Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile The Motorola Atrix 4G seems plagued with issues. The hardware is still some of the best, but the lack of HSUPA and now the acknowledgement of issues with the voice quality seem troubling. Looking at the Motorola support forums it seems that a lot of users are having issues with poor sound quality from the phone. Users are having issues with muted and muffled sound both on both ends. Some are complaining they an’t understand what others are saying to them, and others say the people they call are hearing a muted voice. Sounds like a big issue. Motorola has taken notice of the issue. The post was made sticky on the forums so it doesn’t get lost. Motorola is looking into how to fix the issue, though there doesn’t seem to be much know about what’s causing the issue. Hopefully the issue can be fixed somewhat soon. It’s a shame to see one of the most interesting Android phones out there marred by voice quality issues. In the mean time, if you own the Atrix 4G feel free to tell Motorola your experiences so it can fix the issue as soon as possible. Read [Motorola] via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, HDTV, Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Software / Applications After only 10 months Samsung Apps store already has a total of 100 million downloads. Those downloads are apps spread across Bada-equipped smartphones and HDTVs. Samsung was helped quite a bit by a few European countries that downloaded a lot of apps. The country that downloaded the most apps from Samsung Apps was France, with Germany and Spain following at number two and three. Those three countries combined made for 40 percent of the total sales. Of course it also helps that the apps are on both TVs and smartphones. It would be tough to imagine Samsung reaching 100 million sold apps on just it’s Bada platform. The fact that combined the two markets met 100 million is impressive, and I guess proves that some people do want apps on their TVs. To celebrate the milestone Samsung will be having a contest for those who use Samsung Apps. Anyone who downloads an app between March 25 and April 30 will be entered into weekly prizes. You stand to win Galaxy Tabs, Galaxy Players, flash drives and free apps. Not sure why Samsung would offer Android devices for downloading an app on Bada, but a free Galaxy Tab seems like a good deal. Read [Network World] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones Microsoft recently announced that it’s “NoDo” update was ready for Windows Phone 7 phones, but you may be wondering when your phone will be getting it. Well, fret not because it turns out the only phone in North America to have both the February and March updates is the HTC Arrive on Sprint. For other phones in the US, the update is either still being tested or is being scheduled. To be more specific, the Dell Venue Pro and HTC HD7 (both T-Mobile phones) have been tested, and their current status is “Scheduling.” According to Microsoft scheduling usually lasts 10 days or less, so those users can expect the update soon. Those who have WP7 phones on AT&T will have to wait a bit longer. The HTC Surround, LG Quantum and Samsung Focus are still being tested with both updates.Microsoft doesn’t give a time estimate for testing, though hopefully the updates will come out before the big update planned later this year. Internationally the story is a bit different. Many carriers, including all that are in Canada are delivering the February update, and are in the process of scheduling the March update. The only carriers that are listed as still testing both updates are Telstra in Australia, Telefonica in Spain and Deutsche Telekom. Those carrier’s updates aren;t broken down by device, which makes sense since most Windows Phone 7 phones are essentially the same and the carriers seem to be the ones that are holding back the updates. Read [Microsoft (US phones)] and [Microsoft (International carriers)] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  AT&T’s $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA has some big hurdles ahead of it. The deal has to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission before consumers begin to see any changes. This process could take over a year. Some individuals do not believe the FCC will let the deal go through despite AT&T’s assertion that a merger would be beneficial to the public. The fact is that even if AT&T’s acquisition is approved, it may not have control of T-Mobile USA in its entirety.
