Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile AT&T launched the Inspire 4G and Atrix 4G with the promise that the phones would be able to get fast 4G data speeds. There was just a small problem, HSUPA, the technology that carry AT&T’s “4G” speeds were disabled on both phones upon launch. Next month that should be fixed. AT&T has announced that both the HTC Inspire 4G and Motorola Atrix 4G will have HSUPA enabled sometime in April. No specific date was mentioned, so there’s the full 30-day window to wait if it comes to that. Enabling HSUPA on the phones will allow them to get theoretical download speed of 5.76 Mbps. Not as fast as other 4G connections, but still faster than what we know as 3G. That doesn’t make up for the fact that the phones didn’t have the tech enabled at the start. Throwing 4G into a phone’s name without enabling the 4G radio seems a bit wrong. At least the phones can stand on their own without the 4G speeds. To avoid similar issues later on, AT&T will make sure the HSUPA tech is enabled on future 4G phones. The Samsung Infuse 4G which is set to launch soon will have 4G enabled from the start. Hopefully this won’t be an issue where we have to wonder if 4G phones will really have 4G turned on down the road. Even if HSUPA isn’t available in a market, it’s nice to know that the technology is available for when we are there. Read [CNet] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Portable Audio  While this is just a promo video, it seems Samsung is riding high on Android. So high in fact that they are offering a brief glimpse at an Android ruled world—complete with a dictator looking Android robot statue and giant Android robot blimp floating in the sky. And while interesting, the Android ruled world comes as a bit of a surpass considering the happy cheery beginning of the commercial. That said, the promo is just 1 minute and 38 seconds and does an awesome job of demonstrating a complete set of features for the Galaxy Player 70 and for that reason alone it is worth the time to watch. Via [YouTube] and [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Computers, Software / Applications Mac OS X 10.7 Lion was first sent out to developers through the Mac App Store around this time last month. After some initial problems Apple could be readying the release of the first GM of Lion in the near future. The first GM, or Gold Master, of Lion won’t be the same sort of GM you see in other software, though. Usually a GM is reserved for a few weeks before the final release. It sounds like this could be the first of a few Gold masters for Lion, making it GM1. If Apple is se to mark a GM so soon, it would indicate that Lion can’t be too far off. If GM1 doesn’t have any bugs it could be within weeks. At this early point it seems a bit too much to expect, so a few months would be more reasonable. The most obvious release for Lion would be somewhere around Apple’s WWDC in early June. That would give developers more time to make sure their apps works well in Lion before launch. It does seem a bit close to the presumed June.July launch of the iPhone 5, but Apple has promised a summer launch for Lion since the beginning. What’s better than a summer release in late spring? Read [TechCrunch] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Gadgets / Other, ebooks  HSN had a midnight presentation for the Barnes & Noble Nook Color. The network showed some new features that will be included with the upcoming Nook Color update that will be released in mid-April. Some apps from the Nook store were shown including Angry Birds (pictured). HSN did not show the email application that the Nook Color is expected to get.
The second app HSN showed off was Drawing Pad. Drawing Pad functioned exactly as its name suggests. We captured a screen for you below. 
