Sony Electronics today announced the addition of two new home devices powered by the Google TV™ platform. Sony was one of the industry’s first to launch the ‘Google TV’ products in 2010, and is now taking another step into the future of the home entertainment convergence. The NSZ-GS7 Network Media Player and NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray Disc™ Player will both arrive on shelves in North America and Europe in early summer 2012, and distribution is planned to expand and include other countries and regions.

“The first generation of devices powered by Google TV combined the powerful Android platform with Sony’s legendary home audio/video hardware to deliver on the promise of converging entertainment,” said Charles Speidel, vice president of Sony Electronics’ Home Audio and Video Division. “These brilliant additions advance positive features of the previous models, bringing an intuitive remote control and cross-device connectivity with smartphones, tablets and Sony Internet Audio & Video products – enhancing the home entertainment experience.”

In 2010, Sony introduced the world’s first television and a Blu-ray Disc player powered by Google TV. In 2011, the platform was updated and added the Android™ Market, making the first-generation Sony Internet TV devices easier to navigate and giving viewers access to thousands of apps, including about 150 apps optimized for TV, for an enhanced customized entertainment experience.

The Google TV difference starts with the cross search functionality, which crawls all content sources available from broadcast providers* and the Internet to deliver customized video results on demand.  Both new boxes come complete with a redesigned remote control equipped with a backlit QWERTY keyboard, a touch pad for easy operation and a three-axis motion sensor to enjoy games. Additionally, the remote control can also be utilized as a universal remote to control connected devices such as TV, set top box and amplifiers – the NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray Disc Player even incorporates voice search capabilities. By using Sony apps Media Remote™ and TrackID® for Android and iOS mobile devices, users may achieve cross-device connectivity. TrackID is also pre-installed in NSZ-GS7 and NSZ-GP9, allowing customers to search on their connected TV.  The new remote control can manage basic operations on select compatible 2012 BRAVIA televisions and seamlessly display Android Market or apps on the menu screen.

According to All Things Digital Apple plans on announcing their Iphone 5 on  October 4th 2011.  Sources also say that Apples new CEO Tim Cook will be the main presenter at the event.  Though things may change at any time this is the latest information about Apples new product release.

A week ago case maker  Case Mate pre-leaked the cases that they made for apples new device ( See Below for Pics) which where later removed from the site.

Alot of rumors are circling around about the new device some say the iPhone 5 will be an A5 dual-core processor, similar to the one used in the iPad 2. It will also be equipped with an 8 mega-pixel camera, wireless charging and iOS 5, which features iCloud portable storage capabilities. Also some say that Sprint may be an exclusive carrier or it may be open to GSM and CDMA for worldwide usage.

We can only wait and see.  Say Tuned to The Gadget 411 for more information !

Sprint  Nextel announced that it will introduce this spring a dual-touchscreen Android-based smartphone from Kyocera.

Called the Kyocera Echo, the smartphone features a patent-pending pivot hinge designed to enable the smartphone’s two displays to operate independently, ether side-by-side or combined to form a 4.7-inch integrated display. The device will use Google’s Android 2.2 operating system and will operate over Sprint’s CDMA EV-DO network rather than Clearwire’s WiMAX network.

The phone will be customizable and include pre-loaded apps to take advantage of the dual-screen. VueQue, for instance, allows users to watch a video in one display while browsing, queuing and buffering additional videos in the other.

Kyocera Echo also offers four viewing modes. Single-screen mode acts like a single-display touchscreen smartphone; Simul-task mode displays two of the phone’s seven core apps running at the same time but independently on dual displays; Optimized mode allows both displays to support a single app, while tablet mode enables one application to spread across both screens for a full 4.7-inch viewing area.

Ross Rubin, an analyst at the NPD Group, told FierceWireless that the Echo’s two screens can provide greater flexibility for users. “However, when working with an operating system with a wide variety of apps across a wide array of hardware such as Windows or Android, it can be difficult to attract third-party software developers to take real advantage of a dual-screen device, which limits its potential. This is in contrast to products that are created specifically to support dual screens such as the Nintendo DS.”