Analysts from Citadel Securities believe there’s a chance AT&T will have to give up more portions of T-Mobile than the carrier would lead one to believe. A research note from Citadel Securities says AT&T may have to “make very significant divestitures” in order to receive approval. This basically means that AT&T would have to give up some parts of T-Mobile. AT&T is ready to give up 40% of T-Mobile’s customers, but the analysts think the company would relinquish up to 50% of customers if need be. If AT&T’s bid falls through, the company would have to pay $3 billion to back out of the deal. The working theory is that another carrier such as Sprint could swoop in and claim AT&T’s potential losses. It is believed that Sprint talked to T-Mobile about a possible acquisition in the past. Sprint could have the opportunity to broaden its reach by buying the divested parts of T-Mobile. While Sprint still wouldn’t be as large as a unified AT&T and T-Mobile or Verizon, it stands to acquire much more breathing room in this scenario. Read [eWeek] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones  The Amazon Appstore opened for business earlier this week. It provides all kinds of apps for Android devices much like how the Android Market does now. The Amazon Appstore is just an alternative way to purchase apps. On the development side, Amazon puts each app through a week-long approval process to determine if the app is worthy of a place in the Appstore. Competition is always good, but AT&T customers can’t use the Amazon Appstore - not yet at least.
If you visit the Amazon Appstore and click on an app, you’ll see a bullet point that says “AT&T is working on enabling purchases from the Amazon Appstore in the near future.” AT&T doesn’t allow non-Android Market apps from running on its Android devices. Since the Android operating system is typically an open platform, AT&T is quite odd for disabling this feature. However, the carrier will eventually grant the Amazon Appstore access to its devices. AT&T set up a website where you can input your device and email address in order to receive information as to when the Amazon Appstore will be available. Amazon provides an app of its own that enables customers to use the Appstore. A link to this app is provided the first time a purchase is attempted. The app can’t be found in the official Android Market. Let’s hope AT&T lifts that restriction soon. Countless customers are missing out on Amazon’s offer of one free premium app for every day of the week. Today’s free app is Doodle Jump. Via [AT&T] Site [Amazon Appstore] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Mobile Computers  Motorola has been a strong manufacturer of Android devices. It helped Android gain commercial success when it released the first Droid smartphone in 2009. It was so successful, “Droid” became the go-to term casual consumers would use when referring to Android in general. Most recently, Motorola released the Xoom tablet. It’s the first tablet to run Android 3.0, which is also the first Android OS optimized for tablets. Amid growing competition and potential market saturation of Android devices, Motorola is rumored to be working on an operating system that will help its products stand out from the crowd.
According to an anonymous source speaking to Information Week, Motorola is working on a web-based mobile OS using former engineers from Adobe and Apple. Motorola has neither confirmed or denied these reports. If this is true, the OS could either replace Android completely, or simply work beside it. The development efforts that are supposedly going down at Motorola Mobility suggest that we aren’t looking at another Android skin such as Motoblur. The source said “Google is shooting itself in the foot” due to the various versions of the Android OS currently available, and the lack of an Android hardware standard. This is believed to be a key reason as to why Motorola is looking for an alternative to Android. Information Week also spoke to Jonathan Goldberg, an analyst for Deutsche Bank. Goldbert said Motorola may be hesitant to confirm the development of a new OS because it would be unsettling to investors and developers. Via [Information Week] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Software / Applications After months of speculation and rumor RIM has finally confirmed that Android apps will be compatible with the PlayBook. Getting Android apps on the device is rather simple for developers. To get their Android apps on the PlayBook RIM wants developers to simply “repackage, code sign, and submit” their apps to the BlackBerry App World. This will work for both Android apps and BlackBerry Java apps. The PlayBook will run those apps in “app players” which allow the apps to run on top of the QNX-based OS on the PlayBook. So, the apps probably won’t have deep hooks into the OS, but at least they’ll run. The move comes off almost as a way to attract those who were debating between a Tab and the PlayBook. Or it’s just a way to boost the numbers of BlackBerry App World easily. It just rests on developers to repackage their apps and make them available to PlayBook users. Assuming a lot of quality developers submit their apps to RIM, the PlayBook may just be the best option for a 7-inch Android tablet. Read the full text of the press release below. RIM Expands Application Ecosystem for BlackBerry PlayBook · BlackBerry PlayBook to support BlackBerry Java and Android apps · Native C/C++ development support added, in addition to HTML5, Flash and AIR support · Support from leading game engines: Ideaworks Labs (AirPlay) and Unity Technologies (Unity 3) · BlackBerry PlayBook becomes a new market opportunity for all the developers who have already created over 25,000 BlackBerry Java apps and more than 200,000 Android apps
