Yahoo Messenger update tows in tabbed IMs, improved spam management, and more

Yahoo has released an updated version of their instant messaging application for Windows. This update, according to Yahoo, is here because of the feedback and suggestions that Yahoo Messenger users are sending them. With this new version tabbed IMs are introduced, which personally, is what YM really needs. You can download the latest version of Yahoo Messenger here.

[Update] Sony Ericsson offers 50GB of free Box.net online storage to Xperia owners

Sony Ericsson has an exclusive Xperia owner offer that will give them 50GB of free online storage courtesy of Box.net. According to SE's announcement, the offer is until December 31st of 2012. All you have to do is download teh Box.net Android app and install it in your Xperia smartphone, sign up and viola you'd then get 50GB, yes 50GB of free online storage. Its unclear though if all Xperia owners across the world will be getting this offer but there is no harm in trying right?

UK: The Sony Ericsson Xperia Active now available from Clove £240

Clove UK announced that the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active is now available for £240 (VAT inclusive). Apparently, they are now shipping the smartphone to those who pre-ordered it ahead of time. The Xperia Active is an Android smartphone that is perfect for those who have active lives. It is certified by IP67 which puts this smartphone head to head with the Motorola Defy+. Head over to Clove to own one now and click here for the detailed specs of the Xperia Active.

IND: HTC Sensation XL launched in India with MRP of Rs. 39,900

The HTC Sensation XE (specs) was already launched in India a while back. Today, Its the HTC Sensation XL's (sepcs) time to shine. This smartphone is HTC's largest Android smartphone ever which features a 4.7" SLCD display but with a lesser processor with just a 1.5GHz single-core processor compared to the Sensaton XE's 1.5GHz dual-core CPU. The smartphone is given an MRP of Rs 39,900 and with an MOP of Rs. 38,799. The Sensation XE follows the Sensation XE as being HTC's second smartphone to be incorporated with Beats Audio tech in it and it also comes with a Beats headset for a superior audio experience.

USA: AT&T announces the LG Nitro HD 4G LTE smartphone

AT&T has announced a new addition to their 4G LTE smartphone portfolio, the LG Nitro HD. This smartphone is basically one of the two LG Optimus LTE smartphones that LG announced a while back. Anyway, AT&T is scheduled to launch and make the device available to customers in December 4th for $249.99 with a 2-year contract. This smartphone is LG's most powerful ever and the HD is from the display, apparently, of the smartphone which is a True HD IPS display. Head over the break for the smartphone's specs and AT&T's press release.

Acer Liquid Express with NFC gets announced comes with superheroes

Acer announced the NFC equipped Liquid Express Android smartphone. This new smartphone will add to the Liquid line of devices that Acer already has and will be running on Android Gingerbread. The smartphone is currently being offered in the UK courtesy of Orange for with when you sign up for a £24 monthly plan. Also, T-Mobile UK is offering the smartphone also for free with a £15.32 monthly plan.

USA: Newegg starts accepting pre-orders of the Transformer Prime says it will be released in Dec. 8th

Asus, Amazon, and Best Buy are the first to put the quad-core tablet, Asus Transformer Prime, on pre-order. Newegg is the newest retailer to also accept pre-orders of the tablet. What is more interesting with this is the fact that the retailer is saying that the Transformer Prime will be released in the US on December 8th. Newegg is also putting a $499.99 price tag on the tablet so basically its just a question on who will first ship the tablet to those who will pre-order it.

USA: AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket receives Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update

AT&T has apparently, according to UberGizmo, started to push an OTA update to the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket. After being launched recently by AT&T, the carrier has already pushed the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update for their version of the Galaxy S II. Since its an OTA update your Skyrocket should notify you for a new software available for download but if you are hesitant, you can check it manually by tapping through Settings > Software Update. The said version of the platform is to fix a bug with regards to voice search on the Nexus S but the reason for this update coming to the Skyrocket is unknown. For those who are already running this version of Android on their Skyrocket, your input on the comments section is appreciated.

LG initially announces plans to release Android 4.0 ICS to the Optimus line of devices

LG has officially announced their plans in pushing the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to a number of their Optimus line of devices. LG, on their Facebook page, announced that the LG Optimus 2X, Optimus Black, Optimus 3D, and the Optimus LTE are the Optimus-es that are expected to get the update. Apparently, the phone maker is still testing the OS on these phones and the list might change when LG actually pushes the updates. By December of this year, LG is scheduled to push the Android 4.0 updates to these devices, if they don't pose a problem with the platform. If that happens, LG is set to be the world's first phone manufacturer to update their existing phones to the latest available version of Android. Cheers! LG owners!

