The first big news from Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress show this morning is from Palm. The company is showing off a GSM version of their expected-to-be smash hit phone: the Pre, complete with Vodaphone sim cards. Palm insists it is not making any statements at the show regarding a partnership with any carrier, but Vodaphone’s arch rival O2 tied up the iPhone so the big “V” would make a bit of sense.
Previously, Palm did not comment on a GSM version or if there would be one. In the US, Palm is hitching this horse to the Sprint wagon, which uses CDMA technology. Palm is obviously counting on the Pre to become a world-wide sensation, following in the steps of the iPhone.
So far, the folks at Palm Pre Community predictably love the one on one time they got with the phone and I expect that to be the trend with the journalists at the fair. Expect lots more love shown for the Pre out of Barcelona. Apple could have a real fight on their hands if developers can get behind it and compete with the App Store.
One big question remains, will the GSM model launch worldwide at launch, which is expected to be in the first half of this year? And if so, how many of those GSM phones come back the US on AT&T and T-Mobile?
Although congress has delayed the mandatory February 17 deadline of switching to digital TV, many analog television owners may be in for a rude awakening when they try to watch their shows on that day and find a snowy picture. Approximately 500 television stations have announced that they plan to make the switch to digital on February 17, regardless of the delay.
The new legislation does not mandate the delay; it gives television stations the option to decide when to make the switch. So, this means some stations will continue to continue to broadcast in analog while others will be exclusively in digital. To prevent the lost of broadcast, consumers will need to sign up for cable/satellite service, purchase a converter box or get a television set with a digital tuner.
Although the official transition is not until June 12, it would probably benefit consumers to make the switch sooner than later. This is especially important if you are concerned about missing the latest episode of Lost or American Idol.
If there’s anything missing from the standard stress ball, it’s a USB connection and a weird phallic shape. Luckily, Brando has us all covered with the $30 USB Stress Ball that, along with the obligatory squeezing motion, adds pulling, squashing, and twisting to the mix.
And lest you think that you’re left all alone to twist, pull, squash, and squeeze, you’ll also find three exciting and compelling PC-based games for your new stress ball: Squeeze Game, Strength Game, and Squeeze Your Photo (which looks suspiciously like Squeeze Game).
Hopefully “Strength Game” doesn’t stress anybody out even worse than before. Nobody wants to be stressed AND come to find out that they’ve got an ultra weak grip.
iPhone Users to Send and Receive MMS for the First Time Mobixell's MMS iPhone Solution is to be Displayed at Mobile World Congress 09 stand 1J36 Hall (1) BARCELONA, Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 2:39 pm
BARCELONA, February 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobixell, a leading provider of innovative mobile multimedia and advertising solutions, is partnering with Unkasoft Advergaming,... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 2:34 pm
HSPA+ Adaptor and World's First Plug-and-Play TV Data Card Being Announced at MWC SHENZHEN, China, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- ZTE Corporation ("ZTE"), a ... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 2:30 pm
Microsoft just took the wraps off of the latest WinMo release. Just like the dozens of leaked screenshots indicated, the OS has a totally revamped feel with a Zune-inspired user interface. The Marketplace and MyPhone are included too although details are a bit light at the moment. There isn’t any word about about paid apps or who will host the contents, although we expect those details shortly. Screenshots after the break to tide you over until we get to poke and prod the update.
BARCELONA, Spain - Feb. 16, 2009 - Today at Mobile World Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer along with key mobile partners unveiled new Windows® phones featuring new user-friendly software and services. The next generation of Windows® phones will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and feature a new user interface and a richer browsing experience. In addition, Windows® phones will feature two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video and contacts to the Web; and Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications that can be controlled from both the phone and the Web.
“Windows® phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” Ballmer said. “We’re working with partners across the industry to deliver a new generation of Windows® phones that break down the barriers between people, information, and applications and provide great end-to-end experiences that span your entire life, at work and at home.”
Windows Mobile 6.5 Delivers New User Experience
Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a new home screen with customizable widgets that display glanceable updates from users’ favorite Web services and let users tap into them quickly, along with faster, more efficient access to personal e-mail, work e-mail, phone messages and instant messaging. It also includes an improved touch-screen interface, making it easy to take action with a finger, and an updated version of the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser, which in a third party research study by sponsored by Microsoft, supported execution of up to 48 percent more assigned tasks than the other browsers and phones studied.
My Phone Service Connects the Phone to the Web
The free My Phone service will enable people to access, manage and back up their personal information on their device to a password-protected Web-based service, making it easier to upgrade phones without the worry of losing important information. With automatic syncing and backup, users can count on their contacts, appointments, text messages and other information being kept up to date and easily restored should they lose or upgrade their phone. Consumers also will be able to wirelessly update photos and video from their Windows® phone directly to the My Phone service, making it simple to share content that, in the past, would have lived and died on the phone. The My Phone service is currently available in a limited invitation-only beta.
Rich and Integrated Marketplace Service Will Offer Easy Access to Mobile Applications
The new operating system features Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a rich and integrated marketplace for searching, browsing and purchasing mobile applications from Windows® phones or from a PC by simply using a Windows Live ID. The new marketplace will ship inside all Windows phones based on Windows Mobile 6.5, which will allow consumers to easily find, install and experience those applications that fit their needs and make the phone truly personal. Developers, who have already built more than 20,000 applications for Windows® phones, will be able to offer applications to customers through the marketplace via a simple security and compatibility check from Microsoft.
The new Windows® phones are expected to be available at the beginning of the second half of 2009. Additional information about Microsoft at Mobile World Congress 2009 is available on the Microsoft MWC Web page at http://www.windowsmobile.com/mobileworldcongress.
Crunch Network: CrunchGeardrool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Microsoft just took the wraps off of the latest WinMo release. Just like the dozens of leaked screenshots indicated, the OS has a totally revamped feel with a Zune-inspired user interface. The Marketplace and MyPhone are included too although details are a bit light at the moment. There isn’t any word about about paid apps or who will host the contents, although we expect those details shortly. Screenshots after the break to tide you over until we get to poke and prod the update.
BARCELONA, Spain - Feb. 16, 2009 - Today at Mobile World Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer along with key mobile partners unveiled new Windows® phones featuring new user-friendly software and services. The next generation of Windows® phones will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and feature a new user interface and a richer browsing experience. In addition, Windows® phones will feature two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video and contacts to the Web; and Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications that can be controlled from both the phone and the Web.
“Windows® phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” Ballmer said. “We’re working with partners across the industry to deliver a new generation of Windows® phones that break down the barriers between people, information, and applications and provide great end-to-end experiences that span your entire life, at work and at home.”
Windows Mobile 6.5 Delivers New User Experience
Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a new home screen with customizable widgets that display glanceable updates from users’ favorite Web services and let users tap into them quickly, along with faster, more efficient access to personal e-mail, work e-mail, phone messages and instant messaging. It also includes an improved touch-screen interface, making it easy to take action with a finger, and an updated version of the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser, which in a third party research study by sponsored by Microsoft, supported execution of up to 48 percent more assigned tasks than the other browsers and phones studied.
My Phone Service Connects the Phone to the Web
The free My Phone service will enable people to access, manage and back up their personal information on their device to a password-protected Web-based service, making it easier to upgrade phones without the worry of losing important information. With automatic syncing and backup, users can count on their contacts, appointments, text messages and other information being kept up to date and easily restored should they lose or upgrade their phone. Consumers also will be able to wirelessly update photos and video from their Windows® phone directly to the My Phone service, making it simple to share content that, in the past, would have lived and died on the phone. The My Phone service is currently available in a limited invitation-only beta.
Rich and Integrated Marketplace Service Will Offer Easy Access to Mobile Applications
The new operating system features Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a rich and integrated marketplace for searching, browsing and purchasing mobile applications from Windows® phones or from a PC by simply using a Windows Live ID. The new marketplace will ship inside all Windows phones based on Windows Mobile 6.5, which will allow consumers to easily find, install and experience those applications that fit their needs and make the phone truly personal. Developers, who have already built more than 20,000 applications for Windows® phones, will be able to offer applications to customers through the marketplace via a simple security and compatibility check from Microsoft.
The new Windows® phones are expected to be available at the beginning of the second half of 2009. Additional information about Microsoft at Mobile World Congress 2009 is available on the Microsoft MWC Web page at http://www.windowsmobile.com/mobileworldcongress.
Yama hama, great deals abound on this fine Monday morning. Case in point, the Dell Mini 9 netbook for $199 after $50 instant savings. Sure it’s only got a 4GB SSD and 512MB of RAM but deals like this help to push netbook prices down into gotta-buy-it territory.
At the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, Nokia has unveiled its initiative to try and repeat the runaway succes of Apple's App Store with its own mobile storefront dubbed Ovi Store. This was an expected move as the rumors about the Finnish mobile juggernaut's mobile applications store already spread last week; they were late confirmed to Reuters by industry sources.
Here's how they pitch it:
"Offering a range of content including applications, games, videos, widgets, podcasts, location-based applications and personalised content, Ovi Store will be available on S60 and Series 40 devices. The first device to include the mobile storefront on board will be the Nokia N97, set to launch in June. Meanwhile tens of millions of existing S60 and Series 40 devices will be able to take advantage of the store from May. Ovi Store is unique in its ability to target content based on where you are, when you’re there, why you are where you are and who else has downloaded similar content."
