Thusly here is the $500 Android tablet in all its glory: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Without a doubt a doubt one of the thinnest tablets on the market (including the iPad 2, mind you,) this device did wow us when it was first released earlier this year and continues to wow us as several other tablet competitors have come to challenge it. The only thing we’ve not especially enjoyed was the first version of Samsung’s special user interface, TouchWiz UX, but only in its infancy. What you get from the store today, complete with the awesome NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core chip under the hood, is the current hero tablet from Samsung. Watch out for the upcoming Galaxy Tab 7.7 for another big bang in the coming weeks.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $499

Premium: iPad 2 While it’s not the least expensive choice in the bunch, there’s no arguing that there’s more than one reason why the iPad name has become synonymous with the idea of a tablet computer. Apple did it right the first time with the iPad, and they certainly did it right the second time with the iPad 2. It’s thin, it’s light, it’s made of metal and glass, and it’s the only tablet on the market running Apple’s iOS 5, just like the iPhone. Pick up an HDMI converter cord from the Apple store while you’re at it to use this device as a perfectly capable Netflix machine for your HDTV – plus get an iFrogz iPad 2 Summit Case while you’re at it for good measure. OH and don’t forget your Griffin DJ Cable for iPad-based music parties.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $499

Camera

Affordable: ContourROAM hands-free camera This is certainly a non-traditional piece of equipment, and the video below should show you so. This device is a rugged hands-free camera that can essentially mount to anything and take videos that no other camera can (for the most part.) A splash of water here, a rock tossed at it there, and what do you know, you’ve still got HD video in the end. Try out the Looxcie ear-mounted Bluetooth Video Camera for another even tinier use-everywhere method of recording your world.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $199

Mid-Range: Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF2 This fire-red (or black, or silver) piece of high-quality camera has a 12.1-megapixel 17.3 x 13 mm sensor and decreases the weight and bulk of its predecessors. Not only is this device packed with an integrated flash and a fabulous little pancake lens that makes this device ready to pop in your coat pocket at a moment’s notice, it’s been SlashGear’s camera of choice for a large portion of 2011. A fair portion of the reviews and event photos and videos you see here on SlashGear have been captured by a Panasonic GF model camera, either the GF1 or the GF2, both of which can be seen in the image below. Choose your destiny.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $499

Premium: Samsung NX200 DSLR Since the onset of the mobile age and the dawn of the perfectly legit cameras sitting on smartphones, there’s been a fairly radical divide between inexpensive cameras and their high-cost DSLR counterparts. The way a camera gets eyes the quickest is to offer fantastic qualities such as the Samsung NX200′s 20.3 megapixel rating and high-speed 7fps image capture. Not to mention full HD video recording and the most gigantic pile of interchangeable lenses in the history of piles or interchangeable lenses.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $899.99

Home Entertainment

Affordable: Zumba Fitness dance exercise video game is not the only product on the list here that will get you moving, but it’s certainly the most obviously healthy choice for you couch potatoes out there. Have a look at the video below and find out for yourself how you’ll be grabbing some hip-swinging action this season. Next check out the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac for a unique way to access your computer without the pain of using batteries or needing actual natural light for the solar energizing of your wireless keyboard. Finally have a peek at the Samsung T27A950 Monitor / TV to find the simplest way to project your computer’s contents to a bigger screen. All winning options!

Mid-Range: Orbitsound T12v3 soundbar This long piece of equipment is a speaker system, believe it or not, and one that is meant to take the place of your everyday average multi-speaker systems while it delivers just as high quality sound as any of those jokers can. There’s an iDevice dock on top that can handle any of the handsets, and the entire bulk is meant to sit under your television to act as a single spot from which all stereo sound comes in your entertainment room. As Chris Davies explains in his review of the device, “What Orbitsound has managed to do is extend that sweet-spot so that it basically fills the room. No matter whether we stood in the center, off to one side or anywhere else, the experience was pretty much the same. For a room full of people watching the same movie or TV show, that means equal sound for all; we also found that we could listen at a lower volume and still pick out the detail.” Sounds great!
[Buy one here!] Starting at $428.98

Premium: Samsung UN55D8000 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED Smart TV The current king of our home entertainment dreams is this gigantic ultra-thin Smart TV running Samsung’s newest television-based software that’ll make all your internet streaming content come to life through any amount of third-party media input. And it’s 3D capable, too. You’d better believe this beast is delivering 1080p video on one of the most impressive panels on the market today, and with full support from Samsung, who are calling this their hero device for Smart TV architecture, if you can afford it, it’s a winner.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $3,499.99

Gaming

Affordable: Nindendo 3DS is the gaming company’s pocket-sized next-generation Gameboy, essentially, complete with internet access, 3D photography, and an online game library that includes quite a few games that are completely free. This device has been the subject of some controversy since it was first released, and has even been called to die by none other than Don Reisinger, but the fact remains: it’s been a hero device for Nintendo for many moons now, and it’s not going away any time soon. Firmware updates before the end of the year will add Netflix, Hulu Plus and 3D camcorder support.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $169.99

Mid-Range: iPod touch While the newest generation device has a fun little camera and a white option, this fun device remains basically the same app machine it was back when the iPod touch 3rd generation was released. Now with a mere $199 pricetag on access to the largest apps, games, and multimedia libraries in the world on tap, it’s nearly a no-brainer for those looking to have a bit of mobile fun without the whole “smartphone” set of features attached. It’s Early 90′s Gaming all over again with iOS gaming and the iPod touch is your least expensive ticket in.
[Buy one here!] Starting at $199

Premium: Xbox 360 Even after asking ourselves What Console could you not live without? and finding that we might just have to keep all of them, it’s the Xbox 360 that seems most appealing given the brand new Xbox 360 TV expanded experience offering us a whole new level of interactivity with our online set of video streams. Xbox 360 also offers the Kinect, a fully interactive sensor that sees your body and has you working it to get those points. What better living room experience is there right at this moment? None, we say!
[Buy one here!] $299.99 with Kinect included

One big question this year is whether Apple will have one or two devices to show us, something board member Al Gore seemingly suggested. The company has already been pushing a two-model range for the past few years, keeping the older device around – whether the iPhone 3G or the iPhone 3GS – at a lower price point whenever a newer model is launched. This year is tipped to be similar, with the current iPhone 4 sticking around with just 8GB of internal storage as the new entry-level device. According to the leaks, this will be the device codenamed “N90A” and already spotted in at least one inventory system.

What’s still uncertain is what form Apple’s “new” iPhone will take. Although it’s already been dubbed iPhone 5 in several store inventories, that could well just be database shorthand to distinguish between existing models and the next-gen handset. So far, we don’t know if Apple is bringing an iPhone 5 or an iPhone 4S to the show.

iPhone 4S

According to the rumors, the iPhone 4S looks much like the existing iPhone 4, but packs the dual-core Apple A5 processor as found on the iPad 2, 1GB of RAM and a much improved 8-megapixel camera. Believed to be the “N94″ model spotted in some store systems – and with an image from the camera already in the wild - the 4S would be an evolutionary rather than revolutionary upgrade, similar to the 3G to 3GS step a few years back, providing the horsepower to go with some of Apple’s more ambitious functionality believed to be in iOS 5.

iPhone 5

Then there’s the iPhone 5 speculation, tipped to be a significant departure in style from the current glass-metal-sandwich and instead pack a tapered, aluminum chassis more akin to the iPad 2 and MacBook Air than the existing smartphone. That distinctive new design – with a silhouette previewed by several leaked cases and even spawning a mockup - may perhaps be accompanied by a larger display, as Apple follows Android rivals to engage with the “bigger is better” crowd. An increase in screen size could have an impact on apps, however, believed to be one of the reasons Cupertino has stuck with a 3.5-inch panel across all current iPhones.

