Section: Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here's your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles! - New Google mobile homepage discovered on accident
” Google recently redesigned the mobile web version of Google Maps so that it could mimic the desktop version more closely. It’s a nice alternative for anyone who doesn’t want to use the…” MORE » - Fun with the cloud: Using Android to share photos with the iPod Touch
” The iPhone has a couple of very popular photo editing and sharing applications that you can’t find anywhere else. Take, Instagram and 100 Cameras in 1 for example. If you don’t have an…” MORE » - 100 Cameras in 1 upgraded with Instagram support
” 100 Cameras in 1 for iPhone has been upgraded to version 3.1. This is a pretty big update for the app because it allows photos to be uploaded to Instagram directly from the app. You can also take the…” MORE » - Plants vs. Zombies comes to Android, now available for download from the Amazon Appstore
” We were told that Plants vs. Zombies would be arriving for Android sometime in the month of May, and well,…” MORE » - Google jumps ahead of Sprint and RIM on the PlayBook 4G
” If you’re waiting to purchase the BlackBerry PlayBook until it launches with 4G connectivity, it looks like the target release date of this summer is right on schedule. If you search “sprint playbook” into Google Search, you’ll notice…” MORE » - Samsung to introduce 4G LTE version of Galaxy Tab later this year
” It looks like Samsung’s J.K. Shin wants you to look at the bigger picture before purchasing the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or 8.9. I respect his honesty and willingness to share with the public his plans for the…” MORE » - Apple to unveil iCloud, Lion and iOS 5 during WWDC keynote
” In a rare move, Apple has decided to tell us exactly what will be shown at the WWDC keynote next week. Turns out there’ll be a lot of talk about software and the cloud, as we expected. To make it…” MORE » - Patriot Act renewed with an autopen
” While we were longing for the weekend to arrive, President Obama was making his rounds in Europe. Since the president was out of the country, he could not physically sign his name on the document that would renew the Patriot…” MORE » - Rumor: HP TouchPad could be released on June 12
” For weeks there’s been rumors of a June release of the HP TouchPad, but no date within that 30 day window. Now, thanks to an HP document we have what could be the release date for the first WebOS…” MORE » - Asus Padfone unveiled, promo video released
” Finally, the moment that everyone had been waiting for since Asus started teasing us on their Facebook page about a new product that will both be a phone and a tablet. Staying true to its teaser, the new Asus product which…” MORE »
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Computers, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack 
Welcome to another installment of Who's on Crack where we look at companies that have crossed a line from smart marketing to "hey pal, you've got to calm down." This week, we've got a a host of companies that are pushing the boundaries of sanity and we suspect controlled substances are to blame. Let's get to the accused: Apple pie in the sky?
No 4G for you!
Get the grout - Windows is going tiled
Sony’s next big thing: Hacked, the movie Apple’s icloud, will it make rain?  Forget Mobile Me, now it’s on to the cloud, a term so cool, even Microsoft uses it. I already hate the name, but then we hated the iPad name too and that hasn’t stopped the gangbuster sales. Our Robert Nelson reports, “the LA Times is reporting that Apple will charge $25 per year for use of the iCloud and those interested will be able to first check it out with a free trial if they purchase something from the iTunes Store.” Doesn’t this sound a lot like Mobile Me? If Mobile Me wasn’t hitting Apple’s goals what do they do? Rebrand. Or rather, iBrand. Apple is pulling the oldest trick in the book: new and improved. I can hear the yelling from Cupertino, “I told you to name it iSomething. You didn’t and sales suck. Now, we’re doing it my way - drop the price and meet the revolutionarily magical iCloud.” Applause followed, I am sure. Moto again delays 4G for XOOM Ah Motorola, so close yet…Mr. Nelson again posts, “a confirmed delay from Motorola—it seems that they are "late with 4G LTE on Verizon's network" and that they "will deliver LTE solutions this summer."” I can see the college’s preparing this example for “how to make our customers feel stupid 101”. While we’d be there wagging the finger if Moto pushed out 4G product that wasn’t ready, we’re not about to give them a pass for selling something that should have been better planned out from the get go. Perhaps a 3G XOOM that you later surprise customers with a 4G upgrade. Something like that would make us crazy with excitement; instead you give us the “we still haven’t figured this out yet” line. Disappointing. 
