Samsung Galaxy Ace Goes White for South Korea

It appears that the rage colour with smartphones these days seem to be white, unfortunately something Apple continually struggles with on their iPhone 4, however when it comes to the Android Samsung Galaxy Ace white isn’t a problem.

According to an article over on Unwired View and by way of Samsung Hub, South Korean customers can now pick up a white version of the Samsung Galaxy Ace handset at a cost of KRW 600,000, which is roughly $532.

Unfortunately the release of the white Samsung Galaxy Ace is currently limited to South Korea, and no word of if or when other markets will see the pale version, but as Samsung seems to want as many devices available in as many countries as possible I can’t see why the white Samsung Galaxy Ace wouldn’t be expended to other markets in the not too distant future.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace is available in South Korea from SK Telecom while over here in the UK the Android 2.2 Froyo packing handset is expected to see release sometime in March and as yet no price for the UK version is available.

T-Mobile to get Orange fixed-line and NFC products this year

Products from Orange’s portfolio to be made available to T-Mobile customers before the start of 2012

Everything Everywhere confirmed to Mobile News it will make its Orange fixed-line and NFC business and consumer products available to T-Mobile customers by the end of 2011.

The company was responding to criticism after it said it would not launch new products, including NFC contactless payment (Q2) and its business focussed Pocket Landline service on T-Mobile, leading many to suggest it is favouring Orange.

But Everything Everywhere vice president for wholesale and M2M Marc Overton (pictured) said these products, as well as fixed-line services including broadband, which T-Mobile does not have in its offering, will be available by the end of the year.

Overton said: “As soon as the underlying architecture is stable and customers are on that, then T-Mobile customers will have fixed-line products. The plan is to make them available by the end of the year.”

Everything Everywhere vice president of brands and communications Steven Day added: “Pocket Landline was an Orange product before the joint venture, so it was always going to launch on Orange first.”

Consumer Reports Doesn’t Recommend The Verizon iPhone 4 Either

Steered clear of the AT&T iPhone 4 because of the "death grip" issue?  Turns out you should do the same with the Verizon version.  At least, that's according to Consumer Reports who gave the smartphone the thumbs down as well.

According to the Consumer Reports review, the new Verizon iPhone 4 suffers from the same problem that cause your handset to "drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions."  In the particular review device's case, the drop was caused by putting a finger in contact with the lower left side gap along the edge of the phone.  That means, those small changes that appear to have been implemented for the Big Red variant really didn't address the lost signal issues, being made merely to accommodate the different antenna.

The article did note that there has been no outpouring of complains about the Verizon iPhone 4, unlike what happened last year with the original AT&T release.  We're guessing that has more to do with the fact that people are buying the smartphone well aware of the problem, as well as the numerous options now available for remedying it (e.g. using a Bumper case or even putting tape over the area).

Because of the lingering problem, the Verizon iPhone 4 wasn't included in Consumer Reports' list of recommended smartphones -- a fact that didn't seem to hurt sales of the AT&T version one bit.  To its credit, the review did commend the iPhone 4's many upsides, such as excellent multimedia functionality, a gorgeous display and "the best MP3 player we've seen on a phone."

[via Consumer Reports]

My First Day of School App for iOS Devices

For those of you that have little ones running around and you need to capture their attention, perhaps reading them a story from your iPhone, iPod Touch or Apple iPad may just be the ideal way of keeping them entertained.

Well to keep your little tykes entertained there is the My First Day of School – iStoryTime Kid’s book for iOS devices. IStoryTime books are both narrated and illustrated so the child can enjoy the book even when the parent is busy and it is a very simple application to use.

The My First day of School app features auto-turning pages or manually turned pages, and has been designed for children of 2 years of age and up and features the ability to choose the style of narration via character voices or adult voice or do away with the narration altogether.

The My First Day of School app for the Apple iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone also delivers on-screen text which helps beginner readers gain associations between words the see and hear. The My Frist Day of School app is available as a free download from iTunes.

Another Apple iPad 2 Picture Surfaces

Well with the supposed unveiling of the next generation Apple iPad only a couple of days away it’s probably expected that images which claim to be the iOS tablet will start hitting the net waves just like we have previously reported on (here).

And now apparently the guys over at the Boy Genius Report have been sent an image, by a tipster, which appears to be of the rear of the Apple iPad 2 tablet and shows a flat back with tapered edges, the rear camera, and speaker grill.

Having said that, unlike previous images this particular picture only has iPad on the back and not iPad 2, so there is a possibility that this image isn’t quite real, but then again there’s no confirmation that the Apple iPad 2 will have iPad 2 stamped on its rear either.

So, take a gander at the picture and see what you think, could this be the real deal Apple iPad 2? One thing is for sure, will probably find out in a day or so.

Welcomm increases base with Crown buy

Dealer’s base surpasses 40,000 customers as company targets three more deals before the end of the year

Welcomm Communications has increased its base to more than 40,000, following the acquisition of Coventry-based dealer Crown Mobile.

Market Harborough based Welcomm, and O2 exclusive partner, acquired Crown for an undisclosed fee on February 12 adding close to 3,000 O2 connections to its base.

It is the third acquisition from Welcomm in just over 12 months, having purchased the O2 base of Nuneaton’s CDM Global (2,500 numbers) in November and Northamptonshire-based Dialect in late 2009 (5,000 numbers).

Welcomm chairman and founder Chris Stanton (pictured), who claims one of the closest strategical dealer relationships with O2, was alerted that Crown were considering exiting the business, by an O2 account manager.

Crown managing director Roger Adey, who founded Crown Mobile in 1993, setting up offices in Coventry and a service centre in Worcester, is now understood to have “semi-retired” from the mobile industry.

The Crown office in Coventry will be retained and re-branded as Welcomm, with no redundancies. However, Welcomm confirmed it did not acquire the assets for the Crown office in Worcester, which is expected to close at the end of its lease.

Stanton said he expects to acquire “at least” three more “larger” O2 dealers or dealer bases by the end of 2011 and more in 2012. He refused to name potential targets, however.

Welcomm moves to a purpose-built 7,000sqft office early next year to cope with the expansion.

iiNet BoB 2 The New in Australia: Release & Features

iiNet BoB 2, which is not a great re-invention when it comes to names, is new in Australia being released by iiNet Labs. The new Modem with home phone should release sometime in April, no price has been stamped on it as of yet.

The second largest Australian DSL provider has decided to re-launch the BOB brand and even though the name is basically the same with a number 2 at the end should bring some exciting new features, Gizmodo said they could have given it a better name so that it does not confuse it with the first one that was released.

The BoB Main features Include: Handset with full colour screen and built in message bank, Powered by DECT and the latest cordless telephony CAT-iq for VoIP and other Internet-based services such as audio and video streaming, NBN ready, fetchtv ready, Dual VOIP capability to support two phone numbers from dual providers, Sleek design and ADSL2+ modem router supporting the latest 802.11n standards in wireless technology.

The device that is FetchTV compatible comes with a phone handset and a built-in answering machine, the question here has to be “Will the reception be as good as the first model?” saying that the original was a success with customers.

The new iiNet BoB 2 is due to be released in April and as soon as we hear about the price we will let you know, prices will vary dependent on bundles that will be on offer. For more information please visit iiNet.

Source – MacWorld

HTC Trophy 7 Verizon Launch & Release

The HTC Trophy 7 (Windows Phone 7) smartphone was mentioned last year and thanks to an image online it is now clear that Verizon is definitely getting this handset.

We mentioned something about Verizon gaining the HTC Trophy 7 smartphone back in December and thanks to Engadget they have the device with the Verizon logo branded onto it.

A source tipped Engagdet with an image of the HTC smartphone saying that it runs the latest Windows Phone 7, and even better than that; its comes with copy/paste support. It seems Verizon wishes to be up there with Sprint and its new release of the HTC Arrive so it stands to reason that Verizon wants a Windows Phone 7 smartphone.

According to Washington Post their source WinRumors suggest that Verizon is planning to announce the launch of the first WP7, it has also been suggested that Verizon could launch the HTC Trophy 7 today (Feb. 28) and release for sale in March sometime.

The HTC Trophy should be released with the new Windows’ NoDo update, it is this update that comes with the copy-paste function, as soon as we hear more about the HTC Trophy 7 release date and price details with Verizon we will let you know.

Something to keep you busy: Whilst you wait for more news on the Verizon HTC Trophy please watch this video of the smartphone being unboxed.

Verizon Nixes Binding Data Plan for the Motorola Xoom

Obtainable as of yesterday from Verizon Wireless, Motorola Xoom costs near about $599 on contract, and $799 without contract.

Initially, Verizon said that all customers – even those who buy the tablet sans contract – must also purchase at least one month of 3G service with the Xoom, which means an extra $55 (a $35 activation fee, plus $20 for 2GB of data).

Now, according to Computerworld, Verizon changed its mind regarding the mandatory data plan. In consequence, if you want the Xoom without contract, you no longer have to sign up for a data plan. Verizon’s official website still says that a plan is required, but that should be changed pretty soon. Until then, if you want to buy the tablet right away, you can contact customer care to have the data plan removed and the cost refunded after making a purchase.

Source: Unwiredview

PlayBook Android app support mentioned during demo at MWC, old BlackBerrys show up in ShopSavvy's Android logs

As far-fetched as it may seem, rumors that RIM is working on some sort of Android app support for its QNX-based PlayBook tablet have persisted in various forms for months now -- and they've turned up once again in a video posted by development community MobileMonday's Rio chapter taken at MWC earlier this month, where a RIM rep seemingly says "we will also support Android apps" after talking about Java-based offerings. Of course, this could've been staged by some rabble rousers or a rep could've simply been echoing back the rumors he's seen on the interwebs -- but regardless, it adds fuel to the fire. Follow the break to see the video of that.

