Nokia plans to shut down the N-Gage platform. It's all going down in September 2010 but the publishing of new games has stopped as we speak. The gaming on Nokia phones will continue evolving under the Ovi Store umbrella.
The website of N-Gage along with the N-Gage Arena community will be left running throughout the whole 2010, while the N-Gage store will continue selling games until September 2010. After that the only place to buy S40 or Symbian S60 games will be the Ovi Store, which will come preinstalled on all upcoming Nokia devices. Nokia also promises to bring similar community options for the apps in the Ovi Store.
Of course, all the N-Gage games you've purchased so far will continue to work long after that.
Well, the N-gage platform delivered some of the best mobile games we've seen for Symbian smartphones and we're quite surprised that Nokia is ditching all the development losing a strong differentiating factor. We'll see how it goes, let's hope it is all for the better.
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N-Gage is dead, long live the Ovi Store - full of Symbian games
Move Over Iphone, Android Offers Online Casino Gambling
The IPhone has always been revered as the most powerful cellular phone on the planet, but even it has shortcomings. These shortcomings are exemplified by the new Android phones expecting to hit the market in November.
The Android phones are allegedly capable of running widgets, browser apps, and other such amenities that some online casinos require for playing through the browser. While you can download casino oriented apps and play for fun on the IPhone, owners of the Apple/AT&T love child are unable to play for real money through their phones. Androids should alleviate this issue, allowing players to enjoy real money gambling on the go, even more so than before.
Many of the Best USA Casinos allow players to play their games through flash based casinos. Be this one of the Rival Online Casinos or an RTG Online Casinos, flash based browser casinos are an option. When the Android hits the market, players should be able to pull up casinos such as Bodog and Sloto Cash Casino and play all of the best casino games they have available.
If all goes well, these Androids will be affordable, powerful, and open to many phone providers. Even if a player did not want to shell out the extra money for the new phone, many could consider it an investment - this could become the newest tool for online gambling. Rather than turn to a PC or a Laptop, the Android could become an all inclusive online casino.
BlackBerry Master Control Program 0.9.2 Beta 10
BlackBerry Master Control Program is one of those applications that isn’t for every BlackBerry user, however, if you are a moderate to power user, one of those folks who regularly installs leaked OSs and every cool looking BlackBerry application just to test it out, or someone who needs to easily create screenshots of your device, this is the program for you.
BlackBerry Master Control Program 0.9.2 Beta 10 has just been released and its creators have added a ton of new features:
- MCP gets a major facelift! Brand new graphics for the navigation panel and installers! – Thanks Shane!!!
- Save Modules now allows user to create ALX/JAD for saved modules
- Added Backup & Restore for third party applications (2 clicks)
- Added ALX/JAD Builder with drag & drop window for building the module list
- System tray icon right click context menu updated
- By default MCP minimizes to taskbar now, not the system tray (clean installs only)
- Left side navigation panel reduced number of icons dramatically (it was too cluttered)
- Auto PIN checking is now at 3 seconds (clean install)
- OS Management: Added “Delete JVM” checkbox (if checked Application Loader will start with the /nojvm parameter which will destroy JVM on the device)
- OS Management: Added “Full Wipe” checkbox (if checked Java Loader will “Wipe” the device destroying any existing IT Policies prior to the OS installation)
- Navigation: Load/Erase/Save Modules used to be “hidden” under the “Java Loader” page, they are now in the main navigation area
- MCP Engine updated to Java Loader 5.0.0 Beta 4
You can download BlackBerry Master Control Program 0.9.2 Beta 10 here…
Motorola CLIQ Android Phone
Motorola unveiled their first Android smartphone with the Motorola CLIQ.
T-Mobile will carry the CLIQ which comes with something called MOTOBLUR. MOTOBLUR is an solution that manages and integrates communications from work e-mail to social networking activity on your CLIQ.
Updates to contacts, posts, messages, photos and more are streamed together and synced from sources including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Gmail, and work and personal e-mail.
MOTOBLUR automatically delivers these updates to the home screen in easy-to-view streams so there is no need to open and close different mobile applications to keep up with the latest content.
Other features of the Motorola
The Motorola CLIQ looks to become the hottest Android phone on the market.
Motorola CLIQ with MOTOBLUR will be available exclusively to T-Mobile customers later this fall in two colors — Titanium and Winter White. Pricing will be announced at a later date. See also the CLIQ page on T-Mobile, which has a demo of MOTOBLUR. Update: Maybe the CLIQ will be free with contract on T-Mobile. Engadget caught a leaked listing of the CLIQ on the T-Mobile store that says so. This would be an aggressive move to battle AT&T's iPhone and Sprint's Palm Pre.
Motorola Blur First Screenshots Or Android Market Update?
Over at CNET’s Android Atlas an anonymous source sent in two pictures of what appears to be a completely overhauled UI for Android Market complete with added functionality. In the screen shots you can clearly see a new, vibrant and colorful approach:As you can clearly see, the background color of the entire App Market display is white as opposed to the current black background and white text. Sorting options include Top Paid, Top Free and Just In with the search button being prominently displayed in the upper right. The category display lists apps that are available in the category in smaller/lighter text - I’m not crazy about this as it seems to clutter things up a bit. However, I like the idea of displaying recently searched or often searched keywords and other dynamic info.
According to the article, this Market view was running on a Donut build of Android and most blogs republishing this information say this is the Android Market we can all look forward to later this year. But can we? Seeing as how the leak comes only a week before the big Motorola Android event, perhaps we’re seeing a custom displayed version of the market offered by Motorola. We know they have their own unique offering called Motorola Blur and perhaps THIS is what we are seeing?
This possibility hadn’t been brought up yet and I thought it warranted a mention. I don’t have any information that would suggest one way or the other, but I think the idea that these COULD be the first screenshots of Motorola Blur is definitely a possibility. What do you think?
