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You know that PlayStation phone we've been hearing about for, well, seemingly forever? Engadget says it's finally happening in the form of Sony Ericsson-developed, Android-based hardware that's PSPgo-like in form. That long-rumored elusive PlayStation phone could even hit this year.

According to Engadget's report, that PlayStation branded phone will be based on the Android 3.0 platform, sport a 3.7 to 4.1 inch WVGA or better resolution screen, (possibly) a 5 megapixel camera and a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU.

For controls, the device is said to feature the PlayStation standard d-pad and face buttons, plus a "long touch pad" for analog controls. Hardware-wise, Engadget describes it as "a cross between the Samsung Captivate and the PSP Go" and probably much better looking than our mock-up.

On the games front, original PlayStation titles and PSP games like God of War and LittleBigPlanet are name-checked. Modern Warfare, which has never seen a PSone or PSP iteration, is also mentioned as a title "possibly on tap" for the device.

Much of that seems to match up with a Wall Street Journal report from earlier this year that heralded a Sony Ericsson released PlayStation phone some time in 2010.

If Sony Ericsson does have plans to unveil the long-rumored PlayStation phone, it has Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show still left to do it. With PSP game releases on the decline, the time may finally be right.

Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone [Engadget]

Rumor: Nintendo & Nokia Worked On A Phone Together

Sony and Google's rumoured partnership may be the gaming phone news of today, but sources speaking with Pocket Gamer reckon that a few years back, Nintendo was in bed with a phone company too.

That company was Nokia, and during the early 2000s the Finnish phone giant and Nintendo had plans to release a portable gaming device that doubled as a phone. These plans - with the device being worked on by Nintendo's R&D team in Japan - made it all the way up to Nintendo's board of directors before being binned.

Its deal with Nintendo coming to nothing, Nokia would then go on to release its own gaming/phone hybrid, the N-Gage, and, well. Yeah. It was rubbish.

No reason was given for why Nintendo backed out of the plan, but seeing as this would have taken place at the same time as planning for the DS, perhaps they wisely saw which of the two devices had a brighter future?

We're following up with Nintendo, and will update if we hear anything back.

Exclusive: Nokia Nintendo phone went through R&D at Nintendo HQ [Pocket Gamer]

NPD: Android is now top-selling OS in American smartphones

By Vlad Savov posted Aug 4th 2010 10:46AM

58diggsdiggStep aside, BlackBerrys and iPhones, the American consumer has voted with his wallet and picked Android as his favorite flavor in the quarter just gone. NPD's number crunchers have just announced their findings for Q2 2010, concluding that 33 percent of phones sold during the period had Android on board. This marks the first time in eons (Q4 2007, to be more precise) that RIM has not held the crown of most purchased smartphone OS on US soil, with its BlackBerrys accounting for 28% of the market and Apple's iPhone occupying third spot with 22%. Motorola and HTC are the key suspects fingered for Android's continuing ascent, with the "large screen allure" of their handsets playing well with the buying public. Skip after the break for a more detailed breakdown.

Vonage call app uses Facebook, no minutes

Vonage is giving Facebook users a way to call each other for free over iPhones, iPod Touches, iPads and Android devices.

The new Vonage Mobile for Facebook app lets users call their Facebook friends over both cellular and Wi-Fi connections for free. You just find a friend through your Facebook directory on the app and make a call. Both parties need to have the app to complete a call though you can also instant message with friends who have not signed up for the service.

The app doesn't use your cellular minutes but rather uses data. It pushes us further down the road toward Internet calling and upends some notions about calling a specific phone number. Here, you don't call a number, just a Facebook contact and their phone rings just like a normal call.

If you have international friends, this is an easy and cheap way to reach out to them. Skype also allows free calls between users but for most people, they have more friends on Facebook. And this is a community that already exists; you don't have to create a new identity to participate.

Owners of iPads and iPod Touches may also enjoy the app. Those devices don't have traditional phone features but this will help turn them into mobile phones of sorts, provided you have connectivity.

Vonage is looking at rolling out text messages and video calling down the road though those may include a fee. The rollout will also include more phone platforms and possibly more social networks as well.

This article appeared on page D - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/05/BUGN1EPETP.DTL#ixzz0vo61QiK8

Hackers release browser-based iPhone 4 jailbreak

(Credit: Steven Musil/CNET)

The unlocked iPhone 4 is now technically legal and technically possible.

