It looks like AT&T will start taking delivery tomorrow of Pre Plus units that are being specifically designated as high-security, SKU-less "practice devices" that are only to be used off the sales floor for training purposes, though when training is complete, they can be moved to a live store display. That certainly lends weight to a launch happening sooner rather than later, counter to rumors earlier in the month that we might not see them on shelves until the peak of Summer. Of course, we don't know how long the training sessions are going to run -- our leak here gives no indication of that, nor of a retail release date -- but considering that we first saw this form factor back in January of '09, it's seriously in everyone's best interest to fast-track these. Our fingers are crossed.

[Thanks, Eric L.]

AT&T getting 'practice' Pre Pluses tomorrow? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google's known for taking April Fools' Day pranks just a little more seriously than most, but it's managed to outdo itself this year by creating a very real Android app to accompany this year's ruse that you can download right now. The concept -- Animal Translator -- is almost believable, until you realize that your average hamster doesn't have a library card to pick up Hitchhiker's Guide. Follow the break for Google's video intro.

Continue reading Google steps up its April Fools game, writes Android app for the occasion

Google steps up its April Fools game, writes Android app for the occasion originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So HTC's mighty Android-powered Incredible for Verizon is apparently showing up in Verizon's systems as having precisely 156,709 units "On Order," and the individual that posted the shot over in Android Forums says that "On Order" is really code for "they're in the warehouse, and you're not allowed to sell them yet." He goes on to say that they won't be shipping to stores this week, but now that they're in Verizon's hands -- not the manufacturer's -- a retail event can't be far off, we figure. With Sprint having gotten virtually all of the Android spotlight at CTIA this year on account of the EVO 4G, it's Verizon's turn, wouldn't you say?

[Thanks, Evan]

Verizon's HTC Incredible stocked up and ready to roll? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The latest quarter of earnings reported by RIM today was a bevy of pretty good news sprinkled in around one moderately negative piece -- quarterly revenue -- which missed the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion by about $230 million. Otherwise, though, the company set a new record for quarterly BlackBerry activations, raking in 4.9 million new accounts to bring the total to 41 million, and annual revenue grew 35 percent to $15 billion versus the year prior. Notably, co-CEO Jim Balsillie chimed in to say that the company is "off to a great start in fiscal 2011 and expect strong shipments, revenue, subscriber and earnings growth in Q1" to the tune of somewhere between $1.31 and $1.38 a share, which beats analyst estimates, so these guys must really like what they've got in store for the all-BlackBerry, all-the-time WES show in Orlando next month. That said, the company still closed down a little over a percent in trading today, so the bottom line -- missing your numbers for the quarter -- clearly counts for something.

RIM's earnings just shy of expectations, expects boost next quarter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're not quite at the height of Apple frenzy, but looking at the bell curve, we're only a standard deviation or two from its zenith (we imagine the fever pitch will be in tandem with Saturday's iPad launch, if history and human nature tells us anything). Of course, that doesn't stop the rumor mill from amping up production, and so on with the show! First on the docket, remember last month's discovery of multitasking comments in the iPhone SDK 3.2 beta? Well, Apple Insider's apparently got it on word from its network of sources that OS 4.0 will in fact include multitasking, with app switching purportedly done by double-tapping the home button and selecting the appropriate active app icon. If you ask us, that sounds similar in function to command / tab switching, but the people claiming to be in the know liken it more to Expose for OS X.

Taking a step back to focus on the actual hardware for a moment, iPad in Canada is hearing that local Apple store employees have been told April 24th is a "black out period," meaning no one is allowed to take that day off. That usually coincides with major product launch, and we did hear the international iPad debut would be late April, but Apple's yet to make its non-US plans concrete. It is the last Saturday of the month, however, and perhaps it'll coincide with the other countries as well. As always, none of this is confirmed and shouldn't be taken as gospel in any way, shape, or form. We can't stop you from getting your hopes up, but don't blame us if those dreams get shattered by a sucker punch of reality.

Apple rumor twofer: Expose-like multitasking in iPhone OS 4.0, international iPad launch on April 24th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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