Back a few weeks we told you about Mozilla's new Android tablet build of Firefox, and we're happy to report that nightly builds are now available for download.  Be warned -- when Mozilla says nightlies, they mean it.  These are going to be far from finished and lack a lot of polish, but it's the perfect way to share current builds, and Mozilla's open-development system allows us all to contribute to finishing things up.  My early tests are pretty positive.  Things are a little slow, but the latest build renders everything beautifully across the full set of SPE sites (and we use some serious code on our desktop versions).  I'll have no problem using this as my main browser while on my tablet, and will be running the nightlies to see how they progress.

If you're wanting to get in on the testing (and the more the merrier) hit the source link and install as you would any other Android app.  What Mozilla needs the most right now is feedback on the UI and operation, and if you fancy yourself a developer, they have a bug list ready for some attention. 

Source: lucasr.org; via AndroidGuys

Download the latest nightly build here

Git Media may not be a name we think of when it comes to Android tablets, but they are trying to change that in a big way with their announcement of two new Honeycomb tablets -- the Git Surge, and the Git Pro.  The two devices both share the same price ($479.99) and specs, save the processor.  The Git Surge will pack the Tegra 2 like the current crop of Honeycomb tablets, while the Git Pro will have a 1GHz Samsung Exynos processor powering it.  The rest of the specs are equally impressive:

• 10.1-inch 16:9 touchscreen (1280X768)
• Android OS 3.0 (Honeycomb)
• 250GB internal HDD
• 1GB RAM
• 2MP front-facing camera;  5MP rear camera
• Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, optional 3G
• Built-In Speakers and Microphone
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• USB Port, Micro SD, and Mini USB Port

Did that 250GB internal disk drive catch your eye?  Ours, too.  We also inquired with the folks at Git Media, and both tablets will support the Android Market and Google applications.  The specifications on both these units are pretty darn impressive, and the price is right in line with the rest of the tablet market.  Currently the software is a couple minor versions behind, but with Honeycomb's closed nature and the mystery of exactly how Google is sharing it we can overlook that -- for now.  If the folks at Git Media have a commitment to keeping these up to date, we could be looking at the best Android tablets so far.  For more information hit the source link and check them out.

Source: Git Media

When you think of Italy, you think of Ferrari, Pasta, beautiful architecture. You might not think of Android and with good reason. However, Italian company Olivetti has set out to change all that by launching a pair of Android tablets, a 10 inch Honeycomb device and a 7-inch Froyo (yes, Froyo) device. 

So what's the deal with these two? The smaller tablet, the Olipad Smart is packing a 1GHz TI OMAP Cortex A8 processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB on board storage and an 800x480 multitouch display with 3G connectivity. The big downside is the operating system. At this stage releasing any device without at least Gingerbread on board is a big fail, especially given it's price point. It's due for release Sept.15 with a price of €299 ($431).

It's bigger brother, named the Olipad 110 is a lot more promising. Running Honeycomb 3.1 on top of a Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB of on board storage and a 1280x800 IPS display. We also get dual cameras, 5MP on the back and 2MP on the front, MicroUSB and MicroSD support, and HDMI out capabilities albeit via a docking station. 

The price for this Italian slice of Honeycomb? €449 ($647) which rather predictably is a little on the high side. It's available right now via the Mediaworld.it online store, with no official word as to whether or not it will ever be available outside of Italy. 

Check out the full press release after the break. 

Source: AndroidOS.in

The Acer Iconia A100 is the first 7-inch Honeycomb tablet, and it's filled with the same Tegra goodness as it's big brother.  And you can win one in our Tegra Madness giveaway right in the Android Central forums.  There are quite a few of us who love the idea of a full fledged Honeycomb tablet in this size range, perfectly portable and just right for reading.  Being able to play those cool Tegra 2 games is a nice perk as well.

Winning one is easy, just hit the forums and drop a note in the contest thread, and you're entered.  We'll pick the winner at random, and announce them all in one big blog post next Sunday (Sep. 18).  Good luck to all, and be sure to enter all week!

Win an Acer Iconia A100

We painstakingly sat through Fusion Garages CEO Chandrasekar “Chandra” Rathakrishnan's announcement of the Grid10 Tablet and Grid4 phone not too long ago. We even heard him try to slander Androids popularity, and that he was out to make something entirely different -- all the while telling us the Grid10 would use the Android kernel as well as run Android apps. Despite all that, and the dreadfully terrible webcast he gave for the announcement, the Grid10 and Grid4 did pique some interest.

