TalkTalk are getting into the Christmas spirit — or feeling rather generous — as they have today announced that from Nov. 20 they’ll be giving away a free Nexus 7 tablet with a selection of smartphone deals.

There are four Android devices on offer and although three of them are not amazingly high-end, they will soon have the LG Nexus 4, which will be flying off the shelves. As you’ll see after the break, TalkTalk are offering options for small, medium and heavy users, ensuring they have some goodness for everyone. With the Nexus 7 being thrown in for good measure, I suspect this deal could be fairly popular.

You can catch the pricing deals along with the press release after the break:

15 November 2012  – TalkTalk (mobile.talktalk.co.uk) offers Britain’s very best smartphone deals and it has gone one step further this Christmas by giving away the Google Nexus 7 by ASUS (worth £199rrp) with its great value smartphone packages.

With smartphones and tablets dominating Christmas wish lists this year TalkTalk is offering customers this great value ‘perfect combination’ deal which is sure to be a hit with savvy shoppers this festive time.
Available exclusively to TalkTalk customers from 20 November, TalkTalk Mobile will offer 4 fantastic smartphone packages paired with the Google Nexus 7 tablet for free. Nexus 7 run on Google’s latest Jelly Bean OS and offers powerful browsing as well as apps, games and social networking for people on the move or at home.

Tristia Clarke, Commercial Director of TalkTalk said, “Since its launch earlier in the year TalkTalk Mobile has led the way in bringing better value to the market and we’re doing it again with this incredible Christmas offer.”

*All handsets listed cannot be purchased separately from the tablet as they form part of this bundle
TalkTalk Mobile will also help customers stay in control by sending text alerts when 80 per cent of their monthly allowances have been reached and customers who buy online will  get even better value as they get double the data allowance.
All TalkTalk packages come with built in savings features e.g. unlimited family calls, free voicemail, free calls to customer care and free text alerts.

Original Post At Android Central

In an interview with IDG Enterprise, Bradley stated that consumers haven’t taken to the new Windows RT tablet device. “Holistically, the press has made a bigger deal out of Surface than what the world has chosen to believe,” he said.

And when asked if it was serious competition to HP’s business, he was dismissive. “I’d hardly call Surface competition,” Bradley explained, adding that it has “very limited distribution”, that “it’s expensive”, and that it “tends to be slow and kludgey as you use it.”

However, Bradley revealed that HP is not in a position at present to re-enter the consumer tablet market in order to compete head-to-head with the Surface. “We’re not entering the consumer tablet fray any time soon,” he said. “We’ll be doing something next year, but you won’t see a consumer tablet from HP before Christmas. You’ll see convertibles that are focused on how you use the device, keyboard, clamshell.”

His comments come soon after Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer attacked Android and Apple as competition for Windows Phone 8, so there’s some trouble brewing amongst outspoken company chiefs at present, it seems.

See Original Post At Pocket-Lint

The 10.1-inch IPS LCD touch screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800 and a claimed “wide viewing angle”. The tablet is powered by a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with integrated graphics controller. There’s 1GB of RAM on board, but Toshiba hasn’t released details of the speed of the processor yet – the AT300 professed to run at 1.3GHz, so we’d expect similar here.

Read: Toshiba AT300 review

On-board storage starts at 16GB (doesn’t it always?) and the included microSD card slot allows for expansion of up to a further 64GB. A micro-USB port is present too.

The AT300SE has a 3-megapixel camera on the rear, 1.2-megapixel on the front and it weighs 625g, with dimensions of 261 x 180 x 10.5mm.

Software includes Toshiba Places, which is a portal to all manner of video, news and other content. And, of course, there’s everything offered by Android, including Google Play for app downloads and the like.

The Toshiba AT300SE is due out soon (Q4 2012).

See Original Post At Pocket-Lint

The Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Play Store launch was more than a little chaotic, with server errors and other glitches preventing some folks from getting orders in. However, if you were one of the lucky few to be able to order a Nexus 4 in Europe, you can expect your phone to arrive in the next few days. The first of ours showed up just a few minutes ago, and we’re many other early birds will be receiving Nexus-shaped parcels in the next few hours.

Anyone else seeing Nexus 4 orders arriving this morning? Shout out in the comments!

More: LG Nexus 4 review

Original Post At Android Central

Seeking to differentiate the Windows 8 platform from the rest of the pack, Ballmer had some choice words when describing Apple and Android’s app ecosystems. In an interview with Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, Ballmer called Android’s ecosystem “wild,” “uncontrolled” and susceptible to malware, while deriding Apple’s ecosystem for being “highly controlled” but also “high-priced.” Doubtless, Ballmer was trying to position Windows 8 as a middle-ground, with a perfectly controlled ecosystem.

