Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Verizon Wireless has just announced that HP’s Palm Pre 2 smartphone will be available on Feb. 17 at all Verizon stores and through online purchase. Pre 2 happens to be the first device to run on HP’s latest webOS 2.0 and boasts of the following features - 3.1-inch glass multi-touch screen with 320x480 resolution, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 5 MP camera with LED Flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G mobile hotspot capability, support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail, VZ Navigator capable with audible turn-by-turn directions and millions of points of interest. The device is loaded with a 1GHz TI OMAP processor with 512 of RAM. The Pre 2 smartphone will be availble for $149.99 after a mail-in rebate. This comes of course with a new two-year customer agreement. If you want an unlimited plan to go with your new Pre 2 device, you can opt to sign up to Verizon’s unlimited data plan for $29.99/month. Read [Verizon Wireless] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Apple, Communications, Smartphones Since the first iPhone was released there have been people that jailbreak the phone. Apple has made a point to prevent people from jailbreaking through improvements to the OS over time. It’s been a constant struggle between Apple and the hackers. Now Apple is taking action against jailbreakers through iBooks. In the latest version of iBooks Apple seems to have added a way to prevent users from opening books in the app. Well, not all books, just books bought through the iBookstore. If you open the book in iBooks on a jailbroken device, you get a message that reads “There is a problem with the configuration of your iPhone. Please restore with iTunes and reinstall iBooks.” Of course, the same books will still work on any non-jailbroken device. It doesn’t happen to everyone who jailbreaks their device, though it does allegedly affect a lot of people who used greenpois0n to jailbreak their device. It is true that the Library of Congress did declare that users should be able to modify the software on your phone if they care to. However, that doesn’t mean that Apple is in the wrong here. Books bought through iBooks have DRM that only allow them to work on certain devices. If the DRM doesn’t work on a jailbroken device, that’s not Apple’s fault. As much as I do like the idea that information should be free, when you buy DRM-laden content you can’t complain if the DRM doesn’t allow the content to be read on your device. Also, why not use Amazon Kindle from now on? More books on more devices, and it’s a lot less likely that Amazon will do the same thing Apple is doing. Sure, the books bought on iBooks might not work on a jailbroken iPhone, so they might be all but lost if you won’t restore the iPhone. oing forward use Amazon, you’ll be happier. Read [Social Apples] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Computers, Laptops, Reviews, Peep Shows, Features, Originals We have spent some quality time with the Dell Vostro V130 notebook over the past few weeks, and while we are still putting our thoughts into words, we did want to share some images of the notebook itself. And without giving away all that much, we will say that for the most part, this was a rather nice notebook to have in house. Almost a shame that it will be boxed up and sent back in a few days time. Lastly, for those wondering, the Dell Vostro V130 is priced from as low as $429 and features a 13.3 inch display. The model that we were testing had an Intel Core i3 processor and was running Windows 7 Home Premium. That aside though, there are a few available options in terms of operating systems and processors, but more on that in the full review which will be posted later in the week. Product [Dell] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile In a new report from Good Technology, the company’s customers are activating iOS devices at a much higher rate than Android. Good Technology provides enterprise-grade mobile security and control. According to Good, 65% of activations in Q4 of 2010 were iOS devices. The report revealed iPhone 4 as the most popular device activated. Various iPhone models (from iPhone 4 to 3GS to 3G) accounted for 58% of smartphone activations. Android devices claimed 40% of smartphones activated during the period with Droid X and Droid 2 earning top Android device spots. Good points out in smartphones, iOS and Android have similar growth curves. So how did iOS get bumped over iPhone activations? The iPad. The tablet accounted for almost a quarter of activations overall, 22%. It’s an impressive figure that indicates tablets may have indeed found a home in enterprise. Of note: both Windows Mobile and Symbian completely dropped off the top 10 devices for the quarter. Read: [Good Technology Report (PDF)] via [AllThingsD] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile It seems like just yesterday we heard the rumor Apple was looking at releasing a smaller, cheaper iPhone version for the masses. Today, DigiTimes is reporting Apple will launch a 4” screen iPhone come June. A 4” screen would match the big Android phones of the day such as the Droid and Evo (with it’s even bigger 4.3” screen). The component suppliers noted that the production lines for Apple’s next generation iPhone have begun testing, and Apple is interesting in expanding the screen size to 4-inches to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market. Could it be that Apple is considering offering variants of their iPhone design, something they’ve stayed away from thus far? DigiTimes often throws out these claims and I am not confident in their track record; translation: I am pretty suspicious of this one. Smaller, cheaper devices make for more sales while a larger screen cuts