FRANKFURT, Feb 16 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp's European labour leaders called on Monday for a spin-off of the Opel/Vauxhall brand rather than face what they called potentially fatal cost-cutting... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 2:18 pm
Reuters - Microsoft said on Monday it had signed a deal with LG Electronics, under which the world's third-largest cell phone maker will use Windows software in most of its smartphones.
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Microsoft said on Monday it had signed a deal with LG Electronics, under which the world's third-largest cell phone maker will use Windows software in most of its... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 2:18 pm
At the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, Nokia has unveiled its initiative to try and repeat the runaway succes of Apple's App Store with its own mobile storefront dubbed Ovi Store. This was an expected move as the rumors about the Finnish mobile juggernaut's mobile applications store already spread last week; they were late confirmed to Reuters by industry sources.
Here's how they pitch it:
"Offering a range of content including applications, games, videos, widgets, podcasts, location-based applications and personalised content, Ovi Store will be available on S60 and Series 40 devices. The first device to include the mobile storefront on board will be the Nokia N97, set to launch in June. Meanwhile tens of millions of existing S60 and Series 40 devices will be able to take advantage of the store from May. Ovi Store is unique in its ability to target content based on where you are, when you’re there, why you are where you are and who else has downloaded similar content."
If we are to believe this Vodafone ad (and who are we to doubt the Internet), the European carrier will be the exclusive provider of HTC’s next Android phone, the Magic. The phone does somewhat resemble early spy shots so we could be looking at the real deal, folks.
We hear it comes packing with HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, and a 3.2 digicam. Perhaps Vodafone and HTC were planning a MWC09 announcement or even a CTIA reveal. After all, as it seems that most handheld manufacturers are announcing their first-gen Android handsets, we can think of no better time to announce HTC’s second go around at the OS.
If we are to believe this Vodafone ad (and who are we to doubt the Internet), the European carrier will be the exclusive provider of HTC’s next Android phone, the Magic. The phone does somewhat resemble early spy shots so we could be looking at the real deal, folks.
We hear it comes packing with HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, and a 3.2 digicam. Perhaps Vodafone and HTC were planning a MWC09 announcement or even a CTIA reveal. After all, as it seems that most handheld manufacturers are announcing their first-gen Android handsets, we can think of no better time to announce HTC’s second go around at the OS.
Crunch Network: TechCrunchobsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
An anonymous reader writes "Chris Walters writes about Facebook's new terms of service. 'Facebook's terms of service (TOS) used to say that when you closed an account on their network, any rights they claimed to the original content you uploaded would expire. Not anymore. Now, anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later. Want to close your account? Good for you, but Facebook still has the right to do whatever it wants with your old content. They can even sublicense it if they want.'" Oh no! Now they'll be able to license your super flair goblin poke 25 tag history!
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 16 (Reuters) - South African healthcare company Netcare Ltd is considering a possible London listing of its UK-based General Healthcare Group (GHG) unit, but not until at least the fourth... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 2:03 pm
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital map data for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions (LBS), today announced Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 2:02 pm
We knew this day was coming and boy was it great to watch the Simpsons in all their high definition glory last night. In case you missed it though, the new title theme is after the break. It’s worth two minutes of your time.
President Barack Obama's pursuit of energy independence promises to accelerate research and development for alternative energy sources -- solar, wind and geothermal power, biofuels, hydrogen and biomass, to name a few.For the hydrogen economy, one of the roadblocks to success is the hydrogen itself. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:52 pm
The device features a 7-inch color LCD (W-VGA, 800×480 resolution) that shows production levels, energy currently stored and how much surplus electricity can be sold to power companies. It can also be connected to PCs, AQUOS TVs and - of course - to cell phones.
Sharp said the MSRP for the JH-RWL1 is $1,100 and that they aim to sell 700 units a month to household customers. The company didn’t say whether the device will ever make it outside Japan.
Mobile-XL, a mobile technology company, have just announced a partnership with Nokia, one of the world's top mobile handset manufacturers, to embed their company's XLBrowser into some handsets that will... Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:34 pm
Samsung unleashed a three great looking phones at MWC09. Still no Android, but we’ll get over it. Pics and specs after the jump.
We knew the OmniaHD was inbound, but this phone is making waves at MWC09. Pictures do not do the 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen justice. It’s that good. The specs that leaked out early were correct, btw. The phone is rocking an 8MP cam, 720p video recording, DivX support, FM radio, A-GPS, all powered by 5th Edition of S60 Symbian.
The Samsung M7600 BeatDJ wants to be taken as a serious music phone contender, mkay? Samsung developed a new OS for the handset which apparently works like a turntable while Bang & Olufsen helped with the music processing and loaded the phone with SRS 5.1 surround sound. The phone is still loaded with the standard fare such as 3MP camera, 2.8-inch AMOLED WQVGA screen, 50MB on board memory, microSD slot, FM radio, GPS, and DivX support.
The BeatDisc takes most of the BeatDJ’s mojo including the B&O magic and adds a slid-down keyboard and a bit more onboard storage of 80MB.
Pricing and availability hasn’t been announced just yet but we’re sure it will eventually make its way out of Barcelona and onto the ol’ Interwebs.
OmniaHD Press Release
Samsung OMNIAHD Dazzles at Mobile World Congress with Its HD Brilliance
Barcelona, Spain, February 16, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today unveiled its ultimate multimedia powerhouse with HD brilliance. OMNIAHD is Samsung’s first Symbian full-touch handset, and features the world’s first 720P HD video recording and decoding on mobile, as well as the world’s largest AMOLED screen on mobile. Samsung launches OMNIAHD at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, as part of its portfolio of innovative mobile devices that incorporate the latest multimedia features and fastest data communication, to offer a complete media solution for consumers.
Samsung OMNIAHD is the newest, high performance full-touch screen phone that brings together style, multimedia and business performance in one device. The mobile follows on from the phenomenal success and heritage of the OMNIA last year and extends Samsung’s market leadership of all-in-one full-touch phones. Samsung OMNIAHD has a stunning design with a sleek finish and delivers the ultimate in digital entertainment thanks to its HD capability and 3.7” AMOLED screen. The Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) touch screen offers unrivalled sharpness of tone, vivid colours and greater clarity in direct sunlight as well as less power consumption.
“Samsung OMNIAHD is an incredibly exciting product for us as it is a mobile perfectly suited to the needs of today’s consumers who want exciting multimedia experiences on the move,” said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and head of Mobile Communication division in Samsung Electronics. “OMNIAHD demonstrates our vision for the Samsung mobile business, which is to provide premium phones for users who desire functionality, style, usability and entertainment in one innovative device. With Samsung Mobile, I believe that our users can enjoy being at the forefront of work and play, staying connected anytime, anywhere.”
Brilliant HD
The HD video recording feature enables you to capture precious moments in HD (720p) quality, enjoy HD content on HD TV via DLNA technology and share real-time live video as users shoot it via qik.com. The 16: 9 screen of QHD display with 16M colour and dual stereo speaker reveal a whole new world of mobile multimedia experiences on the move, enabling users to enjoy SD (Standard Definition) /HD (High Definition) videos in cinema-scale quality with caption.
Brilliant Convergence
Allied to the industry-leading 8MP camera which allows you take digital camera-quality photographs on your phone, the Samsung OMNIAHD ensures you capture the best possible photographs of your friends and family.
Users can enjoy super-fast internet access of HSUPA 5.76Mbps and HSDPA 7.2Mbps that enables you to download or upload a 4MB MP3 song in less than 10 seconds and a 40MB movie in 1 minute(※). 3.7” Auto-Rotating Display on the large screen means that you can enjoy PC-like web-surfing on your phone. [※ Based on theoretical values]
GPS with integrated compass makes OMNIAHD suitable for both pedestrians and drivers, and the navigation touch control and voice guidance via dual stereo speaker provide drivers with easy and safe navigation.
The generous internal memory (available in 8GB and 16GB capacity options), with the addition of a 32GB microSD card, allows you to store up to 48GB, which translates to 35 DVD-quality movies or 18,000 8MP photographs.
Brilliant Interaction
With its easy to use and intuitive 3D interface, OMNIAHD offers effortless and convenient viewing, allowing users to move around and multi-task seamlessly. Motion-enabled features including 3D games make it intuitive and exciting to enjoy the best ever mobile multimedia experiences. Moreover, Samsung Mobile Widget delivers up-to-date information of your choice with just one touch, creating a personalized interface with which to access the infinite wealth of web content.
BeatDJ and BeatDisc Press Release
Samsung Moves to the Beat
Samsung Launches Iconic “BEAT Edition” Music Phones
Barcelona, Spain, February 16, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the launch of two BEAT Edition mobile phones, the Samsung BEATDJ and Samsung BEATDISC. The BEAT Edition mobile phones are a perfect combination of touch-screen technology, incredible sound and beautiful design. The Samsung BEATDJ and Samsung BEATDISC truly set a new standard in Samsung’s music phone line up.
Both BEAT Edition handsets are designed to satisfy all music lovers, offering the latest mobile audio technology wrapped up in beautiful designs inspired by iconic jukebox imagery. Add to that an intuitive UI with a touch screen and users will have more fun than ever with their music.
Running Samsung’s intuitive DISC User Interface, both phones come fully loaded with Bang & Olufsen audio technology as well as advanced music application for finding, purchasing and recommending music.
“The Samsung BEAT Edition handsets will take music on mobile phones to a whole new level of quality and exciting user experience,” said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and head of Mobile Communication division in Samsung Electronics. “With amazing sound quality and advanced music application, the BEAT Edition handsets will appeal to a growing base of consumers that want to consolidate their music playing devices without compromising on style, function and experience.”