Ballmer’s comments could be read as an attempt to distract the press from Windows’ dysmal marketshare. Windows mobile hasn’t even been able to knock RIM and take third place, and they’ve had over two years to try to do just that. While the smartphone market has a place for two leading brands, three is a crowd and coming in fourth place leaves Microsoft with almost no market share whatsoever – around 2.4%, according to a report released by Gartner just yesterday. The share actually slipped from 2.7% last quarter, most likely because many folks are waiting until Windows 8 is released before purchasing a new Windows phone.

Ballmer Privately Unsatisfied with Windows App Ecosystem

Currently, there are around 10,000 Windows 8 apps available for purchase, a paltry number compared to the hundreds of thousands available for Android and Apple users. In fact, Microsoft has been so concerned about the small number of apps available for purchase that they’ve fired the Windows Division president Steven Sinofsky for not expanding their app store. 

According to the New York Times, Sinofsky frequently butted heads with Ballmer, especially when it came to Windows’ app ecosystem. ”Mr. Ballmer was also frustrated by the relatively sparse selection of applications available for Windows 8. Mr. Ballmer has long been an advocate of the importance of independent developers in making Windows successful,” the New York Times wrote of Sinofsky’s departure on Tuesday.

While seeking a “middle-ground” between the seeming “wild, uncontrolled” ecosystem of Android the “overly-controlled” and expensive Apple App Store, sounds like a good idea in theory, it’s unclear how Windows plans on achieving their goals. Currently, Windows asks developers to cough up $99 before they’re able to offer an app through their story. Google Play, in comparison, asks for just $25. That’s the amount Google has surmised will keep out spammy developers, but it’s not as prohibitively expensive as Windows’ $99 fee.

Windows Just as Susceptible to Malware

But just days ago, a teenager was able to craft a prototype malware for Windows 8 before its official unveiling. This shows that Windows is not impermeable to malware threats by any means. The Trojan poses as a legitimate application but can steal user’s data, including contact numbers, text messages and photos. Meanwhile, security firm F-Secure released a 40-page report on malware, indicating that only .5% of Android malware origniates in the Google Play Store. Android malware is a much bigger concern on third-party sites used by those where Google Play is unavailable.

In conclusion, the truth is that Windows’ app store could become an enticing middle-ground between Apple’s App Store and Google Play, but currently is just as similarly susceptible to malware, prohibitively expensive for first-time developers and too small to become a threat to Apple or Android in the near future.  

Top photo: Microsoft.com

See Original Post At Android Pit

That is until now!

Vodafone have today announced their Red Hot plan which allows customers to rent a handset from the network for a period of 12 months then at then end of that period they can swap it with another handset or extend their contract for a period of time until the handset they want is available.

This is an excellent plan and though not cheap (£47 /month) it allows customers who cannot afford to buy sim-free, the opportunity to stay in tune with the market.

Vodafone Red Hot gives customers unlimited calls and texts, 2GB of internet and WiFi on a 12 month contract.  As an example, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S3 (16GB) for £47 a month or a Note II for £52 per month.

Now we just need the other networks to follow, compete and lower the prices!

vodafone.co.uk/redhot

See Original Post At Land Of Droid

Ever since the original Padfone hit shelves we’ve been wondering whether or not such a device would be successful and while it wasn’t too successful in terms of sales, it certainly turned a few heads. It was something new and fresh in a world of ever expanding phone displays and generic Android tablets. It was a fine device and offered a lot but, when it came down to the specs, it wasn’t the cutting edge piece of tech that ASUS promised us, the phone itself came with just a qHD resolution display and the tablet dock was bulky and unsightly.

With the Padfone 2 however, ASUS has doubled down on their design and has made one nice looking Padfone. Not to mention the fact that the specs have taken a bump in the right direction as well, with this Padfone now going toe-to-toe with some of the high-end devices on shelves today. If you missed the announcement of the Padfone 2 and need a reminded of specs, we have you covered:

• 4.7” HD 1280×720 IPS+ Display at 550 nits bright thanks to Sharp’s IGZO tech
• 1.5 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro – up from dual-core in the first model
• 2GB of RAM
• 16, 32 or 64GB of Storage with 50GB of ASUS Web Storage
• 13 MP rear-facing camera with f/2.4 lens – capable of 1080p video at 30fps and 720p at 60fps and a 1.2MP front-facing camera
• NFC onboard
• The camera is also able to take 100 shots at full resolution continuously!

