Gadgetell

Appletell reviews iStoragePro’s Pocket HDD

NEWS — 2009-11-09T21:17:18+00:00

FROM APPLETELL - iStoragePro’s Pocket hard drives replicate the look and feel of the G-Technology line of Mac inspired portable hard drives, but are they as good?
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Palm Ring-P: new phone or new carrier?

JG Mason — 2009-11-09T19:03:46+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile

An interesting new bit of info popped up courtesy of a listing filed by a Senior Compliance Engineer for Palm on the Bluetooth SIG site. The listing identifies a “Ring-P” device coming this January. Could this be a new device or a new carrier?

The Pixi is set to launch November 15 at $100, roughly the same price as the Palm Pre at this point, so we can rule out this is for the Pixi. The Pixi is a smaller, thinner candy-bar styled webOS phone. The phones matches up to a smarter Centro replacement; the Centro was a hit for Palm (big unit seller). That leaves either a new device or a new carrier.

My money is on new carrier. January marks the expiration of six months from the date of Pre’s launch on Sprint. Many of us believe the exclusive agreement with Sprint was 6 months. Verizon has said time and time again that the Pre will be on it’s network and after the positive attention of the Motorola Droid launching on the Verizon network, this would continue the intro of some decent smartphones. Finally.

A new device seems a bit wishful to me. Certainly the Palm team is working on something, but it is a relatively small group and brewing an OS coupled with two phone launches has probably sucked up most available resources at this point. I just don’t see it.

Read: [PalmwebOS]

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

First week Windows 7 sales beat Vista sales by 234%

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-09T16:05:18+00:00

Section: Computers, Software / Applications

Windows 7 saw a pretty good amount of coverage coming from the tech blogs, after all I would say that a fair amount of tech bloggers were using it on a regular, if not daily basis since the public beta was released back in January of 2009. That said, I often wonder just how much of the tech crowd excitement makes it out into the world of the regular users.

Well in the case of Windows 7 it seems to have been well received. According to Microsoft, the first week sales of Windows 7 have topped the first week Windows Vista sales by 234%. And in addition to that, Windows 7 has also topped Windows Vista in terms of revenue, in this instance the revenue was up 83%.

Personally, I really like Windows 7, but at the same time also believe that Vista grew into its own with time. And with that I did make my contribution to those above stats by purchasing my own copy of Windows 7. But have also talked a few people, all Vista users out of upgrading for the simple fact that they have not had any trouble with Vista.

Read [HotHardware]

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Car stereo built for iPhone

JG Mason — 2009-11-09T13:35:09+00:00

Section: Audio, Car Audio, Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones

Integrating your phone into your car isn’t clean. For most of us, power cords, FM transmitters and dashboard holders are all involved to get the job done, only to have to futz with the FM station during lengthy drives. Thankfully, a new stereo is on the market that is smart enough for us to take notice: the Parrot RKi8400.

This Parrot stereo looks brilliant and a smart match to the iPhone. Packed with smart features like, upon first-time connection, the stereo copies your contacts to memory allowing users to add a feature that Apple left off the 3G iPhone: voice dialing. Simply by speaking to the included microphone, users can dial from their iPhone contacts without fumbling. The unit will store up to 8,000 contacts and pair with up to 10 phones.

Created for specific integration with the iPhone, the stereo displays cover art accessed through the phone for a nice touch. Controls look to be a simple tuner and one handed operation looks to be a design hallmark.

The Parrot connects to the iPhone’s dock allowing the phone to be charged or the phone can connect via Bluetooth for A2DP streaming. The faceplate of the stereo removes to reveal a storage spot for your phone or player. The stereo also accepts SD cards, USB flash drives or other MP3 players.

The unit is available now and sells for $399 on the company’s site.

Product page: [Parrot] via [Slashphone]

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New Barnes & Noble Nook pre-orders now receiving later shipping date

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-09T12:31:32+00:00

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

We saw the report about the Nook gaining some popularity in terms of pre-orders, well Barnes & Noble has taken that one step further and confirmed that any newly placed pre-orders will be getting a later shipping date.

According to a spokesperson from Barnes & Noble that new shipping date is December 11. Basically, this is about a two week jump from the previous shipping date of November 30. All things considered that is not all that bad, especially considering those who ordered will still have a before holiday delivery, just in case the Nook was purchased as a gift.

