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Last month, Samsung introduced another small form factor tablet to their Galaxy line.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has Android 3.2, runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 802.11n Wi-Fi, 4G, 16GB or 32GB internal storage and a microSD slot.

Samsung now has a 7-inch tablet, a 7.7-inch model, an 8.9-inch option and a 10.1-inch tablet.

Today, the company has revealed the price in the U.S. for the tablet.

Would-be consumers will have to drop $399 for the 16GB model or $499 for the 32GB version.

it is unclear when the device will hit the U.S. but it is currently available in Europe and Asia.

Spotify, the unlimited music streaming service that launched in the U.S. earlier this year saw a huge growth in revenue in 2010, but still posted a net loss.

Revenue jumped from 11.3 million pounds in 2009 to 63.2 million pounds last year and is expected to jump to 100 million pounds (at least) in 2011 thanks to U.S. exposure.

The streaming service did have a large 26.5 million pound loss for the year, however. In 2009 it had a 16 million pound operating loss.

Most of the growth in revenue came from a jump in European premium subscribers and in advertising.

Spotify has 2 million premium subscribers in Europe. It is unclear how their new American business is performing.

While Apple does not reveal the exact specifications of its processing units, it appears that the new dual-core A5 chip in the iPhone 4S is underclocked to 800MHz, 200MHz less than the same chip in the iPad 2.

Despite the clocked speed, Apple has lived up to their advertising claims for the iPhone 4S.

Apple says the iPhone 4S has web browsing speeds twice as fast as the iPhone 4 and "7 times the graphic performance." The SunSpider Javascript benchmark, (run by AnandTech for browser speed) measured the 4S at 2,222ms compared to the iPhone 4's 3,921ms.

For the performance claim, Apple scored 73.1 on the GLBenchmark 2.1 compared to 11.2 for the iPhone 4.

Given the benchmark tests, the site believes the clock speed to be around 800Mhz, but as a dual-core it has significant improvements from the A4, which was underclocked to 800MHz, as well, albeit with a single core.

Google+ may end up being just another failed experiment in social networking if recent traffic figures are any indication.

Even before the beta of Google+ opened to the public last month, there were signs of trouble. Traffic had already been stagnant since July for the invitation-only version of the service.

There was a traffic spike of more than 1000 percent after Google+ opened to the public, but it wasn't clear whether that would last.

It's one thing to generate interest for a new product. It's another entirely to truly compete with a market leader like Facebook. Even with their September gains, Google+ wasn't even a blip on Facebook's radar.

According to Chitika, an advertising analytics firm, that spike was short lived. In fact, it appears the influx of new users had absolutely no long term affect on traffic, which later returned to a level similar to the private beta phase.

According to new references found in the iOS 5 code, Apple's next Apple TV set-top box will likely add a dual-core A5 processor and 1080p support for the first time.

The A5 processor was just introduced for the new iPhone 4S and has been in the iPad 2 since the Spring.

Currently, the Apple TV is model 2,1, says VB, while the software refers to 3,1.

Thanks to the new processor, 1080p playback will finally be supported as the A4 could only handle up to 720p.

A new Apple TV wouldn't be expected until 2012.

Following DC Entertainment's exclusive deal to bring graphic novels to the upcoming Kindle Fire, rival Barnes & Nobles has now removed 100 graphic novels from its brick-and-mortar stores.

A few of the most notable books are "Watchmen," "Batman: Arkham City" and "Superman: Earth One."

The move is the first time the retailer has been forced to remove books thanks to a rival's decision. B&N says it won't sell titles in-store that it cannot sell in all formats, and that remains a firm policy.

Says DC Entertainment (via WSJ):

We are disappointed that Barnes & Noble has made the decision to remove these books off their shelves and make them unavailable to their customers.

DC Entertainment will continue to make our content available to our fans and new readers through multiple distribution channels including independent bookstores, locally owned comic book retailers and other widespread means such as online through Amazon and through our apps on iOS and select Android-powered devices as well as new and exciting devices going forward.

Motorola Mobility and Verizon will be holding a press event next week in New York City where they may be unveiling 4 new products.

A new video on Motorola's official YouTube channel includes a comment promising "Four reasons to get excited." The video is ambiguous about nearly everything but the date of the presentation scheduled for October 18.

One of the images in the video, a razor blade, seems to hint at one of the devices to be officially announced. Pictures of the Droid RAZR, also rumored to be called the Droid HD or Droid Spyder leaked last month.

A primary focus of the event could be Motorola's upcoming tablet, the Xoom 2. Like the Droid RAZR, pictures of a tablet believed to be the Xoom 2 have appeared on the web recently.

The Xoom 2 is believed to be 9mm thick, compared to almost 13mm for the original version. That would explain the video's allusion to something thinner.

RIM has admitted today that European, Middle Eastern and African customers may be experiencing service issues.

In the affected regions, carriers are calling the "service issues" total outages, however.

The maker of BlackBerrys tweeted today: "@BlackBerryHelp Some users in EMEA are experiencing issues. We're investigating, and we apologise for any inconvenience."

