Section: Computers, Netbooks, Software / Applications, Web, Web Apps 
Jolicloud, the netbook operating system has returned once again with some improvements, new features and updates. To begin with, Jolicloud has announced that they have left the beta stage, and entered what they are calling the “Pre-Final” stage. Personally that sounds a little beta like to me, but names aside, it looks like this release comes with a few goodies to include a new desktop mode as well as HTML5 ready web app platform. The desktop switcher mode will allow you to choose between the netbook friendly app launcher that we have seen up to this point and a regular desktop mode. Personally, the regular desktop mode does not sound all that appealing on a 10-inch netbook, but I suppose if you are running Jolicloud on something larger it could be nice. It was also noted that if you are installing Jolicloud on a 11 inch (or larger) display you will get the desktop mode by default. Additionally, a few other goodies such as bug fixes were made as well as a new network manager that has added support for more than 100 new 3G cards. Current Jolicloud users will be able to update to the Pre-Final release by a simply “Update All” in their My Jolicoud account, and new users will be able to download and install the latest version. Read [Jolicoud] and [Jolicloud] Via [Twitter @jolicloud] and [Twitter @jolicloud] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile The Palm Pre Plus has reached the low, low price of free. Albeit if for just a limited time. The offer of a free Palm Pre Plus is currently available by way of Walmart Wireless and is set to expire as of March 31. Which basically means you have today and tomorrow before the price will go back up to normal. And yes, this price does require the mandatory two year agreement. Otherwise, the two other online wireless retailers that I have been checking almost daily—Wirefly and Amazon still have the Pre Plus priced at $39.99 and $29.99 respectively. Product [Walmart Wireless] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile 
Playing 3rd string, BlackBerry now has a LinkedIn app, right behind the iPhone and Palm’s webOS. No more do BlackBerry users need to rely on the mobile site, the app will allow users to access messages and all the social networking fun that LinkedIn provides. The App is available now. "With the addition of the application for BlackBerry to our broader suite of mobile applications, LinkedIn is available to more business people than any other professional network in the world," said Adam Nash, vice president of search and platform products, LinkedIn. "This is an important step in our strategy to deliver business productivity tools to our members wherever their work takes them." The app requires BlackBerry 4.3 or above but adds full integration with native BlackBerry apps requires 4.6 or higher. That translates to availability on the Bold, Tour and Curve series of smartphones. The app is free. Read: [LinkedIn Blog] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  People say. Perhaps a gaggle of people. Perhaps three? I am not sure how many persons it takes to make “people” but the Wall Street Journal says “people” have told them there will be a Verizon iPhone this time. Yes, yes, we’ve heard this all before. The Journal also included an odd quote.
“There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven’t seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur.”—From an AT&T spokesperson.
Um, I am no lawyer but if you have an exclusive agreement with Apple that says only you get sell the iPhone wouldn’t you have an inkling of when Apple is going to make a CDMA version? I mean, AT&T has a hand in when that will happen and to pretend Apple is calling all the shots is silly. It takes two to tango. What if AT&T has decided to end the exclusivity to help stem consumer backlash from network problems in big markets? Perhaps AT&T bigwhigs said, “enough is enough, this gadget is wreaking havoc on our network and we’re making someone else rich to do that?” Only if AT&T had already ended the exclusive arrangement would Apple have complete control on when they might build a Verizon version. Has that happened? “One person familiar with the situation said Pegatron (who purportedly is supposed to be supplying the CDMA version) is scheduled to start mass producing CDMA iPhones in September. Other people said, however, that the schedule could change and the phone may not be available to consumers immediately after production begins.” That’s pretty questionable. Apple has been very pleased with its simple release structure, getting phones ready for the complete holiday season and focusing on iPods for the holidays release. It would be surprising for AT&T to end it’s exclusivity right before the holidays and not tie it to the original launch date. Sadly again, a Verizon iPhone is totally questionable. Interestingly, I just spoke with someone yesterday who was lamenting to me that their Verizon Droid Eris just isn’t on par with the iPhone. I told her, in iPhone rumors, hope springs eternal. Read: [Wall Street Journal] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Web, Online Music/Video Spotify, the popular European music streaming service has taken what seems like an eternity to get to the United States. For those unaware, Spotify is a freemium music streaming service with a design that makes it seem more like iTunes than Pandora or Slacker. The service is ad supported, with the ads being taken out for 10 pounds a month, and has music from all major labels. The service, however, has been available only a select European countries since it was released. According to a recent Bloomberg report, however, we could see Spotify in the states by the third quarter of 2010. The company is currently buying up servers and looking into licensing deals with American ISPs and cell phone networks. Along with the US release, Spotify is looking into expanding its smartphone app offerings. Currently the company has apps on Android, Symbian and iPhone devices. In the works are apps for BlackBerry and “Palm Inc., smartphones” which presumably means WebOS. Spotify coming to the US is certainly a big deal, something that many have been waiting for since the launch of the service in October 2008. Of course, there is always the chance the release could be pushed back, though “third quarter” seems to be a decently large window for launch. It has the potential to help curb piracy in the US, as long as users are willing to sit through ads every few songs. That is, of course, assuming we can get the same freemium deal our friends overseas have. Even if we don’t get it, Spotify seems like a service that would be worth paying about $10 a month, or possibly even closer to $15 given the exchange rates. Read [Bloomberg] Via [Download Squad] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Web, Web Apps, Websites, Google 
Google Talk already supports file transfers in its downloadable desktop app, and it will soon be available to other instant messaging pipelines. Today updated chat in iGoogle and orkut chat to support file transfer between users. Clicking the “Actions” menu and then selecting “Send a file” will make it possible to share files with a friend without requiring any additional download. In the blog post announcing this new feature, Google also revealed that this feature will soon be supported in Gmail chat. As someone who uses Gtalk mainly through the downloadable app, I don’t have much use for this feature; however, I know that a number of people mainly use Gtalk through their Gmail account in the browser, so this is something many people will definitely keep an eye on. Let’s hope Gmail support comes soon. Read [Official Google Blog] Full Story » | Written by Andrew Kameka for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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