Section: Communications, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile 
Here’s a funny twist: Andy Rubin, head Android engineer resists the idea that fragmentation will harm Google’s Android. Fragmentation is having a lot of different versions of an operating system in use along with a slew of apps that don’t work with all versions of the OS. The result is some phones have and others have nots. The problems of fragmentation are exacerbated with an aggressive update schedule, like the one Google is pursuing. Add in makers, like HTC, who have a custom GUI built on top that prevents them from keeping pace with Google’s Android updates and you’ve got a mish-mosh of apps and services that might work on a given phone. The result is confusion for users. Or is it? From the Gizmodo interview, “I mean there are apps written for Vista, just like Photoshop CS5 does not run on Windows 3.1. I mean it's just a fact, there's nothing new here.”
Comparing Windows to Android by the head engineer is more than cavalier, it’s foolish. The years it takes Windows to push out a new version is in no way a comparison the months Google Android operates on. No sooner have we figured out Android’s latest flavor, than another one pops up on the horizon. Don’t get me wrong, Android’s made huge advancements in overall quality but the open architecture means that by design, they are pushing forward alone. Others may not follow. Apple has managed to duck this issue for the most part so far. They’ve even manged to stretch it to the iPad, the same app brought to new places instead of restricting where an app can go. Rubin does seem to acknowledge they are jumping too fast:
So it’s just things are happening so quickly that it becomes really obvious that we went from 2.0 to 2.2 in a very short time frame. I think that will slow down a little bit. I’m actually advocating coming out with releases around the buying seasons, May and September, October.
That sounds like a smarter move. Read: [Gizmodo] via [JKontherun] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  People are constantly walking through the streets of Times Square causing an overload on the cell phone data networks within the area. Especially on New Year’s, it is probably impossible to send or receive any data because of the inordinate amount of people taking advantage of the network. Now, instead of upgrading or installing new cell phone towers to the vicinity, AT&T has decided to take a different route. A free WiFi hot spot zone has been launched near 7th Avenue between 45th and 47th Street. It is designed to provide an alternative and faster means of transferring data in such a congested area.
AT&T customers with smartphones, 3G LaptopConnect and AT&T High Speed Internet plans will be able to take advantage of the WiFi for free. Many of these devices come with auto-authentication for WiFi hot spots; therefore, whenever you come in range of the WiFi network in Times Square, your device might automatically connect to the network providing faster speeds. For those who cross Times Square en route to work or for recreation, I’m sure you will enjoy access to broadband speeds courtesy of AT&T. Since it is a pilot program, it may be implemented in other congested areas assuming it is successful in Times Square. Read [AT&T] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile  In keeping with the Palm deals today, we can also share a link to Best Buy who is currently offering the Touchstone charging dock at a nicely discounted $19.99.
The Touchstone is available for local store pickup as well as shipping. Of course, that second option will add another $3.99 to your purchase price. But still, even with the shipping included that is a pretty good deal for a Touchstone. It seems it may be time for me to pull the trigger on this purchase. Anyway, if interested visit Best Buy or hit the product link below… Product [Best Buy] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Google  Remember that Android 2.2 link that was available for Nexus One owners, the one that offered the ability to download and manually update your phone? Well, in a little bit of bad news—its gone. It seems as if Google has removed the link from their page. Of course, with a little time spent searching the interwebs I am sure it can still be found. I guess next time its better to download right away and save locally, just in case. Still, it does lead one to wonder whether Google removed this file because there were issues or just because it was affecting their otherwise planned OTA roll-out process. Either way, it looks like current Nexus One owners are going to have to wait just a little while longer for Froyo.
