Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Web, Online Music/Video  The turn of events between Best Buy and Brian Maupin, the man behind the ingenious HTC EVO 4G and iPhone 4 videos, are almost as funny as his videos. After he created the two videos each poking fun at the other, he received word from Best Buy that he was in serious danger of losing his job. It turns out, Best Buy was really upset at the other videos in his account that depicted Best Buy in a negative way, but Maupin removed those videos immediately. While Best Buy continued to investigate the situation, it seemed Maupin would almost definitely lose his job as a mobile phone employee. Today, Best Buy said they do not plan on firing Maupin because he did remove the videos. Best Buy said he could return to work as early as this Friday, their full statement is below: We have completed our investigation into the videos created and posted by Brian Maupin, the aspiring film-maker and Best Buy employee. This is an important situation for us because it involved balancing our social media guidelines with a commitment to creating a supportive environment for our employees. It's important to note that our investigation involved three videos that were posted in late June because they were openly disparaging of our employees, our customers and our vendor partners. Our investigation is over, and these videos are no longer on the web. Contrary to rumors, Brian has not been fired, and is scheduled to return to his job at Best Buy this Friday.
Understandably fed up with Best Buy’s behavior towards him, Maupin decided not to go back to right away or ever again. He cites the possible awkwardness and the hurtful words Best Buy has said to him as reasons for leaving his job at Best Buy. Here is his full statement: Right now I'm planning on taking a leave of absence so I may survey my current career plans and the future. I'm not sure if it would be comfortable returning to Best Buy considering the circumstances, but I will definitely consider all options.
We wish the best of luck to Brian Maupin, who is considering a career in graphic design, for providing a good five minutes of humor here at Gadgetell. The videos can be viewed below. Via [TechCrunch]  Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile 
Yesterday, we reported that many AT&T users with devices capable of accessing the newer 3G HSUPA network were experiencing capped upload speeds. In many different areas all over the United States, smartphone or Laptop Connect users were only uploading at 100kbps, when they should really be uploading at about 1Mbps. The difference is quite staggering and annoyed AT&T users because the Fourth of July weekend is a time when many users would be sending and receiving data. Today, AT&T came out with a statement claiming the significant drop in upload speeds is because of a software defect with Alcatel-Lucent’s equipment. In addition, AT&T says the drop in upload speed is only affecting less than 2% and they are currently working on a fix. The full statement from AT&T is below: “AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect—triggered under certain conditions – that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment. This impacts less than two percent of our wireless customer base. While Alcatel-Lucent develops the appropriate software fix, we are providing normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers with HSUPA-capable devices.”
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones 
Even though a lucky customer happened to purchase the Samsung Intercept from Best Buy, the phone is officially not yet available. Today, however, Sprint is beginning the pre-order process for the mid-range Android device that is going to replace the Samsung Moment. Sprint is currently offering pre-orders through its Business website, EVP. If your company qualifies for Sprint’s discounts, then you can go ahead and pre-order a Samsung Intercept for $99. Even though EVP is supposed to offer discounted pricing, rumor has it that the Intercept will cost $99 for everyone when it launches this weekend on July 11. Some of the specs for the device include a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.2MP camera, and a 3 inch touch screen. Check it out [EVP] Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones 
ArsTechnica has recently conducted a benchmark between iOS 4 and Android 2.2 in their ability to execute Javascript. As you can see from the chart above, Android 2.2 on the Nexus One absolutely destroys iOS4 on the iPhone 4. In a basic speed test, the iPhone took nearly twice as long to execute the same Javascript as Android. For a long time now, Safari was considered the fastest of the mobile web browsers, but now, it is seeing real competition from the Android browser in just about every aspect of the browser, not just Javascript. Time for Apple to get to work. Read [Ars Technica] Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones AndroidSpin managed to get a hold of an interesting image which shows the expected launch date of several new phones, many of which are unannounced. Remember this is simply a rumor, and the launch dates for these phones are subject to change, or they may not even launch at all. In July, we have the already announced and confirmed Samsung Vibrant for July 21. However, it seems the just announced Motorola Charm is also pegged for a July 21 launch date. I’m not sure how much sense it makes to launch two big Android phones on the same day. The Motorola CLIQ and CLIQ XT are slated to receive an update in August, which might be the elusive