PHIL: Huawei MediaPad coming to the Philippines this week

Looking for a dual-core tablet that won't really hurt your budget? Then good news, for those who are in the Philippines. The Huawei MediaPad 7-inch tablet, according to Techie, will arrive in the Philippines within this week for an unknown price. Yeah, unfortunately, the price is unknown but the tablet being a Huawei should really be inexpensive compared to tablets like Apple's iPad and those Android Honeycomb tablets. According, again, to my source, the tablet has an SRP of only Php 20,000, not bad considering its being powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and Android Honeycomb 3.2 out of the box. Head over the break for a more detailed specs of the tablet.

Samsung Wave 3 launched globally starts in France

Samsung has officially started to make it's Bada OS flagship smartphone, the Wave 3, available globally. Today, the Samsung Wave 3, which runs on Bada 2.0, will first be available in France and then will be rolled out to other markets in Germany, Italy, and Russia. Other markets are expected to get the smartphone by the end of this year. The handset runs on Bada 2.0 and packs a 1.4GHz processor, a 4" WVGA Super AMOLED display, 3GB of internal storage with microSD card support (additional 32GB external storage), 512MB RAM,  WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 5MP camera with 720p video recording, and  a 1500 mAh battery.

USA: Best Buy now accepts pre-orders of the Asus Transformer Prime

In the US the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime's product page was up and was already available for pre-order. There are actually two other retailers that also offer the tablet for pre-order. These are Best Buy and Amazon.  Best Buy has a more detailed pricing list for the tablet so I'll focus on it on this post. 

UK: LG Optimus 3D now starts receiving its Android Gingerbread update

LG officially announced that the Gingerbread update for the LG Optimus 3D will be pushed and LG said that the update will first make its way in Europe for those who got the smartphone unlocked. Viola, British owners of the LG Optimus 3D should start expecting the update. This update will first be available for those Optimus 3Ds that were purchased unlocked and SIM-free. Any OEM update would still need to pass through the network carrier if the device was bought from them. I got this news from Clove UK, and they did not indicate if the update will come OTA, probably it won't. Head over to LG's mobile phone support site for info on how to get the update.

UK: T-Mobile Vivacity launched in the UK

T-Mobile UK launched a self-branded Android smartphone named as the T-Mobile Vivacity. The smartphone is manufactured by ZTE and is now available for interested customers for £99.99 on Pay-As-You-Go or for free with a £10 monthly plan. For those who are in the UK and wants to check out the T-Mobile Vivacity, head over here.

USA: Verizon Doird Charge scheduled to get Android 2.3 Gingerbread update in Nov. 29

The Verizon Droid Charge by Samsung is scheduled to get its awaited Android 2.3 Gingerbread update in November 29th. This information came from a screenshot that came from Verizon's internal system, sort of. It confirms that the update will be released in the said date. Also, the support page of the handset over at Verizon says that the update is "coming soon".

IND: HTC Sensation XE now available in India

HTC India has launched and made the Sensation XE available for buyers. Buy Best buy is said to be selling the handset for Rs. 33,990 and Flipkart is offering the handset at a lesser price for Rs. 32,400. The HTC Sensation XE, if you remember, is the world's first smartphone to pack Beats Audio technology, logo, and a pair of Beats headset. The Sensation XE (detailed specs) runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread (will be upgraded to Android 4.0) and sports a 4.3" SLCD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 768MB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, an 8MP rear facing camera with 1080p video recording, and a 1730 mAh battery.

Opera updates Opera Mini for Android to version 6.5.2

Opera Mini for Android is now being updated to version 6.5.2 which brings in fixes and an overall performance enhancement. You can now download Opera Mini 6.5.2 for Android over at the Android Market or by visiting http://m.opera.com using your Android device. Head over the break for the things that have changed on this version of the mobile browser.

AUS: Huawei Vision now launched in Australia for $279 unlocked

The Huawei Vision, after being announced in the UK, is now announced in the Australian market. The handset will exclusively be offered by Allphones stores for $279 unlocked. Optus is also offering the handset on contract. As a refresher, the Huawei Vision is an Android Gingerbread-powered device sporting a 3.7" display, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 5MP rear facing camera, and with 720p of video recording.

Prada and LG to launch a smartphone in 2012

LG and Prada have renewed their partnership and together with that announcement has unveiled or teased the next Prada Phone. The smartphone, actually called the Prada Phone by LG 3.0, will be unveiled and announced properly in "early 2012". Since this is just a short announcement, LG did not provide us with the specs of the device but one thing is for sure, unlike the previous Prada phones, this is a smartphone and will probably run on Android. 

