Color us surprised to find that Best Buy is so deeply entwined with carrier / OEM plans that it would actually receive a notification that Ice Cream Sandwich is coming to select handsets, but we guess it makes sense to notify those hard-working BB Mobile representatives to what's coming down the pike. Both Android Police and TechnoBuffalo have received separate leaks confirming the news, suggesting that April 4th will be the day that the Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX get a taste of Android 4.0, and that April 6th will bring the update to HTC's Rezound. Hard to say how the rollout will be staged, but if you're considering one of Verizon's fastest and finest, at least you know when ICS is coming.Upda te: Judging from our tip jar, a fair number of you have received emails from Motorola about joining "an early preview of a new software" for the Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx. Coincidence? We think not.
[Thanks, Jason] Engadget
Looking for a shortcut to Netflix's home on the web? Try hitting up DVD.com -- it'll take you there, for now. The latest address to join the family of Netflix redirects actually brings you to a subdomain -- dvd.netflix.com -- suggesting that the company could once again be planning to split its streaming and physical media services, at least from an access perspective. A shareholder letter lists the company's U.S. DVD subscriptions at 11.17 million at the end of Q4, bringing in a total of $ 370 million in revenue, with a profit of $ 194 million. Compare this to domestic streaming, which represents $ 476 million in revenue with a mere $ 52 million profit, and it's clear that the DVD rental market is still quite strong. So what could this latest doma in acquisition mean for snail mail subscribers? DVD-only customers may soon have a new site to call home, with focused content and perhaps an upsell opportunity or two. At the very least, it certainly can't hurt when it comes to SEO. 
While not quite the fastest commercially available e-bike in the world as some have suggested (as far as we can tell, that claim belongs to a DIY kit out of Taiwan by a company called Cyclone), the Specialized Turbo is still a speedy little beast. In fact, it's fast enough to find itself on the wrong side of the law both here in the US and across most of Europe. The 250 W rear hub motor is powerful enough to get this guy up to about 28 MPH, or 8 MPH over the legal limit here in America. It's the other features, though, that make this guy particularly interesting. The frame has integrated LED head and tail lights, regenerative breaking and the 342 Wh battery can be juiced in jus t two hours from an outlet. There's even a backlit display that lets you monitor charge and assistance level, as well as standard bike computer stats like speed, distance and time. Oh, and it even supports ANT+ for wirelessly connecting with your existing accessories. The Specialized Turbo is expected to land in some European nations in May for €5,499. Check out the video after the break to see it in action. 
Some people got the wrong idea yesterday when RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins said the company was refocusing on the enterprise market and would stop trying to be "all things to all people." Many took the post-earnings call comment to mean that RIM would be exiting the consumer market, an assumption that didn't seem like much of a stretch considering its failure to capture the imagination of users outside the office place. Things weren't made any better when Heins seemingly left the door open for the manufacturer to leave the hardware business entirely. However, in a statement, managing director of global sales and regional marketing 
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we've seen hints of a Droid Bionic 2, and unfortunately, a number of T-Mobile customers will need to brace for a price hike. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of March 26th, 2012. 
When Lenovo took the wraps off its IdeaPad U310 and U410 at CES, we were left feeling happy / sad. On the one hand, we were dismayed by the half-hearted inclusion of a memory card slot, but the company did earn high marks for sticking to that sleek Ultrabook form factor and pricing the duo at a $ 700 entry point. Now that luxurious-looking laptop pair's making another public appearance, stopping by the FCC for a step and repeat and splaying its guts and user manual in the process. While the filings reveal no surprise specs for these 13- and 14-inchers -- those internal goodies were divulged back in January -- this Commission pit stop is a solid indication that all systems are go for a planned May launch. Be sure to hit up the source below to trawl the RF reports if diagnostics get you hot under the collar. 