That said, that same spokesperson also went on to state that they (Barnes & Noble) “are working hard to meet demand for the holidays.” Still, one more delay of about two weeks could jeopardize a holiday delivery. In other words, I would suggest that if you are looking to give the Nook as a gift this holiday season you may want to think about getting an order in.

The one piece of information that I am curious to read are some stats in terms of units sold. But as you would expect, there was not any comment given there, other than saying that Barnes & Noble “had high expectations for the Nook and couldn’t be happier.”

Read [CNET]

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DocuPen X-series: A pen scanner that scans at 600 dpi

Shawn Ingram — 2009-11-08T22:09:43+00:00

Section: Gadgets / Other, Miscellaneous

Pen scanners have been around for a few years now, though they haven’t yet been all that spectacular in actually scanning. They didn’t always have a lot of on-board memory, and didn’t scan at very high resolutions. The new DocuPen X-series from Planon looks to change that.

The DocuPen X-series are the first pen scanners to be capable of scanning at a full 600 dpi, making them just as good as most normal scanners. Planon also managed to put in 64MB of storage, Bluetooth, and an OLED screen onto the new devices. With all of these features, the DocuPen X-series will make scanning documents away from a normal scanner much easier, and more reasonable. Now you can easily scan documents with the DocuPen, send them to a netbook via Bluetooth, then email them off to where they need to go.

Despite the possible uses, the $369 price tag for the introduction model, the X05, makes them just a bit out of reach for most users. Then you also have the X10 and X50 for $389 and $439 respectively. Outside of businesses, the price tag is likely to make the DocuPen X-series largely meaningless. They are certainly interesting tech, but the possible uses are limited. Perhaps if the price came down they’d be more interesting. For now they remain outside the price range for most users, and remain arguably meaningless for many.

Read [PlanOn] Via [jkOnTheRun]

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Droid appearing on Google and causing lines, what about iPhone?

NEWS — 2009-11-08T20:37:01+00:00

FROM APPLETELL - The day of the Droid came and left with relatively little press coverage compared to what we’ve seen from the iPhone in previous launches. However…
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Hot gaming news for the week of 11-01-2009

NEWS — 2009-11-08T19:01:16+00:00

Section:

No need to scour the interwebs for hot gaming news, Gamertell‘s already done that for you! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories…

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The Beatles catalog is finally available on mp3, but don’t go running to iTunes!

Sue Walsh — 2009-11-08T17:37:55+00:00

Section: Gadgets / Other

Beatles fans everywhere rejoice! The band’s catalog is finally being released in mp3 form, but don’t go running to iTunes. Record company EMI is releasing the entire catalog of 14 albums on a special edition 16GB USB drive. The drive, which is shiny green and shaped like an apple, will set fans back a whopping $330 and only 30,000 were initially offered for sale. Pre-orders are already being taken, and it will be officially released on December 8th. Along with the remastered tracks are rare photos, liner notes and 13 mini documentaries. It promises to be a real Christmas treat for any Beatles fans with the spare cash to spend or who have a generous friend or relative willing to play Santa.

Does this mean we’re closer to seeing the band on iTunes? EMI isn’t saying. So far it has refused to let any retailer sell the band’s music digitally. Of course that hasn’t stopped BlueBeat.com from selling the entire catalog. The site offered individual Beatles tracks for .25 cents each and full albums for around $3.25. When confronted by EMI the site insisted they weren’t doing anything wrong because their offerings are recreations using a process called “psychoacoustic simulation”. Um yeah. The site ignored EMI’s cease and desist action and refused to stop selling the tracks until they were slapped with a lawsuit and restraining order. Whether they thought they could get away with such blatant theft by shrouding it in technical mumbo jumbo or actually believe their copyright infringement is perfectly okay remains to be seen.

If you want one of the Beatles USBs act fast. EMI says demand has been so overwhelming that they are trying to acquire an additional supply above and over the 30,000 they initially planned to sell.

Read [PCWorld]

Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

BOOM! Top Apple news for the week of 11-01-2009

NEWS — 2009-11-08T16:01:00+00:00

Section:

We may not cover Apple 24x7… but we know someone who does! Here’s a few of this week’s hottest from Appletell to get you started…

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Bell lowers the Palm Pre pricing (again), now down to $99.95

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-08T15:06:13+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

While we here at Gadgetell have been wondering just how well the Palm Pre is actually doing, it seems like we are still getting mixed signals overall. And in this particular case, the mixed signal is actually a price drop. And a price drop that has quickly followed another price drop.