At the time, the creator of the JooJoo flop told us the Grid10 would cost $499 for the 16GB WiFi version with the 16GB 3G/WiFi version coming in at $599. Well, Fusion Garage must not have had many pre-orders because they've now dropped the price to $299 for the 16GB WiFi version and $399 for the 16GB 3G/WiFi version. That almost brings the price down to a point where we it could be considered a good deal for a 10.1-inch 1366 x 768-pixel display with a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 chipset. Just don't calling it an Android Tablet -- Fusion Garage may ship you a JooJoo out of spite.

Source: Fusion Garage; via Engadget

In the slide you see above from Nvidia's presentation at the 2011 Citi Technology Conference, we get a look at Nvidia's SoC (System on Chip) roadmap for 2012 and 2013.  What piques our interest the most, are the two new chips and how they may be used.  We've been hearing news and waiting for the Kal-El for a bit now, and the Wayne chip has been thrown around, but what exactly are the Kal-El+ and the Grey?

Forgive us for a bit of speculation here, but there are a few logical progressions that we can make.  The Kal-El+ coming in mid-2012 would be an excellent way to introduce a minor spec bump to the Kal-El quad core Tegra we expect to see late this year -- timed just right for Windows 8 ARM devices.  A Windows 8 tablet is likely going to include business and productivity tools from the desktop, and would surely benefit from new tech even if it falls in the middle of a release cycle.  The good news for us is that those improved specs will surely work their way into Android devices, making the Kal-El better performing and more battery friendly.  We certainly won't be complaining about either.

Maybe even more interesting is the Grey.  If rumors are to be believed, the Grey will incorporate the 28nm manufacturing process, with its own radio on-board -- in 2G, 3G, and 4G flavors.  This would put the new Nvidia SoC's in direct competition with Qualcomm's offerings, and will again be a major player on the Windows Phone 7 side of things.  We're not too surprised, as Nvidia acquired Icera (and their ultra-low power software modems) last May, and surely knows the market better than most of us.  If Nvidia can pull off an integrated single chip solution that delivers GeForce graphics as well as great power management, it may be the first step towards the long-lasting battery life devices we've all been waiting for. 

Source: Heise.de (German); via WPCentral

Even though we still don't have an official release date, the Asus Eeepad Slider has showed up for pre-order on Amazon.com starting at $479 for the 16GB version, with the 32GB variant hitting you for $579. 

It's been a long wait for the Slider, first seen back at CES in January and with it's brother the Transformer having been on the market for some time it's still to be seen what mark this tablet will make on the market. 

It's been a long wait, but along with recent sightings at IFA in Berlin, maybe we're all about to finally get our hands on this thing. 

Via: Engadget

Continuing the trend we're seeing of publishers offering discounted Android tablets with subscriptions, the Philadelphia Media Network and Arnova have now officially announced their plans to offer the Archos Arnova 10 G2 to subscribers after the news broke back in July. Some 5,000 of the 1GHz Gingerbread powered tablets will be produced for Philadelphia Media Network by Arnova and they will come pre-loaded with content from the Philadelphia Inquirer and philly.com.

The tablets will be available for $99 with a discounted two-year digital subscription to The Inquirer and Daily News for $9.99 a month or for $129 with a one-year subscription at $12.99 a month. If you're interested, Philadelphia Media Network says you'll have to act fast as they are on a first come, first serve basis. You can hit the break for the full details and specs for the Archos Arnova 10 G2.

A version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with T-Mobile (and several Canadian carriers') AWS bands has passed through the FCC, in a form factor that's unchanged from the Wifi version we all know and love.  Of course we have no idea if this will get any sort of T-Mobile branding, or be offered subsidized, but it's another option for folks who would rather drop a SIM card in and go without worrying about tethering plans or finding a Wifi hotspot while out and about.  The new version will have the 1700MHz AWS band in addition to the standard 850/1900 GSM/HSPA bands used by global carriers (including AT&T here in the states), so it should offer some level of HSPA+ 4G for folks still hanging on to their T-Mobile contract.  With other Canadian carriers offering 4G Galaxy Tab's, we expect this one to make a showing north of the border as well.

Also of note -- Samsung has not changed the form factor in any way, even after repeated (and some successful) attempts by the empire of evil Apple to block all devices that feature glass screens and rounded corners from sale across the globe.  Although a small part of me wants to see a dodecahedron shaped tablet with a non-touchscreen operated UI (Bio-rhythm UI 1.0 anyone?), it's nice to see Samsung sticking to their plans and releasing another version of the thinnest, lightest 10 inch tablet available.  It's anyone's guess how this will play into the current legal battles, but we don't expect anyone but Samsung, and consumers, to be pleased about it.

Source: FCC; via Engadget