While a dramatic new model would keep many Apple fans happy, there are also indications that they shouldn’t get their hopes up quite yet. Supply chain sources have tipped delays in components and other production problems which may mean the truly groundbreaking device doesn’t arrive until next year. Part of the confusion is in the nomenclature: Apple won’t reveal the actual name of the new handset until tomorrow, and that’s left some rumors attached to the iPhone 4S, others expecting the iPhone 5, and no real certainty about whether the company is aiming for the high-end alone, the mid-tier or entry-level smartphones.

NFC and LTE

They’re not the only questions, either. NFC and LTE are the buzzwords du jour, respectively “Near Field Communication” for short-range wireless used for things like mobile payments and data tag reading, and “Long Term Evolution” for high-speed 4G data, and both have been connected with iPhone rumors.

NFC would allow Apple to cash in on some of its related wireless payment patents, including a complex Concert Ticket+ system, and leverage some of the millions of active credit cards it has on record out from iTunes and into the real world. Sources are split, though, on whether the fifth-gen iPhone will have the functionality – or, if it’s there in hardware form, if it will be activated yet – and that basically depends on if Cupertino reckons the ecosystem is there yet.

As for LTE, we’ve already speculated that while 4G radio chipsets weren’t up to scratch for Apple’s CDMA iPhone 4, they might be set for tomorrow’s iPhone. Faster mobile broadband would allow for things like iCloud to work at far more user-friendly speeds, synchronizing files and multimedia far quicker while on the move, as well as keeping the new smartphone competitive against the latest and greatest running Android. On the flip-side, 4G is battery-hungry and demands extra space inside the handset, which may fall foul of Apple’s determination to make a thinner device.

iOS 5

There seems little doubt that iOS 5 – the latest iteration of Apple’s mobile OS – will make its official debut at tomorrow’s event. Previewed earlier this year it’ll bring such niceties as a new, streamlined notifications system, deep Twitter integration and of course iCloud, Apple’s wireless sync system. However, there are some features we’re expecting that haven’t been shown before, most notably Assistant.

Billed as the next evolution of voice control, Assistant is believed to be a Nuance powered custom implementation of Siri for new iPhone owners. Taking advantage of the extra RAM in the new model, it would allow for natural speech control of messages, phone dialing, calendar management and more, so that you could ask your handset “Where’s Paul?” and it would automatically use location-based services and other tools to tell you exactly where your friend was. The downside is that, because of the hardware requirement, Assistant might well be limited to the brand new device, rather than offered to the existing iPhone 4 and any cheaper model that could spawn.

With new Apple CEO Tim Cook taking the stage to compere the show for the first time – and Steve Jobs tipped to make a surprise appearance – we’re expecting more than a few surprises all the same. Remember, SlashGear will be liveblogging the whole Apple iPhone announcement tomorrow, so join us at 10am Pacific (that’s 1pm in New York or 6pm in London) at http://live.slashgear.com/.

While I mention most of it during the hands-on video below lets go over the specs just to make sure. This beast is one of the fastest phones around rocking a 1.2 GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB internal storage — and then we can’t forget that amazing screen. Running with a 4.3″ AMOLED display just like most Samsung phones it is bright, vivid, and has extremely good colors and contrast. Extremely lightweight and thin was the goal and Samsung delivered. With a slight hump down below on bottom the rest is as plush as it gets. We have an 8MP camera on the rear with flash, and a 2MP shooter around front for video chatting and more. Check out my video!

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II hands-on and unboxing

What makes the AT&T Galaxy S II different from the others is both the Epic 4G Touch (already released) and the upcoming T-Mobile Hercules versions have a larger 4.52″ display. The AT&T model, like its international cousin, only has a 4.3″ screen although the difference is quite small. Everything else remains just about the same for this beautiful collection of aluminum, plastic, and glass. With four capacitive touch buttons on the bottom and a nice sleek frame this phone both looks and feels nice. You all probably already knew that though right?

This phone has been a long time coming and now it’s finally here I’m not quite sure what to do with it. Totally joking there because we’ll be tossing this bad boy through the trenches that is a guarantee. I’ll be running plenty of benchmarks and speedtests, and comparison tests with something like the 1.2 GHz Sensation 4G for an idea although I’m pretty sure we already know who wins.

Obviously we’ve seen Samsung’s AMOLED dislay before but the Super AMOLED Plus that comes with the Galaxy S II is simply stunning. Between the brilliant display, fast and extremely fluid performance of the dual-core processor, and the overall sleek and thin design I can tell you from my initial hands-on I’m going to love this phone. The Sensation 4G is my daily driver but we’ll see who wins that battle in my full review coming in the next few days. Feel free to drop any suggestions or questions in the comment section below and I’ll be sure to keep them in mind while conducting my full in-depth review.

Now look over the photos below and imagine if you’d like to buy this phone. It will be available from AT&T starting October 2nd, for only $199.

(trust me I was careful)

We’re looking for a weekday editor, generally covering the 11AM CST to 7PM CST timeslot, and a weekend/night editor, covering Saturday and Sunday as well as 8PM CST to 11PM CST Monday thru Friday. The successful candidates should be able to work independently, but must also be willing to take direction in content as well as subject matter choices. They must be comfortable speaking about gadgets and technology of all kinds, especially in the fields of personal computing and mobile, with gaming being a bonus attribute.

Since news doesn’t break only during work hours, you’ll need to have a flexible schedule and understand that you may be asked to accommodate out-of-hours events and coverage, usually but not with always with notification in advance. You must be able to produce content on a steady, timely basis, bring a strong voice to the table, and work with teammates to produce a body of work in which no bit of content is left unchallenged, no writing left unchecked.

Being based in the San Francisco or NYC areas is a plus but not essential. If you think you’ve got what it takes, email us at jobs@ slashgear.com (remove space before slashgear.com) with your bio and CV for more information. Additionally, please include at least three samples of articles you believe fit with the SlashGear style, along with references.

Below you will find the details on who the lucky few winners are but first make sure to check out our week 1 & 2 winners post. We were lucky enough to have a few more tablets to giveaway and today is the day they will learn where their new homes are. We literally had thousands of entries and had to create multiple giveaway threads over on Google+ as we continued to reach the comment limits over on the new social network site.

We loved seeing what all our readers had to say as we went through all the entries and had a blast reading the comments. Without talking too much I’ll just announce the winner of week 3 for the Acer Iconia A500 tablet below.

(drum-roll…)

Kirsty Lawer WINNAH!

Congrats! Now you can be one happy Androinerd, you are the winner and soon to be proud owner of a brand new Acer Iconia Tab A500 NVIDIA dual-core Android tablet.

We also were nice enough to have this same giveaway running strong on our sister site Android Community and they’ve been giving away a wide array of Android tablets too. This week they had the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and you can check out that giveaway right here. This was the final week for our giveaway so I might as well announce the Android Community winner here while we are at it right?

Josh Oman WINNAH #2!

And there you have it, the winners for both SlashGear and Android Community neatly for your convenience. This was an extremely awesome giveaway and we had a huge turn out and loved every minute. Now remember guys, this isn’t the first and most definitely will NOT be the last giveaway we do here at SlashGear as we have some huge plans over the next few weeks that we will be sure to announce shortly. Don’t forget to check SlashGear.com daily for not only your tech and mobile news, but for the next big giveaway when we do get things started.

In closing we would like to say thank you to everyone that entered, and give a huge thumbs up and THANK YOU to NVIDIA for the prizing and making this entire thing possible. Not only do they provide the world with amazingly fast and powerful Tegra 2 dual-core NVIDIA powered tablets, but they were nice enough to pass a few along to us for our faithful readers to enjoy. Stay tuned for our next giveaway coming shortly!