BlackBerry App World Now Available Via The Web
One of the big shortcomings of BlackBerry App World is that the only way to view the catalog of available applications was through the actual BlackBerry App World application on your device. There is no way to view App World via the Web.
This, at least, was the case until today as Research in Motion now allows you to browse the entire BlackBerry App World catalog via the web.
All BlackBerry App World applications must still be downloaded via the client on your BlackBerry, however, you can send yourself a link to any application that you browse via the web and would like to download. A nice feature to add would be the ability for you to log in and create an account. As App World gets bigger the ability for it to predict applications that you might like based on previous applications that you have downloaded would be beneficial.
Additionally, not all applications run on all BlackBerry devices so a section that tells you supported devices under each app would be nice. Maybe even highlight your device if supported and you are logged in. BlackBerry App World still has a long way to go, but, it is an awful lot better than what RIM initially launched.
BlackBerry Storm 9500 OS 4.7.0.167
Okay some good news for all you BlackBerry Storm owners, and it’s time for you to rev up your desktop.
RIM have just officially released OS 4.7.0.167 for the BlackBerry Storm 9500 series. Although we are a little unsure of what is actually new in this latest version.
I’m confident however, that you guys out there will let us know if and what if anything is new or different in the latest released OS download. The download claims to be giving users a improved SurePress typing experience, enhanced multimedia performance, faster browsing and rotation speeds and more.
LG GD910 Available in France for €899
The LG GD910 Watch Phone is now officially exclusive to Orange in Europe and unfortunately for anyone that wants the highly anticipated LG GD910 they are going to have to fork out some €899.
The LG GD910 Watch Phone is available as of right now in France on Orange on a 12 or 24 month contract on an Origami star, first, jet, or Origami plus contract.
So will the LG GD910 make it big in the mobile phone arena at the asking price? We’re not too sure how far the LG GD910 will go carrying such a high price which puts it way beyond most ordinary peoples budget.
Nokia 5330 XpressMusic Affordable for All
With the economic pressure of today, most that need a mobile phone look for ‘cheap’, and although the new Nokia 5530 XpressMusic isn’t exactly rock bottom price, it is Nokia’s most affordable touch screen handset according to an article on gaj-it.
The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic is Nokia’s 3rd touch screen handset and takes quite a step down from the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and the Nokia flagship handset the Nokia N97.
Probably the most attractive selling point of the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic is its price at £129 on prepay and so is affordably for those people in the lower income bracket, and still comes jammed with social networking functions and media for its very reasonable price.
Zeemote JS1 Bluetooth Mobile Gaming Controller For BlackBerry
I just received press release that will be of interest to those really into playing video games on their their BlackBerry devices. The Zeemote JS1 Bluetooth Mobile Gaming Controller has been announced and it is compatible with all BlackBerry devices that have a trackball.
You can read the entire press release after the jump…
Zeemote™ Inc. has announced today that the Zeemote® JS1 Bluetooth Mobile
Gaming Controller is now compatible with all BlackBerry® smartphones with a
trackball.
Downtime is now game time with the Zeemote® JS1 Bluetooth Mobile Gaming
Controller. It features four action buttons and a thumbstick to provide the
ultimate control for the world’s best mobile gaming experience.
Its ergonomic design fits perfectly and discreetly in the hand, weighs in at
only 57 grams and provides 50+ hours of continuous game play on two AAA
batteries. The Zeemote JS1 features the Zeekey Software Application creating
instant compatibility with all mobile games made for BlackBerry smartphones. To
use the Zeemote JS1 Controller with a BlackBerry Smartphone, a user simply needs
to download the Zeekey App from www.zeemote.com/zeekey
The Zeemote JS1 also enables a user to control phone menu navigation and offers
compatibility with nearly all apps on a BlackBerry smartphone and those
available on BlackBerry App World™ (www.blackberry.com/appworld). For example,
the Zeemote JS1 can be used as a remote control for the media player giving
users an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos.
Sony Ericsson's Upcoming Android Phone
We've known for some time now that Sony Ericsson (SE) is working on a Google Android-based mobile phone, but the company has been keeping mum on details. However, pictures leaked by a Danish site appear to reveal Sony Ericsson's upcoming Android phone, and it looks like a good one.
Code-named Rachael, Sony Ericsson's Android phone will be announced later this year, according to information obtained by the Danish Mobil magazine. The phone will be part of SE's XPERIA series, which so far includes the Windows Mobile-based X1 model.
And as SE joined the Open Handset Alliance in December last year, it was shaping out quite clearly that the Swedish company would join the Android-running smartphone army. Mobil says that the Android-loving SE Rachel is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform (QSD8250), wich would give the phone processor speeds of up to 1GHz and 7.2Mbit per second HSPA downlink speeds.
The leaked pictures also show the SE's upcoming Android phone featuring an 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. At the top of the phone a 3.5mm headphone jack and a miniUSB port are also present. No specific details on the phone's display size or resolution were released, but the Dutch magazine says it has a pressure-sensitive touchscreen.
Some of the specifications of SE's Android phone are looking very good in comparison to other smartphones on the market today. An 8.1-megapixel camera would be most powerful on an Android handset yet, and remarkably better than the 3-megapixel camera on the latest iPhone 3GS. On the Android realm, the HTC Hero and the Samsung Galaxy have only a 5-megapixel camera.
It's highly likely that SE's Rachel will run on the upcoming 2.0 version of Google Android operating system, which is also expected to be released toward the end of this year. As for Adobe Flash, it is yet unclear whether this phone will feature this capability.
For more touchscreen smartphone goodness, you might want to check our Smartphone Palooza: 10 Hot Touchscreens Compared.
