Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers It appears as if Verizon is going to be launching the Samsung Galaxy Tab without some of their default apps. Of course, given some of the complaints that we have seen and heard surrounding these types of pre-loaded apps we are unsure how many people will find this to be bad news. Anyway, the details are coming by way of some leaked training documents and specifically mentioned that the NFL Mobile and V CAST Video apps will “not be available on the Samsung Galaxy Tab at launch.” And sadly, there is one other addition to that list—Skype. In addition, Verizon is also making it clear that “some” Android Market apps are not going to work properly on the larger display, citing that the apps “may not be developed for the tablet screen size and may give a smaller screen view of the application.” Sounds quite a bit like running an iPhone app on the iPad. Bummer, but not all that unexpected. Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web Apps, Websites PayPal just announced the soon to be available PayPal for digital goods, a new payment solution that will allow PayPal users to pay for digital goods and content as fast and as as easy as a two-click process. This new payment solution will also mean that customers will no longer have to leave a merchant’s site to pay for goods that they are purchasing. Hence, a faster, safer, and more cost-effective way of sending and receiving micropayments for both customers and merchants worldwide. Aside from being a faster way of paying for goods, PayPal for Digital Goods also promises to a more competitive fee structure for micropayments, including pricing at 5% plus 5 cents for purchases under $12. This is lower than what is typically charged by payment processors for digital goods. What’s good about this payment solution is the fact that publishers and merchants are paid instantly. To kick-off the availability of PayPal for Digital Goods sometime around late fall this year, PayPal is getting a big supporter of this new payment solution. And this happens to be Facebook which will start integrating the new payment solution as a new way to make payments within the Facebook ecosystem. Other companies who will be trying out the new PayPal for Digital Goods payment solution include the likes of FT.com, Autosport.com, Justin.tv, Tagged, Ustream and many others. Read [Business Wire] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile Windows Phone 7 may not have copy and paste and while that may be annoying, it seems that another missing feature has reared its ugly head—the ability to use custom ringtones. The details are coming by way of the PocketNow blog who have offered up a 7 minute and 54 second video with a glimpse (sound) of all the available ringtones. Of course, it was also noted that the ability to add in custom ringtones was missing. That said, there are rumors that Microsoft will sell some by way of the Marketplace. Otherwise, carriers will have also the option to add in some ringtones as well. Bottom line, no Angry Birds ringtones or alert notification sounds for Windows Phone 7 users. Via [PocketNow]  Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous 
It’s times like this I wish I lived back in California. California State Parks is holding a special screening of movies filmed on location in its parks, Return of the Jedi, is one such movie. The movie will be shown and then a special Q&A with actor Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker in the film, a rare treat. Tickets to the even, held on the Paramount lot, are just $10 each. The event happens Saturday, November 6 at 1:30 pm. Return of the Jedi featured scenes shot in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park/Patrick’s Point State Park and Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park for the Endor scenes. Event page: [California State Parks] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile, Gaming, Mobile Just in case you have not yet gotten enough Angry Birds, you can now download the audio and have Angry Birds ringtones and alert notifications. The crew over at Talk Android have begun offering up two collections—one containing 4 Ringtones and the other with 24 Notification / SMS Sounds, both of which can be downloaded directly from their site. Just hit the ‘read’ link below and prepare to download and Angry Birdify your phone. Of course getting the sounds is the easy part, deciding which is your favorite and which you should use is the hard part. Via [Talk Android] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks Today Barnes & Noble help a special event to announce what we already figured out was the Nook Color. The new eBook reader is a 7-inch tablet based on Android, but with a focus on reading. The Nook Color will not replace the original Nook, but does seem to fill the space of a higher-end device from the retailer. It has access to all the same content as the Nook, but now features full-color magazines that you can try for free for 14 days. The magazines might be cramped compared to the iPad, but should look nice on the 1024x600 IPS display, the 178° viewing angle doesn’t hurt either. Barnes & Noble is also introducing Nook Kids, a children’s ebook store, which works well with the new “Read To Me” feature, so you can just give your kid the Nook Color, and the book can read itself for them. With the Nook Color being based on