Cellular versions of the iPad Mini could start to ship next week

Although Apple hasn't provided an exact, single date on when the iPad Mini Wi-Fi + Cellular model will ship, buyers who have pre-ordered the tablet are seeing their accounts updated with various shipping dates, some as soon as five days time.

Ever since the iPad Mini was announced, there was a question mark over when the model with 3G/4G LTE connectivity would appear. Apple’s press release stated the cellular models would ship “a couple of weeks” after the Wi-Fi only Mini, putting the date somewhere around the middle of November.

It looks like Apple will keep its promise too, as reports are coming in that customers who pre-ordered the cellular Mini tablet have started to receive notices that it’ll ship “in the next five business days.” That could be on or slightly before November 16, two weeks after the iPad Mini went on sale.

This won’t be the same for everyone, of course, and Apple has already flip-flopped on iPad Mini LTE release dates once, with some buyers finding a November 21 and November 23 shipping date added to their account soon after launch, but this was quickly replaced with “mid-November” instead. Subsequently, these dates have been re-applied to some accounts.

So, if you’ve ordered an iPad Mini LTE, there’s a chance it will arrive sometime between November 16 and November 23, depending on when you placed your order, and your chosen delivery method.

Apple has been experiencing some delays with getting the iPad Mini into its customer’s hands, with the Wi-Fi-only tablet selling out as an online pre-order, and then again when it hit retail stores last weekend. Despite this, Apple shifted three million iPad Mini and fourth generation iPad tablets over those three days.

While still a considerable amount of iPad tablets sold, this was a little lower than some analysts hoped for, and this could have been due to the cellular model not being available on launch day. An analyst for Merrill Lynch called the 4G LTE iPad Mini “more important than people think,” reminding us that the cellular versions of the full-size iPad make up 45-percent of sales.

If you’ve pre-ordered an iPad Mini, has its delivery date been updated yet?

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/cellular-versions-of-the-ipad-mini-could-start-to-ship-next-week/

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Quad-core Acer Iconia Tab A110 announced, ready to take on the Nexus 7

Acer has announced the Iconia Tab A110, a budget Android tablet with a simila-but-subtly-different specification to the Google Nexus 7, leaving buyers to decide if they want more internal storage space or a higher screen resolution.

It was back in June that we last covered the Acer Iconia Tab A110, a time when the world of budget Android tablets was a very different place. Yes, we had the Amazon Kindle Fire, but the Nexus 7 was nothing but a rumor. Likewise the A110, said at the time to be a 7-inch tablet with a quad-core Tegra 3 and a sub-$200 price tag. Now, a little later than those early rumors suggested, Acer has made the A110 official.

As expected, the A110 has a 1024 x 600 pixel, 7-inch touchscreen and a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, with a 1.2GHz clock speed. There’s 1GB of RAM and a tiny 8GB of internal memory, but thankfully there’s a microSD card slot to increase this by up to 32GB.

The spec list continues with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0, a micro-HDMI out, a 2-megapixel video call camera above the screen and a 3420mAh battery that should provide 7 hours of use before needing a recharge.

This is all consistent with the spec rumored earlier in the year, however the operating system has been upgraded from Android 4.0 to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

So, the processor, screen size and OS are all identical to the Nexus 7, but the A110’s screen resolution doesn’t quite match up to Google’s HD tablet, however some may see the addition of a microSD card slot and the HDMI-out as an acceptable trade-off.

The A110 measures 11.4mm thick and weighs in at 390 grams, while the Nexus 7 is only 10.4mm thick and 340 grams, however Acer’s tablet has a slightly higher resolution camera than the Nexus 7, but a slightly smaller battery.

This give and take continues with the price, as the Acer Iconia Tab A110 is priced at $229, seeing it slot in between the two Nexus models. Buyers will have to choose between more storage, a better camera and an HDMI-out, over a higher screen resolution, larger battery and a lighter chassis — plus more timely OS updates.

You’ll be able to make your choice on October 30, when Acer’s Iconia Tab A110 will hit US and Canadian stores.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/acer-announces-the-iconia-tab-a110-tablet/

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Certain black iPhone 5 reportedly come with dents out of the box

It seems to have become a routine now. Every year Apple releases a new iPhone and while most of the customers are delighted a small subset of buyers pull the short end of the stick. With the iPhone 4, it was the antennagate issue, with the iPhone 4S it was the battery life problem and now some iPhone 5 buyers are noticing dents on their prized possession.

Yes, several owners, particularly of the Black & Slate colored model, are reporting dents and scratches along the chamfered edges of their new iPhone right out of the box. We haven't seen many reports from owners of the White & Silver model, but that just might be because the color isn't particularly popular.

Now, anodized aluminum is known to pick up scuff marks easily. Because the color is painted on top, even a minor scuff can make it come off, revealing a shiny silver spot below. Also, aluminum is a soft metal, so it dents very easily, especially along thin edges. You'll find scuffs and dents on practically every anodized aluminum object that has been used for a while.

Which is why it wasn't a shock to us when we saw the iPhone picking up dents along the edges in this drop test. However, it is surprising when the device comes with scuff marks out of the box and points to poor quality checks at Apple's end.

Of course, Apple will readily replace any such device for you. But if you're importing this device to a different country (and we know many do), you will need to be careful and hold on till the issue gets sorted.

Source • Image Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/certain_black_iphone_5_reportedly_come_with_dents_out_of_the_box-news-4844.php

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