Not like we haven't seen this dog-and-pony show before, but Flurry's latest round of analytics -- which measured revenue of 11 million daily active users from mid-January through the end of February 2012 -- shows Amazon's Appstore pulling in a shocking amount of revenue given the short life that it has lived. Apple's strength in sales has been well documented, but the latest report shows that for every $ 1 generated in the iTunes App Store, $ 0.89 is being spent in the Amazon Appstore. Looking more broadly, the numbers show that just $ 0.23 are generated in the Google Play halls for every $ 1 spent in the App Store, but that's hardly a new phenomenon; the ease of sideloading (amongst other factors) has raised complai nts from Android developers for years now. Flurry's conclusion is that Google's core strength simply isn't in running a store -- something it's about to do once more with Android slates -- while both Apple and Amazon excel in doing just that. Curiously, Windows Phone and BlackBerry were left off of this report, but we're hoping to see those cats thrown in the next 'go round. After all, RIM sure seems certain that its developers are making out just fine. 
We know that Apple can be OCD-ish about dictionaries at times, but is any brave Cupertino intern ready to step up and run the gauntlet? Apple's definition of itself in its own Dictionary application is looking dusty, while all it really needs is a quick mention of the company's latest gifts to the world -- and we don't just mean the Patent Wars.
To say that Chevy's Volt hasn't had the smoothest inaugural year would be an understatement, but over on the other side of the pond, things couldn't be going more swimmingly for its badge-engineered cousin, the Opel Ampera. Sales are reportedly brisk with over 7,000 Europeans preordering the electrified hatchback, prompting the company to push its 2012 sales target from 8,000 to 10,000 units -- matching the figure Chevy had initially set, and then missed for its variant here in the US of A. That got us thinking, are Europeans the electrified forward-thinking mavericks we thi nk they are? Or have they simply fallen prey to the Ampera's far better looks? Decide in the comments below. 
Best of the best, best of the worst and best thing we didn't need. Those are some ringing endorsements we've got for you in this week's IRL. On the more enthusiastic end of the spectrum there's Darren, who finally found a dual-band router with strong enough range to service all three floors of his new home. Terrence is closing in on his fourth year using Evernote, the "least bad" note-taking app of the bunch. As for James, well, has he ever met a piece of audio equipment he didn't like? 
Digital note-taking apps are a dime a dozen, and I've tried a pretty good chunk of them. Simplenote (in conjunction with Notational Velocity and ResophNotes), OneNote, Tomboy, Zim, Springpad... they've all left me feeling a little meh. Eventually, after plenty of soul searching, I settled on Evernote. When I first signed up for the service, shortly after the beta launch in 2008, I primarily used it as a recipe book. Even to this day I still dump directions for whipping up tasty meals into my online repository. This is how I discovered the Evernote's sheer power. As I started collecting dishes, I tagged them by cuisine, course, dish type and ingredients, allowing me to quickly figure out what I could make based on what was available in my refrigerator, or narrow down my choices if I was in the mood for soup.
I ditched any semblance of a normal audio setup a long time ago. As a result, my poor girlfriend can't just switch on the radio, or play a CD -- she has to navigate a world of DLNA, media centers and WiFi. Needless to say, then, any audio toy I can get my hands on, I likely will. Enter the FiiO E17 DAC / headphones amp. Do I need one of these? Probably not, but that stopped being a major factor of purchasing decisions some time ago.
Routers. Even the thought of buying a new one is daunting, even for someone that's toyed with just about all of them. If you're in the market for one, and you need insane range, I'd encourage you to stop hunting. Netgear's dual-band N900 is -- without question -- the most impressive wireless router I've ever had the pleasure of using. I recently relocated, and due to the amount of space between the top floor and lower floor of my new abode, I went through three routers that simply wouldn't broadcast wireless waves throughout the place.
This week, everyone's favorite Finnish phone fabricator announced the availability of Nokia Reader for Series 40 touch and type devices. Those familiar with the software know that Reader provides a flow of local and international headlines -- customized by you -- directly to your device's home screen. Nokia boasts that users of its C2-02, X3-02, C3-01, Asha 303 and Asha 300 handsets will be able to stay abreast on all the news without having to worry about battery consumption, thanks to Nokia Notifications. If we've piqued your interest, mosey on past the break to see a video of the bits in action then hit the source link to grab the goods. 