But it gets weirder. ShopSavvy -- which makes versions of its app for iOS and Android -- has started turning up a couple of older BlackBerry devices in its Android build's usage statistics on Flurry: the Curve 8300 and 8520, to be specific, along with an 8600 model that doesn't exist (at least, not yet). The 8300, in particular, is pretty ancient at this point and we're having a hard time wrapping our brain around RIM's game plan in porting Dalvik (or a Dalvik-like) VM and associated libraries over to it; if anything, Flurry could be confused. Then again, a next-generation full-touch BlackBerry that just happens to run a full suite of Android apps in a sandbox could be a pretty compelling product, indeed.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

HTC Incredible S On Sale in UK Today

For those here in the UK who have been waiting for the Android HTC Incredible S smartphone to release and have been expecting the device to become available in April, you don’t need to wait any longer as the HTC Incredible S released today.

According to an article over on Engadget and by way of Slash Gear and Pocket-lint potential customers could pre-order the device as of yesterday, but you can now purchase the HTC Incredible today, which apparently is exclusive from Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy UK.

However apparently there is a slight catch with nabbing the HTC Incredible S and that is if you are expecting the device to come packing Android 2.3 Gingerbread then you’re in for a little disappointment as the device will ship with Android 2.2 Froyo.

However the word is the HTC Incredible S will see an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread in the not too distant future, so maybe that isn’t so bad as long as the wait for Gingerbread isn’t a lengthy one.

So, anyone going to grab the HTC Incredible S today?

Samsung Galaxy S II gets very preliminary, expensive UK pricing

Don't go jumping off the Android sailboat just yet, these are very early numbers, but the Samsung Galaxy S II has been priced by a couple of UK retailers and the category they've placed it in is the distinctly high end. Expansys is listing £630 ($1,020) for the Gingerbread-sporting unlocked handset, while Play.com has it at £600 ($971) and is promising a March 31st release date. Even if you're zany enough to put the cash up for a pre-order today, do take note that Play was showing the cost at £650 (with £670 RRP) only yesterday, so pricing still seems to be fluctuating and finding its sweet spot. Whatever happens, with such a high starting point, we doubt the S II's price will be its most attractive attribute at launch.

Android Froyo Samsung Galaxy S 4G Review Video

For those that are on the fence about possibly picking up the new Samsung Galaxy S 4G smartphone on the T-Mobile HSPA+ network, we have some nice review footage of the Samsung Vibrant variant for your viewing pleasure below.

The Samsung Galaxy S 4G review footage comes our way courtesy of Jon Rettinger over at Technobuffalo and delivers ten minutes of checking out the smartphone to see if it is worth you laying out your hard earned cash for and signing your life away to T-Mobile for 2 years.

They apparently rate the Samsung Galaxy S 4G handset 4.5 stars out of 5 due to the handsets call quality and says customers would probably be happy with the Android 2.2 Froyo Samsung Galaxy S 4G.

However that doesn’t mean the Samsung Galaxy S 4G ticks all the boxes in all the areas, so how well does the Samsung Galaxy S 4G stack up? Well you are going to need to jump on down and hit that play button to find out…enjoy.

Android 2.2 Froyo Update for HTC Aria Releasing Today, Captivate Too

For the Android faithful with the AT&T HTC Aria who have been waiting for the Android 2.2 Froyo update to roll out to their smartphones, you may be overjoyed to hear that AT&T has finally announced the your HTC Aria should see the update as of today the 25th of Feb.

According to an article over on the Boy Genius Report, AT&T used their official Facebook page to deliver the news to customers by stating…

“Alright HTC Aria lovers, we said the Android 2.2 update was coming soon–and we meant it! Check back on the page TOMORROW for a link to learn how to download the update. Dante Martin, our Android Senior Project Manager, is back in the video below with more details on what 2.2 entails and what’s coming for Androids on AT&T.”

Furthermore, Samsung Captivate owners have also seen the Android 2.2 Froyo update rolled out by AT&T as they posted…” Hi all! We know you are all very excited about the Android 2.2 update for the Aria. We are, too! Stay tuned to the AT&T Facebook wall tomorrow for the link! And for the folks asking about the Captivate update, well, we will have that soon!”

When asked… @AT&T what the hell is soon ? AT&T replied…” it’s coming today…thank for being patient.”

So it would appear that both the AT&T Samsung Captivate and HTC Aria are finally seeing the Android 2.2 Froyo update, feel free to let us know if you have any problems with the update.

HTC Thunderbolt Best Buy Release Date Delayed Even Further

I’m not quite sure just what is going on with the release of the Android 2.2 Froyo HTC Thunderbolt on the Verizon network, but that release date for the device seems to keep on slipping further back from the original expected release date.

Originally the HTC Thunderbolt was due release on Feb 24th, then Feb 28th and as we recently reported the release date slipped further to the 4th of March with Best Buy; however apparently that 4th of March has now changed again.

According to an article over on Android Community, they have been given an image, which shows that the release date for the HTC Thunderbolt on Best Buy Mobile is set at the 10th of March.

Thus it would appear that the official release date for the seeming ever delayed HTC Thunderbolt is indeed March 10th, going by the presumption that the picture is real of course, although the Android Community guys seem to come down on their tipsters side for being truthful.

So there you have it for what it’s worth, if you are hoping to snap up the HTC Thunderbolt on the 4th it looks like you’ll now have to wait a little longer.

Angry Birds to Play Nice on Windows Phone 7 in April

A little while ago we posted an article stating that Rovio had finally decided to deliver their highly popular multi-platform mobile game Angry Birds to the Windows Phone 7 platfrom sometime in the not too distant future, you can check out that article (here.)

Well that “not too distant future” isn’t that far away as according to an article over on Ubergizmo and by way of Winrumors, Microsoft has now confirmed that the green pig crushing addictive mobile game will play nice on the Windows Phone 7 platform as of the 6th of April.

Furthermore, not only will Angry Birds be making its way to WP7, but apparently Rovio will also add a further five titles to their line up and those will be Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1, Doodle Jump, Hydro Thunder Go, Plants and Zombies, and geoDefence.

Word is all the mobile games will have Xbox Live integration, leaderboards an achievements, so it looks like April will be a busy gaming time for Windows Phone 7 smartphone owners out there.

Sprint Site Down & Samsung Epic 4G Android 2.2 Update Canceled

First of all the Sprint site is down apparently they are working hard to pinpoint and fix the problem, and for those waiting on receiving the Samsung Epic 4G Android 2.2 Froyo update will have to wait a little longer.

The OTA update has been canceled according to Android Central because many customers were facing problems with their SD cards, data connectivity and in some cases both, even a hard reset did not fix the problems, which no wishes to do anyway.

The official update pull happened because a number of calls to the customer care department regarding problems with the Samsung Epic 4G upgrade and as a result to the above issues the update will not be pushed out to devices until fixed.

Sprints website here had all the details but at the time we visited the site it was down due to their own issues, Samsung and Sprint are both working on the Android 2.2 Froyo update issues and trying to release it to devices.

Many customers had troubles with the SD Card when trying to access photos and music etc, please do let us know your thoughts on the above matter and please let us know what Sprint’s problems are to why their site is down? Please visit the Android Central Forum for more information.

Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Simon, who seems to be not-so-secretly hoping to drown out his entire office. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I need a headset which can block out the background from a busy office. I'm talking repetitive noises such as drilling, background chatter, keyboard clattering, computer fan whirring and the endless static from our building's air conditioner. I would love if this headset had a fair to good quality of sound for MP3s, and it would of course have to have a good microphone for IP phone telephony and Skype. If it didn't look like something from Radio Shack that would be a bonus, and if the microphone was a bit discreet for street and airplane use that would be an added benefit. Lastly the connection to a workstation could be both USB and Bluetooth, with a preference for wireless. Thanks!"

Bluetooth headsets have evolved quite a bit since the last time we had this discussion, so we're curious what you're currently using to make work a wee bit more bearable? No need in keeping secrets, right? Speak out in comments below!

Samsung Captivate Froyo Update Now Available

As expected, Samsung has released the long awaited Android Froyo update for the AT&T Samsung Captivate. The update is available directly from Samsung as a PC update. The update adds USB tethering, Flash 10.1, device policy management, new home screen and improved Exchange support.

Samsung Temporarily Cancels Android 2.2 (Froyo) Update For Sprint Epic 4G

Samsung just can’t catch a break this week when it comes to updates. First the Windows Phone 7 update mysteriously bricks a bunch of Samsung handsets, and Microsoft pretty much lays the blame on Samsung’s lap. Now they’re having issues with getting the Sprint Epic 4G updated to Froyo.

The word comes from Sprint’s support forum, where a company rep claims that an “increased number of calls into Care” has lead to the update being canned “until a resolution for these issues is in place”. The issues they’re speaking of all seem to focus around spotty data connectivity and SD Card accessibility issues. Either one would be a bummer — but they’re still a lot better than handset brickage.

Having issues? Try giving your handset a hard reset (after backing up your stuff, of course.) While that’s never a welcome solution, it seems to fix the issue.

[Via Android Central]

Buy HTC Thunderbolt, Not Yet Sorry March 4 Now

Oh dear me, or shall we say oh poor you because remember we mentioned about the HTC Thunderbolt being delayed, of course you do; well its been delayed yet again.

If you had “Buy HTC Thunderbolt” in your mind you will have to think again because this smartphone delay is getting longer, our previous article reported that the handset was supposed to be released February 24th then that changed to the 28th.