Samsung BEATDJ
The Samsung BEATDJ allows everyone to be a DJ. With its BEAT DJ application & DISC UI, users will be able to add their own voice and sound effects to their favourite songs. With the phones’ full-touch technology and BEAT DJ application, users can also ‘scratch’ the records on the super clear 2.8” AMOLED display to create their personal music. With 50MB of on-board memory - expandable to 16GB with the micro SD card slot - there’s plenty of room to let the musical imagination run wild.
Making music is only part the story. The Samsung BEATDJ is also equipped with built-in real stereo speakers - powered by B&O’s ICEpower amplifier– which sound as good as they look, producing a deep rich bass and crystal clear treble.
Samsung BEATDISC
The Samsung BEATDISC combines the functionality of a slide-out keypad with the engaging user experience of a touch-screen device.
The Samsung BEATDISC boasts the same B&O ICEpower amplifier as the Samsung BEATDISC as well as the class-leading music recognition, tagging and recommendation application, making it the perfect choice for mobile music lovers.
Samsung unleashed a three great looking phones at MWC09. Still no Android, but we’ll get over it. Pics and specs after the jump.
We knew the OmniaHD was inbound, but this phone is making waves at MWC09. Pictures do not do the 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen justice. It’s that good. The specs that leaked out early were correct, btw. The phone is rocking an 8MP cam, 720p video recording, DivX support, FM radio, A-GPS, all powered by 5th Edition of S60 Symbian.
The Samsung M7600 BeatDJ wants to be taken as a serious music phone contender, mkay? Samsung developed a new OS for the handset which apparently works like a turntable while Bang & Olufsen helped with the music processing and loaded the phone with SRS 5.1 surround sound. The phone is still loaded with the standard fare such as 3MP camera, 2.8-inch AMOLED WQVGA screen, 50MB on board memory, microSD slot, FM radio, GPS, and DivX support.
The BeatDisc, which was a no show at Samsung’s event, takes most of the BeatDJ’s mojo including the B&O magic and adds a slid-down keyboard and a bit more onboard storage of 80MB.
Pricing and availability hasn’t been announced just yet but we’re sure it will eventually make its way out of Barcelona and onto the ol’ Interwebs.
OmniaHD Press Release
Samsung OMNIAHD Dazzles at Mobile World Congress with Its HD Brilliance
Barcelona, Spain, February 16, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today unveiled its ultimate multimedia powerhouse with HD brilliance. OMNIAHD is Samsung’s first Symbian full-touch handset, and features the world’s first 720P HD video recording and decoding on mobile, as well as the world’s largest AMOLED screen on mobile. Samsung launches OMNIAHD at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, as part of its portfolio of innovative mobile devices that incorporate the latest multimedia features and fastest data communication, to offer a complete media solution for consumers.
Samsung OMNIAHD is the newest, high performance full-touch screen phone that brings together style, multimedia and business performance in one device. The mobile follows on from the phenomenal success and heritage of the OMNIA last year and extends Samsung’s market leadership of all-in-one full-touch phones. Samsung OMNIAHD has a stunning design with a sleek finish and delivers the ultimate in digital entertainment thanks to its HD capability and 3.7” AMOLED screen. The Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) touch screen offers unrivalled sharpness of tone, vivid colours and greater clarity in direct sunlight as well as less power consumption.
“Samsung OMNIAHD is an incredibly exciting product for us as it is a mobile perfectly suited to the needs of today’s consumers who want exciting multimedia experiences on the move,” said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and head of Mobile Communication division in Samsung Electronics. “OMNIAHD demonstrates our vision for the Samsung mobile business, which is to provide premium phones for users who desire functionality, style, usability and entertainment in one innovative device. With Samsung Mobile, I believe that our users can enjoy being at the forefront of work and play, staying connected anytime, anywhere.”
Brilliant HD
The HD video recording feature enables you to capture precious moments in HD (720p) quality, enjoy HD content on HD TV via DLNA technology and share real-time live video as users shoot it via qik.com. The 16: 9 screen of QHD display with 16M colour and dual stereo speaker reveal a whole new world of mobile multimedia experiences on the move, enabling users to enjoy SD (Standard Definition) /HD (High Definition) videos in cinema-scale quality with caption.
Brilliant Convergence
Allied to the industry-leading 8MP camera which allows you take digital camera-quality photographs on your phone, the Samsung OMNIAHD ensures you capture the best possible photographs of your friends and family.
Users can enjoy super-fast internet access of HSUPA 5.76Mbps and HSDPA 7.2Mbps that enables you to download or upload a 4MB MP3 song in less than 10 seconds and a 40MB movie in 1 minute(※). 3.7” Auto-Rotating Display on the large screen means that you can enjoy PC-like web-surfing on your phone. [※ Based on theoretical values]
GPS with integrated compass makes OMNIAHD suitable for both pedestrians and drivers, and the navigation touch control and voice guidance via dual stereo speaker provide drivers with easy and safe navigation.
The generous internal memory (available in 8GB and 16GB capacity options), with the addition of a 32GB microSD card, allows you to store up to 48GB, which translates to 35 DVD-quality movies or 18,000 8MP photographs.
Brilliant Interaction
With its easy to use and intuitive 3D interface, OMNIAHD offers effortless and convenient viewing, allowing users to move around and multi-task seamlessly. Motion-enabled features including 3D games make it intuitive and exciting to enjoy the best ever mobile multimedia experiences. Moreover, Samsung Mobile Widget delivers up-to-date information of your choice with just one touch, creating a personalized interface with which to access the infinite wealth of web content.
BeatDJ and BeatDisc Press Release
Samsung Moves to the Beat
Samsung Launches Iconic “BEAT Edition” Music Phones
Barcelona, Spain, February 16, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the launch of two BEAT Edition mobile phones, the Samsung BEATDJ and Samsung BEATDISC. The BEAT Edition mobile phones are a perfect combination of touch-screen technology, incredible sound and beautiful design. The Samsung BEATDJ and Samsung BEATDISC truly set a new standard in Samsung’s music phone line up.
Both BEAT Edition handsets are designed to satisfy all music lovers, offering the latest mobile audio technology wrapped up in beautiful designs inspired by iconic jukebox imagery. Add to that an intuitive UI with a touch screen and users will have more fun than ever with their music.
Running Samsung’s intuitive DISC User Interface, both phones come fully loaded with Bang & Olufsen audio technology as well as advanced music application for finding, purchasing and recommending music.
“The Samsung BEAT Edition handsets will take music on mobile phones to a whole new level of quality and exciting user experience,” said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and head of Mobile Communication division in Samsung Electronics. “With amazing sound quality and advanced music application, the BEAT Edition handsets will appeal to a growing base of consumers that want to consolidate their music playing devices without compromising on style, function and experience.”
Samsung BEATDJ
The Samsung BEATDJ allows everyone to be a DJ. With its BEAT DJ application & DISC UI, users will be able to add their own voice and sound effects to their favourite songs. With the phones’ full-touch technology and BEAT DJ application, users can also ‘scratch’ the records on the super clear 2.8” AMOLED display to create their personal music. With 50MB of on-board memory - expandable to 16GB with the micro SD card slot - there’s plenty of room to let the musical imagination run wild.
Making music is only part the story. The Samsung BEATDJ is also equipped with built-in real stereo speakers - powered by B&O’s ICEpower amplifier– which sound as good as they look, producing a deep rich bass and crystal clear treble.
Samsung BEATDISC
The Samsung BEATDISC combines the functionality of a slide-out keypad with the engaging user experience of a touch-screen device.
The Samsung BEATDISC boasts the same B&O ICEpower amplifier as the Samsung BEATDISC as well as the class-leading music recognition, tagging and recommendation application, making it the perfect choice for mobile music lovers.
Crunch Network: CrunchBasethe free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Image Caption: This is one of the Bronze Egyptian statues owned by the British Museum which they would like to study at Diamond using JEEP. Credit: Copyright Trustees of the British Museum Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:28 pm
From the company that brought you Star Trek urns and caskets comes this new line of funereal accessories inspired by Major League Baseball. $800 for the urn, $4,500 for the caskets, each with the livery of your favorite teams, as well as a dispassionate plaque stating that the MLB has recognized you as a "lifelong fan". [via GirlHacker]
bmsleight writes in with a Guardian piece on the decision of the world's second biggest pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, to radically shift its attitude towards providing cheap drugs to millions of people in the developing world. "[The new CEO] said that GSK will... cut its prices for all drugs in the 50 least developed countries to no more than 25% of the levels in the UK and US — and less if possible — and make drugs more affordable in middle-income countries such as Brazil and India; put any chemicals or processes over which it has intellectual property rights that are relevant to finding drugs for neglected diseases into a 'patent pool,' so they can be explored by other researchers; and reinvest 20% of any profits it makes in the least developed countries in hospitals, clinics, and staff."
Researchers in the field of synthetic biology are still a long way from being able to assemble living cells from scratch in the laboratory. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:11 pm
HTC's new Windows Mobile 6.5-powered smartphone can perform a neat trick:
In addition to the new simplified calling experience, Straight Talk includes an innovative mechanical and acoustic design that features a sophisticated speakerphone experience similar to those found in corporate boardrooms. Straight Talk delivers a high-fidelity voice and sound experience enhanced by asymmetric speakers and advanced noise suppression with full duplex acoustics. When the Touch Pro2 is flipped over it automatically turns into a conference room speakerphone system.
