The Excite X10 comes in two models, a 16GB and a 32GB. It is an internet tablet only meaning no carrier attachment for 3G or 4G service. The screen size is 10.1-inches of Corning Gorilla Glass. Housed inside its 0.3″ thin body is a dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM. There is a 5MP rear facing camera and a front facer for good measure. It also has all the Micro slots one could need like, HDMI, USB and SD. The X10 also has another interest addition, on the side of the tablet is a physical switch to lock the tablet in landscape or portrait mode. The tablet is launching with Honeycomb but Toshiba was was very quick to let me know that Ice Cream Sandwich is in the works.

What will one of these set you back? Well, the 16GB model is £399 and the 32GB model is £449. It is definitely thin, fast and light. To get yours ordered, head over to Carphone Warehouse to snag a 16GB or 32Gb.

For those of us here in the states, we will have to wait a little bit longer for an official U.S release. To keep up with Toshiba and when that might be, you can sign up for email alerts at Toshiba Direct.

Via Samsung Canada, thanks Jeff

Since there seems to be some confusion on the part of it being for Canada ONLY, here is the quick look at the Eligibility Rules. Take special note about the part that says “Contest is open to legal residents of Canada“

ELIGIBILITY:
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Contest is open to legal residents of Canada
excluding residents of Quebec who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory of
residence (or, if under the age of majority, have the consent of their parent or legal guardian to
participate in the Contest), except employees or agents (and those with whom they are domiciled)
and affiliates of Contest Sponsor and its advertising and promotion agencies.
CONTEST PERIOD:
Contest begins on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. (EST) and ends on Monday, February 13,
2012 at 6:00 p.m. (EST) (the “Contest Period”)

The tablet, names the STYLISTIC M350/CA2 , is a standard 7-inch display with an average 1024 X 600 resolution display. It is pushing a 1GHz Freescale i.MX processor and a mere 512MB of DDR3 RAM. There is a typical microSD card slot and 8GB of built-in memory. The usual Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and HDMI support are also built-in. Don’t expect the latest Android OS though, or even a tablet OS like Honeycomb either. The STYLISTIC looks to be on good old Gingerbread 2.3. Another odd design move are the way they added in the hardware keys for navigation. Each one is a separate button directly above the images for the back, menu, home and search functions.

Price wise they are going to be asking the Japanese for ¥34,800, which is about $455. It is set to release overseas later this month and might find its way to other international locations.

What is it with so many of these company’s having the capabilities to make a create tablet and then launch something is a let down? I suppose much of it has to do with software limitations and specifics that might be found in 2.3 vs other Android builds, but still.

Source: Fujitsu via Androinica

“We didn’t just resize Rhapsody – we re-imagined the entire experience for the tablet,” said Brendan Benzing, chief product officer, Rhapsody.  “The tablet is not a giant phone or a mini computer. It’s your companion on the couch, in transit and out in the world, and therefore people experience music and consume content differently than they would on a computer, portable device, TV or home audio system.”

Application: Rhapsody
Developer: Rhapsody International Inc.
Cost: FREE

Press release -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

America’s top premium subscription music service brings an engaging music experience to Android tablets, with a focus on premium, original editorial content

SEATTLE—February 2, 2012—Rhapsody today announced the availability of its new application for Android tablets.  This latest product innovation from the most popular premium subscription music service in America makes it even easier for Rhapsody members to discover new music, read about their favorite artists and rediscover music with expert playlists, guides and features.

The tablet transforms Rhapsody into an immersive experience that’s inspired by what digital music lovers miss about physical albums and CDs: album art, photos and the ability to reach out and touch the next album you’re playing.  The tablet amplifies the experience with the best aspects of digital, with links across the universe of content that Rhapsody editors have produced over the past decade.

“We didn’t just resize Rhapsody – we re-imagined the entire experience for the tablet,” said Brendan Benzing, chief product officer, Rhapsody.  “The tablet is not a giant phone or a mini computer. It’s your companion on the couch, in transit and out in the world, and therefore people experience music and consume content differently than they would on a computer, portable device, TV or home audio system.”