In this case that means that our friends who are north of the border, well those who are either on or willing to switch to Bell will be able to score a Palm Pre for just $99.95 (CAD).

Now normally I would consider a price drop a nice thing, and and just rejoice in the fact that any would be customers can save a little money, but in this instance I am left wondering if the drop has anything to do with poor sales.

You see, I only say that because the Palm Pre was given a $50 price drop back towards the end of last month which brought the price down to $149.99. And now another $50 price drop has brought it down to $99.99.

Either way, good for Bell customers, maybe bad for Palm and Bell. Maybe now we can see a little bit of that lower Pre pricing come down here to the US and Sprint. Of course, with all the recent press Sprint has been getting for their Android offerings lately, a price drop on the Pre may be a helpful thing.

Read [Bell]

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Walmart announces multiple online-only video game deals

NEWS — 2009-11-08T14:37:32+00:00

FROM GAMERTELL - Walmart has just announced some online only specials that will last as long as the products are in stock. Some of the deals include a Wii bundle with Wii Fit Plus and a $25 gift card for $299.00 and a $79.00 Xbox 360 Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit.
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Nokia’s Booklet 3G netbook to be available with Best Best on November 15

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-08T13:31:56+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Broadband Cards, Mobile, Computers, Laptops, Netbooks, Wireless

Courtesy of a Best Buy Reward Zone member advertisement, we now know that the Nokia Booklet 3G will be available as of November 15. Which is of course much nicer than the previous time frame of sometime during the holidays.

For those interested, the Booklet 3G will set you back $299.99, but that price does required a two year commitment. Otherwise, those looking to make the purchase contract free can expect to pay the full retail price of $599.99. And yes, for good or bad that contract is with AT&T.

Additionally, although we did know many of the details and features surrounding the Booklet 3G, except the actual release, I did at least get a nice little chuckle from the

“Windows 7 operating system is crazy fast”

comment in the ad. Crazy fast, really? That is the best they can do.

Anyway, for those waiting, well for those that are also a Reward Zone member, you can now head out to Best Buy and get your pre-order in.

Read [Nokia Mobile Blog]

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Video conferencing coming to Google Talk

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-08T02:12:48+00:00

Section: Video, Communications, Web, Web Apps, Google

Google is once again looking to expand the features of Google Talk, and the latest will make it more of a conferencing tool as opposed to something simply used to chat with a friend. In other words, it looks like Google Talk will be getting more professional features.

According to a recent report in the SFGate;

“This [current Gmail capability] is the first step in a much broader set of features we hope to roll out over the next six to 12 months around video [and voice] chat capabilities,” said Rishi Chandra, a Google Apps product manager. “It’s a great opportunity for us to push that space along.”

All things considered, this sort of makes sense. After all Google is just about everywhere, and this will add one more reason for a business to take advantage of Google Apps for your domain. Of course, I am also cringing at the same time because assuming this roles out to regular Gmail users as well as Google Apps users it could be a nightmare for some. Personally, it would seem as if I can now look forward to having multiple screaming children (as opposed to one) coming from my daughters room even when she is home alone. Thanks Google, I think.

Read [SFGate] Via [Google Operating System]

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OpenOffice unveils the 18 button OpenOfficeMouse, will retail for $75

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-07T21:50:20+00:00

Section: Peripherals, Mice / Keyboards

OpenOffice, in partnership with WarMouse have unveiled the OpenOfficeMouse. And with that, after I realized that this was not a joke of a product, and after I finished gazing at the uglier than necessary design, I then realized that this is most likely overkill for most users.

That said, the OpenOfficeMouse has a whopping 18 buttons, each of which are user programmable. To begin with, I am not sure I could even remember half of that amount. But I am sure that someone will find that appealing.

Still, aside from the 18 buttons, the OpenOfficeMouse also has a clickable scroll wheel, an analog Xbox 360-style joystick and 512k of built-in flash memory. Bottom line, they are touting this mouse as being able to take care of all your needs for everything from launching desktop applications, using OpenOffice and even playing World of Warcraft.

Of course, all that power comes with a price, which in this case is $74.99. As of now, nothing has been announced in terms of when you will be able to make a purchase, but on the positive side that should give you some time to save up the necessary cash. And despite my poking fun, in a strange way I am kind of interested in trying one of these out.

