How would you change Motorola's Atrix 4G?

Motorola's Atrix 4G may have some serious competition from a performance standpoint, but it's still got one thing going for it over all of the other Android superphones hitting the streets these days: an optional laptop dock. 'Course, it's debatable whether or not said accessory is truly worth paying for, but the phone itself has certainly done its fair share of impressing. You've read our take on Motorola's latest Android whizkid, and now it's your turn to vent. If you had the power necessary to overhaul the Atrix 4G, how would you go about doing so? Would you nix Motoblur altogether? Toss the latest build on Android onboard? Make it available on more carriers? Handle the laptop dock differently? All (sane) opinions are welcome, and comments are open below.

Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator to put a virtual big screen television

Just in time for the weekend, this is about the wackiest use of augmented reality that we’ve seen yet. The Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator is a brand new free app in the App Store that uses AR to put a virtual big screen television right in your living room, so you can see what it looks like in place before you actually buy and “install” it. The idea is that you download and print the AR market from Panasonic’s site, and then install the app, and use your iPhone to “see” the TV in place.

Once you see your future television, you can even snap a picture, and send it out via email or a few social networking services. I like the idea of using augmented reality for home improvement a lot — this is a pretty narrow solution (only really useful if you’re buying a specific Panasonic TV), but it’s a cool idea. Maybe we’ll see more fun uses of AR like this in the future.

AT&T brings HSUPA to Atrix 4G and Inspire 4G, one requires WiFi to download update

If you're the somewhat-proud-but-feeling-throttled owner of a Motorola Atrix 4G or HTC Inspire 4G, your days of terribly slow uploads are nearly through -- following some preliminary tests, AT&T is rolling out updates that provide "increased potential data speed" to both HSPA+ handsets right on cue. The Inspire 4G's patch will also "make the email set up process much easier," while the Atrix 4G will actually get a pair of updates which will allegedly bring better Bluetooth headset compatibility, fingerprint reader performance and battery life (which is always a plus) as well as the questionable utility of turning the Atrix into an EDGE hotspot, and a bump to Android 2.2.2 to hopefully fix the SMS routing bug. Word of warning though, you'll need to throw your Atrix up on a WiFi network to obtain these goodies -- all the Gs in the world won't help you.

Migration Tool For iPhone to Windows Phone 7 by Microsoft

In a bid to win over more developers, Microsoft is offering up a new app migration tool to make it easier to port over iOS apps to the Windows Phone 7 platform. The new API Mapping Tool lets iOS coders take programming calls and translate them to the equivalent classes, methods, and notification events in Windows Phone 7.

The API Mapping Tool is available with plenty of documentation, videos, and other resources to help guide along developers. The API works more like a dictionary that allows developers to pick out bits of code to be translated. Microsoft notes that there’s “no magic wand that will do the work for you,” but that the new API will make things less painstaking.

Currently, the three major categories that can be mapped with the tool are Network/Internet, User Interface, and Data Management. Not all parts are mappable at the moment, but Microsoft promises more APIs to be mapped soon. They also promise a similar tool to come for Android app migration.

T-Mobile’s Prepaid Refurb Nuron Fire Sale

T-Mobile is currently holding a fire sale on the Nokia Nuron Symbian smartphone. The phone features Symbian S60 5th Edition and now features access to the latest edition of Ovi Maps which allows for offline map caching with map data for 160 countries. Normally $149.99, the phone is currently being sold for $49.99 after $70 instant discount and additional instant $30 refurb discount. T-Mobile is also including a $30 prepaid airtime card with the purchase of the phone, making it a perfect backup phone with free offline GPS.

T-Mobile – Prepaid Nokia Nuron

BlackBerry Bold Touch makes brief appearance on RIM's website

As you may have have been able to discern from the multitude of leaks that have surfaced over the past few months, RIM is apparently getting set to debut a new touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry Bold at BlackBerry World next week. While still not completely official, that's now been all but confirmed by RIM itself, which briefly featured the teaser pictured above on its website before pulling it for reasons unknown. As you can see, RIM apparently couldn't help itself and promised that it will be a "bold step ahead," and it appears that the phone is unsurprisingly running BlackBerry 7, which until recently was better known as OS 6.1. Of course, that's hardly the only news we're expecting to hear at BlackBerry World, and you can be sure we'll be there to brave the puns and bring it all to you.

[Thanks, Matt]

Sidekick 4G review

It's been nearly two years since we last reviewed a T-Mobile Sidekick, and it would be a vast understatement to say things have changed. Then, they were designed by Danger and manufactured by Sharp, and were the messaging phone of choice. Today, following fiasco and failure, the Sidekick empire is in ruins. But good ideas and their originators live on, and several of Danger's brightest wound up in Mountain View, California. Danger's Andy Rubin founded Android, design director Mattias Duarte built Honeycomb (after helping craft the Helio Ocean and webOS for Palm) and now, the Sidekick itself has joined its founders in the house that Google built. In many ways, the Sidekick 4G is a return to form, but in an ecosystem filled with similar Android devices, can it stand out from the crowd?

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G unboxing and hands-on

Hardware

We're tempted to say "yes" based on looks alone. Android's got no shortage of landscape QWERTY sliders, and some of them even boast pretty fancy builds, but the Sidekick 4G's matte, soft-touch plastic frame, accented sparingly with a dark brushed metal trim, manages to simultaneously be stylish and utilitarian. It's a thick plastic phone in a world that increasingly idolizes supermodels like the iPhone 4 and Xperia Arc, but every part of its shell is purpose-built for tactile control, and we're mostly happy with the trade-offs.

Samsung may have not seen fit to equip the Sidekick 4G with one of its fancy AMOLED displays, but it certainly dug up a pretty fantastic standard LCD here, which washes out slightly at off-angles but otherwise aquits itself admirably. Of course, it's only got 3.5 inches of real estate, which can be quite the adjustment if you're used to 4+ inch slate phones or even 3.7-inch QWERTY sliders like the Droid 2, and there's enough more than enough bezel on the Sidekick 4G to suggest that the smaller screen might be a cost-cutting measure. That said, you're looking at 267 pixels per inch here -- which means you're rarely looking at pixels at all -- so it's not bad, just not really suited to multimedia. It's pretty nice for touchscreen input, though, with a responsive capacitive digitizer (tracking five points of contact) underneath a smooth Gorilla Glass sheet.

Whether held in the left or right hand, the Sidekick 4G is comfortable to grip in portrait mode, and most critical controls are easy to reach -- the bottom (or left) positions the nice, firm volume rocker right beneath your upper digits, a 3.5mm headphone jack at the very top, and the power button at the bottom where you can press it with pinky or palm. Up top (or right) there's a rotating flap covering the microUSB port, and a somewhat squishy two-stage camera shutter button that can nonetheless assist in taking single-handed pics. There's also an optical trackpad on the front that makes a little bit of sense in portrait mode, but isn't really sensitive (nor accessible) enough to scroll through more than the occasional webpage. We miss our trackball.

Landscape mode is where the Sidekick's hardware is obviously designed to shine, as the handset's large, clicky face buttons don't make much sense in the vertical -- and of course, once you spin the phone ninety degrees, you'll be able to access the Sidekick's famous QWERTY keyboard, though sans the familiar hinge. Historically, the only Hiptop that ever shipped without that trademark swiveling display was dead on arrival, but we can joyously announce that that stigma is no more, as the Sidekick 4G has one of the most ingenious and rock-solid sliding hinges we've seen on a smartphone yet. Push the bottom lip of the display upward roughly a single centimeter, and the mechanism leaps forward with a satisfying snap, propelled by an spring-loaded, all-metal crossbar that simultaneously props up the display at the correct angle and shields its cable ribbon. There's not a hint of play in any direction, nor any question about whether the device is fully opened or closed and though we initially missed our spinning screen we eventually had to admit this one is nearly as cool.

