Verizon has certainly been late to the Galaxy S4 party. Other major carriers in the U.S. have rolled out Samsung’s latest Android flagship smartphone to their customers, whereas Verizon subscribers wait patiently for the new device. Just a fortnight ago the carrier announced that it will begin rolling out the device from 23rd May. It is now being reported that Verizon is actually pushing out the devices well ahead of time, with some customers allegedly receiving their units as early as last week.

A number of Verizon subscribers who pre-ordered their units are now claiming that their devices have been shipped ahead of the May 23rd release date. If this is indeed the case, then obviously no one would be complaining about actually receiving the device they’ve been waiting patiently for all this time a bit earlier. There’s also an upside to the roll out beginning soon, the Galaxy S4 bootloader unlock wasn’t being released because it is deemed to be compatible with Verizon’s S4 and wasn’t released before Verizon rolled out the device. As the device begins being shipped, we can only hope that the unlock also arrives soon. [Image via CNET]

Google Offers is a nifty little service that informs users whenever a nearby business if offering a limited time deal, through email or an app. The service has now been integrated with Google+ so that users are able to save as well as share such deals with their friends. The Google Offers service was launched back in 2011 with standalone apps released for both iOS and Android devices. The apps show users offers nearby, based on the location information obtained through their devices.

For now, a limited number of businesses have been allowed to share their offers through their official Google+ accounts, these include Adafruit Industries, Nook, Hello Kitty and more. Zagat, one of the most widely used services for restaurant ratings, is also an early adopter of this new integrated service. Google has been putting a lot of work in to building Google+ as a solid competitor against Facebook and Twitter. Recently at I/O 2013 it revealed a number of new Google+ features, and with this integration of Google Offers, its giving users and businesses yet another reason to hold on to its nascent social network.

Back in March Google announced that YouTube One Channel was being opened up for any and all who wanted to opt in to it. YouTube One Channel is a new look for the video streaming website’s channels, the idea behind it is to make channels more visually appealing, regardless of the browser it is being accessed through. The new look has been designed with goal of converting visitors in to subscribers, while retaining the slot for channel trailer. Some 100 million channels around the world opted in, and starting June 5th, every YouTube channel will be updated to this, making the transition mandatory for all of its users.

Those who are ready to make the move right now can opt in to YouTube One Channel, those who don’t will automatically and permanently be moved over to the new look on the aforementioned date. YouTube says that channels who opted in are getting some 20% more page views as clicks from YouTube guide now take visitors directly to a channel’s page rather than its activity feed. It doesn’t really make sense to hold on to the old look now, if you’ve got a channel on YouTube, best that you make the switch. It’ll only take a couple of minutes.

The Lenovo K900 smartphone was first unveiled at CES 2013 and it quite surprisingly smoked every other competitor. This due to the fact that it is powered by Intel’s next generation Clover Trail+ smartphone processor. The Lenovo K900 has now gone on sale in China, despite that it is not known for sure when it will come stateside, the company says international launch in unspecified markets is due this summer.

Lenovo K900 certainly packs a mean punch, touting a 2GHz dualcore Atom Z2580 processor, Gorilla Glass 2 full HD 1080p 5.5-inch display, 13 megapixel camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Despite having all this on-board, the K900 us just 6.9 millimeters and weighs just 162 grams. In China this smartphone is now retailing for RMB 3,299 which is roughly $530. There’s no word as yet from the company on international pricing or availability. The smartphone has a stainless steel frame with the unibody chassis providing the slim and sleek look. Lenovo believes that its new smartphone is the perfect choice for high-end smartphone buyers. It certainly touts internal hardware that would give many smartphones currently available in the market a run for their money.

Just yesterday we reported that Sony had announced that developers will be able to unlock and install stock version of Android OS on the Xperia Tablet Z. The company did the same with Xperia Z smartphone, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that it is doing the same for its tablet, which is due to be released in the U.S. by the end of this month. CyanogenMod folks, known for their custom ROMs, have rolled out a test build and release candidate of CyanogenMod ROM 10.1 for unlocked Xperia Tablet Z.

As per the reports up till now, the release candidate of CyanogenMod ROM 10.1 for Xperia Tablet Z seems to be working fine, without any major bugs. The nightly builds of this ROM are expected to be arriving soon for developers waiting to get in on the action as well. Novice users who are not accustomed to flashing custom ROMs should keep in mind that it voids the warranty of your device, and flashing ROMs isn’t exactly an easy process for first timers. Before this particular CyanogenMod custom ROM can be installed, users will be required to unlock their Xperia Tablet Z units through Sony’s portal.