Webcast Scheduled for Monday, February 23, 2009 at 1:15 PM (Pacific Standard Time)
COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm
IAOP Names Oce to the Select Leaders Category of the
2009 Global Outsourcing 100 List by IAOP
NEW YORK, Feb. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at Mobile World
Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm
TORONTO, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ - Voice on the Go Inc, the world leader in Email by Voice*, today announced the launch of additional new powerful features to its award winning Email by Voice solution. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at Mobile World
Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm
The most obvious feature of Apture is that it is a pop-up technology. Apture is a Javascript plug-in for publishers that adds contextual information to links - via pop-ups which display when users hover... Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm
Innovative, all-in-one Ethernet services test suite with unique graphical
data display brings powerful yet intuitive testing capabilities to front-
line technicians
QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm
UNITX (United Networks International Transport Exchange) is a series of bots that travel down specialized ridged corridors interwoven throughout a city carrying literal packets from place to place. Charming idea, but extraordinarily unrealistic. Why build a single-purpose series of Jeffries tubes when there are perfectly serviceable arteries throughout our cities in the form of roads? Let's figure out how to make autonomous packbots that share the highways with our cars. (Or just pay UPS drivers.) [via BotJunkie]
Huawei has big plans for 2009. The OEM handset maker plans to launch two to three different Android phones and maybe even a Symbian and LiMo handset all this year. Even with the global economic doom and gloom? Wowzers!
The promise of more Android phones isn’t that far from reality as the companies first model (uphone?!?) seem production ready with a Q3 target launch. You have to imagine that Hauwei has more phones in the pipeline ready to be branded and sold under a providers name. Hopefully more details will seep out of Barcelona’s MWC09.
<a href=”http://www.crunchgear.com/tag/Huawei/”></a><a href=”http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/huawei_logo.jpg”><img economic doom and gloom? Wowzers! The <a href=”http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE51F1GF20090216?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews”>promise</a> of more <a href=”http://www.crunchgear.com/tag/Android/”>Android</a> phones isn’t that far from reality as the <a href=”http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/02/16/gallery-huaweis-iphone-tastic-android-phone/#more-8772″>companies first model</a> (uphone?!?) seem production ready with a Q3 target launch. You have to imagine that Hauwei has more phones in the pipeline ready to be branded and sold under a providers name. Hopefully more details will seep out of Barcelona’s <a href=”http://www.mobilecrunch.com/tag/MWC09/”>MWC09</a>.
Crunch Network: CrunchGeardrool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
(TrendHunter.com) The biochemistry of kisses reveals that saliva increases sex drive, so the wetter the kiss, the more chemistry is exchanged. The more chemistry, the more we are aroused. Folks in the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 12:39 pm
Nokia has tipped the mask from the new E75 smartphone, the latest in its Communicator line with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It'll go for around $500 worldwide. It's typical Nokia: iterative, not innovative, with WCDMA, 3.2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, and microSD slot.
Nokia also announced the E55, a thin take on the pseudo-QWERTY smartphone a la the BlackBerry Pearl.
This can’t end well. We stopped by Huawei’s MWC09 booth to ask about their previously discussed Android phone and were presented with what you see here. Now, we’re not ones to yell “iPHONE CLONE!!!!” at every phone with a touchscreen - but come on, seriously?
This can’t end well. We stopped by Huawei’s MWC09 booth to ask about their previously discussed Android phone and were presented with what you see here. Now, we’re not ones to yell “iPHONE CLONE!!!!” at every phone with a touchscreen - but come on, seriously?
It wasn’t powered up, they weren’t letting people touch it, and details were as sparse as can be. The only real detail the Huawei rep could share was the Q3 release date they already announced in December.
When we asked about the name, the rep jokingly responded “uPhone”. At least, we hope he was joking.
One more shot after the jump.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoardbecause it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
The mbl 101 X-treme, a $250,000 speaker cabinet with omni-directional mirror imaged speaker arrays, may be a lot of things—overpriced, overwrought, and overengineered—but there is no denying the carbon fiber, steel, and wood monstrosity is a beaut. [via Red Ferret]
(TrendHunter.com) 2008 Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin models Max Azrias Spring/Summer collection in a stunning new ad campaign that highlights the fluidity and beauty of both the clothing and her... Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 12:19 pm
On Sunday the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) urged environmental leaders to curb the use of mercury, a highly toxic metal."The world's environment ministers meeting in Nairobi, Kenya this week can take a landmark decision to lift a global health threat from the lives of hundreds of millions of people," said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Feb 2009 | 12:15 pm
The Android Market was designed to be the one-stop shop for all G-1 users to download applications for their mobile handsets. As such, it had a great deal in common with the Apple iTunes App Store - save... Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 12:13 pm
⌦ Netbook – Dell Inspiron Mini 9 for $200, shipped. It's a basic model: 512MB RAM, 4GB SSD, Ubuntu. But talk about disposable computing. There's an 1GB RAM/8GB SSD/Windows XP version for $245 if you're a Sam's Club member, but it doesn't ship for 4-6 weeks. [Slickdeals]
⌦ HDTV – 37-inch 1080p Sharp Aquos (LCD37D64U) for $700, shipped. That's around $100, $150 off what it's been going for. Not bad for a name-brand panel. [Dealoco]
⌦ KitchenAid – Across the board 30%-off coupon from ShopKitchenAid.com. [Dealnews]
⌦ Tools – Craftsman 348-piece mechanics tool set for $290ish, shipped, or in-store pick-up. In a couple of weeks I'll have a garage and can start buying sets like this to hang up unused on my wall. [Dealnews]
⌦ Crimper – Dynex crimping tool for RJ-45/11 for $4, shipped. [Dealnews]
⌦ Point-and-Shoot – Today's Woot is the Pentax Optio E60 10MP Digital Camera for $95, shipped.
Workaholics rejoice. Lenovo notebooks will soon be able to sync with BlackBerry handhelds thanks to the power of Bluetooth for automatic and instant access to enterprise email. The sync is designed to work without any user intervention too and according to the press release, even works when the notebook is powered off. The software is set to roll-out in the second quarter of this year but it still isn’t clear if it will work with existing ThinkPad’s right from Lenovo without the help of an enterprising hacker or two.
LENOVO THINKPAD LAPTOP COMPUTERS TO GAIN NEW LEVEL OF INTEGRATION WITH BLACKBERRY SMARTPHONES
Research Triangle Park, NC and Waterloo, ON – February 16, 2009 – Lenovo and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced that the two companies will work together to promote new Lenovo mobile solutions that will help on-the-go business users enhance their mobile computing and communications experience through tighter integration between Lenovo ThinkPad laptop computers and BlackBerry® smartphones.
Leveraging Lenovo’s extensive global R&D capabilities and engineering prowess in laptop computers together with RIM’s expertise in smartphones and wireless solutions, Lenovo plans to develop and deliver a range of industry-leading solutions and technologies that can help professionals conduct business more effectively on the go.
Lenovo Constant Connect, the first solution developed by Lenovo, will leverage the strengths of the BlackBerry® solution and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops to deliver an unparalleled user experience for flexible, real-time access to enterprise-based email. Lenovo Constant Connect will allow enterprise email received on a user’s BlackBerry smartphone to be automatically synchronized via Bluetooth® onto the user’s ThinkPad laptop – even if the ThinkPad laptop is off – without the user having to take any additional steps.
This level of integration and availability dramatically improves access to email on the Lenovo ThinkPad laptop from wherever a BlackBerry smartphone can access a connection. In addition to greater flexibility and convenience, it can also reduce the need to use the laptop with fee-based Wi-Fi® networks. Lenovo Constant Connect is expected to be available from Lenovo and its business partners in the second quarter of 2009 in the U.S, and to be rolled out in markets around the world later in 2009.
“With more and more mobile professionals relying on both their BlackBerry smartphone and ThinkPad laptop PC, we view better integration between the two devices as a necessity. Today’s announcement is the first step in combining these best-in-class solutions to deliver a more useful and powerful mobile work experience,” said Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing.
“Lenovo is adding significant value for our mutual customers by developing tighter and more seamless integration between Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and BlackBerry smartphones,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “By leveraging the industry-leading, push-based connectivity of the BlackBerry solution, Lenovo Constant Connect will simplify email synchronization on the laptop and provide mobile professionals with greater flexibility to manage their email on the move.”
Crunch Network: CrunchBasethe free database of technology companies, people, and investors
(TrendHunter.com) Judging by the array of amazing cupcakes weve featured at Trend Hunter, theres no shortage of super-talented and eccentric bakers in the world. From meat-infused cupcakes to presidential... Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 16 Feb 2009 | 11:19 am
iShred from Frontier Design is yet another guitar simulator for the iPhone, this time with an eye towards electrics, complete with stomp boxes and pedal effects. Unlike a lot of the other guitar apps out there, though, iShred looks fairly practical to use as a real instrument, allowing you to assign up to 10 chords to buttons at the top of the screen, leaving your other hand free to pick or strum. It's the only practical way to do it—as cute as it may be to try to play chords on a virtual fret board, it's nearly impossible to do so with any accuracy on the iPhone's wide touch screen.
Reuters - The world's top cell phone maker Nokia unveiled on Monday its new online software and media store, hoping to follow the runaway success of Apple's App Store.