We've tried every Hiptop keyboard made, and while this isn't the best we've ever used -- the Sidekick II's all-rubber matrix is hard to surpass -- Samsung's Sidekick 4G beats the pants off any QWERTY keyboard we've used on an Android machine. You pay a hefty premium to get this kind of real estate, but look at the result: a spacious, staggered five-row keyboard with a dedicated number row, easy access to commas, periods, questionmarks and the all-important @ symbol, and if you're 15 years old (or 15 at heart), an emoticon key too. The domed keys are rather noisy in use, a little shallow and a tad stiff, which can lead to some thumb fatigue after a while -- a little extra padding might have been nice -- and the placement of the Search key tripped us up from time to time when we intended to hit Shift instead. Overall, though, Sidekick lovers will be right at home; with just a couple days of re-training ourselves, we were touch-typing 35WPM (without errors) on the QWERTY keyboard.

Though still decidedly made of plastic, even the back cover of the phone shows some thoughtful design. It sports larged textured grips to make absolutely sure you won't easily drop the phone while typing, and it's thin and flexible enough to easily pry off the rear without requiring excessive pressure. Underneath, you'll find the same user-replacable 1500mAh battery Samsung uses in all its mid-range smartphones (Transform, Intercept, Craft, etc.) which should make finding replacements easy and cheap, as well as easy access to the included 2GB microSD card (but unfortunately not the SIM slot).

Software, performance and battery life

Samsung's never been particularly shy about skinning Android -- replacing parts of the stock user interface with ideas of its own design -- and for the most part, we've tolerated its TouchWiz skins without really understanding the point. Starting with the stellar Galaxy S II, however, it seems there's finally a mandate to make change exceedingly functional and pleasing to use, and we have to say, the Sidekick 4G's interface (based on Android 2.2.1) is pretty dang cool. Filled with translucent blue parallelograms and text that vaguely evoke Honeycomb (and by association, Tron), every part of the UI has seen a stylish overhaul, and it's both seriously eye-catching and fairly useful. The lock screen, for instance, returns you to your content when you slide the lower blade down, but fling the upper blade skyward and it can automatically launch any app or shortcut of your choice.

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G software walkthrough

Threaded conversations don't just look nice, but also let you communicate a whole variety of things without leaping into other apps -- a couple presses and you can attach a quick voice recording, upcoming calendar event, GPS location, picture or video to anything you send, or send an email, Tweet or status update from the same interface, and there's also a Group Text app to let you blast SMS out to all your friends. The Contacts page has similarly seen an overhaul, and it's much like the one we enjoyed using in the Galaxy S II -- there's an alphabetical directory at right for quickly scrolling through your friends, relatives and acquaintances, and a quick swipe right on their name will immediately call them (or swipe left will text them) without further ado. Though Android has had Sidekick-like jump shortcuts since the very beginning, actually tapping the Jump button by itself does something rather cool -- it pulls up a scrolling list of your last eight tasks in order and displays their keyboard shortcuts to make multitasking even less painless than it was by default.

All that said, the UI overhaul isn't without its issues, like how the Dialer and Contact apps are only usable in portrait view, and the way some third-party apps didn't like Samsung's translucent blue text and rendered it invisible. Samsung's worst misstep, though, is arguably its social networking integration. The Sidekick 4G uses Samsung's Social Networking Sync (SNS) service to drop your friends Twitter, Facebook and MySpace updates in a variety of useful places (like a tasteful homescreen widget and a browsable list on the contacts page) and lets you post updates directly from the notifications bar to any of the same. The problem is, the service syncs a maximum of once per day. Needless to say, you'll probably be using dedicated social networking apps instead, but none of them can leverage the same device integrations, and in fact you'll find all of your Twitter and Facebook contacts each listed twice in your contacts list if you have both the apps and Samsung SNS set up simultaneously.

Also, the UI is occasionally a bit slow -- not lethargic by any means, but considering the Sidekick 4G has the guts of a Galaxy S (including a 1GHz Samsung C110 Hummingbird SOC with 512MB of RAM and PowerVR SGX540 graphics) and Froyo on board, we expected a bit more speed when scrolling around, and despite pulling down 5Mbps speeds over T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, the web browsing experience is a little off. Pages loaded and rendered slower than we anticipated, and trying to scroll around while pages are loading resulted in an unsightly checkerboard pattern -- painful if you're trying to read just one of the entries in a lengthy scrolling blog. Benchmarks also suggest that speed has taken a hit in favor of something else, as our review unit managed only 12.5 MFLOPS in Linpack and a score of around 940 in Quadrant. However, gaming performance should still be pretty snappy, as that PowerVR chip still pumped out 49.9fps in Nenamark, and we played some Cordy and AirAttack HD with only modest slowdown, and stability seems good -- we've yet to see a single crash to homescreen or spontaneous Force Close.

Call quality was just fine over the earpiece, speakerphone or Bluetooth, and cellular reception was mostly consistant with the phone sitting still, and we found battery life fairly average but better then some. After a full 15-hour day of moderate use, we hit the pillow with 27 percent remaining charge, while the same test found our Droid 2 (with a recently replaced, but smaller 1370mAh Li-ion pack) barely holding on at the 15 percent mark. You'll still be charging this one at least nightly, but there's a little extra wiggle room.

Camera

Don't let the specs deceive you -- despite clocking in at a seemingly pedestrian 3 megapixels, the Sidekick 4G camera is extremely competent thanks to quality autofocus optics, a good sensor, and top-notch image processing. It takes really nice pictures, with lots of detail, excellent color balance, and accurate exposure. Low-light performance is surprisingly decent, with noise only becoming a problem in extreme circumstances. While there's no flash, you'll find a dedicated two-stage shutter key on the edge of the device, something that we'd like to see on every handset.

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G sample shots

The Sidekick 4G captures video at a smooth 30fps, but resolution is limited to 720x480 pixels (SD). While the resulting videos are reasonably crisp, there's no autofocus during video recording, and audio quality is only average.

The camera interface is typical Samsung, and similar to what we've encountered on the company's many Galaxy S phones. It's pretty intuitive to use and provides features like touch-to-focus and a panorama mode. Overall we're quite pleased with the Sidekick 4G camera; it's easily one of the best 3 megapixel shooters we've used in recent months, and we don't mean that in an anachronistic sense. There's not much to say about the unit's front-facing camera, which is merely passable, but even as a token offering for T-Mobile's Qik-powered video chat, it's appreciated.

Wrap-up

The growing Android empire has legions of slatephones big and small, and a growing stable of physical QWERTY devices led by the likes of HTC's G2 / Desire Z, Samsung's Epic 4G, and of course the Motorola Droid 2. All of those play at the higher end of the market, though, where folks can afford phones built from metal or filled with organic LEDs, while this perfectly passable Sidekick 4G rings up at just $100 on contract. It's solid, stable, feature-packed and incredibly stylish for the price, and we don't think it's an exaggeration to say it might single-handedly raise the bar for what a mid-range smartphone can be -- compare to the Samsung Transform we reviewed last year. Is it worthy of the Sidekick name? That's a little harder to say, but we've long thought the best features of Danger's Hiptop OS (like email, calendar and contacts storage in the cloud) were present in Android anyways. We think the best test is this -- head over to a T-Mobile store, and get your thumbs on that five-row QWERTY and fantastic sliding hinge.