Thanks!

Most of the specs we already know but I’ll go over the important parts. It features a 1 Ghz dual-core TI OMAP 4 processor, a 4.3″ 480×800 glasses-free 3D diplay, then it has those cameras around back. dual 5 megapixel cameras for capturing 3D help out around back. LG is calling this the first device on their “Tri-Dual” architecture. What does that mean — dual-core, dual-memory, and dual-channel. It also comes standard with an 8 GB Micro SD card and a 1540 mAh battery all wrapped up and running Android 2.2 FroYo but should get Gingerbread soon.

Overall the design is pretty sleek and you could even call it purdy. The rear has those cameras as well as the aluminum strip that matches nicely with recent LG offerings such as the LG G-Slate and G2x. The back cover is a soft touch plastic with a very light and barely noticeable pattern that almost seems like it was carbon fiber inspired, it’s a nice touch. Around front is the usual capacitive android buttons as well as that all popular front facing camera for chat. The device features HDMI-Out and they supplied the cable unlike most carriers or OEM’s so thank AT&T and LG for that one.

I don’t want to give away too many details before the full review but the phone has plenty of 3D inspired apps installed. We have 3D Pictures, 3D videos, 3D games, and even a 3D youTube. Gameloft has a 3D game market that has been pre-installed for all you fans. I played NOVA 2 in 3D for about 25 minutes today instead of working, it was that fun. The dedicated 3D button nicely takes you right into all the 3D action and I liked they made it so simple.

I will keep this short and sweet so make sure to check out the video unboxing below for more details as well as all the photo’s in the gallery to enjoy them in the full size goodness they were intended. Full review will be coming shortly after I’ve enjoyed this beast for a few more days.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer

As the most versatile tablet on the market packed with NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 dual-core processor to boot, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is our top pick for a student looking to be both productive and have an awesome time outside of the classroom. With apps like Zinio for digital magazines and Splashtop remote desktop access along with its optional keyboard dock, ASUS, NVIDIA, and Google’s mobile operating system, (here at Android 3.1 turning soon to 3.2 Honeycomb,) this tablet is your 10.1-inch top in class.

Check out our [full review here]
Purchase this device at [Target] for $399.99

HTC Flyer

As a tablet alternative we’ve got HTC’s first tablet effort, a hand-held 7-inch screen-toting tablet with a special Scribe Pen that works intuitively with the software installed on the tablet right out of the box. This tablet will allow you to write notes by hand, take photos, record video or just sound, watch videos, access the web, read emails, and just about everything else your modern day smartphone can do, but in a much larger size and with the ability to help you work through the day. No more pencils, no more books. If you do plan on purchasing the HTC Flyer, we do recommend purchasing one of the many protective cases available for it that’ll keep your scribe pen safe and sound as the tablet itself doesn’t have the ability to hold the pen alone.

Check out our [full review here]
Purchase this device at [Best Buy] for $499.99

iPad 2

What back to school gear guide would be complete without the iPad 2 right? Of course it makes the list with all the options and available applications in the App Store. iOS has a huge selection of apps specifically for educational purposes. With apps like iWork for spreadsheets, documents, note taking and more. You can learn about the solar system or master anatomy all with dedicated applications just for the iPad making it a solid school companion. You can buy it just about everywhere so make sure to get one before school starts.

Here is our iPad 2 Full Review

MacBook Air

While previous models of one of the world’s thinnest notebook computers had a ULV processor that meant users could use it for many functions, but not the most hardcore projects like video editing and rendering, the newest models run on Intel’s latest Core i5 and i7 chips, meaning they can run with the “real” notebooks just fine. We’ve got a review lined up for you of the very newest MacBook Air 13-inch core i5 model, but I can tell you right now as well: this is the most versatile notebook on the market. Lighter than a small textbook and able to do everything you’ll need in the classroom (unless, of course, you’re a painter or some other hands-on artist who, then, can use the computer for a slew of complimentary functions anyway.) Bring the MacBook Air with you wherever you go, no problem. Furthermore, this newest model MacBook Air is running Apple’s newest version of their desktop software: Mac OS X Lion. Even if you don’t purchase the MacBook Air because you’ve already got an Apple computer waiting for you at home, be sure to pick up this newest upgrade for a mere $30. Of course then there’s always the iMac Core i5 3.10Ghz as well – get big with it!

Check out our [full review here] [MacBook Air 13-inch core i5, the newest model on the market when this post is posted]
Purchase this device at [any Apple Store] for $1300.00

Check out our [full review here] [Mac OS X Lion]
Purchase this software at [the Mac App Store] for $30

Acer Timeline X AS5830TG-640

For those of you needing a solution that’s not inside the Apple world, there’s the Acer Aspire TimelineX, one fantastically lengthy name for a 15.6-inch display on a Core i5 notebook that’ll run you the inexpensive $200-less-than-MacBook Air $799.99. As Ewdison Then will tell you, this is certainly a solid notebook at a rather affordable price. Also consider the Acer Aspire Ethos 8951G for all your Acer x Windows needs.

Check out our [full review here]
Purchase this device at [amazon.com] for $799.99

LaCie CloudBox

Any student that’s lost a gigantic computer-based project will tell you: external storage is a must. Now LaCie’s presented a solution that includes both a local (on the device itself) and cloud (on the internet) backup service. That means that if your computer’s hard drive crashes, you’ve only to bring it in to the shop then come back and tap LaCie for all the content you would have otherwise lost. You’ll have to make a decision about whether you want to keep your cloud service after the first year for an additional price, but during this first school year, all 100GB of your work will be safe and sound.

Check out our [full review here]
Purchase this device at [LaCie] for $199.99

Neato Robotics XV-15 Vacuum Cleaner

This entry in our awesome guide of essentials certainly isn’t the MOST essential of the bunch, nor is it the least expensive for how essential it actually is for a student. However, if you want to have the cleanest dorm room or on-campus housing location of all time, this is your winner. The Neato Robotics XV-15 Vacuum Cleaner knocks out dirt on your floor not only with suction but with lasers too. Greek community housing owners may well want to think about this magician for post-party cleanups.

Check out our [full review here]
Purchase this device at [Robot Shop] on pre-order for €426.00

Going Mobile

On the smartphone front, you’ve got so many choices your head may well explode. Our first choice for students across the nation is the Motorola ATRIX 4G carried by AT&T. This device not only carries a dual core processor from NVIDIA, it’s got an optional laptop dock accessory and desktop mode so you can use it in the classroom. Furthermore, the ATRIX 4G has an HD dock so you can make presentations in class, watch HD movies at home, and connect to all of your other peripherals. This device has just been upgraded to the newest version of Android for handsets, version 2.3 Gingerbread, and has a miraculously low price at $99 direct from AT&T!

Check out our [full review here]
Purchase this device at [AT&T] for just $99!

After that, it’s a wide selection of devices from all carriers we prefer across the nation, devices running Android, Apple, and Symbian for your enjoyment and productivity:

Android
HTC myTouch 4G Slide on T-Mobile for a push-out keyboard and awesome photos.
HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile for dual-core simplicity.
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY on Verizon if you want to distract yourself with some awesome GAMES!
Samsung Infuse 4G on AT&T for the biggest brightest smartphone display in the world.
Samsung DROID Charge on Verizon for the fastest download and upload speeds in the USA.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer for the most versatile Android tablet on the market.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the thinnest lightest tablet on earth.