Just days after the U.S. Copyright Office ruled that bypassing a manufacturer's protection mechanisms to allow "handsets to execute software applications" no longer violates federal copyright law, the iPhone Dev Team on Sunday released a jailbreak for the iPhone 4 at JailbreakMe.com.

Unlike previous jailbreaks, which required the device to be connected to a computer to run the update, the latest jailbreak is accomplished completely via mobile Safari loaded on the device. The browser-based software bypass reportedly works on all iOS devices, including iPhones, iPads, and iPods running iOS 4 and iOS 4.01, but it will reportedly not work on devices running the iOS 4.1 beta.

Also, some users report the jailbreak disrupts FaceTime and MMS functionality on the device.

However, as of this writing, demand for the jailbreak is apparently so popular that the site's servers can't keep up, and many visitors report difficulty in getting through.

Jailbreaking allows devices to run apps not approved by the company producing the operating system--such as Apple, the main target of such bypasses. Jailbreaking also allows devices to run devices to run on nonauthorized networks.

While the U.S. Copyright Office has declared the software legal, Apple discourages users from loading the bypass, reminding them that doing so will void their device's warranty. "As we've said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably," Apple said in a statement earlier this week.

Flashlight app secretly lets you enable iPhone tethering

courtesy of macworld

Handy Light, a newly-available flashlight app for the iPhone, isn’t actually a flashlight app at all—it’s a sneakily disguised tethering utility that lets you share your phone’s Internet connection with your laptop. In other words, it’s an app that’s surely not long for this world.

It’s not surprising that Handy Light managed to trick its way past Apple’s App Store reviewers. To enable tethering, you need to configure an ad-hoc wireless network on your Mac, connect the iPhone to it, tweak some network and proxy settings, launch the app, and then literally tap a coded sequence of flashlight colors. No one could possibly discover the hack by exploring; you need to read detailed step-by-step instructions to get it to work.

Of course, now that the instructions are live, the app surely soon won’t be. Like the $10 NetShare app—which was axed by Apple nearly two years ago, the $1 Handy Light shares your Internet connection without AT&T getting a cent (unless, with all that tethering, you go over your new data cap).

The only question now is when Apple will pull Handy Light from the store, and perhaps whether Steve Jobs will send some heavies to the developer’s house to deliver a knuckle sandwich.

Handy Light requires an iPhone running iOS 4.0 or later, and at least mildly lax moral standards.

Judge applies class action status to lawsuit against Apple, AT&T

The Associated Press reports a federal judge will allow a lawsuit filed against Apple and iPhone wireless carrier AT&T to proceed as a class action.

At issue is Apple's control over what applications can be installed to the iPhone as well as their exclusivity deal with AT&T. The lawsuit alleges actions taken by the two companies is hurting competition, says AP.

The lawsuit also claims the following, from the AP:

"Apple secretly made AT&T its exclusive iPhone partner in the U.S. for five years. Consumers agreed to two-year contracts with the Dallas-based wireless carrier when they purchased their phones, but were in effect locked into a five-year relationship with AT&T."

The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop Apple from selling iPhones locked into AT&T's network and more freedom for installing software to the smartphone.

Apple did comment to AP, disputing the impact on competition in the market.

ALSO: Consumer Reports won't recommend iPhone 4

By Brett Molina

courtesy of USAtoday

Steve Jobs' Magic Trick

Users report 'fault' on iPhone 4

courtesy of news.bbc.co.uk

The iPhone 4 integrates the antenna into the case

A number of users are reporting problems with their iPhone 4.

Apple's latest device went on sale on Wednesday, with hundreds of people queuing outside Apple's flagship store in central London for the launch.

The issue relates to the mobile phone signal, with users reporting a drop in signal strength when the phone is held.

The casing of Apple's latest phone is made of stainless steel, which also serves as its antenna.

Richard Warner, who bought his iPhone 4 on Wednesday morning, contacted BBC News, saying that he thought the phone was "useless in its current state".

"Apple have created a phone that has an antenna on the bottom left-hand side of the phone.

"This means that when you hold it in your left hand, the signal bars slowly fade until there is no signal," he wrote.

'Complaints'

A number of videos have been posted on video sharing site YouTube complaining about the reception issue.

One video had an American user running a speed test, with hands on and hands free.

In it, the user 'awington' says that, while holding the phone "it won't even run the test when I am holding the phone... once I let go, it makes a connection and runs the test.