Myriam Joire contributed to this review.

Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones Now Avaialble

Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones Now Avaialble

Sometimes, the expressions on a person’s face can mean much more than what they say. To help you stay in touch with your friends and family, Google is launching Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones. You can now video or voice chat with your friends, family and colleagues right from your Android phone, whether they’re on their compatible Android tablet or phone, or using Gmail with Google Talk on their computer. You can make calls over a 3G or 4G data network (if your carrier supports it) or over Wi-Fi. 

In your Google Talk friends list, a video or voice chat button will appear next to your contacts and you can simply touch the button to connect with them. Any text chats from the person you’re talking with will be overlaid on your phone’s screen so you can read them without having to leave the video. And, if you need to check something else, the video pauses automatically so you can go back to your phone’s home screen or another app. The audio will keep going even though the video has paused. Check out how this works:

Google Talk with video and voice chat will gradually roll out to Nexus S devices in the next few weeks as part of the Android 2.3.4 over-the-air update and will launch on other Android 2.3+ devices in the future.

The Engadget Podcast, live at 5:00PM ET!

It's Thursday, and you know what that means: tomorrow's Friday! Also, it's podcast time! The Engadget Podcast kicks off at 5:00 EST, despite Darren being somewhere lost in the desert. Seriously, we're not sure where he is. Despite that, tim will be joined again by Myriam and, for the first time, Associate Editor Brian Heater will bring his considerable podcasting expertise to bear on your ear holes. Talk of smartphones, the allure of tablets tablets, and the woes of data leaking await, so join us after the break, won't you?

P.S. - If you're on the move but don't want to miss out on the live banter, Ustream has mobile clients for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

Royal Wedding iPhone 2 Million Collection

Goldgenie are proud to bring you the Royal Wedding iPhone collection

Goldgenie are proud to bring you the Royal Wedding iPhone collection. To celebrate the Royal wedding Goldgenie have launched The Royal iPhone with SOLID Platinum rear with VS1 8.50 ct. Certified diamond and Sapphire bezel and Apple logo embellished sides and buttons with London Assay office hallmark and certified diamond certificate. 

They have incorporated their London Assay office hallmark onto the SOLID Rose Gold rear of the Royal iPhone 4 Platinum/diamond Rim and Sapphire and logo making this not only a valuable investment but a rare collector’s item as only a Limited edition of 50 will ever be produced across our Gold Platinum and Rose gold releases. The bezel has been set with quality sapphire and diamonds similar to the late Princes Diana’s wedding ring.

Above you will see the absolutely stunning Platinum Royal Wedding iPhone 4 which is 23,050.00 and a truly remarkable limited edition iPhone. Below you will see the detailed diamond and sapphire bezel. This amazing luxury iPhone is also available in Gold and also Rose Gold.

Apple Store Down: White iPhone 4 Update

The Apple Store is down and you do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that the White iPhone 4 is coming.

If you visit Apple US or Apple UK you will see both online stores are down, when this happens Apple is updated its system and today it is the white iPhone 4. Would be nice to see a lower price or some sort of incentive seeing as we have all had to wait for so long.

Will you be getting the iPhone 4 in white today or will you simply wait for the iPhone 5, this article has been kept short and sweet just to let you know the Apple Store is out of action.

The Store says “We’ll be back soon, we are busy updating the store for you and will be back shortly”.

Rogers Wants In On 700 MHz Spectrum Auction

Over in Canada they are gearing up to auction off the 700 MHz spectrum, which is the band that television broadcasters are freeing up as they make the switch to digital, and that spectrum could be free for mobile data services.

According to the Ottawa Citizen, Rogers wants in on the 700 MHz spectrum auction, and the chief exec of Rogers Communications, Nadir Mohamed, has warned federal officials that preventing big communication companies from bidding is a “recipe for leaving Canada behind,” other economies.

Rogers, Telus and Bell are lobbying the government to allow unencumbered bidding for the entire 700 MHz band, while Videotron and Wind Mobile have asked for a portion of the 700 MHz band to be set aside, with Wind saying the entire block should be put aside for new entrant to compete against the three main Canadian providers.

Apparently Rogers, Telus and Bell are shut out of the auction for the 700 MHz band that is due to begin next year, and Mohamed has said the Canadian market and broader economy would suffer, and remarked at their annual meeting in Toronto, “We need public policy that spurs growth and innovation, that rewards those with a track record and a commitment to innovating and investing.”

Droid Charge Unboxed and Handled on Video

For those that may be waiting to snap up the Samsung Droid Charge once the Android smartphone becomes available, what you might need is a nice close up look at the handset, and that what we have for your viewing pleasure today.

The Droid Charge has now been given the unboxing treatment and a hands-on by the guys over at Android Community and they recorded the occasion on video and of course we have that footage for your consideration below.

No Doubt those interested in the Samsung Droid Charge already know the specification of the smartphone, but just in case you’ve missed them… 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touch screen, 1GHz processor, 8 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, that 4G LTE capability including hotspot for up to ten devices on LTE or five devices on 3G.

So all you need to do now if you are sitting on the fence whether to pick up the Samsung Droid Charge is to jump on down and hit that play button to check out the Android 2.2 Froyo device being unwrapped and lovingly handled…enjoy.

Samsung Galaxy S II begins quest for 120 country domination

How do you best 10 million in sales of your flagship Galaxy S smartphone? Easy, do what the movie studios do and launch a bigger-budget sequel to an even wider audience. Samsung is holding a media day event in South Korea to celebrate the domestic launch of its smokin' fast Galaxy S II handset. The dual-core 1.2GHz Gingerbread handset with 4.27-inch 800 x 480 pixel Super AMOLED Plus display, TouchWiz 4.0 UI, MHL port, and 8 megapixel camera capable of 1080p video is already on limited sale in the UK on its way to a 120 country / 140 carrier invasion -- that's plus 10 countries over the initial Galaxy S target. Naturally, we expect variants of the S II, with and without NFC, to hit all the US majors just like the Galaxy S did in its day. Stay tuned to see if our very positive first impressions of this gorgeous 8.49-mm thick superphone carry over to the review which should be up later today.

Samsung Linx launched in Canada

Samsung Linx launched in Canada

Connect in style with Samsung Linx. Within its sleek, trim design, and beneath its bright 2.2” display and keypad, lies a hidden surprise – a super handy, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Texting on the soft keys is never a pain and you can choose the type of message you want to send – like picture, video or instant messaging – in a flash. And with a 1.3 MP camera and camcorder, web browsing, built-in Bluetooth and other handy features, Linx has everything you need to keep up with all your friends. 

Stylish Slider Design.

Boasting a numeric keypad and a convenient side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, you can tap out the latest news and chitchats as quickly and easily as it is to call. And with its messaging shortcut keys, you can go from text, to photo messaging, to IM with the push of a button.

Large 2.2” Display.

With a bright, vivid 2.2” LCD display you can finally stop squinting and get caught up as you tap tap tap away.

Web-enabled.

Need to stay on top of what’s happening in news, sports, weather and more? Linx connects you to the web so you always have access to the latest at hand. You can also download ringtones, wallpaper, games and more.