Well according to a few sources such as HTCPedia and Android Police it will not be release not until March 4th, they got this information about the delay via a tweet from a Best Buy in Roseville confirming it.

So the HTC Thunderbolt has gone from 24th to the 28th and now to MARCH 4TH, now come on HTC please shed some light on this matter, is the delay down to software or could it be hardware, or could it be worse and Verizon has problems with its LTE network?

Samsung Galaxy S II Up For Pre-order in UK on Play

For the Android faithful over here in the United Kingdom who may be of a mind to purchase the next generation Samsung Galaxy S smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II, you just might like to know that you can now pre-order the device.

According to an article over on Phandroid and by way of GSMarena, prospective buyers in the UK can pre-order the Android 2.3 Gingerbread device from Play.com who are offering the smartphone SIM free and unlocked for a rather steep 649.99

Apparently Play is saying that the Samsung Galaxy S II is expected to see release on the 31st of March, but apparently that could well be just a placeholder, as they don’t really know the actual release date.

However apparently Play isn’t the only e-tailer you can pre-order the Android device from as GSMarena points out that Pdashop has the device for 609 Euros, which is roughly 511, Getgoods price is 599 Euros, roughly 512, and Digitec are asking 550 Euros, that’s about 470 although they have an availability of late May.

So anyone looking to shove in a pre-order for the Samsung Galaxy S II in the hopes that it becomes available before the end of March?

Windows Phone 7 Update Problems Detailed by Microsoft

You may or may not know that Microsoft pushed out a Windows Phone 7 update earlier in the week, which has apparently caused a few problems especially with Samsung WP7 smartphone apparently bricking, you can check out that article (here).

Well apparently Microsoft has stepped up to the line to shed some light on the matter, and according to an article over on Engadget, according to a posting on the Windows Phone Blog, 90% of those who received the update had no problems.

Which of course means 10% did, ad apparently “nearly half” of those that saw the update fail was due to the lack of enough disk space or lack of a proper internet connection; however apparently both are easy to fix.

Apparently the Windows Phone 7 update has now been suspended to Samsung devices while Microsoft works on fixing the problem, which they are saying is only a small number of Samsung phones.

According to the article, the update process actually takes a back up of the handsets contents as a precaution should anything go wrong, and thus you require plenty of free space on your computer along with a solid internet connection.

There’s a long list of Q&A for those with concerns to read through along with a link to a trouble shooter that addresses several update related error messages available on the Microsoft blog.

Apple iPhone 4, LG Optimus 2X Comparison Battle Video

Now you know that virtually every smartphone that hits the mobile space gets compared to the iPhone 4, and this time round we have a comparison battle between the iconic iPhone 4 and the Android 2.2 Froyo sporting LG Optimus 2X smartphone.

The LG Optimus 2X verses the Apple iPhone 4 comparison video comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily iPhone Blog and by way of the guys over at Phone Arena who have done the business when it comes to comparing the two smartphones.

The LG Optimus 2X is the first Android based smartphone to come out to play packing an NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor and sports a 4-inch WVGA capacitive touch screen along with and 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video and a front facing camera, with HDMI and DNLA and upgradeable to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

As for the iPhone4, well I’m fairly sure you know all the specs to that device, but can the LG Optimus 2X mount a strong challenge to the iPhone 4? Well to find that out you’ll just have to punch that play button and check out the smartphone comparison battle…enjoy.

Android Devices MoBiz Platform Unveiled by OKI

OKI has now unveiled their upgraded MoBiz platform v1.1 for Android smartphones and tablets running Android 2.2 Froyo or above and also to smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.5 and up, and enables developers to create business apps in the Japanese market.

The MoBiz platform v1.1 for Android according to an article over on CBR, is a middleware product line that offers an optimised three layer system that combines the advantages of local apps with web apps and consists of MoBiz platform client, MoBiz platform server.

Apparently the MoBiz platform is available in two formats, the MoBiz platform for system developers and the system consignments for enterprises.

The General Manager of Software Center, IT Solutions and Services Business Division at OKI, Yuichiro Hiranuma, says… “MoBiz Platform Ver.1.1 for Android allows the development of applications with general Web application technologies like JavaEE, HTML, and JavaScript and frees system developers from the need to master specialized technical skills for each mobile system.”

Motorola Xoom Likely to Enclose Unlockable/Relockable Bootloader

Motorola made a statement that they’d been trying to meet developers half way when it comes to encrypted bootloaders on their devices.

Many construe this to mean that most or all of their future devices would be encryption free: this moderator at Motorola’s support forums says to not assume that and to wait for official word from Motorola as any announcements will be device specific.

Today, though, they’ve tweeted that the Motorola XOOM will indeed be hackable as it’ll employ a lockable/unlockable bootloader that’ll allow developers to access the hardware however they want. We all assumed this would be the case considering its stock Android 3.0, but now there’s no question.

And while I’m sure this wasn’t what you folks had in mind in your initial uproars regarding Motorola’s encryption practices (we’re sure you were talking about their MOTOBLUR phones), it’s definitely something. Let’s see what else they’ll hit us with as the weeks and months move on.

Source: phandroid

Golden Version Motorola Xoom Tablets given away on Twitter

If you folks are looking for Verizon’s Motorola Xoom, but you’re not ready to pay $799 for it (or $599 on contract), then you’ll probably be happy to find out that Motorola’s giving away two Xooms in a Twitter sweepstakes.

However they’re not regular Xoom tablets, but Limited Gold Edition ones – the same kind that Motorola will give to this year’s Oscar nominees on February 27.

Motorola Xoom is the world’s first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. Besides being launched on Verizon later today, it will also be released in Europe, but only starting the second quarter of the year.

Source: unwiredview

Josh hits up Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight, new gadgets in tow!

Attention humans! At approximately 12:35 ET, you can tune into our fearless leader's latest performance on national TV! Yes, that's right, Engadget editor-in-chief Joshua Topolsky will astound and delight viewers of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon yet again with the latest gadgets in his toolbelt, so head on over to NBC at the designated time to partake in a delicious brainwashing episode you won't soon forget! (Liza Minnelli and Anthony Mackie will also appear, in case you're curious.)

Apple iPad and iPhone to Gain Final Fantasy III Soon: Video

For all you iOS gaming fans out there in Apple land who enjoy a bit of cut and slash gaming apparently Final Fantasy III is making its way to the App Store in the not too distant future to join the previous Final Fantasy iOS games.

According to an article over on Daily iPhone Blog, the news of Final Fantasy III coming to the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad was announced via @SquareEnixDLG, with a tweet that said…” #iPhone FINAL FANTASY III coming next month!!!!! http://bit.ly/hgu9Z9#FF3″

On hitting that link in the tweet you are taken to the Square Enix website where the main page says that Final Fantasy III is coming March 2011 and presumably thereafter on the App Store.

Both Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II are available to download to the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad from iTunes at a cost of $8.99 each so presumably Final Fantasy III will also command the same price tag.

And just so you can get a taster of Final Fantasy III on the iPhone, we have a first look video for your viewing pleasure below so make sure you check it out enjoy.

Vodafone markets 12 month smartphone deals

Operator to launch marketing campaign throughout retail estate in order to raise awareness about reintroduced 12 month smartphone contracts

Vodafone is to launch a marketing campaign running throughout its retail estate, early next month to boost awareness about its 12 month smartphone contracts, the operator has confirmed to Mobile News.

Vodafone reintroduced smartphones on 12 month contracts earlier this month but is yet to advertise this move.

It has offered SIM only 12 month deals for some time.

Handsets available on one year deals will include the HTC Desire HD, BlackBerry Torch, the Google Nexus S and the Nokia N8 amongst others. Prices will start from 35 a month.

No one was available to comment further on the campaign, however the company did supply Mobile News with a copy of one of the adverts (pictured) which will appear in store windows.

Other operators Everything Everywhere, Three and O2 do not currently offer smartphones on a one year contract, but Tesco Mobile has marketed it’s sale of smartphones on such contracts heavily.

Tesco Mobile would not provide comment on Vodafone’s push into this sector but re-iterated its position in the market.

A Tesco Mobile spokesperson said: “Tesco Mobile was the first to launch a comprehensive 12 month contract range for customers.

“We will continue to offer customers this choice alongside a range of great value pay monthly tariffs.”

The new marketing campaign by Vodafone comes two months before EU laws are expected to implemented forcing operators to offer 12 month contracts (SIM only contracts are deemed acceptable).

However a Vodafone spokesperson said the timing of the campaign with new legislation was “coincidence”.

How To Spot Signs Of Drug Addiction iPhone App

The are many people out there in the world that are addicted to drugs and we want to pass on some news about the ‘How to Stop Your Dependence on Drugs’ and of course how to spot signs of drug addiction via an iPhone app.

This app is very helpful indeed and will give you an in-depth look into drug addiction, many questions such as Has a drug addiction taken over your life? Are you finally looking to break the cycle? Need answering and hopefully they can be with this iOS application.

This is an eBook that covers everything you need to know about drug addiction and tips and guidelines on how to recognize and break your addiction,

The Apps Main Features: Discover different ways to deal with stress, Find out why most people use drugs, Discover the different types of drugs, Learn the benefits of helping yourself, Finding out if you have a problem, Discover what happens during the drug episodes, Learn how each plays a role, Discover how you can help others in the same situation and so much more.

Please visit iTunes and install this 59p app right now, apparently the normal price is $14.99 so we suggest getting it before the on sale deal ends.

Android Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch Version On Its Way

Well we already have the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab and Sammy is pushing out the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 version, and apparently the word is now a third Android based tablet will be added to the Galaxy range.

