Google ad reveals June launch for AT&T’s Sony Xperia Ion?

It looks like Google may have unleashed an ad campaign for the Sony Xperia ion prematurely, stealing AT&T’s thunder in the process. The handset, which was announced earlier this year at CES, has yet to be pegged with a release date by the carrier. The ad that has started to appear on Google when performing a search for the Xperia Ion wasn’t so coy. It reads “Come Exclusively to AT&T in June.” As always, we’ll wait for official confirmation, which should be coming soon from the sound of it.

[via AndroidPolice]

Droid 4 Launch Date, Buy One Get One Free, Double Data

This friday is going to be a pretty big day for Verizon customers, especially those looking to pick up the Motorola Droid 4. The device is going to be $199 on a 2-year contract. But hang on that’s not all big red has in store for you.

Verizon Wireless is bringing back their famous Buy-one-get-one free offer on their colorful lineup of Droid Razr phones, which include the Droid Razr Maxx. They are also bringing back the double data promotion so you can get 4GB of 4G LTE data for only $30 with any smartphone purchase. But look, that’s still not all Verizon has in store for us.

If you know someone that’s still hasn’t moved on to a smartphone, Verizon is giving out $30 giftcards in-store for those who are willing to leave their feature (dumb) phone behind and move in to 2012. Finally, if you have your eyes set on one of Verizon’s 4G Tablets, you can get $100 off with any smartphone purchase and a 2-year agreement.

Makes you wonder, can the other carriers out do Verizon with their Valentine’s day sales? These are some pretty great deals Verizon’s got going starting this Friday. So who’s running out to pick up the Motorola Droid 4? Or are you waiting on the Droid 4 Maxx? Hit up the comments and let us know.

SOURCES – BGR

Apple’s Marketing Chief Leaves Instagram After Android Launch – Blames Sharks

If you thought that only the young, wide eye’d teen with J-Biebs plastered on their iPhone were the only toes Instagram stepped on after going “full on Android” a few weeks ago, you’d be wrong. Apparently, one of Apple’s top execs wasn’t too excited about the move either. Apple’s senior vice president of marketing Phil Schiller disappeared from the social networking service after only praising it a few months earlier on his Twitter account, plugging his own Instagram profile in the process.

So, what happened? Well, according to 9to5Mac, one of their readers reached out to Schiller on the topic via Twitter to which Phil responded candidly with, “It ‘jumped the shark’ when it went Android.” For those of you (like me) that may not have been on the earth long enough to know exactly why someone would jump sharks, it’s an expression that essentially means something that is on a decline, and is beyond recovery. Really Phil? Just because of Android? Ouch.

When asked to clarify via email, Schiller backpedaled saying he still found Instagram to be a “great app and community,” but just like those punk kids on Twitter who liked the exclusivity of the service, found that “the signal to noise ratio is different.”

While the many iOS and even Android users shun the photo sharing service, I continue to embrace it, finding it a great way to share photos with my friends… and stalk unsuspecting girls. What do you guys think of Mr. Schiller’s statement? Do you agree? Keep in mind this is before Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. Do you find this kind of attitude surprising coming from a top level Apple exec?

[9to5Mac | Via Mashable / The Verge]