1.3 MP Camera and Camcorder.

Actions speak louder than words. Use the camcorder function on this 1.3 MP camera to capture moments as they happen, then send video messages to friends in seconds.

FREE Decal offer

Enjoy a free decal and change the look of your Samsung Linx from your choice of over 100 available designs.

Plus upload a matching wallpaper to further personalize your Linx – FREE of charge! Find full details along with your redemption code inside the box.

Offer valid until July 31st 2011 or until quantities last”

Bluetooth capabilities.

Transfer photos, music, and videos instantly and wirelessly with other Bluetooth enabled devices. Or pair Linx with a wireless headset and keep on chatting even when you’re on the move and your hands are full.

Mini Cooper Connected app adjusts music based on driving style, stops when airbags deploy

We're always looking for excuses to get behind the wheel, so naturally the new Dynamic Music function in the Mini Connected app made us yearn for a chance to hit the road. Version 2.0 brings this headline feature to the iPhone, which includes exclusively-composed music that adjusts based on things like a compatible Mini Cooper's "longitudinal and lateral acceleration." In other words, the faster and crazier you drive, the more exciting the music becomes. So instead of having mom in the passenger seat begging you to slow down, there's music that encourages you to do the opposite. The press release even references a "hallmark Mini go-kart feeling," so you might want to make sure everyone's buckled up before you plug in. Should anyone fail to do so, a new feature called Mission Control will let you know, also nagging about poor driving conditions. How's that for a mixed signal?

Show full PR text

Driving fun, the enjoyment of music and social networks: MINI Connected with new functions. MINI opens the door to the next level of intelligent networking – Latest MINI Connected App with new entertainment features – Integration of the Apple iPhone enables use of innovative services using the on-board control system and a smartphone.

27.04.2011 Press Release Munich. MINI Connected gives drivers an even more intense experience of limitless driving fun, and allows that experience to be tailored to personal preferences and even shared with other users. Now the intelligent link-up of the driver, the MINI and the outside world has reached a new stage. The extended MINI Connected App gives Apple iPhone users access to innovative functions designed to enhance driving fun, entertainment and social networking. MINI therefore takes the lead once again in the intelligent link-up of the car with the outside world. In the future, the MINI Connected App will allow users to send posts composed on their Apple iPhone while on the move via online social networks Facebook and Twitter. With the Dynamic Music function, meanwhile, every journey in the MINI can be enjoyed to the soundtrack of specially arranged songs, whose rhythm and sound volume adjust to the driving style at any one time. Added to which, the new MINI Connected App now gives the globally unique in-car infotainment function Mission Control two different angles.

To use the MINI Connected App, owners need to specify their MINI with the MINI Visual Boost radio or MINI navigation system, plus the MINI Connected option. Functions integrated into the car via an Apple iPhone can be operated using the joystick, the steering wheel buttons or the on-board monitor. Innovative technology designed to aid the integration of the Apple iPhone into the car gives owners the option to access a wide range of updates and extended services. And the latest version of the MINI Connected App – available from the Apple App Store – allows the latest functions to be transferred into the car. All of which means that MINI Connected customers have a clear road ahead of them when it comes to accessing in-car infotainment innovations both now and into the future.

Always in contact thanks to extended use of Facebook and Twitter.

Among the functions unique in the MINI segment are access to the GoogleTM local search and GoogleTM Send to Car services and reception of user-definable RSS news feeds, the content of which is displayed on the on-board monitor and can be read out using the optional voice output function. Added to which MINI enables the use of web-based social networks in the car. MINI Connected customers can receive Facebook and Twitter posts inside the car, display them on the on-board monitor and have them read out using the optional MINI Connected voice output function. In the same way, preformatted text messages can be sent out directly from the car using either service.

The new MINI Connected App now allows posts composed on an iPhone to be accessed inside the car. A list of the posts already stored in the iPhone can be shown on the on-board monitor during a journey. Updated vehicle data, information on the driver's destination and the outside temperature can be added to posts and then posted on the desired network at the touch of a button.

More driving fun with Dynamic Music.

The Dynamic Music function likewise featured in the new MINI Connected App contains a selection of exclusively composed music which can be played back through the audio system of the MINI. These pieces of music adapt their rhythm and dynamic flow according to the driving style. The driver can choose from a wide variety of tracks and genres using the on-board monitor and joystick. The desired sound is then modulated according to factors including the car's longitudinal and lateral acceleration. All of which allows MINI Connected customers to create a MINI-specific soundtrack for the hallmark MINI go-kart feeling according to their mood and driving style.

The MINI Connected App also offers customers variety unmatched in this segment when it comes to tailoring their music selection in other ways. The web radio function allows users to pick up their preferred stations, regardless of their location, while on the move in the MINI. The station database available through the application contains thousands of radio stations whose programmes can be accessed online.

Typically MINI and unique: Mission Control with new functions.

As an alternative to the web radio function, MINI Connected customers can also use an Apple iPhone to activate the Mission Control function. Another feature of the new MINI Connected App, this service offers a further innovative in-car entertainment option to make your driving fun even more varied, in keeping with the unmistakable character of the brand. Mission Control analyses numerous signals relating to the vehicle, the driving situation and the vehicle's surroundings to provide the driver with relevant information and advice, all generated in dialogue form. These dialogues are based, among other things, on input regarding safety and comfort settings – ranging from a request that the driver and passengers buckle up their seat belts to instructions on the use of the air conditioning system – and also incorporate up-to-date information on driving conditions and the current status of the vehicle, such as the outside temperature and the amount of fuel in the tank.

The system's extensive pool of comments ensures variety in the interaction between the MINI and its driver, even when situations on the road recur on a daily basis. And now the new MINI Connected App gives the Mission Control function's repertoire two different angles. The range of advice can be varied by the driver as desired. Among the features supported by the Mission Control function are the use of the MINIMALISM Analyser included in MINI Connected. Once again usable in conjunction with an iPhone, this function generates visible and – thanks to Mission Control – audible alerts to give drivers tips on how to make their individual driving style even more efficient.

The on-board technology assesses a variety of vehicle data during a journey, allowing tips to be passed on to drivers while they are at the wheel to help them reduce fuel consumption. The MINIMALISM Analyser also gives MINI drivers the option of swapping information with fellow owners to draw up an efficiency ranking list. The tips generated by Mission Control to promote an extremely efficiency-focused driving style take an entertaining route to helping drivers improve their position on the MINIMALISM Ranking list.

Strong iPad 2 sales reported

Stockists of new Apple tablet say uptake has been strong proving it is a significant area of growth for both retailers and operators 

Operators and retailers have reported a strong uptake of the iPad 2 since it launched in the UK on March 25. Phones 4U said it sold out of the devices before the end of the launch weekend.

Speaking to Mobile News, Phones 4U trading director Scott Hooton said: “We knew Apple’s new tablet device was going to fly off the shelves.

“The launch weekend more than met our expectations, with stock running out very quickly.”

Hooton said new stock was ordered and the device was available again from April 11.

Meanwhile Three director of mobile broadband David Kerrigan told Mobile News the strong demand and uptake of the iPad 2 from its retail outlets proved the tablet market was a “significant area of growth” for the operator.

“As more people see the way tablets such as the iPad 2 can change the way they work, communicate, surf and all the other things, we expect this (market) to grow even more.”

A Vodafone spokesperson said demand for the iPad 2 was “strong” with contract, SIM-only and prepay deals equally popular.

