Droid-Life got the scoop from their sources that Verizon Wireless will soon release two new Android handsets: the Droid Fighter and LG Cayman.

The image above is supposedly a schedule for different phone and tablet workshops for the carrier’s employees. The majority of devices on the list are ones that are already on the market such as the Motorola Xyboard and LG Spectrum. The last two, however, have yet to be announced. The LG Cayman has a scheduled workshop on March 29th and the Droid Fighter has one a couple of weeks later on April 12th.

The Droid Fighter curiously does not have a manufacturer associated with it in the image. The Droid 4 has “by Motorola” listed next to it, but alas this upcoming Droid Fighter stands alone. Motorola is the primary manufacturer of the Droid line, but Samsung and HTC have each made their own contributions, e.g. the Samsung Droid Charge and the HTC Droid Incredible line. The Droid Fighter could be made by any one of these vendors at this point.

LG isn’t exactly the strongest player in the Android game, so don’t get overly excited over the Cayman, particularly since the LG Spectrum was just released. If high-end is what you seek, the Droid line usually delivers. Oh, and if anyone representing the Droid Fighter’s manufacturer is reading this, keep in mind that the tech world always screams for Ice Cream.

The dates next to each device above, although not release dates, should hint that the respective devices should be released around those times.

[via Droid-Life]

Droid Fighter and LG Cayman: two new Android phones headed to Verizon? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T21:42:29Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Check out this link at HTML5test.com to see how the PlayBook OS 2 is beating all other tablets.

RT @jcarty: Ahem… bit.ly/oeLzJx #justsayin #facts #PlayBook

— Mike Kirkup (@mikekirkup) February 22, 2012

For those of you who don’t know, one year ago Christchurch, New Zealand got hit by an absolutely mammoth earthquake, one that did an immeasurable amount of damage to the city. I should know, I was there when it hit. It was the worse of a wave of earthquake that had been battering the city since September of the year before, which have all lead to more than 10,000 aftershocks that continue to this day. Much of the city is cordoned off and destined for demolition.

Now local programmer Layton Duncan, the man behind Polar Bear Farm, is discounted all of his apps, with 100% of proceeds going to a charitable trust. These are the apps, and it’s going to a good cause.

Full disclosure, I grew in Christchurch, I still have family there. Strangely enough, I went to high school with Layton (though I heard about this sale through DaringFireball), and this is a good thing he’s doing. So if any of their apps appeal to you, this is a good cause, and a great sale.

Polar Bear Farm Sale To Help Christchurch Rebuild is an article from everythingiCafe, home of the world's best iPad and iPhone forums.

Well, it looks like an Apple store in Charlotte is the latest retail location to suffer from theft, as a total of 25 iPhones valued at over $16,000 was reported stolen, according to The Charlotte Observer.  These iPhones were taken from Apple’s Northlake Mall retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it’s believed to be orchestrated by an inside man.

“The iPhones were stolen from the Genius Room located inside of the store,” a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police report says. “The suspect did have access to the Genius Room.” The stolen phones, which are valued at $16,425, include 22 16-gigabyte iPhone 4S models, one 64-GB 4S model, one eight-GB iPhone 4 model and one 32-GB 4S model.

Charlotte’s local news channel confirmed that the suspect was a store employee and that the 25 phones were stolen over a period of time between December 1 and January 11. Police are reportedly searching for the suspect. It’s really not surprising to see this kind of thing happen, as iPhones are targeted more than most priced possessions, according to an internal New York City Police report.

My thing is, how in the world did this person believe in its mind that they’d get away with this? This is Apple we’re talking about, you know, the same company who hires ex-FBI agents and other highly trained pros with backgrounds in intelligence and law enforcement — to handle these types of things. That said, I’m sure this person will be apprehended soon.