Read [OpenOffice Mouse]

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Foxit eSlick reader gets an update, now with EPUB support and a virtual keyboard

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-07T18:22:31+00:00

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

The Foxit eSlick reader was originally announced back in mid-December of last year, and since then it seems to have blended into the ever growing collection of available ebook readers. That said, the eSlick was just recently given a firmware update, and a nice one at that.

And that update is offering at least one really nice addition—the support for the EPUB and eReader formats.

So far, Foxit has not yet begun shipping any new units with the updated firmware, but it is believed that the next round of eSlick readers to ship will do so with the updated firmware. Current users can also download and update by visiting the Foxit Software website.

Additionally, the new firmware has also added a touch keyboard that will allow readers to unlock files that are password protected.

Read [Yahoo! Finance]

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Hallmark’s Christmas 2009 Galaga arcade cabinet ornament

NEWS — 2009-11-07T16:32:13+00:00

FROM GAMERTELL - This year’s gamer-themed ornament is a miniaturized reproduction of the Galaga arcade cabinet complete with mini buttons, mini joystick, lights and sounds…
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Asus delays the Eee Keyboard release

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-07T15:03:52+00:00

Section: Computers, Peripherals, Mice / Keyboards

The Eee Keyboard, a device that was first unveiled during CES 2009 and one that was expected to see a release last month has been officially delayed. That bit of bad news does however come with a little bit of good news though.

First things first, the keyboard has been delayed, and so far not canceled. According to the details, courtesy of the delay the keyboard will now have a slightly better set of specs.

Asus has stated that the keyboard will include a faster processor, a new operating system and a touchscreen that is capacitive. Unfortunately, when Asus was spilling the details on the upgraded specs they failed to mention a new release date. Hey, maybe we can check out the updated model on the CES show floor in January 2010—because Gadgetell will be there offering live coverage.

Finally, in an effort to end this post on a positive note, Asus did also mention that the keyboard is still on track for a $500 price point.

Via [Maximum PC]

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Free Apps roundup for November 6th, 2009

NEWS — 2009-11-07T13:11:20+00:00

FROM APPLETELL - Another great week for freebies on the App Store. Lots of information, apps and games, which is good news if your weekend was going to be bland. Now it can be full of icons instead!
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New battery technology could greatly improve battery life of mobile devices

Shawn Ingram — 2009-11-07T01:12:19+00:00

Section: Computers, Laptops, Netbooks

Finding a new way to store power in our mobile devices has been a problem for quite some time. We’ve been stuck with Lithium-Ion batteries for a while now, and unless a device is using ULV or is a netbook, chances are the battery life could be a lot better. There’s been promises of several types of new battery tech recently, but none has really taken off. Now yet another new possibility has come as the replacement for the Lithium-Ion.

The new technology is called Metal-Air Ionic Liquid. It works by conducting electricity through an ionic liquid salt. Without getting into too much detail, it means that batteries can be made with metals heavier than the zinc used in zinc-air batteries. To put it into perspective to Lithium-Ion batteries, one kilogram or MAIL can hold about 11 times more watt-hours than the same weight of Lithium-Ions. The main idea of MAIL batteries will be for cars, but they could easily benefit our laptops can netbooks.

The promise of being able to hold up to about 11 times the charge of a Lithium-Ion battery could easily mean that our laptops and netbooks can last for close to a day, or even multiple days. It will probably be a while before we start seeing anything with MAIL batteries, but it might be worth the wait. With Intel pushing it’s ULV chipsets, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see standard laptops running for days at a time when combined with MAIL. We can only hope that this, like so many other battery improvements, doesn’t end up falling away into obscurity or becomes to unfeasible.

Read [jkOnTheRun] Read [Electronista]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Verizon launches LG Chocolate Touch

Sue Walsh — 2009-11-06T22:07:53+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Mobile

As if the new Droid phone from Motorola wasn’t enough, Verizon Wireless has announced the launch of the LG Chocolate Touch. The Chocolate Touch has a 3 inch touch screen, a 3.2MP camera, full HTML browser, 1GB of memory with additional memory up to 16GB easily added via the SD slot, a music player that plays back MP3, WMA and ACC files, a built in FM radio, Bluetooth, EVDO Rev. 0 connectivity and easy access to social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Verizon is offering the Chocolate Touch for just $80 with a 2 year contract and after a $50 mail in rebate. Be warned however that the rebate will come in the form of a prepaid debit card, not a check. The Chocolate Touch looks to be a big seller this holiday season and is just the first in a line of hot new phones being introduced by the big 4 cell providers. T-Mobile will be offering the My Touch 3G Fender Limited Edition and Samsung Behold II while Sprint will offer the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment and AT&T will have the Pantech Reveal.

