SlashGear Week In Review - Week 25 2011
Happy Father's Day to all the geek dads out there! Welcome to this week's edition of the SlashGear Week in Review! Panasonic confirmed a new GF series camera early in the week with a new GF3 for novices and a pro version coming. These little cameras have interchangeable lenses and are sized more like a point and shoot than a DSLR.
The HP TouchPad ended up on video again showing off what you can expect from the WebOS tablet when it lands. The entry-level 16GB version is supposed to be $499.99. The Facebook IPO is expected to happen this fall and some think that the IPO could top $100 billion. That is a lot of money for the social networks valuation and the firm already has 500 private investors.
The next version of the iPhone is said to be in the final stages of testing and set for a September launch. We are still wondering if the Verizon version will get LTE support or not. Chris put up his review of the HTC ChaCha Facebook smartphone. He figures the Facebook button has little purpose in this iteration.
The unlocked iPhone 4 landed for sale in the US this week. The device is priced from $649 making it quite expensive. Apple settled the Nokia patent battle last week and ended up paying licensing fees to Nokia. Apple will also pay ongoing royalties as well.
Sources claimed that a new MacBook Air would be landing this month. The machines are expected to get Intel Sandy Bridge processors. According to a report this week it might coast as much as $1.3 billion a year to run iTunes. That number breaks down to $113 million monthly.
Devs are claiming that the coming Nintendo Wii U is 50% more powerful than a PS3 or Xbox 360. It had better be good; Nintendo is hurting right now and needs a popular product. An artist took a bunch of old computer parts and used them to build a room. The finished product looks interesting and a bit creepy.
Game devs are claiming that the Xbox 720 will debut at E3 2012. The name of the console is said to be sort of a working title and the hardware is yet to be confirmed. The JVC Kaboom boombox landed this week looking like the 80's. The device has an iPhone and iPod dock on the front.
Nintendo confirmed that the Wii lacks the ability to play Blu-ray or DVD movies. I think that is something that any modern console should include. HTC went back on the statement made earlier in the week that the Desire would get no Gingerbread update. After a huge backlash HTC put the Gingerbread update back on the map.
I wondered at the time HTC said Gingerbread was coming back how they would fit it in since the citied lack of storage as the reason to skip it originally. HTC came back and said it would drop apps to fit Gingerbread. YouTube gave the Nyan Cat video its own Nyan Cat custom load bar. It's cool for sure, but Davies was unable to explain to me the point of Nyan Cat, apparently, I am too American.
Lenovo confirmed that it's ThinkPad Honeycomb tablet would be landing in August. The K1 tablet has a Tegra dual-core and lots more. The Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation Map Pack will hit Xbox Live later this month. The pack will bring four new multiplayer maps and a new zombie map.
The Palm/HP Pre 3 has been pegged to launch in the UK on July 8. The tip comes from Play.com and the smartphone has decent specifications for people that like WebOS. Panasonic announced a new ToughBook Android tablet that will be coming this year. The tablet will have a 10.1-inch screen, active stylus, GPS, and optional 3G/4G connectivity.
Apple changed its complaint in the patent battle with Samsung adding more products. Apple also worded the complaint more strongly and is going after Samsung with more verve. We put up our review of the HTC Evo 3D smartphone. Cory figures the new smartphone is a worthy update from the original Evo. Thanks for reading, see you next time!