HTC Touch Pro2 on Vodafone
At first the HTC Touch Pro2 on Vodafone UK was only available to a select few individuals; however is now appears that the HTC Touch Pro2 on Vodafone UK is available to anyone who wants to purchase it.
As the HTC Touch Pro2 is now fully available on the Vodafone UK website carrying a price range of from free up to £170.21 depending on which plan you opt for.
Quick spec reminder…HSDPA and GPS connectivity, 3.6 inch display, slide out QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD expansion slot, and virtually every spec found in the HTC Touch Diamond2.
ÜberTwitter Beta 3 Now Available
ÜberTwitter Beta 3, arguably one of the best BlackBerry Twitter clients available, has been released. If own a BlackBerry and use Twitter, ÜberTwitter Beta 3 is probably something that you will want to try out. ÜberTwitter is s free BlackBerry download and you can get it here…
BlackBerry Bold toting Lindsay Lohan Tweets Topless Photo
Okay, apparently the word from newsroom.mtv is that Lindsay Lohan has posted an image of herself on her personal Twitter using her BlackBerry Bold smartphone. Nothing unusual you may say, but Lindsay Lohan posted a “Topless” photo on Twitter via her BlackBerry twitter client TwitterBerry.
Don’t get too excited though as the photo is an old Fornarina fashion shoot picture, but still a nice photo with strategically placed hair we might add. One could hazard a guess that Lindsay Lohan was slightly bored at the time, but it does show what smartphone she prefers.
Samsung Omnia Release Round-up: Pro B7610, Pro B7320, Lite B7300 and II I8000
It's been one hell of a day for Samsung. In all, they've confirmed the release of four brand-new Omnia smartphones. It's been a red-letter day for mobile releases, and we've consolidated all of Samsung's new releases into one spot.
Omnia Pro B7610: Slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel 
Omnia Pro B7320: BlackBerry-style QWERTY keyboard, push email support, Facebook and MySpace social
OmniaLITE B7300: TouchWiz 2.0, 3D Multimedia Player, multi-push email access, Microsoft Office Suite, Opera Browser, HSDPA and WiFi, multi-codec video, 3 Megapixel camera, and A-GPS.
Omnia II I8000: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.7” AMOLED display with WVGA resolution, TouchWiz 2.0 UI, 3D multimedia, Advanced Resistive Touch, 480p Playback/Recording, Internet browsing, HSUPA, HSDPA, and WiFi connectivity. Up to 48 GB of storage.
Nokia 3710 fold gets Announced
Nokia has announced the Nokia 3710 fold which has probably been overshadowed by the announcement of the Nokia E72, which is a bit of a shame as the Nokia 3710 fold is quite a well equipped handset for the price. The Nokia 3710 fold features a clamshell form factor with a 3.0 megapixel camera, concealed external display, 3G, AGPS, FM radio, Bluetooth, 2.2 QVGA screen, and a second camera for video calls. The Nokia 3710 fold has an expected arrival date of sometime in Q4 09 with a price tag of roughly €140 which is about $370.
Ulterior: New Alienware Inspired BlackBerry Theme From Elecite
There is a new Alienware inspired BlackBerry Theme from Elecite.com named Ulterior…
Based on the still reigning champion of computer gaming, the Alienware gaming rig system, this theme brings their gorgeous looks to your BlackBerry. Ulterior is crafted with glowing “ribs” just like the real deal, which are actually fully functional and represent the power of your Battery and Signal meters. It’s extreme quality in the palm of your hand.
Ulterior is available for the BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Bold, and BlackBerry Storm. You can see it an many more premium BlackBerry themes over at Elecite.com.
Samsung Galaxy gains hands-on and closest to iPhone yet
The Samsung Galaxy, Samsung's Google Android platform smartphone has gained a hands-on review by pcworld, and says the Samsung Galaxy is the closest thing yet to the Apple iPhone 3G.
The Samsung Galaxy features a 3.2 AMOLED touch screen along with a physical QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, GPS, WiFi, support for WCDMA networks, 7.2Mbps HSPA, and a standard audio jack.
The reviewer was impressed with the Samsung Galaxy's slimness being both slimmer than the Apple iPhone 3G and the HTC Magic. The Samsung Galaxy will be available in Germany and France by the end of this month and will become available elsewhere in the 2nd half of the year.
Upgrading to BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0
To provide some expert advice in planning your upgrade to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server v5.0, we enlisted the help of the BlackBerry® Professional Services team. In the following article they provide a framework for the steps they guide customers through in designing their BlackBerry® environment and recommendations for a smooth transition to BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0 that will give you a solid understanding of the new features, their importance for your organization’s BlackBerry environment and management priorities.
The upgrade path to BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0 is best viewed as a series of five distinct preparation stages: evaluation, readiness, solution design, planning, and implementation. In this article we describe each of the five stages in detail and explain how it gives you the tools you’ll need to ensure a manageable transition. How you implement each step will be determined, in part, by how large your organization is. A smaller organization, for instance, may not have the resources to create a full-scale test lab to evaluate BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0. However, no matter what size your organization is, it still has to go through each of these steps as you implement BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0.
Stitcher: Free Audio Streaming App Now Avaialable On BlackBerry Storm
We received and email late last week letting us know that Stitcher has made their award winning streaming audio application available on the BlackBerry Storm.
If you listen to podcasts or internet radio programs you may want to give Stitcher a try. It is a quality BlackBerry application and you can’t beat the price.
Stitcher is also available on the BlackBerry Curve 8300, BlackBerry Bold, and a version for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is coming soon. You can download Stitcher by visting http://www.stitcher.com/dl from your device’s browser.
Quickoffice for iPhone gets in-depth review
Ouickoffice for iPhone has now rolled into the Apple iTunes App Store, and the guys over at engadget mobile have taken a look at what the iPhone application has to offer.