"Hold it a second time, and the upload test will not start."

Social networking site Twitter was full of chatter, with numerous tweets on the reception problems.

The issue might stem from the way the integrated antenna is constructed. One section provides mobile reception, while another is for wi-fi.

Some users have speculated that touching the bottom of the phone bridges this gap, affecting signal strength.

However, it is not yet clear whether the problem affects all phones, or if the signal deteriorates when the phone is making a call or only when held in standby mode.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, he described the integrated antenna as "really cool engineering".

Apple has yet to make a comment on the current controversy surrounding the latest version of its popular phone

The complete guide to the iPhone's new OS

The new iOS 4 firmware update has arrived for newer iPhone and iPod Touch models. Here's what you need to know to get the most out of the new, improved operating system.

First off, have you actually upgraded? If not, here's how.

Afterwards, be sure to go to iTunes and download the apps updated for iOS 4. Now, let's look at what the new OS will do for your phone or iPod.

Multitasking and fast app switching
The big one. Here's how you try it.

1. Open the phone app
2. Hit the home button once, then open Safari and go to any site
3. Double tap the home button, which will bring up a little menu tray
4. Select one of the "open" apps to switch directly to it

You can also swipe left and right to scroll through the different "pages" of apps you have open. If your app is multitasking-enabled, it will resume exactly where you left off. Games will continue from pause mode, web pages will be where you left them, music will continuously play even while you're in another app, and so forth. The standard multitasking benefits.

So yes, this allows you to listen to Pandora in the background while you do other stuff. Well, as long as you grab that new version of Pandora. Strangely enough, YouTube backgrounding does not work, even though I remember specifically talks of that working. Not sure what happened there, or if the YouTube app needs an update.

The big picture is you can do a lot of stuff now that you couldn't do before. You can have a Skype phone call and use your phone simultaneously, have a GPS turn-by-turn navigation app keep your place and keep routing you even while you go and send a text message, or even just load up a web page and have it full in in the background while you go change a song.

To close a running app
Steve Jobs doesn't recommend that you even deal with closing running apps, because the phone will take care of it automatically. But if you want to shut off Pandora, or AIM, or anything else that's running in the background and giving you alerts or doing something you want to end, here's what you do.

1. Double tap the home button from any app
2. Press and hold on an app icon. The dismiss "minus" icon will pop up on each app and the icons will start shaking
3. Click the minus icon to kill an app. You can do so repeatedly for all the apps you want to close.
4. To get out of this mode, hit the home button

App folders
The hell of countless app screens is finally gone — or at least manageable in a sloppy way now. The folders in iOS 4.0 aren't perfect but they help organization just a bit and they're simple to use.

All you need to do is press-and-hold any app to trigger rearranging app icons and you'll be able to drag them onto each other to create folders. Done. Your iPhone will even automatically suggest a name for the folder based on the type of apps you're sticking in there (though you can change that with a tap).

Folders aren't exactly perfect though. They fit twelve apps, but only show tiny versions of 9. Once opened, folders show apps in rows of four — which leaves a net nine-app folder looking awkward once open. No matter though, we're content with being tossed at least a scrap here and hope that future iOS upgrades will address the some of the shortcomings of folders.

It's not surprising, but it's good to know that you can in fact stick folders into the dock.

Improved Mail features (mail threading)
We're glad to see that the Mail app received a bit of a feature makeover of sorts. All the new changes appear to be in response to complaints we've had our heard from other iPhone users.

The email threading feature is surprisingly solid. When you've got it turned on, emails will be grouped by replies — like in Gmail for example — and you'll see a little number indicator next to the most messages in your inbox to show you how long a thread is. Tap that most recent message and all others will pop up.

Speaking of Gmail! Those users will be happy to see that the "delete" button that shows up after a swipe has turned into an "archive" button. Makes things just a bit more logical.

We're also happy to see that there are now "smart" links in emails now. This means that you can tap on dates to add events to your calendar, press tracking numbers to pull up the UPS website, or open the Maps app when there's an address included.

And the best change to the Mail app? The long-awaited unified inbox. You can finally view emails by inbox or in one large dump. When replying to a message from the unified inbox, your iPhone will automatically use the correct email account.

If you receive an email from a person who has a picture in your contacts, you'll now see a tiny image of him or her in the corner. Kinda cute.

Note syncing
There is now an option to sync notes over-the-air with some email accounts—such as those through MobileMe.

