Jordan Kahn

BestBuy is advertising a pretty attractive Deal of the Day that lasts for another 11 or so hours: $100 off its regular price on contract, you can pick up the Samsung Galaxy S III right now for $99 from BestBuy.com. That’s 50 percent off including free shipping, and it is being offered in select Best Buy retail stores. There are limited quantities, and one per order, but you can grab one right now from BestBuy’s Deal of the Day page here.

Rockstar Games announced on its blog today that Grand Theft Auto Vice City would officially land on Android in celebration of the title’s 10th anniversary. Rockstar said the game will be the full Vice City experience, but it will also feature “native high-resolution graphics and several enhancements unique to the iOS and Android platforms.” Unfortunately, it does warn that it will only be available on select Android devices. Rockstar is promising a release this fall and more details in the weeks to come. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, it will also release “a series of commemorative assets”:

To celebrate the 10th anniversary, there will be a series of commemorative assets released, including never-before-seen artwork and a brand new anniversary trailer highlighting some of the most iconic scenes and music from the game.  In addition, a limited run of collectable promotional items will be made available for purchase through the Rockstar Warehouse, with select items also available via online giveaways.

Google Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra posted some vacation photos to his Google+ (via AndroidCentral) page that appear to have been snapped by a yet-to-be unveiled Samsung Nexus 10. Some information that we learn about the tablet’s camera specs: the image is shot at 2,048-by-1,536 resolution (3.1 megapixels), which is rather low, but that’s likely because Google+ resized the images. It seems unlikely Vic would post images from another device with the camera listed as “Nexus 10,” but we’ll know for sure on Monday when Google is expected to announce the Nexus 10 alongside the new LG Nexus 4 in New York.

Another one of the images is below:

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Apparently, keeping secrets isn’t in Google’s DNA. Following a leak of the LG Nexus 4 this morning, ahead of Google’s press event on Monday, we now get a look at what appears to be the support manual for the rumored Samsung-built Nexus 10 tablet. The Verge pointed us to these pair of images from Korean website Seeko, showing some basic specs for the 10-inch tablet.

It’s not clear if these images are legitimate. Moreover, unfortunately, we don’t learn much from the images. If they are the real deal, it appears the new Nexus 10 will sport a design much different from the current Nexus 7 lineup. As you can see in the images above, the placement of the volume rockers, and other components, line up with the Galaxy Note 10.1, but the sides of the device in landscape orientation appear to have a slight curve. None of the specs listed that we can see are surprising, including: a micro USB port, headphone jack, LED indicator, micro HDMI port, and a back camera with flash. We’ll be at Google’s event in New York on Monday where we hope to get a better look at the new device.

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We knew U.S. carriers would separately announce availability of Jelly Bean updates when Samsung announced the update would arrive to U.S. carriers in the “coming months.” Sprint announced today it is the first U.S. carrier to roll out the update, with Android 4.1.1 now available to the carrier’s Galaxy S III users. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and U.S. Cellular have yet to announce a specific update for its Jelly Bean updates, but they should in the weeks to come.

Today, Sprint became the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer the Android™ 4.1.1, Jelly Bean, update to its Samsung Galaxy S® III customers. The update began rolling out today and adds a host of new and enhanced TouchWiz® features, offering a faster, richer and more responsive device experience.

Sprint said the update started rolling out to eligible Galaxy S III users over the air this morning:
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Google is set to take the stage this Monday in New York City for what many expect will be the launch of the new LG Nexus 4, among other things. Just a few days before the event, U.K. retailer Carphone Warehouse is now listing the device, specs, and more, as well as accepting pre-orders with a delivery date of Oct. 30. The phone is listed as being free with a two-year contract through Vodafone or O2 UK. This isn’t the first time the retailer has leaked a device prior to launch, but it’s always a possibility the details will change.