Waterloo, ON – Developers wanting to bring their new and existing apps to the highly anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet will soon have additional tools and options to enhance and expand their commercial opportunities. Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced plans to greatly expand the application ecosystem for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The BlackBerry PlayBook is scheduled to launch in the U.S. and Canada on April 19. RIM will launch two optional "app players" that provide an application run-time environment for BlackBerry Java® apps and Android v2.3 apps. These new app players will allow users to download BlackBerry Java apps and Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on their BlackBerry PlayBook. In addition, RIM will shortly release the native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook enabling C/C++ application development on the BlackBerry® Tablet OS. For game-specific developers, RIM is also announcing that it has gained support from two leading game development tooling companies, allowing developers to use the cross-platform game engines from Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to bring their games to the BlackBerry PlayBook. Support for BlackBerry Java and Android Apps "The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet. The power that we have embedded creates one of the most compelling app experiences available in a mobile computing device today," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. "The upcoming addition of BlackBerry Java and Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World will provide our users with an even greater choice of apps and will also showcase the versatility of the platform." Developers currently building for the BlackBerry or Android platforms will be able to quickly and easily port their apps to run on the BlackBerry Tablet OS thanks to a high degree of API compatibility. The new optional app players will be available for download from BlackBerry App World and will be placed in a secure "sandbox" on the BlackBerry PlayBook where the BlackBerry Java or Android apps can be run. Developers will simply repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World. Once approved, the apps will be distributed through BlackBerry App World, providing a new opportunity for many developers to reach BlackBerry PlayBook users. Users will be able to download both the app players and the BlackBerry Java and Android apps from BlackBerry App World. The BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry Tablet OS are built on the QNX® Neutrino® microkernel architecture with a 1GHz dual core processor and a leading OpenGL solution, which allows RIM to make this incredibly broad platform support possible. BlackBerry PlayBook users and developers who are interested in seeing the new app players for BlackBerry Java and Android apps can see demos at BlackBerry World in Orlando, Florida (May 3 to 5, 2011) (www.blackberryworld.com). BlackBerry Tablet OS Development Tools
The BlackBerry Tablet OS already supports an incredibly robust platform with support for Web development standard HTML5, through the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ SDK for Tablet OS, and Adobe® AIR®, through the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR. The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built from the ground up to run WebKit and Adobe® Flash® as well, giving developers a fast and true Web experience to leverage. RIM is also announcing today that the BlackBerry Tablet OS Native Development Kit (NDK), which is currently in limited alpha release, will go into open Beta by this summer and be demonstrated at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to build high-performance, multi-threaded, native C/C++ applications with industry standard GNU toolchains. Developers can create advanced 2D and 3D applications and special effects by leveraging programmable shaders available in hardware-accelerated OpenGL ES 2.0. Other features of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to: Take advantage of the QNX POSIX library support and C/C++ compliance for quick and easy application porting and for creating native extensions for both BlackBerry and Android applications
Easily integrate device events like gesture swipes and touch screen inputs
Integrate the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment into existing code management and build systems using industry standard Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tools)
Leverage work done in standard C/C++ to make it easier to bring applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS
Find and fix bugs quickly with provided debug and analysis tools
"The response to the BlackBerry PlayBook from the developer community has been exceptional. Our commitment to supporting HTML5 and Adobe AIR development has resonated and spurred developers to create fun and innovative applications for BlackBerry PlayBook users," said David Yach, Chief Technology Officer, Software at Research In Motion. "The upcoming BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK beta will add C/C++ tools to our repertoire and gives developers one of the broadest and deepest platforms to develop on." Gaming Engines Building on the power of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK, RIM is working with leading gaming and application development technology providers such as Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to implement their native engines and application development platforms. Developers will be able to take advantage of these engines when building games and other applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The