New iPod multitasking controls
While you can no longer get a pop-up set of iPod controls by double-tapping the home button, you do have a decent replacement in the multi-tasking drawer. By swiping over to the very left of the drawer, you'll be able to access some minimal iPod controls next to the orientation lock. Play/pause, forward, back. It's just enough to make some quick adjustments to song selection, but we still miss the old pop-up-style controls a bit.

iBooks
That book e-reader program that's already out on iPad is coming to iPhone! (Yay.) But it's not built in. (Wha?) You have to hit the App Store and manually download the iBooks ap. It's free. Maybe for competitive purposes? Who knows.

In any case, you can sync ePub and PDF books directly from iTunes by using the iBooks section. If you have books in other formats other than ePub, use calibr to convert them.

Custom homescreen wallpapers
If you have an iPhone 3GS or a late-model iPod Touch, you can set backgrounds for your home screen. Like on the iPad. Here's how.

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Wallpaper
3. Tap on the two icons that represent your two current homescreen/lockscreen wallpapers
4. Choose a picture from either the Wallpapers list that Apple included, or use one of your own photos from your photo album
5. Decide whether you want it on your lock screen, your home screen, or Both
6. Hit the home button to see your new home screen

Unfortunately, iPhone 3G users don't get to have Wallpapers. But if you want those Lost wallpapers, here you go.

Digital zoom
Keep in mind that this is digital zoom, so the already-wanting quality of the iPhone 3G/3GS camera will get even worse when you go 5x bigger. This is no enhance, enhance, enhance magic.

But to do so, just open up the Camera app, tap somewhere on the middle of the screen and the slider will appear. Slide it right to zoom, left to un-crappify. Note, zooming doesn't work on videos, where you can only tap to focus, but not zoom.

Bluetooth keyboards
Pairing a Bluetooth keyboard — almost any Bluetooth keyboard, not just the slender Apple-branded kind — is as simple as pairing any other Bluetooth device. Turn the keyboard on, turn on Bluetooth, let your phone detect the keyboard, and tap a few numbers. Done. It works quite well, though it takes a while to get used to not having the on-scree keyboard pop-up while a Bluetooth one is connected.

Turn off cellular data
If you're traveling abroad and want to make sure you stick only to Wi-Fi, you can now turn off cell data. Go to Settings, General, and then Network.

Tethering
You can now tether your phone to your computer over USB or Bluetooth. But how? The first step is turning on tethering on your account, which you can do by going to att.com/mywireless and enrolling in the tethering plan. It's an extra $20 a month, and you get to share whatever data plan you have on your phone with your computer.

Charging an extra $20 just for the privilege of using the same data you're already using on another device seems seems pretty lame, but that's a gripe for another time.

iAds
What, you're in such a hurry to look at ads on your iPhone? You'll have to cool it for a bit, because the ads themselves aren't available until July 1. What you can do, though, is opt-out of the targeting portion of the ads by going to oo.apple.com, but that isn't live until July 1 either.

Making playlists on your phone
You can do this now! Just hit the "Add New Playlist" from your playlists screen, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Quick Web, Wikipedia search
Swipe left from the home screen to get to the quick search area, where it now brings up not just local results, but gives you web and wikipedia links as well.

Speed
This isn't exactly something you "try", but compared to 3.1.3, iPhone 4 (on a 3GS) is definitely faster. Everything is snappier and quite fluid. Any of the sluggishness found in the betas is definitely gone.

New contacts screen
Adding a new contact is streamlined so that you don't need to keep jumping to a new input page in order to add a field, making everything just slightly faster.

Sync Events, Faces and Places from iPhoto
If you use iPhoto, you can sync discrete Faces, Events and Places from within iTunes, making it easier than setting up a hack-workaround album solution that doesn't work quite as well as Apple's native feature.

Spellcheck
There's a built-in spellchecker, which is useful, unless you're deliberately going for misspelled words in an ironic text, then it's horrifyingly annoying.

Search with Yahoo or Bing
Under Settings, Safari, Search Engine, you can change your default search engine to one of the non-Google alternatives, if you're the type of person who likes those engines more.

Send full-sized, any-sized photos when you're emailing
No longer do you have to sync your iPhone to your computer to get full-sized photos off of it. You can also have the option of resizing to a small, medium or large size, in case it's something you don't need super clarify for.

