The upcoming Samsung Galaxy 2 will feature Android 2.1 and Qualcomm's 1 GHz Snapdragon.

So if you had the option to purchase a new smartphone, what would it be? Apple's iPhone? Google's Nexus One or another Android-based product?

According to Androphones, Samsung's rumored Galaxy 2 might be a good candidate, and could even pose a threat to the Nexus One and Xperia X10 when it ships later this year.

Anrophones claims that it has received the technical specs for the mystery phone, and if they're right on the money, the device will house Google's Android 2.1 operating system, powered by Qualcomm's 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. Other tasty features will include a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a 5 MP camera, 32 GB of internal memory, GPS, WiFi, and more.

Additionally, an image obtained by the site also reveals a microSD card slot and a 3.5-mm audio jack. Of course, without an official announcement, all this could be mere rumor. However, Androphones believes that Samsung will officially announce the device at MWC in Barcelona next month. The smartphone may even ship sometime during Q2 2010.

A Samsung VP was found dead Tuesday morning outside his apartment building.

The AFP reports that a Samsung Electronics vice president apparently committed suicide by jumping from the balcony of his Seoul apartment building. One of the resident security guards discovered the body around 10:30 am. Tuesday morning while performing a routine check of the premises—the deceased was laying next to a flower bed and still bleeding.

According to police officials, the 51-year-old high-level Samsung executive, identified only by his last name Lee, left a memo inside the apartment saying that he had been under a lot of stress thanks to the looming quarterly earnings announcements scheduled for this month. Samsung refused to provide a statement, however a spokesperson told the AFP that the loss was “a personal tragedy.”

JoongAng Daily adds to the report, indicating that the Gangnam Police Precinct in Seoul is currently talking with Lee's family. Police have discovered that Lee spoke to his family earlier that morning, telling them the he was heading to the office. No additional details have been provided thus far.

Before becoming an integral part of Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division, Lee earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University, and a Ph.D. From Stanford University. JoongAng Daily said that he worked for NTT DoCoMo before joining Samsung in 1992.

Lee's death comes one day after his birthday.

Microsoft is going after the operator of a BitTorrent tracker and over 100 of its users.

Microsoft has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against LinkoManija and its alleged operator, Kestas Ermanas, for $43 million in damages. According to TorrentFreak, LinkoManija is the largest BitTorrent file-sharing tracker site in the Republic of Lithuania, a country in Northern Europe. Microsoft will be assisted by the local anti-piracy organization LANVA in its case against Ermanas and his company.

The lawsuit, filed in the Vilnius Regional Court, alleges that Ermanas and his company facilitated copyright infringement of Microsoft Office and 2007 through their involvement with the BitTorrent tracker. Although Microsoft has requested $43 million, Lithuanian law stated that Microsoft can only receive up to $53,000 in damages at maximum.

TorrentFreak contacted the defendant who in turn said that Microsoft was suing the wrong people. "We were told that as of 2010, he and his company no longer run LinkoManija," BitTorrent said. "Kestas and his company operated the site until December last year." Ermanas also told the site that he offered to resolve the issue by removing the infringing files, however Microsoft never responded.

In addition to Ermanas, Microsoft is also pursuing users of LinkoManija. Over 100 downloaders were reported to the police last November, and is scheduled to go to trial next month.

A hacker broke into 49 House websites and defaced the front pages with obscene comments about President Obama.

Even though the government has shelled out around $355 million to secure the nation's most essential computer systems, a hacker still managed to break into 49 House websites—consisting of both democratic and republican parties—and post obscene messages regarding President Barack Obama and his State of the Union address.

The Associated Press reports that the sites are managed by GovTrends of Alexandria, Virginia, a private vendor. Although most House websites are managed by internal technicians, individual offices are allowed to use third-party outfits to manage updates and new features. However, after the latest hacking attempt, that may change.

According to Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the House chief administrator officer, the hacking took place while GovTrends was performing an update. Although no details were provided, Ventura said that the hacker was able to penetrate sites of individual members and committees overnight.

This isn't the first time GovTrends let its guard down. Ventura said that 18 House websites were defaced last August. Now the House is questioning whether it wants to continue its business with the 3rd party company.

Don't mess with gadget lovers.

We love our gadgets. They're a part of our lives and we'll go to great lengths to protect them – but would you chase after someone who stole your stuff? 11-year-old Rena Sciascia of New Zealand did.

The Sciascia family discovered that a burglar had nabbed an Xbox, games, iPod and some cash. "He just bolted," Peter Sciascia, father of Rena, said. "I hobbled around to see where he had gone. The kids went inside to see if anything was missing and I sent Rena out to the road to see if she could see him."