Android 2.1 update. Last we heard, the Android 2.1 update for the CLIQ was delayed again indefinitely, so an August update does make sense. In September, the Motorola Charm is slated to receive an update, which could be a simple firmware upgrade or Android 2.2. Hopefully it is the latter, but it is probably going to take a long time to make the enhanced MOTOBLUR on the Charm compatible with Android 2.2. On September 9, HTC should launch a device called the Vanguard with Android. On November 5, T-Mobile is set to launch their big Project Emerald phone, which is an HTC device. By squinting at the image, I see two Motorola phones - one named Jordan and the other I can’t make out. The last phone on the image is from HTC named Shubert, which will drop November 17. Since it doesn’t feature the green Android, I suspect it could be a Windows Phone 7. Hopefully the rumor pans out because T-Mobile has a lot of interesting phones right around the corner. Via [AndroidSpin] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking  Bing as of last year was the world’s fastest growing search engine. But new competition has sprung from an unlikely Twitter. Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, who attended and spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival has claimed that Twitter now supports 800 million search queries daily. Now after some quick calculation that would be 24 billion searches per month, more than both Bing and Yahoo! combined. Twitter’s ability to display breaking news to the second is the primary reason why it is now becoming such an esteemed search engine and information source for people around the world. And they are definitely on the right track. Read [Fast Company] Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 FROM GAMERTELL - If you need a gift for a handheld gaming or iPhone fan, you may want to check out Two Eggplants shop and pick up some soap. The custom soaps are available in a variety of scents and are shaped like iPhones, PSPs, Game Boys and PS2 and Wii controllers.
MORE » Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Computers, Software / Applications As the calendar rolls over to the next fiscal year, Microsoft will begin to re-evaluate their current status in terms of expenses and how many employees they have. Even while the Redmond based company showed some profit, it is always important to consider new strategies and direction for the company overall. Reports from TechFlash and the Wall Street Journal indicate that Microsoft will begin to make job cuts, but it won’t be as severe as last year’s thousands of job cuts. My guess would be some jobs would be lost in the Kin division, but jobs could be cut from every department. As usual, Microsoft will continue to hire during the job cutting process, but in the end, some people will unfortunately be losing their job. As of the end of June, Microsoft employed 88,596 personnel worldwide, and 39,824 of that number comes from people working in Seattle. Last July, the number of worldwide workers totaled 91,743, which just goes to show how many people Microsoft employs, and how they are trying to cut costs in whichever way possible. Maybe we will see some official numbers after the cuts are over, but hopefully only a small amount of people receive pink slips. Via [TechFlash] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones With so many leaks involving the Motorola Charm, it was only a matter of time before T-Mobile would officially announce the candybar Android smartphone. Some of the key features of the Charm includes a 2.8 inch touch screen, Android 2.1, enhanced MOTOBLUR, 3MP camera, WiFi, and an intuitive BACKTRACK navigation feature. By keeping the screen size at a minimum and employing a physical, portrait QWERTY keyboard, Motorola is hoping to achieve fast messaging through text and social networking. The BACKTRACK feature is simply a touchpad like the one on a laptop that you can use to navigate the screen from behind the device. Even though the screen is touch, you will not always have to use it because of the BACKTRACK option. The Charm is the first American device to run enhanced MOTOBLUR and Android 2.1. It works to sync all your social networking feeds (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Gmail, Email, etc.) into one convenient stream. Here is a list from Motorola about additional features of the Charm: Adobe® Flash® enabled Web browsing experience to view most of today's content-rich sites
Full suite of Google™ services including: Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and access to thousands of apps on Android Market™
Pinch to zoom functionality and two-finger swipe to easily surf the Web and sort through photos
Capture sharp photos with a 3MP camera and KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures
One-touch social media uploads to Facebook®, MySpace, PicasaTM and PhotoBucket®
CrystalTalkTM PLUS for enhanced audio and call quality with a second microphone for increased voice quality while filtering out background noise
Corporate email pushed immediately to the device for instant inbox updates
Unfortunately, no word on pricing or availability at this time. Motorola simply says it will be available this summer. I’m still hoping it is a part of that back-to-school promotion and available for free. Read [Motorola] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  It looks like Borders is continuing to play catch up in the ebook game. The most recent introductions include a Borders branded ebook reader app for the Android and BlackBerry platforms as well as a Kobo-powered ebook store.