Quickoffice for the iPhone application is priced a tad expensive at $19.99but is does offer up several luxuries the business minded may not wish to live without.
Quickoffice for iPhone delivers real editing for Word docs, text files and Excel spreadsheets and a robust file management system along with JPEG and PDF viewer, but to get the best from this in-depth review just follow the link for all the info and images.
What Age Attracts the iPhone Most?
Most would think that the iPhone attracts the younger generation of mobile phone users, somewhere between the ages of 18 and 24 perhaps, but according to an article on Intomobile, this is not the case.
The findings of a new report by Nielson has shown that iPhone age use seems quite a varied affair, but rather than the iPhone being a mass attraction to the younger generation it looks to be more attractive to the mid life range of users in the age bracket of 35 to 54.
Not that it makes a real difference what age uses an iPhone, but it does appear than the iPhone isn't a technology limited to just the young.
BlackBerry Messenger Getting A Serious Overhaul
BlackBerry Messenger hasn’t really been significantly updated since it first came out years ago, however, judging by these pictures of an updated BlackBerry Messenger found over on BGR, the new BlackBerry to BlackBerry instant messaging platform has been completely overhauled.
Here is a list of just a few of the new features and enhancements:
- Avatar support — set your own avatar using the Camera or saved photo on your device (this is displayed locally as well as shown next to your Messenger name on your friend's buddy list)
- GPS location integration — you can now set permissions so friends can always see your location, have to request it each time, or never can see it
- Proximity sensor — we're guessing this will let you know if you're within a certain distance of friends (pending, of course, you're both set to share locations freely with each other)
- Set conversation subjects — this will allow you to organize your convos on the main Messenger screen and label them with subjects to keep track of all your conversations
- Homescreen support — you can pin/sticky actual Messenger contacts directly to the homescreen for easy access!
I know that this is probably just wishful thinking but how great would it be if RIM offered a desktop client for BlackBerry Messenger? I’ll save the for another post.
Google Wave: How good is it for mobile smartphones?
Last week at the Google I/O conference, Google gave plenty of info on the next generation Android smartphones, but they also announced Google Wave, a new communications and collaboration tool which is under development reports courierpress.
Everyone uses instant messaging and email, and Google Wave looks to combine the teo and add even more. The basis of Google Wave is the user can create a "wave" to discuss a topic with numerous friends, colleagues and family.
The "wave" is a collaborative document and conversation used by several people at the same time and includes videos, maps, photos, rich text and chat, and anyone in the collaboration can edit, and reply on the wave.
Developers will be able to build applications into Google Wave such as Facebook and games such as Suduko and Mafia Wars. Google Wave isn't available yet but it's due later this year or early next year; however, I'm not too sure just how well it will do for mobile smartphones.
Protect Your BlackBerry Storm, Bold, Or Curve 8900 With iSkin Vibes For BlackBerry
iSkin, makers of the popular iSkin Solo and Solo FX form fitting body guards for the iPhone, today, introduced iSkin Vibes for BlackBerry for the BlackBerry Storm, Bold, and Curve 8900.
I personally carry my BlackBerry around in my pocket so I am always looking for good skins to offer a little protection. I’ve heard iPhone users rave about the Solo so I may have to check out the Vibe for my BlakcBerry Storm.
Read the press release after the jump…
Sizzling Style and Amazing Protection Combine in the New iSkin Vibes and Vibes FX for BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900, BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry® Storm™
TORONTO, Canada – June 11, 2009 — iSkin Inc. today introduced the iSkin Vibes and Vibes FX: a new line of protectors that delivers fashion, style and the legendary iSkin protection for the popular BlackBerry Curve (8900), Blackberry Bold (9000), and Blackberry Storm (9500).
Taking its styling cues from the successful iSkin solo/solo FX for iPhone, the iSkin Vibes/Vibes FX are form-fitting BodyGuards that perfectly encapsulate the BlackBerry and shields it from everyday hazards. Its impressive list of design and protective features includes: a protective ultra-clear screen film, built-in button and port coverage, and a non-slip surface finish that feels comfortable and helps stabilize the device when placed on angled surfaces. It's also the first product of its kind to feature Microban®* antimicrobial protection (to inhibit the growth of odor and stain causing bacteria on the product).
iSkin Vibes for the BlackBerry Storm and Blackberry Curve are available in five dazzling high-gloss color options, while iSkin Vibes for BlackBerry Bold is available in four sleek color options accented with a chic leather pattern to reflect the phones' unique design. BlackBerry Curve owners can also upgrade to the iSkin Vibes FX, which features a chic embossed designer pattern, and includes a special screen film that doubles as a mirror while the device’s display is off.
iSkin Vibes and Vibes FX are available now at www.iskin.com, and retail for $29.99US (Vibes) and $32.99US (Vibes FX).
For additional iSkin Vibes or Vibes FX information, contact Kristian Ward, iSkin Marketing Manager at marketing@iSkin.com, or visit www.iSkin.com. Follow us on twitter.com/iSkininc.
About iSkin Inc.
iSkin Inc. designs and delivers an inspired line of accessories, enhancements and solutions for the thriving Digital Lifestyle marketplace. Setting the standard for cool since 2002, iSkin gives its customers around the world an unmatched blend of design, technology, quality, fashion, selection and service.
The Trademarks BlackBerry® Curve™, BlackBerry® Bold™, and BlackBerry® Storm™ are owned by Research In Motion Limited and registered in the United States and may be pending or registered in other countries. iSkin Inc. is not endorsed, sponsored, affiliated with or otherwise authorized by Research In Motion Limited.
* MICROBAN is a registered trademark of Microban Products Company.
iPhone 3G S vs Palm Pre: Total Cost of Ownership
The up front cost of mobile phones isn't the only thing to consider when going purchasing your mobile handset for example there is the "total cost of ownership," and we have a "total cost of ownership" on the iPhone 3G S, Palm Pre and T-Mobile G1 as reckoned by billshrink.