[via MacRumors, pic]

Employee steals 25 iPhones worth $16,000 from Apple Store originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T21:10:24Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

If you're looking to get some big name apps like Kindle, Google Maps or DropBox onto your BlackBerry PlayBook after upgrading to OS 2.0 - have no fear. You now have the ability to sideload (aka load outside of BlackBerry App World) many Android apps with just a few simple steps.  All you'll need a Windows PC and your PlayBook, and by following a few simple steps which we'll go over in detail, you'll be up and running with some great apps in no time at all. You can check out a full list of working Android apps as well as download some BAR files from our thread in the forums, then head to the link below for a full tutorial on how to sideload Android apps on your BlackBerry PlayBook.

How To Sideload Android apps on PlayBook OS v2.0 for use with the Android App Player
Links to over 243 BARs for your BlackBerry PlayBook

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. How to get Kindle, Google Maps, DropBox and other Android apps that are not available in App World onto your BlackBerry Playbook

If you're a guitar player, then chances are you're already make use of your Android device in some way to help you with your music. Be it as a instant guitar tuner, to download tabs or even record quick little jam sessions here and there and now, you can exapand on that usage with the release of Guitar Pro Tab Player to the Android market. This a mobile version of the Guitar Pro tab editing program available for Android devices 2.2 and up, and it's pretty feature-packed:

• Supporting GP3/4/5 and GPX (Guitar Pro 6) formats,

• File import through web server and file browser,
• Integrated library with search, filter, and favorite,
• Multitrack playback with soundboard: volume, solo-mute, soundbanks,
• Metronome and visual countdown,

• 3 levels of zoom,

• Guitar or bass fretboard (for right- and left-handers), and virtual keyboard.

Now, you can view, hear, and learn guitar, bass, or drum scores wherever you go and even share your files with others if you do so wish. The app is available in the Android Market right now as a paid app, you'll find the download past the break. Maybe, you can get as good as this guy?

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Today marks the day the PS Vita has officially hit retail stores in North America and Latin Americas, and boy, has it been a long time coming since it’s original announcement back in January 2011. Now that the PS Vita has hit store shelves, I couldn’t help but tear open my PS Vita box and get to using the system early this morning to see if all of the hype surrounding the device was well worth the wait.

Firstly, let’s get the specs out of the way. The PS Vita is a major update over the original PSP and PSP Go as it rocks a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, 5″ OLED touch screen, a 960 x 544 resolution, 3G, WiFi, GPS, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, 3.5mm audio jack with voice support, and a touch screen on the back of the device. In terms of dedicated handheld gaming devices, this thing is a beast when you compare it to previous PSP models and even the Nintendo 3DS.

When you put your hands on the PS Vita, one of the first things you’ll notice is its size, especially if you’ve been playing games on your iPhone or Android device for as long as I have. Its 5″ OLED screen sets the pace for the rest of the device to form around it, but when you start playing games like Uncharted on it, you’ll then see why Sony went with giving the PS Vita the size that it is.

The PS Vita’s GUI is very sleek and simple compared to the XMB Dashboard the PS3 uses. All of your applications have their own designated spots on different pages that you can customize. You’ll be able to move apps around to different pages, change the background color for each page, as well as retrieve information on the app such as home much space its taking on the PS Vita. Coming from a smartphone background, I felt it was very easy to manipulate the PS Vita’s GUI as all of the gestures I could make on the screen felt familiar.

As of now I’m extremely impressed with the PS Vita and how it has performed in the few short hours I have had it. One thing I’m anxious to learn is if it will be a good enough gaming device to take it around with me while I’m on the go to play games on, or will I succumb to the siren call of my iPhone or Android device as one of them is always in my pocket. This is exactly what I’ll be investigating when I publish my review of the PS Vita. For now, feel free to check out the photo gallery and my hands-on video embedded below.

Hands-on: PS Vita originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T21:01:23Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Buzz Contacts from Savvy Apps (US$0.99) is a fast way to reach contacts from your iPhone. Organize them into groups for one-tap access to phone calls, text messages, email or FaceTime sessions. The UI is about as clean and tidy as one can get and conveniences like pre-written text messages are quite helpful. Here's my look at Buzz Contacts for iPhone.