According to an article over on Gaj-it, an executive of Samsung has said the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch model will sit alongside the 7-inch and 10.1-inch Samsung tablets and will be available from mobile networks.

Not much detail on this 8.9-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, but the Examiner is reporting the device is expected to pack the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, while Engadget seems to have the low down on a prospective release date, by way of Yonhap News, which is sometime in the summer.

Other than that nothing else is known but we can probably expect at least the same specs as seen on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10. One has to wonder just how many Android tablet devices Sammy thinks it should need.

Samsung Galaxy S 4G now available from T-Mobile

Samsung's Galaxy S 4G might not have the very latest version of Android or too much hardware differentiation from the original T-Mobile Vibrant, but hey, it brings a front-facing camera and HSPA+ connectivity, so of course it costs $200. T-Mobile will have disappointed many with its clarification that the Galaxy S 4G will cost a pair of Benjamins on contract, exactly as much as its Samsung-built predecessor did seven months ago, and not as the carrier had originally indicated, $150. Also similar is the fact that T-Mo is launching this phone with an Android build that's one iteration behind the cutting edge, meaning the Froyo update headaches of last autumn may return in the form of Gingerbread jitters this spring. All the same, if the Magenta team sees fit to chop the Galaxy S 4G's price the same way it's been doing with its other Android handsets, we could be in for a fine bargain in the near future.

[Thanks, Matt]

Mini Fuel Cell Specifically Designed For Smartphones

Fuel cells are still on their way into the mainstream, but we’re getting there, slowly. Case in point: the AF-M3000 [JP], a mini fuel cell that just requires users to add water to get it to work. What’s interesting is that Kyoto-based Aquafairy has developed the device specifically for use with smartphones.

Read the rest on CrunchGear.

Read the rest of this entry »

Study: Cell Phone Radiation May Cause Brain Activity, Whatever That Means

Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes. Some say no. Nobody knows. The frequencies and powers of the radiation used in them haven’t been in use long enough for us to get decent long-terms studies out of them. Sure, the FCC makes sure you’re not frying your cortex with clearly harmful emissions (talk radio doesn’t count), but it could be that after 30 or 40 years, we all get head cancer. Or we all get super powers. It could go either way.

A new study has shown that, at the very least, phones seem to have an effect on the brain. That’s not an insignificant finding.

Read the rest of this entry »

Samsung E2330, A Basic Slider For The European Market

Samsung has a new unannounced phone appearing in its Germany and Romanian websites.  Called the Samsung E2330, it's an entry-level slider with a basic set of features.

Sporting curved corners and a blocky frame, the handset is about standard for vertical T9-type sliders.  Phone dimensions are  99 x 47 x 14.9 mm (when closed), with a weight of 88 grams.

Details of the Samsung E2330 include a 2-inch TFT LCD (128 x 160 resolution), a VGA photo camera, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5 mm jack, 20MB of internal storage, microSD card expansion (up to 8GB) and an 800 mAh battery (over 12 hours of talk time).   It supports the GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands, with data access restricted to GPRS (no support for 3G or WiFi).

Features, naturally, run the basic range, with messaging, a music player and simple PIM tools.  Despite the modest capabilities, it comes bearing gifts for social networking fans with Facebook and Twitter access in tow.  It isn't clear whether those are Java apps or just shortcuts to WAP websites, however.

No word on release date or pricing for the Samsung E2330.   Expect it at floor prices, though, since the specs are about as basic as a modern camera phone can get.

[via Portable Gear]

iPhone 4 Case: TypeTop Swivel Mini Bluetooth Keyboard

The TypeTop Swivel Mini Bluetooth Keyboard Case for the Apple iPhone 4 has to be one of the best designs to date, and we really mean that. Obviously we are going on looks because we have not got our hands on one yet.

This iPhone 4 Case via Mobile Fun is fitted with a keyboard and will give you much more scope when it comes to typing text messages, searching the web etc. As the name suggests the whole design allows you to swivel the keyboard 360 degrees for stunning flexibility.

Main Reasons To Like This Product: The keyboard is available in QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY, many different angles to use so each individual is comfortable, Adds a stand to your iPhone for FaceTime and viewing media, Connects wirelessly through Bluetooth, Built in battery won’t take power from your iPhone 4, Only adds an extra 0.9mm to the overall thickness of your iPhone and Cut-outs for the ports and features of the iPhone.

If you visit Mobile Fun you will see that the TypeTop Swivel Mini Bluetooth Keyboard Case is only 34.95, which in our eyes is a fantastic price and well worth the buy.

The keyboard can be removed and used with other devices such as tablets, laptops etc thanks to Bluetooth, even works on the Sony PS3. Please check out a few more pictures below. Please also read the press release here.

The Pictures:

Contest: Want This Incredibly Awesome Android Pin? Drop A Comment To Enter.

From the Desire S to the HTC Flyer, last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona served as the launching pad for a ton of new stuff. But do you know what the real stars of the show were? These… friggin’… Android pins.

Want to win one? It’s really, really easy. Check after the jump for the details.

Brought out by Google and given to various Android partners as swag to help draw people to their booths, these things quickly rocketed from cute trinket to cabbage-patch-doll-on-Christmas-Eve status. Really: I saw a grown man yelling at a Google booth employee because they’d run out of pins. Like really yelling. Like “You just crashed your car into my house and set my collection of million dollar bills on fire” yelling. I was tempted to just give him this pin to shut him up, but then I decided to give it to you guys instead.

So, here you go, dear reader: a contest for a Mobile World Congress 2011 Android pin, brought back to you all the way from Spain. You can wear it in pride, knowing that you got it instead of some grumpy manners-less jerk.

How to win it: Drop a comment below, and we’ll pick a winner at random. One comment per person, please (We’ll have our anti-cheating robot, Johnson, checking for duplicates. He’s kind of like Watson, except cheaper and the only question he knows the answer to is “Where da ladies at?”). Make sure to leave a proper address in the e-mail field so that we can reach you if you win.

Look out: That Windows Phone 7 Update Is Bricking Handsets

Uh oh! Remember that itty-bitty update that Microsoft sent out yesterday to make sure next month’s big update would go smoothly?

Looks like the itty-bitty update itself might not be going so smoothly.

It started early this morning, with a handful of folks turning to Twitter to report that the update process had failed them. In most cases, the update would reach either step 7/10 or 10/10… and then stop. The handset would then be in a bit of an odd, unusable state, but a quick battery pull (or in extreme cases, a hard reset) would have things in working order again.

Then it got worse. Other users started seeing it fail on Step 6/10, which seems to be a pretty crucial one. Unlike the first reports, a battery pull/hard reset isn’t fixing the issue here. In fact, even trying to hard reset the handset returns:

RESTORATION ERROR

An error prevented the restoration of your phone to its previous version. Your phone cant be used in its present condition and there are no restore points for it on this computer. The phone might restart and return to normal if you disconnect it. For further assistance, contact your mobile operator.

In other words: Uh oh, your phone is bricked. Better call your carrier!

So far, nearly every report we’ve seen involving failed updates involves the Samsung Omnia 7 (known here in the states as the Focus). We’re not seeing any reports of issues for other handsets, though it’s not clear how many of these other handsets have been flagged to receive the update.

Microsoft seems to be aware of the issue, having indicated that a second, less-handset-destroying update should ship in a few days:

While we continue to investigate the issue, we would ask that you not attempt the update until your device alerts you of another update opportunity, in approximately 3 days’ time.

At the very least, take this all as a word of caution: if you’re rockin’ a Windows Phone 7 handset, you might want to wait 3 or 4 days before you poke that update button. In this case, the update doesn’t really bring any user-visible changes anyway, so it’s not as if you’re missin’ out on playin’ with any shiny new features.

Android 3.0 Honeycomb Playing Nice on Nexus One Video

Yesterday my colleague Mark posted news of Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK being ported to the Google guy’s first smartphone, the Google Nexus One, as reported (here). Now of course Android Honeycomb is supposed to be for tablets only so just how well does Android 3.0 Honeycomb run on the Nexus One?

Well let’s find out as we have some video footage of Android 3.0 Honeycomb playing nice on the Google Nexus One smartphone for your viewing consideration below courtesy of the guys over at Daily Mobile and by way of Pocket Now.

The Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet operating system running on the Google Nexus One handset video lasts almost ten minutes of the real deal doing its stuff.

So to find out just how well Android Honeycomb plays on the Nexus One you need to skip on down, mash that play button, sit back and enjoy the footage, after which if you feel like having a go yourself you can download the necessary from XDA-developers….enjoy.

Forget the white iPhone 4, white iPhone 5 rumors begin!

It's the perfect rumor: the officially delayed and often rumored white iPhone 4 has reemerged as the white iPhone 5 riding a horned stallion through virgin rumor fields. According to the Economic Daily News, the previously unheard of white iPhone 5 will feature a touch panel supplied exclusively by Wintek. If true, then the white iPhone 4, officially scheduled for a spring 2011 launch, should be available just prior to the launch of the next generation white iPhone 5, anticipated for a summer launch in keeping with Apple's typical launch cycle. Not exactly ideal, but hey, it's only the first of many related rumors to come.

P.S. Here's a link to an Apple-free Engadget in anticipation of your needs.

Motorola 4G Atrix AT&T Nice Price with Amazon

The Motorola 4G Atrix with AT&T is now on sale with Amazon and you can save yourself a further $50 that takes the price down to only $149.99.

When you visit Amazon you will not see the low price, you will see the high price strike out at $699. To get the Motorola Atrix you will have to click the link that says “Go to AmazonWireless.com to see price”, then go through the options on the right of this page.

