UPDATED 08:35 EDT / MARCH 28 2012

Apple Addresses iPad Issues In Australia and China

Today’s mobile roundup features Apple’s address regarding concerns about the new iPad and China, Sprint’s plans to offer 4G on the next iPhone, and more.

Apple addresses Australian complaint and battery issue

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is seeking legal action for Apple’s misleading 4G ads for the new iPad.  The ACCC wants Apple to offer refunds for those people who bought the new iPad thinking that it would work as advertised on Australian’s 4G network, and they want Apple to change their ads and clarify this misnomer.

A report from the Sydney Morning Herald stated that Australian networks either operates on a 4G network using long-term-evolution (LTE) technology at 1800 megahertz or a 4G network using WiMax technology at 2.3 gigahertz. . The new iPad works on 4G networks tuned to 700 MHz or 2. 1 GHz — frequencies only used in the United States and Canada, but It still operates on Australian 3G networks.

Apple Australia agreed to comply with the demands of ACCC, such as posting notices that the new iPad isn’t compatible with Australian 4G and offering refunds for those dissatisfied consumers.

The ACCC and Apple will meet in court on April 18 for mediation, but the trial was set by Justice Mordecai Bromberg of the Federal Court in Melbourne on May 2.  The case will determine if Apple violated Australian laws and, if found guilty, Apple could lose the Australian market.

Apple also finally addressed the chargegate issue thrown at them over the new iPad.  According to the iPad maker, there is no chargegate issue on the new iPad, which claims that the charging manner of the new device is the same with all their old devices.

In an interview with AllThingsD,  Apple VP Michael Tchao explains how iOS device charging really works.  The iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch all display the percentage of how much juice your battery has.  During charging, if the device displays 100%, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have 100% battery juice, it displays 100% even before it is fully charged and will continue charging until it gets full.  If you don’t unplug the device, it will minutely discharge then recharge back to 100%, and will continue with the process of charging and discharging until you unplug it.  This is done so that the battery won’t overcharge.

“That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like,” Tchao said. “It’s a great feature that’s always been in iOS.”

Though the new iPad has more stuff on its screen like displaying more information and requires additional graphics horsepower, it will still be able to deliver the same battery life as the iPad 2 because it has a larger battery.

Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook was spotted in China, though initially his intent for the visit wasn’t clear.  Apparently, Cook went to China to talk with government officials to iron out problems regarding the iPad trademark and labor issues.

Sprint to offer 4G for Apple’s next iPhone

Sprint Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneuer stated that if Apple launches a 4G iPhone, their network will be able to cater to such a device.

“If you make the assumption that they launch a device at a similar time that they did last year, you’re basically done with the major markets” on Sprint’s 4G LTE buildout, Euteneuer said, noting the carrier plans to initially cover around 100 million Americans. “So I don’t think we are really disadvantaged at all.”

Nokia confirms Lumia in China

Finnish phone maker Nokia already announced that by next month their Lumia line will be available in the Chinese market.

China Telecom, with 126 million customers, will begin selling the Nokia Lumia 800C, a 3G Windows smartphone, in April and the Lumia 610, Nokia’s least expensive Windows smartphone, by June.

“This grand launch for China’s first CDMA Windows Phone represents our optimism and excitement for the future of Windows Phone and Nokia Lumia in China,” said Wang Xiaochu, the chairman of China Telecom.

Opera Mini 7 for Android

Opera brings their WebGL hardware acceleration from Opera Mobile to the Android version of Opera Mini 7, which improves the browser’s compressed browsing feature, Turbo, with hardware acceleration, and expands the Speed Dial landing page beyond nine Web sites.  The upcoming, interactive and socially integrated homescreen is not included in Opera Mini for Android.

Amazon Kindle Touch 3G launches all over the globe

On April 27, Amazon will start shipping their Kindle Touch 3G e-reader in 175 countries and territories around the world.  People can now pre-order their Kindle Touch 3G on Amazon.com while people in U.K, Germany, France, Italy and Spain can buy the e-reader on their local Amazon sites.

The Kindle Touch 3G will cost £169 (US$270) in the U.K. and €189 (US$252) in France, according to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr.


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