Sprint and AT&T are also said to be working on a nationwide launch of new netbooks. Sprint will offer the Dell Mini 10 while AT&T will offer the Nokia Booklet 3G, which will be a Best Buy exclusive over the holidays. The netbook boasts a 10 inch display, 12hr battery life and Windows 7. It will be offered for $299 with a data plan or a whopping $599 without.

Read [PR Newswire]

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Epic Games offers Unreal Engine 3 Development Kit for free

NEWS — 2009-11-06T21:57:21+00:00

FROM GAMERTELL - The UDK offers advanced tools including a physics engine, video encoding, particle effects, destructible environments, audio encoding and an AI system. Find out how to get your copy…
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Rumor: White BlackBerry Curve 8900 headed to AT&T

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-06T20:25:09+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

It looks like AT&T users may soon have one more BlackBerry to choose from, that is assuming we can believe the latest rumor. Sadly, though aside from the above image there are little to no details as to when this is expected to be available. Price wise, it would be safe to think that it would drop at the same price as the existing Curve 8900 in black, which is currently $149.99.

That said, I am not sure I really like this model. Which is a change because I am typically a fan of white phones, but this one sort of looks a little toy like. Maybe it is just because of the image.

Of course, a white BlackBerry Curve 8900 would fit the pattern. After all the black Curve 8900 has been out for a little while now, and it has also been reasonable successful.

Via [BGR]

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Appletell reviews the BookArc Desktop Stand for MacBooks

NEWS — 2009-11-06T19:31:53+00:00

FROM APPLETELL - The BookArc allows you to rest your MacBook in its closed position while in use. Why would you need that? You wouldn’t be asking if you use an external monitor and keyboard.
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Gamertell Review: Opticon and IntelliScanner Mini handheld laser barcode scanners

NEWS — 2009-11-06T18:18:58+00:00

FROM GAMERTELL - The only differences between the products are tiny cosmetics, the accompanying accessories and the prices. But are the worth it?
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So Hot Right Now: Top 10 Gadgetell posts for the week of November 01, 2009

NEWS — 2009-11-06T17:09:19+00:00

Section:

Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

Walmart’s $298 pre-Black Friday laptop is real, and not all that bad
” Yesterday, fellow Gadgetell writer JG told us about Walmart’s pre-Black Friday sale and one of the items up for sale is a $298 laptop from HP.…” MORE »
Office Max Black Friday deals leaked
” It’s that time of year again. The holidays are coming, and that means Black Friday. The Black Friday ads are starting to leak and one of the first is from OfficeMax. As many experts predicted, the shaky economy is causing many consumers to…” MORE »
Wal-Mart’s Pre-Black Friday sale - Xbox and cheap laptops
” What’s better than a Black Friday sale? A desperate Pre-Black Friday sale in hopes to get all the dollars you would have spent on the actual Black Friday. Wal-Mart delivers with a sale this Saturday, Novermber…” MORE »
BlackBerry admitting it is losing the browsing war?
” I am loathe to use job posting info on what a company is thinking but it is worth mentioning that RIM is looking for a webkit developer presumably to help out with Blackberry’s browser. In addition to their recent Torch Mobile purchase it seems clear RIM is…” MORE »
Droid Eris looks to come same day as Droid
” By now we all know that the Motorola Droid is coming to Verizon this Friday, November 6th. Verizon hasn’t been keeping many secrets about the Droid, aside from maybe the fact that Droid is looking to be a full brand rather…” MORE »
Rogers officially lists the BlackBerry Bold 9700, available for $299.99 on contract
” We have recently seen reports of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 begin delayed here with T-Mobile in the US, but that is not the case north…” MORE »
Tag Heuer releases luxury Lamborghini mobile phone
” Tag Heuer has teamed up with Automobili Lamborghini to create a new luxury limited edition phone, known as the MERIDIIST Automobili Lamborghini. In a tribute to the year Lamborghini was launched, only 1963 phones will be available for sale. The…” MORE »
Droid’s dirty little secret - no monkey business?
” We knew it was too good to be true. We knew Verizon couldn’t keep it’s mitts off the phone and tweak something to make it less fun. The good news is unlike most of Verizon’s disabled phone, this one can be fixed by throwing money…” MORE »
Google Voice has 1.419 million users, but only 570,000 are regularly using the service
“I have been a Google Voice user since before it was Google Voice. That was before Google had purchased the service, which was once called Grand Central. Of course, I did not really begin using and taking full advantage of the service until after…” MORE »
You didn’t listen: Conficker worm now infects 7 million computers - one year later
” Back in November 2008, security experts became aware of Conficker, a worm that adds as many computers to its botnet as possible. Then in April of 2009 fear spread that April Fools Day, 4/1/09 would be dooms day, but it never came. Instead, the worm has…” MORE »