USA: Samsung Galaxy Nexus now available unlocked in the US for $749.99

Expansys USA is now offering and is shipping the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The world's first Android 4.0 ICS device can now be yours if you head over at Expansys and order the 16GB unlocked version of the device. For those who are worried about the volume issues that the smartphone is and might be experiencing once you have it, Google and Samsung already acknowledged the issue and are now working on releasing a bug fix software update to the Galaxy Nexus. Americans are happy with this news (the fact that Expansys is already shipping the device), so cheers USA!

RockMelt for iPhone update now features instant photo editing

Photos have become an integral part in our online life these days. RockMelt is now hopping into the bandwagon in providing some photo stuff in the things they offer and has brought an update to their iPhone browser. The update, version 0.15.0, brings in an instant photo editing feature right inside the browser. To download RockMelt for iPhone 0.15.0 click here.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is now available for pre-order starting at $499.99

The world's first quad-core device and the world's thinnest tablet is now available for pre-order in the US. The most talked about tablet before this year ends, is priced starting at $499.99 for the 32GB version and for $599.99 for the 64GB. So with this news, Asus is ready and all set for a 2011 bomb drop. Since it is already available for pre-order the tablet should be available before 2011 ends. For those who just can't wait head over here to pre-order yours now.  By the way, the tablet is available for pre-orders not only in the US but in North America, so Canadians, you can pre-order your Transformer Prime too. Asus also promised that the device will get Android 4.0 ICS soon.

UK: Motorola Pro+ now available at Clove for £322.80

Clove UK is now selling the Motorola Pro+ for £322.80 (VAT inclusive). It took a while for this handset to actually get launched and finally, at least in the UK, it is now available. The Motorola Pro+ is the successor apparent to the Motorola Pro. The Pro+ sports a 3.1" touchscreen display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a full QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 1GHz processor. Head over to Clove now if you want to own one.

Google and Samsung confirm volume bug in the Galaxy Nexus software fix coming

Google and Samsung have confirmed the fact that the first Android 4.0 device has problems regarding it's volume. Google said that they are already cooking up a software update to the device which is aimed to apparently kill the bug. Google also said that the problem is solely software related and does not have any problems at all with the hardware so no recalls. This probably is the main reason why the Galaxy Nexus is still unavailable or is still to be launched, with the exception on the British market.

AUS: Motorola starts rolling out Android 3.2 Honeycomb update to the Motorola Xoom

More news in Australia. Motorola has started rolling out the Android 3.2 Honeycomb update to the Motorola Xoom in the land down under. So for those who owns a Xoom and are in Australia, good news! Finally you will be able to enjoy all the new features that Android 3.2 has which includes an overall performance enhancement to your tablets. The update will be OTA.

AUS: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S now getting the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update if its with Vodafone

Do you own a Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S? Is it with Vodafone Australia? And are you still waiting for the Gingerbread update? Good news! The Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OTA update of your device is already rolling out. Aside from being available OTA, the update can also be updated with your Xperia Arc S tethered to your PC. Click here for information and instructions on how to get the update.

LG set to announce a new phone in December 1

Android Community was able to receive an event invitation from LG. The event, which is bound to happen in December 1st, will be the unveiling of a smartphone (base on the invite). Android Community is saying that LG might be unveiling to the US the LG Nitro HD 4G LTE. That smartphone is the previously announced LG Optimus LTE but of course whenever a smartphone is launched in the US it will have almost always have a different name. The LG Nitro HD is said to be heading to AT&T, so for those who wants this smartphone, December 1 is the date you want to be waiting for.

Second round of update comes to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 fixes issues the first update brought to the device

Apparently, I was unable to post about the first Android 3.2 update that Samsung released to the Galaxy Tab 10.1. I probably missed it. Anyway, that update brought issues to the tablet anyway, so in response to the problem, the Korean-based company is now rolling out the another update to the tablet to fix what the first broke. The issue that the first update is said to have brought points to the WiFi, Bluetooth, and the Auto-rotate features of the tablet. The update is OTA, so check your Galaxy Tab 10.1s if you already have it.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime officially gets a product page

Asus officially puts up the Eee Pad Transformer Prime's product page where you will be able to browse the specs and photo gallery of the device. Unfortunately, like the landing page of the tablet, it does not tell us when Asus is actually gonna make the tablet available for buying. Anyway, regardless of that fact, it's still is a sign that Asus is nearing its time to launch the tablet which could be running on Android 4.0 and not on Honeycomb.