MS says icons suck, tiles are where it’s at Windows 8 was previewed by Microsoft this week showing off a tiled skin (more or less). Our Shawn Ingram has the word, ” The tiles work just like they do on Windows Phone, some serve as simple icons to apps while others update themselves to show important information like the weather right on the tile itself. Apps launch into full screen, though the screen can be split between two apps, something we haven't yet seen on tablets. Splitting the screen between two apps only seems asymmetrical at the moment, but for some apps having a small sliver might be all you need.” For tablets, Windows 8 looks fantastic. The tiles are pretty cool, the swiping on and off screen look fun and kinda intuitive. So where’s the rub? Where’s the bit that says MS is messing this up too? Touch. Windows 8 is expressly for PCs, it’s not just a tablet OS, “it’s going to run on everything.” (from the video). Oh dear God. Has MS not gotten the message that in a work or desk setting, touch isn’t the interface mode of choice? Worker bees love keyboards and mice. HP’s line of touch machines hasn’t caught on for good reason: it’s awkward. Even on home machines, stopping to touch from keyboard-position hands is cumbersome at best. Efficiency and speed not experience is the corporate driver. Nothing delivers that like hotkeys or fast mice clicking where you can trade mm for inches of screen real estate. Touch isn’t efficient when speed is needed. Unless MS is raising a new generation of workers on a remote island using only Windows 8, I don’t see touch taking off for workstations. Unless MS is saying the PC is dead, tablets are going to rule the world… but even in a post-pc world where you use your tablet screen as your PC screen with a keyboard, the act of stopping to touch the screen while typing is the same problem. Its just awkward. Sony hacked again  Again, really? As much as I have problems with the company relying on the Walkman brand for 40 years, I wouldn’t have wished this on anyone. Our Jeremy Hill relates, “Here we go again. Another Sony property has been hacked. This time the victim is Sony Pictures, and LulzSec has taken credit for the break-in. LulzSec also hacked into the Sony Music Japan website at the end of May. Do you want to know how LulzSec managed to pull off the hack? It used a SQL injection tool. This is the same method that was successful in every Sony website attack we've reported on over the past few weeks.” Over a million passwords, names and birth dates all swiped and stored as plain text. Genius, who does their security? Muppets? So how does Sony spin themselves out of this? How can they turn what will be a new verb (we got “Sony-ied”) for hacking into something of value? I propose a new film from Sony Pictures Studios. The script will be kept in plain text form and will be vulnerable to the same SQL injection tool. The goal of the script? Get hacked. By allowing the hackers to right and rewrite the movie, Sony will have the chance to get something out of the deal, have an interesting storyline (I mean really, did you see Zookeeper?) and potential start a new way to collaborate on movies. Darn, this idea is hacked too. Maybe Sony’s an investor? Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile  While the details are still fairly nonexistent, AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega has confirmed that they are working on shared data plans. And as to those nonexistent details, those include the important parts such as price points, data allowances and when we may see these come available. That said, we suppose it is nice that it is at least at thought at this point. And honestly, there is no reason that we should not be able to share a block of data across a family account in the same way we share a block of minutes across a family plan.
Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile The HTC EVO 3D has been the subject or more than a few launch date rumors lately and while we are still waiting on the official word from Sprint, we have seen the handset make its required appearance with the FCC. In other words, the rumors of June 24th may be true after all. Otherwise, the filing did not offer much new in terms of details or images, however it did come with a full set of schematics just in case you wanted details such as how the EVO 3D is sporting a Qualcomm MSM8660 processor, or that it will have a Broadcom BCM4329 802.11n Bluetooth transceiver and Atmel mXT224c12 touchscreen sensor. With that, we are expecting Sprint to come forward with some launch details sooner rather than later. Via [FCC] and [wirelessgoodness] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Web, Websites Here we go again. Another Sony property has been hacked. This time the victim is Sony Pictures, and LulzSec has taken credit for the break-in. LulzSec also hacked into the Sony Music Japan website at the end of May. Do you want to know how LulzSec managed to pull off the hack? It used a SQL injection tool. This is the same method that was successful in every Sony website attack we’ve reported on over the past few weeks. LulzSec is hacking into Sony websites just for fun, but the group has also taken it one step further by posting the information it stole. Over 1 million passwords, real names, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses from Sony Pictures were made public. “From a single injection, we accessed EVERYTHING,” LulzSec said in a statement. “Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks?” What’s even more alarming is that LulzSec claims that the passwords weren’t even encrypted. They were stored in plaintext format. LulzSec also stole administrative passwords for Sony Pictures along with 3.5 million music coupons and 75,000 music codes. Those codes are now floating around on The Pirate Bay according to BoingBoing.net. Read [BoingBoing] Also Read [Consumer Reports] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple We are going to be seeing the official details announced on June 6th, however that should not stop the rumors and speculation in the meantime. That being said, it looks like the LA Times is reporting that Apple will charge $25 per year for use of the iCloud and those interested will be able to first check it out with a free trial if they purchase something from the iTunes Store. Cannot help but notice, that last part sounds a bit like the Amazon Cloud Drive where Amazon is offering 20GB of free storage for the first year if you purchase an album from the Amazon MP3 store. And lastly, it was also noted that Apple will be using iAds in the iCloud, but so far, nothing was mentioned as to whether all users will see the ads or if there will be a paid and free ad supported version. Either way, the details will come on June 6th during the keynote. Via [LA Times] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers We have seen a few rumored launch dates (and rumored delays) in terms of the Sprint branded BlackBerry PlayBook up until this point and that being said, it would be nice to just see it launch so we can end this series. Anyway, the launch may be coming up rather quickly. According to a blog post from Gerald Evans (who is a Market Director for Sprint), the PlayBook will be launched on June 5th. The much anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet with Wi-Fi® connectivity and 16 GB of storage will go on sale in all Sprint direct ship sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Business Sales, www.sprint.com and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) on Sunday, June 5, for $499.99 (plus tax).
Of course, that launch comes with a catch. If you missed it, Evans is talking about the Wi-Fi only model of the PlayBook which means the 4G PlayBook is going to remain in the rumor category for now. That being said, does anyone really need to wait for Sprint to begin selling a Wi-Fi only PlayBook considering they are available with so many other retailers at this point? Via [Weekly Wireless Updates] and [TheBerryFix] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Apple, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile 
Apple products are highly desirable by nature. Their commercials are enticing, the products are easy to use and everybody is trying to develop applications for them. The problem with Apple products is that they are expensive. The performance of something like an iPad is certainly worth it, but a minimal cost of $500 can be a bit too much to ask of some people. Times like this call for great creativity. You would think doing odd jobs or saving up would accumulate the funds necessary to purchase an iPad. For one eastern China teenager, the answer to affording an iPad 2 was inside of him the entire time. A 17 year old whose surname is Zheng took his desire to buy an iPad 2 way too far. Zheng needed money fast, so he found someone who was willing to buy one of his kidneys on the internet for 22,000 yuan or roughly $3,000. That seemed like a great deal for Zheng, so he got his kidney taken out on April 28 and sold it. The whole situation came to a head when Zheng’s mother questioned where he got a new iPad 2 and an iPhone. After he confessed, Zheng’s mother called the police. So far the police haven’t been able to locate the person who bought Zheng’s kidney. We sure hope he’s having fun with his new electronics. Read [Techie Buzz] Also Read [The Next Web] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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