Since the Nook Color can’t compare to full blown tablets such as the iPad or Motorola Xoom, it’s reasonable to question how the Nook Color handles games such as Angry Birds. During the brief gameplay presentation, I didn’t notice any considerable lag in the game. The Drawing Pad application also seemed to function properly. HSN is selling the Nook Color for $299. That’s $50 more expensive than what Barnes & Noble is charging. HSN says it’s pre-loading 100 books onto the Nook Color and is also including a 2GB SD card. Still, the books HSN are offering could very well be titles that can be downloaded elsewhere for free. The only difference would be that HSN’s pre-loaded books were configured by Barnes & Noble to take advantage of the Nook Color’s features. It’ll still be hard to explain why HSN will raise the price of the Nook Color to $379 more after this weekend passes. That still didn’t keep over 2500 Nook Color’s from being sold in the first presentation. Site [HSN] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks, Features, Originals  Back at the end of January I told you about a new zombie horror novel that was released, The Becoming: Outbreak by Jessica Meigs. And well, I will confess that I initially got excited by the whole geek aspect in that it was written using a BlackBerry. But moving past that, I read the book (which was just part one of a five part series) and have been anxiously waiting for more. Needless to say, this post is a little overdue (and I am a little behind on my reading) considering part two has been available for a few weeks, but later this afternoon I intend to spend some quality time with The Becoming: Safe House and for this weeks “Weekend Fun” post I suggest you all do the same. The book is available for the Kindle, Nook and by way of Smashwords and it is pretty inexpensive—just $1.99. In other words, you can get it without even having to leave the comfort of home and it costs much less than one cup of Starbucks. Plus, if Safe House is even half as good as Outbreak then it is going to be wonderful.
Via [The Becoming] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking One of the best news reader apps not only for Android but for other platform as well just got updated to version 2.0, bringing in more features that will you love using the app on your Android phone even more. Specifically, you can now select up to 60 news sources and add them to your news feed. Previously, you are allowed only 25 news sources. In line with this, the app was made even more faster including image loading. The app’s integration with Google Reader was also enhanced, allowing you now to save stories that you’ve read offline via Pulse which you can then later on save to Google Reader as soon as your Android phone goes online later. Even the app’s swiping functionality was improved making it smoother to swipe between stories in both text and web views. Of course, Pulse News Reader Android was also made more social by letting you pull in content from your social networks and platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Digg, Reddit and Hacker News. The app allows you to post comment on news posted on Facebook feed and like these news feeds as well. If you own an iPad, this feature is somewhat similar with that of Flipboard, one of iPad’s most popular news reader app. Pulse News Reader app is available as a free download from the Android Market. Product [Pulse News Reader] Via [Techcrunch] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile 
It’s software update time for U.S. Cellular as the company is releasing updated OS versions of three of its smartphone offerings - the Samsung Mesmerize, BlackBerry Curve 9330 and BlackBerry Bold 9650. In case you’re not aware, the Samsung Mesmerize is U.S. Cellular’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S phone. The said device is finally getting Android 2.2 Froyo update. And in case this is your first time to use an Android 2.2 device, be glad because the OS update will make web browsing faster on your smartphone. Additionally, you’re Samsung Mesmerize will also get Microsoft Exchange support, mobile hotspot capability and support for Adobe Flash. Aside from the Samsung Mesmerize, the BlackBerry Curve 9330 and BlackBerry Bold 9650 are also getting updates to BlackBerry OS 6.0. This will make the two BlackBerry devices get a more fluid design, simplified setup, social feeds and views, media player, universal search and of course faster web browsing. How to get these updates for your specific smartphones? Just hit the respective product links below and start updating. Product [BlackBerry 6.0] Via [Intomobile], product [Samsung Mesmerize update] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile The Nexus S 4G is going to launch with Sprint and it is going to bring a vanilla Android experience. That said, many have been wondering what will happen with the mobile hotspot feature that is part of Android, especially considering other carriers that have launched vanilla Android handsets (T-Mobile) have allowed the users to take advantage of the Mobile Hotspot feature without any additional charges. Well, in a little bit of news that many probably expected, but did not want to hear—Sprint will be charging $29.99 for that. Q: How much is the Mobile Hotspot capability? A: Mobile Hotspot capability for Nexus S 4G is a $29.99 optional add-on. It allows the customer to use Nexus S as a Mobile Hotspot device capable of sending out a Wi-Fi signal to up to six Wi-Fi capable devices. This follows the new discounting rules launching in July and is not NVP discountable (e.g. SOCs $29.99 and below are not discountable; SOCs $30 and up are discountable).