One of our favorite musicians, Judson "Tettix" Cowan, has taken the time to show us how he makes "Fake 'n' Bake Chiptunes" in Propellerheads' Reason. Which is awesome, because if I ever get off my ass and write that chiptune opera we've talked about doing for ages, I'll probably be doing it in Reason, not in retro hardware.
This is great stuff, Judson. Thanks so much for putting it together for us!
In part three Tettix remixes an old favorite, the dungeon theme from Zelda.
As much as we wanted HTC to announce the G2 at MWC, we knew it would be too much to ask. But if you’re into Windows Mobile (6.1) or, more importantly, TouchFlo 3D then you’re in luck. It looks like HTC took a page from Palm’s playbook on these updated Touch devices, but more on that later.
The Diamond2 (4.25 X 2.09 X 0.54 inches) features a 3.2-inch WVGA touchscreen with a touch sensitive zoom bar located across the bottom. A 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A proc, 512MB ROM, and 288 MB RAM handle things under the hood. The D2 comes with a 5-megapixel AF camera, 1100mAh battery and a microSD slot. It weighs 4.15 ounces.
The Pro2 (4.57 X 2.33 X 0.68 inches) has the same components under the hood, but dons a 3.6-inch TFT-LCD WVGA touchscreen and 3.2-megapixel camera. It also sports a bigger 1500mAh battery and weighs 6.17 ounces.
Communication is key for both devices and HTC is making them both people-centric communicators. Conversations you have with friends are integrated into one view whether it be voice, text or e-mail. You can access said info from each person’s contact card or the in-call screen.
I’m not entirely sure what Push Internet technology is, but it seems like it’s just caching of Web pages. Or it’s quicker access to bookmarks. We’ll have to wait and see what Greg can dig up.
The Pro2 has something else up its sleeve called Straight Talk technology. Apparently you can transition from e-mail to single or conference calls.
In addition to the new simplified calling experience, Straight Talk includes an innovative mechanical and acoustic design that features a sophisticated speakerphone experience similar to those found in corporate boardrooms. Straight Talk delivers a high-fidelity voice and sound experience enhanced by asymmetric speakers and advanced noise suppression with full duplex acoustics. When the Touch Pro2 is flipped over it automatically turns into a conference room speakerphone system.
The Diamond2 will hit the European and Asian markets in early Q2. The Pro2 will hit various markets in early summer.
BARCELONA — Feb 16, 2009 — HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile phones, today unveiled two new flagship devices, the HTC Touch Diamond2ä and HTC Touch Pro2ä. Integrating innovative simplicity with unique style and an intuitive interface, the devices balance function, form and cutting-edge technology to personalize the communication and mobile Internet experience.
“The HTC Touch Pro2 and HTC Touch Diamond2 introduce a mobile communication experience that simplifies how we communicate with people in our lives whether through voice, text or email,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corp. “HTC is delivering the latest, cutting-edge sophistication in a broad portfolio of mobile phones that improve how people live, work and communicate.”
HTC TouchFLO 3D Integrated with Windows Mobile
The HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2 utilize HTC’s latest TouchFLO 3D interface. TouchFLO 3D has been more deeply integrated into a customized version of Windows Mobile 6.1 to deliver more consistency throughout Windows Mobile applications and menus. Focused on making navigation easier and more intuitive, TouchFLO 3D brings important information to the top-level user interface, including quick access to people, messaging, email, photos, music and weather. As part of this improved Windows Mobile integration the touch focus areas have been enlarged to be more finger-touch friendly.
BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
With the HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2, HTC is introducing a new people-centric communication approach, providing a single contact view that displays the individual conversation history of contacts regardless of whether voice, text or email were used. This can be viewed from the contact card or the in-call screen during a phone conversation, ensuring the latest communication contact-by-contact is always at hand.
SIMPLIFYING HOW PEOPLE ACCESS THEIR INFORMATION
Continuing its commitment to making the mobile Internet easier and more enjoyable, the HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2 introduce HTC’s Push Internet technology. HTC Push Internet alleviates slow downloading and rendering of Web pages on a mobile phone. Users can preselect their favorite Websites to get immediate access to them when needed.
HTC Touch Diamond2
The HTC Touch Diamond2 is the next step in the evolution of the successful HTC Touch Diamond. Crafted to fit perfectly into the hand, the Touch Diamond2 evolves the compact design and iconic style of the original HTC Touch Diamond. It incorporates a larger 3.2-inch high-resolution wide-screen VGA display for a greater viewing area in a design just 13.7mm thick. The phone also includes a new touch sensitive zoom bar for even faster zooming of Web pages, emails, text messages, photos or documents.
Leveraging HTC’s TouchFLO 3D experience combined with a people-centric communication approach and HTC’s new Push Internet technology The Touch Diamond2 offers an advanced touch experience that is optimized for one-hand use.
With fifty-percent better battery life, a five mega-pixel auto focus camera, expandable memory, gravity sensor and an ambient light sensor, the Touch Diamond2 brings the most sophisticated capabilities to a broad consumer audience looking for the professional benefits of a smartphone without sacrificing size, looks or functionality.
HTC TOUCH PRO2
Designed for business professionals, the HTC Touch Pro2 is architected with distinct style and strength while delivering the most powerful productivity experience available on a mobile phone. Leveraging HTC’s TouchFLO 3D, people-centric communication and Push Internet technology, the Touch Pro2 features a high-resolution 3.6-inch widescreen VGA display for an expanded viewing area and large finger-friendly QWERTY keyboard. With improved battery life, expandable memory, a touch-sensitive zoom bar as well as gravity, proximity and ambient light sensors, the Touch Pro2 is optimized for touch as well as heavy email use.
Introducing HTC Straight Talkä for HTC Touch Pro2
The new HTC Touch Pro2 leverages voice in a new way to create one of the most sophisticated communication experiences found on a mobile phone. HTC’s new Straight Talk technology delivers an integrated email, voice and speakerphone experience. Users can transition seamlessly from email to single or multi-party conference calls and turn any location into a conference room.
In addition to the new simplified calling experience, Straight Talk includes an innovative mechanical and acoustic design that features a sophisticated speakerphone experience similar to those found in corporate boardrooms. Straight Talk delivers a high-fidelity voice and sound experience enhanced by asymmetric speakers and advanced noise suppression with full duplex acoustics. When the Touch Pro2 is flipped over it automatically turns into a conference room speakerphone system.
Availability
The HTC Touch Diamond2 will be available to customers across major European and Asian markets in early Q2 2009 with broader global availability coming later in the year. The Touch Pro2 will be available across major global markets beginning in early summer.
Crunch Network: CrunchGeardrool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
PC World - High Tech Computer (HTC), the largest maker of handsets that run Microsoft Windows Mobile software, unveiled updates to two of its most popular smartphones ever on Monday, the HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2 handsets. Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Feb 2009 | 10:30 am
An anonymous reader sends us to Cosmos Magazine for a speculative article arguing that a 'shadow biosphere' may exist on Earth, unrelated to life as we know it. If such non-carbon-based life were found here at home, it would alter the odds for how common life is elsewhere in the universe, astrobiologists say. "The tools and experiments researchers use to look for new forms of life — such as those on missions to Mars — would not detect biochemistries different from our own, making it easy for scientists to miss alien life, even if [it] was under their noses. ... Scientists are looking in places where life isn't expected — for example, in areas of extreme heat, cold, salt, radiation, dryness, or contaminated streams and rivers. [One researcher] is particularly interested in places that are heavily contaminated with arsenic, which, he suggests, might support forms of life that use arsenic the way life as we know it uses phosphorus."
At the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, Nokia has unveiled its initiative to try and repeat the runaway succes of Apple’s App Store with its own mobile storefront dubbed Ovi Store. This was an expected move as the rumors about the Finnish mobile juggernaut’s mobile applications store already spread last week; they were late confirmed to Reuters by industry sources.
“Offering a range of content including applications, games, videos, widgets, podcasts, location-based applications and personalised content, Ovi Store will be available on S60 and Series 40 devices. The first device to include the mobile storefront on board will be the Nokia N97, set to launch in June. Meanwhile tens of millions of existing S60 and Series 40 devices will be able to take advantage of the store from May. Ovi Store is unique in its ability to target content based on where you are, when you’re there, why you are where you are and who else has downloaded similar content.”
That last part, as well as the geo-location features, seems interesting. Ovi Store will include what it calls a ’social discovery’ feature which will enable users to find out which content is being used by their social network peers, as they will automatically be highlighted and made available for download on their devices.
Nokia, still the number-one maker of mobile phones until further notice, expects that the store will reach 300 million users by 2012. According to The Guardian, Nokia also said 70 percent of revenues from the store would go back to software developers.
As from today, content publishers and developers will be able to register for the Ovi Store here, but they will only be able to upload starting next month. The application store will be gradually rolled out, starting next May in nine countries.
PC World - Nokia plans to introduce an applications store, initially accessible to about 50 million people, with some innovative social-networking features. Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Feb 2009 | 9:40 am
It was just about undeniable at this point, but Nokia has officially announced the E75. It will be available in March at the unsubsidized price of 375 euros (roughly $483 USD), with pre-orders beginning today.
