Jake Smith

Spotted by TechCrunch, music.google.com begins to confirm rumors of Google’s new Music store that will drop in a few weeks. The webpage loaded on an Android device drops a hint at purchasing music through the Android market. As you can see in the image above, the webpage says, “Get songs from your favorite artists in Android market, or hundreds of free tracks.”

Currently, Music Beta is only available on the Android Market to those in the beta. The beta currently only features uploading of songs and not actually purchasing them . Purchasing is a rumored feature that is rumored to come out in the next two weeks with Google Plus integration.

Verizon has just published their Galaxy Nexus sign-up page so users can get updates on the new device. There is still no word on pricing or availability, but putting your email in the form will certainly put you on the list to find out… or, you could just stick with us. Either way we’re pumped for this device.

Sprint’s HTC EVO Design 4G just landed at my house to review, but first I thought I’d do a quick hands on for our lovely readers. Just as a reminder, the device packs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), HTC Sense, a 1.2 GHz processor, 4-inch qHD display, 5-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-camera, Wi-Fi, and World Phone capabilities. Full video hands-on after the break:

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Funded by Google.org, SMU’s Geothermal Laboratory has found that the United States could produce three million megawatts of green power, or 10 times the amount of power that coal produces today. As you can see in the map above, SMU has outlined where in the United States these resources lay and are most dense on the West Coast.

New research from SMU’s Geothermal Laboratory, funded by a grant from Google.org, documents significant geothermal resources across the United States capable of producing more than three million megawatts of green power – 10 times the installed capacity of coal power plants today.

SMU used a geothermal layer on top of Google Maps to find their discoveries. SMU outlines the technical details and what impact it could have on the United States. Check out their post for all of the details.

A user on the XDAdevelopers forum has posted a somewhat stable ROM for Ice Cream Sandwich running on the Nexus S. This build shouldn’t be mistaken as complete though, seeing as it does have a number of bugs.Problems with this ROM include 3G connectivity (for some), data, NFC, panorama mode, and camera will force close with the first boot. If you’re just dying to checkout Ice Cream Sandwich this ROM is for you but shouldn’t be used day-today. Get the full details here.

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Motorola announced via their official Twitter account that they will be updating all of their Android devices to Ice Cream Sandwich, six weeks after Google releases it to OEMs. Like any new Android update users worry about how quickly it will be available on their devices. Luckily, Motorola is being pretty proactive about this one, most likely because there wont be much customization — since MotoBlur is no longer. It is unclear how other OEMs will respond with the update.

It was recently rumored that the Droid Bionic would be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich in Q1 of January 2012. We’re certainly happy that Motorola gave us an official timeframe to ease the waiting. Now its Google’s turn to get the ball rolling.

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Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google will launch a new music download store that will interconnect with Google Plus in the next two weeks. Users will have the ability to buy songs for 99-cents each, after listening to it once for free.

The new music store will obviously be based off of Music Beta, which has allowed users to upload 20,000 songs for free as a storage locker. Music Beta doesn’t feature any song purchasing whatsoever. Presumably, when launched next week, Music Beta will turn into Google Music.

Google will interconnect Music with Google+. Users can share tracks with their circles, who can then play the song once for free and then purchase it after for 99-cents, reports WSJ. Interestingly, there was no mention of Music during the Ice Cream Sandwich launch, but we assume some more will be announced on that front..

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Samsung has expanded their tablet lineup by announcing the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus in the United States. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus’ main differentiator is its ability to act as an extra peripheral in your home theater setup. The Plus ships with the Peel Smart Remote, which works great with the built-in infrared sensor. Specs on the 7.0 Plus include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, Android Honeycomb (TouchWiz UI), and 7-inch 1024×600 display. The device also comes in a 16GB or 32GB version.

The Peel Smart Remote application not only acts as a remote for your home setup, but suggests content for you to watch. The Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 is available for $399 on November 13th, and pre-orders will begin October 23rd.

It will be interesting to see how this does in the face of the $199 Amazon Kindle Fire which is priced at $199 but doesn’t have cameras, 16GB RAM or many of the other features of the full Android Tab 7.0.

We’ll have a review by then. Press release after the break:

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YouTube Movies features a wide selection of movies that users can rent for $2.99, but today we have discovered that YouTube Movies now features free movies in its lineup. The free section isn’t just released movies by any means, so don’t expect to get the latest and greatest. The free section does however feature a pretty nice set of older titles, including the popular Step Brothers, Resident Evil, Ghost Busters II, and more. Clicking on the movie page will bring up a description of the movie, a review of the movie from Rotten Tomatoes, and suggested movies.
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Google just announced on their Reader blog this afternoon, that Google Reader will be receiving an updated redesign to match many other products next week. When it comes to social features that Reader already has, Google will be removing friending, following, and shared links and implementing Google+ features instead.

The new redesign will most likely look like the redesign we’ve already seen across Mail, Docs, Maps, and more. Personally, I welcome the new theme, because currently I don’t think Reader looks good. I also like Google’s efforts to make their products look better.

Sprint has announced the Motorola Admiral this afternoon, a 3.1-inch device running Android 2.3 with a design to withstand rugged environments. The device features a 3.1-inch VGA display (Gorilla Glass), full QWERTY keyboard, 1.2 GHz processor, 4GB of internal memory, 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, and Android 2.3. That Gorilla Glass and full QWERTY keyboard are definitely a selling point for some.