Via [Android Central Forums] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Online Music/Video Music streaming service Rhapsody has just made its appearance in the Windows Phone 7 platform further solidfying its stronghold in the U.S. music streaming scene. The Rhapsody Windows Phone 7 app works like its counterpart in other mobile platform. It allows you to search for and stream music files, access your music playlist as well as browse through music genres and recommendations by other Rhapsody users. Additionally, Rhapsody for Windows Phone 7 also lets you stream Internet radio programs as well as find out detailed information about the artist of the currently playing song using a single tap on the screen of your Windows Phone 7 device. While Rhapsody for Windows Phone 7 may work nice with all its great features, however these all come with a price. To subscribe to Rhapsody, prepare to spend $4.99 a month. Hence the 60 day trial is being offered to give you ample time to decided whether you would want to enter into the Rhapsody monthly subscription. The good thing here is that subscription to Rhapsody can be consumed whether you own a Windows Phone 7 device, iPhone, Android phone or even BlackBerry. via [Download Squad] and [WP7 Applist] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Communications, Smartphones There’s certainly no lack of iPhone cases in the world. Most simply cover your phone to protect the back and/or cover the antennas on the iPhone 4. Speck’s newest case does both, but adds an interesting extra feature. The Speck CandyShell Card is an iPhone 4 case that holds three cards in the back of the device. So you can put you license and two credit cards or any number of similarly-sized cards in the back and just leave your wallet at home. It sounds like a great idea to me, even if just for short trips. When all you need is a phone and a few pieces of plastic, why bother carrying around the whole wallet? You don’t need to carry three cards, though, there’s a clip in the back that holds just one card in place if that’s all you need. You can get the CandyShell Card from Speck now for $39.95, and it’ll work on both AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4s. Seems a bit steep, but there is a big convenience factor involved to make the price worth it. It’ll be even more worth the if the iPhone 5 sports the same design that will fit into the case well. Read [Speck] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Online Music/Video The Rdio app for iOS has just been updated. The latest update is a smaller one, just a point release that brings the version up to 1.0.2. That said, while just a smaller update and with just a few items listed in the “what’s new” section in the App Store—it still seems like an update that will be welcomed. The changes include; - Fixed occasional hanging and crashing during playback
- Fixed album release dates
- Improved syncing controls
- Added playlist refresh feature
With that, I also have a confession to make, despite being a long time fan and supporter of Slacker Radio, I have been cheating. Just yesterday I fired up the App Store on my iPhone and downloaded the Rdio app and set up a trial account. So far, I must say I like, and at this point can see myself becoming a subscriber. But before I get ahead of myself, let me run with Rdio for a week or so and report back. And as to why I finally decided to give Rdio a good look. Two reasons really, the first being that Slacker has been promising on-demand listening for quite a while and I am tired of waiting. But probably more important—I could no longer ignore the buzz and positive comments from others in the blogosphere. Via [Rdio (App Store link)] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Gadgets / Other, ebooks  Ebooks and tablets are poised to deliver a knockout blow to paper books. That’s according to Barnes and Noble vice president of direct marketing Marc Parrish, who spoke at the GigaOm Big Data conference recently. Parrish explained that ebooks will soon become the primary way consumers read and purchase books. Parrish admitted to mistakingly giving a two-year window as to when the book business will shift from physical to digital. Either way, the evidence he provided backed up his claims.
Parrish cited data provided by organizations such as the Association of American Publishers. The Association of American Publishers stated that ebook sales increased 116% this past January compared to January 2010. At the same time, sales for paperback books decreased by $20.6 million within the same time frame. It is estimated that consumers will purchase 18 million e-readers in 2011. Also, around 35% of people who read regularly are expected to buy an e-reader this year. Barnes & Noble is trying to turn its business around to capitalize on this trend. The Barnes & Noble Nook and Nook Color are the company’s way of gaining more digital sales. The Nook Color is blurring the lines between an e-reader and a mid-range tablet. In April, the Nook Color will get an update in April that will bring an app store, built-in email functionality and Flash support. Given the Nook Color’s reasonable $249 price tag, it may be enticing to individuals who aren’t big book readers. Read [Fortune] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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