[tweet https://twitter.com/hack_in_the_box/status/261442508704329728]

Many of the specs listed on the retailer’s website seem to line up with previous leaks, including: 2GB of RAM, a 320ppi HD display similar to the Optimus G, a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, and 8-megapixel camera. The website lists the device as shipping with Jelly Bean rather than Key Lime Pie, but the new OS is expected to be unveiled during Google’s media event on Monday. Other specs listed include 8GB of storage, 1080p@30fps video, and NFC. There is of course no telling how legit this, but the retailer does appear to be pretty confident. U.K. readers can pre-order the device now through Carphone Warehouse, with an expected delivery date of Oct. 30. We’ll be on hand in New York on Monday to bring you live coverage of the event.

Google announced today on its Inside AdWords blog that it will now allow AdWords users to track iOS downloads from in-app display ads, a feature that was previously only available for Android app downloads. Google said iOS conversion tracking allows advertisers to “better understand which campaigns are most effective at driving app downloads.”

The feature allows marketers to track downloads that originate from “in-app” display ads, meaning the iOS conversion tracking feature at this point doesn’t include app downloads driven by Google Search or Google Display Network ads. For iOS app downloads, Google explained marketers will have to go through a couple extra steps, requiring them install an SDK, grab a code snippet from their AdWords account, and then install it into their app. The same feature is currently available to Android as a codeless solution requiring users to simply create a new conversion in their account.

Tracking downloads of an iOS app requires integrating a small SDK into your app and pasting a small snippet of code in your app’s didFinishLaunchingWithOptions method to call the SDK.

Full instructions from Google on setting up iOS conversion tracking are below:
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ae5MzPKAQ4&feature=plcp]

Google already offers a number of remote locations that are hard to capture with its regular Street View cars and trikes, but today it announced it is capturing even more 360-degree imagery using a new wearable backpack camera system called “Trekker”. As highlighted in the video above, the backpack allows the Street View team to capture areas on foot that it normally couldn’t access with its Street View vehicles. The team’s first project brings it to the Grand Canyon where the Trekker will collect imagery that will soon go live on Google Maps for users to explore the popular destination:

The narrow ridges and steep, exposed trails of the Grand Canyon provide the perfect terrain for our newest camera system. The Trekker—which its operator controls via an Android phone and automatically gathers photos as he walks—enables the collection of high-quality imagery from places that are only accessible on foot.

Among the locations Google will capture is the “portions of the South Rim at Grand Canyon National Park, including the ridge, the famous Bright Angel Trail, South Kaibab Trail.” Google said the new imagery would soon make its way to Google Maps.

It also explained the new Trekker backpack camera is operated with an Android device:
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Apple is right now unveiling its new 7.9-inch iPad mini at the California Theatre; and during the presentation, it took some time to highlight the difference between its tablet and the Nexus 7. As you can see in the images above, Apple execs made a point of showing off the iPad mini’s small bezel and its ability to provide extra screen real estate in browsers and elsewhere. Full coverage on 9to5mac. 

Ahead of Samsung’s press event tomorrow, AT&T is making things official for pricing and availability for its version of the new Galaxy Note II. The carrier issued a press release today, confirming the device will land on Nov. 9 with pre-orders kicking off later this week on Oct. 25. To get your hands on it, you’ll have to hand over $300 on the usual two-year agreement. We will be on-hand at the event tomorrow, and Samsung will bring along a few NYC fans to attend the launch and Kanye West performance afterward. AT&T’s full press release is below:
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Samsung is about to officially launch its new Galaxy Note II this week in the United States at a press event in New York City on Wednesday. We know T-Mobile and Sprint will launch the device this week, and AT&T and Verizon sometime in the near future, but today Samsung confirmed we would also get a performance from Kanye West following the presentation. Samsung’s Facebook page is offering its NYC fans a chance to attend the performance. It did not provide details on how to enter, but it said to stay tuned to its Facebook page for more details. We will be live at the event to bring you updates as they happen.

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BusinessInsider pointed us to an interesting update to the Google Wallet website today: Google is now advertising “the next version” of its mobile wallet app and providing a link a to request an invite. The website has a link to “Request an invite” for when the new version is ready, but even more interesting is what happens after users do so. After clicking the link, Google asks users to select the type of mobile device they use. The three options include: Android, iOS, and Other.