The spokesperson said systems were in place to ensure that if stock ran out, customers could order the device on a ‘first come, first served’ basis at any time.

The Carphone Warehouse and Everything Everywhere, while unable to give detailed statements, said uptake and demand for the device was strong.

 

Nokia Royal Wedding Coverage Apps for Smartphones

With just a day, left before the fairytale romance between Wills and Kate is finalised with an eagerly anticipated Royal Wedding that will be watched by millions around the world, Nokia wish to add to the excitement with two wedding-related apps that are available to download now from Ovi Store.

The marriage between Wills and Kate will undoubtedly be the ‘wedding of the century’ thus far, so to get yourself even more entranced in the whole event why not download the ‘ITN Royal Wedding app’. This app will enable you to keep up to speed with the latest news and developments, with lots of video content to enjoy to get you in the spirit of things, including video feeds straight to your smartphone on the big day.

The ITN Royal Wedding app will give you a great view of the ceremony as it unfolds and is completely free to download from the Ovi Store now.

With the big event on Friday promising to be a real storybook wedding, what better way to mark the occasion than with the Wills and Kate Royal Love Story app? Over 10 chapter’s rich with text and images, this app provides an insight into the Royal couple’s story, with a glimpse behind the scenes of the young prince’s relationship with his parents. The Royal Love Story app takes you on a voyage of discovery from the couple’s first meeting all the way to the present day, available to download from the Ovi Store for 1.00.

These two Nokia apps will keep you engrossed for hours in the build up to the momentous Royal Wedding, the details of which come to us by way of NokNok. Therefore, do not delay in downloading these apps and please let us know what you think.

LG Optimus Big Launches Today In Korea

For those over in Korea LG has now gone all official with their latest addition to their Optimus range of devices with the official announcement of the LG Optimus Big, a smartphone that features a rather large display.

According to an article over on Engadget by way of the Boy Genius Report, Ubergizmo and U+, the LG Optimus Big is expected to release in Korea today the 28th of April, but as yet there’s no indication whether the LG Optimus Big will release anywhere else.

Spec wise the smartphone swaps out the glasses-free 3D display seen on the LG Optimus 3D for a 4.3-inch WVGA NOVA display, sports a 1GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel camera, front facing camera, GPS, 16GB storage, HDMI out, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and runs Android 2.2 Froyo.

The LG Optimus Big is LG’s largest Android handset so far, and no doubt at some point in the future that Froyo will get updated to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Price wise LG hasn’t come forward with any expected price tag on the device as yet.

500MM People Worldwide to use Mobile Phone as Metro / Bus Tickets by 2015

Half a billion people worldwide will use their mobile devices as travel tickets on metros, subways and buses by 2015, according to new forecasts from Juniper Research. This is over five times the number generated last year but crucially Juniper is expecting usage to spread widely from the current concentration in Japan and several European countries. Outside Japan, systems in operation typically use SMS or bar codes.

NFC Creates Momentum

While SMS ticketing has been in operation for several years in large cities in Scandinavia and Central & Eastern Europe such as Stockholm and Prague, Juniper believes that recent momentum in Near Field Communications (NFC) will only add to market growth. As metro authorities begin the transition to open contactless payment systems, NFC ticket usage is forecast to grow significantly beginning in 2013.  

GarageBand Hacked onto iPhone 4: Video

The GarageBand app is for iOS tablets only but as with all apps in the mobile arena apps being confined to tablets don’t mean it will stay that way, and this is what has happened with GarageBand of iPad, it’s been hacked onto an iPhone 4.

The occasion was captured on video and sent to the guys over at 9to5 Mac thus we have that video for your viewing pleasure below courtesy of the Pspfano YouTube page.

Apparently you require a jailbroken iPhone 4 and it involves transferring the GarageBand app with changed metadata to the iPhone 4 by OpenSSH, and the guy says, “Surprisingly, it didn’t crash as much as I expected it to do.” The guy in the video believes that Apple will bring GarageBand to the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 because in parts he can “perfectly pan” around the app.

No doubt at some point in the future Apple will probably make GarageBand available for the iPhone as well as the Apple iPad just like they did with iMovie, but until then you can check out GarageBand playing nice on the iPhone 4 by hitting the play button below…enjoy.

Google Docs app for Android Launched

Google Docs app for Android Launched

Google today announces the new Google Docs app for Android. With this new app it’s easy to filter and search for your content across any Google account, then jump straight into editing docs using the online mobile editors. The app also allows you to easily share items with contacts on your phone, right from within the app. 

The Docs app also allows you to upload content from your phone and open documents directly from Gmail. You can also add a widget to your home screen for easy access to three core tasks: jumping to your starred documents, taking a photo to upload, or creating a new document with one tap.

And my favorite feature: Using the app and your phone’s camera, you can turn photos with text into editable Google documents with the power of optical character recognition (OCR). Just create a new ‘Document from Photo’ or select the camera icon from the widget, and your converted document will appear in your documents list shortly after you snap the picture. You can also convert photos already stored on your phone by sharing them with the Google Docs app. OCR does a pretty good job capturing unformatted text in English but won’t recognize handwriting or some fonts – stay tuned, it will get better over time!

The Google Docs app is currently available in English and works on Android 2.1+ phones. Try it out by scanning the QR code below or by visiting Android Market.

Human Interface Guidelines Updated for Android Honeycomb

The Human Interface Guidelines for Android I posted about earlier this month generated considerable interest. The folks behind it, Mutual Mobile, received a lot of feedback. The most common request was for more information and guidance about designing for Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb. Mutual Mobile has wasted no time in responding to these requests, and are today releasing version 1.1 of their Android Design Guidelines. The update “introduces some of the OS’s unique new features such as the Action Bar and Notification/Status bar along with how to utilize new UI elements like Fragments. As always, these guidelines are a living document and will continue to evolve as the platform evolves. We hope designers will use this tool to continue to innovate in Android design and help Honeycomb evolve into the enterprise tool it could be.”

From the version 1.1 document:

Honeycomb is a game changer for Android. By introducing an optimized UI, holographicthemes, intuitive multitasking and a redesigned widget structure, Honeycomb has created auser experience that not only makes sense functionality-wise but also has the capability of be-ing stunning visually. While there are not many Honeycomb optimized applications on the mar-ket yet, the ones that have been developed are well constructed and beautiful. CNN, YouTube,and Google Earth are three examples of remarkable Honeycomb applications.

I continue to remain a strong supporter of Android, and look forward to more elegant, intuitive applications. With design guidelines like this, all Android users stand to benefit.

Guilty plea in IGB 120m VAT trial

Raj Gathani enters guilty plea as VAT case involving Unique Distribution and Future Communications nears conclusion

Raj Gathani, a former executive of Innovative Global Business Group (IGB) subsidiary Future Communications, has pleaded guilty at the Kingston upon Thames Crown Court to charges of “conspiracy to cheat the public revenue”.

The charges relate to VAT evasion over a number of years amounting to around 120 million. The case, code-named ‘Operation Inertia’ by HMRC is set to conclude next month, with sentencing expected in June.

Gathani appeared in court with co-defendants Haider Ravjani, Dilawar Ravjani, Tamraz Riaz and Maulik Bhatt. Another defendant Sadat Chishti was absent but represented by his
lawyer.

Gathani made his guilty plea in February. Around 17 defendants are expected in total.

The case follows several years of carousel fraud investigation by HMRC into IGB Group and its businesses. These included Unique Distribution, which ceased trading in 2008, and
Future Communications.