If you buy from Amazon you will get a free two day shipping, looks like they are not offering the laptop dock bundle but we will keep our eyes open on this one. According to Wireless Goodness they say you do not want this bundle anyway.

Main features include a 4-inch qHD display, NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, mobile hotpsot, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash and 720p video capture, front facing camera, HTML and Flash support, built-in social networking for FaceBook, MySpace and support for Twitter, A-GPS, 16GB storage, microSD expansion up to 32GB, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI, DNLA and 3.5mm jack and runs Android 2.2 Froyo.
Please do let us know if you buy the Motorola 4G Atrix AT&T via Amazon as this helps us what the popular online stores are, thank you.

AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G now on sale, $149.99 at Amazon or RadioShack (update: $129.99 at Walmart)

The hotly reviewed and already rooted Atrix 4G is now on sale at AT&T. As expected, the privilege of buying direct from the carrier will set you back $199.99 with a two-year contract in the range of $39.99 per month for the Nation 450 on up to $69.99 for the Nation Unlimited with another $15 per month for a 200MB DataPlus plan or $45 per month for a Data Pro 4GB + tethering plan. Or shop on over to Amazon (or RadioShack) who lists the same HSPA+ device for $50 less with a 24-hour ship time. Remember, if you just have to have the laptop dock then you'd best do it now while it's offered with the handset in a $499 bundle (after $100 mail-in rebate and purchase of the Data Pro plan with tethering add-on) -- the same laptop dock purchased separately will cost you $499.99. No, really.

Update: Walmart is offering the Atrix 4G handset for a measly $129.99 for those of you activating a new account before Thursday.

[Thanks, Zizo and Hoodean]

Apple iPad 2 May Be Delayed Already

For the iOS faithful out there that are expecting the next generation Apple iPad to hopefully come out to play sometime in April as popular rumour has suggested, you just might be in for a disappointment as the word is the Apple iPad 2 may be delayed.

According to an article over on Apple Insider, and by way of Bloomberg, the new Apple iPad 2 could see a delay of a couple of months bringing the release to sometime in June and may coincide with the launch of the iPhone 5.

The delay news is based on a report by Yuanta Securities analysts Vincent and Alison Chen, who report that the delay of the Apple iPad 2 is due to “production bottlenecks,” at Hon Hai Precision Industry.

The Chen report says… “Our checks suggest new issues are being encountered with the new production and it is taking time to resolve them. As a number of Android 3.0 tablets are being launched in April and May, the delay in iPad 2 shipments may give the Android camp a brief window of opportunity.’’

Apparently the analysts believe that changes to design made before the Chinese Lunar New Year, earlier this month has caused the delay with producing the new Apple tablet, which could now lower expected shipments of the device from forecasts of 30.6 million down to 23 million units this year.

So, there you have it, the Apple iPad 2 may well be delayed until June if the analysts report turns out to be spot on, which is a bit of a bummer for those who have been waiting patiently to get their mitts on the device, how annoying is that?

Samsung's Super AMOLED Plus displays dispense of maligned PenTile pixel configuration

As crisp and vibrant as AMOLED and Super AMOLED smartphone displays are, they roll off the assembly lines with a pretty big design compromise: most of the components in the marketplace right now make use of a little visual trickery called PenTile whereby green subpixels occur with greater frequency than red and blue. Meanwhile, traditional displays (CRT, LCD, plasma, you name it) typically use one red, one green, and one blue subpixel per pixel, and the end result is that AMOLEDs tend to be a little grainier by comparison at a given resolution. OLED-Info points out that Sammy's new Super AMOLED Plus displays appear to have solved the PenTile problem, instead using something called Real-Stripe -- effectively meaning honest-to-goodness RGB pixels, which explains the company's claim back at CES of a 50 percent boost in subpixel count. Interestingly, Real-Stripe requires more space per pixel, which could be why the Galaxy S II and Infuse 4G are 4.3 and 4.5 inches, respectively, a pretty healthy hike from the 4-inch mark they'd settled on with last year's original Galaxy S models. 'Course, none of this puts us close to the 7 or 10 inches we'd need to make a tablet work -- but we know they're cranking on that already.

iPhone 4 Accessories: Quartet Case: Videos

If you are going to have a protective case for your iPhone 4 then why not have a case designed to give the owner the option to change the colour layout of the case. The Quartet case for the iPhone 4 from Case Mate does just that.

The Quartet case for iPhone 4 consists of interchangeable coloured pieces that snap together around your iOS device delivering a multitude of colour combinations that you can swap every day if you wish, The Quartet case is a form fit for the iPhone 4 whilst still delivering access to all functions and ports.

We have a couple of demo videos of the Quartet case for iPhone 4 for your viewing pleasure below courtesy of the guys over at Daily iPhone Blog and iSpazio. Which shows you just a few combinations that can be tried along with delivering some info on the case.

The Quartet case for the iPhone 4 comes with six modular pieces in Vintage Flannel, Rustic Tweed and Sensuous Silk, and fits the international iPhone 4, AT&T iPhone 4 and of course the Verizon iPhone, and commands a price tag of $34.99 from Case Mate.

So there you have it a fully interchangeable iPhone 4 case so you can have a different look every day, all you need do now is punch those play buttons and check out the Quartet case for iPhone 4…enjoy.

Windows Phone 7 Update Possibly Hitting This Week, Only Minor Though

For the Windows Phone 7 faithful who have been patiently waiting for Microsoft to shove out an update for the Windows Phone 7 platform, the word is your WP7 handset just might see an OS update sometime this week, although probably not the biggie one expected.

According to an article over on Unwired View, the update that most have been waiting for, the “copy and paste” NoDo update is still scheduled for March and won’t be included in the minor update rumoured to hit this week.

Apparently a tipster has informed the guys at WMPowerUser that Microsoft will push out a minor update to Windows Phone 7 smartphone possibly beginning tomorrow the 22nd Feb, and the word is the small update wont actually deliver any new features but rather “pave the way” for the NoDo update in March.

Unfortunately no other info on the minor update is offered, but we suggest Windows Phone 7 users keep their eyes open for the update to hit sometime this week, and of course once you receive it and if you do happen to find anything new, feel free to let us know by posting to our comments area below.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is Geohot’s Next Jailbreak Target

Although Sony is going after iPhone Jailbreak master Geohot with their legal team over his jailbreaking of the Sony PS3, and Geohot asking for support in battling against the PlayStation giant, it would appear that Geohot isn’t going to pull in his guns.

According to an article over on Redmond Pie and by way of iSpazio, the iPhone hacker’s next jailbreak target is to be the first PlayStation phone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play smartphone, and wants to be the first person to crack the device once it sees release.

According to Geohot’s post to his website asking for support in the Sony battle, he states…” In fact, I want the opposite reputation set, that the more a company tries to abuse the legal system, the harder we rally back. I will be the first person in line on the launch date of the Xperia Play, and itching to get my hands on the Next GEOHOT Project.”

So going by this statement, Geohot isn’t prepared to back down from Sony and we just might see the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play being jailbroken in record time, just to teach Sony the lesson they so deserve, but do you think Geohot is right in going after the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, or should he cool it until the legal battle is over?

Switched On: Nokia's Windows of opportunity

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Perhaps it bore repeating for the shock value to sink in, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop missed nary an opportunity to defend his company's choice of Windows Phone as its future smartphone foundation. Nokia, he said, was making "a big bet" on Microsoft and vice versa. However, Windows Phone is only one leg of Nokia's strategy moving forward. Its "next billion" initiative is tied to handsets in which Nokia and Microsoft interests do not meet. And Nokia's third task, creating or planning for the next disruption, will keep the company tethered to the MeeGo operating system.

Indeed, the Wall Street Journal's behind-the-scenes look at how the Microsoft-Nokia alliance came to be, revealed how close it came to not being at all. Nokia seriously considered Android as the operating system of choice for its smartphones, and was only persuaded differently by a big check and an exceptional flexibility to make changes to the Windows Phone 7 operating system. Because, for all the attention around Nokia's selection of Windows Phone, it ultimately neither guarantees Nokia's success nor dooms it to failure in the US smartphone market. Here's what will:

If Nokia wants to change, it will have to differentiate in atoms as well as bits.

Winning hardware. For the past decade, Nokia has been consistently behind the curve in delivering handsets in step with popular trends – RAZR-like thin clamshells, QWERTY-enabled messaging phones, and of course finger-friendly touch screens. Over the past year, the market has become saturated with big touchscreen slabs with occasional sliding keyboards that have been variations on the iPhone aesthetic. Alas, mostly by design, we've seen even less variation in the first batch of Windows Phones than we have in the Android camp. If Nokia wants to change, it will have to differentiate in atoms as well as bits to bring value to its adopted ecosystem.

Cloud services. Though the company may not have followed the fashionable form factor du jour as quickly as could be, Nokia has long understood the power of the cloud. However, despite an acquisition binge a few years ago, the Ovi message has not been communicated effectively, and now there is the chance that -- like Symbian -- it might fade into the shadow of Microsoft's offerings. Nokia has some strong Ovi services, and they could be a key differentiator. With Windows Phone, the company needs to feature them more and integrate them better.

Carrier relationships. There's been a little progress and a bit of hope as Verizon Wireless has switched to Nokia's home court of GSM-derived LTE, but there is still much progress that needs to be made if recent comments by Verizon CTO Tony Melone are indicative of US carrier feelings towards the Nokia-Microsoft alliance. However, Microsoft can be a boon in this regard: Windows Phone 7 launched with four devices on two carriers in the US -- more of a splash than Symbian ever made -- and Windows Phone's predecessor Windows Mobile continues to be sold by all four carriers in the United States. Contrary to what the company has indicated, Nokia's battle here is not one against Android, but fighting for attention versus the Windows Phones of Samsung and LG, both of which traditionally have strong carrier relationships, and HTC, which has been slowly building them.