There is no details regarding what might be included in the next generation of the Wallet service, but many are speculating Google might have plans to extend some portion of the Google Wallet app to iOS and possibly other devices. An iPhone version of Google Wallet would of course not include the NFC capabilities that have limited the service to select Android devices, but perhaps it could provide some type of integration with Apple’s Passbook feature on iOS? We have requested an invite to the new version of Wallet, and we will keep you updated when we learn more.

Google also announced today that Google Wallet is now available to Galaxy S III users on MetroPCS:

[tweet https://twitter.com/googlewallet/status/260476513567256576]

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HhD5oFYG_1k]

We noted last week that carrier-backed Google Wallet competitor Isis was nearing an official launch when we noticed the T-Mobile ISIS app on Google Play. Today, the app officially launches on all three of its major carrier partners in Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas. ISIS issued a press release on its website today to confirm the service would be available to nine “Isis Ready” handsets through Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. It will also land on a total of 20 devices by the end of 2012.

“Today’s launch of the Isis Mobile Wallet is a significant achievement in terms of enabling consumer adoption of mobile payments,” said Suzan Kereere, senior vice president and general manager, American Express, Global Network Business.  “Mobile commerce holds the promise of dramatically enhancing consumers’ shopping experience, and American Express’ first priority as a network is to provide choice and flexibility for all industry participants as we work together to influence the speed and growth of mobile NFC payments in the U.S.”

The service will be made available to compatible devices, which the press release failed to list, and it can be activated with a secure element SIM card at one of the partner carrier’s retail stores in Austin and Salt Lake City. We know on T-Mobile you’ll be able to use at least the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Relay 4G. You can see Verizon’s selection here. Isis also has a full list of participating merchants here.

Like T-Mobile, ISIS apps for both Verizon and AT&T are now available on Google Play.

The full press release from Isis is below:
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The New York Times has a story today on a $40 Android-powered tablet called “Ubislate 7Ci” made by London-based Datawind. The 7-inch tablet is aimed at students in India initially, and it packs an 800-by-480-pixel touchscreen, Android 4.0.3, a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, and 512MB of RAM, USB port, headphone jack, mic, front-facing camera, and Wi-Fi. The company sold 2.5 million of the tablets so far, and it is about to provide a 100,000 unit to the government for India’s schools:

Mr. Singh says his cost of assembly for a Ubislate is about $37, and he sells it to the Indian government for $40. He keeps the price low by using Google’s free Android operating system and cheap semiconductors found in low-end cellphones. In addition, he says, his company figured out how to make its own touch panel to fit behind the liquid crystal display screen. The LCD is still manufactured by an outside company.

The tablet’s performance looks to be half-decent for the price tag from the video demo below. That is if you can get past its ad-supported apps. However, with recent rumors of a $99 Nexus tablet, we can only imagine what kind of an impact a $50 Nexus 7 could have. According to Gartner, it might be just a year or two before that is a reality.

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MetroPCS, the carrier that will soon merge with T-Mobile, announced today that it would offer its customers Samsung’s Galaxy S III starting Oct. 22. However, the carrier said in its press release (below) that select retail stores would have stock of the device starting this weekend. It is going to cost $499 on one of the carrier’s monthly no annual contract plans. That is a bit more than the usual two-year agreement from other carriers. According to MetroPCS, its $55 LTE plan can save you $1,200 over two years:

Together, the Samsung Galaxy S III and MetroPCS’ 4GLTE service plans deliver an unmatched value to consumers unwilling to compromise on handset or service. Priced at $499 plus tax, the Galaxy S III is available on any of MetroPCS’ affordable 4GLTE service plans, which range from $30 – $70 per month, including the limited-time promotional plans of 4G LTE for $30 or unlimited talk, text and 4GLTE data for $55 per month (taxes and regulatory fees included). When comparing total costs of both the smartphone and rate plans with other 4G LTE operators, consumers can save approximately $1,200 or more over the course of two years (based on MetroPCS’ current $55 4GLTE rate plan).

