The Daily Slash: April 27th 2010
Does it feel like this week is going by pretty slow to you, too? We could've sworn this was a Wednesday, but thankfully we've got a daily tally, so we figured out the error of our ways pretty quickly. So, welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Daily Slash. Tonight, in the Best of R3 Media, we've got an unknown HTC Android device, Facebook changing up video formats, and a lesser version of the Samsung Galaxy S. And then in the Dredge 'Net, it seems that LTE will have more sustainability than WiMAX, a new PlayStation 3 firmware update to add a nice feature, and then finally the Zune HD gets some new games added to the library, along with a new app.The Best of R3 MediaHas the HTC Wildfire Been Outed? HTC took a different route with naming a future handset. Instead of keeping it internal like they usually do, they decided to talk to their Facebook fans. They published a list that showcased different names for devices. The Wildfire won that little contest. And sure enough, HTC's just got a new, previously unheard of device being approved by the FCC. Could be the Wilfire. Or, it could be something completely different. [via Android Community]Facebook Shifts Videos to HTML5: The Facebook iPhone OS app is one of the most popular for the platform, but the company has yet to create an iPad application. So, that means that most people with the magical tablet from Apple have been utilizing the mobile Safari to access their social networking content. The only trouble with that is, up until today, the videos that people added to their pages have been Flash-enabled. That's all changed, though. They've hit the switch, and now the videos –all videos– are coded in HTML5, which means viewing them in mobile Safari, on the iPad or iPhone or iPod Touch, won't be a problem at all. Now, how about that iPad app? [via Everything iPad]The Samsung Galaxy A is Almost the Galaxy S: We're eagerly awaiting our close, personal time with Samsung's Galaxy S Android 2.1 handset, but for those in South Korea, you can pick up something a little bit like the real thing. The Galaxy A features Android 2.1, and it's technically the company's first Android 2.1 handset. It's got a 3.7-inch AMOLED Plus One touchscreen display, and TouchWiz 3.0. So, like we said, it's almost like the Galaxy S. No 1GHz processor, though. The Galaxy A has an 800MHz processor under the hood. [via SlashPhone]The Dredge NetLTE Has More Longevity Than WiMAX: Probably not good news for Sprint, but definitely good news for Verizon Wireless. According research firm IDC, it seems that WiMAX's current spotlight in the news isn't going to last. The company suggests that spending on LTE equipment is going to exceed WiMAX spending by the end of 2011. That's a good bit of distance from now, but in the long-run, it's still not that good for companies utilizing WiMAX for their 4G technology. As it stands, over 100 operators around the world are using LTE, which include nine of the top 10. An additional dozen are said to launch just this year alone. So, it seems that WiMAX may want to keep on running, because LTE may just leap over them before they know it. [via Gearlog]New PS3 Firmware to Add Background Download: The PlayStation 3 keeps getting updated. It's a bit over the top now, but we like new things way too much to turn them down. This time around, it's just good news. According to rumors, the new update will add background downloading for patches to your favorite video games. Right now, it's about as much a rumor as a rumor can be, but we've got our fingers crossed that Sony's going to let us download our patches while we play the game of our choice. Especially considering those patches aren't necessarily always that small. [via PS3 Blog]The Zune HD gets Solitaire, Labyrinth, and a stopwatch: When you look at your Zune HD, the one thing you know it's missing is the game of solitaire, right? Well, thankfully Microsoft has heard your inward pleas for justice, and have officially added the game to the roster. On top of that, there's a labyrinth game, too. And, for all those moments when you need a stopwatch, they've got you covered with that, too. So, hurry up and go download the new goodness. [via CrunchGear]