Apple’s iOS
iPhone 4 on AT&T
iPhone 4 on Verizon
I’d personally recommend the Verizon flavor, but if you’re on AT&T and would just love to stay there, bump up to one of the world’s most popular smartphones.

Symbian
Nokia E6 on Vodafone UK for a flashy full portrait keyboard experience.
Nokia C7 Astound on T-Mobile for the most solid little one-piece on Symbian.

Accessories and Apps

If you’ve got either a smartphone or a tablet and want to use it to type VERY FAST but cannot figure out how to do so with your on-screen keyboard, you’ve got several options. First you could literally go out and purchase the Verbatim Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard which folds up and fits in your backpack with ease and grace. Then there’s a couple apps you might want to check out, both of them centering around tablets in their newest iterations: SwiftKey Tablet X for Android Honeycomb and Swype 3.0 for Android Honeycomb – both are viable options for increasing your tapping speed, both are highly professionally made. If you’re running an iPad or some other sort of tablet, you’re outta luck! Or not quite. Check out the iFrogz iPad 2 Summit Case – not necessarily because it’ll make you type faster, but because it’ll make everyone envy your excellence in iPad 2 fashion and workability peripherals.

Of course there’s also Swiftkey X for Android handsets for those of you working on your smartphone, too.

Purchase the iFrogz case at [iFrogz] for $59.99, the Verbatim keyboard at [Verbatim] for $104.00, and the rest in the Android Market.

Grab em all!

First of all, lets get educated on both Google+ and Spotify. We’ve got guides and quite a few in-depth articles on both projects: to get into them, consider first hitting up our basic 101 posts: SlashGear 101 : What is Google+? and SlashGear 101 : What is Spotify? After that, you could take a swing down to our Google+ guide from Top to Bottom and/or hit up both keyword portals: Google+ and Spotify. Then when you’re full of knowledge, get yourself into this giveaway!

All you’ve got to do is the following:

1. Add +Vincent Nguyen (url: vincent.tv/+) to your Circle(s) on Google+*
2. Comment in our Spotify+ thread [a new post each day!] with some witty banter
July 15 URL: https://plus.google.com/103911183408644149411/posts/aYUYXLFYYw7
3. You’re entered into the contest!

*if you don’t already have access to Google+, send your name and email to giveaway @ slashgear.com

You’re already well on your way to getting Spotify for yourself – hours and days of magical musical entertainment for all!

Once we’ve picked you, the following will happen:

1. Vincent will ping you on Google+ to let you know you’re a winner.
2. You respond to that post.
3. Vincent gives you your invite code!

That’s it! Get to it!

[poll id="15"]

To start things off first I want to compare it to a Blackberry. The same hardware in the Droid Pro was reviewed by Vincent like linked above and he took the time to sit it next to the BlackBerry Torch so we could see the keyboards for a nice comparison. So I’ll start with that then get into the video for you all to enjoy.

As you can see the Motorola XPRT keyboard is very similar. The keys have little lips so you know where one key ends and the next begins and they have a nice, solid feel to them. Not only does it have a great keyboard but the XPRT comes packing a 1 Ghz processor, Android 2.2, a 5MP shooter on the rear with dual LED flash, a 3.1″ 320×480 display and all the enterprise features a previous Blackberry user would need, with corporate email and calendars included.

The XPRT has a great candy bar shape and is sized around 4.74″ x 2.4″ x 0.51″ (120 x 61 x 13 mm) and weighs only 5.1 oz. Like we said above it is aimed for business users and it has that qwerty keyboard along with a huge 1860 mAh battery that should last you ALL day and more. Only powering a 3.1″ screen and having a battery larger than almost all current Android phones this thing should get you through any busy work day. It also comes with 2GB internal memory and an included 2GB MicroSD card for those that need additional storage.

Motorola XPRT hands-on and unboxing video

My question for any readers that may use a Blackberry, is this your next phone? Would you consider leaving your Blackberry for an Android device like this with a full market and all the games we love on Android?

This might not be the best Android phone out but it has some top quality specs and should be able to do just about anything you need and play most the available games as well (for when you get bored at work of course). With corporate email and calenders as well as added security I don’t see why not. Feel free to check out the rest of the photos below and stay tuned as we will be reviewing this phone over the next few days and will report back with more details.

As you may already know, Google+ is still in beta mode. What this means is that there are certainly a load of bugs in the system, popping up here or there, and only a select few are or have been invited to take part. We were lucky enough to be invited, our whole crew in fact, and we want to let you know how to tie yourself in for the ride as soon as possible! You can check out our Google+ Invite Work-Around Active Now! post (de-activated again for now,) or our Get Google+ Invites from SlashGear post (still a line!) then check out our hefty list of team members you can connect with:

Vince king of Behind the Scenes!
Rue on the SG beats!
Cory from the Feeds!
Sam from the Forums!
Daniel in the Guts!
John hugging Androids!
Burnsy yours truly!
Simms22 ruler of the Pits!
Chris straight off the Streets of London!
Avi from out east!
Ewdi our man in Japan!
Shane on the morning tip!
And everyone else is still creeping around!

Then there’s the big one everyone should follow: SlashGear Official!

If you’ve taken part in one of our invite initiatives so far, you may well already be in on the program, having been invited by a team-member or the SlashGear official profile, either way, this means you’ll have instant access to all things G+ SlashGear, right off the bat!

We hope you started the weekend off right, I was eating a tri-tip steak and listening to some Lee Greenwood while sitting by the pool but then it rained sadly. We all love our freedom and I hope each and every person every day realize what they have and truly appreciates it, even if it’s not much.

I want to thank you all for stopping by today and everyday here at SlashGear. We appreciate all our friends, fans, or readers and hope you have enjoyed this weekend as we all have. We will be taking the rest of the day off to spend with our friends and family to enjoy one another. And will be right back at it tomorrow morning so don’t stay away long. Don’t forget to stop by and enter our Tabletpalooza Giveaway here and over at Android Community.

Once again Happy 4th of July from SlashGear!

Just yesterday it appeared that the Beta for Google+ was closed off to all but a select handful of participants picked specifically by Google to represent the program the best and provide feedback to the company for the quick expansion of said program. All that seemed to be blown apart when it was discovered that there was an invite button in the lower right hand corner of everyone’s screen when browsing Google+ in the web! But alas, since those faithful hours, Vic G has dashed our dreams for a fully integrated ecosystem again:

But we love Vic, and we know that the doors will be opened again, and soon! So what we’d love to do for you is to get you up on that list as fast as possible right through here in the Google+ SlashGear Invites post. All you’ve got to do is list your Gmail email and name below and we’ll get to you as soon as the invite doors are again blasted open!

UPDATE: all comments will now be “held for moderation” which means we’ll be the only ones who get to see them. If you commented before this change, your email was collected by us JUST for this Google+ invite post, and for nothing more, and will not be displayed below — this was done due to concern over SPAM, which we do indeed hate!

Meanwhile, have a look at our own suite of posts on the subject so that you might be fully informed by the time you get in!

Google+ Mobile App Review and Hands-On [BETA]
SlashGear 101: What is Google+, Circles, Huddle?
Google Circles and what it Doesn’t Mean for You
What Google+, Circles, Sparks, and Huddle will Mean for Me and You
Gender’s Role in Facebook and Google+ by Philip Berne
A Google+ Guide from Top to Bottom

UPDATE: 251 of you added – keep em coming!

First off Thank you to everyone that entered. If you haven’t been keeping up with SlashGear now is probably the time to start. We are giving this TV away today, we gave a Galaxy Tab 10.1 away earlier this week, and more goodies before that. If your not friends with SlashGear on Facebook you probably should be. Now its time we announce the winner. We had a really hard time deciding on who should receive this TV because we had so many great entries with thoughtful comments. Lets get right to it shall we — and the winner is ……

Congrats to Alan Tong! You are the lucky winner of the SlashGear Father’s Day Toshiba TV Giveaway!

