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Lenovo announces 9- and 7-inch Android 4.0 tablets

In addition to its Lenovo IdeaTab S2110, Lenovo unveiled two more Android 4.0 tablets today during IFA 2012 in Berlin, Germany.

The first is the Wi-Fi-only Lenovo IdeaTab A2109, which has a 9-inch LED touch screen with a 1,280x800-pixel resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio.… Read more

Severed Wampa arm fashioned into ice scraper mitt

When Luke Skywalker ran into a Wampa in a cave, he sliced off the beast's arm. In a scene that ended up on the cutting-room floor, Luke then fashioned an ice scraper out of the severed limb.

The "Star Wars" Wampa Ice Scraper Mitt is $24.95 from ThinkGeek, but you'll have to wait for it to come out this fall. Don't worry, it should be available in time for your winter vacation trip to Hoth.

The polyester mitt conceals an ice scraper in the palm, underneath a pile of white fur and shiny black claws. It is machine washable, so you can clean all the space gunk off it when you get back to your home planet.… Read more

MetroPCS unveils $55 unlimited 4G plan and new 4G phone

MetroPCS may hand the major carriers some competition, with its new 4G LTE plan for budget-conscious consumers.

Available as a promotion, the carrier's new 4G LTE plan provides unlimited talk, texting, and 4G LTE data for $55 a month for a single line. Families can join in by paying $50 a month for second, third, and fourth lines. Though the deal is being offered as a promotion, the expiration date is open-ended.

MetroPCS President Thomas Keys told CNET that the end of the promotion will depend on the adoption rate by consumers. "We didn't want to set … Read more

Sony Xperia P gets a serving of Ice Cream Sandwich

Sony today confirmed that the Xperia P is the latest Android smartphone to receive its 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. A post on the company blog advises that consumers will receive a notification when their respective update is ready to download.

As is the case with all other 4.0 releases, the handset will benefit from an enhanced lock screen, improved handling of data consumption, and scalable widgets. Sony has also taken steps to ensure a more rounded media experience for the Xperia P, introducing Walkman, Album, and Movies apps. … Read more

Quad-core Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet costs $500, $550

On the heels of last week's global launch, Samsung has officially announced U.S. pricing for its 10-inch Galaxy Note tablet.

The tablet, whose standout feature is its pressure-sensitive S Pen stylus and compatible apps, comes in two colors, deep gray and white. It also comes in two storage capacities. A 16GB model costs $499, but $549 gets you 32GB for your movies, music, photos, and apps. An additional $50 for double the internal memory is a nice, juicy carrot to upsell customers to the pricier model. (The Apple's iPad pricing runs along similar lines: the $499 entry-level … Read more

Android 4.0 rolling out to Droid 4

Motorola has confirmed that the Verizon Droid 4 is now officially undergoing its Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update.

A late Monday tweet from the handset maker advises that the update is rolling out in phases. As is the case with other Android 4.0 builds, the Droid 4 will get features such as face unlock, data management, and a friendlier user interface. … Read more

Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD could come in October

Verizon Wireless customers who thought they were getting a Droid Razr HD last week will have to wait a few more months.

Moto now is expected to release the Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD in October, according to tech site HotHardware. A source told the blog that the date may shift either direction and largely revolves around the sales of the current models.

Presumably, the two Android 4.0 handsets will offer identical hardware save for the extended battery life of the Maxx edition. Said hardware is rumored to include a 720x1,280-pixel HD display, 1.5GHz … Read more

Motorola's Photon Q to push the keyboard phone envelope

Editors' note: This article was originally published on July 26, 2012, and updated August 10 with more details.

When we first heard of Motorola's upcoming Motorola Photon Q, we thought that the keyboarded Android smartphone would serve as a nice lifeline for disillusioned and disenfranchised BlackBerry refugees fleeing the sinking ship.

Running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and driven by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, the Motorola Photon Q will certainly surpass Motorola's Droid 4.

While the Droid 4 proved that a QWERTY slider could indeed pack in a swift 4G LTE radio, nimble components, and an excellent physical keyboard, it also suffers from a few shortcomings. First, at half an inch thick and weighing a hefty 6.31 ounces, the phone is big and heavy. Second, the Droid 4 still lives in a time warp, mired by the outdated Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

Thankfully, the Motorola Photon Q boasts fresher features.… Read more

Ice cream maker churns out a tune

Ice cream is more than a blank canvas upon which to heap different flavors. The fact that the cold treat can be enjoyed with flavors ranging from the mundane to the exotic certainly helps to make ice cream tempting to all (and the sweet taste doesn't hurt, either), but the variety of styles it can be served in also contributes to its appeal. Also, it goes good with a tune.

The Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Compressor is a countertop ice cream maker that has twelve hardness settings. Producing 1.5 quarts of sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, or ice … Read more