Mr. Sciascia had a broken leg at the time, so he was unable to catch up to the thief. Rena decided to take things into her own hands when she grabbed one of her father's crutches and gave chase, according to the Dominion Post.

"She just grabbed the crutch and started chasing him," Mr. Sciascia said.

"I was scared but I wanted my Xbox and iPod back. I saw him trying to put on a hoodie but as soon as he saw me he sprinted off," said Rena.

The thief eventually eluded Rena after a half-kilometer chase, but was unable to get away from the police after authorities got involved.

All of the stolen property was recovered, except for the iPod. (If it was as small as an iPod Shuffle, the thief could have hidden it anywhere.)

"He didn't get that far," Rena said. "I'm really relieved we got our Xbox back. Chasing him and keeping going was worth it."

"I was really proud of her grabbing my stick and chasing him. It was awesome," Mr. Sciascia added.

The 11-year-old girl's mother, Katrina Smith, who works for the police, commented, "[Rena] does not tolerate any injustice. I am extremely proud of her but have told her about the potential danger." 

AT&T fesses up to network problems, but shows improvement over last quarter.

AT&T's received a lot of flak from both its customer base as well as its main competitor Verizon over the quality of the iPhone-carrying cellular network. Most of the time, AT&T is doing some form of damage control with the help of Luke Wilson; but at the company's recent earnings call, the subject of improving network quality was a big one.

Specifically, AT&T revealed in a presentation slide that 3G Voice Composite Quality in high-usage areas such as New York City and San Francisco were below the company's performance objective. On the bright side, AT&T's slide shows that service quality has steadily improved since last fall.

For those of you in high-usage areas, are you seeing the turnaround that AT&T describes on its slide?

How much does Steve Jobs hate leaks? Enough to cut a major partner out of a product launch because of a loose-lipped CEO? You bet.

Earlier this week, the CEO of textbook publishing company McGraw-Hill opened his big mouth and a myriad of Apple 'secrets' came tumbling out. At the time, the Apple iPad hadn't been confirmed, so while the rumors had been running riot for months, everyone at Apple was keeping quiet. Unfortunately, Terry McGraw didn't get the memo about leaving everything unsaid until launch day.

In an interview with CNBC, McGraw stepped in it in huge way. "Yeah, very exciting," he said when asked about the rumors of McGraw-Hill ebooks heading to the Apple tablet. "Yes, they'll make their announcement tomorrow on this one. We have worked with Apple for quite a while." McGraw could have stopped there, because while he confirmed the tablet's existence, he didn't really give anything away. But Terry McGraw kept talking and this time, he gave something away.

"And the Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system and so it will be transferable. So what you are going to be able to do now -- we have a consortium of e-books. And we have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format on that one," he said. "So now with the tablet you're going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific."

It seems McGraw's indiscretions may have been enough to get him booted from the launch and though it's not confirmed, rumor has it McGraw has been kicked from more than the launch. Yesterday, Steve Jobs told attendees that Apple was working with five major publishing companies. A slide behind him showed five names and surprise, surprise, McGraw-Hill wasn't one of them. So much for "working with Apple for "quite a while," eh, Terry?

Toyota has release a Q&A for customers concerned about sticking accelerator pedals and the company's sales suspension.

Last week, Toyota announced a product recall because of sticking gas pedals. The company said the problem affected 2.3 million vehicles. At the time of the announcement, Toyota said customers who experienced the problem should drive to the nearest safest location and contact a Toyota dealer. The carmaker advised drivers, "The vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes. The brakes should not be pumped repeatedly because it could deplete vacuum assist, requiring stronger brake pedal pressure."

On Wednesday, the company released a FAQ for customers with concerns regarding the recall or the sales suspension. Contained in the Q&A are reassurances that the problem is rare, clarification on which models are affected and the following instructions for drivers who discover the sticking gas pedal problem while driving:

• If you need to stop immediately, the vehicle can be controlled by stepping on the brake pedal with both feet using firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the brake pedal as it will deplete the vacuum utilized for the power brake assist.

• Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.

• If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.

• If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.

• If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel.

The list of affected cars is copied below. The news follows a late 2009 recall of 4.2 million vehicles over concerns that out of place floor mats could obstruct the gas pedal and cause acceleration. Reuters reports that some 5.9 million vehicles are believed to be involved as Toyota extends the recall to Europe and China. In Jauary 2009, Toyota recalled more than 1.35 million cars globally over defects in seatbelts and exhausts.

Affected Models

• 2009-2010 RAV4,
• 2009-2010 Corolla,
• 2009-2010 Matrix,
• 2005-2010 Avalon,
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry 
• 2010 Highlander except hybrid models,
• 2007-2010 Tundra,
• 2008-2010 Sequoia