If you’re an XDA member with a new Motorola XOOM, what do you do with your tablet, which is already sporting a 1GHz dual-core processor? Why, you overclock the processor by 50% to 1.5GHz. That is exactly what coolbho3000 did and to show the resulting increase in benchmark testing results, he took the time to video the testing process.

If you’re interested in taking the risk of turning your new $800 (Ok, $600 on contract) tablet into liquid just to overclock your device, click on the source link to find out how coolbho3000 accomplished the feat on his Motorola XOOM and how you can follow in his footsteps. Actually, as noted on the video, the XOOM apparently did not require much of an increase in voltage to get overclocked by 50%  By the way, just so you don’t think that overclocking the XOOM is merely a way to increase benchmark test scores, coolbho3000 says that he noticed real world improvement in the speed of his tablet.

If you do go ahead and turn up the heat on your Motorola XOOM’s CPU, let us know how things went for you by dropping some comments right into that box below.

source: XDA via AndroidCentral

HTC has confirmed that four of the manufacturer’s handsets will be receiving Android 2.3 next quarter. The HTC Desire, Desire Z, Desire HD and the Incredible S are all penciled in for an upgrade to the Gingerbread build of Android some time in Q2. No specific date was mentioned.

For owners of the HTC Desire, this will be the second upgrade that they have been through as the handset had previously been upgraded from the Android 2.1 build that came with the phone at launch, to the current Froyo version of the OS now powering the device. The HTC Incredible S was introduced last week and is the only new model coming from HTC that will be powered at launch by Android 2.2.

The Q2 upgrade windows for the four handsets happens to dovetail with HTC’s expected release of the recently introduced Desire S and Wildfire S. Both of those models will be powered by Android 2.3 right out of the box.

source: Slashgear

HTC has confirmed that these four handsets, the HTC Desire Z, Desire HD, Desire and Incredible S will be receiving Android 2.3 in Q2 (image courtesy of Mobile Crunch)

A leaked screenshot of Verizon’s computer system reveals that the previously announced HTC Incredible S, a world phone sold only in the U.K., might be sold in the U.S. by Verizon as the HTC Droid Incredible 2. One screenshot shows a device with the model listed as HTC ADR6350. The other shot shows the HTC63503 listed as a display for the “INCRD2.” While not a perfect match, a little bit of common sense can get you to the conclusion that a sequel is coming soon for Verizon’s popular HTC Droid Incredible model.

So while details are sketchy for now, it looks like the original HTC Droid Incredible is finally being put out to pasture while getting apparently replaced by a world phone. We earlier reported that the Droid Incredible 2 is expected to launch in this quarter and all signs point in that direction.

source: Engadget

HTC is being sued by ChaCha Search Inc., a question and answer search engine, regarding HTC’s upcoming Facebook-centric device. The HTC ChaCha, which has nothing to do with the search engine, will be the first to include a dedicated Facebook key. ChaCha (the search engine) claims that the name could be potentially confusing for consumers.

ChaCha Search Inc. has filed for a preliminary injunction in the U.S. Southern District Court of Indiana, and will be seeking an unspecified settlement for damages. ChaCha Search has held a trademark on the “ChaCha” name since 2007. As ChaCha Search isn’t exactly a household name, we have to wonder about the validity of the suit. After all, wouldn’t the HTC ChaCha actually increase unintentional web traffic to their search engine?

Then again, ChaCha Search has a primarily mobile presence. Via SMS, they offer specific answers written by various experts, and reap profits from the accompanying advertising. So the fact that it’s the same market might make the suit more valid. If ChaCha were a dance academy, it wouldn’t be an issue.

MocoNews has speculated on the potential success of the suit, based on the similar suit between the Xoom Corporation and Motorola Mobility, regarding the Motorola XOOM. In that case, the Xoom Corporation made the mistake of filing for an injunction only a day before the XOOM’s release on Verizon. As the HTC ChaCha isn’t expected until later this Spring, HTC might be more inclined to change the name of the device, or simply offer a reasonable settlement.

source: Wireless Week via mocoNews

Here’s something interesting. A number of Nexus S owners are complaining that their display showed a yellowish-tint and a washed-out appearance after the device was upgraded to Android 2.3.3. While it is uncertain whether or not the upgrade somehow interfered with the color controls on the Super AMOLED display, the results are quite noticeable.

Any Nexus S owners out there having this problem with the screen after updating to Gingerbread? What did you do to correct the problem? You can reply by posting in the comments box below.

source: AndroidCentralForum

After installing Android 2.3.3 on their Nexus S, some users have reported that the screen turns yellow and is washed out (R)

What ever happened to Baby Jane? Or in this case, what ever happened to the HTC Merge? It seems like nearly an eternity ago, August of last year, when we first got word of the new HTC Android smartphone that was to be headed to Verizon. Over the past six months, we learned that it was an Android powered smartphone and would feature a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and would also come with Bing integration. Furthermore, the device was shown to have a Verizon/Vodafone SIM card, which makes it seem to be a global-roaming device, but then word came out that it could be featuring Verizon’s 4G LTE.

