Android Tablet Update

Dear Gameloft,

Please don’t ruin N.O.V.A. 3 by making it one of your crappy freemium titles. We promise to support you and pay the full asking price.

Love,
Android gaming fans

As expected, Samsung opened up thenextgalaxy.com early this morning, and released the first teaser video for the upcoming Galaxy. In the short one minute clip we see the message, “Truly smart technology becomes a natural part of life. Where a galaxy fits perfectly into your hand. Your view of the world grows even wider. As you gain the power to explore it freely and swiftly. With technology that fits in this easily, you can now stand out from everyone else.”

No real facts about the product are included, but we can speculate on some of the details from the text. The line “a galaxy fits perfectly into your hands [and] your view of the world grows even wider” hints at the edge-to-edge display that has been rumored. “As you gain the power to explore freely and swiftly” could hint at the all day battery life life that Samsung has been talking up.

At the end of the video we see a herd of sheep, which is clearly another dig at Apple. Samsung previously had a campaign making fun of Apple fans waiting in line for the next iPhone, which was not received very well, so it’s surprising to see them use that tactic again.

Check out the full teaser video below and let us know what you think. Then be sure to head over to thenextgalaxy.com and register for more updates. Can you find any other hidden clues that we missed?

Samsung is scheduled to unpack the next Galaxy on May 3rd, but we should get some new details early tomorrow morning. A new teaser site just went live which has a countdown that ends around 7 AM EST.

Earlier today Samsung Mobile tweeted out an anagram which led people to tgeltaayehxnx.com, “The Next Galaxy”. The site features a message that says, “Coming soon. You can take the next step in…” and the page’s metadata reveals, “Discover how Samsung is about to challenge the way you view the GALAXY once more.”

The “Galaxy S III” has been one of the been one of the most hyped Android phones to date, but no official information has been revealed. We don’t even know what the product will be called or what the final specs might become. Our alarms are set for early in the morning, so check back first thing tomorrow to see what clues get revealed.

Destination: tgeltaayehxnx

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) April 22, 2012

Can Carly Foulkes dressed in leather save T-Mobile? In an upcoming commercial to promote the HTC One S, Carly throws her trademark pink dresses to the floor in exchange for a tight leather suit. It is all part of a new $200 million marketing campaign with the tagline “No More Mr. Nice Girl.”

“We’re working toward a brand refresh later in the year,” T-Mobile senior VP Peter DeLuca said in an interview with AllThingsD. “We really can’t wait until the end of the year to make some noise in the market.”

T-Mobile is throwing a launch party for the One S this Wednesday, so the new ads could start airing soon. We are big fans of Carly, but we are not sure if she can help turn T-Mobile around on her own. Check out the teaser video below and let us know what you think.

Sadly, it now sounds like Borderlands 2 is not coming to Android so now we need a new epic game to get our hopes up for. EA Mobile looks to fill that void with their new flagship, action RPG title Mass Effect Infiltrator. The game just launched today on iOS, but EA Mobile has finally started to take Android serious and we expect a port in the coming months.

Infiltrator is based on the popular Mass Effect series and features a new story line exclusively for mobile devices. This time you take the role of Randall Ezno, a rogue agent who has vowed to bring Cerberus down. EA promises a console-like experience that offers groundbreaking graphics and intensified audio.

Highlights of Mass Effect Infiltrator include:

• Explore the massive exteriors of a fully realized Cerberus Base
• Dive and roll between cover with simple swipe gestures
• Use intuitive tap controls to battle Turians, Asari, Krogans, Droids and Cerberus
• Engage in epic Boss Battles against Cerberus Mechs and twisted experiment victims
• Take control of a massive arsenal of weapons and Biotics
• Earn credits for your performance in every combat encounter
• Collect valuable Intel from slain foes and upload it to Galaxy At War
• Improve your chances in the final battle of Mass Effect 3 – on the go

While you wait for this game be sure to pick up EA Mobile’s The Sims FreePlay and Dead Space (on sale for $0.49). Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think.

Rule number one of big press events: Always check under your seat for free stuff taped to the bottom. HTC just launched an official blog and one of their first posts was titled Greetings from Barcelona. In the post they teased they were unpacking something amazing and shared a picture of a bunch of bubble-wrapped objects.