Android, it’s no surprise that there would be more than just reading books. The device has Facebook and Twitter Integration, and a standard web browser built-in, though there is WiFi included, no 3G option. There’s also apps for Pandora and Lonely Planet. Barnes & Noble is trying to entice developers to make their own apps for the platform with Nook Developer, with an SDK for the device coming in the next few weeks. Smartly, Barnes & Noble wants developers to customize their apps for the Nook Color, rather than simply throwing their current Android apps onto the device. The Nook Color will cost $249, and is scheduled to ship on November 19, with pre-orders available now. Like the other Nook models, the Nook Color will also be available in Best Buy, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble retail stores. If Barnes & Noble repeats last year’s performance, be sure to get your order in early if you want one. You might be able to get one before the holiday. Hopefully, however, B&N doesn’t botch this launch like it did the last one. Read [Barnes & Noble] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile  If you’re one of the many owners of Nokia S40 phones, here’s a little treat from your beloved handset maker - Nokia Internet Radio for Series 40 phones. Available in beta mode, the Nokia Internet Radio client ties up with the Nokia Internet Radio service in bringing tens of thousands of radion stations with worldwide coverage.
Stations covered by this Nokia S40 app are easy to explore as they are organised by genre, language, and region. It also has a robust search engine that can help you to easily find what you are looking for or discover new Internet radio stations that you’ve never heard of before. The app also lets you maintain a list of favorited radio stations. Other features of the Nokia Internet Radio client include background playing and the ability to purchase music you’ve listened to from the Ovi Music store. The Nokia Internet Radio client beta runs on Nokia X2 and Nokia X3 phones. Nokia promises to include more phones in the coming days. Ready to grab this Nokia S40 app? Simply click on this download link. Read [ Nokia Beta Labs] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile T-Mobile has taken to Facebook and offered up the official launch date and price for the entry-level LG Optimus T smartphone with Android. The handset will arrive on November 3rd and will be sporting a $29.99 price tag. Of course, there is a slight catch with the price, that comes along with the standard two-year agreement and AFTER a $50 mail-in-rebate. Otherwise, the LG Optimus T will feature a 3.2 inch display, 3.2 megapixel camera and Android 2.2. Read [T-Mobile on Facebook] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile Although not yet officially announced by Google, the Android Dev Team went ahead and posted that there are now 100,000+ apps available from the Android Marketplace. Much as we don’t want to mention this, we can’t. It’s inevitable that we mention that the App Store already has more than 300,000 apps. So, what does the latest Android apps figures mean? It depends on which side of the fence you are positioned. If you’re an Android fan, you can brag about saying that the gradually the Android Marketplace is catching up with the App Store. If you’re on the other side, you’d can claim that it’s still far from catching up with the App Store. What’s interesting to note here is how many apps are being downloaded from those 100K apps available as compared to the number of apps downloaded from the App Store? In trying to analyze this, we must also consider the fact that paid apps are still not available in many countries. So, again - download figures are still not a good way to gauge Android’s reach vis-a-vis iOS’ reach. Still, 100,000 apps is 100,000 apps. It took Google more months than it took for Apple to reach this number for the App Store. The Android Market deserves a commendation and it starts from us - Congratulations Google. via [BGR], Read [AndroidDev] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  The first commercial for the Palm Pre 2 has hit the web, coming in at 34 seconds it shows off a little bit of the phone itself and covers some of the highlights that we can expect to see in HP webOS 2.0. As for the phone, nothing overly surprising here, however those included goodies about how the Pre Pre is the “fastest Palm smartphone yet.” In terms of webOS, those points include the Just Type feature as well as “true multitasking” and of course, the contacts and calendars. Interestingly enough, they even went the way of apps (of which they displayed Angry Birds), touting “thousands of apps” which seems to be quite literal. Read [Palm] Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking, Web Apps 
Holy smokes! Zynga, the social gaming company behind Farmville, is currently valued at $5.51 billion by SharePost, a company that trades privately held stock. By contrast, Electronic Arts, a gaming company almost everyone knows is valued at just $5.16 on the Nasdaq. Facebook is on fire, but really, $5 billion for spammy-little-timewasters? "The valuation is not that crazy, given what's going on in the market," said Atul Bagga, an analyst at ThinkEquity LLC in San Francisco, who estimates the virtual goods market may reach $3.6 billion in three years. "It's not that terribly expensive seeing the growth prospects."