Setting aside the T-Mobile G1, the more important comparison is between the two giants who are battling it out for supremacy, the 3G S against the Palm Pre, although the comparison with the G1 is still there to see.
Basically the bottom like in this particular comparison is that dollar for dollar the Palm Pre is the better option, but then again is it the better handset?
New Premium BlackBerry Theme Form Elecite
The folks over at elecite.com have put out a new premium BlackBerry theme, Noble, for the BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Storm, and BlackBerry Curve 8900.
Noble was designed for maximum daily use. It's one of those themes you'll stick with for a while due to its simplicity, color choice and of course the practicality. It features 3 icons at the top, media, clock and mail/messages. At the bottom, you have calendar and 2 (up & down) icons which will bring up/hide a nice transparent pop-up window with 9 customizable icons (8 for Bold and 8900).
Noble will set you back $6.99 and you can pick it up over at elecite.com.
Apple Design Annual Awards ceremony: iPhone and Apps Celebrated
The Annual Apple Design Awards acknowledge both Mac and iPhone applications, and is judges by a team of engineers inside Apple. This year 65 engineers judged the entries to find just a handful of winners' reports macworld.
The criteria for winning included technology integration & adoption, connectedness, localization, technological innovation, performance tuning & optimisation, and design & quality.
Winners were…iPhone… Best iPhone Student App - Wooden Labyrinth 3D…Best iPhone OS 3.0 Beta App - Intermap Technologies's AccuTerra…iPhone Developer Showcase awards - atebits's Twitter-client Tweetie and Topple 2, by ngmoco, and MLB.com At Bat 2009.
The iPhone 3G S Is No Big Deal
I don’t know… Maybe it is just me, but, I was expecting more from the iPhone 3G S. Is a better camera and MMS enough to make you replace the 3G you bought just last year? Has anything been added to the 3G S that will make that BlackBerry user that was holding out say “Now I am ready to get an iPhone”?
Personally I think that the Palm Pre will cause more trouble for RIM than the iPhone 3G S, but, that is for another post. I do believe, however, that the price drop on the iPhone 3G means that we will see a ‘ginormous’ number of iPhones sold this summer and that is probably a bigger problem for RIM than the technology in the iPhone 3G S.
Poll: Will you switch from 3G to new iPhone 3G S?
There are so many mixed reactions at the moment with the all new Apple iPhone 3G S and of course OS 3.0 software, the announcement of the new iPhone and software came last night and with the price cut of the current 3G model we was wondering if people will stay with the current 3G version.
We was on the ball last night with WWDC 2009 last night and must say we are happy at some things and pretty disappointed about some things, ok so launching applications will be better and the new iPhone 3G S will be much faster, it does indeed have a better camera but is this enough?
O2 still has exclusivity in the UK and if you are already on a contract with your iPhone you will have to pay what's left running on your contract; for example if you still have 6-months left running you have to pay the full six months before upgrading to the new iPhone 3G S, so this could possibly mean many will opt out of the early upgrade.
Prices for an 18-month contract for the new phone will cost you £184.98 for the 16GB version and £274.23 for the 32GB version.
Ok the new iPhone does feature the likes of digital compass, voice recognition, improved data speeds, much better battery life, faster web browsing, ability to record and upload video to YouTube, data encryption, better graphics, five hours of talk time and nine hours of internet surfing and video camera but is this enough?
The new iPhone goes on sale in the UK on 19th of June and the 8GB iPhone 3G which will cost $99 from 19 June in the U.S, this price cut will not apply in the UK.
The all new software OS 3.0 will feature the likes of cut, copy and paste, tethering, upgrade to Safari and improvements in search and a few other bits. Please answer our poll below and get you vote in please.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.iPhone 3.0 Reviews
Apple has said that their will definitely be speaking in-depth at WWDC 2009 about iPhone OS 3.0 upgrade, states an article over on informationweek.
The iPhone OS 3.0 upgrade is a fairly significant milestone for the Apple iPhone as it should plug many of the weaknesses in the software and delivers more opportunities to developers to develop innovative applications.
One of the main beneficiaries of the iPhone OS 3.0 upgrade will be the enterprise market as software developers will be able to extend corporate programs to the Apple iPhone. The director of product management at Sybase, Senthil Krishnapillai, has said that the iPhone is the first dual-purpose device to be used safely in an enterprise.
GlobeJot iPhone app acts as travel organizer
Just in time for those traveling to San Francisco for next week's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC): Danilo Campos on Wednesday announced the release of GlobeJot, a new iPhone and iPod touch application that acts as a travel organizer. It costs $8 and is available for download from the App Store. Campos likens GlobeJot to "those gorgeous little leather travel journals of a forgotten age." The software tracks flight data, reservations, activities and checklists. It can store addresses and coordinates for instant one-tap viewing in the Maps application, and provides similar functionality for calling airlines and hotels to check on reservations.
GlobeJot's main "Dashboard" interface can be customized with the data you want. GlobeJot supports TripIt, the Web-based travel itinerary and trip planning service—you can import flights, reservations and activities from TripIt into GlobeJot.
GlobeJot lets you plan multiple trips, and helps you develop lists of all the things you want or need to do while you're traveling. These lists can be sorted by name, priority or cost.
Requirements call for iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later.
Facebook For BlackBerry Smartphones 1.6 Goes Live
Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones 1.6 will be available for download this evening at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.
Some of the highlights and new features include:
- Status updates and highlights on the home page – you can now view your friends' most recent status updates right on the home page. Highlights like photo uploads and wall posts are just a click away and you can comment on a photo, poke a friend, etc. right from the home page.