Nokia has yet to release the full specs, but the previously leaked (and most likely accurate) specs are as followed:
• Battery:
- Capacity: 1000 mAh
• Display:
- 320 x 240 pixels
• Network:
- GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
- WCDMA: 900/2100 (Dual-Band)
- HSDPA (3.6Mbps)
• Camera:
- 3.2 mega-pixels (auto-focus)
- Digital Zoom
- LED Flash
• Video:
- Hi-Resolution VGA Video Recording
- 30fps Video Recording (QVGA)
- Supported formats: MP4, 3GP, H.264, Flash, H.263 & Real Player
- Video Streaming
• Music:
- Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA
- FM Stereo Radio
- Nokia Music Store
- Nokia Podcast Support
- Nokia Music Manager Support
- Windows Media Player Sync
• Ringtones:
- Monophonic
- Polyphonic (64)
- MP3
- AAC
- Talking Ringtones
- Video Ringtones
• Messaging:
- SMS
- MMS (with video) - E-mail (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, MS Exchange)
- Instant Messaging (MSN)
- Text-To-Speech Reader
• Memory:
- Phone Book (unlimited)
- Dialled Calls (30)
- Missed Calls (30)
- Received Calls (30)
- microSDHC (external)
• Call Features:
- Hands Free
- Caller ID
- Voice Dialling
- VoIP Support
• Connectivity:
- microUSB
- Nokia 3.5mm AV connector
- Bluetooth (2.0)
- Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11g)
- GPRS Class 32
• Navigation:
- AGPS
- Nokia Maps
• Security:
- Device Lock
- Remote Lock
- Device and memory card encryption
- Mobile VPN support
• Features:
- Dual Home Screens (Work/Personal)
- Office Document Viewer (Word, Excel & PowerPoint)
- PDF Document Viewer
- ZIP File Manager
- Nokia Web Browser
- Dual Keypad Design
Crunch Network: CrunchBoardbecause it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Today at Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona, Nokia’s “Dean of Devices” Kai Öistämö announced the Nokia E55, their slimmest QWERTY (SureType) device yet. It will be available in Europe this summer for roughly $340 USD. Amongst the details currently announced is an incredibly impressive one month stand-by time.
So far we know that the slim smartphone is rocking a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, WiFi b/g, EGPRS, Bluetooth 2.0, 3.2 MP camera and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Oh, and that in month standby time we were stoked about is really 28 days on a GSM network. It apparently drops to 19 days on WCDMA.
Crunch Network: TechCrunchobsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
PC World - Nvidia on Monday said it is working with Google to build support for Linux applications on smartphones with its upcoming Tegra mobile chips. Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Feb 2009 | 8:20 am
Danny Choo is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. Danny resides in Tokyo, and blogs about life in Japan and Japanese subculture - he also works part time for the empire.
For folks who are wondering what your diet would look like if you lived in Japan for a year.
A collection of 365 photos taken during my brekkie, runch and dinner time in Japan - stuffed in the video below for your viewing pleasure.
All photos taken from my weekly series A Week in Tokyo where I post loads of photos of my life and work in Tokyo which includes visiting embassies, hosting Internet related networking events and also my work in the anime, entertainment and internet field.
The latest A Week in Tokyo write up is here.
If you can't see the video above for any reason then the low res is at YouTube.
Back to the subject of food, many Japanese folks who have visited the UK tell me that the food was horrible - I love the food back in the UK! Nothing beats some fresh chips n savaloy!
Music in video used with permission from Beings.
Poll: Japanese food in your region tastes...
-Great
-Average
-Pile o steaming camel poop
Adobe wants everyone to know that its fully-featured Flash Player, not the dinky lite version, will be available on many mobile phones . . . in 2010. So hang tight until then. The phones that will support Flash 10 include the Palm Pre, Nokia S60 models, Android phones, and Windows Mobile (but we already knew about those last two). Seriously, Adobe has been working on this for how long now? Maybe it is waiting for phones to come out with their own special Flash graphics processors.
Conspicuously absent from this vaporware announcement is the iPhone. Apple still thinks Flash is a resource hog and likely has some other business issues with it (even though Adobe is waiving its license fee for Flash on mobile devices).
On CNet.com, Brooke Crowthers has a review of some flops in the chip-making world — from IBM, Intel, and AMD — and the hype that surrounded them, which is arguably as interesting as the chips' failures. "First, I have to revisit Intel's Itanium. Simply because it's still around and still missing production target dates. The hype: 'This design philosophy will one day replace RISC and CISC. It is a gateway into the 64-bit future.' ... The reality: Yes, Itanium is still warm, still breathing in the rarefied very-high-end server market — where it does have a limited role. But... it certainly hasn't remade the computer industry."
Just a reminder for you Londoners: the National Union of Journalists and the British Journal of Photographers are having a photo-in today at Scotland Yard, a demonstration against the outrageous new law that can put you in jail for ten years for taking a photo of a police officer "a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism"
We'll be gathering at Scotland Yard today at 11AM, cameras in hand, to make the point: Nineteen Eighty-Four was not a manual for statecraft.
Tomorrow, [Ed: today] Monday 16 February 2009, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 will come into force, potentially making it a crime to take a picture of members of Her Majesty's armed forces, including constables.
The Act amends the Terrorism Act 2000 regarding offences relating to information about members of armed forces, a member of the intelligence services, or a police officer. The new set of rules, under section 76 of the 2008 Act and section 58A of the 2000 Act, will target anyone who 'elicits or attempts to elicit information about (members of armed forces) ... which is of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism'.
The penalty could be of up to 10 years in prison. While BJP does not believe the Act will result in the imprisonment of photographers and photojournalists, we believe the Act could be abused by some police officers who are already loosely using Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to prevent photographers from taking pictures in public places.
So, we have joined the National Union of Journalists' call for photographers to make their voices heard at a media event on 16 February in front of New Scotland Yard. The plan is simple, turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.
The European Commission is getting ready to force all mobile phone companies to use a single connector on their chargers, in order to eliminate the mountains of e-waste generated by switching chargers every time you switch phones. Transformer bricks with esoteric connectors are the most common form of electronic crap I see on street-vendors' blankets around the world (at least a hundred of them yesterday on Brick Lane in London, and literally thousands and thousands of them in Mumbai's Chor Bazaar), and given that they all put out nearly the same voltage and amperage, it really does seem like pure waste.
Many of my devices seem to be converging on a mini-USB, which I love, since it means that when I travel abroad, the only adapter I need is my laptop and its USB ports.
The European Commission plans to force mobile phone manufacturers to manufacture one mobile phone charger for all mobile phones, according the European Commissioner for Industry, Gunther Verheugen in an interview with the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. Verheugen said that his patience has been tested enough by the mobile phone industry, which was given several chances to develop one charger for all mobile phones, and he does not exclude severe measures to force the manufacturers to come with a solution. The main reason for his demand is trying to decrease the volume of electrical waste within Europe, which is become a major environmental problem. The current situation that requires users to purchase a new mobile charger with each new mobile phone has become unbearable according to Verheugen. In a reaction, the president of the European Information & Communications Technology Industry Association (EICTA), Tony Graziano, told Deutsche Welle that Verheugen's demand is legally and technically impossible to due differences in voltage and battery requirements within the European Union, although he acknowledged the increasing burden of mobile phone chargers on the environment. He also said that the industry is not likely to develop one charger for all brands. Verheugen also said that he rather sees the industry to develop such a charger voluntary, but warns that the EC has the legal and political means to force such development.
HP opts for Microsoft NAS management and Windows Home Server, but it's pretty darned good. Even though it hates Macs, the auto-scan feature imports and organizes all your media quickly.
HP opts for Microsoft NAS management and Windows Home Server, but it's pretty darned good. Even though it hates Macs, the auto-scan feature imports and organizes all your media quickly.
A story from a week or so back in Technology Review describes research coming to the surprising conclusion that Jean-Baptiste Lamarck may have been right — that acquired characteristics can be passed on to offspring, at least in rodents. Lamarck's ideas have been controversial for 200 years, and dismissed in mainstream scientific thinking for nearly that long. "In Feig's study, mice genetically engineered to have memory problems were raised in an enriched environment — given toys, exercise, and social interaction — for two weeks during adolescence. The animals' memory improved... The mice were then returned to normal conditions, where they grew up and had offspring. This next generation of mice also had better memory, despite having the genetic defect and never having been exposed to the enriched environment."
Hopefully all our readers had a good Valentine’s Day and are ready for some more Weekend deals. Today, I found some deals ranging from earbuds, to a netbook, to printer, and a free computer program. Let’s get started.
Philips Earbud Multimedia Headset
Buy.com has a pack of two Philips SHM3100/37 Earbud Multimedia Headsets on sale. They usually sell for $50, but are discounted by 88%, so they only cost $6, with free shipping. These headphones are great for any electronics, but since they also come with a noise canceling microphone, they would be especially good on a PC. Buy.com has these in a limited stock, so this deal will probably expire whenever they run out.
Dell Inspiron Mini Netbook
Dell is selling their Inspiron Mini 9 laptop for only $199, which is after a $50 instant savings discount, and it comes with free shipping. Even though you can configure it, you may want to go with the specs already selected, otherwise the pricing will change accordingly. Here are some of the base specs: 8.9 inch LED display, 0.3MP webcam, runs on Ubuntu Linux v. 8.04.1, 512MB SDRAM, 4GB hard drive, and a 1 year warranty.
HP Officejet All-in-One Printer
Next up, we have the HP Officejet 6310 All-In-One Color InkJet Printer from Newegg.com. Basically, its selling for $30, after a $75 instant savings and then a $15 coupon code. To receive an additional $15 off, enter in “HP6480C50” at the check-out. This deal is set to end on 2/21. The printer prints up to 30 ppm in black ink, and 24 ppm in color ink, and the color resolution is 4800 x 1200 dpi.