And as you may have guessed, these apps will play nicely with the already existing Borders app for the iPad as well as the official reader of Borders, which is the Kobo. In the end, both the Android and Blackberry apps are available in their respective markets. As for the Borders ebook store, that will give access to 1.5 million titles. Interestingly enough, the goal for Borders is to have a 17 percent eBook market share by this time next year (July 2011). A valid goal, but I am thinking there are a fair amount like myself who bought into the Kindle early and will stick with Amazon just because our current collections cannot be transferred over. Needless to say, I have checked out the Borders app on the iPad as well as the hardware Kobo and was impressed by both. Read [Borders Store] and [Borders] Via [CrunchGear] Keep reading to check out the full press release… Borders Opens eBook Store with Goal to Secure 17 percent eBook Market Share Company Also Introduces BlackBerry® and Android™ Applications Following Recent iPhone and iPad Releases ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 7, 2010—Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) today announced the launch of the Borders branded eBook store, powered by global eReading service Kobo™.
Borders' goal is to secure a 17 percent share of the eBook market by July 2011. Borders' eBook store launches with more than 1.5 million titles, including thousands of free titles, available in a variety of formats, including ePub, mobile and PDF. The store launch follows the successful introduction of the Borders iPhone and iPad apps, powered by Kobo, as well as the introduction of the Kobo eReader and Aluratek Libre eReader on Borders.com. Both devices, which are value-priced at under $150, have surpassed sales expectations. To provide additional value around its digital offerings, the retailer will offer its Borders Rewards® loyalty program members benefits ranging from special gift cards and free shipping on certain items, to exclusive offers on popular digital series, double Borders Bucks™ incentives on the purchase of eReaders, as well as other valuable offers. More than 38 million members have signed up for the Rewards program since it launched in 2006. "The race to emerge as a retail leader within the digital category is just starting," said Mike Edwards, Chief Executive Officer for Borders, Inc. "During the past several months, we've been carefully crafting a digital strategy, one that has great content and a device neutral philosophy backed by the Borders brand as its cornerstones. We believe we are very well positioned to come out strong and to ultimately claim about a 17 percent eBook market share by this time next year." Borders' Consumer Research According to Borders' consumer research, convenience, choice, content and quality hardware rank at the top of the attributes readers look for in an ideal digital bookstore experience. The launch of the company's eBook store will be complemented by its strong in-store digital presence through its upcoming Area-e sections, where customers will be able to try out a number of eReading devices before making a purchase. Area-e sections, which will be in virtually all Borders stores by early September, will be staffed by knowledgeable associates, who will demo
products and answer customers' questions. Research further shows that eReaders priced below $200 are likely to be the most gifted items this holiday season. The Kobo eReader ($149), which also comes with 100 free titles, and the Libre eBook Reader Pro ($119), both of which are priced to fit most budgets, position Borders for strong consumer adoption and market penetration. The Kobo eReader is currently available in select Borders stores and can be ordered on Borders.com anytime. The Libre eBook Reader Pro can also be ordered on Borders.com. Borders Opens eBook Store with Goal to Secure 17% eBook Market Share — 2 Blackberry and Android Applications The company also announced today it is making available to consumers Blackberry® and Android™ eReading applications, also powered by Kobo. Now customers can enjoy the free, easy-to-use eBook reading applications on the BlackBerry® Curve™, the new BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 and the Blackberry® Bold™, as well as Android devices. These apps enable users to quickly and easily browse and buy eBooks; search by title, author, topic, or keyword; access their eBook library; download eBooks for offline reading; and enjoy several enhanced reading features that amplify the digital reading experience. Users can download the free BlackBerry and
Android apps in the Borders branded eBook store at www.borders.com. The launch of these apps represents another pillar in Borders' digital rollout — an important part of its commitment to enable customers to enjoy digital books on a wide variety of devices. About "Powered by Kobo": Kobo, Inc. "Powered by Kobo" is an eBook partner program from Kobo, a global eBook service backed by Indigo Books & Music, Borders Group, REDgroup Retail, and Cheung Kong Holdings. The 'Powered by Kobo' program provides a flexible solution for hardware manufacturers and retailers worldwide to launch an eReader or eBook store. "Powered by Kobo" partners have access to Kobo's catalogue of more than two million titles and applications for
smartphones, netbooks, laptops, tablets and dedicated eReaders. Kobo's vision is to deliver any book on any device and is a strong voice in the eBook industry supporting open standards for eBooks and eReaders. For more information, visit www.kobobooks.com. About Borders Group, Inc. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., through its subsidiaries, Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com. Find author interviews and vibrant discussions of the products we and our customers are passionate about online at facebook.com/borders, twitter.com/borders and youtube.com/bordersmedia. For more information about the company, visit borders.com/media.
