Lenovo's 9.7" Android ICS IdeaTab clears the FCC for a near-term launch

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Lenovo's been hard at work with various Android phones and tablets so far this year, and here's yet another one that's just popped up in FCC's database. Dubbed the IdeaTab S2109 (or S2109A-F, to be specific), we're told by a reliable source that 'tis an Ice Cream Sandwich tablet assembled by Foxconn, and it'll come with a 9.7-inch, 4:3 IPS display (supplied by Chi Mei), a TI OMAP chip and four powerful SRS-ready speakers as featured on the beefy K2010. The above diagram suggests said slate has a microSD slot accessible from the outside, and if you take a closer look at the product label, you'll see that the device requires a whooping 2.5A input at 5V, which means it'll come with a 12.5W adapter -- a lot higher than many tablets' maximum consumption at 10W (including the new iPad) or below. Here's hoping that this is an indication for a faster charge time.

As for availability, we heard that this S2109 will launch at some point this month, though our shy friend didn't specify which market it'll debut in -- the FCC document lists Germany, Canada, US, India, Russia, Turkmenistan, Mexico, Chile, Japan and China. If Android on a 4:3 screen sounds like your cup of tea then stay tuned for more news.

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March Madness not free this year for streaming on mobile devices

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Last year, CBS and Turner Sports allowed those with the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad to catch the action of March Madness for free. This year, Android owners can join in on the fun. But CBS and Turner are charging for the service this year, asking viewers to pay $3.99 to catch the action. This is not the first time that fans of NCAA Men's Basketball had to pay for streaming video to a mobile device. Back in 2009, before it split the cost of an NCAA T.V. deal with Turner, CBS charged Apple iPhone users $4.99 to have the tournament action streamed to their phone.
You can't fault CBS and Turner for trying to recoup part of the 14-year, $10.8 billion broadcast license that the duo entered into with the NCAA in 2010. Streaming of sporting events to mobile devices is still in its infancy and it is hard to see how the networks can cover the cost of obtaining rights to these events without charging mobile device owners for the privilege of viewing the action. Last year when the streaming was free, usage across platforms for early-round games was as high as 3 million unique users daily.

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Samsung Galaxy Note “coming soon” to RadioShack, hints tipster

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We are sure that the Samsung Galaxy Note, with its gargantuan 5.3-inch display and blazing fast 4G LTE connectivity, is a device that many of our readers would not mind owning. Some might have even waved $299 goodbye and pre-ordered theirs already straight from the carrier's online store. However, penny pinchers will most likely wait patiently and see how much third party retailers will be willing to sell them a Samsung Galaxy Note for.

One of the places that the Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T will be offered may be RadioShack, if the information that an anonymous tipster just provided for us is to be trusted. Unfortunately, all we know is that the phablet is “coming soon” with its pricing and availability being a mystery for now. Still, since the Galaxy Note is launching on AT&T on February 19, it might not be long until we know further details on the matter.

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Galaxy Tab 2's Big Leap is Android 4.0

Samsung's first tablet running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Tab 2 announced today, succeeds the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab with little change besides the latest software.

Don’t expect anything groundbreaking in the specs department: the Galaxy Tab 2 runs on a 1GHz dual-core processor, with 1GB of RAM and a 7-inch display with a 1024 by 600 pixels resolution. It has a 3-megapixel camera at the back and a front-facing VGA camera on the front for video calls. The Tab 2 is 0.41 inches (10.5 mm) thick and weighs 0.75 pounds (344 grams), compared to the iPad 2’s 0.34 inches (8.8 mm) thickness and 1.32 pounds (601 grams) weight.

Samsung said the Galaxy Tab 2 will come in 8, 16, and 32GB models (a microSD card slot allows for extra storage of up to 32GB), as well as Wi-Fi only and 3G varieties. The company didn’t give out pricing and availability for the U.S., but confirms the tablet will first release in the UK and Scandinavian countries in March, priced at around $450 for the Wi-Fi-only model, and around $550 for the Wi-Fi + 3G model -- hovering near the iPad.

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New Services

On top of Android 4.0, Samsung is adding its Hub line of services, including music, bookstore and newsstand, games and movies for purchase or rent. As usual, Samsung tinkered with the original Android 4.0 interface and added the Touchwiz skin, which includes S Suggest, an app recommendation service, and AllShare Play, which can live stream content from a PC to the tablet.

Since Samsung did not confirm the U.S. pricing for the Galaxy Tab 2, it’s unclear whether the company is targeting the best-selling Android tablet, the Kindle Fire; or the tablet market leader, the iPad. If international pricing is any indication, the Tab 2 has a price tag equivalent to iPad 2, although it offers a smaller screen for the same money. Compared to the Kindle Fire, the Tab is almost twice as expensive and very close in specs, aside from the cameras.

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Going After Google, Apple Fires Shot To Android's Heart

According to Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs said, “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,”
It is old news that Apple (AAPL) has been fighting legal battles across the globe against Google (GOOG) Android vendors.  (For background, please see Apple Wins Another Round Against Samsung Galaxy In Germany.)

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Now for the first time, Apple has fired at the heart of Google Android with its new lawsuit against Samsung filed in federal court in San Jose, Calif.
It is the first shot at Google’s heart for the following reasons:

Clear Aim at Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice Cream Sandwich is the latest and greatest Android version from Google.
The lawsuit is going after Galaxy Nexus. Nexus is Google’s code for the lead device. Google works with one hardware vendor to offer a lead device for every major version. The vendor gets the first mover advantage in the market place. Google gets a device to the market that fully complies with Android official version without modifications by the vendor.

The official version is also known as ‘stock Android.’ In the past, Google appears to have refrained from implementing infringing features in stock Android.
Going after the lead device running stock Android shows that the clear aim of Apple is Google Android’s heart.

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