into what? A niche of a niche? Read: [DigiTimes] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile It looks like the official Windows Phone 7 Flickr app has been updated. The latest update brings the app up to version 1.1 and with that new number comes a new feature in the form of Picture Hub integration as well as support for Flickr tags on uploads and the always welcomed “better performance.” All said and done, it may still not be everything that everybody wants or hopes for, but considering the Flickr app has only been available for a few weeks—things seem to be moving in the right direction. That said, the Flickr app for Windows Phone 7 is available in the App Marketplace and is a free download. Via [WPCentral] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Apple, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile While the details are rather light on this one, the latest rumored release date for iOS 4.3 is February 28th. Anyway, while still light on the details, this date is certainly better than the last, which came and went yesterday with nothing in terms of iOS 4.3 coming available. That said, the reasoning behind the February 28th release comes in with The Daily iPad app, which recently extended its free trial till that date. Of course, some are saying that The Daily extended the free trial because they need to have a stable app before they can begin charging. But on the flip side, they also need iOS 4.3 in order to have in-app subscriptions. Anyway, as of now, it looks like iOS 4.3 is going to arrive on February 28th. Via [PhoneDog] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Now this is surprising. Confirming earlier rumors saying that it is releasing a Facebook smartphone, HTC is set to launch not just one but two of these smartphones with dedicated Facebook button for one-touch access to the key Facebook functions and service. This is further integrated into the HTC Sense which will run on both smartphones. Exciting? Who wouldn’t be excited for a smartphone which such nice feature? Here’s another nice feature of these two phones related to Facebook. The said button is context-aware-meaning it gently pulsates with light whenever there is an opportunity for sharing content or posting updates to your Facebook account. Through this Facebook button, you’ll be able to update your status, upload a photo, share a website, post about songs you are currently listening to, check-in to a location and practically everything that you usually do on Facebook. For specs, the HTC ChaCha features a 2.6-inch (480x320) touch screen display, a 5MP back-facing camera with auto focus and LED flash, VGA front-facing camera, and QWERTY keyboard. Design-wise, this phone looks good and dandy with its tilt design. As for the slightly bigger HTC Salsa, said phone boasts of 3.4-inch (480x320) touch screen display, 5 MP back-facing camera and VGA front-facing camera. The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa will be released sometime in Q2 2011 for the European and Asian Market. As for the U.S., it will be available later this year, courtesy of AT&T which grabbed the exclusive right to distribute the phone. via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Video, Content, Portable Video, Video Providers, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers Late last month we starting seeing chatter about Netflix coming to Android, but only for devices that were running a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and while those details were coming from a reliable source, they did seem a little strange. That said, it turns out that they were indeed accurate. The latest is coming by way of of an official press release from Qualcomm and stating that; “Qualcomm Incorporated, a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies, products and services, today announced that future Android devices powered by the Snapdragon platform will have access to instant streaming of TV shows and movies from Netflix.” It looks like those who were hoping to see Netflix on their Android device better hope they have a device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor or start making plans to get one. That said, Qualcomm did not mention which devices would get a Netflix app first and whether or not it would hit new devices, existing devices or both. Of course, it was previously spied on the LG Revolution so that may be the first to have a Netflix app available. Read [PR Newswire] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers Ready for some more MWC 2011 goodies? Specifically related to tablets? Here comes HTC announcing its Android tablet - the HTC Flyer. Now, what does the HTC Flyer has that makes it different from the plethora of Android tablets announced so far? - HTC Sense UI, HTC Watch video service, HTC Scribe Technology and OnLive cloud gaming. Impressive? Wait till you read some more features and specs of the HTC Flyer. Featuring an aluminum unibody design with touch and pen interaction, the HTC Flyer boasts of HTC’s famous Sense UI. This means that you’ll get a gorgeous 3D home screen with a unique carousel of widgets. With HTC Scribe Technology, you’ll have an Android Tablet with a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that will make it easy for you to take notes, sign digital contracts, draw pictures, or write on a web page or photo. Plus, it has seamless synchronization with Evernote. The HTC Flyer also features HTC Watch will will let you stream HD movies from major studios. Capping up the HTC Flyer’s unique features is OnLive cloud gaming service which lets you play your favorite games on your televisions and computers without needing to buy expensive gaming hardware or software. Now for the HTC Flyer’s specs - 1.5 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB onboard memory, microSD