Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile 
Word is buzzing around the net about data loss for the Nexus One around the nation. When you try to connect to the internet on the Nexus One through T-Mobile, this message pops up: "To connect to the web with the device you are using, you will need a webConnect data plan." So for the 20,000 people who own a Nexus One, your data plan got jacked for a few hours. Ok, not really jacked but it was gone. And no one really seems to have an answer as to why its down. The guys over at T-Mobile never gave an official response but as of about 1 PM ET, data was restored. This outage will be harmful to T-Mobiles reputation if they don’t make an effort to announce the precautions they are putting or already have in place to prevent this. It already has the smallest network (albeit the fastest) in the US; but now if it is having difficulties handling the small amount of people who own the Nexus One, they are going to have problems in the future. Read [jkontherun] Full Story » | Written by Greg Billetdeaux for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here's your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles! - Geo-location meets the Dating Game: Urban Signals smartphone app
“Many folks navigate the urban landscape with their heads down, interacting with the smartphone. Now thanks to Urban Singles, those folks might be scanning the area for dates that meet their profile in a mash up…” MORE » - Google Voice extension for Chrome gets updated, adds click to call and more
” I have long been a Google Voice fanboy, and with little perks like this my fanboyism is not likely to go away anytime soon. The latest Google Voice perk comes…” MORE » - Rumor: T-Mobile ditching the Sidekick in favor of the myTouch Slide
” The details are still pretty light on this story, but it looks like T-Mobile may soon begin phasing out sales of the Sidekick. This comes courtesy of BGR, who are reporting that…” MORE » - Palm Pre Plus, Pixi Plus now available with Verizon Wireless
” As we expected, today is the day that the Palm Pre Plus and the Pixi Plus becomes available with Verizon Wireless. And, with that, at least for anyone who has been following along,…” MORE » - Great Wall unveils the Cross PC U510, an all-in-one keyboard PC
” Way back since CES 2009 we have been closely following the path of the Eee Keyboard, which unfortunately has become a device that…” MORE » - Google’s new Voice web app for iPhone and WebOS
” Google Voice is a great service, but its functionality becomes even better if you can use it on a phone. Google has created a web app using HTML5 web browser on both the iPhone and WebOS phones. HTML5 allows powerful web…” MORE » - Walmart will be selling the Nexus One?
” After the poor success of the Nexus One, Google might be rethinking its marketing strategy. Previously, the Nexus One was only to be purchased directly through Google; but now, a webpage has surfaced on Walmart’s website…” MORE » - 33rd America’s Cup yacht race to be webcast for free
“YES! All you sailboat racing fans can stop worrying about who in their right mind will carry the 33rd America’s Cup thanks to a decision by Consortio Valencia 2007, the event organizers: the event will be streamed…” MORE » - Asus ebook reader images begin to hit the web
” We have been seeing more and more information regarding the upcoming ebook reader from Asus, and this latest bit comes in the…” MORE » - Treo Pro gets removed from the Palm website
” With the Palm Pre, and later the Pixi taking center stage with webOS, its no surprise that older Palm models including the Treo Pro have been taking a back seat. But still there is something to be said about seeing one of those models lose its…” MORE »
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Web, Features, Originals  With lots of free options available online, the need to pay for a web service is becoming less and less. Some, such as web hosting are hard to avoid paying for and there are some that offer perks for paid accounts. Those perks can vary from service to service but generally include more storage, extra features or a removal of advertising.
Personally I have never been one to shy away from a paid service, that is, assuming I actually use it and find value in it. The services that I pay for vary from time to time, but there always seems to be a core group that I keep. This reasoning behind this post comes by way of a friend who just criticized me for mentioning that I was considering paying for a Slacker Radio Plus subscription. Hey, as I said before I don’t shy away from paying for something that I find value in and use. And as you may have guessed, my friend does not like to pay—for any web services. Anyway, I am always interested in seeing what others find value in, in other words, I like to see what services that other people are willing to pay for. Given that, I figured I would share my list and hopefully open this for some discussion. - Evernote - $45 a year. The free service is nice and may work well for many but I need the extra storage and prefer the extra features that come with the Premium subscription. I also like the fact that (assuming I needed it) I have access to a higher level of support.