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Image courtesy: The Berry Fix It looks like today has brought more on the yet-to-be-announced BlackBerry Bold 9800 slider, and this time its a nice 3 minute and 39 second video. And a surprisingly clear video at that. Anyway, the video is offering a nice look at the BlackBerry Bold 9800 in action. In other words, you get to watch the sliding portion of the phone slide. Exciting, I know. But thankfully there is more to the video than just that. In addition, we are also given a pretty good look at BlackBerry OS 6.0 and a few of its goodies such as the virtual keyboard, pinch and zoom capabilities, coverflow-like album art and more. Oh, and we cannot forget that AT&T splash screen in the beginning. I guess the Bold 9800 slider is going to be heading to AT&T. Now if we could just find out when and for how much. Watch [YouTube] Via [The Berry Fix]  Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile The Palm Pre Plus is officially an affordable smartphone, that is, if you shop by way of Amazon. As of now, those interested can pick up either the Verizon Wireless Pre Plus or the AT&T Pre Plus for one penny. Of course, that one penny is a on contract price and it means a two year agreement. Still, its hard to argue with a smartphone priced almost free. Sadly though, those still hoping to score an original Pre with Sprint are going to have to pay, and pay a whopping $79. Product [Palm Pre Plus on Verizon] Product [Palm Pre Plus on AT&T] Via [webOS roundup] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Websites, Google Thanks to the team over at the Rescue Time Blog, math, Wolfram Alpha and Google we have some crazy numbers based off of the playable Pac-Man logo that Google ran on its homepage last week. If we take Wolfram Alpha at its word, Google had about 504,703,000 unique visitors on May 23. If we assume that our userbase is representative, that means: - Google Pac-Man consumed 4,819,352 hours of time (beyond the 33.6m daily man hours of attention that Google Search gets in a given day)
- $120,483,800 is the dollar tally, If the average Google user has a COST of $25/hr (note that cost is 1.3 – 2.0 X pay rate).
- For that same cost, you could hire all 19,835 google employees, from Larry and Sergey down to their janitors, and get 6 weeks of their time. Imagine what you could build with that army of man power.
- $298,803,988 is the dollar tally if all of the Pac-Man players had an approximate cost of the average Google employee.
Interestingly, it was also noted that; “The average user spent 36 seconds MORE on Google.com on Friday.”
I guess I am not your average nerd, because I wasted much more than 36 seconds. And no I will not share my number because its just plain sad. But remember, as Greg mentioned yesterday, that version is Pac-Man is still alive and kicking and ready for more time wasting. Read [Rescue Time] Via [Slashdot] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple  As far as the New York Yankees are concerned, the iPad has struck out. The team, one of the best ever in major league baseball, has banned Apple's red hot tablet from Yankee Stadium. Security officials at the ballpark say the device falls under their no laptops policy. Presumably the policy is in place to keep fans from using their webcams to stream the games over the net, but honestly, what true baseball fan would want to talk their laptop or iPad to a ballgame? Never mind the high risk of damage from spilled food and drink and overly enthusiastic fans, but considering how much a ticket to a game costs these days, don't you want to catch every moment and get your money's worth? Seriously, it's okay to leave the iPad, netbook, or laptop alone at home for a few hours. It'll wait patiently for your return. Trust me.
Read [CNet] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Gaming Rumors that Mr. Xbox, Mr. Zune and the almost Mr. Courier, J Allard, will be parting ways with Microsoft. This whole mess began when Steve Ballmer decided to pull the plug on the Courier (or as I like to to call it, the iPad 2.0). Allard did not take to kindly to this and according to some inside sources, he is currently away on sabbatical and unlikely to return to Microsoft. Allard’s info remains to be unchanged on the company’s website; he still is listed as Chief Experience Officer and Chief Technology Officer, Entertainment and Devices Division. However, on May 18th, Todd Holmdahl, former Corporate Vice President of the Gaming and Xbox Product Group, had his title changed to Corporate Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Incubation. What does his job entail exactly? “Holmdahl leads the Incubation team for the Interactive Entertainment Business responsible for continually exploring new technologies, new consumer experiences, and new business models. Holmdahl works with various internal and external partners on planning, scoping, and prototyping future interactive entertainment scenarios.”