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Sprint: No plans to increase early termination fees

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-06T15:36:51+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile

We have been seeing some talk about increasing Early Termination Fees (ETF’s), most recently from Verizon Wireless. With that and perhaps in an effort to get the word out, Sprint has come out and stated that they will not be increasing their ETF’s. The message came short and sweet via the official Sprint Twitter account.

One more tweet on ETF policy. We won’t be following suit as other carriers increase fees.

Of course, they then linked to their existing policy in regards to ETF’s. Nothing has changed and the fees are still being prorated depending on what is left on your contract. Which means those looking to cancel an agreement with Sprint can expect to pay an ETF as high as $200 or as low as $50 if you are in month 19 or higher in your two year agreement.

So, basically nothing is new with the policy, but at the same time it is nice to see that there will not be any ripple coming down from the recent Verizon Wireless announcement.

Read [Sprint] Via [Twitter]

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Slacker releases mobile app for Android

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-06T14:05:19+00:00

Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile

This latest release by Slacker seems to be following in the path of their recent decision to phase out of the hardware business—the good news is that there is now a Slacker app available in the Android Market.

The Android app, similar to the one for the iPhone and BlackBerry will allow you to enjoy Slacker as well as your customized music experience on the go. I will say that I downloaded, installed and began using the Slacker app yesterday and at least on my HTC Hero, it seems to run much nicer than Pandora. Of course, that was just in my unscientific testing.

Anyway, like I said the app runs well and is very nice. In fact the only drawback that I see is that it does not allow you to cache music for offline use. Which is something that you can do with the BlackBerry app. Possibly that is coming in a future version.

Additionally, Slacker will allow you to listen for free. Of course, there is a paid version available. The free version however is pretty nice, as long as you do not mind the occasional advertisement and being limited to skipping only 6 songs per hour. Those interested will be able to find the Slacker app in the Android Market.

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

8GB iPhone 3G soon to gain an S?

NEWS — 2009-11-06T13:26:13+00:00

FROM APPLETELL - Unconfirmed tips and pics seem to confirm that Rogers in Canada is draining their 8GB iPhone 3G stock to make way for the new 8GB iPhone 3GS.
MORE »

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Dell Mini 3iX makes the required FCC appearance, AT&T 3G support and Wi-Fi get confirmed

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-06T12:31:20+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

FCC listings are always a nice way to get an advance look at what we can expect to see product wise, and this latest listing is not any different. The listing is for the Mini 3iX smartphone, which is the upcoming Android based handset from Dell.

Of course, even though these FCC listings tend to give us an advance look, they often do not give us all of the details. And this is certainly a case of that. What we can tell you though is good news and that comes in the form of 3G support on AT&T bands as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

That said, we have already seen this same handset get released in China, and based on those specs it would seem likely that the US version will also have the a 3.5-inch touchscreen display and 3-megapixel camera.

In terms of a release, while nothing has been made official, the Mini 3iX is expected to hit AT&T sometime in early 2010. Which should make it the first Android based handset to become available with AT&T.

Via [Unwired View]

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MOTO announces 5-inch Android 2.0 MID for developers

Shawn Ingram — 2009-11-06T02:01:44+00:00

Section: Gadgets / Other, Miscellaneous

Android seems to be the go-to OS of choice for gadgets smaller than netbooks, especially now with the 2.0 version. It makes a lot of sense, its open source, free to put on any device and has a respectable number of apps available. Plus, its backed by Google. Today we’re seeing yet another Android device, this one a MID from MOTO (not Motorola).

MOTO is calling the new device the AMP (Android Media Platform), the 5-inch version being the first, with a 30inch and 10-inch version on the way by early 2010. The 5-inch AMP comes equipped with a front-facing 8MP camera, a Texas Instrument OMAP3430 processor, capacitive multi-touch display and 256MB flash that’s expandable via SD card. The screen is OLED, so the 720p video the device is said to output should look quite nice. It comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an optional 3G module, which makes the included navigation app seem strange given the lack of GPS.