Google Inc. launched a new Web-based store for applications that run on mobile devices powered by its Android software, one of several moves by the Internet company to keep up with rival Apple Inc. in the wireless sector.

Users of Android devices such as Motorola Mobility Inc.’s Droid or HTC Corp.’s Evo smartphones have previously had access to the app market via their devices, but many app makers have complained it was difficult to get noticed there because the marketplace was partly built around lists of featured apps and top downloads.

Google’s new app market, available at Market.Android.com, is aimed at letting users discover new apps more easily from their computers, as well as to see recommendations by friends and download apps to their mobile devices. That could help level the playing field with Apple, which has had an edge over Android because it allowed users to find apps and buy them through the iTunes program on their computers.

These “important changes to the Android market meet the needs of both users and developers,” said Chris Yerga, a Google engineering director, at the event at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

Google on Wednesday also said developers could create Android apps that charge users for in-app purchases of virtual goods in games, among other things—a feature already available on apps running on Apple devices. Google said developers could set prices for their apps in foreign currencies, which previously they had been unable to do.

Google’s new moves come as Android overtook Nokia Corp.’s Symbian as the most widely used operating system globally in the fourth quarter, based on the number of devices shipped, according to studies released Monday. Apple came in third, those studies showed.

But most of the revenue generated by mobile apps, which research firm Gartner Inc. projects will triple this year to more than $15 billion, occurs through Apple’s iPhones and iPads. Revenue is generated through purchases of paid apps or through iadvertising and purchases inside apps.

Google doesn’t generate revenue from the sale of Android devices because it gives the software away free to handset makers. But it takes a cut of app purchases and in-app advertising revenue, and the proliferation of Android devices ensures that its search engine and other key services are a mainstay on mobile devices.

Google executive Eric Chu, who works on Android, last week said the company was “not happy” with the level of purchases of apps in its app market but was taking steps to increase them. There are more than 350,000 mobile apps available on Apple devices compared with more than 100,000 on Android devices.

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google is trying to improve the Android app market by designing high-quality apps for the system, in addition to relying on third-party developers. The company plans to hire dozens of software developers to create apps, people familiar with the matter have said.

Google on Wednesday also showed off features of Honeycomb, a version of Android software that is tailored to tablets that will rival Apple’s iPad. Motorola’s Xoom tablet, slated for launch later this quarter, is powered by Honeycomb.

Hopefully they will include this in their new Sprint Kyocera Echo — A Dual Screen Android . Lets Hope!

Today at 2011 International CES, T-Mobile USA, Inc. and LG Mobile Phones announced the upcoming Android™ Honeycomb-powered T-Mobile® G-Slate™ with Google™, by LG.  Expected to be available in coming months, the G-Slate will be the first 4G tablet from the two companies powered by Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the upcoming version of Google’s Android platform optimized for tablets.

“T-Mobile is proud to add a new milestone in the evolution of the Android platform with our first 4G tablet powered by Android 3.0,” said Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “The T-Mobile G-Slate with Google will build on our rich history of Android innovation and leadership and deliver deep integration with Google services.”

“LG is dedicated to continuing its role as an innovation leader and is thrilled to announce its entry into the tablet marketplace with the G-Slate,” said Jeff Hwang, president of LG Mobile Phones. “Streamlining everyday tasks and enhancing entertainment with blazing fast 4G speed, the T-Mobile G-Slate by LG will deliver the latest in Android technology and provide users with an advanced tablet experience.”

The T-Mobile G-Slate will be among the first 4G tablets to fully benefit from the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 platform, which was designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes and addresses the unique aspects of tablet use cases and form factors. The Honeycomb user experience improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization. It will also feature the latest Google Mobile innovations including Google Maps™ 5.0 with 3D interaction, collection of more than 3 million eBooks and Google Talk™ with video and voice chat.With the ultra fast 4G capabilities, this is also the closest to the best home broadband speeds on offer currently.