- Wall access from within Facebook for BlackBerry – with one click on your friend's profile picture from the home page, you can access their wall without having to go to the mobile site.
- Photo viewing in a simple, easy-to-use slideshow format – check out your friends' latest photo albums with improved photo viewing, and view albums in a simple and easy-to-use slideshow format. Just scroll back and forth through the thumbnails along the bottom to display the larger picture in the center of the screen.
- Facebook for BlackBerry 1.6 will also support three new languages:
- Thai
- Indonesian
- European Portuguese
You should be able to download Facebook for BlackBerry 1.6 directly to your device via BlackBerry App World or by pointing your device’s BlackBerry Broswer to www.blackberry.com/facebook.
Microsoft Natal, Sony PSPgo, iPhone Rumors, E3 2009, Palm Pre Launch
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Verizon Officially Announces BlackBerry Pearl Flip: Available Jun 19th
- Verizon Officially Announces BlackBerry Pearl Flip: Available Jun 19th
- Kompass: Universal BaseCamp Portal For The BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, And WinMo
- ÜberTwitter Beta 3 Being Readied For Release
Verizon Officially Announces BlackBerry Pearl Flip: Available Jun 19th
Posted: 04 Jun 2009 08:43 AM PDT
Verizon Wireless and Research in Motion today announced that the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 will be available on Verizon’s network starting Friday, June 19th. We figured that it wouldn’t be to long before some type of official announcement about the Pearl Flip would be made seeing how pictures of the device taken in Verizon stores started appearing on the web yesterday.
The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 is the CDMA version of RIM’s first BlackBerry Flip Phone that first appeared on T-Mobile last year. Verizon will charge $129.99 with a 2-year activation plan after a $70 mail-in rebate.
You can read the full press release here..
Kompass: Universal BaseCamp Portal For The BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, And WinMo
Posted: 04 Jun 2009 08:19 AM PDT
We just heard that Bryte Software is working on a Basecamp client for the BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile called Kompass for Basecamp and that they are accepting Beta testers.
If you don’t know what Basecamp is, go here, or, if you want to try to become a beta tester of Kompass for Basecamp, go hear.
I am going to go out on a limb and guess that this Kompass will become a pretty popular BlackBerry application once it is released.
If you get into the Kompass for Basecamp beta, stop back by and let us know what you think…
ÜberTwitter Beta 3 Being Readied For Release
Posted: 04 Jun 2009 07:53 AM PDT
ÜberTwitter Beta 3 is being readied for release with a slew of new features and deepened support of Twitter. One major change is that ÜberTwitter will randomly add advertising to the time line in order to remain free, however, a premium version that disables the advertising will become available once the final version of ÜberTwitter is released.
After the jump you will find a list of features and bug fixes planned for inclusion in ÜberTwitter Beta 3.
- Cleaned up and modernized the user interface
- DONE! Greatly reduced battery drain!
- DONE! Merge of both @Replies/Mentions as well as Direct Messages into your timeline
- DONE! Integrated BlackBerry Maps when viewing a Tweet, works just like the myloc.me web site. This will view the location of the tweet if it includes a ‘myloc.me’ or ‘mypic.me’ or ‘myvid.me’ URL, OR will use the location in the profile if it includes a latitude/longitude pair. This includes support for the iphone twitter clients which routinely put the geolocation in the Twitter profile location field! Click on the screenshot below for a detailed view.
- DONE! When viewing a tweet which contains a latitude/longitude pair in the location field we will now provide the ‘human readable’ address of that location, also works for iPhone geolocations in the Twitter profile location field.
- In order to keep ÜberTwitter free we are adding advertisements to the timelines, these will appear randomly in the timelines, please support our advertisers so we can continue to develop and distribute ÜberTwitter free of charge. Note that for the final release we will have a paid version available with no advertising.
- Search for people like the ‘Find People’ feature on the Twitter web site
- Support for the shrinking your tweet through an integration with TweetShrink.com. This will be an option when composing your tweet.
- Option for automatic URL shortening.
- Added a ‘Copy’ menu item so you can copy/paste entire tweets into other BlackBerry applications
- DONE! Timeline scrolling is MUCH snappier!
- DONE! When viewing a DM, the only reply option is with another DM
- DONE! Added touch screen gestures for the Storm to go to the top and bottom of the timeline.
- DONE! Fixed bug where the selected tweet in a timeline was basically ‘random’ when the timeline was updated. The currently selected tweet will now remain selected after adding tweets to the timeline.
- DONE! At the bottom of all timelines there is a row that says ‘Load More’ which will retrieve older tweets for that timeline.
- DONE! Fixed bug where the location being reported was ’stuck’ to a previous location.
- Added a Terms and Conditions screen to the setup configuration.
- DONE! Resolved bug where the small gray time of tweet text would sometimes overwrite the other text in a tweet.
- DONE! Added support for tweets that contain Moby Pictures (mobypicture.com)
[Source]
Phones Review
- Real or Fake: Is this image the new iPhone 2009?
- Images of Microsoft Planned Retail Store
- Palm Pre: More In The Wild Shots
- Canada’s Rogers Wireless offers new 15GB data plan
- Palm Pre Pros and Cons: Media Reviews, Premarket Shares
- BlackBerry Pearl Flip on Verizon showing in stores
- Could this be the Sony Ericsson X2 smartphone?
- Garmin Asus Android Phone coming Q1 of next year?