While for some it might be difficult to get excited about yet another Android device, the AMP looks to be quite the interesting device. If not the current 5-inch model, then certainly the 10-inch model which looks more like an Internet tablet. While there’s no price for it yet, with a 10.4-inch OLED display with multi-touch, GPS, and 8MP camera (front), a 3MP camera (back) and pen digitizer it looks to be even more than what the (assumed dead) Crunchpad was looking to do. How well Android will be able to translate to such a large screen remains to be seen, but if it does translate well there could at least be a decent open-source alternative to the presumed Apple tablet.

Read [MOTO] Read [MOTO AMP specs]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Verizon announces pre-paid data plans, available beginning November 15

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-06T00:22:14+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Broadband Cards, Mobile, Computers, Wireless

Verizon, Verizon, Verizon—it seems they are determined to get some attention lately. We have seen the endless, but exciting Droid coverage, then earlier today we saw the BlackBerry Curve 8530 get announced.

Now, it looks like Verizon is getting into the pre-paid data game. Which personally I have to say it a wonderful thing. Especially for those who like to have Internet access on the go, but do not need it often enough to necessitate a service plan with a contract.

Anyway, detail wise it looks like customers will be able to get a daily, weekly or monthly option. And as you would expect, each of those levels comes with a set amount of data transfer. Here is a breakdown of the available data transfer along with the pricing.

Daily – $15 for 75 MB
Weekly – $30 for 250 MB
Monthly – $50 for 500 MB

Finally, I think they only thing that would have made this announcement better is if they would have offered the pre-paid service in a plan that worked with the MiFi. However instead users will be able to use the pre-paid mobile broadband plans with the Verizon Wireless USB760 modem which will be selling for $129.99.

In terms of what you can do with the above plans, here is a breakdown which comes courtesy of Verizon.

To assist customers in determining their service levels, the following chart provides examples of different applications based on approximate size assumptions. Actual file sizes may vary.
Data Type

E-mail (1 text page, no attachments)

Daily: 25,600

Weekly: 85,300

Monthly: 170,000

Typical Web page lookup

Daily: 500

Weekly: 1,700

Monthly: 3,400

Low-resolution digital photos

Daily: 150

Weekly: 500

Monthly: 1,000

Read [Verizon Wireless]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

BlackBerry Curve 8530 also heading to Sprint

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-05T23:03:54+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

Perhaps in an effort to not be outdone by Verizon, at least in terms of the BlackBerry, Sprint has also announced the upcoming availability of the Curve 8530. Though the Sprint unveiling was a little light on the details.

Instead of announcing the handset with a release date and price, Sprint choose to simply offer up an “introducing” style page that simply lists the details of the phone and notes it as “coming soon.”

Otherwise, we can tell you that the Sprint branded Curve 8530 will be 3G and Wi-Fi equipped and available in either black or royal purple.

One nice perk about the 8530 is the optical trackpad which comes in lieu of the trackball. Of course, I suppose that would just come down to a matter of personal preference.

Anyway, like I mentioned, nothing in terms of a release date or price. But if Sprint were smart they would release it very close to, if not on November 20 for $99.99, because after seeing the Verizon announcement that is what customers are now going to expect.

Product [Sprint]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Norway threatens Amazon with lawsuit over Kindle user terms

Sue Walsh — 2009-11-05T22:07:12+00:00

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

Norway’s Consumer Council is threatening to sue Amazon over the user agreement for its popular Kindle e-reader. The council insists that the terms of the agreement are in violation of basic consumer rights. Those terms include Amazon’s right to remove books from the Kindle if the terms are violated, their right to change the terms at anytime, and the fact that Kindle books can not be read on any other device.

That last issue is something the council has taken issue with in the past with other companies. They threatened legal action against Apple in 2006 because at the time items bought from the iTunes store were only playable on iPods. The complaints were dropped after Apple removed the DRM restriction and allowed songs bought there to be compatible with all mp3 players.

Amazon hasn’t had any comment yet but this bears keeping an eye on. Many Kindle users share the council’s complaints about books bought on Amazon not being compatible with other ebook readers. Amazon has slowly been opening up their platform though, first with a Kindle app for the iPhone and iPod Touch and soon will release one for PCs. With Sony, Barnes & Noble and other companies now offering their own e-readers for sale, Amazon will have it’s work cut out for it if it want to stay on top of the pile.