Our favorite maker of cheap, get-it-in-your-livingroom-now HDTVs has joined the smartphone AND tablet fray. While the devices they have on hand at CES are supposedly far from production, Vizio wants the world to know they have these devices in the pipeline. In spite of these being early, hand-built, models, Engadget, who were able to get their greasy little paws on a prototype phone and tablet, claim that from what there is so far, they really are “excited about the direction the company is taking.”

Here are specs on the Vizio phone:

• 4-inch LCD – 854 x 480
• 1 GHz “plus” CPU
• 4GB onboard storage
• microSD slot
• Micro USB port
• HDMI port
• Out of the box use as a universal remote
• VGA front-facing camera (for video chatting)
• 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, with flash
• Android 2.2/2.3

Vizio tablet specs:

• 8-inch LCD – 1024 x 768
• 1 GHz “plus” CPU
• 4 GB of storage (2 GB for the user, 2GB for the OS)
• microSD slot
• MicroUSB port
• HDMI port
• Can function as universal remote
• Android 2.2/2.3

Is this a iPad Competitor?

Verizon just let loose a press release (see below) finally confirming that we will, in fact, be treated to some sweet Android-powered 4G LTE goodness this week at CES. We won’t just be getting 1 device, no; Verizon says that we can expect a “suite” of devices, meaning expect devices built by HTC, Motorola,LG and Samsung. Yes, life is quite good.

The tech interwebs already have a pretty good idea what these devices will look like and be called, and in some cases, we know their tech specs as well. We won’t get into the details of these specs just yet, since they have not been confirmed by Verizon or the device-makers just yet. But you can bet that as soon as Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg takes the stage at CES on January 6th and releases the LTE storm upon us, we will get you all the info you need!

Here is the official VZW press release tease:

VERIZON WIRELESS SHOWS WHAT 4G LTE MEANS FOR CONSUMERS AT CES

Wide Range of Ecosystem Partners Demonstrate Products and Solutions that Take Advantage of the 4G LTE Network

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless said today that its first-ever exhibit booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will show off the consumer and enterprise capabilities of its new 4G LTE network with the products, services and solutions that take advantage of the blazingly fast speed and low latency of the new wireless network. On Jan. 6, the company will also offer a sneak peek at a suite of Android-based LTE consumer devices at a news conference.

Visitors to the exhibit booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, #35216) will see firsthand how the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network can fundamentally change how consumers manage their daily lives and how businesses interact with each other and with their customers.

Working with nearly 50 different technology ecosystem partners, the Verizon Wireless booth will highlight more than 40 new solutions that take advantage of the fast speeds and low latency of the new 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network. Demonstrations will range from connected home and cars to gaming and entertainment to consumer devices. The demos will also feature new ways to do mobile collaboration for retail, customer service and other industries; home and energy management; and consumer entertainment, including multiplayer gaming, all of which leverage the 4G network in innovative ways. Verizon Wireless and its partners will also feature remote security and health care options and a car that shows different applications coming from the automotive industry.
Many of the solutions being highlighted are the result of collaborations fostered at Verizon Wireless’ LTE Innovation Center. The LTE Innovation Center, established in 2008 and located in Waltham, Mass., provides an environment for dozens of diverse companies to work collaboratively to develop innovative products and solutions that leverage 4G LTE technology.

Sneak Peek at Consumer Devices
Verizon Wireless’ news conference will provide a sneak peek of a suite of consumer-oriented Android-based devices for its 4G LTE network and will include remarks from senior Verizon Wireless executives and key ecosystem partners. The news conference will be webcast live; visit www.verizonwebcasts.com/ces/2011/news to register.

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, launched in December 2010, is the fastest, most advanced 4G network in the United States, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network currently reaches one-third of all Americans, with plans to expand the network to the company’s entire 3G coverage area over the next three years.

For more information about the LTE Innovation Center and Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte. For more information about Verizon Wireless at CES, visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces and follow the company on Twitter at http://twitter.com/verizonwireless.

Motorola today announced DROID X, a powerful device built as a pocket-sized home theater with a massive hi-resolution display and lightning-fast speed. Users can do more to capture, share and enjoy their content.

