Add one more social event to your October calendar, as Google has just pushed out invites to an Android event in New York on the October 29th where we expect to be introduced to the next generation of Nexus. The LG E960 Mako — which we’ve taken to calling the Nexus G but has also been referred to as the Nexus 4 — seems to be a sure bet to make an appearance after its many leaks, and a 32GB Nexus 7 variant rates as highly probable. There have also been long-running rumors that we will see Nexus hardware from more than one manufacturer, although lately whispers have focused on the possibility of a 5-inch phablet from HTC, and a 10-inch Nexus-branded tablet made by Samsung. Without the benefit of physical evidence we’d take those with a huge grain of salt, but we’ll obviously be ready for anything. Google even promises a live video stream on YouTube.

Apple has just invited members of the press to attend a product launch on October 23rd, where we assume the long-rumored iPad mini will be unveiled. The event will go down merely weeks after Apple took the wraps off of the iPhone 5 (and strangely enough, the Foo Fighters played their last show for the foreseeable future).

It’s quite unlike Apple to throw two product parties in the fall, but if an entirely new iPad is being revealed, it may be a scenario that becomes more familiar in years to come. At this point, we’re left with far more questions than answers: will the iPad mini really ship with a Lightning port, while the Retina iPad — which was only introduced in March — continues to ship with the “old” Dock Connector? Will Apple really continue to refresh its two iPad products at different intervals?

And while we’re at it, is Apple really going to throw a “one more thing” into the mix by bumping its 13-inch MacBook Pro into Retina territory? After all, tossing “little” into the invite could allude to a smaller iPad and an update to an already-small laptop.

SOURCE via Apple

Rumors of Sprint’s $12 billion acquisition by Softbank weren’t exaggerated, they were understated: according to CNBC, the Now Network will announce a $20 billion transaction with the Japanese network on Monday, granting Softbank a 70 percent stake in the company. According to people familiar with the matter, Softbank will purchase $8 billion in shares directly from Sprint, snagging an additional $12 billion in stock at $5.25 a share from other shareholders. The Japanese firm’s payout would net Sprint $3 billion, money CNBC supposes it might use to regain control of Clearwire. Softbank’s cash may also be used to bolster Sprint’s ongoing LTE rollout, which is poised to light up in over 20 markets in the coming months. The details are said to be officially announced tomorrow morning, but we’ve reached out to Sprint for a comment in case it wants to spill the beans early.

SOURCE via CNBC

News just came in that workers at Foxconn’s Taiyuan plant have started a riot in the wee hours in China, and that police forces are on site to control the crowd. While the motive isn’t clear, Sina Weibo user Li Tian reports that the riot isn’t related to the recent anti-Japan protests, though judging by his photos, much damage has been done in the process. Unofficial reports are claiming the “2,000-people” riot was triggered by security guards hitting a worker at 10pm local time.

The same site suffered from a strike back in March over salary dispute — the front-line workers failed to receive the promised pay rise. On a similar note, Foxconn’s Chengdu plant also had a riot in June, but that was apparently due to an argument between some workers and a local restaurant owner.

According to a provincial website, Foxconn’s Taiyuan industrial park focuses on magnesium alloy components for consumer electronics, heat conduction products, LED lighting products, mobile phone products and magnesium alloy automotive components.

An undercover report from August mentioned that the Taiyuan plant processed the back casing of the iPhone 5. It also highlighted the company’s harsh management as well as “practically compulsory” over-time work. We don’t doubt that this riot escalated due to dissatisfaction over working conditions.

SOURCE via CNN

Consider this Microsoft’s ultimate blessing, or merely a way to guarantee household name recognition. Whatever the case, the company’s next-gen Apollo OS is not only powering HTC’s newest mobile movement, it’s also the headliner. That’s right, as clunky as it may initially seem, Windows Phone 8X is the official moniker of the OEM’s brightly hued flagship series, an alphabetical denomination that puts it on premium standing with the One X line.

And thanks to the loosened spec restraints made possible by WP8, this modern-minded, unibodied beaut reps a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 Super LCD 2 display with Gorilla Glass 2 coating, dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor buffered by 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, WiFi a/b/g/n, NFC and an integrated 1,800mAh Li-ion battery. There’s also quadband radio support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, HSPA/WCDMA (850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz) and, of course, LTE for stateside carriers.

Though the 8X may share the same boldly colored, polycarbonate construction of its live-tiled Lumia frenemies, it also stands apart with the inclusion of two HTC-specific features: Beats Audio, replete with a built-in amplifier, and ImageChip for continuous shooting. And speaking of optics, this device’s dual camera setup packs the combined punch of a 2.1-megapixel front-facer with 88-degree ultra-wide-angle lens and an 8-megapixel rear module with an f/2.0 lens accompanied by a single LED flash — both capable of 1080p video capture.

While the veil of mystery surrounding this latest tech industry collaboration may have just lifted, you’ll still have to wait a bit before it heads to retail. After all, Microsoft’s planning its own WP8 coming out party for late October — a reveal that should finally give us a full look at the smartphone UI formerly known as Metro.