Now we’re hearing from HTC directly about the Merge, saying that it will be “made available through multiple North American carriers beginning in spring 2011.” Notice that Verizon Wireless isn’t mentioned at all, and the Verizon logo has been removed from the front of the device in the PR image, though that still doesn’t rule-out Verizon carrying it. The Press Release continues to tout it running Android 2.2 Froyo, HTC Sense user interface, has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.8″ 480×800 resolution capacitive display, and a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p video recording. Unfortunately, LTE is nowhere to be found, but it does state that the Merge will be a CDMA world phone, though it doesn’t mention which GSM bands it will work with while in other countries.

At this point we can say the HTC Merge is well over-due, expectantly with the HTC Thunderbolt 4G due out in the next week or so.
Are you still interested in buying the HTC Merge? Let us know in the Comment section below.

source: PRNewsWire

New PR Image

Older leaked image

T-mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S 4G has already hit the carrier’s shelves and retails for the price of $199.99. If you have your mind set on the smartphone, but the price tag somehow seems a bit too steep for you, look no further than Amazon’s listings and be happily surprised. The Samsung Galaxy S 4G can be purchased as low as $129.99 if you happen to upgrade from a previous T-mobile device, while new customers may get theirs for $149.99, which is still three quarters of the T-mobile retail price.

The Samsung Galaxy S 4G is the first in the T-mobile line of devices to offer, at least theoretically, peak downloads of up to 21 Mbps surpassing the T-Mobile G2 and myTouch 4G’s maximum of 14 Mbps. Users will find Android 2.2 Froyo loaded on the device out of the box, along with the action movie INCEPTION.

source: Unwired View

If you are looking for a way to make your Android device a bit smarter than it already is, you should really check ToothTag out. The free application for Android 2.1 and above is the brainstorm child of the developers from NeuAer and is intended to make your life easier, and possibly more fun, by automating events on your device. The idea behind the works of the app is fairly simple, but that is the beauty of it.

Basically, ToothTag can “see” and “tag” NFC-, Wi-Fi-, and Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headsets, laptops, mobile phones, and access points. As soon as the tagged devices are in reach or lose visibility, the app acts just as you have previously instructed it to. Just think about it! Automatically dropping a pin with your current location on Google Maps as soon as you exit your car, playing the theme from “The good, the bad and the ugly” when you enter your favorite bar, notifying you when your ex is nearby in the same club as you are so that you can bail out in time, the possibilities may be only limited by your creativity.

A version for the iPhone 4 is said to be coming in the future even though the handset does not cover the hardware requirements for the app completely. On the other hand, Android users can grab it from the Android Market right away. Feel free to share your most creative ideas with us in the comments!

source: NeuAer via Yahoo! News

Nipping at the heels of the Motorola XOOM, MSI (Micro-Star International) will be releasing their own Android Honeycomb tablet on June 1st. The 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet will include an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, but will bear a competitive sticker price of only US$399.

The WindPad 100A is poised to be a true price-competitor for the Apple iPad, which starts at $549. Unfortunately, we don’t know if the $399 price-tag is for a subsidized or unsubsidized rate. Considering the Motorola XOOM’s $800 price-tag, a cheaper Honeycomb alternative might be a welcome sight indeed.

MSI is hoping to attract business users with the WindPad 100A, as well as two Windows 7 versions. “If you like the Mac OS, you’d choose the iPad, but if you prefer Windows 7 or Android, you’d choose ours,” said Luc Liao, MSI marketing manager. That’s a bold statement considering the burgeoning field of Android tablet competitors.

The Windows 7 and Android versions will supposedly only differ in their operating systems and processors. One Windows 7 tablet will be equipped with an Intel Atom processor, and cost $549. The second Windows 7 tablet will run on the AMD Brazos processor, but pricing hasn’t yet been announced. Battery life will also differ, with the Android version getting an approximate 8 hours of life, and the Windows 7 tablets getting 6 hours.

source: PCWorld via Unwired View

Leaked internal information reveals that upgrading the Motorola XOOM from 3G to LTE is not a simple matter of walking into your local Verizon store and waiting for the upgrade. Instead, owners of the Honeycomb flavored tablet will have to send the device to a Motorola factory approximately 90 days after today’s launch of the Motorola XOOM. The process of updating the tablet will take 6 business days.

Other information in the leaked material shows that shipping and handling will be entirely free and the upgrade will be available for a 6 month period from the time that LTE becomes available on the tablet. Verizon reps are being told to sell the 4G experience for the Motorola XOOM by telling customers that 4G will increase the speed of the device by 10 times while songs will be downloaded in seconds and movies in minutes.

Verizon is telling customers to head to www.verizonwireless.com/Xoom4GLTEUpgrade and enter their email address so that they can be notified when the 4G upgrade will be available for their tablet.

source: Verizon via Droid-Life

To upgrade your Motorola XOOM to 4G, you will have to send your unit back to the factory; the process takes 6 business days