Original editorial content has been a mainstay of the Rhapsody service since it launched in 2001. Each week, the editorial team–who are the leading writers in their respective genres–produces features, reviews, videos and playlists designed to guide members through Rhapsody’s vast catalog of 14 million songs across nearly 600 musical genres.  The tablet application is built around this content, with lush imagery, playable links and franchises designed to guide members through the service.

The application maximizes the unique capabilities of the tablet.  Members can tap, swipe and zoom through Rhapsody content while listening.  In addition to streaming the Rhapsody catalog while connected to the Internet, tablet users can download playlists to their tablet can store to enjoy offline anywhere.

“We are dedicated to creating a premium experience that consistently brings value to every aspect of the Rhapsody service,” said Benzing. “The tablet app delivers on this promise by providing more than just access to music—it’s a guided tour of millions of songs and a musical canvas for a myriad of experiences, from collaborating with friends to build a party playlist by passing the tablet around the room, to providing a soundtrack to a recipe or an e-book.”

The tablet application is available today in the Android Market and the Amazon Appstore for Android.

Rhapsody applications are also available on the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, RIM BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7 as well as through more than 70 consumer electronics devices, including those by Vizio, SanDisk, HP, Sonos and Philips.

About Rhapsody

The Rhapsody® digital music service (www.rhapsody.com) gives subscribers unlimited on-demand access to more than 14 million songs, whether they’re listening on a PC, laptop, Internet connected home stereo or TV, MP3 player or mobile phone. Rhapsody allows subscribers to access their music through more touch-points than any other digital music service, including mobile phones from Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS, through Rhapsody applications on the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, RIM BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and Android mobile platforms as well as through devices from Vizio, SanDisk, HP, Sonos and Philips. Rhapsody is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in New York and San Francisco, expanding to include a presence in Luxembourg, London and

Frankfurt upon closing the Napster International acquisition. Rhapsody, and the Rhapsody logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Rhapsody International Inc.  Follow @Rhapsody on Twitter and keep up with the latest on the Rhapsody Facebook page.

Before you go take care of business and get yourself hoping to win, there is another little tidbit of info. I am still waiting on confirmation on the details. From what I can tell so far though is that the winner or winners of the Prime will also get to help beta test Shadowgun: Deadzone. Which will be a freemium multi-player version of the game. Containing 3 to 4 maps, 8 customizable characters, 12 customizable weapons and other additional gadgets an gizmos. Being a freemium though, shelling out some cash for special weapons and other useful items will help with your survival, server costs and further development.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go get yourself entered! Goodluck. If you win and it was because of us, let us know. It will make me feel better if one of our fans get it if I don’t.

Go ‘Like’ Shadowgun

Launching this Sunday, February 5th, you will have an opportunity to snag on for just a hair under $100. You will need to sign your life away to Sprint for 2 years of course. Beyond the low price tag the ZTE Optik will give you a pretty solid device. A 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 X 800, which is up from most 7-inch tablets at 1024 X 600. It has a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1 GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage. Downsides, it will come loaded with Honeycomb 3.2 and I am not so sure that ICS will ever be on the table for it. Also, it is only packing in a 4,000 mAh battery. You should get through nearly two Netflix movies before it dies, but it still seems a bit low to me.  We can hope enough interest is seen for the low-cost option for development to kick it up a notch.

Via Sprint

Nothing in the tech world is ever set in stone, but if you are a developer you may as well capitalize on all avenues available to you. RIM has announced that any devs out there that wish to submit their app to the Blackberry Runtime for Android software will need to do it by this Monday, February 6th. The update to the Playbook is set to launch sometime next month, and bringing in our talented developers and our amazing number of apps to the device will increase its current app limitations. The Android environment is said to be a seamless integration to the tablet that will have no user impacts. They are also saying that the Android apps will be compatible with Blackberry 10 when it launches later this year.

I love to hate the idea as much as I hate to love it. If Blackberry can pull it off and it works well it could be a huge deal for them and Android at the same time. Giving people the perks of both worlds on a single device. It would never make me switch to a BB device, but it sure will make me keep an eye out for a used PlayBook later this year. What are your thoughts about this moving forward?

