Section: Communications, Smartphones  When the T-Mobile G2 first launched it appeared to have a stock Android 2.2 build, though it lacked a key feature of mobile hotspot. It also lacked the WiFi calling feature that T-Mobile promised would be coming to it’s Android phones. Now, through the wonder of an OTA update, that’s changing.
While the OTA update hasn’t been officially announced, there are reports of many getting the update to bring in the new features. The downside of the update is that while there is now the mobile hotspot option, users still need to have a plan that supports tethering. Still, the option to have a mobile hotspot you have to pay extra for is better than not having it at all. The WiFi calling is the same we’ve seen on other T-Mobile Android devices. It still uses minutes on your plan, and doesn’t switch to GSM automatically, but again it’s a nice feature to have. It should work particularly well for those who have somewhat spotty coverage at home, as long as you don’t leave the house while on the call. Reports are also saying that the update brings updates to Google Goggles. Without an official word, what the OTA is supposed to accomplish is just speculation. It should be clear that mobile hotspot and WiFi calling are included in the update, however, as those features can’t be obtained any other way on the G2 at the moment. Read [XDA-Developers] Via [Electronista] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones  The next generation of Palm’s Pre line is slowly coming together. First Palm let out the developer preview of WebOS 2.0 with a number of upgrades including Stacks. Then, the possible specs for the next generation were leaked. Now we have what could be photos of the next device.
The images come from the French website, MobiFrance. They show a Palm Pre 2 that smoothes all the rounded edges of the Pre+ and replaces the gloss with a matte finish. Otherwise, this Pre 2 looks very similar to the Pre+, down to what looks to be the 320x480 screen. MobiFrance claims that this device is running the 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM we saw in the leaked specs, though shows no screenshot to prove it. If this is the design of the new Palm Pre 2, let’s hope this is early production. The design looks fine, reminiscent of the previous devices, but obviously a bit different to set it apart. However, that 320x480 screen is painful to see. Palm, and it’s new parent company HP, both have obvious Apple envy with many products, so why not go all the way and imitate the 960x640 Retina Display? Please? Read [MobiFrance] Via [PreCentral] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Netbooks It looks like the dual-core netbooks are beginning to come available. The latest model is the Asus Eee PC 1015PN which is running the Intel Atom N550 processor. The 1015PN is available in a few color options to include white, black, red and blue, though at present they are not all in stock. And strangely enough, they are all priced at $429.99, except for the black model which is $10 higher at $439.99. That said, the black model is currently in stock, so maybe the are putting a premium on the price in that respect. Either way though, it is only a $10 difference. As for the specs, the Eee PC 1015PN comes with a 10.1 inch (1024 x 600) WSVGA matte finish display, 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 processor, 1GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, a 0.3 megapixel webcam, up to 9.5 hours of battery life and Windows 7 Starter. In addition you can also expect to find a 92 percent full-size chicklet style keyboard and a multi-touch capable trackpad. Product [Amazon (in white)] and [Amazon (in black)] Via [Netbook Reviews] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile So have we’ve digested all the Windows Phone 7 news yet? Got more room for another one? Well, here it is - Microsoft has introduced the Windows Phone 7 App Hub. Nope, it’s the App Store or Android Marketplace for iOS devices and Android phones respectively, but a single place for Windows Phone and Xbox LIVE Indie Games developers. The App Hub will allows Indie game developers to register, find development tools, support and resources as well as submit and manage their Windows Phone and Xbox Live. In short, App Hub aims to make it easier for developers to find the resources needed for building and distributing great Windows Phone apps and games. The App Hub will also be part of building up the Education Catalog on the App Hub. With this, the App is going to serve as the central location which will give developers access to Microsoft’s XNA developer educational materials. While App Hub has the potential to become a useful application center, it doesn’t come free however. You would need to pay $499 for annual subscription. Before you jump for joy because of this piece of news, let us remind you that the app subscription process for App Hub is still not yet self-serve. This means that your app will still go through the scrutiny of Microsoft people. But barring any unavoidable circumstances, it looks like the App Hub is on the brink of success pretty soon. Read [Windows Phone Developer Blog ] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking  Facebook co-founders Sean Parker and Dustin Moskovitz have donated substantial sums of money to a campaign dedicated to getting Proposition 19 passed. If passed, the ballot initiative would legalize the use of Marijuana in the state of California. Parker, who went on to co-found Napster, donated $100,000, and Moskovitz kicked in $70,000.