Accountanting firm Chantrey Vellacott was appointed by HMRC in 2008 to probe IGB’s activities dating back to 2005.

In 2007 IGB had tried to sue HMRC for a VAT refund of 38 million that had been withheld. HMRC later won a ‘Proceeds of Crime Act’ case against IGB. This resulted in all 27 UK businesses and assets owned by the IGB Group being frozen and placed in receivership in January 2008.

Around 100 staff at Unique attempting legal action in April 2008 to claim unpaid salaries. Requests to the court for staff compensation were denied until the trial concluded.

The Proceeds of Crime Act will allow staff to make a claim, as no redundancy settlements were made.

Reporting restrictions have been put in place by the court to prevent further details of the case being published.

The case is the latest success by HMRC. In March, five men were found guilty of importing handsets without VAT and reselling with VAT added. They were sentenced to a combined 37 years in prison for 140 million of carousel fraud. The gang earned between 26.5 million and 39.1 million each (see Mobile News, March 24).

Apple iPad 2 Out In India Within Days

Yes it’s hard to believe that you can’t get the Apple iPad 2 everywhere in the world, such as India for example, although people in India have been able to get the iOS tablet internationally and via online, but so far they haven’t been able to visit a store to grab the device.

However that is soon to change as according to an article over on Think Digit, by way of Only Gizmos, the Apple iPad 2 will release in India within days, something that has apparently been kind of confirmed by Apple acting CEO Tim Cook.

Apparently Cook was speaking about the success of the Apple tablet and said that thirteen more countries will gain the Apple iPad 2 within a week, thus the word is the iPad 2 should become available in India on the 28th or 29th of April.

Official pricing for the Apple iPad 2 in India still hasn’t been confirmed however the word is the Apple device will probably be priced starting at Rs. 27900 for a 16GB WiFi only version rising to Rs. 44900 for the 64GB 3G/WiFi model.

So there it is if all goes as anticipated India will released the Apple iPad 2 in a couple of days time, so any of our Indian readers going to be lining up to purchase the table?

White iPhone Arrives Tomorrow

Apple today announced that the white iPhone 4 will be available beginning tomorrow. White iPhone 4 models will be available from Apple’s online store, at Apple’s retail stores, AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

“The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right.”

iPhone 4 is the most innovative phone in the world, featuring Apple’s stunning Retina™ display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone resulting in super crisp text, images and video, and FaceTime, which makes video calling a reality.

Apple Releases PR on LocationGate

Apple has released official PR regarding the situation designed to answer the most pressing questions in the wake of last week’s release of a public tool that was designed to interpret the database of location data found on iOS 4 desktop backups. The Q&A/FAQ also sheds light on Apple’s future plans for location data that were previously unknown involving traffic data.

The key point to take away is that Apple has confirmed that the perpetual logging of location data on iOS 4 devices is in fact a bug and will be releasing an update to modify the logging behavior to keep a week’s worth of data at a time instead of the current perpetual logging as well as encrypting the data. While this brings the capabilities inline with Android’s logging behavior, it still does not address why the current behavior was not addressed until now, since the logging issues were known as far back as September of last year. Read More for the full Q&A.

Apple Q&A on Location Data
Apple would like to respond to the questions we have recently received about the gathering and use of location information by our devices.
1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone?
Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.
2. Then why is everyone so concerned about this?
Providing mobile users with fast and accurate location information while preserving their security and privacy has raised some very complex technical issues which are hard to communicate in a soundbite. Users are confused, partly because the creators of this new technology (including Apple) have not provided enough education about these issues to date.

3. Why is my iPhone logging my location?
The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it’s maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested. Calculating a phone’s location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes. iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data to quickly find GPS satellites, and even triangulate its location using just Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basements). These calculations are performed live on the iPhone using a crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data that is generated by tens of millions of iPhones sending the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple.
4. Is this crowd-sourced database stored on the iPhone?
The entire crowd-sourced database is too big to store on an iPhone, so we download an appropriate subset (cache) onto each iPhone. This cache is protected but not encrypted, and is backed up in iTunes whenever you back up your iPhone. The backup is encrypted or not, depending on the user settings in iTunes. The location data that researchers are seeing on the iPhone is not the past or present location of the iPhone, but rather the locations of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone’s location, which can be more than one hundred miles away from the iPhone. We plan to cease backing up this cache in a software update coming soon (see Software Update section below).
5. Can Apple locate me based on my geo-tagged Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
No. This data is sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form. Apple cannot identify the source of this data.

6. People have identified up to a year’s worth of location data being stored on the iPhone. Why does my iPhone need so much data in order to assist it in finding my location today?
This data is not the iPhone’s location data-it is a subset (cache) of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database which is downloaded from Apple into the iPhone to assist the iPhone in rapidly and accurately calculating location. The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below). We don’t think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data.

7. When I turn off Location Services, why does my iPhone sometimes continue updating its Wi-Fi and cell tower data from Apple’s crowd-sourced database?
It shouldn’t. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below).
8. What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.
9. Does Apple currently provide any data collected from iPhones to third parties?
We provide anonymous crash logs from users that have opted in to third-party developers to help them debug their apps. Our iAds advertising system can use location as a factor in targeting ads. Location is not shared with any third party or ad unless the user explicitly approves giving the current location to the current ad (for example, to request the ad locate the Target store nearest them).
10. Does Apple believe that personal information security and privacy are important?
Yes, we strongly do. For example, iPhone was the first to ask users to give their permission for each and every app that wanted to use location. Apple will continue to be one of the leaders in strengthening personal information security and privacy.
Software Update
Sometime in the next few weeks Apple will release a free iOS software update that:
reduces the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone,
ceases backing up this cache, and
deletes this cache entirely when Location Services is turned off.
In the next major iOS software release the cache will also be encrypted on the iPhone.

Apple officially answers questions on location tracking, says it doesn't do it

1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone?
Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.

The big hubbub that arose last week around location tracking within the iPhone has now received its due response from Apple itself. Firstly, the Cupertino company claims it does not, and has no plans to, track users' iPhones. What it's actually doing is "maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location," which are then used to provide speedier calculation of your position when you want to use the device's maps or other location-based services. The data collection that was recently brought to the public attention represents, according to Apple, the location of WiFi hotspots and cell towers around you, not your actual iPhone. Still, the fact iPhones have been shown to store as much as a year's worth of data is considered a bug by Apple, who plans to limit that period to a week in a future software update. The additional issue of data being collected after users turned off Location Services is also a bug, also to be fixed by Apple in that upcoming update. Left unanswered, however, are the questions of when Apple "uncovered" these bugs, as it claims, and why the fix for them is only coming now. Specialists have known about this behavior since at least September of last year. Either way, the software remedy is promised over the next few weeks, while the next major iteration of iOS should encrypt the cache file that's been the subject of all the scrutiny. You'll find the full Q&A after the break.

P.S. -- One of Apple's answers seems to disclose an extra bit of new information: "Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years."

Show full PR text

Apple Q&A on Location Data

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple would like to respond to the questions we have recently received about the gathering and use of location information by our devices.

1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone?
Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.

2. Then why is everyone so concerned about this?
Providing mobile users with fast and accurate location information while preserving their security and privacy has raised some very complex technical issues which are hard to communicate in a soundbite. Users are confused, partly because the creators of this new technology (including Apple) have not provided enough education about these issues to date.

