The weekend has arrived and the sun has finally got its hat on. What more could you want? “The latest tech news I’ve missed out on this week”, we hear you say? You’re in the right place. Read on for a hand-picked selection of this week’s news and reviews.
April, 2011
Let’s get that weekend started off right with a morning dose of tech news. In today’s US Update we focus on smartphones, but throw in a taste of tablets before we close shop. On today’s agenda is the HTC Desire S, updates on the Xperia Neo, a mystery HP smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch 2 and even the Acer Iconia A500. Let’s begin shall we?
The first wave of Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets to hit the mark of “affordable” price territory is upon us. Earlier this morning Best Buy announced the Acer Iconia Tab A500, a close cousin to the Acer Transformer, will be headed to the states on April 24th with pre-orders kicking off next week (April 14th). Priced at $449, the Iconia A500 looks to be positioned at the would-be Motorola Xoom audience, but will they bite?
![Say hello to the BlackBerry Torch 2 [photo]](http://cdn.electricpig.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/blackberry_torch_2-150x150.jpg)
Let’s hope the second generation BlackBerry Torch outshines the first. In an exclusive leak by our main man BGR, we are pleased to bring you the first-ever photo of the BlackBerry Torch 2. The hybrid BlackBerry has seen a major overhaul in the specs department and word on the street is it “offers a great experience”. Here’s the scoop:
![Can you name this mystery HP smartphone? [photo]](http://cdn.electricpig.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hp_stingray-150x150.jpg)
No it’s not the HP Veer or HP Pre3 announced earlier this year. In fact we aren’t quite sure what the name of this mysterious HP smartphone could be — which is why we need your help. Our friends over at precentral.net received a photo of this unnamed smartphone this morning and other than a few rumored specs, we’re a bit dumbfounded by the glamour shot.
In the wake of the devastating effects of the earthquakes in Japan, Sony Ericsson has provided some insight on how the future may play out for its Xperia smartphone range. In a statement issued on the company’s Italian Facebook page, SE announced the release of the Xperia Neo has been reset for July. Meanwhile the Xperia Play and Arc have not been delayed, but supply constraints will impact availability.
Hopefully you’ve had a chance to check out our HTC Desire S review, now it’s time to tell you where to pick up your own. Orange UK started the morning by announcing Desire S availability in all of their UK retail stores. T-mobile UK quickly followed with their exclusive silver version, also available in stores, telesales and online.
Stop the clock – it’s the end of the working week. Grab your bag and get ready to head out of the door, but before you do, take a look at today’s top stories, here in your teatime tech roundup.