To get the full skinny on how to get your app included, head to Blackberry’s Developers Blog.

Source: Netbooknews

This morning AT&T released a press statement to further confirm their launch of the Note, right along with the launch date. Those of you eager to snag up one of these devices will want to mark your calendar for February 19th. That will be the day you can snag one in stores. If you are a bit of a nut and like to get your hands on a new device a little early then you can pre-order it on February 5th. With expected deliveries landing February 17th. Giving you a good 48 hours to love it and show it off before the stores are selling it. Price wise, the Note will come out at the usual $300 with a two-year contract. Along with that price you will be able to pick it up in either a carbon blue or ceramic white color options.

Create, capture and share in new ways with the samsung galaxy note, available from at&t feb. 19

AT&T’s Latest 4G LTE Device Offers Customers a New Way to Communicate and Collaborate

DALLAS, Jan. 30, 2012 –

Key Facts

• Previously announced at AT&T’s Developer Summit leading up to the International Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, the Samsung Galaxy Note™ arrives in carbon blue and ceramic white at AT&T* stores beginning Feb. 19 for $299.99 with a two-year agreement.
• Customers excited to get their hands on this dream device even earlier can pre-order at http://www.att.com/galaxynote or any AT&T company-owned retail store beginning Sunday, Feb. 5 for delivery by Feb. 17.
• The Galaxy Note combines the best features of a smartphone with the larger viewing screen of a tablet and advanced technology in the S Pen™ — delivering an all-in-one device that allows users to work more efficiently and maintain productivity, while communicating in a unique, personal way.
• Galaxy Note boasts the world’s first 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED™ screen (1280×800), one of the largest screens on a smartphone, for sharp, clear colors and readability – both indoors and out.  With the expansive high-resolution screen that provides an immersive viewing experience, customers can take full advantage of the large display, to create and consume more.
• The Galaxy Note includes a highly advanced tool called the S Pen, which delivers fast, responsive and precise control to create fine lines and detail on the device display, much like an ink pen and pad of paper.  With the S Pen, users can easily sketch drawings, jot down notes, or write emails and texts quickly and easily in free-form handwriting.
• S Memo™, a multimedia application designed to capture all forms of user-created content captured by the S Pen, allows for pictures, voice recordings, typed text, handwritten notes or drawings to be combined via a single application, converted to a ‘memo’, and shared as desired.
• It also includes a smart professional planning tool that makes full use of the device’s large screen. The calendar integrates the phone’s to-do list and schedule; control and navigation is intuitive, helping customers comprehensively organize their lives.
• An easy screen-capture function also allows users to instantly save any screen, which can also be annotated with the S Pen before being saved or shared.
• Users can communicate in personal, creative ways expanding beyond traditional sharing methods with the Galaxy Note.

In the way of specs the V66 is said to be running 1.2 GHz dual-core processor pushing Honeycomb 3.2 to the 7-inch display. We shouldn’t have to mention that it will run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network, but I will because I am sure someone would ask about it. You can also expect the usual Wi-Fi and camera available as well. The V66 could make its way out in the next couple of months, but one never really knows. We will keep our eye out for more information as it becomes available.

Source: DroidDog

There has been rumors around the digital streets that ZTE was going to be getting into the device game and it looks like they are about to be releasing their first Android tablet through Sprint. The boys over at Android Police got their hands on a document detailing the ZTE Optik which is verifying a leaked image of the tablet running Honeycomb a couple of months ago. This little 7-inch bad boy will be rocking a 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 4,000mAh battery, a 5-megapixel camera in back and a 2-megapixel in front. Not to shabby and I really like the sleek, curvy design of the tablet. It will be running Android 3.2 and there has not been any word yet on if it will be upgraded to ICS in the future.

So for $99.99 on a new 2-year plan you can get this 7-inch delight if you are a Sprint customer. There is also some nice accessories that come with the tablet that you can purchase separately. Check them out in the image below.

Source: The Verge