When we see bubble-wrap, we think of something valuable. A free smartphone or tablet for the attendees perhaps?

HTC says the show will begin on Sunday at 8:30 PM CET, which is 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST in the United States. Nick already previewed what is likely to get announced, but check back this weekend for the complete details.

So, what do you think is in the box?

HTC unboxes "something amazing" for MWC press event.

[Update] I received a statement from Gearbox’s PR team. It reads as follows, “The news out of PLXLAN is unfounded and Gearbox Software is not developing Borderlands 2 for Android. Per our press release on Wednesday, Borderlands 2 will be available on September 18 for PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. As you know, the new trailer went viral yesterday and has nearly 1 million views as of today – it’s likely what was being shown at PLXLAN on a tablet. Hope this clears up any confusion, please feel free to update your readers.”

It’s been awhile since we had a huge blockbuster game to look forward to on Android, but Gearbox Software might be coming to the rescue. This week the Dallas-based developer announced that Borderlands 2, the sequel to their critically acclaimed four-player cooperative shooter-looter, will be coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on September 18th.

“Borderlands 2 is a passion project, through and through,” said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. “The result is a sequel that has improved every successful aspect of Borderlands while innovating with an all-new experience.”

No mention was made of an Android release, but Gearbox Software has already demoed the game running on a Tegra 3 tablet. Until we hear otherwise, we are going to assume that Borderlands 2 is coming to Android.

“The addictive gameplay and shooting and looting mayhem of the first Borderlands is back and better than ever in Borderlands 2, taking the franchise to an entirely new level,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “With more guns, more enemies, more missions, an engaging story and all-new characters, Borderlands 2 promises to bring a new era to gaming this fall.”

Just watch the three minute trailer below and let us know if you would enjoy playing this game on your Android device.

p.s. Hey Gearbox I’m in Dallas too. Hit me up and I’ll come check out your game :)

Are you sick of all the teaser videos for Mobile World Congress yet? Today ASUS released another teaser for next week’s show in Barcelona with a message that reads, “Twice The Detail. Twice The Fun.”

Some have speculated that this could be for the refreshed Transformer Prime TF700T that we first learned about at CES. The original Transformer Prime TF201 had a 10.1 inch display with 1280×800 resolution, but the newer TF700T model features a reported 1920×1200 resolution.

If you do the math, the newer display has twice the pixels of the current model, 1,024,000 vs  2,304,000. That sound pretty impressive, but just remember that Samsung is working on a tablet display with an amazing 2560 x 1600 resolution.

An upgraded Transformer Prime will be nice, but I’m more interested in the Asus Padfone.

When Asus announced the Padfone last year, many of us questioned the success of such an odd device. Who wants a phone that plugs into a tablet-sized display? Then Asus released their Transformer series of tablets with attachable keyboard docks and people saw the advantages of their modular design.

Asus went back to the drawing board and will unveil a newly redesigned Padfone at Mobile World Congress this weekend. The major change to the original concept is supposed to be the addition of a keyboard dock, similar to the Transformer. The concept design that Asus showed at CES actually worked with the original TF101 keyboard dock, but the new Padfone is expected to be compatible with the TF201 dock from the Transformer Prime.

This three piece combo was hinted at in a new teaser video released by Asus. The quick clip shows a set of matryoshka dolls with a message that reads, “1 + 1 + 1 = Endless Possibilities.”

I’m a huge fan of the Transformer Prime, so if Asus can improve the user experience even further then I think they could have a hit on their hands. Not many US carriers have ever carried Asus smartphones, so it remains to be seen if we will ever see the Padfone on our shores.

How many of you would be interested in a phone + tablet + keyboard trio?

This weekend is the time that HTC fans have been waiting for. On Sunday in Barcelona, HTC will hold their press conference for Mobile World Congress and unveil their full lineup of 2012 devices. Today HTC posted an image of a generic phone with the number 5 and a message that read, “This Sunday you’ll discover something fast.”

We think the number 5 could represent the 5-cores inside the Tegra 3 processor that powers the HTC One X, or it could simply be that we are 5 days away from the event.

HTC says the show will begin at 8:30 PM Barcelona time, which is 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST in the United States. We don’t know if they are providing a live stream yet, but we will be sure to let you know if one is available.

What surprises do you think HTC has in store? Any guesses what the number 5 represents?