- Sugar Sync - $24.95 a year for 10GB. I will note that this plan is no longer available, but I have been a subscriber for a while. I guess this would be considered grandfathered in. Sugar Sync does have a free option available, which gives you you 2GB of storage, but I need a little more to make sure my documents and other important files all backed up and secure.
- Remember The Milk - $25 a year. What can I say, this one is a must have for a person that lives by a to-do list and carries multiple smartphones.
- MobileMe - $99 a year. I still use the online storage here, along with iWeb for easy family photo sharing however I may end up canceling this. Especially since I have recently switched my email, calendar and contacts to Google and the web. I guess sometimes free options do work better for me. Plus I can also use Picasa for those same family photos.
- Spanning Sync - $25 a year. Syncs my Google Calendar and Contacts with iCal and Address Book on my iMac. This will likely be canceled because Mac OS 10.6 offers this now. Well, it would assuming I actually took the time to upgrade from OS 10.5.8.
- Dreamhost - $119.40 a year. What can I say, its web hosting, one that I cannot really avoid.
- Flickr Pro - $24.95. Again the extra features such as unlimited uploads, unlimited storage and the ability to show all of your photo sets is well worth the money.
- Zune Pass - $14.99. I am a music fan and a Zune fan, not to mention I like having a subscription based service. Plus I get to download and keep 10 DRM-free tracks per month, so it really feels more like I am paying $4.99 a month.
- Netflix - I am on the 1 DVD out-at-a-time plan, which is $8.99 a month. Plenty for my use. This is also more a family service as opposed to my service. Although I do like the Watch Instantly a bit thanks to my Roku set-top box.
- Vonage - I love Vonage. I was an early, early user and feel somewhat loyal to them. I currently have the Unlimited plan which is $24.99 a month although I am considering a switch to an unlimited cell phone calling plan, which may end up seeing this get canceled. Just in case that happens, sorry Vonage, its not you, its me.
Other services that I pay for and use, that are not directly tied to the web include my cell phone(s) and a MiFi. And yes, I realize that some of these are most likely overlapping each other a bit, but they each have their own perks. I also plan to add Slacker Radio Plus to that list, which will add an extra $47.88 a year ($3.99 a month). Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Email / IM, Mobile  Assuming we can believe that this AT&T flyer is the real deal, then it looks like AT&T is going to begin requiring owners of select feature phones to have a messaging plan.
The phones have been dubbed as “Quick Messaging” phones and will include the Pantech Reveal, Pantech Impact, Motorola Karma, Samsung Flight, Samsung Impression, Samsung Magnet, Samsung Solstice, Samsung Mythic, Samsung Propel, LG Xenon, LG Neon and the LG Vu. Price wise, the messaging plan will set you back at least an extra $20 bucks per month, which will be for the Messaging Unlimited plan. Additionally there is another $20 option which includes 200 messages and unlimited data. You can also opt to use an international or family messaging plan, and as you would expect they are both more than $20 per month. The good news here is that if you are currently using one of the above phones you will not be required to do anything special now. That said, be prepared to spend a little extra money the next time you go in to upgrade. Via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Audio, Headphones, Portable Audio, Video, Portable Video, Communications, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack Welcome back to Gadgetell’s answer to Friday boredom. This week, we look at the moves in the tech world that are more than just awkward, sweaty, desperation. No, these moves could only be made by folks on narcotics. Let’s get to the addicted, er accused. - iPad beta tester leak is a hoax
- More on that iPod touch camera story
- Hulu could be dead to me
- First ever Fanboi Award doled out
Jason Calacanis pulls hoax If someone twitters in the forest, will it become fodder for the “prestige media”? If it is Jason Calacanis tweeting about his experience as a beta tester for the Apple Tablet, the answer is a resounding, “yup”. Calacanis “leaked” the iPad had solar panels, TiVo-like DVR, finger print reader, facial recognition, wireless charging and the kicker: Facebook’s Farmville for iPad a “huge game changer.” We now know his info was bunk. Sites such as the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Joystiq, Macworld, Reuters all picked up the story, as they would any other quasi-credible sources talking about the biggest product launch of the month. Quasi-credible no more Mr. Calacanis. Is Calacanis yucking it up now with his cronies? Is there a selfish smug satisfaction in duping puppies who believe a giant meaty bone is just around the next corner? Or does her really have iPad 2.0, the really expensive version for crack addicts? My money is on the latter. 