Nokia has taken on an operating system backed by a company with the financial resources to stay in the fight for the long term, a powerful lineup of integrated products and services (albeit not all equally appealing) and a focus on user experience. Yes, it will have to pay for Windows Phone licenses and work to bring Windows Phone to a wider range of architectures to meet its handset portfolio needs, but Microsoft seems to have more than offset that expense.

Most of the risk in Nokia's choice was not picking the wrong operating system, but continuing not to pick one at all. Now that it has, it needs to deliver on all three fronts to improve its smartphone standing in the United States.

Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.

iPhone Hacker Geohot Needs Support in Sony PS3 Battle

You are probably aware that GeoHot, aka Gorge Hotz who first jailbreaked the Apple iPhone is in the midst of a legal battle with Sony over jailbreaking their PS3 console, and as legal battles cost a fortune Geohot is now asking for some support from his followers.

According to an article over on Redmond Pie, the iPhone hacker has now set up a new blog after discussions with his lawyers and is asking for donations to his legal fund or if you can’t donate then spread the word.

Geohot is adamant that Sony isn’t suing him for piracy or even copyright infringement, but claims Geohot played such games as “super mario world, an unauthorized game” on his PS3. You can read Geohot’s explanation by hitting up Geohot.com.

Now personally I’m not legally minded, and I don’t own a PS3, but my personal view is somewhat akin to Geohot’s and that if you hand over you hard earned cash for something then that something becomes your property to do with as you see fit.

The product no longer belongs to the manufacturer and they shouldn’t have any rights to tell you what to do with it, once the warranty has run out of course. Thus I feel Sony is overstepping the mark as they don’t have the right to tell owners of their product what to do, which is what they are trying to accomplish with this court case, send a message to the public that you don’t mess with Sony gear even if you paid for the right to do so.

Put it this way, if a individual sold an item on say eBay, once it is sold it is the property of the buyer and not the seller, and the seller doesn’t have any rights to say what the buyer does with the item after its been paid for, so why should a big company like Sony think they can?

It seems to me this is a case of, we are big and you the public will do as you are told otherwise we will use large amounts of cash that the public has given us by purchasing our products in the first place, to slap you down in court and make you and everyone tow the line.

Basically I see this Sony verses Geohot case as not about Geohot jailbreaking the PS3, but more of Sony sending a message to the public saying mess with us and you will pay. So perhaps it is time all those iPhone users who have taken advantage of Geohot’s jailbreak of the Apple device to stand up and be counted, lend the Geohot some support, and send a loud message back to Sony saying…No Sony, you are not bigger than the public, you do not own a device the public has purchased, so back off.

Of course if Sony does browbeat Geohot into submission and wins the case maybe Apple will then decide to take the same stance with the iPhone, so there is a lot to lose here. Feel free to voice you opinions as to whether you agree or disagree to our comments area below.

BlackBerry Dakota / Montana spotted in the wild, sporting threads of carbon

So how's our little leaked friend the alleged BlackBerry Bold Touch doing as Canada's winter continues to rage? Looks like he's all wrapped up and toasty in a tasteful carbon fiber weave. N4BB nabbed the first real-life photos of the triple-input-device OS 6.1 smartphone, which confirm its 640 x 480 VGA screen, though the publication says it's also gained storage space (6.5GB flash) and lost memory (512MB of RAM) since the last time we heard its specs. There's apparently still a 5 megapixel camera to be had, as well as a magnetometer, accelerometer and proximity sensor, and -- as the rumor mill whispered in January -- integrated NFC. Still no word on processing power, but it sure sounds like it'll mop the floor with the Torch either way.

[Thanks, Mike]

Motorola Atrix 4G already rooted, and it's not even out yet

If you thought the lack of root on the Atrix 4G was going to save you a couple hundred bucks next week... well, we hate to break the bad news, but you're going to need to find another excuse not to buy it (more on that in a second). Long story short, the phone's already been rooted by a gentleman over on the ever-resourceful xda-developers forums, which means you can do all the normal things that require root access like enabling the standard Froyo mobile hotspot feature, using root apps like Titanium Backup (pictured above), and generally looking 1337 compared to your friends locked up in their walled gardens. Now, the bad news: the bootloader remains firmly locked and encrypted, so custom kernels are still just a dream -- but hey, where there's a will, there's a way. Keep the faith!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Today’s Mobile News in Brief (Feb 18, 2011)

As reported here on Cell Phones Etc. and across the Web, here’s your daily brief on what happened in the world of mobile phones this Friday, February 18th 2011.

Nokia giving developers free E7 and free WP7 device
Too good to be true? Well, believe it. This is Nokia’s brazen move to appease their developer community, who, for many years, have supported the Symbian platform, and were understandably caught by surprise with Espoo’s sudden change of plans to go with Windows Phone 7.
Slashgear

Report: Apple remains king of app-store market
The Apple App Store may not have been the one with the biggest year-over-year growth, but it’s still reigns king in terms of revenue. The Apple App Store raked in $1,782 Million in 2010 while its closest rival, the BlackBerry App World, only had $165 Million. Nokia’s Ovi Store landed in 3rd place ($105M), while the Android Market was in 4th place ($102M).
Cnet News

Rogers Acer Liquid mt now officially available
Acer Liquid mt is now available on Rogers. This 800MHz-powered Android 2.2 touchscreen phone packs a 5-megapixel AF camera with LED flash, 720p HD video recording, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 3.6-inch 480×800 resolution display. It’s retailing for $49.99 on a 3-year contract or $399.99 outright purchase.
Mobilesyrup

Apple Hopes to Squeeze More Battery Life Out of iOS Using Dense Lithium Cells
Battery life is still one of the iPhone’s weakest points. So, it’s not exactly surprising that Apple’s trying to find ways to improve the battery life of their hit mobile device. One such solution their exploring is increasing the density of the battery thus allowing for more power to be stored while maintaining the same compact size.
Unwiredview

Virgin launches 2 new Unlimited plans ($35 & $45)
Virgin Mobile has just rolled out two new unlimited plans, one of which is just $35/month. The $35 Unlimited City Calling Plan comes with unlimited local calling within City Zone, unlimited Canada, US, and international text messaging. It is, however, only available for CDMA handsets, and in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmoton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. The $45 Unlimited Calling Plan, meanwhile, features unlimited local calling with No Zone restrictions, unlimited Canada, US, and international text messaging, and is available everywhere in Canada except in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Mobilesyrup

O2 workers back changes to pension schemes

O2 union members back changes to final pension schemes – a move which is described as ‘pleasing’ by their employer

O2 workers who are part of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) voted last night to back negotiated changes to their final pension scheme retaining an option to keep full final salary benefits.

Sixty per cent of O2 CWU members voted in the ballot which closed yesterday (February 18) with 94 per cent of voters backing the proposals.

O2 said it was “pleased” with the outcome and said the vote would make its scheme more “competitive”.

Over 2,000 employees who have had pension schemes with O2 (formerly BT) since before 1986 – known as ‘Section Three’ – and between 1986 and 2001 – known as ‘Section Two’ will be affected by the changes.

Employees who have pension schemes with O2 outside these dates and are part of the company’s “defined contribution scheme”, decided in 2001 and called ‘Section One’ are not affected.

Following the vote, a 60 day consultation exercise now commences, during which affected employees will be able to choose from three options depending on what section they are in.

As part of the agreement all affected employees will also be able to obtain independent financial advice to help them chose the option that is best suited to them.

Option ‘One’ is the same for members of both sections – choose to increase contributions from six per cent to 10 per cent with no other changes.

Option ‘Three’ is again the same for members of both sections – employees leave their current section and join either a new pension fund or O2′s Section 1 and receive payment of 21 per cent of their salary for five years and 10 per cent there after.

Payment for Option Three can be either paid in part or full into Section One or taken in cash.

Option Two differs slightly however depending on what section employees are in.

Workers in Section Two, can use this option to increase contributions from 6 per cent to 7.5 per cent and reduce benefits for future service, as the accrual rate changes form sixtieths to eightieths.

The change in accrual rates will also flow through to other benefits such as dependants and redundancy.

Section Three employees choosing this option can also choose for contributions to increase from six per cent to 7.5 per cent, however the arrangement for future contributions differs slightly to employees in Section Two.

Benefits for future arrangements will be reduced from one eightieth and three eightieths automatic cash per year of service to one eightieth with no automatic cash.

CWU deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said: “This is a fantastic result which strongly endorses the work of CWU’s negotiating team.

“As part of the deal members can receive independent financial advice and then get on with choosing which pension option suits them best, with the option of retaining their full final salary pension.”

An O2 spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the CWU have backed our pension proposals which we believe will keep the scheme very competitive.”

Myriad Alien Dalvik hands-on (video)

What if you could run Android apps on other platforms? That's exactly the question Benoit Shillings and his team at Myriad asked themselves before setting out to create Alien Dalvik. The resulting software provides a host environment for the (mostly Java-based) Android apps to run pretty much anywhere. Alien Dalvik behaves a lot like Wine on Linux, which allows Windows programs to run inside Linux without installing Windows or using a virtual machine. We stopped by the Myriad booth at MWC this week where Benoit was kind enough to give us a demo of Alien Dalvik running on a Nokia N900. Despite being in the early stages of development and still un-optimized, the software worked as expected. Benoit showed us Google Maps, a chess game, and the IMDb app all running as separate processes inside Maemo. This version of Alien Dalvik was written using Qt and should also be able to run on Symbian devices. You can't buy the product as an end user, but Myriad wants to make the technology available to carriers and device manufacturers to help streamline the deployment of apps across platforms. Watch our video after the break.