We would like to thank everyone that entered this time around and we hope to see you all reading along and commenting on Facebook while you wait for our next giveaway, as it will be coming soon. We will be in contact with the winner shortly. Stay tuned for the next SlashGear giveaway!

You may have bought a shiny new smartphone for dad, or maybe you got him a gift card for his favorite store. I have a better idea — prepay for 6 months of Netflix for dad and send him a nice little Father’s Day card with all the details inside.

Even if you already bought dad something for Father’s Day you better enter our giveaway, I mean who doesn’t want to win a 24″ LED TV right? In case you missed the original post you can find all the details on the 24″ TV giveaway by clicking here.

Now hurry over to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SlashGear.com and enter before its to late. We will be choosing the winner tomorrow the 19th at 10 AM PST so you better make it quick.

Entering the giveaway is simple enough: Head over to the SlashGear Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/SlashGear.com, click the “LIKE” button and then make sure you leave a comment on our wall letting us know why your father deserves to win the TV this Father’s Day. We expect you to be creative in your post and you must mention both “SlashGear” and “Toshiba” in your comment as well as why Dad deserves to win in order to be eligible.

Toshiba has nicely offered to ship the TV right to the winner so this contest is for USA contestants only. Here is a little recap of what you will be winning. A Toshiba 24″ 1920×1080 LED HDTV with 2 HDMI ports, 1 USB port and even a PC input. Make sure to read the rules below for any questions you may have. Thanks and good luck!

Rules:

Contest begins June 17th, and ends June 19th, 10AM PST, 2011. A winner will be announced within a few days of June 19th here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

The winner will be given the opportunity to submit a review of their Toshiba 24″ LED TV and have it posted on the front page of SlashGear.com! *Reviews may be edited or modified before publication and are considered works for hire under the 1976 Copyright Act. Submissions will be ineligible for payment or remuneration.

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. One entry per contest per person. Family members of Google and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified Android Community or SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check). Winners of any SlashGear or Android Community contest over the past year are no eligible to win.

The winner will be announced on SlashGear and they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Toshiba and SlashGear/Android Community.

Prize consists of one Toshiba 24″ LED TV. One prize per winner. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case Android Community and SlashGear reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

Contest provided by Toshiba and SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by Toshiba and SlashGear/Android Community. Any questions regarding this contest should be directed to chris@androidcommunity.com.

Entering is simple: just head over to the SlashGear Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SlashGear.com, click “Like” and then leave us a wall post letting us know what you think the timepiece of the future will look like. Make sure to mention that “Cadence and SlashGear are timeless” in your post!

Cadence has generously offered to ship internationally, so this contest isn’t limited to the US. We’ll pick one winner after the closing date of Thursday, June 9 2011 at 11am PST. Good luck!

Rules

Contest begins June 1 2011, and ends June 9 2011 at 11:00AM PST. Competition is open to SlashGear readers over the age of 18. One entry per contest per person. Family members of Cadence and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check).

The winner will be announced on SlashGear and will be expected to contact SlashGear via Facebook; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Cadence and SlashGear/Android Community.

Prize consists of one Cadence 4-Bit Binary Watch. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and Cadence reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Contest provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by Cadence and will be shipped directly to the giveaway winner; the winner is responsible for any customs fees that may be charged by their country.

Hit the share button in the control bar and you can choose from all the usual sharing methods on your Android phone or tablet: email, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever third-party apps you have installed. As before you can save articles for offline reading, as well as view streaming video over WiFi and 3G connections.

There are some bugfixes (we know some of you were having force-close issues or seeing a blank screen) and various performance tweaks to make the whole app more responsive. Next on the roadmap is a dedicated tablet version for Honeycomb slates like the XOOM and Galaxy Tab 10.1. We’d love any feedback you can give us, either in the comments below or using the Android Market review feature.

You can download the updated SlashGear app for Android from the Android Market (it’s free, naturally!) If you’re an iOS user, the SlashGear for iPhone and iPad apps are available here, and there’s a SlashGear for Windows Phone app available in the Marketplace!

We’ve got the dual-core LG Optimus 3D Review, the dual-core Motorola Droid X2 Review, and a dual-core HTC Sensation Review. There’s also two takes of the HTC Flyer Wifi-only version from Best Buy. We’ve got a lifestyle-aimed version of a review here on and a rather detail-oriented review over on Android Community.

Next we’ve got a collection of columns from a variety of minds: Smart Tech Advice: Buy Early, Buy Often by Don Reisinger, Wherefore Art Thou, TiVo? by Philip Berne, and I Don’t Hate You, I Just Want To Kill You by Philip Berne again. Keep on analyzing then with Ben Bajarin in two articles, one by the name of Why Do I Pay for Advertising Supported TV, the other called Twitter and Facebook must learn from LinkedIn’s IPO success!

You’ll want to continue on the the following must-read stories to stay up to date on the oddities of this tech world:
AT&T HTC Holiday revealed: 4.5-inch qHD and dual-core CPU
Foxconn iPad 2 plant explosion [Video] [Updated]
Kindle ebook sales exceed print sales in US
LG P930 1280 x 720 Android smartphone tipped
Samsung Galaxy S II vs HTC Sensation [VIDEO]
Android Community App of the Week: Bang Bang Racing THD

And finally I’ve got a question for you, feel free to comment below, email in your answers, or set up some responses on Facebook: Which devices that are soon to be released, be they mobile or otherwise, would you like us to review in the near future?

Anyone applying for a writing position with SlashGear must have a flexible schedule and understand that they will need to work certain set hours as well as floating hours on weekends. The applicant should be flexible enough to accommodate out-of-hours events and coverage, generally with notification coming one week in advance. The applicant must be able to produce content on a steady basis, bring a strong voice to the table, and work with teammates to produce a body of work in which no bit of content is left unchallenged, no writing left unchecked.

If you’re a writer who understands the tech world and all the news that goes along with it, you may be right for SlashGear. We’re looking to hire a long-term professional team member who can get up to speed as quickly as possible; if you cannot meet all of the requirements above, and don’t share a passion for consumer electronics, then this isn’t the job for you. Would you like to join SlashGear and produce gadget news to your hearts content?

Being based in the San Francisco or NYC areas is a plus but not essential. If you think you’ve got what it takes, email us at jobs@slashgear.com with your bio and CV for more information. Additionally, you must include at least three sample writings and references or your submission will not be considered.

For those of you who’ve not yet received their tablets, yours truly will soon be in touch with you to hand over your tracking numbers so you can be sure to be at the door when the FedEx man arrives. For everyone that already has their tablet in hand, now’s the time to consider reviewing that lovely bit of technology for us and the rest of your compatriots. We value your opinion the most, readers, as it’s you who we’re aiming to serve. Prepare yourselves for some good ol’ fashioned everyman reviews of the very first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet in town.

Meanwhile, here’s a list of everyone that won once more just so you’re aware:
David Cornier-Chevere
Jeremy Stagg
Santi Hallifax
Andre Phillips
Kimberly Michell

If one of these is you, you’ve already been in contact with me and your device is well on the way. If you’ve received your device and it was on fire or covered in slime or anything like that, contact me or leave a comment below!

Everyone else – stay tuned! Many more awesome big contests on the way!