Read [BetaTales]

Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Verizon announces the BlackBerry Curve 8530, available on November 20

Robert Nelson — 2009-11-05T21:29:03+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

While there are plenty of people that are getting excited about the upcoming handsets becoming available with Verizon Wireless, we now have one more to add to that list—it is the BlackBerry Curve 8530.

Of course, unlike the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris, the Curve 8530 is not going to be available just yet. Instead interested customers will have to wait until November 20 to satisfy their BlackBerry needs. Once available, the newly announced Curve will be selling for $99.99, which comes after a $100 mail in rebate.

Feature wise, the Curve 8530 will offer users an optical trackpad and the full QWERTY keyboard that BlackBerry users have come to both expect and love. Additionally, the Curve will also offer users 3G support, WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, a built-in GPS, a 2-megapixel camera with zoom and video recording and 256MB of internal storage.

And just one last bit, the Curve 8530 will be available in both black or smoky violet.

Read [Verizon Wireless]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Get your Droid early tomorrow morning

Heather Wood — 2009-11-05T20:02:35+00:00

Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile

If you are salivating over the thought of getting your hands on a Motorola Droid as soon as humanly possible, check the hours of your local Verizon Wireless Store. Over two thousand locations are opening their doors as early as 7 or 8 am tomorrow morning in anticipation of Droid’s release.

Not only are stores opening early, but many locations are holding all day long in store Droid events. During these events, Verizon Wireless employees will be on hand to demonstrate all of the features of the first phone running the Android 2.0 operating system. The Droid is really the first phone to call out the iPhone and has been running “iDon’t” ads targeted at Apple’s mobile.

Verizon subscribers that enter into a new contract can get the Droid for $199 after the $100 mail in rebate. You will receive the rebate by mail in the form of a debit card. Current subscribers can speak to a Verizon Wireless rep regarding costs for upgrading their phone.

Site: [Droid]

Full Story » | Written by Heather Wood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Microsoft’s tablet gets more details

JG Mason — 2009-11-05T19:05:17+00:00

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Netbooks

Call it karma or something else, the interesting relationship between Microsoft and Gizmodo continues to yield exclusive looks at the leaked tablet. Microsoft’s Courier was shown by the site in a video and now that video has been sliced to show how users interact with the Courier.

The user interface highlights different fingerswipes, tablet functionality such as geotagging and timestamping, camera focusing and cropping, handwriting recognition, ereader capabilities and more. The main purpose of this device looks to be “life” as the product seems to touch on many aspects. Clearly, this tablet is built for more than just surfing the web or playing some games.

Gizmodo shows off several images with user options and actions on each page. It is interested, but if you saw the video then you might have expected much of this. The pages look like little more than still images from the video, giving us no indication how far from reality this is.

Read: [Gizmodo]

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

How Apple got to 100,000 apps, and why it won’t stop

NEWS — 2009-11-05T18:31:25+00:00

FROM APPLETELL - Apple has announced that developers have created over 100,000 apps for the App Store. They did not comment on whether they’re including the myriad “fart” apps in that number.
MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

The other Droid launching tomorrow gets unboxed: Eris

JG Mason — 2009-11-05T16:25:50+00:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

The lesser known droid, the HTC Eris, is finally shown in an unboxing event. This Droid, unlike the Motorola Droid, has not hardware keyboard. The Eris is a touchscreen beauty running Android 1.6 with Sense UI skin for an HTC feel.

Boy Genius notes that their source says the phone feels lighter and thinner than the HTC Hero. Another tidbit is this phone supposed is the next best Android phone to date, after the Motorola Droid with 2.0 software.

Our Shawn Ingram had this to say about the Eris:
“The Droid Eris appears to be a repurposed model of the HTC Hero. It features the same Sense UI as well well as the exact same specs as the Hero. The only real difference comes in the phone’s body, carrier and price. While the Hero sells on Sprint for $180 (after rebates), the HTC Droid Eris will be sold by Verizon for $99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Given the price point it’s obvious that Verizon views it more as the lesser model to the Motorola Droid. The phone does have a less powerful processor, a lower resolution screen, no hardware keyboard and runs on Android 1.5 as compared to 2.0 on the Droid so that viewpoint does make sense.”

Read: [Boy Genius Reports]

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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