As for the Padfone 2′s docking station, it’s a lot of the same from the previous model:

• 10.1” IPS Display at 1280×800
• The battery is down from 6600 mAh to 5000 mAh to shave weight
• The tablet now weighs just 514g down from 724g previously. Add the phone – at 135g – and the overall weight is just 649g which is lighter than any version of the new iPad!

This all makes for a really nice device and there’s a lot that ASUS have improved upon, making the whole package a lot nicer overall. With the new quad-core CPU there’s going to few problems when it comes to multitasking here and with 2GB of RAM you’ll be able to do more than ever on the tablet or the phone. It’s to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich but will receive an update to Jelly Bean at some point so, let’s just hope that it’s the 4.2 update that’s just been pushed to the AOSP.

When it comes to pricing, the Padfone 2 still isn’t all that cheap but it’s certainly not as expensive; the device will cost you around $620 to $750 depending on which storage option. If you want the phone and the tablet bundle this’ll set you back a further $200 on top of whichever version you choose. Pre-orders for the device go on sale in Taiwan tomorrow and will be shipping around the 22nd. There’s still no word on availability in the US but, I think this is one product ASUS will want to go global and if they decide otherwise, we’re sure that there’s a lot of retailers out there willing to import it and sell it you at a much higher cost.

Tags: android, featured, google, LTE, padfone, Padfone 2, pre-order, taiwan

Category: androidheadlines.com

About Tom Dawson: Assistant Editor — For years now I’ve had a heavy interest in technology, I grew up with 8-bit computers and gaming consoles and have been using Linux for years now. Android saved me from the boredom of iOS years ago and I’ve loved every minute of it. As a big reader and writer nothing pleases me more than to write about the exciting world of Android and technology as a whole. View author profile.

See Original Post At Android Headlines

Unlike O2 Lease, however, Vodafone told Pocket-lint that it will be marketing Red Hot much more aggressively. “We’re really going for it big time,” we were told by a spokesperson. “With TV ads, the lot.”

The idea is simply, you sign up for a 12-month contract and get a phone that either doesn’t cost anything up front or a minimal amount. You pay a set fee each month for the device, get your tariff on top and Bob’s your uncle. You then hand it back at the end of the year as the phone doesn’t technically belong to you. What that means, however, is that you can then sign up for a further 12-months and get the very latest model of handset. And so on and so forth.

For example, sign up now and you could get a Samsung Galaxy S III for £47 per month. For that, you also get unlimited calls and texts and 2GB of data. At the end of the 12-month period, you can swap the device for a, say, Samsung Galaxy S IV and away you go again.

There are caveats. As you don’t actually own the phone, you will have to hand it back at the end of the year. Plus, if you damage or lose it, that may come at further expense.

Currently, Vodafone is offering the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on Red Hot plans. The iPhone 5 will cost from £59 per month, the SGS3 from £47 and the Note 2 from £52.

You can find out more at vodafone.co.uk/redhot. The plan is currently available in Vodafone stores only, not online.

Pic: (cc) ananyah.COM

See Original Post At Pocket-Lint

News never sleeps, and neither does Android Central. While you sip your cup of coffee, have a look at a few pieces of news you might have missed.

Apps and updates

Beautiful Clock Widget works with the Android 4.2 lock screen.

Blogger app finally gets an update

Advanced search options in the new Gmail

Devices

Pantech Magnus press shot leak

HSPA+ Nexus 7 joins the sold out club

Stuff too good to miss

The Google TV 3 update looks great

Samsung halves the size and doubles the performance of flash storage

Original Post At Android Central

In fact, a “commercial source” claims that street dates of the 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs will slip to 2013, with neither computer able to hit stores before Christmas.

French blog MacBidouille (“MacHack”) reports that its source told it that “Apple has delayed the release of its iMac” and that is down to “more problems than usual due to the new manufacturing process”.

Read: Apple iMac (2012) pictures and hands-on

To get the new superslim body, Apple has adopted a friction-stir welding process which, according to the manufacturer, “uses a combination of intense friction-generated heat and pressure to intermix the molecules of the two aluminium surfaces – creating a seamless, precise and superstrong join.” In short, it’s complicated and, seemingly, has introduced timing issues.

Apple’s online store still lists the 21.5-inch version of the new iMac as coming in “November” in both the UK and US, and the 27-inch for December, so until there’s official confirmation of the delay, this will still remain in the rumour camp.

See Original Post At Pocket-Lint