Ideaworks Labs Airplay SDK is expected to include support for the BlackBerry Tablet OS soon, making it easy for publishers and developers to use their existing code to bring their games and apps to the BlackBerry PlayBook. "Supporting a new OS can be a challenge for developers," says Alex Caccia, President of Ideaworks Labs, "however, integration of the BlackBerry Tablet OS with the Airplay SDK makes this a non-issue. We think this is a far-sighted move by RIM: the BlackBerry PlayBook is a great device for games and applications, and combining this with content distribution via BlackBerry App World brings an exciting new ecosystem for developers." RIM has also been working closely with Unity Technologies, providers of the highly popular, multi-platform Unity development platform and Union, the firm's games distribution service. Through Union, dozens of high-quality Unity-authored games are slated to make their way to BlackBerry App World for the BlackBerry Playbook. "With a sharp focus on the multimedia experience, very powerful hardware, and fantastic games in the pipeline, the BlackBerry Playbook has all the right ingredients to be a mainstream hit," said Brett Seyler, GM of Union at Unity Technologies. "Through Union, Unity developers have an opportunity to reach a new audience and grow with another great new platform." Availability The new app players for the BlackBerry PlayBook are expected to be available from BlackBerry App World this summer. More information and demonstrations of the new app players will be shared at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will be available in beta later this year and will also be showcased at BlackBerry World.
Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Trade Shows, CTIA A lot of phones these days come with a little sticker on the screen that warns against texting while driving. We’re all guilty of it, but it really is something that needs to be put in check. There are some applications out there that will disable texting while a car is in motion, but few are well publicized by a carrier. Today, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse (the calm guy from the Sprint commercials) announced Drive First at CTIA. Drive First is an Android application that restricts phones from performing potentially dangerous actions while the owner is driving. Drive First will be available in the third quarter of this year at a cost of $2 per month. All Android phones on Sprint such as the Samsung Epic 4G and the upcoming HTC EVO 3D will be compatible with Drive First. If you have multiple Android phones with Sprint, you’ll still have to pay $2 for each individual phone Drive First runs on. When Drive First is activated, it automatically redirects calls to voice mail. It also stops text messages from coming through by sending an away message to whoever sent the text. Users won’t be completely lock out of their phones though. They’ll still be able to use three applications such as GPS navigation, and can choose three numbers to call if necessary. Via [Sprint] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Computers, Mobile Computers, Gadgets / Other, ebooks  The days of students lugging around 10 pounds of textbooks may be limited. Pearson and McGraw-Hill have invested an untold amount of money into a company called Inkling. Inkling sells textbooks on the iPad from courses such as biological sciences and sociology. Inkling only has 14 textbooks available at the moment, but the company expects to have close to 100 textbooks by the fall.
Pearson will provide books in the arts and sciences field, as well as textbooks for individuals pursuing their M.B.A. McGraw-Hill is taking a generalized approach by putting up the top 100 college books it publishes. Inkling’s offerings are so enticing because the books it sells were created specifically for the iPad. Instead of staring at black words on a white background, Inkling’s textbooks come with additions such as artwork and social networking. It also takes advantage of the iPad’s pinch-to-zoom functionality and simplistic user interface. Most importantly, Inkling’s textbooks can be significantly cheaper than their paper counterparts. Books can also be purchased by the chapter. How many times have you spent $100 on a book only to discover your professor barely uses it? I would imagine this has happened more than once. Pearson and McGraw-Hill aren’t jumping into an exclusive deal with Inkling. Moving forward, the two companies are going to support other textbook to ebook initiatives. Read [New York Times] Site [Inkling] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Software / Applications, Gaming, Mobile, Portable Rovio Mobile has released their latest mobile crack offering—the latest edition of Angry Birds. Well, technically speaking they released the new version a few days back, but it seems I must have been living in a total non-game bubble and missed the news entirely. That said, I like to think I was not alone in that respect. So that being said, the latest from Rovio Mobile is Angry Birds Rio and it is available for Android as well as the iPhone and iPod touch and even the HD version for the iPad. Those sporting an Android device are the luckiest as the game is still available for free. Otherwise, the iPhone and iPod touch version is $0.99 and the iPad version is $2.99. The official description of the game reads as follows; “In Angry Birds Rio, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio de Janeiro, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to to save their friends, Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming Fox motion picture, Rio. Angry Birds Rio will pair the physics-based gameplay of the original game with unique twists based on the film.”