Last month we reported that Acer was working on an 8 inch tablet that would run on Windows 8. We also posted some alleged leaked images of this tablet, believed to carry the Acer Iconia W3 moniker. Soon after that this tablet appeared on Amazon, only to be pulled a short while later. Acer’s official website is now listing this tablet, confirming once and for all that there is indeed an 8 inch Windows 8 tablet on the way, officially called the Acer Iconia W3, and it looks exactly like it was depicted in those leaked images.

This tablet comes with a pre-installed copy of Windows 8 Pro, an Intel Atom Z2760 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. Two models with 16GB and 32GB of internal storage will be offered. It has a WXGA 8.1 inch 1280×768 display and a 2 megapixel camera. Believed to be a competitor for Apple’s hugely popular iPad mini tablet, it is not yet known when exactly the Acer Iconia W3 tablet will be released to the public, though it is expected to be formally released at Computex, next month. Details about its pricing have not yet been revealed as well.

While flying might be the fastest way of getting from point A to point B, trains are still heavily relied upon or travelling as well. If travelers have the luxury of a good Wi-Fi service above 30,000 feet in the sky, those on trains shouldn’t be left out. Amtrak has long been criticized for its unreliable Wi-Fi service on-board its trains, finally it pays heed to that criticism, announcing today that it is upgrading Wi-Fi service on select trains to offer faster and more reliability to passengers.

The broadband Wi-Fi upgrade has already been completed on Acela trains that run between Washington and Boston. Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner, San Jaoquin and other state sponsored routes in California have been upgraded as well. Amtrak says that remaining Wi-Fi trains, including Northeast Regional, will be upgraded towards the end of summer. The one thing that sets apart Amtrak’s Wi-Fi offering from its competitors in the sky is the fact that Amtrak’s is offering it for free, albeit it does impose some restrictions, such as file downloads being limited to 10MB and data intensive activities such as video and music streaming not being allowed.

At I/O 2012, Google launched the Nexus Q media player, however it was short lived. The company yanked Nexus Q, vowing to reintroduce it in the future. Prior to Google I/O 2013 it was rumored that the company won’t be introducing its revamped media player at the conference, which it definitely did not. However, a new media player device made by Google has stopped by the FCC for approval. Called the Google H840 device, it is said to function “as a media player.”

Usually with FCC filings we’re able to get product drawings, if not actual images. There’s nothing of the sort which relates to H840, no instruction manuals, specifications or pictures. It is shown in the test reports that the device does support 802.11b/g/n, not exactly a shocking revelation. The H840 was also tested by being connected to a 24 inch Dell monitor, which is reason enough to believer that it’s not an iPod-esque media player. Google’s alleged new media player carries a H2G2-42 model number, and there’s no saying when the company will officially announce it. What do you think, a revamped Nexus Q or a new product altogether?

Only a couple of days ago we reported that Yahoo was apparently interested in acquiring Tumblr for $1 billion. Tumblr is believed to be ideal for brand advertising as its user base majorly consists of young and creative crowd. Yahoo has recently been on an acquiring spree as it hopes to turn itself around with ex-Googler Marissa Mayer as CEO. The Wall Street Journal claims via Twitter that Yahoo’s board has approved a $1.1 billion cash deal for the acquisition of Tumblr.

It is being said that Yahoo will be officially announcing this acquisition tomorrow at a media event in New York. Obviously it is a bit too soon to comment on how exactly Yahoo plans on using Tumblr and its substantial user base to its advantage. Despite being one of the major blogging platforms out there, Tumblr’s revenues are termed as “modest.” Perhaps we might see a major change in direction with regards to revenue generation? One of the reasons behind this acquisition is believed to be Yahoo’s aim to offer a competitor for Google’s popular Blogspot service, with Tumblr now reportedly securely under its belt, that aim doesn’t seem too far-fetched now.

Much has already been said about the iPad mini 2, though nothing has been confirmed by the company. It is believed that Apple will launch the next generation iPad mini in Q3, 2013. CEO Tim Cook’s statement that the company’s new products won’t be coming until September lines up perfectly with these rumors. The iPad mini 2 display is perhaps something that fascinates the rumor mill, the most. This upcoming tablet will reportedly tout a Retina Display. High resolution Retina Display or not, according to a new report by Digitimes, these displays are going to be developed by three major suppliers: LG, Sharp and AU Optronics.

The report cites Taiwanese supply chain sources, which have proven to be wholly hit or miss in the past, claiming that AU Optronics has been facing issues in manufacturing iPad mini displays. It further claims that due to this, AUO’s future as a major supplier for Apple is undecided. AU Optronics has also reportedly submitted sample panels to Apple for its certification. The other two alleged manufacturers are said to be LG and Sharp, both are thought to have solid yield rates and no production issues.