Yes, David Cornier-Chevere, it is you. You lucky, lucky college graduate. Let me tell you all a story about how awesome David’s day has been today:

1. He won a XOOM.
2. He graduated from college (literally, today.)
3. He had a great hair day.

Everyone else will have to continue brushing their hair until they have a great hair day and graduate from college and we have another contest with whatever tablet we’ve got on hand at that time. Oh wait, what’s that you say? We’ve got another tablet contest going on right now? One where you could win a Galaxy Tab 10.1, one where you get to watch Vince and Ben rip open their Google I/O edition Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets and judge them on many elements?

WIN a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 by Judging our [Epic Unboxing War Number One!]

Check that out and win another amazing tablet! David, you’re not allowed to win, you can only win one tablet. You won a XOOM. Enjoy it!

To enter, head on over to the SlashGear Facebook page and hit “Like”, then leave a comment on the wall telling us why the MDP would make your life better. Comments must include the hashtag #MDP or they won’t be counted when we pick a winner.

Good luck!

Giveaway Rules:

Contest begins April 27, 8:00AM PST, and ends May 2, 6:30PM PST. Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. One entry per contest per person. Family members of Qualcomm, BSQUARE and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check).

The winner will be announced on SlashGear and will be expected to contact SlashGear via Facebook; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Qualcomm, BSQUARE and SlashGear/Android Community.

Prize consists of one BSQUARE Mobile Development Platform device. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and BSQUARE reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Contest provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by BSQUARE/Qualcomm.

(Red sports car not included)

First, Qualcomm notes that this is a record quarter for them, posting revenues of $3.9 billion being no small pot of cash to scoff at. They’ve also noted that this translates to a total of $.59 in EPS, Earnings Per Share. There’s also another EPS number in there, but unless you know what non-GAAP means, I suggest you skip it. Next, Qualcomm’s operating income is $1.07 billion, that being down 3% from the quarter that came before this one, but up 38% from last year at this time. Can you say big growth?

And for those of you who’ve been lost since the article started, lemme explain who Qualcomm is. It’s the brand name given to those friendly folks who create the chipsets that are inside your smartphones. Not ALL smartphones, of course, but they’re working to fix that! Take a look at our gigantic Qualcomm Portal to see all the coverage we’ve got on this radically excellent set of power generators in developers clothing. But before you go, you have a reading assignment – the entire press release below! Hooray!

Qualcomm Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2011 Results
Record Revenues $3.9 Billion
GAAP EPS $0.59, Non-GAAP EPS $0.86
— Raises Fiscal 2011 Revenue and Earnings Guidance —

SAN DIEGO, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies, products and services, today announced results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 ended March 27, 2011.

“We are pleased to report record quarterly revenues, and we are raising our revenue and earnings guidance for the year as the demand for smartphones across an array of geographies and tiers continues to grow,” said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm. “In addition, we have resolved the second of the two previously disclosed licensee disputes. We continue to execute on our strategic priorities as our partners deploy our technologies and solutions to offer leading wireless products and services to consumers worldwide.”

Second Quarter Results (GAAP)

· Revenues: $3.88 billion, up 46 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) and 16 percent sequentially.

· Operating income: $1.07 billion, up 38 percent y-o-y and down 3 percent sequentially.

· Net income:(1) $999 million, up 29 percent y-o-y and down 15 percent sequentially.

· Diluted earnings per share:(1) $0.59, up 28 percent y-o-y and down 17 percent sequentially.

· Effective tax rate: 21 percent for the quarter.

· Operating cash flow: $1.77 billion, up 123 percent y-o-y; 46 percent of revenues.

· Return of capital to stockholders: $316 million, or $0.19 per share, of cash dividends paid.

(1)

Net income and diluted earnings per share throughout this news release are attributable to Qualcomm (i.e., after adjustment for noncontrolling interests), unless otherwise stated.

Non-GAAP Second Quarter Results

Non-GAAP results exclude the Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI) segment, certain share-based compensation, certain tax items that are not related to the current year and acquired in-process research and development (R&D) expense.

· Revenues: $3.87 billion, up 45 percent y-o-y and 16 percent sequentially.

· Operating income: $1.65 billion, up 55 percent y-o-y and 17 percent sequentially.

· Net income: $1.45 billion, up 47 percent y-o-y and 8 percent sequentially.

· Diluted earnings per share: $0.86, up 46 percent y-o-y and 5 percent sequentially. The current quarter excludes $0.18 loss per share attributable to the QSI segment and $0.09 loss per share attributable to certain share-based compensation.

· Effective tax rate: 22 percent for the quarter.

· Free cash flow: $1.85 billion, up 125 percent y-o-y; 48 percent of revenues (defined as net cash from operating activities less capital expenditures).

Detailed reconciliations between results reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and Non-GAAP results are included at the end of this news release.

In the comparisons summarized above, the following should be noted with respect to results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011: GAAP and Non-GAAP results included $401 million in revenues related to prior quarters as a result of agreements entered into with two licensees to settle ongoing disputes, including an arbitration proceeding with Panasonic Mobile Communications Co. Ltd.; GAAP results included $310 million in expenses in the QSI segment related to the FLO TV™ restructuring plan; and GAAP and Non-GAAP results included $120 million in impairment charges related to our Firethorn division, including $114 million in goodwill impairment.

Second Quarter Key Business Metrics

· CDMA-based Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) shipments: approximately 118 million units, up 27 percent y-o-y and flat sequentially.

· December quarter total reported device sales: approximately $40.0 billion, up 44 percent y-o-y and 18 percent sequentially.

o December quarter estimated CDMA-based device shipments: approximately 195 to 200 million units, at an estimated average selling price of approximately $200 to $206 per unit.

Cash and Marketable Securities

Our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled approximately $22.1 billion at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2011, compared to $19.1 billion at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2011 and $18.2 billion a year ago. On April 7, 2011, we announced a cash dividend of $0.215 per share payable on June 24, 2011 to stockholders of record as of May 27, 2011.

On January 5, 2011, we announced that we had entered into a definitive agreement under which we intend to acquire Atheros Communications, Inc. for $45 per share in cash, which represented an enterprise value of approximately $3.1 billion on that date. The transaction has received the approval of Atheros’ stockholders and certain foreign regulators, and the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, has expired. The completion of the merger remains subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including the receipt of an additional foreign regulatory approval. We continue to expect the merger to close in the third quarter of fiscal 2011.

Effective Income Tax Rate

Our fiscal 2011 effective income tax rates are estimated to be approximately 17 percent for GAAP and approximately 21 percent for Non-GAAP. The second quarter rates of 21 percent for GAAP and 22 percent for Non-GAAP are higher than the estimated annual rates primarily due to additional U.S. income resulting from the settlement of ongoing disputes with two licensees during the second quarter of fiscal 2011.

Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives

The QSI segment manages our strategic investment activities, including FLO TV, and makes strategic investments in early-stage and other companies and in wireless spectrum, such as the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum won in the India auction. GAAP results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 included an $0.18 loss per share for the QSI segment. The second quarter of fiscal 2011 QSI results included $376 million in operating expenses and restructuring charges primarily related to FLO TV.

We have agreed to sell substantially all of our 700 MHz spectrum for $1.9 billion, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The agreement follows our previously announced plan to restructure and evaluate strategic options related to the FLO TV business and network. Under the restructuring plan, the FLO TV business and network were shut down on March 27, 2011, and we are no longer pursuing the MediaFLO Technologies business. Restructuring activities under this plan were initiated in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 and are expected to be substantially complete by the end of fiscal 2012. The spectrum was classified as held for sale at March 27, 2011.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2011, restructuring and restructuring-related charges related to this plan included in QSI results were $310 million. We estimate that we will incur future restructuring and restructuring-related charges associated with this plan of up to $65 million, which are primarily related to lease exit and other costs.

Business Outlook

The following statements are forward looking and actual results may differ materially. The “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” at the end of this news release provides a description of certain risks that we face, and our annual and quarterly reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provide a more complete description of risks.