SMS character count, MMS disabling, searching
Like the Mail app, the Messaging app got a few new features. For the most part the changes are minor — there are now options to toggle off MMS and grouping of messages with multiple recipients as well as a character count. The best new feature though is the SMS search. It's not really different from any other search in the iOS. It simply live-updates results as you keep adding to your query.

Easier adjustment of location services

Now with apps being able to grab and use your location in the background, there might be multiple apps knowing where you are at the same time. The locations menu lets you keep track of who's used your data in the last 24 hours, or if you want, you can shut off location for certain apps entirely.

Better enterprise support

There's a small segment of you that will care about this, but the iPhone OS 4 can do a bunch of Enterprise stuff. And here it is, courtesy of Ars Technica:

• You can now encrypt your e-mail or attachments with your iPhone PIN code. The API for this is also available to developers so that you will be able to encrypt data inside of third-party apps as well.
• Apple now offers a mobile device management solution so that someone deploying lots of iPhones within a company can manage them.
• Wireless app distribution: no longer do you have to deploy apps across your company's iPhones with a physical connection. You can distribute apps to anywhere in the world from your own servers.
• As we mentioned in the Mail section, you can now have multiple Exchange accounts on a single phone.
• There's now support for Exchange Server 2010.
• There's now also support for SSL VPN.

Improved lock codes

For the frustrated and paranoid, Apple has finally added an option to toggle from four-digit "simple passcodes" to longer alphanumeric lockcodes.

Custom dictionaries
You can now finally stop telling people to go "duck" themselves because they're such "ducking" idiots by adding your favorite terms to a custom dictionary. The only stupid thing is that the option to edit a dictionary only appears if you add a foreign keyboard in the "International Keyboards" menu.

Cosmetic changes
Plenty of minor cosmetic changes in iOS 4. A few settings — like the Spotlight search customization — are now easier to find and some app icons are just a tiny bit prettier. A few of the changes are actually useful though, such as the ability to finally view your Photo Roll in a horizontal orientation and YouTube in a vertical one.

How it runs on iPhone 3G
There's no multitasking in iOS 4 for the iPhone 3G. (Or wallpapers or Bluetooth keyboard support.) Which would be fine, if iOS 4 delivered that other thing iPhone 3G owners really wanted: speed. It's no faster than OS 3.1. The hangups, the stuttering and the chugging, still make the iPhone 3G kind of infuriating to use, or at least make you really want to buy a new iPhone.

But iOS 4 still makes it a better experience overall: The unified inbox and folders alone make it worth the jump. After all, it's not any worse than 3.1.

What we still didn't get (and want in iOS 5)
SMS tone customization. Seriously! C'mon!'

• Facebook integration, or any kind of cloud-contact syncing
• iTunes cloud streaming, direct from an iTunes.com
• Better multitasking, because only having four icons visible at once is arbitrarily clumsy. Why swipe through so many apps to find the one to "quickly" switch to
• A solution to the modal popup problem. I don't want to be locked out of what I'm doing whenever I get an IM
• Widgets in the multitasking tray
• A lock screen that shows email count, IM count, SMS count and other info to be determined by the user
• Home screen widgets even
• Free turn-by-turn application (Android can do it, why not one for iPhone)
• Ability to remove Apple's default apps
• Horizontal homescreen
• Ability to disable spotlight searching entirely, for both privacy reasons and for clumsy-swiping reasons
• iChat mobile, with FaceTime on iPhone 4 somehow worked in to video chat with desktops
• A "mark all as read" or "select all" button in the Mail app would be nice.
• Email account specific email signatures could help us avoid forcing our work signature on all our personal email accounts.

Copyright 2010 by Gizmodo.com

iPhone 101: Getting started with iOS 4

Google Voice is now open to everyone, no invites required

courtesy of betanews

Google Voice, the popular and often controversial VoIP, voicemail, and messaging service from Mountain View search giant Google is now open for anyone in the U.S. to use.

Previously, you could only open a Google Voice account if you received an invitation from a user already participating in the program.

In May, Google opened the program to anybody with a .edu mail account, giving students and educators a shot at it.

But with already over one million users in the invitation-only version, Google has opened Voice to anyone.

"We're proud of the progress we've made with Google Voice over the last few years, and we're still just scratching the surface of what's possible when you combine your regular phone service with the latest web technology. It's even more amazing to think about how far communication has come over the last couple hundred years," Google said today.

To sign up for Google Voice, click here

Woman gets iPwned!