Capture, share and enjoy your world with DROID X, a pocket-sized home theater with a massive 4.3 inch high-resolution display that lets you capture HD movies for playback on your HDTV. It also features a powerful processor and scary fast speeds, all on Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless voice and data network. DROID X utilizes high-performance diversity antennas along with innovative software to improve signal strength and reduce dropped calls. DROID X users will receive Android™ 2.2 and Adobe^® Flash^® Player 10.1 via an over-the-air update in late summer.

Capture Sights and Sounds
Capture your memories in high definition with 720p HD video capture.  Customize your videos with a slow-motion effect and make them flawless with an advanced three microphone solution for directional audio capture and noise cancelation.  In between takes, make sure no still shot is missed with a fully loaded 8 megapixel camera capable of 1/1000 second shutter speed and features such as auto-focus, touch to focus, panoramic capture and a powerful dual LED flash to produce high-quality photos.

Share with Ease
Share personal videos with friends using either an optional HDMI cable or Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certified technology, enabling you to stream, store and share content with multiple DLNA compatible devices such as a HDTVs, game consoles or PCs. Share the wealth of your own 3G Mobile HotSpot with up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices, all while accessing your content at superfast speed, powered by a 1 GHz processor.

Enjoy Life’s Brilliant Moments
DROID X brings your content to life with a vibrant 4.3-inch display with a crisp WVGA 854 x 480 resolution. Download full-length movies and enjoy them in cinematic widescreen format¹.  DROID X will feature Adobe Flash Player following a software update late summer, which will deliver streaming video from tens of millions of websites or game play with a full PC Web experience.  Whether texting, checking push corporate e-mails or updating your status, the large display reveals a spacious virtual keyboard to do it all.  Type and text with ease at more than 50 words per minute with Swype^® using one continuous finger motion across the screen keyboard.  Get up close and personal with your favorite sites using pinch-to-zoom.

Enjoy additional preloaded apps and games such as EA Need for Speed Shift™, NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™ and a full suite of Google™ Mobile Services, including Android Market™, Google Maps™ with Street View, Google Latitude, a YouTube™ widget, Calendar, Google Search™ by Voice, and, of course, Gmail™ and Google Search™. You can also easily download BLOCKBUSTER On Demand^® presented by V CAST Video via a link icon on your home screen or use V CAST to watch your favorite shows.

More Social, More Connected, More Memory
Preloaded social networking widgets allow you to sync and stream your feeds and updates from Facebook^®, Twitter and MySpace all to one screen in real time.  With 8 GB of onboard memory and a pre-installed 16 GB memory card, DROID X can be expanded to up to 40 GB with the addition of a 32 GB memory card to house favorite videos, images, games and apps.

DROID X will be available July 15 exclusively from Verizon Wireless for $199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate with new two-year contract. DROID X users will receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player via an over-the-air upgrade late summer.

The new decade is already poised to start off in a huge way in the tech world. Google has a press conference scheduled for Monday in which they will be releasing the Nexus One, their first foray into the world of hardware. Some say this is going to be to the first “true” Google phone. Engadget already got their hands on one. Check out their first impressions.

Also, rumors have been at all time high for Apple’s “universe-changing” tablet/ebook/large-iPhone/iSlate(?). Rumors about this device have been around for at least five years, and kind of died down with the release of the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Now some serious sources like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and many others seem to be pretty confident that this “God gadget” will be coming in 2010. Some have even concluded that an Apple event will be held at the end of the month and will focus on the “mobile computing space” (aka a tablet). After waiting years for a touch-screen iPod because of rumors of its release every other week, I now only believe it when I see it. Though this time, with the fever pitch of rumors, I may just believe it before I see it. Just like the iPod changed the music industry this past decade, the Apple tablet may change the print industry over the next decade. The end of the month couldn’t come soon enough. If this “iSlate” actually does come out then, you bet you’ll be hearing from me about it!

So, which of these tech news items gets you excited/hopeful for the coming year/decade? Sound off in the poll after the break!

Big thanks to Verizon for this one!.  Launched November 6th is Andriods first device running OS 2.0. Combined with some google apps makes this phone one you must pick up! Check out the video above and Go Comment!.

View This Poll