I disagree. One of the things I left with after watching The Social Network was a sense that Facebook could be toppled by something being brewed on a campus, in a garage, in a basement in the US, India, Bulgaria - it didn’t matter. The foundation of the mighty Facebook kingdom is built on quick-sand. Just ask Myspace. What’s your take, is social gaming the future of gaming profit? Or will we one day get a GDVP report? That’s Gross Domestic Virtual Product. Read: [Business Week] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Portable Audio After 30 years of kicking out the jams, Sony has officially announced that they will no longer distribute the Cassette Walkman. It feels as though it was just yesterday I was strutting my way down to the elementary school with brand new Sony Walkman blasting the smooths sounds of Vanilla Ice. I couldn’t image life without the damn thing. Here I was, for the first time ever, blocking out noises and ignoring people without having to put up with any sort of interaction with them. The cassettes were also a great way to pirate music straight off of the radio. Alright, I know it’s a dead technology and I’m even surprised that Sony was still making these things, but I feel it necessary to pay tribute to the first ever portable music player. According to IT Media the last set of the Walkmans were shipped to Japanese retailers in April. Once these babies are gone, they will no longer be manufactured in Japan. The AP reports that the devices will still be made by Chinese manufacturers and sold in the United States and the United Kingdom, but honestly, how long is that going to last? Japan looks to be at the head of the technology game yet again by discarding what has become an obsolete medium. Leave it to the hipsters to keep Cassette Walkman units alive and well in the U.S. Read [Mashable] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks 
Used textbooks, the lifeblood of my college years may soon be history thanks to ebooks. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, school leaders and aggressive ebook companies are looking to reduce the cost of books for students, even to go so far as to include the cost of the ebook in the course fee. Ebooks are seen as the easy way to do this. “When students pay more for new textbooks than tuition in a year, then something’s wrong,” says Rand S. Spiwak, executive vice president at Daytona State, who is leading the experiment there. “Our game plan is to bring the cost of textbooks down by 75 to 80 percent.” Can I get an, “Amen?” Any student knows the cost of books is out of whack. Proponents of the ebook movement hope the market follows the path of music thanks to products like iTunes. The cost of books as risen 185% from 1986 to 2005. Follow the link for a well written post. Read: [Chronicles of Higher Education] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Assuming we can believe this leaked document is accurate, then it looks like the myTouch 4G is going to be available beginning on November 3rd. Sounds like a day worth noting on the calendar, that is, if you are planning to shop for an Android smartphone with T-Mobile in the near future. Anyway, the myTouch 4G will come sporting Android 2.2 along with an 3.8 inch WVGA touchscreen display, 1GHz MSM8255 processor, front facing camera for video calling and a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash on the back. In addition the myTouch 4G will ship with an 8GB microSD card as well as pre-installed goodies to include the Sywpe virtual keyboard, Rock Band, Asphalt 5, Monopoly and the Genius Button which is powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance. Via [TmoNews] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks, Wireless Amid the rousing speculation that RIM’s tablet device was nothing but a case with no guts, the Playbook popped up at the Adobe Max conference running and looking rather sharp. The device at BlackBerry World was behind glass and ran a simple video loop. Either RIM engineers made leaps and bounds in the past week or they’ve been holding out on us. In the video below, you can see the unit looking very responsive and fresh. It runs Adobe Flash 10.1. In the video, the PlayBook is navigated to YouTube and after a short pause that any Flash users recognizes, it plays the video. Yay Flash?  Read: [Business Insider] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Software / Applications November is only a few days away, which for many people means NaNoWriMo is nearly here. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The idea behind the month is to write a 50,000 novel in the month of November. To celebrate the event, the popular Mac app Scrivener is now finally coming to Windows. Scrivener is a word processor made specifically for longer writing. The app lets you break down sections of writing for easy editing, rather than having one long wall of text. It also lets you bring in a variety of other documents into your project to reference while writing. Like most modern word processors, it also has a full screen mode to make it easier to focus on your writings, with windows to hold your notes and other resources. The release of Scivener for Windows is only a beta for now. The beta will run through the course of NaNoWriMo, to December 12. Another beta will be released then, and the full release will come in early 2011. For those who complete NaNoWriMo, the full release will be 50%, so $20 instead of $40. The Windows app is $5 less than the Mac app, which is hitting 2.0 on November 1, because the Windows app will “be playing catch-up with the Mac version for some time to come.” Personally, Scrivener is one of the main reasons why I kept with the Mac when it came time to look for a new computer recently. A Windows version would make the decision tougher, even if the Windows app will be playing catch-up. Even if it won’t make people switch back to Windows, Scrivener for Windows certainly adds a great way to write for Windows users. Read [Literature and Latte] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks 
Yesterday, Apple officando John Gruber posted on what he sees untypical Apple: confusion on which Mac to buy. Typically, Gruber insists, Apple makes it very clear what choices consumers have so they can make the best purchase. With last weeks addition of the Mac Air models, that simplicity is ruined. Gruber contends, “the MacBook Air defies this pattern. Apple's MacBook lineup would be a lot easier to navigate without the Air models.” There are two choices now at $999, with different pros and cons. The result is confusion for consumers. “Here's the way I see it: the Air is a secondary Mac; MacBook Pros are for use as a primary computer. I.e., if you want your MacBook to be your one and only Mac, you should get a MacBook Pro.”
Using Grubers logic, he says the Mac Air is really more like an iPad Pro - an advanced model that is capable of creation, not just consumption. It’s an addition to the in-between a smartphone and PC space that the iPad exploits. Anyone buying that explanation? Let us know in the comments. Read: [Daring Fireball] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers It looks like those looking for an Android tablet may want to check out Best Buy as they have recently listed both the Huawei S7 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab for pre-order. The Huawei S7 is an Android tablet, Android 2.1 to be specific and is priced at $299.99. Otherwise, the S7 features a 7 inch display with a 2 megapixel camera on the front and rear, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and a microSD card slot that comes with an 8GB storage card included. As for the Galaxy Tab, the models are for Sprint and/or Verizon, both of which are showing a $599.99 price tag. Though, given what we saw Sprint announce yesterday, we would expect the price to change with Best Buy before long. Read [Best Buy] Via [Android Central] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile 
And just like that, the Nuvifone is dead. Announced today, Garmin and ASUS are done introducing mobile handsets that combined Garmin’s GPS brand with ASUStek. ASUStek will go their own way building mobile phones that might use Garmin as a GPS solution while Garmin will rely on selling their services through “certain consumer application stores”. The two companies will not introduce any new co-branded handset models going forward, but will continue to sell and support models that have already been introduced to the market.
The Nuvifone, when announced back in early 2008, was an interesting offering. Long development lead times pushed back delivery, hurting the chances of getting a foothold in the smartphone race. Sales obviously have been a disappointment. Read: [Business Wire] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Ladies and gentlemen, mark your calender for November 8 as Samsung is sending out invitations for an event to be held that will announce the launch of “a new Android device.” Not much information is revealed from the image on the invitation other than a stock ticker and a bunch of Android app icons. Even though Samsung is purposely deceptive in saying Android device, I think it’s safe to say this will be the launch of a smartphone. Perhaps the new phone from Samsung will feature Android 2.2 as the giant company has already implemented the software on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, albeit is still lacking on the Galaxy S series. One Samsung phone that has been tossed around in recent memory is the Samsung Continuum, so perhaps the November 8 event will show off the Continuum or a new smartphone altogether. Via [Android Guys] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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