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Broadband Cards, Mobile, Computers, Wireless Best Buy has officially launched their Connect mobile broadband service. And basically that means customers can now purchase an 3G capable device and service all from Best Buy, or more specifically, all from Best Buy without having to deal with a wireless carrier. As for what you will get, pretty much the same as you will find elsewhere when it comes to mobile access. The Best Buy plans include offerings for 24 month, 12 month and contract free options and range in price from $29.99 up to $59.99 per month. Interestingly enough, the prices seem to be the same across the board regardless of commitment length. In other words, you can expect to pay $29.99 for 250MB of data, $39.99 for $500MB of data and $59.99 for 5GB of data. Though its worth mentioning that the 250MB option is only available contract free. Otherwise, overages come in the form of $0.05 per MB on the 5GB plan, $0.10 per MB on the 500MB plan and $0.20 per MB on the 250MB plan. As for early terminations, $175 on a 24 month contract and $125 on a 12 month contract. Of course, the big difference between the contract free, 12 and 24 month agreements include the subsidy. And as you can imagine, you will not be getting the subsidy on the contract free plans. Additionally, the Best Buy plans are all monitored and you will receive emails letting you know when you are close to you limits. As far as coverage, that was noted as being “18,900 cities and 1,855 airports” across the US. Read [Best Buy] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones If you in the UK and looking for a new phone between now and the end of the year, you might want to pay close attention to all the new phones that are set to be unveiled. Omio has apparently received a list of 15 phones that are going to launch sometime this year and it comes from a reputable source. The main phone of interest in the list is the HTC Gold, which represents HTC’s first Windows Phone 7 phone. Without further ado, let’s get to the list month by month. For July, we have the Nokia E5-00, the Sony Ericsson W20, and the Samsung i5500. The i5500 is reportedly a mid-range phone with Android support. The other two phones are basic feature phones but look sleek and attractive. In August, we have the Nokia X6 8GB and the BlackBerry Curve 9300. Both phones should be relatively affordable since they contain mid-range specs. In September, we have the Nokia X2 and the Sony Ericsson Hazel. Early on, Nokia and Sony Ericsson will be releasing a lot of new phones, which isn’t a bad plan since many people still enjoy basic feature phones. In October, HTC is set to launch the Vision and Ace. The Ace is a new phone that hasn’t been whispered about until now. Continuing, we have the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8, the Nokia N8, and the Sony Ericsson Yendo. Lastly, in November, we have the aforementioned HTC Gold which is going to feature Windows Phone 7. Android has been friendly to HTC for quite some time, so it will be interesting to see how their first crack at Windows Phone 7 goes. In addition, we have the Nokia E7 and the Samsung i8700 Cetus (rumored to run Samsung’s Bada OS) all coming in November. If this rumor pans out, the UK will enjoy many quality cell phones for month to come. Of course, be sure to take this rumor with a healthy helping of salt because nothing is set in stone at this point in time. Via [Omio] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones  First, the Twitter for BlackBerry app launched as a private beta, meaning you had to request an invite code to try it out. Next, the Twitter for BlackBerry app was launched to the general public but was still in the beta stage. Like any beta app, the Twitter for BlackBerry app still had a few kinks that needed ironing out, but otherwise it was looking pretty good. Three months later the Twitter app finally graduates from beta and is available today as a normal app. Here are some key features about the Twitter for BlackBerry app as outlined on the BlackBerry website:
With Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones, it only takes a moment to do the things you love on Twitter. Get your Direct Messages as soon as they arrive
Tweet, reply to Tweets, re-Tweet and send Direct Messages
Post a link from your BlackBerry® Browser
Take a funny picture and upload it
Search for, and type @Usernames quickly with Auto Complete
Edit re-Tweets with the Quote Tweet feature
View profiles from anywhere in the app with Go to User
If you have a Twitter account and a BlackBerry smartphone, be sure to try out the app and see how you like it. Via [BlackBerry] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones Did you call Verizon to inquire about purchasing the Droid X and actually place an order? If so, check your front door quick, you might have a Droid X waiting on the doormat! It looks like a few customers happened to receive their Droid X today, nine days before the launch. Apparently, a few guys in Texas happened to receive the Droid X from Verizon Wireless Customer Care. One person inquired about the device ten days ago and the sales rep called him back a few days later saying he could now sell the phone - that very phone arrived for the person today. There is a conspiracy theory about how these Droid X’s are arriving early, and it could just be a funny prank on Big Red’s part to give out a few Droid X’s early. Check out the tweet below from @DroidLanding. Maybe the tweet is coincidental, maybe it is not. In the end, I still envy the few lucky people who got the Droid X ahead of time. Via [Droid-Life] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web Browsers 
We’ve been teased with screenshots from the upcoming version of Firefox, and now it’s finally here. Well, it’s not exactly here for those who want a reliable browser that won’t cause them any issues. The first beta for Firefox 4 is now ready for download, giving early adopters a chance to test out the browser, and others to just see what’d coming in the next few months.