Not a fan of that 5-inch, IPS display on the Optimus Vu? Perhaps, you'd be more interested in a smaller, lesser-specced member of the family. According to PocketNow, the Optimus Elite is sprinting its way toward The Now Network and Virgin Mobile, with an expected launch on the former "rather soon" and the latter as early as May. The Elite is allegedly packing some run-of-the-mill features, including a 3.5-inch, HVGA screen alongside a five-megapixel rear shooter and an 800Mhz CPU. Both flavors look identical, save for Virgin's prepaid flavor going with a darker look, which you can gander at by jumping past the break. 
DoubleTwist is certainly still one of the better music management options for Android, and it just keeps improving. Two days ago the player app got an update and now it can hook into Google Music, though, it only recognizes songs that you've checked for offline access from within the Google app. An unfortunate restriction, but at least your tracks don't disappear into the ether if you prefer to play back your tunes via DoubleTwist. There's also new functionality coming to what is now less an app than an ecosystem, thanks to the just released DoubleTwist Alarm Clock. The functionality is pretty much what you'd expect -- set a time and pick a song from your DoubleTwist library to gently rouse you from your slumber (or kick your butt out of bed). The Alarm Clock is just $ 0.99 in the Play Market right now for the first 10,000 customers. After that it'll go up to $ 1.99. So don't waste any time, go download it now.
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Keith, who needs our help to become the next internet comedy sensation. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hey Engadget! I'm a fledgling stand-up, performing at my local open mic, but I'm thinking of branching out. I'd like to record some of my performances on something better than my QuickCam Pro 9000. Anyone know the best HD video camera for live performances? I'm looking for something reasonably priced and audio quality is paramount. Thanks for your help!" The comedy clubs we've been in are rarely well lit, so we'll add that this camera has to have fantastic low light performance, which is going to increase the price by a hefty amount. Still, if you can think of a HD camcorder that can do the job -- and let's be honest, carving things out of stone would be better than a QuickCam Pro 9000 -- and is within the budget of a struggling artist then lob your suggestions into the river of comments below. 
We heard last year that China was approaching 900 million mobile phone subscribers, and it looks like it's now finally hit the big one. The country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirmed today that, as of the end of February, there were more than a billion mobile subscribers in the country (1.01 billion, to be specific). As the AFP notes, that's individual subscriptions, which includes users with more than one phone, but any way you slice it that's a whole lot of cellphone users. Of those, 144 million are on 3G networks, which is fully double the number from April of 2011. Not surprisingly, much of that growth comes at the expense of landline phones, which have dropped a further 828,000 in the first two months of the year to 284 .3 million. Internet use also continues to be on the upswing, with more than half a billion people having internet access of some sort, and 154.96 million having broadband access (up nearly five million during those same two months). 
Mountain View has been leaking Google Drive details like a glacial trickle, but we still have no firm notion of how much free cloud storage it'll bring or just how deeply it'll be integrated with other services. There have been rumors of a Dropbox-like 2GB limit, but now a screenshot purporting to show the beta version's main welcome page points to a healthy 5GB instead. Moreover, Google's Support portal mentions that the Drive app for Android will have document-editing capabilities, which brings us back to the question of whether this is a whole new service, or an add-on to Google Docs or indeed a complete re-branding of Google's documents platform. Regardless, calling it 'Drive' still makes it sound like sat nav. 
Friendly reminder here, folks. As expected, AT&T has opened the pre-order floodgates for the Nokia Lumia 900 today ahead of its April 8th release in the US. Interested parties can secure their reservation for the Window Phone 7.5-loaded device at AT&T's retail or online stores. While you'll be able to snag one in either matter black or cyan blue, we'd be remiss not to point out that the white version (slated for an April 22nd release) isn't yet on offer. If you'll recall, parting with $ 100 and agreeing to a two-year contract is all it'll cost ya' to get in on the action. Be sure to let us know if you plan on reaching for the "light" in the comments.
It was a relatively slow news week. So what? We'll make those lemons into podcast lemonade any day, and you, friend, are invited to our lemonade stand. We take credit cards.
