Rumors regarding the next Google Nexus phone are starting to pick up steam. Today, the folks at GSM Arena obtained what they believe to be a camera sample from the Nexus phone. Through the photo’s EXIF data, we can tell that the photo was taken by the Samsung i9260, which is widely believed to be the Galaxy Nexus 2, or Galaxy Nexus Premier. We can also tell that the picture was camera on the i9260 has a /2.65 aperture and 4mm focal length, which is slightly better than the Galaxy S III.

Current rumors claim that the next Nexus will be released sometime before Christmas and that we may even see more than one device, each made by a different manufacturer. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

[Source: GSMArena]

A nice rumor from a first time source just called me; VZW is looking at an October OR EARLIER release for the new business behemoth, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The caller continued to state that VZW is trying to keep the announcement under wraps at this time due to VZW considering an early release and beat other carriers to the punch.

For those wondering, Galaxy Note had a long contractual agreement with ATT. Tmobile chose to temporarily carry Note in the interim of the Note2 announcement at the end of that agreement (which had to be the shortest one I’ve seen), and VZW chose to go straight to the new version instead of carrying the Note. There really was no reason for TMO to do it IMO but it did help TMobile prove that yes, it works here too.

As usual, this is a rumor, and from a first time source, so take it as you will.

Over past few months, we’ve been hearing rumors of a new HTC phone/tablet hybrid device, much like the Galaxy Note. Today, a press render of the rumored device has been leaked. It looks like a lot of the blurry-cam pictures we’ve seen so far and has the same black and red color scheme. The shot also gives us a possible name for the device, in the One X 5.

Other rumored specs of the device include a 1080p 5-inch screen, quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor and LTE. There’s no word on carriers yet, but given the black and red colors, Verizon seems like an obvious guess.

HTC is holding an event on Wednesday, do you think we’ll see this device there?

Amazon is set to announce its Kindle Fire successor at an event next Thursday and up until now, many expected a larger 10-inch model to be part of that event. CNET reports that Jeff Bezos and Co. will announce two new 7-inch models, but not a 10-inch device. One of those two will be very similar to last years model with new software and an even lower price point, while the other will be a completely new, more powerful model, this according to “a person who has seen the products.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon also has an ad-supported Kindle Fire planned, which could be the same, cheaper, Kindle Fire that CNET reported on.

The Verge leaked two pictures of what they believe to be the next Kindle Fire last week, which look very similar to the tablet introduced last year, though with a smaller bezel and front-facing camera.

[Sources: The Verge, The Wall Street Journal, CNET]

Engadget has obtained pictures of what they claim to be the Verizon branded LG Optimus LTE2. It looks to have for soft buttons at the bottom and a brushed aluminum backing. Other specs include:

• Android 4.0.4
• 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 SoC
• 1GB of RAM
• 4.7-inch “True HD IPS” display (1280 x 720 pixels)
• 16GB of built-in storage
• Global radio support (GSM/UMTS/CDMA/LTE)
• NFC (it comes with programmable tags)
• 8MP camera

A PDF also obtained by Engadget states that the device is slated to launch in two days, on July 13th. This is the first we’ve heard of the device for a while, so I wouldn’t bet any money on that date.

Anyone on Verizon interested in the Optimus LTE2? Let us know in the comments!

[Source: Engadget]

It’s been quite the day for Ice Cream Sandwich. Now, the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint looks to be joining the fun. The folks over at Android Central have received a screenshot that claims the update will begin to rollout on Thursday and wrap-up on July 20th. As we’ve said for all of the Galaxy S II variants, don’t expect too many changes, as it still comes with TouchWiz atop. Keep in mind, it is not TouchWiz Nature UX, as found on the Galaxy S III.

We’ll let you know on Thursday if this rumor turns out to be true.

[Source: Android Central]

The Galaxy Note was very succesful here in the United States, and as we’ve reported before, Samsung is working on a successor to the device. Korean news site MK, citing “an official familiar with Samsung’s product development,” is reporting that the Galaxy Note II will be unveiled at the IFA show in Germany this year. The IFA show is taking place from August 31st to September 5th this year.

MK also claims to know the specs of the device. The current Note features a 5.3-inch display, but the Note II will allegedly feature a slightly larger 5.5-inch panel. It will be powered by a quad-core CPU and will have a 12MP of 13MP. Samsung’s Unbreakable Plane (UBP) will apparently not be present in the Galaxy Note II.

With an IFA unveiling, we will most likely see the device be released to the international market in Q4.

Update: A ninja has reached out to Android Invasion and confirmed that the device will be coming at IFA.

Does the Galaxy Note II interest anyone? Or is 5.5-inches just too big?

[Source: MK via The Verge]