USA: Verizon officially launches the Samsung Illusion for $39.99

Verizon Wireless officially announced the Samsung Illusion. Just base on how the smartphone looks, its like the Nexus S but in features, its not. The Illusion only sports a smaller 3.5" display compared to the Nexus S' 4" display. Anyway, Verizon is scheduled to launch the device in November 23 (today in the eastern part of the US) for $39.99. Base on the pricing itself, the Illusion is positioned to be a mid-range smartphone.

USA: MetroPCS to make the HTC Wildfire S available this week

US Cellular officially announced the HTC Wildfire S which will be available within this week. MetroPCS is pricing the handset at $179. For those who are interested, the carrier said that you can visit your nearest MetroPCS stores and check out what they have for the handset. They did not explicitly note that the handset will be available with a plan tied to it but I believe it will be. As a refresher, the HTC Wildfire S is the successor to the original Wildfire and features a 3.2" display, a 600MHz processor, Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, HTC Sense, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, 512MB of RAM, and  a 1,230 mAh battery. Head over the break to read MetroPCS' press release.

PHIL: Globe CEO confirms coming of the iPhone 4S in the "next few weeks"

Globe's CEO, Ernest Cu, confirmed that his company will be carrying the next iteration of the iPhone. He said ,while in a Globe event to announce their investment in upgrading their infrastructure to IPv6, that they are silently preparing to launch the the iPhone 4S in a couple of weeks. Albeit his statement was a bit vague, because "a couple of weeks" might equate to 2 weeks or even a whole month. And while Smart is reported to be trying to do it's stuff to also carry the iPhone, Globe will surely be the first to launch the device in the Philippines. 

USA: T-Mobile to offer the Samsung Galaxy S II in white

Just to add more fun in the already happy Samsung Galaxy S II family in the US market, T-Mobile USA has announced that their own SGS II will be available in white before the Holidays. According to TmoNews, the carrier did not mention in their "short" press release how much this white SGS II will be offered. Personally, I guess this will cost exactly how much the original black colored T-Mobile Galaxy S II is. 

IND: Motorola officially announces the Motorola RAZR in India

Motorola has officially announced that the Motorola RAZR is already available in the Indian market with an MRP (manufacturer's retail price) of Rs. 35,990. Motorola also noted that the best price that you should be able to get on this handset will be at Rs. 33,990. As a refresher, the Motorola RAZR is the world's thinnest smartphone only measuring at 7.1mm at its thinnest part. It runs on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and of course that very notable Kevlar rear panel. For detailed specs of the RAZR, click here. Head over the break to read Motorola's press release.

UK: [Update] Samsung Galaxy Nexus now in stock over at Clove UK and is now out of stock

Clove UK announced in November 21 that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (unlocked and SIM-free) was already available and is in stock. But, after a day of being available, the phone is now out of stock according to the current status of the Galaxy Nexus on it's dedicated page. Yeah, I apologize for posting about it this late but for those who were not able to get the first Android 4.0 device, you can still pre-order it over at Clove UK still for $514.80 (VAT inclusive). Apparently, the smartphone is showing a huge demand from customers in the UK, at least, and this is after the issues that the smartphone has with regards to its volume.

AUS: MobiCity to get first batch of Samsung Galaxy Nexus today, Nov 23

MobiCity confirmed via a reply to a question on Twitter that the first batch of Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be arriving in November 23. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the world's first Android 4.0 powered device and albeit the smartphone have some issues with it's volume where it just lowers the volume by itself without you even touching the phone, it is still selling like hotcakes (at least in the UK). According to AusDroid, the Galaxy Nexus in Australia will be sold (MobiCity) for $799 unlocked, apparently. So for those who wants to own one, head over at MobiCity.

USA: Amazon now offers the Nokia N9 for $649.99 unlocked

Amazon USA is now offering the Nokia N9 for $649.99 unlocked. Nokia's first and most probably its last Meego-powered handset is already available over at Expansys for $689.99. If you are liking and wanting the N9 and wants to buy it at a price that is a bit lower from what Expansys is offering, then say thanks to Amazon. The retailer is currently saying that they have the N9 "in-stock" and should probably be shipped immediately when you order.

Opera Mobile 11.5.1 for Symbian update now available

Opera did a major update to all their mobile browsers a few weeks ago and now they have updated the Opera Mobile for Symbian to 11.5.1. It is now available for download over at the Ovi Store or Nokia Store. What are the things added into this version of the browser? Opera added predictive text input and language choice in search fields and of course improved the overall stability and performance of the browser. Head over the break for the full change log.