2 events and still no freaking camera for iPod touch? What gives Apple? I’ve got a few hundred dollars burning a freaking hole through my jeans I’d love to fork over for a new iPod touch. I’ve waited through two events, one a sure thing where iPod cases were supposed to spoil the surprise of a new video camera on the touch and still nothing. Did you punk me? Did you, Apple, go out and leak specs that included a camera on the new iPod touch only to fake us out? Really? You would tool up a whole iPod case facility all in a cruel joke on me? Really? Are you guys working with Calacanis? 
Hulu thinking about capitalization In our tit for tat exchange yesterday on the iPad, I was quick to grab ahold of Flash as an con for the device. The single reason for wanting Flash (for me anyway) is Hulu, the video streaming site that has so much of today’s current content. But, like any good thing, Hulu is thinking the end is near. Our Greg Billetdeaux reports, “rumors are swirling around the web about Hulu's possible two new business models. Both of them charging money for our shows.” And with that, Flash is dead to me. I will take joy in the broken link images, the fast website downloading when I am on the go and missing out on all those fun Flash games that hold my attention for 30 seconds. 
Gaecke wins fanboi award Congratulations go out to Appletell writer Jack Gaecke who wins the inaugural Who’s on Crack Fanboi Award. You might recall I poked fun at him over his CES almost non-stop chatter about Monster and how great they are. Gaecke’s unfettered adoration for all things Monster continue to amaze us. But it wasn’t his prose that won him the award, oh no. Though his words were plentiful while expressing his undying love for the Beats by Dr. Dre. “Amazing” “Beyond mind blowing” ” I've never felt headphones have changed the way I listen to music before these”. Impressive accolades, to be sure, and I know he means every word of them. But that wasn’t the clincher for Gaecke. It was this: A picture is worth a thousand words. It is rare for a reviewer to have the courage to put an image of themselves in the review, but this image speaks volumes on the level Gaecke is in love with these headphones, almost, perhaps, to an unhealthy level. I am unsure if I should contact his finace, a doctor or maybe just a hotel that rents rooms by the hour. Kudos for being brave enough to show the world your level of dysfunction, er love for a product. Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  T-Mobile is getting ready to launch a trackball replacement program that is sure to make a few BlackBerry users happy. The program will be valid for users of the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 and 8120 as well as the BlackBerry Curve 8320. Additionally, the user needs to have purchased the handset from T-Mobile.