Quickbooks 2009 Simple Start Edition
The last deal we have for this weekend is Quickbooks 2009 Simple Start Edition, which is free from Staples after a $90 rebate. Here’s what the software can do for you:
* Designed for businesses with the simplest accounting needs
* Get started in under 15 mintues
* Print checks, pay bills, and track sales
* Create estimates and invoices
* Accept credit cards
* Simple Start cannot import data from prior versions of Quickbooks: Basic, Pro or Premier Editions
That’s all the deals we have for this weekend, stay tuned for more deals next week.
Hugh Pickens writes "Episteme, a magazine about the social dimensions of knowledge, has a special issue on the epistemology of mass collaboration, with many of the articles focusing on Wikipedia. One of the most interesting articles is by Lawrence M. Sanger on the special role of experts in the age of Wikipedia. Sanger says the main reason that Wikipedia's articles are as good as they are is that they are edited by knowledgeable people to whom deference is paid, although voluntarily, but that some articles suffer precisely because there are so many aggressive people who 'guard' articles and drive off others (PDF), including people more expert than they are. 'Without granting experts any authority to overrule such people, there is no reason to think that Wikipedia'a articles are on a vector toward continual improvement,' writes Sanger. Wikipedia's success cannot be explained by its radical egalitarianism or its rejection of expert involvement, but instead by its freedom, openness, and bottom-up management and there is no doubt that many experts would, if left to their own devices, dismantle the openness that drives the success of Wikipedia. 'But the failure to take seriously the suggestion of any role of experts can only be considered a failure of imagination,' writes Sanger. 'One need only ask what an open, bottom-up system with a role for expert decision-making would be like.' The rest of the articles on the epistemology of mass collaboration are available online, free for now." Sanger was one of the founders of Wikipedia, and of its failed predecessor Nupedia, who left the fold because of differences over the question of the proper role of experts. Sanger forked Wikipedia to found Citizendium, which we have discussed on several occasions. After 2-1/2 years, Citizendium has a few tenths of a percent as many articles as Wikipedia.
Sure, it’s a celebration of Washington and Lincoln–but isn’t it also fitting, given the current president’s attachment to his BlackBerry, that on this President’s Day Weekend, one of the most talked-about (or Twittered about) phenomena is Twitter? Not the only phenomenon, though:
After a heady few days at the TED Conference in its new home in Long Beach, CA, BoomTown asked other conference-goers, “Has your head exploded yet?” People’s reports on what they learned while in attendance are many and varied. Among the things BoomTown learned this week: One company’s recession may be another company’s bubble. As such, Twitter announced a $250 million-dollar valuation and a $35 million-dollar round of funding this week, prompting the question of whether some search giant will swoop in before the whole thing falls apart. Apparently, new Yahoo (YHOO) CEO Carol Bartz has been asking a lot of questions of her staffers lately, like, “what exactly is your job description?” and “what do you do?” This has caused many, including BoomTown, to wonder whether she’s about to carry out the long-rumored re-org.
Meanwhile, in a different drama, Sirius XM (SIRI) is trying to avoid bankruptcy and fend off an unsolicited takeover bid by satellite mogul Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar (SATS), which has been gradually acquiring its debt. The company has approached Liberty Media about a possible sale, as apparently Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin can’t stomach the thought of giving up control to Charlie Ergen. Digital Daily has been following the plot twists. DD also reports that mobile phone giant Nokia (NOK) is approaching the need for a reduced headcount at one of its plants in a novel way–by putting 20-30 percent of its workforce on mandatory furlough at any given time. And a longtime opponent of Amazon (AMZN), the trade group the Author’s Guild, has raised a new objection to the company’s business practices. The group contends that the text-to-voice feature on the Kindle 2.0 e-book reader creates audiobooks for which it doesn’t own the rights. The details are in Digital Daily.
Media Memo is a little bit obsessed with Twitter. But not without maintaining the minimum of reality required to wonder about a business model or two, especially in light of this week’s $35 million dollar funding announcement. So it’s with a tiny grain of salt that MM took the word of both co-founder Biz Stone and CEO Evan Williams when they both continued to insist that revenue is on the way. Speaking of missing business models, what’s up with Web video? Sony Music signed an agreement to keep its music videos on YouTube, and though details of the deal are unclear, MediaMemo’s sources familiar with the matter provided a breakdown of the revenue issues involved. And could the loss of 600,000 jobs in January be connected to a concurrent eye-popping traffic spike? Working less could mean surfing more–MediaMemo provided some very interesting dots to connect regarding the whole thing.
In Personal Technology this week, Walt Mossberg test-drove Sony’s new Vaio P (SNE), which has incredible looks without the power (or personality) to back them up. In Mossberg’s Mailbox, Walt wrote about using Foxmarks to sync bookmarks across multiple computers with different browsers. In this week’s Mossberg Solution, Katherine Boehret took a look at the growing market of mobile phones built specifically for seniors, with a focus on the ClarityLife C900.
A new carbon sequestration project, sponsored by the Department of Energy, is underway in Illinois. It's a sign of the agency's continued support for the controversial climate-change tech.
During the Microsoft CES keynote Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, announced a forthcoming Windows Mobile application created to manage Netflix accounts. Microsoft made good on that commitment recently when they, in partnership with Netflix, released the Netflix Mobile Manager. While Netflix has had a mobile website available for some time and several applications exist for other platforms, there has not been a dedicated Windows Mobile solution for monitoring and modifying Netflix queues; at least until now.
Slick and snappy
As a user of both Windows Mobile and Netflix, I was able to install the application and gather some general impressions. As far as Windows Mobile applications go, this one is pretty slick. It was able to handle both my instant and mail queues well, managing to load my massive DVD list without even a hiccup. You can scroll through your movies via a kinetic scrolling mechanism that will seem very familiar to fans of the iPhone, and you can even edit the order of your queues.
The app has the ability to search for and add new movies to your instant watch or mail lists. The application will even allow you to preview trailers for select movies, streaming, right to your device. One caveat, in my experience I found that the trailers play a bit more smoothly via Wi-Fi versus 3G.
It’s got potential
On the whole, the application seems like it has potential to be something great. First off, hopefully in the next version of the application it will allow you to browse the entire Netflix catalog and not limit you to searching by title. A feature that could turn this from a great freeware app to an application worth paying for would be support for Netflix Watch Instantly.
Why stop at just movie previews, especially when we have seen what Sling Media has been able to do with the Windows Mobile platform? At this point, we can only hope that we will see even greater consumer benefits coming from this partnership in the near future.
Jamie found this Bad Astronomy blog on the many reports beginning about 7 hours ago of one or more fireballs in the sky across Texas. That blog's proprietor first doubted that the phenomena could be due to the satellites that collided in orbit last week, but later left the possibility open. The National Weather Service for Jackson, KY put out an announcement about possible explosions and earthquakes across the area and blamed the defunct satellites. "These pieces of debris have been causing sonic booms...resulting in the vibrations being felt by some residents...as well as flashes of light across the sky. The cloud of debris is likely the result of the recent in orbit collision of two satellites on Tuesday...February 10th when Kosmos 2251 crashed into Iridium 33." An Austin TV station has more reports.
Earth is warming faster than scientists have predicted, in part because industrial greenhouse gas emissions have increased, U.S. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Feb 2009 | 1:04 am
Publicly traded travel site Travelzoo has launched the beta version of its new comprehensive airfare search engine, Fly.com. At first glance, Fly.com is a Kayak-look alike (except that Fly.com searches are limited to airfares only). The two sites offer virtually the same search options, except that Fly.com’s price comparison sites are limited to Priceline and Hotwire, whereas Kayak offers comparison searches on Priceline, Hotwire, Expedia, Travelocity and Airfare.com
What differentiates Fly.com from Kayak is the way in which a user can see the listed flight information. Fly.com includes a summary view, where each airline’s lowest and highest prices is listed. The user can then click on the airline to see the flight times and ranges. Also, the user can see the economy, business and first-class prices in one search. And Fly.com’s results include “Why Me?” boxes, which inform travelers about amenities on a specific route or airline. For example, a “Why Me?” box attached to Virgin Airlines informs the user about Virgin’s in-flight entertainment options. While some of these may be innovative, it’s doubtful that these differentiators will be enough to drive people away from a more comprehensive site, like Kayak, where a user can also search for rental cars, hotels and package vacations. That said, Fly.com does seem to have at least a few advantages - for one the site lists American Airlines flight options, whereas the airline company ditched its listings on Kayak. Update: American actually returned to Kayak in October.
Travelzoo created buzz around its $1.8 million purchase of the domain “Fly.com” in January. Undoubtedly, Fly.com is a highly desirable domain name, but history has dictated that success does not necessarily correlate with a good name (just take a look at the Pets.com fiasco). Hopefully, Fly.com can figure out a way to truly stand out in the sea of travel search engines.
Crunch Network: CrunchBasethe free database of technology companies, people, and investors
FROM APPLETELL - It would appear that the Apple Store’s runaway success in luring consumers has finally made enough of an impact on Microsoft that they feel the need to respond—eight years late, but better late than never, right? MORE »
Samsung “unveiled” its Memoir 8MP camera-phone at the Mobile World Congress. Now we’ve covered the Memoir before, but this time Samsung has let out pricing information. This phone will cost $249.99 and that’s with a two-year contract with a data plan and if you actually fill out the mail in rebate. The Memoir will be available February 25th from T-Mobile.