- Nokia 5630 XpressMusic Rolls Out Across Europe
- Video: Walt Mossberg Compares Palm Pre against the iPhone
- Computex 2009: Best Choice award goes to Mio Explora K75
- The Open Mobile Summit, 10-11 June 09: Mobile and Media world-leaders
- WWDC 2009 Insight Expectations: New Apple iPhone nano and Macbooks
- 1 GHz Acer F1 Smartphone, L1 and C1 coming after
- New iPhone OS 3.0: Ads will be context-specific and user-specific
| Real or Fake: Is this image the new iPhone 2009? Posted: 04 Jun 2009 07:18 AM PDT A couple of new images reportedly to be from Apple's development web server showing pages of the new iPhone 2009 that most expect to be unveiled at next week's WWDC 2009 have been posted by Italian website spaziocellulare. They note a front facing camera which is presumed to be of the much rumoured Mobile iChat and Voice Memos application from iPhone 3.0.
Obviously there is no real way of confirming these images are real or fake so for the moment we'll simply just treat them as possible shots of the new iPhone 2009. |
| Images of Microsoft Planned Retail Store Posted: 04 Jun 2009 07:04 AM PDT There have been whispers of a Microsoft Retail Store, and it would appear that techradar has come up with some proof that it is coming, as they post several spy shots of this new Microsoft Retail Store. As one can tell, the Microsoft Retail Store has an open and friendly appearance much like that of Apple stores. This representation is a 1/18 scale model of what the Microsoft Retail Store will look like.
There is also an image which indicates that this new Microsoft store will be called 'Windows Mobilization Flagship Environment.' |
| Palm Pre: More In The Wild Shots Posted: 04 Jun 2009 06:51 AM PDT It's not long until that June 6th Palm Pre launch but there have been a few "in the wild" images of Sprint employees using the Pre, and there have been a couple more of these images captured says everythingpre. Apparently, two of their forum members managed to persuade a Best Buy employee into allowing them some personal hands-on time with a Palm Pre.
They say unfortunately the Pre wasn't activated so basically their time was with just the hardware and no glimpse of that Palm Pre webOS to speak of. |
| Canada’s Rogers Wireless offers new 15GB data plan Posted: 04 Jun 2009 06:35 AM PDT According to an article on iphoneincanada, as of the 16th of June 2009 all existing and new Rogers Wireless customers will be eligible for a new Rogers data plan. The new Rogers data plan includes 15GB of data and will cost $150 a month and is geared towards heavy data users and the Rogers Mobile Internet Stick. This new plan is available on monthly or 1 year, 2year or 3 year contract terms and supports mobile handsets such as all BlackBerry's, all iPhones, smartphones, Mobile Internet Sticks and HTC handsets. |
| Palm Pre Pros and Cons: Media Reviews, Premarket Shares Posted: 04 Jun 2009 06:17 AM PDT Seems like the Palm Pre is getting the big thumbs up according to Reuters, oh yes Mr Walt Mossberg from WSJ’s raves about it, Shares are up 2 percent in premarket and predictions say it will be a tough competitor to Apple Inc’s iPhone. The Palm Pre smartphone is getting nearer its release, yes only 1 day, 10 hours and 57 minutes to go, and it seems it is getting really good and positive reviews. It has been given the big thumbs up by several newspapers for its shape, how the touchscreen controls works with the physical keyboard and the ability to run many applications at once. Ok there are a few problems such as the concerns for battery life, and the lack of applications, but hey that is not bad. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Walt Mossberg said that the Pre will come up against tough competition such as the new iPhone, he said "”I consider the Pre to be potentially the strongest rival to iPhone to date, provided it attracts lots of third-party apps, which it sorely lacks at launch,” David Pogue, New York Times reviewer said that the Palm Pre had all the features for an advanced smartphone, he said “The hard part is making it all feel simple and unified — over all, Palm nailed it,” Pogue also said that opening certain programs can be very slow, “sometimes eight or nine seconds” and bemoaned the fact that there was no progress bar or hourglass to let you know it's still working.” About the Premarket shares: Shares are up by 3 percent in premarket which is now trading to $12.90, The Palm Pre was first unveiled January 8th and shares have quadrupled since then. |
| BlackBerry Pearl Flip on Verizon showing in stores Posted: 04 Jun 2009 05:11 AM PDT According to Crackberry this image was posted by a member of Crackberry forums and is said to be a dummy version of the Verizon branded BlackBerry Pearl Flip sitting in a Verizon Wireless store. Apparently according to the member's source marketing materials and actual BlackBerry Pearl Flip handset are now beginning to find their way into retail location. If true then this signifies that the availability of the Verizon branded BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone is not too long away, and I can't see why it shouldn't be a real image as it is about time Verizon had these in their stores. |
| Could this be the Sony Ericsson X2 smartphone? Posted: 04 Jun 2009 04:59 AM PDT According to engadget mobile, the mobile phone pictured is the new Sony Ericsson "Vulcan" smartphone, which you may well recognise more as the new Sony Ericsson X2. One would presume of course the Sony Ericsson X2 will replace the Sony Ericsson Xpreia X1 at some point in the not too distant future. The X Panel button can be made out in the image on the lower left front while a Windows key sits neatly in the upper left of the keyboard this adds to the credibility of this being the Sony Ericsson X2 as the X1 is the only device which supports it. |
| Garmin Asus Android Phone coming Q1 of next year? Posted: 04 Jun 2009 04:02 AM PDT According to pcworld Garmin-Asus has confirmed they plan on releasing their first Android platform smartphone “no later than the first quarter of next year.” Furthermore apparently an Asus executive also stated that this new Android smartphone may well show a bit earlier, but didn't speculate any further on the handset or what price it may command. Having said that, you just have to look at the Garmin Asus record for pushing out mobile phones on schedule such as the G60 nuviphone for example, did that ever arrive by the way, or are we still waiting on that one? |