In short, if you have one of those above listed models and have a janky trackball you can head on in to your nearest T-Mobile retail store and have it replaced for free. The replacement program will begin as of February 15, 2010. Read [TmoNews] Via [Gizmodo] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops We have seen the price of the Dell Adamo drop in the past, most recently it was lowered by $500 which put it around the $1,500 price point. But that is not the case anymore as Dell has once again lowered the price, putting it a just under the $1,000 mark. And yes, by just under the $1,000 mark I do mean that it is priced at $999. But hey, that was another big price drop so for those that may have been holding out for a Dell Adamo but were scared away by the high price, now may be a good time to commit to purchase. That said, if you plan on making any upgrades you can expect to pay around the $1,799 price point. As far as what you will get for your $999. Well that model is dubbed the Admire and comes with a 13.4-inch 16:9 HD WLED display, 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, full-sized keyboard with back-lighting and is running Windows 7 Home Premium. Product [Dell] Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Netbooks I have been using a netbook on a regular basis since Asus released their first Eee PC, the 7-inch having 701 back in late 2007. I have jumped around and used more than my fair share on netbooks since and they have all had one thing in common—the lack of a DVD optical drive. And for the most part I have not missed that at all. But that is just me and I have heard more than my share of complaints about the fact that netbooks do not come with internal optical drives. Well, most don’t. Except we are now seeing reports of the Gateway EC14 which comes with a built-in DVD optical drive. Of course, this is in what I describe as “almost but not quite a netbook category.” In other words, the EC14 is sporting an 11.6-inch display, which is slightly bigger than the 10-inch standard for netbooks. Other features of the EC14 include that it will be running Windows 7 Home Premium and have a 1.3GHz Intel SU4100 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. That and, the 1,366 x 768 pixel HD resolution 11.6-inch display. But either way, its still a small laptop that comes with a DVD optical drive. As far as when and how much. Well, the Gateway EC14 is expected to be available shortly and retail for somewhere around $630. Read [Notebook Italia] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks, Household, Lifestyle  With the economy recovering, this year has been good to many, especially the eReader community. And with the Kindle at the forefront of this clique it is going to show off some of its successes. Heading these successes is the $902 million net income increase since 2008, a 40% increase. Wow… 40%. That is huge! And we can clearly see why when we look at some sales statistics.
For every 10 physical books sold, 6 eBooks are sold. And this only accounts for eBooks that cost money, if they factored in free books, the ratio would be even closer, if not the opposite. The Kindle Store has over 410,000 books, 8,000 blogs, and 130 domestic and international newspapers. They also have 100 of the 112 New York Times bestsellers. Net sales themselves rose 28% for the full year with $24.5 billion. But how will they fare this year? EReaders had it easy this Christmas; the only competition they had were other eReaders. But now, the iPad is here. And the only thing it seems to have done right is the full color eReader they have in it. If they did it right, it could really put a damper on these sales. Tell us what you think. Will eReaders like the Kindle be able to withstand the iPad? Read [Amazon] Via [Electronista] Full Story » | Written by Greg Billetdeaux for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Software / Applications  After the disappointing release of Vista a few years back, Microsoft was hoping for the best with Windows 7. And as if the glow of satisfaction with 7 that is hovering over the internet wasn’t enough, their sales numbers for Q2 sure are.
From the press release: "Exceptional demand for Windows 7 led to the positive top-line growth for the company," said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft. "Our continuing commitment to managing costs allowed us to drive earnings performance ahead of the revenue growth."
Microsoft recorded record revenue gains of $19.02 billion by the end of the decade. This equates to a 14% increase when compared to this time last year. The press release also claims that Windows 7 is the fastest selling OS in history with 60 million licenses sold. I’m not surprised either; die-hard Microsoft fans were probably starving to get their hands on an OS better than Vista so they could try to show up their Mac buddies. Well, they ended the year on a very high note. How long do you think they will hold it? Will the recent leak about Windows 8, they might not have to hold it too long. Read [Microsoft] Full Story » | Written by Greg Billetdeaux for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Smartphones, VoIP, Mobile  Wednesday’s iPad announcement brought with it the end to restricting VOIP over 3G applications from the App Store. Quickly, apps like iCall and Fring entered the store with both 3G and WiFi VOIP calling without fear. Skype hasn’t submitted their 3G app to Apple yet.
The reason? According to a Skype spokesperson I contacted, they are waiting for a clarification from Apple. It seems they want to be assured that their 3G VOIP capable app is kosher with Apple. They’ve had the app built for some time now and are ready to go as soon as they get the nod. According to this spokesperson: “(Skype) has already written its app for use with 3G and has been waiting patiently to submit it for approval. Now, we are just waiting for Apple to clarify when the new SDK terms of service (iPhone OS 3.2 SDK beta) which were published yesterday will go into effect for current iPhone users. As soon as we have that clarification, Skype will submit its application for approval.” That’s the thing about a walled garden, Apple’s closed ecosystem where Apple decides what is in and what is out: you don’t want to upset the warden. Company site: [Skype] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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