"We apologize to any of our customers in Europe, Middle East & Africa still experiencing issues. We'll bring you an update as soon as we can."

Due to the Columbus Day holiday in the U.S. and Thanksgiving holiday in Canada, RIM is understaffed for the issue.

Because RIM's BlackBerry services are managed by RIM's centralized servers outages would stop users from receiving their emails, a potentially catastrophic issue.

Confirming the rumors, BioWare has said today that Mass Effect 3 will be the first in the series with multiplayer components.

Reads a tweet from the company: "Full details soon, so wait until then before making your decision. We think you'll like it!"

The rumored was introduced when Official Xbox Magazine posted a report this week, albeit without specifics.

Earlier this year, at the E3 event, the developer made it clear that the game was moving in a new direction from previous in the series.

Mass Effect 3 launches next year, and the article in OXM should be available when the December edition hits newsstands.

Apple has announced today that iPhone 4S per-orders have topped 1 million on their first day of availability, beating out the record previously set by the iPhone 4.

That previous record was 600,000, in June 2010.

Says Apple of the achievement:

We are blown away with the incredible customer response to iPhone 4S. The first day pre-orders for iPhone 4S have been the most for any new product that Apple has ever launched and we are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do.

While the number does seem impressive, it is important to note that Apple's iPhone 4 pre-order period was cut short last year due to an AT&T technical glitch.

Additionally, there are now 90 new carriers with access to the device, which means pre-orders may not be as huge as the number suggests.

More info on the device here: Apple unveils iPhone 4S

Windows Phone boss Andy Lees has said today that dual-core, LTE-supporting Windows Phone 7 devices are coming soon, as the company pushes its way back into smartphone relevancy.

Notes Lees:

We're not making specific predictions but I think that our momentum is going to build. Our first [release] was about mindshare, and really getting the credibility, and I think [Mango] is really about starting to build unit volume and market share.

The exec says the phone platform is in a good position against the competition, Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

When asked about when dual-core, LTE devices are coming, Lees says soon. He also explains how current devices hold up:

They're all single core, but I suspect that they will be faster in usage than any dual-core phone that you put against it, and that's the point.

The first LTE phones were big and big (users) of the battery, and I think it's possible to do it in a way that is far more efficient, and that's what we will be doing.

Later this month, Sony will release an updated version of its PS3/Blu-ray remote control, one that adds TV controls.

Additionally, the controller should make it easier to use Netflix via Sony devices, says the company.

The new controller has TV and Volume controls and the other standard features of the remote, including PS3 controls (including shoulders buttons).

Sony released the controller in Japan all the way back in March and is now releasing it in the U.S.

Expected price is $25-30.

Check the controller here.

According to research set to be published in the November-December issue of Marketing Science, DRM drives some consumers to piracy but doesn't affect those who were already predisposed to it.

Dinah Vernik from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University along with Devavrat Purohit and Preyas Desai of Duke's Fuqua School of Business came to a number of conclusions which directly contradict entrenched positions in the entertainment industry.

If you have ever read or heard a statement from an executive at a record label, movie studio, or book publisher, you're likely familiar with the set of assumptions:

1. Piracy is the biggest threat to sales
2. Deterring piracy will mean higher profits
3. DRM restrictions reduce piracy

Obviously, if you buy into these assumptions, the logical conclusion is that more DRM means less piracy and higher profits. As the Duke and Rice researchers show, none of these things should actually be assumed.

Although their research was restricted to music, they say their findings apply equally to other types of content, such as video and e-books. Their principle finding was that DRM doesn't reduce piracy. In fact, they found it has just the opposite effect.

Last month, Netflix outraged subscribers by announcing that they would be splitting the DVD-by-mail and streaming services of their company.

The new company for DVDs, called Qwikster, would have its own login portal and would require subscribers to log in to both Netflix and Qwikster if they want to change their respective queues.

This move came on top of the already unpopular decision by Netflix to raise prices on those that wanted both services, from $9 to $16.

Today, Netflix has shut down the idea for Qwikster, based on user feedback.

Says CEO Reed Hastings (via Bloomberg):

Consumers value the simplicity Netflix has always offered and we respect that. There is a difference between moving quickly -- which Netflix has done very well for years -- and moving too fast, which is what we did in this case.

Users can switch their DVD and streaming queue from Netflix.com as usual, with their usual login.

Peter Moore, Electronic Arts' (EA) COO, has said today that the company loves the Wii U and expects it to be successful.

The console was shown off to great enthusiasm at this year's E3 event.

Nintendo's upcoming console has a small tablet for a controller, and HD resolution.

Says Moore:

There are no indications that there's anything that feels like it's off target. From our perspective right now, specs are a big deal.

Moore will make a trip to Japan this month in an effort to gain more insight into the console's graphic and computer processing units, along with its price and potential release date.

Concludes Moore (Reuters):

No one thinks its going to replace an iPad 2 but it is playing into what a consumer feels comfortable with. Our teams are working on it around the world. Our key franchises will be there. We've made that commitment to Nintendo.