| Nokia 5630 XpressMusic Rolls Out Across Europe Posted: 04 Jun 2009 03:49 AM PDT The latest word from allaboutsymbian on the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic is that the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic is now available across Europe. The Nokia 5630 XpressMusic is essentially an E52 clone with swapped out keyboard for a funkier design emphasizing the 5630 XpressMusic's music capabilities that we have come to expect in an XpressMusic handset. Feature wise the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic offers Symbian S60 3rd FP2, 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus, 3.5G, WiFi, advanced profile support and integrated Nokia Messaging. The Nokia 5630 XpressMusic carries a price tag of roughly €225, which is around the $360 mark. |
| Video: Walt Mossberg Compares Palm Pre against the iPhone Posted: 04 Jun 2009 03:35 AM PDT If anyone's going to get their hands on a new iPhone before WWDC 2009 it is probably going to be Walt Mossberg, not that we are confirming he has one of course. Mossberg has spoken on ptech about his views on the new iPhone and of course the Palm Pre of which he says…”Whether the Pre is better than the iPhone depends on your personal preferences, though I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features that could alter those calculations.” However, rather than me go on about what Walt had to say, you can watch his video of his impressions of the Palm Pre and iPhone below. |
| Computex 2009: Best Choice award goes to Mio Explora K75 Posted: 04 Jun 2009 03:09 AM PDT Out of all the 400 products from 170 makers at Computex 2009 at Taipei, the Best Choice Award in the Mobile category goes to the Mio Explora K75 reports gsmarena. The Mio Explora K75 runs Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system and has a 528 MHz CPU; there is a 3.5 inch display, 3 megapixel camera, GPS navigation, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, WiFi and microSD slot. The Mio Explora K75 mobile phone is quad-band GSM and tri-band HSPA, is 11.9mm thick with a weight of 115 grams and has a 4 hour Li-ion battery. The K75 GPS is in front of its rivals and was commended for best-in-class sensitivity and Mio's new Sprint Mobile navigation software. |
| The Open Mobile Summit, 10-11 June 09: Mobile and Media world-leaders Posted: 04 Jun 2009 02:53 AM PDT The Open Mobile Summit runs for the 10th to the 11th of June in London and will be attended by mobile and internet world leaders. The Open Mobile Summit conference explores the move to deliver the mobile internet and to open the mobile value chain. The Open Mobile Summit scheduled speakers are Executive Director of the Symbian Foundation, Lee Williams, the Vice President of Motorola, Christy Wyatt, Senior Vice President of RIM, Alan Brenner, President Business Area Mobility Services of TeliaSonera, Kenneth Karlberg, and Group Product & Innovation Officer of Deutsche Telekom, Christopher Schläffer. Also in attendance will be top executives from Google, Nokia, Vodafone, Acer, O2, LG, Yahoo, Orange, AKQA, France Telecom, Opera, Mozilla, Disney, Truphone, Glu Mobile, iPhone developers and Android User Group. |
| WWDC 2009 Insight Expectations: New Apple iPhone nano and Macbooks Posted: 04 Jun 2009 02:44 AM PDT We are going to give you the WWDC 2009 Insight Expectations, yes how about the New Apple iPhone nano and of course the Macbooks. Only a few more days and the big doors open at WWDC 2009 and what an event to excite, rumours this rumours that and plenty of expectations flying around at the moment, so what can we expect to hear at this special event? Well we know for a fact that there will be the announcement of iPhone 3.0 but there are a few more predictions such as the Macbooks and iPhone nano. The Cheap iPhone aka iPhone nano which is said to be a 4GB version, the name might change who knows, the iPhone can stay the same size but will lack in a few features we will have to wait and see, speculations say that this new iPhone will cost somewhere in the region of $99, we say a 4GB version is very good indeed because there are a lot of customers who never need big storage. Ok so what about the Macbooks: This is pure speculation via Apple Matters, the range will consist of three models which include the low-end 2.0GHz unibody at US$1299, the white 2.13GHz at US$999 and the high-end uni-body 2.4GHz at $1599. We will keep you posted on all the above and will be covering WWDC 2009 so sign up to our newsletter because you would not want to miss out on this. |
| 1 GHz Acer F1 Smartphone, L1 and C1 coming after Posted: 04 Jun 2009 02:35 AM PDT Acer has shown three mobile phones at Computex 2009 which are the Acer F1, Acer L1 and Acer C1 smartphones reports gsmarena. The Acer F1 smartphone will run Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system and feature a 1GHz processor, 3.8 inch WVGA display, 3G with HSDPA, GPS, FM radio, 5 megapixel camera and 3.5mm audio jack. The Acer F1 is expected to launch in September.
The Acer L1 is a mid range handset which will probably sport a slide out numeric keyboard, five-way navigation key to enable touch-less operation, an Acer designed user interface plug-in, and a 2.8 inch touch screen, again expected in September. Finally the Acer C1 will pack Windows Mobile 6.5 along with a 2.8 inch touch screen, 2 megapixel camera, and 528 MHz CPU. The Acer C1 is also expected to follow in September. However, Acer has not revealed any other details or prices. |
| New iPhone OS 3.0: Ads will be context-specific and user-specific Posted: 04 Jun 2009 02:19 AM PDT The highly anticipated new Apple iPhone OS 3.0 is definitely exciting many of us and all we hear about is what we can expect to see, we have already heard about the new iPhone 2009 getting video capabilities, digital compass, and matte finish back cover and so on and so on, roll on WWDC 2009. Well let's talk a little about iPhone ads: if you ask us the iPhone has one of the best operating systems in the smartphone world of which will only get better and better over a period of time, this is all about a new phase of innovation for mobile advertisers. Some interesting how to's:
There is loads of motivation to get iPhone ads right and we suggest AdMob knows this, Apple in fact makes up over 40 percent of their ad views which is way more than the likes of Windows, Android or even BlackBerry. iPhone ads will get better as so will all apps for the iPhone, just imaging what capabilities will lie in wait when we get iPhone OS 4.0 or 5.0 etc. For more information please visit Fast Company |