London Fashion Week: Best 6 Ovi Apps

For those Nokia faithful that have a liking for fashion, as London Fashion Week begins in a few days time perhaps you’d like some info on the six best Ovi applications you can download to your Nokia device so you can get the best out of London Fashion Week.

This list of the six best Ovi apps comes our way courtesy of the guys over at NokNok, so we thought we’d pass it along to any of our Nokia toting readers who might be attending or have an interest in London Fashion Week, so let’s get right to it…

First up is an app called Zara, this Ovi app enables the user to browse the Zara department store for the latest in fashion and even lets the user purchase gear via their Nokia smartphone, search pictures and catalogue so you can locate that perfect outfit.

The Zara app can be downloaded to you Nokia handset, you will need to make sure your device is compatible by using the Nokia mobile selector, from the Ovi Store as a free download.

Next up is the House of Fraser app, which is apparently one of the best Ovi apps for shopping whilst on the go and delivers a complete search capability via category, brand, keyword, and enabling new customers to create an account.

The House of Fraser app for Nokia devices allows users to pick items by gender, images and type and also allows purchasing of garments right for your Nokia device. The House of Fraser app is a free app available from the Ovi Store.

Then there is the Daily Front Row app, which delivers the latest up-to-date news from the fashion world direct to your Nokia smartphone, with hundreds of fashion images from across the globe.

The Daily Front Row app enables the user to read the latest news articles, watch videos, whilst selects devices ca share content via Facebook or SMS. The Daily Front Row app can be downloaded to your chosen Nokia handset from the Ovi store at a cost of 1.50.

Next up we have the Elle app for Nokia devices, Elle is one of the world’s most popular fashion outlets and this app delivers the ultimate fashion fix with up-to-the-minute news on celebrities, beauty and fashion.

The Elle app allows the user to keep up with all the latest from the catwalks of London, Paris, New York, and Milan, and is available to download from the Ovi Store as a free application.

Almost there we have the Fashion Week Live app for Nokia, which is a mobile gaming app that enables the user to wile away their time playing the role of a fashion designer’s assistant gearing up for Fashion Week.

The Fashion Week Live app takes the user through different stages with the designer enabling them to deal with situations whilst unlocking different gaming features and earning kudos from your boss. The Fashion Week Live app is a free app from the Ovi Store.

Lastly we have The Sartorialist, one of the most critically acclaimed fashion photographers and blogger who has a regular feature in the GQ magazine and enables the user to follow the trends and styles of fashion.

The Sartorialist app offers the user an insight into the working of the Sartorialist in New York and Milan so you can keep up with the tips on fashion. The Sartorialist app is available from the Ovi Store as a free app.

So there you have it, six best app from the Ovi Store for all you fashion hungry Nokia owners out there; however we know there are loads more fashion apps available so if you have your favourite then feel free to share.

O2 workers back changes to pension schemes

O2 union members back changes to final pension schemes – a move which is described as ‘pleasing’ by their employer

O2 workers who are part of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) voted last night to back negotiated changes to their final pension scheme retaining an option to keep full final salary benefits.

Sixty per cent of O2 CWU members voted in the ballot which closed yesterday (February 18) with 94 per cent of voters backing the proposals.

O2 said it was “pleased” with the outcome and said the vote would make its scheme more “competitive”.

Over 2,000 employees who have had pension schemes with O2 (formerly BT) since before 1986 – known as ‘Section Three’ – and between 1986 and 2001 – known as ‘Section Two’ will be affected by the changes.

Employees who have pension schemes with O2 outside these dates and are part of the company’s “defined contribution scheme”, decided in 2001 and called ‘Section One’ are not affected.

Following the vote, a 60 day consultation exercise now commences, during which affected employees will be able to choose from three options depending on what section they are in.

As part of the agreement all affected employees will also be able to obtain independent financial advice to help them chose the option that is best suited to them.

Option ‘One’ is the same for members of both sections – choose to increase contributions from six per cent to 10 per cent with no other changes.

Option ‘Three’ is again the same for members of both sections – employees leave their current section and join either a new pension fund or O2′s Section 1 and receive payment of 21 per cent of their salary for five years and 10 per cent there after.

Payment for Option Three can be either paid in part or full into Section One or taken in cash.

Option Two differs slightly however depending on what section employees are in.

Workers in Section Two, can use this option to increase contributions from 6 per cent to 7.5 per cent and reduce benefits for future service, as the accrual rate changes form sixtieths to eightieths.

The change in accrual rates will also flow through to other benefits such as dependants and redundancy.

Section Three employees choosing this option can also choose for contributions to increase from six per cent to 7.5 per cent, however the arrangement for future contributions differs slightly to employees in Section Two.

Benefits for future arrangements will be reduced from one eightieth and three eightieths automatic cash per year of service to one eightieth with no automatic cash.

CWU deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said: “This is a fantastic result which strongly endorses the work of CWU’s negotiating team.

“As part of the deal members can receive independent financial advice and then get on with choosing which pension option suits them best, with the option of retaining their full final salary pension.”

An O2 spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the CWU have backed our pension proposals which we believe will keep the scheme very competitive.”

Mystery Caller: Valentine’s Day gifts

With Valentine’s Day drawing ever closer, Mystery Caller was out to impress his girlfriend. He is after a pink or purple smartphone on prepay and has 120 to spend

6: T-Mobile

One minute. Nothing. Two minutes. Silence. This was going to be tough going. It continued. After seven minutes and 53 seconds the line went dead

Manner – 1/5
Understanding – 0/5
Knowledge – 0/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 0/5
Total – 6/30

5: Virgin Mobile

I double-checked both came in pink and she said they didn’t. Right. I re-trained her focus on the job at hand by repeating my colour requirement

Manner – 4/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 3/5
Clarity – 1/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 17/30

4: O2

Once through, I was told by a prerecorded voice I was heading into a queue. Another one? And it was another long one, too

Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 3/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 18/30

3: Orange

She suggested the LG Optimus and the Samsung Galaxy Apollo. They come in sparkly pink, right? Wrong. Which brought us back to the white San Francisco

Manner – 4/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 20/30

2: Vodafone

He was reading off a web page but his enthusiasm was fantastic. I was glad, too, as Android was preferred to Nokia’s equivalent

Manner – 5/5
Understanding –4/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 4/5
Total – 23/30

1: Three

“Pink phones are out of stock, I’m afraid, except for one – called a ZTE – but I have never heard of it, so I’m not going to recommend it”

Manner – 5/5
Understanding – 4/5
Knowledge – 4/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 4/5
Overall – 4/5
Total – 25/30

Summary

It was another chance for the CSAs to show off their knowledge this week; some did just that, but there were a few disappointments, too.

Monica from Virgin struggled with her talking speed, but I got the sense she really was trying her hardest. Grace from T-Mobile, failed completely apart from the call back, while Esther from O2 was polite enough and not at fault for her failure to deliver. Gordon at Vodafone knew his stuff even though he wasn’t in sales, which was impressive.

Christine from Orange was pleasant and her knowledge good, although it didn’t compare to Gordon’s, whose all-round attitude and manner made him the perfect CSA model.

Full review in Mobile News issue 481 (January 31, 2010).

Adu, Barcelona: Mobile World Congress 2011 is over

We've still got a handful of posts in the pipeline, but with the gates closed and everyone in the air heading back to their respective homes, our adventures at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona have come to a close. The good news is we can return to our regular four of hours of sleep each night (a figure that was cut in half this week). The bad news is the heartache of leaving behind gorgeous scenery and delicious paella. Take a look at some of our highlights below!

Microsoft

Microsoft shows off WP7's future with multitasking, Twitter integration, and IE9, all coming this year
Windows Phone 7's multitasking uses zoomed-out cards to check on your apps
Microsoft Rally Ball demo shows Windows Phone 7, Kinect, Xbox Live living in perfect harmony (video)
Windows Phone 7 update with copy and paste, CDMA support coming in 'early March'
See the new Windows Phone 7 features in motion (video)
Live from Steve Ballmer's MWC 2011 keynote!

Nokia

The Engadget Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop talks Microsoft, Symbian, MeeGo, and Windows Phone
Debunk: Elop never said Microsoft is paying Nokia billions of dollars to use Windows Phone
The Engadget Interview: Microsoft's Aaron Woodman talks Windows Phone 7 and Nokia
Nokia: 'Our first priority is beating Android'
Nokia hints we'll see first Windows Phone 7 device this year
Live from 'An Evening With Nokia' at MWC 2011!

HTC

HTC launches 1.5GHz, 7-inch Android 2.4 Flyer into the tablet wars (update: hands-on video!)
HTC Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab vs. iPad... fight!
A closer look at the HTC Flyer's screen, stylus, and Scribe
HTC refreshes Android lineup with Incredible S, Desire S and Wildfire S (update: hands-on)
HTC Incredible S, Desire S, and Wildfire S video hands-on
HTC Salsa and Chacha bring the dedicated Facebook button to Android (update: eyes-on)

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S II official: dual-core 1GHz CPU, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus, coming this month (hands-on with video)
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 official: Tegra 2, Honeycomb, dual cameras (hands-on with video)
T-Mobile Galaxy S 4G hands-on
Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 preview (video)
Samsung Galaxy Ace, Gio, Fit, and mini gather for a mega hands-on
Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets

Google

Eric Schmidt: 'We certainly tried' to get Nokia to use Android
Next version of Android will combine Gingerbread and Honeycomb, arrive on a six-month cycle
Google demos Android Movie Studio for Honeycomb
Live from Eric Schmidt's MWC 2011 keynote
Google's MWC 2011 Android booth tour

LG

LG Optimus Pad first hands-on! (video)
LG Optimus 3D hands-on
Android-powered LG Revolution caught streaming Netflix at MWC (video)
Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson Xperia family portrait at MWC 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play MWC 2011 hands-on! (updated with video)
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro first hands-on! (updated with video)
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc preview (video)
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo first hands-on! (updated with video)
Live from Sony Ericsson's MWC 2011 press event!