3. Why is my iPhone logging my location?
The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it's maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested. Calculating a phone's location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes. iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data to quickly find GPS satellites, and even triangulate its location using just Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basements). These calculations are performed live on the iPhone using a crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data that is generated by tens of millions of iPhones sending the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple.

4. Is this crowd-sourced database stored on the iPhone?
The entire crowd-sourced database is too big to store on an iPhone, so we download an appropriate subset (cache) onto each iPhone. This cache is protected but not encrypted, and is backed up in iTunes whenever you back up your iPhone. The backup is encrypted or not, depending on the user settings in iTunes. The location data that researchers are seeing on the iPhone is not the past or present location of the iPhone, but rather the locations of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone's location, which can be more than one hundred miles away from the iPhone. We plan to cease backing up this cache in a software update coming soon (see Software Update section below).

5. Can Apple locate me based on my geo-tagged Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
No. This data is sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form. Apple cannot identify the source of this data.

6. People have identified up to a year's worth of location data being stored on the iPhone. Why does my iPhone need so much data in order to assist it in finding my location today?
This data is not the iPhone's location data-it is a subset (cache) of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database which is downloaded from Apple into the iPhone to assist the iPhone in rapidly and accurately calculating location. The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below). We don't think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data.

7. When I turn off Location Services, why does my iPhone sometimes continue updating its Wi-Fi and cell tower data from Apple's crowd-sourced database?
It shouldn't. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below).

8. What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.

9. Does Apple currently provide any data collected from iPhones to third parties?
We provide anonymous crash logs from users that have opted in to third-party developers to help them debug their apps. Our iAds advertising system can use location as a factor in targeting ads. Location is not shared with any third party or ad unless the user explicitly approves giving the current location to the current ad (for example, to request the ad locate the Target store nearest them).

10. Does Apple believe that personal information security and privacy are important?
Yes, we strongly do. For example, iPhone was the first to ask users to give their permission for each and every app that wanted to use location. Apple will continue to be one of the leaders in strengthening personal information security and privacy.

Software Update

Sometime in the next few weeks Apple will release a free iOS software update that:

reduces the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone,
ceases backing up this cache, and
deletes this cache entirely when Location Services is turned off.

In the next major iOS software release the cache will also be encrypted on the iPhone.

iOS Losing Out To Android In Smartphone Desirability

If you are of the opinion that more people over in US prefer Apple’s iOS over Android you could be forgiven for believing so up until now that is, as apparently when it comes to smartphone desirability the Android platform is now ahead of iOS.

According to the guys over at the Boy Genius Report, the latest survey by Nielsen, back in June and September of 2010, when respondents were asked which smartphone platform they intend to purchase, 33 percent said iOS, 26 percent said Android while 13 percent said BlackBerry.

But now that platform desirability has changed slightly with Nielsen figures showing that when asked the same question between January and March this year Android pulled in 31 percent, while the iPhone garnered 30 percent and BlackBerry managed 11 percent.

Furthermore half of the people surveyed in March this year who said they had brought a smartphone in the last 6 months say they opted to go with Android, a quarter had purchased the iPhone and 15 percent had chosen a BlackBerry handset.

Sp if the figures are anything to go by it would appear that Android is more desirable than iOS albeit only slightly, agree or disagree?

Verizon Wireless Announces the CASIO G'zOne Commando

Verizon Wireless and Casio has announced a new addition to the rugged wireless category and a new Android-powered smartphone in the marketplace, the CASIO G’zOne Commando. Deployment ready, the Commando is a mobile office with high security features for secure corporate email; Wi-Fi for high-speed Web access; XT9 and T9 trace input for efficient typing; and snap-out menu for customized access to high-use applications.

Designed to withstand the most extreme conditions, the CASIO G’zOne Commando easily transitions from work to play with advanced G’zGEAR software. As the ultimate outdoor tool in a mobile device, G’zGEAR operates in eight modes to enhance the active, adventure-driven lifestyle. With the help of its Triple Sensor technology utilizing direction, acceleration and temperature, G’zGEAR enables adventurers to perform at their peak.

The Casio Commando is ideal for the business environment, especially for fields such as construction, transportation, manufacturing, utilities and healthcare. Workers in hazardous environments, such as construction sites, warehouses and factory floors, need a smartphone that has the capability to download blueprints, files and pictures; update project plans; access field force management, inventory access and corporate applications; and capture signatures.

Ex-Vodafone manager joins O2

Claire Darley joins operator as head of small and medium businesses having spent seven years at Vodafone

O2 has appointed former Vodafone marketing and sales manager Claire Darley as its head of small and medium businesses.

Darley, who joins O2 from entertainment content company Technicolor, will run the indirect and distribution channels, reporting to Simon Devonshire, general manager for the sector.

She left Vodafone in 2007 after seven years covering roles including global account manager, international sales manager and global head of marketing. She was also chief marketing officer at nationwide recruitment agency Adecco for just over a year, following her stint at Vodafone.

BlackBerry PlayBook Pre-order via Insight UK

For anyone in the UK eager to get his or her hands on RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook, you can now register to pre-order the device, which is coming our way soon.

The BlackBerry 4G PlayBook Tablet gives an uncompromised web experience and offers everything the real internet offers, including Adobe Flash. With its ultra portable design, which is less than half an inch thick and weighing in at less than a pound the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is great device to carry with you, wherever you go.

The tablet has breathtaking multimedia, which enables you can catch every moment on the HD video and HD display. The PlayBook will also keep you entertained with hard-core games and a rich stereo sound. Features include a 7″ LCD display with 1024 x 600 screen resolution, Multi-touch capacitive screen, 3 MP high-definition forward-facing camera and a 5 MP high-definition rear-facing camera.

More of the features for this tablet include 1 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB RAM, Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled, Built-in support for HTML 5, No-compromise rendering of text, graphics and video, Codec support for superior media playback, creation and video calling, 1080p HD video; H.264, MPEG4, WMV HDMI video output, Micro USB and Micro HDMI ports.

But that is not all 3G network access using your BlackBerry® smartphone as a modem, 4G network access available on BlackBerry® 4G PlayBook™ tablet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and much more. If you are interested in the BlackBerry PlayBook you can register you interest via Insight UK and you will be notified when the device is available for pre-order.

If you are still undecided, as to whether or not this is the tablet for you then why not check out our previous articles on this device: Apple iPad 2 and BlackBerry PlayBook Comparison Battle Video or Two Part Video Review. Also, please let us know what you think of this BlackBerry tablet below.

Sony Announces Optimally Designed “Sony Tablet” with Android 3.0 that Complements Network Services for an Immersive Entertainment Experience

Sony Tablet, Sony Android 3 Tablet, Sony S1 Tablet, Sony S2 Tablet, WiFi, Cell phone, Mobile news, phone news, mobile plan, telecom news, new release, Cool Gadget, latest gadget

Sony Corporation, announces “Sony Tablet” that delivers the perfect combination of hardware, content and network with seamless usability for a high-quality, engaging entertainment experience. Based on decades of engineering heritage, Sony is developing two tablets with unprecedented design, including S1 (codename) which is optimized for rich media entertainment and S2 (codename) which is ideal for mobile communication and entertainment. “Sony Tablet” will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011. 

“Sony Tablet” is equipped with the latest Android 3.0 which is designed for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. Both tablets are WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) compatible and users can not only browse the internet or check e-mail but they can also smoothly access digital content including videos, games and books through Sony’s premium network services and more, on-the-go at any time.

