Samsung’s latest budget tablet, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has received the teardown treatment courtesy of Tech Republic. While it looks nearly the same as the Tab Plus 7.0, the slimmed down specs also slash $200 off the price tag making the Tab 2 7.0 very affordable at $249.

Inside, we see the 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor, the very same that powers the Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet and Blackberry Playbook which the Tab 2 7.0 is competing against. It should also be mentioned that the case itself is very easy to open with no hidden or tamper-resistant screws, just pop off the back cover. Once inside, the battery is user replaceable, should you ever need to.

According to 11mark’s recent study called “IT In The Toilet”, Android users are the most likely to use their phone in the bathroom. The report says that 87% of us that own an Android device admit to multi-tasking on the porcelain throne. Blackberry users come in second with 84% and iPhone owners round it out with 77%.

Match.com also has some interesting statistics about Android owners. 62% of us have admitted to putting out on the first date compared to 57% of iPhone users and 48% of Blackberry users. Over half (55%) of Android users say they’ve had a one-night stand. We also play it slow, on average an Android user waits 2-3 days to contact the other party after a first date (probably the shame after doing the deed so soon).

Whether or not you fit in with these statistics of the majority of Android users, the numbers may also reflect that Android devices represent a majority in the smartphone segment. How about you, where do you fit in?

Verizon 4G LTE outage, October 2011

Blackberry users may have suffered their own outage woes this past week, but Android users are still at the mercy of the carrier. Tonight there have been Verizon 4G LTE data outages reported all across the country from Oregon to Wisconsin and everywhere else.
 
This isn’t the first time Verizon has had troubles with their relatively new LTE network. There’s been several outages, sometimes only affecting small areas since it launched late last year. The unfortunate side effect of an LTE outage is that 4G devices have trouble coping with it and it can also affect 3G service. Some users have reported that by switching the device to 3G/CDMA only, service has been restored. Some users are only having luck with WiFi.

Verizon has yet to public acknowledge the problem, but we’ll be keeping an eye on their Twitter accounts@VZWSupport, @VerizonWirelss and other outlets.

What you can do about it

Right now, you can do almost nothing. Try switching your device to 3G only using a tool such as LTE Switch. If that doesn’t work, you’re going to have to stick with WiFi or just suffer through it.

Calling Verizon to isn’t going to do any good right now. We’re hearing that the call centers are swamped with reports and the most you’ll accomplish is being stuck on hold for a long time. It’s not like the call center can just magically turn 4G back on.

After the outage is over

Once service has been restored to normal, you might be able to get a little something out of it from Verizon. Here at The Android Site, we’re all about consumers rights, and it’s not fair you should have to pay for service if the service wasn’t actually there. Make sure to keep track of how long you were out of service, whether it was a few hours or a day or more. Then call Verizon and explain how the outage affected you. Look at it this way, if you’re paying $100 (about average) per month for your smartphone bill, and your data was completely out for 24 hours, that’s about 3 bucks down the drain. You mileage may vary with this method. If Verizon didn’t see significant problems in your area, they may deny you. But then again, they want to retain customers and see you happy.

Good luck and we’ll let you know of any updates and when all data services have been fully restored.

You may remember the Motorola Admiral. It was first spotted in some Sprint documents as the upcoming flagship of their push-to-talk fleet. Recently been spotted in the wild by a tipster to Engadget indicates it’s a bit closer to launching. An upgrade from Motorola’s previous monoblock QWERTY offerings, it has a single-core 1.2Ghz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor under the hood. A 3.1 inch VGA touchscreen sits above the Blackberry-style keyboard. A 5 megapixel camera sits on the back that shoots 720p video, a beefy 1860mAh battery, GPS, WiFi with hotspot capability and it runs Android 2.3 with the UI formerly known as MotoBlur. Still no word on release time frame or pricing, but we’ll bet the guys down on the construction sites are already saving their pennies for this one.

 
Perhaps it’s not selling too well, or it’s just a bit aged, but Best Buy has decided to slash the price of the HTC Flyer effective tomorrow, October 1st. The price used to be $499 for the 16GB WiFi model, but it will be cut to only $299, a full $200 savings.

This price cut comes hot on the heels of Amazon’s Kindle Fire announcement, a 7 inch tablet priced at $199. And earlier price cuts of the Motorola XOOM, Blackberry Playbook and of course the HP Touchpad fire sale. One of the biggest factors preventing the average person from buying a tablet is the price, and those willing to spend $500 or so only seem to be interested in the iPad.

[Press Release]

TechCrunch is confirming the wildly assumed rumor that Amazon will be unveiling their new Kindle Android tablet this Wednesday. It stems from the press invitation that Amazon sent out last week for an announcement on September 28th. Since everyone knows that Amazon has been working on an Android tablet it’s not hard to figure out.