O2 confirms Sony Ericsson Xperia Play white exclusive

Operator says exclusive white version of device will provide greater choice to customers when new handset is released in the UK

O2 announced today it will stock the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and will exclusively sell a white version of the device (pictured).

The Xperia Play is part of Sony Ericsson’s new smartphone range and allows users to play its highly popular Sony Playstation games on the handset.

O2 general manager devices Steve Alder said: “Selling the Xperia Play in an exclusive white colour will help give them even more choice when they buy a new phone.

“We want to help customers get more and more out of their phones and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play combines Android and gaming in a whole new way.”

O2 would not comment on when the device will become available in its stores.

iPhone 5 May Release on Verizon and AT&T Simultaneously

It’s probably not too surprising but when the iPhone 5 eventually see release at some point later this year, the iPhone 5 may simultaneously launch on both Verizon Wireless and AT&T networks, which would be a bit of a bummer for those Verizon customers who have just picked up the Verizon iPhone.

According to an article over on Ubergizmo and by way of Beat Week, apparently Apple has laid “too much groundwork” to no go ahead with a simultaneous launch of the iPhone 5 on both networks.

There’s also mention that eventually Apple will deliver the iPhone 5 to both T-Mobile and Sprint as well as the mention of a carrier free iPhone 5 this summer, although personally I can’t see Apple delivering an iPhone 5 without carrier intervention somehow.

I’m not quite sure where they got their information so for now at least this should be treated as pure speculation, although personally I see no reason why Apple shouldn’t release the next generation iOS smartphone to Verizon and AT&T at the same time.

What are your views on this matter, do you think Apple should push out the iPhone 5 to both AT&T and Verizon simultaneously or do you feel AT&T should get the first bite of the cherry and Verizon gain the iPhone 5 at a later date?

HTC Droid Thunderbolt Delayed Further

For the poor souls who have been patiently awaiting the release of the HTC Thunderbolt on the Verizon network and have been hoping against all hope that the Android 2.2 Froyo device would become available as of the 24th of this month, it looks like you’ll be disappointed.

According to an article over on Droid-life by Kellex, the guys over at Android Guys is reporting that the HTC Thunderbolt has been delayed a further four days and will now release on the 28th of the month.

However, according to an article over on Droid Attic it may even be later, but certainly wont be offered by Best Buy next week.

The reason apparently is due to production problems rather than anything to do with Verizon or Best Buy, but that still doesn’t change the fact that yet again potential customers have been let down when it comes to a release date for the device.

Are you hanging on for the HTC Thunderbolt, or have you decided to opt for another smartphone, feel free to voice your annoyance at this latest delay with the device to our comments area below.

Mini iPhone Squeeze to go Home Concept Video

As you know there is a rumour that Apple might be looking at pushing our a mini version of the iPhone, whether its called the mini iPhone or iPhone nano remains to be seen, but the rumour doesn’t stop people from coming up with concepts for the device.

So what we have for your viewing consideration today is a very short video of a mini iPhone concept that takes the rumour that a smaller version would sport an edge-to-edge display and delivers a way of getting back to the home screen when there are no buttons on the device.

The concept video comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily iPhone Blog and by way of YouTube user Maxrudberg, and shows that a “squeeze to go home” feature would possibly be needed for a smaller iPhone.

So basically to return home from an app the user would apply pressure to the sides of the device, but what if you accidentally squeeze? Well this concept would sport a “visual cue” to show the user they were holding the handset too tightly, and there would also be a setting whereby the user could set the pressure for going home.

Sounds like a reasonable concept to me, although that pressure setting would have to be mighty fine considering the variation in peoples grip pressure. So jump on down and check out the 14-second concept video and feel free to let us know your opinions.

Imagination Technologies unveils Series 6 PowerVR GPUs -- promises desktop caliber graphics in mobile devices

Imagination Technologies may not be a household name, but they created the PowerVR GPUs that are the gold standard in mobile graphics, and are a part of the ARM SoCs you find in mobile devices like the iPhone 4, Galaxy S, and the Droid 2. Not one to rest on its laurels, the company unveiled its new Series 6 PowerVR chips -- affectionately known as 'Rogue' -- that are 20 to 100 times more powerful than its previous handheld offerings. That's right, these GPUs will have the same horsepower as today's desktop computers while needing only a milliwatt of juice to deliver face-melting graphics -- the catch is that this bit of black magic won't be showing up in devices for a few years. Guess we'll just have to settle for the Series 5 chips -- like the quad core beast found in the Sony NGP and the upcoming OMAP 5 platform -- which the company promises will make their way into select smartphones "within three months." Be still, our gaming hearts.

It's official: Motorola pushes up Atrix 4G launch to Feb. 22

And there you have it, kids: the rumored in-store date for the Atrix 4G has become a reality, with pre-orders shipping on February 21 and handsets finding their giddy new owners as soon as February 22.

World’s first 3D phone, Stupid People if not liked!

The new LG Optimus 3D, which is the world’s first 3D smartphone is set to release in April has to be one of the best release handsets coming this year and surely stupid people if not liked has to be said if you choose not to love this smartphone.

We have already reported that Orange is all set to launch the new LG Optimus 3D and the Optimus Black and it seems 3D is set to rule smartphones as well as cinema’s, TV’s etc.

The main features on the LG Optimus 3D includes a 4.3-inch 3D LCD screen, records 3D video, dual 5-megapixel camera, create, view and share 3D multimedia, HDMI output, 8GB memory built in, Android operating system, front facing camera for video chats, 1GHz TI dual-core dual-channel OMAP processor and much more.

You can watch a few YouTube videos that we have posted before covering: Being Handled, Promo Videos on how to exercise and a Teaser video.

We wanted to keep this short and sweet and sorry for being blunt saying only stupid people would not like the LG Optimus 3D (The world’s first 3D phone), but come on it got your attention didn’t it?

Anyway, we have put a poll together below asking you a simple question; please do cast your vote, as this will let us know how many of our readers really like this mobile device by LG.

Will You Buy The New LG Optimus 3D Smartphone?

Are you crazy? Of course I will

I am not stupid but still not be buying it

I am a confused stupid because I am not sure yet

View Results

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Scoreloop SDK for Windows Phone 7 Available

Scoreloop cross platform social gaming mobile ecosystem has announced the release of their beta SDK release for Microsoft Windows Phone 7 thus enabling developers to enable cross platform gaming with the Windows Phone platform.

The Scorelopp SDK is already available to iOS, Bada, Airplay and Android developers and with the addition of Windows Phone 7 makes Scoreploop the most extensive mobile social gaming ecosystem.

A limited quantity of developers can gain early access to the Scoreloop SDK who can apply by hitting up the Scoreloop website, or email wp7@scoreloop.com. Invitations will be sent to a first wave of developers as a free WP7 SDK and then rolled out to everyone in the coming weeks.

Scoreloop CEO Marc Gumpinger, says…“Windows Phone 7 is an important step in our goal to encourage and support connected gaming across the entire mobile landscape. As the first cross-platform social gaming ecosystem to add support for Windows Phone 7 this means we can offer the largest reach, greater revenue potential and increase the impact of developers using the Scoreloop SDK.”

The Scoreloop social gaming platform and SDK creates instant connections and communities and extra ways to generate revenue from mobile games and developers can add in-game purchasing, in-app promotions and virtual currencies.

Engadget's next reader meetup happens February 25th in San Francisco -- enter to win a trip for 2 to the event!

That's right human beings -- it's happening again! The Engadget crew is getting together their best party outfits and shipping out west for another installment of our fabulous reader meetups. Our last event in NYC drew loads of people and was an all around blast, and the San Francisco installment is sure to be just as explosive (or maybe more? c'mon... show us what you've got). This time around we're partnering with Sprint, as well as Sony PlayStation, HP, Roku, Samsung, VUDU, RIM, Sling, Sonos, HTC, Corning, Sphero, and loads of other players in our industry (we're still adding to the list!) to bring you a night of gadget geeking, giveaways, delicious foodstuffs, and some awesome music (provided by none other than our podcast producer, Trent Wolbe). Also, a whole mess of the Engadget editors will be on hand and entertain and inform, so if you have any pressing questions -- jot them down!

The all ages shindig will take place at City View at The Metreon, which is located conveniently in downtown SF. If you're a nerd in the city, you most likely already know what we're talking about. The doors will open at 6:30PM, and capacity is limited to 1200 people -- so if you want to get inside, get there early!

Hate standing in lines? Enter the Engadget Reader Meetup Sweepstakes for your chance to win an all expense paid trip for 2 to the meetup in San Francisco on February 25th! Click here to enter now! (rules apply, read them after the break)

We're going to be flooding the interwaves with more information soon, but for now, mark the date on your calendars, and get ready to party.

Sweepstakes rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Open to subscribers receiving this invitation, who are 18 and over and are legal residents of the United States who reside in the 48 contiguous United States and District of Columbia (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion ends: 2/20/2011. For Official Rules, prize descriptions and odds disclosure, visit http://go.rtm.com/sanfranengadgetsweepstakes/.