Hmm, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Microsoft is in the process of making a replacement, and just in time for E3. My guess would be that Holmdahl will be leading the charge for Project Natal. Via [ZDNet] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking  Twitter has announced third party ad networks are now banned from inserting paid tweets into the site's newsfeed. The ban was announced in a blog post by COO Dick Costolo.
“We will not allow any third party to inject paid tweets into a timeline on any service that leverages the Twitter API,” the post read, explaining that the exception will be Twitter’s own “promoted tweets” program that it announced earlier this year.“Third party ad networks are not necessarily looking to preserve the unique user experience Twitter has created,” Costolo’s post read.“They may optimize for either market share or short-term revenue at the expense of the long-term health of the Twitter platform. For example, a third party ad network may seek to maximize ad impressions and click through rates even if it leads to a net decrease in Twitter use due to user dissatisfaction.”
It's doubtful the true reason for the ban is as noble as Twitter wants us to believe. It's likely they are just getting rid of competition for much sought after advertising dollars. Prominent members such as celebrities that want to post paid tweets on their own are still welcome to do so.
Many third party developers are worried that Twitter wants to drive them all out of business . The fears began when the site bought Tweetie and announced plans to launch other official mobile clients, angering the many developers who offer third party Twitter apps, and this latest announcement will surely fan those flames. Twitter insists however that they are planning to increase opportunities for third parties. Only time will tell if they really mean it. Read [CNet] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile  Walmart has lowered its price for the iPhone 3GS, presumably in anticipation of a new iPhone that is expected to be announced on June 7. The iPhone 3GS is currently the top of the line model, which Apple says is 2x faster than the device’s predecessor, the 3G. We fully expect most retail outlets to lower the price of the 3GS to $97 within the next month.
Can you go wrong with a 3GS? Well, with iPhone 4.0 OS, users of the 3G won’t be able to take advantage of things like multitasking thanks to hardware constraints. The 3GS on the other hand, looks primed for a full upgrade and will be able to take advantage of the new perks in 4.0. What won’t 3GS have that we expect with the fourth generation iPhone? We expect an HD display, perhaps a video chat (though it remains to be seen if this will happen in the states), and an updated form factor. The new iPhone also appears to have a much larger battery, something most iPhone users will appreciate. The bottom line: $97 is a great deal for the 3GS. Will you have phone-envy in a months time? Our advice is simple, we suspect the 3GS will remain $97 after the launch of the new iPhone next month. Hold off, play with both and see what you can live with or without. Product page: [Walmart] via [Wired] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web Those of us old enough to remember Aol. (or AOL before re-branding), today marks a milestone for a service that brought e-mail, web browsing and introduced to the masses instant messaging by celebrating 25 years of service. Rise to popularity for the time period was quite remarkable considering home computing was not widely popular and for many still pricey. But for those with a computer likely running Windows, Aol. was the quickest and easiest way to get online. The chances of purchasing a computer in the 1990’s not already preloaded with Aol. was quite low, all you had to do was enter your screen name and you were live. Chat rooms, emoticons, buddy list, bookmarks - these are just a few of the gifts Aol. brought to your world. However with every triumphant rise come a unceremonious fall and Aol. has seen its share. Once a market leader but as the ISP broadband market heated up Aol. could not find traction in convincing it’s millions of users to upgrade from a smoking fast 56k dial-up to broadband. As described in a February 19, 1997 press release, their highly criticized “carpet-bombing techniques” were no longer seeing results and user base was dropping. In early 2000 Time Warner swooped to save the dying brand only to continue to see falling numbers and again Aol. was unceremoniously removed from the band and made it’s own company December 2009. From AOL 1.0 release in 1993 to AOL Desktop 10 December 2007, at some point we all played our part in AOL’s hay-day now we just try to understand where they are going and why. So Happy Birthday Aol. and may the next 25 be better than the last ten. Read [Technologizer] and [Aol. announcement] Full Story » | Written by Aaron Thacker for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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