Greek Artist Petros Vrellis is a big admirer of Vincent Van Gogh, which prompted him to produce an interactive version of Starry Night. It took him a patience-sapping six months to produce the original PC version, where finger swipes redirect the painter's famous daubs into a light and sound show. Of course, there was such a clamor from users all desperate to have a go, that he managed to produce an iPad app in a little under a month. Now you can pick it up from the App Store at the source link, or head on past the break to see this new version in action (you really do have to see it). 
It promised that it would do so if it received enough Likes on Facebook, and now Razer has confirmed that it is indeed proceeding with plans to release a left-handed version of its Naga gaming mouse. That comes after it received the required 10,000 Likes in less than a week -- a full three weeks ahead of its April 21st deadline. Unfortunately, there's no indication of a release date just yet, but you can rest assured that the MMO-focused mouse will be otherwise identical to its right-handed counterpart. The complete specs can be found in the press release after the break. Show full PR text Razer announces plans to unveil left-handed Naga
Apple TV owners no longer need to choose between jailbreaking or running the recently released iOS 5.1 update, now that FireCore has pushed new versions of Seas0nPass (0.8.3) and aTV Flash (black) (1.4.1). Currently, the jailbreak is still tethered, so if you should have to reboot your hockey puck, connecting it to a computer and repeating the process will be required. Unfortunately, the tools won't work on the new third generation Apple TVs yet, and even on supported hardware some plugins, like Plex and XBMC, are still listed as not working. All the details can be found beyond the source link for both the free Seas0nPass jailbreaker and $ 29.95 aTV Flash that adds more functionality. 
Time to podcast up! Who's with us? For starters, we're going to have Myriam, Brad, Joseph and -- making his mobcast debut -- our very own Andrew Munchbach! So join us at the normal time, chat it up in our Ustream chat below, and we'll have a grand 'ol time talking all about phones and stuff.
What would you pay for the ability to capture cinema quality 4K video? $ 36,000? $ 18,000? Try $ 9,000. That's the expected price of Sony's rumored NEX-FS700E, which could launch at NAB next month with a June ship date. EOSHD reports that the camera will pipe 4K video to a dedicated external recorder over 3G HD-SDI. It will reportedly use the same NEX E-mount as its predecessor, the FS100, and may include a trio of neutral density filters to increase versatility. We haven't been able to track down an image of the rumored cinema cam (the model in that image above looks identical to the FS100), but we wouldn't be surprised to see another detail or two leak out before the broadcast community's annual Vegas gathering kicks off in a little over two weeks. For its part, Canon is also expected to announce a 4K EOS-format DSLR at NAB, as a less-expensive alternative to the $ 16,000 C300, while RED's Scarlet already has 4K capabilities, and a $ 9,000 price tag.
Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. has announced that it will begin streamlining its American and European operations after posting an 7.1 billion Yen ($ 86 million dollar) extraordinary loss for the 2011 year. The move is expected to create a "smaller company positioned for sustained profitability" with the company planning a shift to a new "digital content" strategy. It'll cancel work on new, forthcoming titles and just concentrate on key earners like the Sonic, Football Manager and Total War franchises. There's no official word on if it'll involve job losses, but the company is setting aside 4.9 billion yen ($ 59.7 million) of that loss figure in order to cover the costs of the corporate reorganization. In the meantime, we're of f to pour one out for one of our childhood staples. 
You know those shows where we're all iPad this, iPhone that? This isn't one of them. Today we're doing it all, heading to the department store of consumer electronics news categories and picking random stuff off the shelves of all ten floors to chat about until someone from the UK calls or tweets @us to distract us into talking about something else. And yes, we did stop by the Apple floor for a few minutes too. So sue us (lawsuit joke).
Worried that Facebook's new Timeline feature is going to offer up too much information? Don't worry, whatever roller coaster ride your relationship status updates might be, you've got nothing on Spotify. The music streamer is offering up 1,000-odd years of music history on its Facebook page, reaching back to 1,000AD, which was apparently a big year for organum lovers. 