With a ship date set for some time this November, the 8X will be available in four distinct colors – California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow — on over 150 carriers worldwide. No word on final pricing as of yet. So, until then, sate yourself with this first taste.

With news of Apple’s shining star, the iPhone 5, out of the way, the company’s shifting focus to its other major pillar: the iPod. Now seven generations in, the iPod nano is getting a refresh with a 38-percent thinner profile and svelte 5.4mm thickness. The multitouch screen now measures 2.5-inches across and sports a physical home button right below. Also packed in to this evolutionary PMP leap is an FM tuner with DVR-like functionality for playback control, Bluetooth radio (for wireless streaming support), inbuilt pedometer and, of course, that slimmed-down Lightning dock connector. And, according to Cupertino, this wee media player should last for up to 30 hours, making it the longest lasting nano the company’s ever built. You can snag this 16GB lil’ fella in a near rainbow of colors — seven in all — this October when it goes on sale for $149.

Nintendo showed off some of the Wii U’s new television functionality during its New York City press event — first unveiled during E3 2012 — including DVR and TiVO, and search across several content providers (Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, and cable television, to name a few). It’s unclear whether the DVR functionality is built into the console or not, but we’ll be sure to find out as soon as possible*. Nintendo’s director of strategic partnership Zach Fountain’s calling the service a “personalized program guide” and he showed off how you’ll be able to interact with content — movies and television shows can be searched via text entry, or explored in a general category sense (movies, tv, sports, etc.). If QWERTY text isn’t your kind of thing, a rotary entry in the lower right corner offers another way to seek out content.

The service is only for US and Canadian Wii U owners for now, but Fils-Aime said the company’s exploring an expansion into other parts of the Americas. Nintendo TVii is free with the purchase of a console this November. Click on past the break for the company’s brief video demo.

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The Nintendo Wii U will launch in the US on Sunday, November 18, Nintendo America president and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime revealed in a New York City press conference this morning. It’ll arrive in Europe on November 30, though no price was given for our friends abroad. Like its Japanese release, the console comes in two varieties: a base level bundle in white with just 8GB of internal memory for $300 and a premium bundle in black with 32GB of internal memory for $350.

Each version contains the console itself, a WiiPad, a charging stand, a play stand, and a stand for the console. The premium version, however, adds a subscription to Nintendo’s Premium Network, which offers various rewards for digital purchases — it also gets a full 32GB of internal memory, which is a pretty major step up over the 8GB model. It’s hard to imagine either having enough internal storage compared with current-gen consoles, but the Wii U’s memory is expandable via USB.

Fils-Aime also said that Wii remotes are getting rebranded for the Wii U, and will be available in retail shops shortly.

Amazon has officially unveiled the 2012 vintage of the Kindle Fire, which is reportedly 44 percent more powerful than its predecessor. The service-orientated slate (as opposed to a gadget, which CEO Jeff Bezos claims nobody wants) comes with a bigger battery, a new processor and 1GB RAM — double that of the 2011 model. The only other change comes in the form of a front-facing camera, unlike its closest rival.

Internally, the device is called the Kindle SD as it now plays second-fiddle to a pair of Kindle Fire HD devices with 1,920 x 1,200 displays, but will be called the “new” Kindle Fire in public. Amazon has also slashed the price of the hardware, which at $159 is $40 cheaper than Google’s Nexus 7 — as well as competing with e-book tablet adversaries Kobo Arc and the forthcoming Nook Tablet replacement with an “incredible” 243ppi display, unless Barnes & Noble are also producing SD and HD hardware. It’ll begin shipping on September 14th, with pre-orders expected to begin very soon.

Amazon has made the jump from small to big screens with its e-readers in the past, and its now done so again with its tablets. The company has just announced a new Kindle Fire HD with an 8.9-inch, 1920 x 1200 display (or 254 ppi). The device itself measures 8.8mm thick and weighs in at 20 ounces, and that high-res screen has a polarizing filter on it that promises to cut down on glare — the touch sensor is also laminated, which Amazon says offers better sharpness and contrast.

As for internals, the Fire HD 8.9 (as Amazon has distinguished it) has a TI OMAP 4470 processor, dual speakers, a front-facing HD camera, and HDMI out. As the company is happy to point out, it’s also the first tablet with dual-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz) MIMO technology, which Amazon says makes the device’s WiFi 41 percent faster than the latest iPad. Look for it to run you $299 for the 16GB version when it starts shipping on November 20th. Those looking for some added connectivity will also be able to opt for a Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE for $499 (also shipping November 20th). That buys you 32GB of storage instead of the standard 16GB (a 64GB option is also available), and you’ll get 250MB of data per month from AT&T if you shell out an extra $50 a year.

But that’s not all, Amazon has also announced a smaller, 7-inch Kindle Fire HD that will run you just $199 (also for 16GB). It boasts most of the same specs as its larger counterpart, the big exception being the screen resolution — you’ll get 1280 x 800 here, which puts it on par with the Nexus 7. According to Amazon, you can expect 11 hours of battery life from the 7-inch model, but it’s curiously not offering battery details on the Fire HD 8.9. Pre-orders for all three options start today.