But more important, what you get is 60 new levels and a promise of more “episodic updates throughout 2011.” With that, follow the appropriate link below… Download [Angry Birds Rio for iPhone and iPod touch] and [Angry Birds Rio HD for iPad] and [Angry Birds Rio for Android] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 FROM GAMERTELL - Shantanu Goel has managed to create a hack that allows PS3 owners control their systems and games with the Xbox 360 Kinect. The project is still rather new, but Goel’s got a video showing it in action and instructions so others can try it out.
MORE » Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile It looks like Sprint is getting ready to kill off one of the most dreaded things of buying a mobile phone. No, not the activation fee—the mail-in rebates. According to some details recently uncovered by the Boy Genius, Sprint will be ditching the mail-in rebates as of March 27th. Unfortunately though, they seem to leave it up in the air as to whether or not they will be returning. The official statement from Sprint read as follows; "Sprint will temporarily replace mail-in rebates in most channels, including our company-owned retail stores, with instant savings."
That said, enjoy it while you can and lets hope it lasts. Via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers The big concern and a make or break point for a mobile device these days is battery life. And well, it looks like the BlackBerry PlayBook is going to have a decent battery life. According to the details that we previously knew, the PlayBook was going to ship with a 5300 mAh battery. Well, take that and combine it with some of the details in the Staples pre-order listing and things are looking good. According to the details coming from Staples, the PlayBook will have a battery life of “10 hours with continual use.” Now, lets see if that actually holds up in the real world. Via [CrackBerry] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers Cellular South has announced the upcoming availability of the Honeycomb running Motorola Xoom. At present the tablet is simply listed as arriving “early next month” but given we are more than half way through March, that sounds like only a few weeks from now. In terms of pricing for the Xoom—$599.99. And from the way we are reading this, the Xoom data is going to come by way of a Novatel Mi-Fi 2200 mobile hotspot modem which Cellular South is going to give you for free when you purchase the Xoom. Moving past that, the data will be priced at $19.99 per month for 3GB. Bottom line, it looks like they are selling you a Wi-Fi only Xoom and partnering it with the Mi-Fi which is going to require a two year agreement. Via [Cellular South] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Netbooks Planning to score a new Eee PC netbook? You might want to check out the upcoming Eee PC 1015B and Eee PC 1215B. These two netbooks are currently on display at Excalibur with price tags of $289 for the Eee PC 1015B and $379 for the Eee PC 1215B. Both netbooks featue 250GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, VGA, USB and HDMI ports plus 1080p display output. 
In addition, the Eee PC 1015B sports a 10.1” LED Backlight WSVGA Screen and AMD 30 1.20 GHz CPU, ATI HD6250 Graphics, 6-cell bettery with up to 8.5 hours battery life and runs on Windows 7 Starter. While the Eee PC 1215B has 12.1-inch WXGA (1366x768) LED display, 6-cell battery with up to 8.5 hours of battery life and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. Product [Eee PC 1015B], [Eee PC 1215B] Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Content, Video Providers, Web, Online Music/Video So Netflix went down the other night, and well, it looks like they are making good on that outage. But making good in a way that requires action on the part of the user. You see, Netflix is offering a 3 percent credit, however you need to click a link in the email they send in order to actually get that credit. In other words, if you get an email from Netflix, make sure you open it and click the “apply a credit” link. Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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