The full specs for the dual-core LTE Galaxy S III variant with the press release from MetroPCS are below:
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During Google’s financial call today, which we have full coverage of in our liveblog, CEO Larry Page revealed that Google’s run rate for mobile is now at $8 billion. That is quite the increase from the $2.5 billion it announced last year:

This time last year I announced that our run-rate for mobile advertising hit $2.5 billion.  That seemed like a pretty big number — even for Google.  Now we have built up additional mobile revenue from users paying for content and apps in Google Play.  Including these new sources grossed up, I can announce our new run-rate for mobile is now over $8 billion.  That’s quite a business

However, CFO Patrick Pichette added that its run rate for the quarter also included ads and Google Play content revenue. Not surprisingly, the company noted the majority of that $8 billion figure comes mostly from ads. During the call, Page also confirmed there are still roughly 1.3 million Android activations daily:
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Today, Facebook is announcing a major overhaul to its Android SDK with the release of Facebook SDK 3.0 Beta for Android. As it recently did for iOS developers, it is also launching a new Android Dev Center with resources and tools for integrating Facebook into mobile apps. In a blog post on the company’s Developer Blog, Facebook’s Michael Marucheck said the new SDK “makes it easier to build more immersive social experiences, as well as better distribute and promote your app.”

With this update, our SDK provides advanced functionality that makes it easier to build more immersive social experiences, as well as better distribute and promote your app. With our SDK and Open Graph, now it’s even easier to get more people to install and use your apps regularly.

Some of the new features in the Beta include: new native UI controls, simplified session management with new tools for authorization and authentication, and better Facebook API support with batch SDK requests, enhanced Mobile install measurement to “measure clicks and installs for mobile app install ads,” and other improvements.

Facebook highlighted some of the new native UI controls included in SDK 3.0 that are “more efficient and responsive” for web developers than web dialogs:

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It looks like Google’s Q3 earnings have been released early with The Wall Street Journal reporting Google posted revenue of $14.1 billion and a net of $2.18 billion. A summary of the company’s earnings report from a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing is below. In the report, we see Motorola accounted for 18 percent of consolidated revenues. It brought in $2.58 billion, while reporting a $527 million operating loss. Of that $527 million operating loss, $505 million comes from Motorola’s mobile segment and $22 million from its home business. Google reported cash, cash equivalents, and short-term marketable securities at $45.7 billion as of Sept. 30 and operating income of $3.26 billion.

As highlighted in the screenshot above, Google is down almost 10 percent following the news. Google made a statement on what happened with the early filing (via Business Insider):

“Earlier this morning RR Donnelley, the financial printer, informed us that they had filed our draft 8K earnings statement without authorization. We have ceased trading on NASDAQ while we work to finalize the document. Once it’s finalized we will release our earnings, resume trading on NASDAQ and hold our earnings call as normal at 1:30 PM PT.”

Google is scheduled to announce earnings later today at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Q3 Financial Summary
Google Inc. reported consolidated revenues of $14.10 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2012, an increase of 45% compared to the third quarter of 2011. Google Inc. reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the third quarter of 2012, TAC totaled $2.77 billion, or 26% of advertising revenues.
Operating income, operating margin, net income, and earnings per share (EPS) are reported on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis. The non-GAAP measures, as well as free cash flow, an alternative non-GAAP measure of liquidity, are described below and are reconciled to the corresponding GAAP measures at the end of this release.

We know Apple has had a lot of success pushing iPads in education, and during Apple’s Q3 conference call, CEO Tim Cook said the company would continue to be “very aggressive”. Apple’s iPad 2 sales in the K-12 market doubled y-o-y in Q3 thanks to a price drop to $399. In Q2, Apple said it sold about a million iPad units to the United States education market. With Apple’s upcoming iPad mini announcement possibly bringing an even lower price point for iPads in education, Amazon is announcing its plans today to get Kindle tablets into schools.

Reuters reported today that Amazon is launching a service, called “Whispercast”, aimed at allowing schools to easily deploy and manage multiple kindle devices:

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