Podcast Droid X2 finds itself on camera again flaunting both cores

 

We’ve had a few hints here and there that the Droid X2 will be releasing sometime next month, but Verizon and Motorola still have yet to officially acknowledge the existence of it. In light of this neglect the Droid X2 has apparently decided to do a couple indie flicks to build up its street cred.

 The video we saw previously (it was subsequently pulled) showed the Droid X2 booting up with the dual-core animation that Motorola has used previously with the Xoom and the Atrix 4G. For anyone that was still unconvinced that the Droid X2 would feature the Tegra 2 processor this video which was leaked to TechnoBuffalo should end that speculation.
The Droid X2 churns through Quadrant for a score of 2,453 which is a healthy, if not mind boggling score. (Yes scores well beyond that have been posted from single core devices, but they weren’t running a stock ROM.) I will say that this does still slot in below the Droid Bionic which managed to produce a score of 2,646 when I tested it at CES.
The Droid X2 finds itself at an odd place in Verizon’s lineup. It has the dual-core processor, qHD screen, and RAM of a high-end 2011 phone and yet it lacks 4G, a front facing camera, 1080p video capture, NFC, or any of the other features we are seeing crop up in this years top contenders. On the other hand if you don’t care about any of those extras then you get a phone with the internal specs to offer up a great core experience and if the leaked pricing charts are correct you won’t be paying the $50-$100 premium that Verizon seems to have settled on for 4G phones. One last possible point of consideration is that this device was running Froyo and it is unknown if that will change prior to launch.

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The iPad 2 !

Apple has just made its second-generation iPad official! It features a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and,finally, cameras, both on the front and rear. The new CPU is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same.



 Battery life is, consequently, unaltered, with Apple promising 10 hours. Pricing, too, has been left unchanged, starting at $499 for a 16GB WiFi-only iPad 2 and stretching up to $829 for a WiFi + 3G SKU with 64GB of storage. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output capable of 1080p -- which will set you back $39 for the requisite dongle, called an Apple Digital AV Adapter -- but there will sadly be no rumblings of Thunderbolt connectivity here. What you will get is an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as expected, and the same 1024 x 768 resolution and IPS LCD screen technology as on the original iPad.

Update: We've gotten our first hands-on with the iPad 2 and, boy oh boy, it's fast!

iPad 2 press shots

720p video recording at 30fps will be on tap from the rear-facing camera, which can also do a 5x digital zoom if you're into that kind of thing, whereas the front-facing imager will record at a more modest VGA resolution, also at 30fps.

There's a new cover for the device, which is best defined by Steve Jobs himself: "We designed the case right alongside the product. It's not a case -- it's a cover." Basically, it's a magnetic flap that protects the front and automatically wakes and puts the device to sleep according to whether it's open or closed. Guess we know what that proximity sensor was about now. These Smart Covers will cost $39 in plastic or $69 if you opt for leather.

The iPad 2 is 33 percent thinner than its predecessor, at a mind-melting 8.8mm, and a little lighter at just over 600g, while paintjob options have been expanded: you'll get a choice between white and black. It'll be available on both AT&T and Verizon, and all variants start shipping on March 11th. Apple Retail Stores will start sales at the unusual hour of 5PM, which will probably make online pre-orders the fastest way to get yours.

Apple iPad 2

In terms of new software, Apple's launching iOS 4.3 alongside the new iPad and bringing with it much improved Safari performance as well as FaceTime, Photo Booth, iMovie and GarageBand (the latter two costing $4.99 a piece) apps specifically for the newly camera-enriched iPad. Personal Hotspot capabilities are also arriving in the latest version of the OS, but they'll be exclusive to the iPhone 4, so you won't be able to share your 3G iPad's connection. The minimum compatible version of iTunes for the new iPad 2 will be the freshly released 10.2.

iPad 2 FaceTime and Photo Booth apps

You'll find Apple's official PR and some slick promo videos below, or you can keep your mouse clicking and check out our first hands-on with the iPad 2.

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LG's dual-core Optimus 2X superphone now available

The world's most adored across-the-pond mobile retailer has just received its first batch of LG superphones, a gem by the name of Optimus 2X. As you well know by now, the company's playing this up as the planet's first dual-core smartphone, and while we'd hoped that the Tegra 2-based device would be everywhere by 


now, at least it's sticking to its scheduled release date over in Europe. Those interested in picking one up can get a SIM-free version headed their way for £449.99, while a free-on-contract affair can be had with T-Mobile, Vodafone and a host of others. Your credit card's been awful naughty of late -- dish out a little punishment by visiting the source link below. 
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