Our outlook does not include provisions for future asset impairments or the consequences of injunctions, damages or fines related to any pending legal matters unless awarded or imposed by a court, governmental entity or other regulatory body. Further, due to their nature, certain income and expense items, such as realized investment gains or losses, or gains and losses on certain derivative instruments, cannot be accurately forecast. Accordingly, we only include such items in our business outlook to the extent they are reasonably certain; however, actual results may vary materially from the business outlook.

In addition to our ongoing operating costs, our business outlook for fiscal 2011 includes restructuring and restructuring-related charges attributable to FLO TV that are currently expected to be incurred.

We have not included any estimates related to the Atheros business in our third fiscal quarter or fiscal 2011 outlook. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of fiscal 2011.

The following table summarizes GAAP and Non-GAAP guidance based on the current business outlook. The Non-GAAP business outlook presented below is consistent with the presentation of Non-GAAP results included elsewhere herein.

Conference Call

Qualcomm’s second quarter fiscal 2011 earnings conference call will be broadcast live on April 20, 2011, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) on the Company’s web site at: www.qualcomm.com. This conference call may contain forward-looking financial information and will include a discussion of “Non-GAAP financial measures” as that term is defined in Regulation G. The most directly comparable GAAP financial measures and information reconciling these Non-GAAP financial measures to the Company’s financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, as well as the other material financial and statistical information to be discussed in the conference call, will be posted on the Company’s Investor Relations web site at www.qualcomm.com immediately prior to commencement of the call. A taped audio replay will be available via telephone on April 20, 2011, beginning at approximately 5:00 p.m. PT through May 20, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. PT. To listen to the replay, U.S. callers may dial (800) 642-1687 and international callers may dial (706) 645-9291. U.S. and international callers should use reservation number 56703245. An audio replay of the conference call will be available on the Company’s web site at www.qualcomm.com following the live call.

Editor’s Note: To view the web slides that accompany this earnings release and conference call, please go to the Qualcomm Investor Relations website at: http://investor.qualcomm.com/results.cfm

Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other. Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere. For more information, please visit www.qualcomm.com

Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company presents Non-GAAP financial information that is used by management (i) to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company’s operating results on a consistent and comparable basis; (ii) to measure the performance and efficiency of the Company’s ongoing core operating businesses, including the Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, Qualcomm Technology Licensing and Qualcomm Wireless & Internet segments; and (iii) to compare the performance and efficiency of these segments against each other and against competitors outside the Company. Non-GAAP measurements of the following financial data are used by the Company’s management: revenues, R&D expenses, SG&A expenses, total operating expenses, operating income (loss), net investment income (loss), income (loss) before income taxes, effective tax rate, net income (loss), diluted earnings (loss) per share, operating cash flow and free cash flow. Management is able to assess what it believes is a more meaningful and comparable set of financial performance measures for the Company and its business segments by using Non-GAAP information. As a result, management compensation decisions and the review of executive compensation by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors focus primarily on Non-GAAP financial measures applicable to the Company and its business segments.

Non-GAAP information used by management excludes the QSI segment, certain share-based compensation, certain tax items and acquired in-process R&D. The QSI segment is excluded because the Company expects to exit its strategic investments at various times, and the effects of fluctuations in the value of such investments are viewed by management as unrelated to the Company’s operational performance. Share-based compensation, other than amounts related to share-based awards granted under a bonus program that may result in the issuance of unrestricted shares of the Company’s common stock, is excluded because management views such share-based compensation as unrelated to the Company’s operational performance. Further, share-based compensation related to stock options is affected by factors that are subject to change, including the Company’s stock price, stock market volatility, expected option life, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend payouts in future years. Certain tax items that were recorded in reported earnings in each fiscal year presented, but were unrelated to the fiscal year in which they were recorded, are excluded in order to provide a clearer understanding of the Company’s ongoing Non-GAAP tax rate and after tax earnings. In fiscal 2009, the Company included the benefit of the retroactive extension of the federal R&D tax credit in Non-GAAP results because it had previously occurred with relative frequency and was included in the Company’s business outlook for fiscal 2009 as the credit had been extended prior to the release of the fiscal 2009 business outlook. In fiscal 2011, however, the Company did not include the benefit of the retroactive extension of the federal R&D tax credit in Non-GAAP results because the Company had not included the potential extension of the credit in its previously released fiscal 2011 business outlook due to uncertainty as to whether and when the federal R&D tax credit would be retroactively extended. Acquired in-process R&D is excluded because such expense is viewed by management as unrelated to the operating activities of the Company’s ongoing core businesses.

The Company presents free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, to facilitate an understanding of the amount of cash flow generated that is available to grow its business and to create long-term stockholder value. The Company believes that this presentation is useful in evaluating its operating performance and financial strength. In addition, management uses this measure to evaluate the Company’s performance, to value the Company and to compare its operating performance with other companies in the industry.

The Non-GAAP financial information presented herein should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. In addition, “Non-GAAP” is not a term defined by GAAP, and, as a result, the Company’s measure of Non-GAAP results might be different than similarly titled measures used by other companies. Reconciliations between GAAP results and Non-GAAP results are presented in the following tables.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ substantially from those referred to herein due to a number of factors, including but not limited to risks associated with: the rate of deployment and adoption of, and demand for, our technologies in wireless networks and wireless communications, equipment and services, including CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO, WCDMA, HSPA, TD-SCDMA and OFDMA; the uncertainty of global economic conditions and its potential impact on demand for our products, services or applications and the value of our marketable securities; competition; our dependence on major customers and licensees; attacks on our licensing business model, including results of current and future litigation and arbitration proceedings, as well as actions of governmental or quasi-governmental bodies, and the costs we incur in connection therewith, including potentially damaged relationships with customers and operators who may be impacted by the results of these proceedings; our dependence on third-party manufacturers and suppliers; foreign currency fluctuations; strategic investments and transactions we have or may pursue; defects or errors in our products and services; the development and commercial success of our QMT division’s mirasol® display technology; as well as the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 26, 2010 and most recent Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no obligation to update, or continue to provide information with respect to, any forward-looking statement or risk factor, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Mobile Station Modem, MSM, FLO TV and MediaFLO are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. mirasol is a registered trademark of Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA USA). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

We’ve got a T-Mobile G-Slate review on SlashGear and another over on Android Community – two perspectives from two different corners of the United States! Then we’ve got a review of the little bother of the G-Slate, that being the T-Mobile G2x – full review on Android Community by yours truly! And the Acer Iconia Tab A500? We’ve got that too.

And a BlackBerry PlayBook review in a pear tree!

Then you’ve got to fill that G-Slate up with some games, right? How about a few games that aren’t even out yet? We’ve got pre-complete demos of both Riptide GP, a wave racing game on jetskis, and Pinball HD, a pinball game that’s absolutely spectacular!

And what of our contests running on both sites? You want to know who’s winning the tablets, right? Check out the first winner on Android Community and the next right here on SlashGear!

More fun to come!

The PlayBook goes on sale today, with a 7-inch touchscreen, QNX OS, close BlackBerry integration and the usual mixture of WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and twin cameras. We had almost 500 entries from people eager to win!

Huge thanks to Office Depot for providing the BlackBerry PlayBook, and congratulations to Max the lucky winner. Our full review of the PlayBook will be going live very shortly, so keep reading SlashGear!

The original post is back over here and make sure you enter if you’ve not already done so. If you’ve already entered and you’re not Andre Phillips, you’ve got just as much chance as anyone else in the future to win one of these tablets. That said, here’s the short version of the contest rules so you can enter as fast as possible — now!

