The weekend is once again upon us and that means it's time for another edition of the Weekend Rumor Recap. This is where we briefly sum up the various Android related rumors and leaks of the past week, along with our commentary. If you would prefer to follow these rumors as they come in, we recommend any of the excellent Android blogs listed on the side of this site. Keep reading for the rumors!
First up, we have a new Samsung rumor, this time about a new, previously unseen device. According to EuroDroid, the Samsung Galaxy Ace is coming soon and they have some pictures of it. Nothing else is known about it, but Mobile World Congress is just a couple of weeks away, and it will likely be announced there.
Ryan says: Probably another non-US Samsung device, but even if it does come to this side of the world, I won't be interested.
Shelsy says: Yeah, Ryan pretty much summed it up.
Sprint is holding a special event on February 7 and word has it, it's an Android announcement. Rumors have been swirling about what might be unveiled, and the latest rumor is that it might be a dual-screen tablet. The rumor also suggests that the second screen is on some type of hinge.
Ryan says: There's very little to go on here, but if true, I applaud Sprint and whatever manufacturer ends up making this tablet for thinking outside the box. If it's cool enough and the price is right (unlikely), this may end up being the tablet I want.
Shelsy says: Ooh, that sounds intriguing. I'm still waiting for something to be as cool as I was hoping Courier would have been. Maybe this will be it?
A new rumor from UnwiredView suggests that the upcoming T-Mobile G-Slate will have both a 3D screen and and dual cameras for 3D video/picture recording. Some other rumors have reinforced the 3D camera claim, while others have indicated the 3D screen part is not true.
Ryan says: If done right, this could be amazing. Even just the 3D video recording part would seriously pique my interest, and the 3D screen to play it back would just be icing on the cake. I haven't seen a glasses-free 3D display in person, but I can't wait to try one. Maybe THIS will be the tablet I end up wanting...
Shelsy says: I'm not sure how I feel about the whole 3D display--I definitely need to check one out in person. But the 3D camera would definitely be awesome. I don't know how useful that would be on a tablet--that would be amazing on a phone, though. On that note, why aren't there any (or more, if there actually are some) 3D point and shoot cameras on the market?
Next up is a rumor from Digitimes detailing an upcoming HTC tablet, codenamed Flyer. The tablet is expected to launch in March running Android 2.3, which is odd now that Honeycomb is out. The rumor also adds that HTC is expected to unveil two additional tablets this year.
Ryan says: This comes from Digitimes, which has a dubious history of accuracy. Everyone knows HTC has to be working on a tablet, likely to be shown off at MWC next month. So this could very well be true. And if it is, this might be the tablet I want......
Shelsy says: At this point in the game I wouldn't even be interested in a tablet that's not running Honeycomb. But I am a fan of HTC, so I'll withhold judgment on this particular device until I find out more details.
Continuing with HTC news, PocketNow has obtained pictures of some upcoming HTC phones expected to be unveiled at MWC. In an interesting twist, the pictured phones do not appear to have any buttons...at all. Could this mean they're going to be running Honeycomb or have some other type of virtual screen buttons?
Ryan says: I love HTC hardware and they usually have some good design ideas. If a button-less phone really is in the works, I'm definitely curious to see how they did it. Though, I do like real buttons on my phones.
Shelsy says: Ummm, definitely not sure how I feel about that. It sounds a little too Apple-y to me--so over-simplified that it's actually more difficult to use.
And finally, we have a rumor from Android Community indicating that some new Droid devices are headed to Verizon. Specifically, they say a Droid X2, Droid 3, and Droid Incredible 2 are all on their way for 2011. Nothing else is known, but knowing Verizon's affinity for the Droid moniker, this isn't all that surprising.
Ryan says: Yeah, I totally believe this. It's also good to see Verizon continuing to heavily push their Droid lineup despite having the iPhone now. I know a lot of people were worried that Android would completely fall by the wayside once Verizon got the iPhone, but that clearly isn't the case...and that's a good thing.
Shelsy says: At first I was all like, "blah blah, more Droid stuff, blah blah blah," but Ryan's definitely right that it's a good thing. The Droid line is probably what most consumers think of when they think of Android phones, and while I think there are better options out there, these phones have had a lot to do with the huge success of Android. And the better Android does, the more manufacturers are going to want to continue making new phones.
And there you have it. Be sure to check back next weekend for another round of recapped rumors. Until then, download some new apps and have a great week!
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