To be fair, things have... changed a bit since we heard back in November that the Xperia handset line would be getting Ice Cream Sandwich by March of 2012. Specifically, Sony Ericsson is no more, and it's up to Sony Mobile alone to continue the torch carrying. At any rate, the outfit has made clear today that it'll be mid-April at the earliest before any of the Xperia smartphones see an Android 4.0 update, with the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray amongst the first on deck. We're told that the updates will start hitting that trio in the middle of next month, with every last owner to be gifted in the four to six weeks following. Beyond that, the Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro and Xperia Active will start seeing ICS "from the end of May / early June." You know, pretty much right when Android 5.0 will be unveiled. 
If you were lucky enough to grab a 5D Mark III when they hit shelves last week, you know how well the slick shooter performs with the lights down low. If you're still pondering plunking down $ 3,500 for the DSLR, on the other hand, you can check out the camera's night moves in this issue of Distro. And if you're looking for even more of our expert opinions, we have reviews of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 for Verizon, a 14-inch Series 5 Ultrabook, a pre-production Galaxy Note 10.1 and SYNC by 50 Wireless Headphones. We'll also grill Mutemath's Darren King and give you an Angry Bird's-eye view of the smartphone market in this week's Switched On. So grab your device of choice and hit the appropriate download link below.
One of the more irritating aspects of touchscreen gaming is almost certainly the inevitability of blocking the screen as you play -- particularly with smaller devices like smartphones. A new peripheral being developed by Keio University takes an interesting approach to the problem -- using the device to transform the gadget's camera into a three-axis joystick of sorts by detecting the movement of markings on the add-on. According to its creators, the accuracy of the joystick depends largely on the precision of the phone's hardware. Check it out in action after the break. 
Care to take a walk down memory lane by way of the information superhighway? Good, because 21st century digital natives and Luddites alike could stand to benefit from some virtual navel-gazing. In what's essentially a 'look at how far we've come' exhibit, My Life Scoop, Intel's "connected lifestyle" site, has a collection of the more notable experiments that've sprung from our surprising interactions with the internet. Starting from the dial-up days of the mid-90's and working up to the near present, curious users can peep the wacky ways we've used the web as a tool, ranging from a remote community gardening project (The Telegarden) to a stock index that auto-adjusts dress hemlines (Stock Market Skirt) to an interactive, Arcade Fire-soundtracked film made to showcase Google Chrome (The Wilderness Downtown). But don't let us just tell you about these visual delights. Strap on those culture hats and meander through the finer artistic points of our shared online evolution at the source below. 
Google's position as the dominant search engine doesn't come without a price. Smaller search sites have already tapped on the EU Commission's door to register their complaints about how they are ranked, and Microsoft has also let its feelings on the matter be known. Now, we can add the Redmond spin-off, Expedia, to that list of 
Pro-Tibetan organizations that use Macs have discovered that their data has been accessed thanks to malware-based siphoning more commonly associated with Windows machines. Security expert Jamie Blasco revealed that two separate backdoor trojans can breach OS X if infected Word documents (yes, we know) or emails are opened. However, those who regularly keep up with security updates shouldn't be too concerned: both holes were patched before the end of last year, although that's scant relief for those whose privacy has already been infringed.
We've swooned over BMW's i3 and i8 plug-in gasoline electric hybrids for some time now, so naturally our hearts raced today when the company announced its latest addition to the series, the i8 Concept Spyder. What you're looking at is essentially a sportier version of the i8 Coupe, with the appropriate accents and design tweaks to match. So, what's different in this variant of the nearly gull-winged wonder with a 96 kW / 131hp electric motor up front and 164 kW / 223hp gasoline engine on back? BMW notes that the vehicle features a shorter wheelbase and overall length (all while maintaining its 50-50 weight 
An unreleased gadget is pretty easy to conceal, but an upcoming automobile? Not so much. Thanks to some quick reflexes, you're looking at the first spy shots of Fisker's second and smaller plug-in hybrid sedan, heretofore known as Project Nina. Last we heard, the BMW-powered auto had been put on life-support, as the remainder of the company's DOE loan evaporated as it failed to meet timely deadlines in bringing its f irst EV, the Karma, to market. That could mean the above is a mere concept designed to woo potential investors -- but with less than a week before its supposed New York auto show debut, it won't be long until we know for sure. Until then, ogle at more eye candy of the beaut over at Autoblog in the source link below.