“What’s interesting here is that [Parker] is a member of the generation that really gets it,” said Drug Policy Alliance spokesman Stephen Gutwillig in an interview with the Associated Press. “We think he’s pivotal to the future of drug policy reform in the country.”
Both men left Facebook to pursue other business interests. Parker is a partner at The Founders Fund, which provides funding to Web 2.0 start-ups, and Moscovitz is co-founder of Asana which is working on the development of a project management app. Read [PCMag] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  Palm Pre Plus users on AT&T received the webOS 1.4.5 update back in mid-September and the good news today is that the same update is now available for Pixi Plus users. Those sporting a Pixi Plus on AT&T can check out the full change log below, however the big addition will likely come in the form of webOS PDK support.
Version information - Version: webOS 1.4.5
- Release date: 11 October 2010
New applications Feature changes to existing applications
System - This release includes minor fixes and enhancements to support the public release of the webOS PDK.
Web - If a user enters text in a field on certain websites, the screen focus now remains on the text being entered.
- This release fixes a rare problem so that podcasts now download correctly.
Security
This release addresses several security issues with the Palm webOS software.
We'd like to thank Nils of MWR InfoSecurity and Chris Clark for their help in identifying the issues addressed in this release. Individuals interested in contacting Palm to report suspected security issues can find more information at palm.com/security.
Read [Palm] Via [PreCentral] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Netbooks, Wireless 
With Walmart and Target jumping on the iPad bandwagon as official retailers, the iPad will literally be everywhere this holiday season. The device continues to draw rave reviews from users and those seated next to them on flights. The question is, should you get one this holiday season or wait for iPad 2? Apple traditionally updates everything on a yearly cycle. The industry expects iPad 2 to come in April, at the one year anniversary of the original launch. That just four measly months and likely, something will get announced in January regarding new hardware. With iPods, Apple’s timing is perfect for holiday buyers. New products are introduced in the fall, so buying them in December gives users a full 8 months until the precious gadgets are obsoleted. Apple may have succeeded in balancing their calendar with an iPad launch in April, but consumers are faced with a rather tough choice: instant gratification or 4 months saying, “I should have waited.” What will iPad 2 have? Likely candidates include the addition of camera(s), possibly going slimmer (as is typical for Apple products), a smaller size offering, USB connection and the gorgeous Retina Display (like iPhone 4 and iPod touch). Can users live without these upgrades? Sure, but… So, will you pony up this holiday season or wait for the next revision? Let us know in the comments. Read: [TechRadar] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking  Take you Facebook friends with you off-line with this new concept from artist and grad student Benjamin Lotan. The service, Printing Facebook, culls your friends photos and prints them on 20"x40"high quality photo paper for just $20. The result looks pretty cool.
The photos are optomized to fill up the space on the poster, so it looks like 200 friends should be the minimum for a great looking poster. The example at right has 620 friends. Options include background color choices and buyers can dictate how much space between photos is used. All in all, it looks like $20 well spent. Get this now before Facebook pulls a MySpace and everyone bails. Company site: [Printing Facebook] via [Gizmodo] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile  One of the selling points for the iPhone has always been the ability to be talking on the phone and still surfing the web (or otherwise using data). The catch with that is Verizon does not currently allow for simultaneous voice and data. For some that will be a deal breaker and they would likely remain with AT&T. That said, according to Verizon executive Brian Higgins;
“I think there are fringe cases where something like that could be important,” Mr. Higgins said. “For a vast majority of customers, I don’t think it’s a terribly important use case.”
Personally, I would agree, however there are those rare times when it comes in really handy and I would also say that it is becoming more and more important for those using a smartphone given you can now do so much. With that, this lack of simultaneous voice and data is not an issue exclusive to Verizon, but also Sprint as the cause is the CDMA network. The good news here is that it should be taken care of sometime early next year. This bit is coming by way of said Brad Shewmake, spokesman for the CDMA Development Group, who stated that; “A solution that will allow CDMA networks to carry voice and data simultaneously will become commercially available in the first half of next year,”
Of course, just because it will be available does not mean Verizon (or Sprint) will adopt it. Nonetheless, for the iPhone to be moving to Verizon, that sounds like something that would need to happen given Apple has run numerous commercials touting the simultaneous voice and data feature in the past. Read [WSJ] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Reviews, Features, Originals  I recently took a cross-country flight and had a chance to try out the plane’s in-flight WiFi. My airline, Delta, offered Gogo Inflight Wireless. This service offers a variety of plans depending on how long you want access for and whether you’re using a mobile device like an iPod Touch or your laptop. I chose the 24 Hour Pass, which cost $11 if purchased ahead of time online and $12 if purchased on the plane. It’s simple enough. Just turn your device on and connect to GoGo, then open your browser. A log in page will display and all you have to do is log in if you’ve already paid, or sign up if you haven’t. It’s quick and easy.