card support, 7-inch touch sensitive screen, internal GPS, ambient light sensor, G-Sensor, and Digital Compass. Another interesting point about the HTC Flyer is the fact that it will be running Android 2.4, which is said to be a slightly different version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The HTC Flyer is scheduled for release sometime in Q2 2011. via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Apple, Computers, Mobile Computers, Software / Applications News Corp officially launched The Daily iPad app back on February 2nd and at that time it was expected to come with a two-week free trial. Well, as it turns out, that two-week free trial is going to turn into a one-month free trial. Yup, those who are still reading The Daily and have not been turned off by the constant crashing will be able to continue trying to make it through an edition without a crash. As of now the trial period has been extended until February 28th. As to the reason behind the extension, while nothing has been confirmed there are two theories floating around and personally they both make some sense. First, the crashing, as we have told you, the app was launched on February 2nd and since then we have seen two updates that were supposed to address the arability, the first on the February 8th and the second on February 10th. Of course, neither have fully corrected the crashing. The other theory is that they need iOS 4.3 to be available and as we know, that has not arrived just yet. Bottom line, for those who like The Daily and could not commit at this point because of stability, you now have a few more weeks to try before you buy. Via [MacRumors] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers Remember Best Buy’s Buy Back Program? Well, Best Buy is extending the offer to “future proof” smartphone purchases of customers until Feb. 26. The Buy Back Program can be availed through all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores. In case you already forgot, Best Buy Program also applies to purchases of new tablets. The decision to extend the program was made after Best Buy receive great responses from customers who wanted to update their mobile phones or tablets. As a review, you can purchase Best Buy’s Buy Back Program when buying a new product at Best Buy and redeemed at a later time. It entitles you to up to 50% discount on the original purchase price of the product your bought. Best Buy gives you the corresponding discount via a Best Buy gift card only if the device you are submitting is still in good working condition. So, there. With so many new Android smartphones and tablets announced at the Mobile World Congress 2011, it would be wise to partake of this Buy Back Program to grab any of those phones which will be sold by Best Buy. via [Best Buy] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile T-Mobile officially announced the Samsung Galaxy S 4G back on January 21st and since then we have seen more than a few rumors and leaks in terms of the pricing and release date. And as it turns out, those Walmart and Radio Shack leaks were indeed accurate. T-Mobile has officially confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S 4G will be available as of February 23rd and that it will cost $149.99 with a two-year agreement. That said, we are unsure how long that price will remain in effect as the T-Mobile announcement stated that price was only for a limited time. Otherwise, the Galaxy S 4G will come touting a 4 inch Super AMOLED display, 1GHz processor and Android 2.2 with a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a front facing camera for video chatting. Via [T-Mobile] and [Twitter @TMobile] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile Aside from the Iconia Tab A100, Acer is also launching a new Android smartphone at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2011. Dubbed Acer Iconia Smart, this Android phone boasts of a 4.8-inch multi-touch screen display, 8 MP camera with LED flash, a 2 MP front camera for video calling, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, HSDPA 14.4, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3G. The Acer Iconia Smart will of course run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will utilize a 6-axis motion sensing controls geared for gaming purposes. Given that this will be a gaming phone, Acer loaded the phone with a decent battery that can provide up to 8 hours of talk time on 3G and 500 hours standby time. The phone will also support HD video playback via HDMI out. Said phone is schedule for release sometime in May 2011. No details on pricing yet. Via [Android Community] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Section: Communications, Cellphones Pocketnow has confirmed that the that HTC has two Facebook that are set to be announced tomorrow. Can you imagine a phone that is more heavily Facebook integrated than the recent Windows Phones? The new HTC devices, which will be Android based, will feature a dedicated Facebook button which will more than likely lead users straight to the social website. In addition, the handsets will come equipped with an always on GPS radio and a direct upload to Facebook feature for the built-in camera. This is good news as the phones aren’t expected to have a large amount of built-in memory. As far as specs are concerned, nothing has been revealed just yet. Will these new Facebook phones have what it takes to make a dent in the mobile market? Windows made a valiant attempted (albeit a tad bit too late as usual), but to no avail. What are your thoughts on a smart phone designed specifically for social media? Let us know what you think in the comments section. Read [BusinessInsider] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » More Recent Articles |
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