There are a few aesthetic changes in Firefox 4, specifically that tabs have been moved to the top of the window, though not on the Mac and Linux versions just yet. The result is something more Chrome-like that can be switched byt he user if they so choose. Under the hood, Firefox adds support for many HTML5 elements, including WebM. Some aspects of HTML5, like fullscreen video aren’t usable yet, but are coming soon, presumably in a future beta. Other features include hardware-accelerated HD video and better extension support with Jetpack. This is just the first of what will likely be several betas before the final version of Firefox 4 is released. The official release is slated for later this year. The fact that the first beta is out now is a good idea on Mozilla’s part. The Firefox browser has been losing ground to Chrome for quite some time now, and the next version looks to be gunning for Google’s browser. It is still just a beta, which gives Google time to push out similar features to the Chrome stable branch, though some of the features in Firefox 4, including WebM support were included in the recent 10.60 release of Opera. Sounds like the new browser wars are really heating up. Read [Mozilla]
Image from [Mozilla] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile For all our HTC fans out there, I have a bit of bad news regarding your Android smartphones and Android 2.2. According to Eric Lin, HTC’s global PR and online community manager, HTC will roll out Android 2.2 to HTC Android smartphones by Christmas. An exchange between Pocket-Lint and Eric Lin took place at the Qualcomm Uplinq convention. Last we heard, the HTC Desire, Legend, and Wildfire were supposed to receive the coveted update by Q3, but that could fall by the wayside as Lin seems to believe Android 2.2 is well off in the distance. “It takes time to port all of our applications over to Froyo and then make sure that it is running well on each of our devices,” said Lin. “That's not like a one week kind of project. We need to make sure that our applications are taking advantage of the Froyo features. To make sure that they're all running properly on the OS now that it's a new version. And then to make sure that it’s running on our hardware as well as we expect”.
Logically, the next question becomes is there any point in working so hard for Android 2.2 for a Christmas launch date if Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) is supposed to be available by the Holiday season. Here is Lin’s reply: “I don't know what Gingerbread involves, but I would believe that we would be done with our Froyo updates before Christmas. And since Google hasn't made any announcements as to when Gingerbread is going to come out, I'm not going to make that guess, it could be Q1 of next year”.
Gingerbread in Q1 of 2011? The bad news just keeps on coming from HTC. Let’s try not to get our hopes up any time soon for the prospect of Android 2.2 on an HTC branded smartphone. Via [Pocket-Lint] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones 
A lot of information about the Motorola Charm has been leaked, but we still have yet to hear official confirmation from T-Mobile about the phone. The latest information we heard was about the Motorola Charm being a part of a back-to-school promotion and available for free. Today, an image of the Motorola Charm in action has surfaced, but unfortunately, no word on what version of Android it will launch with. If it launches with Android 2.2, that would be awesome, however, it will probably launch with Android 2.1. In addition, there is supposedly a touchpad on the back of the phone similar to the Backflip. Rumor has it the touch screen measures out at 3 inches, but that is an approximation. According to the tipster, T-Mobile retail chains have started to receive information about the Charm in packages marked Motorola Basil Project. All that’s left now is the official word from T-Mobile confirming the availability date and pricing of the candybar Android phone. Via [TmoNews] 
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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