With everyone talking about the new iPhone selling like crazy, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit an old video. When the first iPhone was released (2G BABY!!!), there was a high demand for them. Therefore AT&T put a one-iPhone-per-customer-policy in effect to prevent people from buying a lot of them and then selling them on ebay (you know who you are). This lady obvious didn't get the memo.

Verizon's Droid X: Everything There is to Know

courtesy of PCWorld

Well, gang, it's official: The next Droid is almost here.

Verizon confirmed the existence of a new Motorola-made Android phone called the Droid X on Thursday. A newly launched section of Verizon's Web site teases the device, showing an image of the phone along with the caption: "The Next Generation of Does: Droid Does."

Verizon's site says the Droid X has a 4.3-inch display, HDMI output, and the ability to capture 720-pixel video. (The site originally said "720p screen" but was later changed, presumably as a clarification, to say "captures 720p.")

The new info falls in line with a Verizon Wireless media event scheduled for next Wednesday, June 23 -- yes, the day before that other high-profile smartphone will be released. Executives from Verizon, Google, Motorola, and Adobe are all slated to speak at the invitation-only affair, entitled "Unleashing the Next Generation of Droid."

Officially, that's all we know. Unofficially, there's a whole other world of information.

Verizon's Droid X: The Rumors

Photos and specs of the Droid X have been floating around the blogosphere for some time. Previously referred to as the "Droid Xtreme" and "Droid Shadow," the phone is rumored to have a 1GHz processor along with either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel camera.

As for software, the Droid X is believed to run Android 2.2, the newest version of Google's mobile operating system. Android 2.2 has yet to become widely available on existing Android devices, though numerous phones are expected to receive the upgrade soon (see my Android 2.2 upgrade list to check your phone's status).

Unlike AT&T's "modified" Android devices, it's probably safe to assume the Droid X won't give you a locked-down, limited version of the Android experience -- in fact, it looks like it might even present functionality not previously seen on the platform. Multiple leaks suggest the Droid X boasts a modified version of Motorola's Motoblur Android interface. The Web site droid-life.com published what appear to be outlines for a series of Verizon Droid X commercials detailing new multimedia features built into the interface. One feature, apparently called "EyeCon," would let you watch multimedia files from the phone on any device in your home.

The info keeps on comin': The crew from Engadget allegedly got their hands on a Droid X handset earlier this week. They didn't say how they got it, but if past events are any indication, I'm guessing it was found in a bar, a gym, or somewhere in Lady Gaga's hair.

Image courtesy Engadget.comIn their preview, the Engadget guys say the Droid X is longer and wider than HTC's EVO 4G Android phone, with four physical buttons on its face (as opposed to the EVO's touch-sensitive alternatives). Engadget reports that the phone has no physical keyboard but does come preloaded with the Swype virtual-typing utility as well as a new "multitouch typing" option for its onscreen keyboard.

According to droid-life.com, the Droid X will go on sale July 19. The site says Verizon stores were recently notified they'd be opening early on that day.

Another New Verizon Droid?

So far, Verizon's made no mention of any other new Droids aside from the Droid X. Amidst the blog-driven leaks, however, there's word of a possible second Droid on the way, too.

Image courtesy droid-life.comThe other device, generally called the "Droid 2" (although also referred to as the "Droid Shadow" at times -- confused yet?), has popped up in newly vivid pictures over the past several days. Unlike the Droid X, this device appears to have a slideout keyboard and look a bit more like the original Motorola Droid phone.

The Droid 2 is rumored to have a 3.7-inch screen and a 750MHz or 1GHz processor, along with either 8GB or 2GB of internal storage. The phone is also believed to have a 5-megapixel camera, though it's not expected to have an HDMI port.

Remember: Aside from the first few paragraphs at the top of this story, all this info is still technically rumor and speculation. We'll see next week what really pans out.

Finally, if all of these specs excite rather than overwhelm or bore you, congratulations: You may be a certified Android fanboy. You'd have to take the official Android fanboy quiz to know for sure, of course, but it's a step in the right direction.

Contributing Editor JR Raphael writes the new Android Power blog at Computerworld. You can find him on Facebook or at eSarcasm, his geek-humor getaway.

iPhone Hacked to Run Android 2.2

courtesy of wired.com



If you are stuck with an old iPhone but wish you had an Android device, there’s a way to combine the two, creating a smartphone with the body of the former and the brains of the latter.