Once I got online I found the connection to be solid and fast. I checked email, hung out on Facebook, and surfed the web. Everything worked flawlessly. I was very pleased and felt it was well worth the money. Since cell phone and mobile hotspot use is still not allowed on planes, if you want to stay connected, this is the way to go. Some may say that in-flight wireless takes away an opportunity to disconnect and take a break from technology, and while that may be true I have to admit it’s pretty fun to update your Facebook status at 40,000ft! Read [Gogo Wireless] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Web Just in case you missed out on the Windows Phone 7 related news that came yesterday, or if you enjoyed the day so much you wanted to try and relive part of it—Microsoft has posted the video of the keynote. You can watch above or click the link below to watch directly from the Microsoft website. Watch [Microsoft] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile This is hardly the first (and likely not the last) time that we have mentioned smartphone pricing and how you can often save some money by not shopping direct with the carrier. Bottom line, if you are considering the purchase of a T-Mobile G2 we can tell you how to save $100—do not make the purchase directly with T-Mobile. The G2 is priced at $199.99 with T-Mobile, and $99.99 with Wirefly and Amazon. And of course, regardless of where you make the purchase you will still have the two year agreement attached in order to see those previously mentioned prices. Read [Wirefly] and [Amazon] and [T-Mobile] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile It looks like the Chronic Dev Team has released their jailbreaking tool. The news comes by way of the Chronic Dev Team Blog in which they spell out the details. The jailbreaking is done by way of greenpois0n and at present (and similar to limera1n) is available for those running Windows. Furthermore, greenpois0n will work for those sporting an iPhone 4, iphone 3GS, iPod touch (3rd & 4th generation) and the iPad. Though they are also promising another release that will work on the Mac as well as with the 2nd generation iPod touch as well as the 2nd generation Apple TV. And with that, you can now jailbreak using either limera1n or greenpois0n. Personally I have always preferred the tools from George Hotz (in this case limera1n) though will caution you in that his tools are not the best option if you also want to unlock your device. Read [greenpois0n] Via [Chronic Dev Blog] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Before the launch of Windows Phone 7, AT&T was called the “premier partner” by Microsoft, so it’s reasonable to expect a great number of phones on the network. What we actually got was a collection of three phones running Microsoft’s newest smartphone OS. The sad part is they aren’t exciting as some of the other phones that were announced. The first AT&T Windows Phone 7 phone is the HTC Surround, which as I posted earlier, has a slide-out speaker and kickstand. It offers virtual surround sound, and and easy way to prop the device up on a table for easy viewing or listening. As with the the next two phones, the HTC Surround offers a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5MP camera. Not a bad phone, but when the thing that makes it different is a slide-out speaker, it just seems rather sad. The next phone is the LG Quantum which features a slide-out landscape keyboard. It also features DLNA, and comes preloaded with an app called Play On, which should make it easier to use. Otherwise, the Quantum is a small-looking phone that looks like a grown-up version of the Kin Two. The last phone is the Samsung Focus, which boasts the title of thinnest Windows Phone 7 phone. It comes in at only 9.9mm thick. For comparison, the iPhone 4 is 9.3mm thick, so this should seem to be just about as thick. None of the phones that AT&T is offering are particularly bad, they’re just not as interesting as the phones offered by T-Mobile (which has the HTC 7 Mozart, HTC HD7 and Dell Venue) or Sprint (which has the HTC 7 Pro). The HD7 would have been a much better phone for the carrier, as it seems like it could be the flagship Windows Phone 7 phone, or at least the one we’ll be lusting over. Instead, there’s a phone with a slide-out speaker, one with a slide-out keyboard, and one that’s thin. AT&T could really use a Windows Phone 7 phone that could compete with even just the other phones on it’s network like the iPhone 4 and Samsung Captivate. Read [AT&T] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  It looks like some credible details on the Palm Pre 2 have been revealed. The information has arrived (and since been removed) by French mobile carrier SFR, who have let us know that the Pre 2 would be arriving with a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and a faster boot time, which comes courtesy of webOS 2.0. Otherwise, it looks like the Pre 2 is going to retain (for the most part) retain the same form factor that you have already come to love or hate. The main difference between the Pre and Pre 2 is said to be in the display, the Pre 2 will have a “flatter screen.” And lastly, mention of tighter Facebook integration.
Read [SFR] Via [PreCentral] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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