The Motorola Admiral launches October 23rd for $99. We’ll have a full review then, so stay tuned.

On the product page for the Galaxy Nexus that was released yesterday there is a signup form to get more information on the device before it is available in November. The signup form hints to seven new carriers that the Galaxy Nexus will be listed on.

We already know that Verizon will probably be the exclusive carrier of the Nexus, but also listed are AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, MetroPCS, Cellular South (C Spire), and U.S. Cellular. It is not clear which carriers will be available at first.

This is fantastic news, giving users more choice — especially with those pre-paid carriers. If you haven’t seen the Galaxy Nexus you’re sure to want to check it out.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGyp6dS6zqk]

Following the announcement of the RAZR in partnership with Verizon yesterday, Motorola has released the official commercials for the new Android device. Motorola has released both a U.S. and Europe version of the ad. Check out the European version after the break:

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Google’s Co-Founder Sergey Brin and VP of Product Vic Gundotra were just on stage at the Web 2.0 Summit taking questions from the audience. One question that has been sitting in the back of our minds that was asked is when Google+ will be available for Apps users. Gundotra answered that Google+ will be available for Apps users “in a number of days.”Gundotra also said that brand pages are on their way soon too, but not as quickly as Google+ for Apps users.

Gundotra said that Google+ wasn’t initially available for Apps users because of the technology changes that are needed. Gundotra didn’t think Google+ was going to take off so fast, and that they were going to put Google+ in the hands of Apps users faster.

Now available on Amazon, Samsung’s personal media players the Galaxy Player 4 and Galaxy Player 5 have hit the U.S. The Galaxy Player 4 rocks a 4-inch screen and is available for $229, while the Galaxy Player 5 rocks a 5-inch screen and is available for $269. Both devices are sure to make the perfect Android alternative to the iPod touch. The devices don’t come with a microSD card however, so you better be sure to pick one of those up too.

Check it out!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FYLL1zWT0zk]

The Droid RAZR was announced yesterday afternoon with a killer set of hardware. We were worried, however, when it came to software seeing as the device packed Gingerbread, and Ice Cream Sandwich was going to be announced that evening. Well Ice Cream Sandwich is now here and looking wonderful, but don’t fear though, TechCrunch is reporting that the RAZR will be seeing its Ice Cream Sandwich update in Q1 of 2012.

You can check out the RAZR in our hands-on above (it doesn’t really do it justice) and check out the Ice Cream Sandwich screenshot tour for all of the details on that. ICS + Droid RAZR = perfect match.

Sprint has announced the fifth device in their EVO lineup this morning: the EVO Design 4G. The EVO Design 4G is a world-phone available for $99 October 23rd, and actually has a pretty nice spec list under its belt.  Specs for the device include Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), HTC Sense, 1.2 GHz processor, 4-inch qHD display, 5-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-camera, Wi-Fi, and World Phone capabilities. Pretty cheap for a nice device.

Google and Samsung just wrapped up their event in Hong Kong this evening where they just unveiled the highly anticipated Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Nexus is the flagship phone for Ice Cream Sandwich, which will ship sometime in November to U.S., Europe, and Asia. As of now, all we know is Verizon as a confirmed carrier and possibly T-Mobile.

The Galaxy Nexus has a curved design. Other specs for the device include a 4.65-inch (1280 x 720) 720P HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 16GB or 32GB storage option, a barometer, and NFC technology.

The Galaxy Nexus will ship with Android 4.0, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, which features many UI changes over the last version. Other updates to the OS include new software buttons, Google+ integration, Peoples app, updated core apps (Gmail, Cal, etc..), and new face recognition that will allow you to unlock your device. The screenshot tour below really goes in-depth:

Full Ice Cream Sandwich Screen Shot Tour

Full Galaxy Nexus run-down

Galaxy Nexus hands-on

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-F_ke3rxopc]

Ready to see this device in action? Check it out above.

Curious to see what the new Android looks like? Check out the new version, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, in the gallery below.

Before they announce it on-stage here in a few minutes, This is my next has just posted a full run-down of Ice Cream Sandwich, the next version of Android. The new version features numerous UI changes, including a new color scheme called Roboto. Since the Galaxy Nexus features no hardware buttons, Google has introduced new virtual buttons to the homepage. To also compliment the homepage GOogle has introduced five screens and resizable widgets. Google is also introducing a new feature to Ice Cream Sandwich called Android Beam. Using NFC, Beam allows users to share content with other Android users.

-Ice Cream Sandwich now also features face-recognition to unlock the device. The device will recognize your face and will unlock it when it sees it.

-Ice Cream Sandwich features a new Google+ app, that also features a new People app that pulls photos from your Google+ friends and puts them in your contacts. This new feature will certainly bring a new aspect to the social network.

-To compliment the 5-megapixel camera, Google has added a new camera app to Ice Cream Sandwich that will allow you to edit photos. The keyboard now features an inline spell checker and improved copy and paste.

-Android’s internet browser now features Chrome desktop sync and offline syncing.

-Gmail now features swiping and offline mail.

-Calendar now features pinch to zoom.

-Now features data usage so you know how much data you have used for the month. It also will project data usage for you.

-New camera features.

-Google announces new People App. More to come.

This story is developing, please refresh for updates.