Best Buy’s Weird Galaxy Tab A “US$100 Off” Promo

Nook tablets are excluded right from the start. And I can’t make any sense of which tablets are really eligible. It seems to me people with any sort of iPad or Nexus tablet have the best shot at any discount.

Here’s the screwy trade-in calculator (I had a laugh when a “good” condition DigiLand seven-inch tablet had a trade-in value of just US$1.00!) And here’s the Samsung Galaxy Tab A listings.

Previously here:

First Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 Unboxing
New Videos Of Samsung Galaxy Tab A
First Review Of Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0
First Video: Stylus-Enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7
Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab A Extra Features
Samsung Brings 2013 Chinese Tablet To 2015 America
Samsung Brings 2013 Tablet To 2015 China
Videos: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0
First Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0
Samsung Galaxy Tab A Series: Just Like 2013 Chinese iPad Clones
Rumor: New Samsung Tablets To Be 4:3 Screens

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Hisense Sero 8 Pro Red In UK (Dammit!)

Hisense Sero 8 Pro Tablet PC

I don’t know why I keep checking for U.S. availability (it’s not). The reviews haven’t been good and the back camera is crap — the Samsung Galaxy Tab A has a better one.

Previously here:

Hisense Sero 8 Pro: No U.S. Retail Plans
Hisense Vidaa Pad (Sero 8 Pro): User Report
First Video: Hisense Sero 8 Pro Unboxed
Hisense Sero 8 Pro Still MIA In USA
Where’s The Hisense Sero 8 Pro?
Hisense Vidaa Pad Renamed To Sero 8 Pro

Sony’s Boldest Phone Move Yet

Finally! Boot to recovery enabled in special bootloaders from Sony

The first devices to receive these bootloaders are the Cortex-A7 devices; Xperia T2 Ultra, Xperia T3, Xperia M2, and Xperia E3. We expect an official announcement from Sony Mobile very soon, but the bootloaders are already live and can be installed right now.

Whoever at Sony decided to give the T2 Ultra the Android 5.0 update and to also give it this new bootloader — that is the person who should be running all of Sony.

Despite the appearance of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3, I haven’t written off the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra as a possible phone (despite its 1GB of RAM) yet. Because I don’t know how locked the Idol 3 is. But now I know how unlocked the Xperia T2 Ultra is.

Previously here:

Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Android 5.0 Update Is Go
Sony: T2 Ultra Will Get Android 5.0!
Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Might Get Android 5.x
Sony: Still Out Of Their Damned Mind

The Blacklist Turns To Twitter

Ratings have fallen for #TheBlacklist. Do you find this season to be as strong as last year? Would you prefer the show back on Monday?

— The Blacklist (@TheBlacklistNBC) May 1, 2015

1) Go back to Monday

2) Bring back Red’s sense of humor

Things have gotten very grim this season. I miss all of the humor from the first season. I could do without season one’s implausible villains, however — although they were so unbelievable some of them made me laugh too.

Previously here:

Prior The Blacklist posts

First Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 Unboxing

A Periscope video also uploaded to YouTube, hence the Portrait orientation.

See it after the break.

Mi Note Gets American Review

China is in holiday mode (see this post), so there’s no news expected until next week. In the meantime, this …

Review: Xiaomi’s Mi Note Could Pose Challenge to Apple, Samsung

… after testing it — both in China and in the U.S. — I found it to have the kind of quality and beauty that makes it a worthy rival to the best and latest models from Apple and Samsung — but for much less money.

“Review” is used in a very loose sense here. Mossberg doesn’t do the kind of thing we geeks want to know about, like benchmarks.

But he confirms the lust-tasticness of the Xiaomi Note. The Note Pro is the one that gives me tech lust cramps. Such a tragedy it won’t work with U.S. cellphone bands.

Previously here:

Mi Note Special Edition Bamboo Back
Xiaomi Note Pro: Tyrant Gold Model
Xiaomi’s New Mi Note Wows Jaded American Tech Press
Wall Street Journal Loves New Xiaomi Note
Two New Xiaomi Note Ads
Fake Mi Note On Taobao
Reference: iPhone 6 Plus Vs. Mi Note Photos
New Mi Note Killed With Fire
Xiaomi Redmi Note Pro Vs. Huawei Ascend Mate 7
Mi Note Phones