UI

The no-frills, utilitarian look of Buzz Contacts is appropriate for a handy utility. Once you've set up some groups (more on that later), they're laid out on a 4 x 4 grid. Each contact is listed by name and an icon depicts the action associated with each button (phone, text, email or FaceTime). If a group contains more than four members, a swipe to the right reveals the next grid of four while a swipe to the left produces a list view.

A toolbar pops up from the bottom of the screen allowing for group actions, so you can send an email or a text, for example, to everyone at once. The large buttons are hard to miss, so the risk of unintended taps is nominal.

Use

It's easy to create a group. I made one called "Family" which includes my wife, mother, father and two sisters. To begin, swipe to the right and tap "New Group." Next, double-tap the title to customize it and then tap the icon in the upper right.

A list of your contacts appears. Tap the one you'd like to add and chose the method of contact. Keep adding contacts in this fashion until "Page One" is filled, meaning you've added four contacts. You can re-arrage the order in this screen as well.

Make as many groups as you like, swiping to the right to toggle between groups. From there, you simply launch the app and tap the appropriate block to initiate just the type of communication you want: FaceTime with your sister, iPhone call to your co-worker, text message to your son or daughter. It's speedy and a time-saver.

Buzz Contacts also lets you call those not in a group from the dialer. To use the dialer, swipe to the right again and tap Dialer. A keypad appears. Start tapping a number and Buzz guesses which one you're after. Give it a tap and you're off.

There are a few thoughtful niceties in the app. Tapping a contact set up as an email or FaceTime session asks you to confirm your intention before placing the call, so you won't place accidental phone calls. Also, there's a list of pre-written text messages to choose from, like "Running Late. See you soon." and "On my way." Combine that with a group text message to send a lengthy message to the whole gang with little effort.

I love useful utilities and Buzz Contacts is one. Since I pretty much only call the people in my family group, I've replaced the phone app in my iPhone's Dock with Buzz Contacts. It's definitely worth a try at $0.99.

Buzz Contacts for iPhone offers fast access to contacts originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With our very own Mobile Nations Fitness Month almost at a close, we'd be remiss if we didn't bring you some of the hottest accessories made for the walking, jogging, calorie-burning, Android-loving health junkie. For those of you sporting an HTC EVO 3D, you'll definitely want to take a look at the Seidio ACTIVE Case for the HTC EVO 3D.

Combining the rubberized, gripping skin we've all come to know and love with a six-prong, hard plastic skeleton, the Seidio ACTIVE gives your phone the loving embrace it needs to stay safe without adding too much bulk.

On the top bezel, you're looking at the typical uncovered 3.5mm headphone jack, but otherwise, everything is all nice and covered up. That makes sense, since your phone's first line of defense is an all-inclusive rubber skin, but be aware if you're going to be getting sweat, dirt, or dust anywhere, it's going to be in the headphone jack.

Moving to the volume rocker bezel, expect the same protective treatment; if it doesn't need to be uncovered, it won't be. As a matter of fact, the only thing that isn't covered is the 2D/3D slider, so don't worry about your volume rocker or dedicated camera button.

On the opposite bezel, the microUSB port is open, which one the one hand means easy access to charging, but on the other hand means the potential for gunk to get in there. It's a tough compromise, but considering this isn't the full protection Seidio case, I'd say it's still doing pretty well.

The six-prong plastic skeleton fits nicely in the back of the rubber skin, so much so that you can't even tell it's a separate piece sometimes. It sits so nicely flush against the skin and the phone, you'll instantly recognize it's quality.

More pictures are after the break.

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The Google Docs app for Android has received a substantial update today, adding some significant new features which to bring the phone and tablet app in line with the full desktop version.

First up is collaborative editing, which allows multiple people to work on the same document in real time -- this has long been possible on the desktop, but has been lacking in the mobile app. And it's also possible to set document permissions and invite others in your address book to work on a document alongside you.

In addition, rich text controls are included for documents, and pinch-to-zoom now fully functional too, making possible to manipulate text, undo and redo just like in the desktop version. Unfortunately these new features only work in documents, not spreadsheets, but regardless, it's a big step forward for the mobile version of Docs.

We've got Android Market links, and an official introductory video, after the jump.

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