USA: AT&T's Samsung Focus now starts receiving the Windows Phone 7.5 update

AT&T's Samsung Focus is officially getting its Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update. Windows Phone Blog says that its the Samsung Focus 1.4. I really did not get what Microsoft is saying when they said the 1.4 version of the Focus but over at Update Central, Microsoft notes that both the Samsung Focus 1.3 and 1.4 versions are already getting the update. Also, Microsoft is already scheduling the release of the same update to the Samsung Omnia 7 in Spain (Telefonica) since this is one of those Windows Phones that did not get the update when Microsoft started to release it. Anyway, for instructions on how to get the update head over here.

Samsung SUR40 now available for pre-order - Microsoft Surface 2

The Samsung made Microsoft Surface 2, or Samsung SUR40, is now available for pre-order. This tablet/table was first announced by Microsoft back in January of 2011 and is finally available for pre-order. Apparently, the table is targeted for the business enterprise market and for those businesses who are willing enough to be different from other companies.

Skype adds Facebook-to-Facebook call within your Skype application

Skype released Skype 5.4 Beta for Mac and Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows which brings in a new feature into your Skype application. The new feature will allow you to do video calls to your Facebook friends that are online. This is actually very great, because I was expecting this feature to be already available when Facebook announced their video calling service, which was announced to be powered by Skype.

Google Voices gets updated improved text message notification and multiple recipient

Google has recently updated the Google Voice application for Android. The updated version of the application can now be downloaded over at the Android Market. For those who loves using this Google services where you can call and send messages to people on your Android smartphone with Google Voice, then this is good news for you.

IND: Sony Tablet S now available for Rs 29,990

One of Sony's first Android-powered tablet, the Tablet S, is now available in India. You can check out Sony's online store for the pricing but it is being sold there for Rs 29,990 for the 16GB WiFi only version. Sadly, it's the only variant of the tablet that Sony is offering right now. You can check out the detailed specs of the Sony Tablet S here.

USA: T-Mobile Galaxy S 4G officially gets Gingerbread update

T-Mobile USA's Samsung Galaxy S 4G (Vibrant) now gets its Gingerbread update. The smartphone's Gingerbread update is unfortunately not OTA but you have to connect your smartphone to your PCs in order to get the update. Expect performance and overall visual enhancements when you update your Galaxy S 4G to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Other fixes like a better camera faunctionality and the HSPA+ connectivity issue the phone has (or if you don't have it then great). For instructions on how to update your handsets click here.

Google Music steps out of Beta

Google Music finally steps out from it's beta phase and is now available in the US, at least initially. The launching of this new service from Google now lets you listen to music from the cloud. It also comes with a new Music store that comes in an app for your Android device. You can download the app from the Android Market. 

UK: Samsung Galaxy Nexus now available in the UK

One of the most awaited Adroid smartphone in the world, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus running on Android 4.0 ICS, is now available in the British market. The first Android 4.0 device is not really available in the whole of the UK but only from Phones4U at its Oxford street, London store. O2 UK is also offering the handset on PAYG for £529. But O2 UK is also offering the Galaxy Nexus tied with a contract.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N to launch in Germany next week

Yup! It's a redesigned Galaxy Tab 10.1 that is soon to be launched by the Korean-company in Germany by next week. You all know that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is currently banned in the German market. Not only is the tablet banned in Germany but it is also restricted from being sold in the Australian market. So, what Samsung did was to redesign the tablet and named it the Galaxy Tab 10.1N. 

HP Envy 15, 17, and 17 3D get a new look

HP, together with the Folio 13 Ultrabook and their new Pavilion dm4 and dm4 Beats Edition, announced the newly revamped HP Envy line of notebooks. The HP Envy 15, 17, and the 17 3D will all be available starting December 7th and will be priced starting at $1,100, $1,250, and $1,600, respectively.

HP unveils refreshed Pavilion dm4s and the Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition

Aside from announcing HP's first Ultrabook, the Folio 13, the company also refreshed their Pavilion line of laptops. The HP Pavilion dm4 and the Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition will be available on December 18. As for the pricing, the HP Pavilion dm4 starts at $629.99 and the Pavilion dm4 Beat Edition will start at $899.99. Head over the break for a bit of the laptops' specs and the press release from HP.

HP makes the Folio 13 Ultrabook official will be available in Dec 7 starting at $899.99

HP is clearly not spinning off their PC business and to prove that the company just made their first Ultrabook. Called as the Folio 13, this 13.3-incher ultrabook is thing, like any other ultrabooks out there, at just 18mm thin this will definitely challenge other ultrabooks that were already announced. The laptop is scheduled to be launched in December 7th starting at $899.99.