In an extraordinarily convenient turn of events, one buyer of a firesale-priced HP TouchPad at Best Buy a couple of days ago claims his came out of the box with an extra special treat -- it's running Android, 2.2 to be exact. A possible explanation for the existence of this unicorn tablet can be seen in the two YouTube videos posted of the device so far, where it flashes a Qualcomm Innovation Center (Quic) logo which suggests it could be some kind of development project that slipped into retail. We queried Qualcomm about this TouchPad's provenance ourselves and received only a "We have no comment on the video" in return, so the decision to believe that it's real or a particularly well executed hoax is yours. Now, you can be the first to solve this riddle since the owner has put it up for sale on eBay. Need another potential perk? How about the ability to snag a TouchPad-running-Android bounty posted by HacknMod that's up to $2,150 as of this posting. Relevant links are below, including the initial Reddit post, both videos and the auction, so while our credit cards will remain securely in our wallets those who are more trusting -- or just can't believe that anyone would would be dumb enough to try and sell a fake -- can put a bid in if they so choose. Update: Apparently one of our own commenters, Shahzeb Jiwani, has come into possession of a similar device. Luckily for us, he's chosen to make a ROM dump available over on RootzWiki, so check out his video after the break or head over to the thread there as they try and find out how to make this work on everyone else's $99 tablet.
[Thanks, David & Dennis]
Jiwanish's Video:
posted Aug 25th 2011 8:08AM 
One of the biggest gripes from BlackBerry users is the lack of apps, which is why RIM hopes to boost sales by adding Android compatibility in future devices -- DroidBerry, anyone? According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the matter say RIM may add support for Android apps on future QNX-based devices, enabling access beyond RIM's relatively limited App World. The feature is said to go live in the QNX-powered PlayBook tablet by the end of the year, but there's no word yet whether the 2012 line-up of QNX phones will get a Google-friendly makeover. Rumor has it that anyone who bought the most recent batch of BlackBerrys won't get to have a taste of Gingerbread, Honeycomb or any other mouth-watering Android flavor for that matter. Guess they'll have to settle for plain old vanilla. 
Tools like Square's credit card reader and Apple's proprietary iOS retail system make mobile payments possible in the US, but they're hardly streamlined, or widespread. A new Gingerbread tablet from Sharp -- the RW-T107 -- sets out to simplify payments in Japan with its built-in NFC reader. You won't be using your own tablet to pay -- instead, retailers will utilize point of sale apps to process transactions, without a customer ever needing to swipe their credit card. RFID payment cards, like Sony's FeliCa, have been used throughout Japan for the last decade, so consumers are already familiar with the technology and ready to make payments. There's no word on what retailers will expect to pay to add Sharp's tablet to their checkout mix, but with the company set to release only 5,000 devices per month (and no plans to introduce them to the US), we're not planning to ditch our cash just yet. 
We knew the Android Market was coming to Google TV and yesterday product manager Ambarish Kenghe announced the tools to make it a reality. The Google TV add-on to the Android SDK has been released to developers so they can begin the process of porting their apps to your 40-inch flatscreen. At the moment, only developers using Linux with KVM can use the kit but Kenghe says they're working on support for other platforms. Apps that require unsupported tech like touchscreens won't be visible on the market, so developers need to make sure their software is optimized for TVs before they make their living-room debut. Hammer your finger on the source link below for the inside skinny from Mr Kenghe himself.
While one consumer electronics giant is unceremoniously exiting the tablet wars, after many teaser trailers we're hearing Sony is finally ready to reveal its entry. We uncovered the S1 PlayStation Tablet ahead of its official reveal earlier this year, and after getting our hands all over it we've got more details to report before it launches. The official name of the S1 is the Sony Tablet S, which is currently projected to bring its 9.4-inch (1280x768) screen to market in the first two weeks of September. It will ship with Android 3.1 with an eye towards upgrading to Ice Cream Sandwich once that's available, and just as the company said many of the key features will revolve around using it to control all devices in the home, via the network or the integrated IR blaster, as well as having the ability to "Throw" media to other DLNA-compatible hardware, whether it's made by Sony or someone else. The slate's dual cameras come in at 3.0MP res up front and 5.0MP around the back, while it's also expected to bring along accessories our source indicates are very similar to those for the iPad. In the images below you can check out a wireless keyboard and dock setup and micro-USB to USB host dongle, details on the "TruBlack" screen technology that's supposed to provide better colors with less glare, and of course all of Sony's preinstalled software bringing PlayStation Certified gaming plus its music, movie and book services. What we don't know yet is its final price -- we'd heard $599 previously -- but there should be more to say about that and the clamshell S2 tablet soon. 