To win one of these fabulous tablets, you must:

1. “like” us on Facebook: facebook.com/slashgear.com
2. Comment on the wall saying something nice like “SlashGear and NVIDIA are ever so generous and kind with their dual-core generosity.”

Contest begins April 11, 2PM PST, and ends April 24, 2PM PST. A winner will be announced every Monday @ 5PM PST here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

WINNERS will be given the opportunity to submit a review of their XOOM and have it posted on the front page of SlashGear.com!

*Reviews may be edited or modified before publication and are considered works for hire under the 1976 Copyright Act. Submissions will be ineligible for payment or remuneration.

Take a peek at the limited ruleset here, and if you’d like to know everything there is to know about this contest, head back to the original [contest post]. Then enter! Enter your heart out!

To win one of these fabulous tablets, you must:

1. “like” us on Facebook: facebook.com/slashgear.com
2. Comment on the FACEBOOK wall saying something nice like “SlashGear and NVIDIA are ever so generous and kind with their dual-core generosity.”

Contest begins April 11, 2PM PST, and ends April 24, 2PM PST. A winner will be announced every Monday @ 5PM PST here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

WINNERS will be given the opportunity to submit a review of their XOOM and have it posted on the front page of SlashGear.com!

*Reviews may be edited or modified before publication and are considered works for hire under the 1976 Copyright Act. Submissions will be ineligible for payment or remuneration.

Contest provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by NVIDIA. Any questions regarding this contest should be directed to chris@androidcommunity.com.

To win one of these fabulous tablets, you must:

1. “like” us on Facebook: facebook.com/slashgear.com
2. Comment on the wall saying something nice like “SlashGear and NVIDIA are ever so generous and kind with their dual-core generosity.”

Contest begins April 11, 2PM PST, and ends April 24, 2PM PST. A winner will be announced every Monday @ 5PM PST here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

WINNERS will be given the opportunity to submit a review of their XOOM and have it posted on the front page of SlashGear.com!

*Reviews may be edited or modified before publication and are considered works for hire under the 1976 Copyright Act. Submissions will be ineligible for payment or remuneration.

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. One entry per contest per person. Family members of Google and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check). Winners of the April 2011 SlashGear XOOM giveaway are ineligible to win the April 2011 Android Community XOOM giveaway, and vice-versa.

The winners will be announced on SlashGear and will be expected to contact SlashGear via the following email: chris@androidcommunity.com ; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, NVIDIA and SlashGear.

Prize consists of five Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi-only tablets distributed between SlashGear and Android Community: 2 for SlashGear’s contest and 3 for Android Community’s contest. One prize per winner. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and NVIDIA reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

Contest provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by NVIDIA. Any questions regarding this contest should be directed to chris@androidcommunity.com.

[Image credit: Redfire Motion Group]

The Web site was offering less than half of what I would have made as a teacher. I tried to negotiate, but things fell apart quickly. Instead of increasing their offer, they decided not to hire anyone for the position and just stick with the people they had. I got a message on my voicemail that pretty much said “thanks, but no thanks.” I called back immediately and asked if they would let me work for the initial salary offer. Of course, they accepted. As a negotiator, I really suck.

I recently left tech journalism to work with a major phone manufacturer. When I told people I was leaving, I heard two questions repeating themselves over and over. First, would I continue writing these columns for SlashGear. Second, could they have my job. I don’t understand the first question. I didn’t suspect people enjoyed reading reviews of bad movies and sentimental stories about Facebook quite as much as they did. I’m flattered, and I hope that I’ll be back on SlashGear to stay a while longer.

The second question I completely understood. I’ll tell you when I realized I was working a dream job. I started at the Web site on the Tuesday after labor day. That Friday, I did not realize it was the end of the week until around 4:30, when it was time to start winding down. When I realized I had two days off from work, I was sad to be leaving. I wanted a longer work week. That’s my definition of a great job: when you hate Fridays more than you hate Mondays. For the past 4+ years, I’ve never looked forward to a Friday.

So, here’s how to get my job. Let’s start with qualifications. I have an English degree and a Master’s degree, but I wouldn’t say those are necessary. Definitely not the Master’s. But you need to be a very good writer if you want to do well. You need to be completely comfortable expressing yourself in print in a way that people can understand, and in a way that will express subtext and a deeper meaning to your readers. And you need to be able to do it quickly. I wrote 200 word news stories in 5 minutes. I wrote 4,000 word reviews in a day.

However, it wasn’t the writing or the degree that landed me the job. It also wasn’t my prior experience. I’d been teaching High School for five years, but before that I worked at a few top notch Web sites riding the crest of the tech bubble in New York City. I’d written some reviews, done plenty of editing and learned just enough HTML code that I can ask where the bathroom is using only anchor tags.

What landed me that job, and my previous tech jobs, was a connection I made with my interviewer using gadgets. I talked about my first cell phone. My parents bought me a so-called Motorola bag phone in 1991, the year I started driving. I talked about that, and how I had been landline-free since 1997, the year I got my first portable cell phone (an early Sprint TouchPoint phone). My future editor was hooked. He asked all the silly interview questions, but it was talking about my early experiences, and showing wonder for the world that opened up when I started carrying a phone everywhere, that convinced him I would be a good fit. I don’t think I even submitted a writing sample.

In my time at my first site, I worked my way up to a management position and was responsible for hiring new writers. If you want to do this for a living, here’s what I would suggest. Don’t send your resume. Don’t wait for a job opening to be posted. Jump on any opening that comes up, but don’t wait for an opportunity to come knocking. I’m not going to offer general job seeking advice, but here are some tips for breaking into the technology journalism field.

Start following some of the smaller Web sites that cover products and topics that interest you. Don’t aim large at first. Sure, sites like SlashGear, or Engadget, or TechCrunch may hire someone with little experience, but it’s not likely. Instead, aim for a smaller, up-and-coming site and plan on working hard until you’ve made a name for yourself.

Web sites usually follow a specific tone. SlashGear is intelligent, slightly longer-form, and family friendly. This site is interested more in discussion than simply blip-by-blip press release repetition. Some sites are more irreverent, with reviews of toys and even paraphernalia of all sorts. Some sites are more strictly news-based. Be flexible in your hunt, and try to write a few samples in the site’s style and tone. Most sites will ask for 2-3 samples anyway, so it’s better to have this ready up front.

Most important, make sure you target your application to the site in which you’re interested. If I could tell from an email that the applicant was sending me the same form letter he or she sent to every other site, I lost interest very quickly. You will have much more success taking the time and tailoring your attack to sites individually. Sure, you won’t be able to hit 20 sites at one time, but would you rather spend 4 months sending 20 emails a day, or 1 month sending one thoughtful, sculpted email at a time.

Now that I’m looking from the corporate side, I realize just how difficult the journalism job can be. There are a lot of fun aspects of the job. In my first week of working for a gadget blog, I went to a fancy dinner with RIM, got a free BlackBerry Pearl (which we then donated to a charity called Phones4Life), reviewed some of the coolest smartphones available at the time and saw my name in lights, err, pixels at least.

I also worked 12 hours a day (though usually not in a row), plus a few hours on weekends. I grew despondent as some of my best reviews flopped with little interest in the product or my analysis. I was rejected by PR flacks and left out of the loop. At those amazing trade shows, I skipped the free booze and greasy fried food and worked until 3AM, only to get up at 7AM for breakfast meetings.

I made far less money than my wife, who has an MBA, and worked more hours. But every hour of work felt like play time. I felt like I was getting paid for a wonderful hobby, and not like I was toiling away at a thankless career. It’s certainly not for everyone, and it isn’t an easy job to find, but for the right person, it’s a job that will have you looking forward to every Monday morning.