There’s also another interesting tidbit, the tablet’s name will be called the Kindle Fire. We’ve heard all sorts of names before, even possible just being called the Kindle. But apparently the Fire name was to set it apart from the lineup of e-ink Kindle devices and denote a color screen.

As previously reported, it will be a 7 inch tablet, and bears a close resemblance to the Blackberry PlayBook (like the above mockup). Although it’s nothing like the PlayBook in terms of hardware or software. And this resemblance has a connection, because they were both originally designed by the same people, Quanta. Of course, they differ because both Amazon and RIM have their own in house and third party design teams that took over the initial design.

TechCrunch is also reporting the Kindle Fire will have a 1.2Ghz processor, the same as the upcoming Nook Color 2, which will put them head to head for budget Android based e-readers. Although the Nook Color will run Android 2.3 and the Kindle Fire is said to run Android 2.1, neither will look much like Android when they hit the market. The Kindle Fire is said to cost $250, but possibly $200 with an Amazon Prime tie-in.

Although we’re going to hear all the details on Wednesday, we’re hearing the Kindle Fire won’t be shipping until November. As long as it’s in stock and on sale before the holidays, we’re betting Amazon will have a hit.

[TechCrunch]

There’s a new handset in the works for Sprint, known as the Motorola Admiral. As you can see from the screenshot above, it’s a Blackberry style QWERTY phone, and features a 3.1 inch VGA screen above the full keyboard. Presumably aimed weening the business crowd off their Nextel handsets, it features Sprint’s push-to-talk (PTT) capability, as well as the rugged features those same customers desire. Other features include a 1.2Ghz processor, 5MP camera on the back that shoots 720p video, a beefy 1860mAh battery, GPS, WiFi with hotspot capability and it runs Android 2.3 out of the box.

There’s currently no word on pricing or availability, but we’re guessing if it’s already in Sprint’s internal systems, it can’t be far off.
 
[via DroidDog]

There’s been countless rumors about Amazon’s upcoming Android tablet effort for months now. Everything from size, to processors, to pricing has been discussed, but no one actually seems to know specifics. Until now.

TechCrunch’s MG Siegler got a chance to look at the tablet recently, and he’s been able to give us a bunch of details about the device, but sadly no pictures. First off it’s said to be called just the Amazon Kindle, but looks nothing like the previous Kindle devices. It’s a 7 inch slate with a color screen, compared to a Blackberry Playbook or Nook Color in form factor.

The tablet tested was still a prototype, but the software already shows a clear direction. Away from Google. There’s actually no Google apps to speak of, no Gmail, no GTalk, no Market. Applications are all handled through Amazon’s AppStore, music served up courtesy of Amazon MP3, and you can guess where you’re getting movies and e-books from. Yep. There’s only 6GB of on-board storage, but being a mostly cloud-based device, it really shouldn’t matter.

The Android user interface has also been tweaked, and said to be built on top of Android 2.2 or earlier. But users will never notice, nor care. While the unit previewed was believed to be single core, the 10 inch tablet should be dual core. Initially only a WiFi model will be released, with a 3G version coming later. The price? An iPad busting $250 for the entry level model, and Amazon’s gonna be pushing it hard, most likely offering Amazon Prime subscriptions with purchase. Even if they sell it at a loss, the ecosystem is in place to make much more from apps, books, music and video.

If you haven’t had a chance to, read MG Siegler’s full story over at TechCrunch with many more details.

According to Nielsen’s latest numbers from July 2011, 40% of people in the US have smartphones. Out of those with smartphones, Android is top tier with 40% of the share. Compared to iOS which holds 28% and Blackberry still slipping at 19%. It’s surprising Windows Mobile still holds a chuck at 7%, but Windows Phone 7 can’t crack 1%. WebOS/Palm, Symbian and others make up the remaining 5%. Android also holds the lead for people surveyed about  buying a new smartphone. 40 percent of users say their next phone will be an Android compared to 32 percent for iOS.

[Nielsen]

It looks like Facebook is gunning for Google’s Huddle feature in the Google+ app, as well as throwing a punch at Blackberry Messenger and group chat apps like Kik Messenger. Facebook certainly has the user-base and wants to keep them hooked by providing an all-in-one communications center. But the question now is will people use it. Judging from the Android Market comments so far, about half of the users that installed it don’t get the point. Something tells me if Facebook really wanted to please mobile users, they would be working on their core apps first.

Facebook has said the app will be released today. As of this writing, I was able to find it in the Market on my phone, but not on the web interface. Just search for Facebook and view all applications by Facebook to find it.

[Facebook Blog]