A recent hack shows how to run the latest version of Google’s mobile OS, Android 2.2 aka FroYo, on Apple’s iPhone 3G. The mod still has a few bugs and isn’t stable enough for everyday use, but it’s a first step towards creating a hacked Android operating system for the iPhone.

Android 2.2 isn’t widely available on devices yet. Google made the operating system official last month, and while it’s available to developers, it hasn’t made it to many customers. A few Nexus One users are the only ones to have gotten the upgrade.

This is not the first time someone has attempted to port the Google-designed Android operating system onto an iPhone. Last month, a PC World editor documented his progress in getting the Android OS onto his Apple phone.

DIYers are now boldly modding phones so they are not limited by what smartphone makers offer. For instance, some intrepid smartphone users have hacked their Windows Mobile phones to run Android, giving them a new OS without any expense. It also offers access to new features and to applications in the Android Market.

The latest Android-iPhone isn’t as sophisticated. It only allows the modified iPhone to send text messages and make calls. It does not support Wi-Fi and the phone can get hot in just a few minutes of use.

And as the video makes it clear, it is really not to be attempted at this point unless you are a developer or a curious tinkerer. But as a proof of concept, it’s pretty amazing.



Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/06/iphone-hacked-android-froyo/#ixzz0qJ0A5kah

Re-branded Tweetie now available as Twitter for iPhone

courtesy of MacWorld.com

Ever since the announcement thatTwitter was acquiring Loren Brichter’s company Atebits and its flagship program Tweetie to create an official iPhone application, everyone’s been waiting to see the result. Wait no longer: Twitter for iPhone is now available on the U.S. store.

The app, simply called Twitter, became available in the U.S. on Wednesday after scattered reports the previous day regarding the app’s availability in other countries. According to Twitter, this update and rebranding isn’t just a name change—”we’ve added a bunch of new stuff.” Sadly, one of the features notadded was an iPad-specific version; you’ll have to continue using it in super-sized fashion.

While the new app has kept most of Tweetie’s overall appearance, the search page has been completely revamped. Searching tweets and users has been simplified into one screen, and you now have the option to search phrases in and around your location.

Twitter’s Top Tweets has also made it to the Search page, featuring a side-scrollable box where you can read the latest featured tweets from celebrities and thinkers. Further down on the page, users can browse trends and see suggested users.

There are a couple of few miscellaneous fixes, too: changing tweet rendering in the app to match the way it looks on Twitter.com, and the addition of a Retweet button on the main actions bar.

For those without a Twitter account, searching, browsing users, trending information, and top tweets are still available within the app at the launch screen. If they like what they see, users can sign up within the account itself, and even pick who to follow through the Suggested Users list.

Current Tweetie users can upgrade to 3.0 by checking the update section of the App Store, while new users can download the free application directly from iTunes. Twitter is compatible with all iPhone OS devices running 3.0 or later.

WiiMote used to play game on iPhone

Cell Phone Comparisons

Sanwa Waterproof Bag takes the iPhone out to sea safely Sanwa Waterproof Bag takes the iPhone out to Sea Safely

courtesy of dvice via Sanwa

Whether you are a techie fisherman or simply a savvy beach bum, the new Waterproof Bag for the iPhone and iPod Touch is probably something you've been hoping to see invented.

Designed by Sanwa, the waterproof pouch features a robust sealing mechanism to keep out the elements but still allows you to use the touch functions of the iPhone or iPod Touch as well as take photos via the rear window of the case. Although this won't rank among the most feature rich items in your tech arsenal, it will certainly prove to be one of the most useful. You can pick up your own iPhone protector for just 3,280 yen ($34) here.

Apple Working on a 4G iPhone

Upset because you bought an iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G instead of waiting for iPhone 3G S? Well, don't feel bad because soon (probably next year around June) Apple will be releasing a new iPhone possibly called the iPhone 4G. It's been speculated recently on several blogs, but no details or confirmations ever truly came to light... until now.

A newspaper in China reported that a research worker for Foxconn (iPhone manufacturer) committed suicide after a prototype iPhone that he was responsible for went missing. It is reportedly only one of sixteen prototypes, but the damage this could cause for Apple is tremendous. Cell phone manufacturer's could use the information to suppress and minimize Apple's (extremely large) market share. You can read the article here.

It's ashame what happened to the guy, but this is proof (sort of) that Apple has every intention of making as many iterations of iPhone as people have iPods.