S1 has a 9.4-inch display for enjoying the web and rich content on a large screen. Its off-center of gravity design realizes stability and ease of grip as well as a sense of stability and lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.

S2 has two 5.5-inch displays that can be folded for easy portability. In contrast to existing tablets, its unprecedented dual screen presentation and usability allows its displays to be combined and used as a large screen or for different functions such as playing video on one screen while showing control buttons on the other.

“‘Sony Tablet’ delivers an entertainment experience where users can enjoy cloud-based services on-the-go at any time. We’re aiming to create a new lifestyle by integrating consumer hardware, including ‘Sony Tablet’ with content and network,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, Corporate Executive, SVP, and Deputy President of Consumer Products & Services Group.

“Android 3.0 is a new version of the Android platform with a new holographic user interface that is designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. I’m excited about “Sony Tablet” as it will further spur the development of applications and network offerings which users are looking for.” said Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President, Mobile, Google Inc.

Also, in the mobile computing category, the market for PCs which realize high productivity is expected to steadily grow, particularly in emerging markets. Therefore, Sony will also remain committed to strengthening its VAIO brand and introduce increasingly compelling products which offer new value propositions to the market.

“Sony Tablet” features:

? Designed for portability and intuitive gripping

With its off-center of gravity form factor, the 9.4-inch S1 offers stability and a sense of lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.

The dual screen S2 comes with two 5.5-inch displays which can be used together as one large screen to browse websites and more. They can also be used for different functions as users can watch a video on one screen and input commands on the other, or check email on one screen and use the other as a soft keyboard.

? Seamless Usability and Performance

Through Sony’s knowhow for combining hardware and software, “Sony Tablet” realizes optimal usability and performance. Because of Sony’s rapid response technologies, users can perform smooth, quick touch-screen operations and enjoy fast and efficient website loading. The keyboard arrangement is also optimized for the large screen, making email and SNS communication a breeze.

? Rich entertainment experiences through various network services

Through Qriocity1 music and video services, users can enjoy rich video and music content. Also, through PlayStation®Suite, users can immerse themselves in high quality first generation PlayStation® titles. Additionally, users can easily download ebook content from Reader™Store2 and use both tablets as digital reading devices. The integration with various services allows users to take their entertainment experiences on-the-go. Furthermore, “Sony Tablet” is equipped with functionality that organizes content for easy access.

? Remote access functionality with AV devices

Through “Sony Tablet”, users can control home entertainment devices as well as enjoy content in new ways. S1 uses infrared technology and works as universal remote controls for a variety of AV devices starting with <BRAVIA>. Users can perform functions like turning on their TVs, changing the channel and adjusting the volume. Also, through DLNA functionality on “Sony Tablet”, users can “throw” personal content to large screen televisions or music to wireless speakers.

Steve Jobs In Carbonite Is The Best iPhone Decal I’ve Seen Yet

While the Polaroid skin is pretty cool and, practically speaking, a case is a better option for several reasons, this Steve Jobs frozen in carbonite iPhone decal from S6 is probably the nerdiest/coolest phone decoration in the galaxy right now.

You can also get it as a print or shirt, in case you’re too cool, or not cool enough, to have an iPhone.

[via Uncrate]

BlackBerry Style 9670 Released in India

If you are over in India and are one of the BlackBerry faithful you may like to know that Research In Motion has now made the flip design CDMA BlackBerry Style 9670 smartphone available to purchase to the Indian masses.

According to an article over on Tech gadgets, the managing director of Research In Motion India, Frenny Bawa says, “The CDMA segment represents a significant portion of the overall mobile subscriber base in India and we are pleased to further our commitment to Indian consumers with the introduction of this powerful and stylish BlackBerry smartphone.”

The BlackBerry Style 9670 offers the user a flip form factor with a 2-inch external and 2.7-inch internal display, full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with flash, WiFi, GPS, BlackBerry Messenger and microSD expansion up to 32GB.

The BlackBerry Style 9670 also features the new Webkit browser and BlackBerry 6 OS and delivers up to 4.5 hours talk time along with up to 10.5 hours standby time and commands a price tag of Rs. 24999. Any of our Indian readers hoping to pick up the Blackberry Style 9670?

Today’s Mobile News in Brief (April 25, 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 Monday, April 25th, 2011.

Steve Jobs on iOS Location Issue: ‘We Don’t Track Anyone’
Take this bit of news with a grain of salt. According to this report, someone apparently emailed Steve Jobs inquiring about the whole tracking issue and got a short but direct response from the Apple CEO: “We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.” It sounds like him, but there’s really no way we can verify this. I guess the only way we’ll find out what Apple’s true position is on the matter is when they finally release on official statement on the matter. And truth is, that might not even happen at all.
Macrumors

TELUS 72-hour sale lowers BlackBerry Bold 9700 to $0.00 on 1-year
Yes, Telus’ 72-hour sale is back. However, unlike their previous 3-day sales, this one just has 2 handsets available for $0 when you sign-up on a contract: the Motorola Milestone and the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Not much to choose from, but hey, those are pretty good devices, and you can’t go wrong with either of the two.
Mobilesryup

Pictures Of iPhone 5 / iPhone 4S With Edge-to-Edge Display Leaked In China?
This looks like your typical white iPhone, but pay close attention to its display and you’ll notice that it’s much larger than the one out in the market right now. According to the guys who leaked this image, this is the iPhone 4S, Apple’s next gene iPhone. It’s still not clear though if this is just a prototype or the actual model itself, but factoring in the rumor that production will only begin sometime in July or August, we’re leaning more on the former rather than the latter. Unless, of course, this is just a well crafted KIRF, which we’re hoping it’s not.
Redmondpie

Nokia C7 heading to Videotron this month
Already available on Wind, the Nokia C7 is also headed to Videotron in Canada. This full-touchscreen packs a 3.5-inch display, an 8-megapixel camera, WiFi, and runs on Symbian^3. It’s also one of the few new Nokia handsets that will be eligible for a Symbian Anna upgrade once it becomes available. No word on its pricing yet, but it’s expected to be announced this month.
Mobilesyrup

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Mini Pro II shows up in a full photoshoot
It’s been a while since we last talked about the purported X10 Mini Pro successor, and though a bunch of its other leaked Android siblings are now official, this one still isn’t. It has starred in another photoshoot though. This time around, it poses side-by-side with the X10 Mini Pro. Size-wise, it looks slightly bigger despite sporting a much larger touchscreen (3-inch vs 2.55-inch), a juicier battery (1200mAh vs 930mAh), and a roomier QWERTY keypad. More on this soon, hopefully once it’s made official already.
GSMArena

Vivox Powers Voice Chat on Facebook for Bobsled by T-Mobile

Vivox, Inc., the number one integrated voice platform for the Social Web, announced a partnership with T-Mobile USA, Inc. Vivox's VoiceEverywhere Service will be powering the Bobsled application for Facebook calling as part of the new Bobsled by T-Mobile brand. The Bobsled application for Facebook is the world's first free, one-touch Facebook calling application.

The Vivox-powered Bobsled application for Facebook provides Facebook's more than 500 million users worldwide with free, one-touch calling to their Facebook friends from a personal computer and through the social platform's chat window. T-Mobile and Vivox are giving voice to social networking, taking Internet communications to a new level and bringing voice chat to more than half a billion people overnight. With Vivox's "instant on" technology, no application download is required to receive a call via the Bobsled Facebook application. Bobsled by T-Mobile users can even record and post voice messages to their friends' Facebook wall.