Here’s a quick recap on the phone’s specs: 3G, full HTML web browser, video recording, and that 8MP camera. There is a 16x zoom, but it’s digital so if you will only be zooming in on pixels. The phone weighs 4.43 ounces its touchscreen is 1.61 x 2.64-inches.
Richard.Tao and a number of other readers sent in a NYTimes piece by John Markoff asking whether the Internet is so broken it needs to be replaced. "...[T]here is a growing belief among engineers and security experts that Internet security and privacy have become so maddeningly elusive that the only way to fix the problem is to start over. What a new Internet might look like is still widely debated, but one alternative would, in effect, create a 'gated community' where users would give up their anonymity and certain freedoms in return for safety. Today that is already the case for many corporate and government Internet users. As a new and more secure network becomes widely adopted, the current Internet might end up as the bad neighborhood of cyberspace. You would enter at your own risk and keep an eye over your shoulder while you were there." A less alarmist reaction to the question was blogged by David Akin: "If you build a new Internet and you want me to get a license to drive on it, sorry. I'm hanging out here in v.1."
Noel Hartshorn (left in the picture) is a 37 year old Wales (UK) based iPhone developer, working in partnership with illustrator Dennis Harrison (on the right). Formerly a contract technical writer, Noel became one of the many casualties of the global economic crisis. With the IT contract market in decline, and with a lot more time on his hands than anticipated, Noel decided to take the plunge into iPhone development. This is his story.
(Editor’s note: the app they developed is called i-Doodz. Noel decided not to include the name of, nor the link to the app in this piece, but we add it because it deserves some credit at least)
It is now 4 months and 24 days since my contract as a Senior Technical Writer with a large PC manufacturer was terminated; a result of “streamlining”, “resource rationalization” or whatever the currently favored term for “axe wielding” is.
4 months and 24 days of energy sapping job hunting, wondering when the next significant income will present itself, and doing everything possible to avoid being a statistic and a burden to the welfare system.
It is 2 months and 6 days since, over a few bottles of budget beer, illustrator Dennis Harrison and I had an idea for an iPhone application that would surely leave other developers in awe, and the global iPhone community screaming for more. This was it - the solution to our financial woes – we’re going to make millions! All we need is a little bit of money and a good iPhone developer.
It seems the world is full of iPhone developers offering their services, and they cost a lot more than our budget would stretch to. When the quotes came in, realization dawned – we’d have to do it ourselves. The fact that I hadn’t programmed anything more than a website in over 15 years was only briefly considered, and I invested the profits from selling a beloved surfboard on eBay in a few iPhone development books. Dennis in the meantime got to work on the illustrations that would be the focus of our app – a slightly off the wall character designer and e-card sender.
At this point we had read a few App Store Cinderella stories, and decided to file them under “unachievable”. In the “possibly achievable” file were the accounts of a plethora of developers who are making a little pocket money from their efforts, maybe even a modest income. With expectations lowered, if that is all we would end up with, it was still worth doing. Slightly more income than nothing is, undeniably, more than nothing.
The development process was relatively straightforward. My rusty skills quickly caught up with modern programming concepts, or at least enough to achieve our goal.
Within 5 weeks our app was complete, and we began the process of enrolling in Apple’s iPhone Developer Program in order to get our app listed in iTunes for the world to see and, hopefully, buy. At this point, many iPhone developers would expect to read a tale of misery and woe, but for us the process was, in all honesty, a walk in the park. Our app went on sale on January 16th 2009. Then the real hard work began.
The iTunes App Store is a weird, wonderful and ever-changing beast. If a developer launches an app and leaves it alone expecting it to earn money, it won’t. Making money is an ongoing and often demoralizing effort, largely involving trial and error. First of all, how much should an app cost? Should it be free? (Not if we want to feed ourselves). Should it go for the cheapest price point of 59p? Such a tiny amount belittled our efforts, and grouped our software with the “pull-my-finger” apps that are the scourge of iTunes, but which are, for now at least, remarkably (although spectacularly disappointingly) successful. After spending 25 minutes developing our own pull-my-finger app to fit into that particular market, we eventually settled on £2.39 for our main app, which to us seemed a snip whilst also reflecting our hard work and maybe, just maybe, allow us to consider ordering curry sauce with our chips. Playing with the price of the app was interesting – changing it made little difference to daily revenues. The trade-off was the number of daily downloads.
Next, the tried and trusted Lite version strategy. Tried and trusted?! Despite the description of our no-cost Lite version stating its inadequacies, it received the apparently to-be-expected “needs more!”, “is that it?!” and “it should have….” comments. It seems all apps should be free and make you cups of tea whilst implementing global peace and eradicating Third World debt. Our Lite version does none of that. It simply provides a taster of the paid version. Apparently, this was naïve.
Updates. This is proving to be an important aspect of promotion. Every time an app is updated, it goes back to the top of the “list”. We’ve just launched our third update. Some developers have released 20 updates to their app in the same space of time. Note to self – make sure there are more typographical errors in the next app.
Final strategy – market, market, market…with neither marketing experience nor budget. The Internet is awash with iPhone app “review” sites, none of which bear any resemblance to an iPhone app review site; merely providing data extracted directly from iTunes, presented in a less friendly manner. Many long days of blogging, emailing, pleading and gazing at the screen wondering who to contact next have, however, resulted in a handful of good reviews. Whether these have any effect on sales or not is impossible to tell.
All this effort to promote our software is having two effects; I am no longer aware of what is going on in the world, and people are slowly starting to buy our app. Whilst we’re not mentioned in the Top 100 apps in our chosen category, we are starting to make money - almost enough to provide us with a basic salary each. With the continued effort, the gradually increasing number of good reviews, and a new themed version launching imminently, we’re looking through rose tinted spectacles at the possibility that we can soon stop searching job sites for a 9 to 5. Moonlighting, however, may be required.
Our experience has shown that jumping on the App Store bandwagon is relatively easy. Staying on it, sticking with it and reaping the benefits are a whole different ball game. There are at least 15,000 iPhone apps listed in iTunes. For every big winner there are hundreds of underdogs. For every little gem there is a wall of “fart apps” obscuring the view. For every single app there is at least one developer hoping they have guessed this week’s gimmick correctly.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunchMobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!
Recession-O-Rama Deals for the Weekend 2.8.09 “ Yep, the economy still is in shambles. How can you help? By pumping money into stores of course! But you don’t have to go broke buying things. Continuing with our weekend deals, here’s what we have for you today:…“ MORE »
Live blog from the Amazon press conference “Hello, folks. We’re here at the Amazon press conference and will be live blogging the event. Everyone is expecting Kindle 2 to be announced today. What new features have been added? What changes have been made? Keep…“ MORE »
Hands on the Kindle 2: First impressions and photos “ We’ve played with the Kindle 2. What’s the verdict? It’s a step in the right direction but still needs more features. The Kindle 2 is what the original Kindle should have been. The screen is very crisp and reading off it seemed…“ MORE »
Video: Playing with the Kindle 2 “Wanted some more info on the Kindle 2? How about seeing it in action? Take a look at the video after the break to see how fast and responsive the Amazon Kindle 2 is. Find out how the keyboard responds through the eyes of an iPhone user. Also, find out…“ MORE »
BlackBerry Gemini 9300 image, details leaked “The latest BlackBerry, the Gemini 9300 seems to be what many have been hoping for—a 3G equipped Curve. So far, the details that have surfaced here are on the light side, not to mention they are still just…“ MORE »
Canon’s newest all-in-one office machines “ With more and more people working from home, the demand for better home office printers is on the rise. Canon, the camera and photo conglomerate, has released a new set of all-in-one printers for…“ MORE »
Top five gadgets to spread the love this Valentine’s Day “ So, when we think February 14th, we usually think flowers and chocolate, right? Well, it doesn’t always have to be that way. Believe it or not, girls do like getting gadgets too, as long as you don’t just pick something that plugs…“ MORE »
Step Brothers brings community ratings to Blu-ray “ Not only does Blu-ray provide superior picture quality to DVDs and that crappy HD signal from your cable/satellite provider, it also gets interactive. BD-Live, the relatively new Blu-ray feature that enables you to access content via your Internet-connected Blu-ray player…“ MORE »
theodp writes "Think you've got a bad job? Think again. You could be making keyboards for IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo and HP at Meitai Plastic and Electronics, a Chinese hardware factory. Prompted by the release of High Tech Misery in China by a human-rights group, a self-regulating body set up by tech companies will conduct an audit of working conditions at the factory. In return for take-home pay of 41 cents per hour, workers reportedly sit on hard wooden stools for 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. Overtime is mandatory, with workers being given on average two days off per month. While on the production line, workers are not allowed to raise their hands or heads, are given 1.1 seconds to snap each key into place, and are encouraged to 'actively monitor each other' to see if any company rules are being transgressed. They are also monitored by guards. Workers are fined if they break the rules, locked in the factory for four days per week, and sleep in crowded dormitories. Okay, it's not all bad news — they're hiring."
Science News has an article on research into a compound found in a particular kind of sea sponge that seems to have the ability to restore antibiotics' effectiveness against resistant bacteria. The hope is that, since the compound is not itself deadly or even harmful to bacteria, it may skew the antibiotic-bacteria arms race in our favor. "Chemical analyses of the sponge's chemical defense factory pointed to a compound called algeferin. Biofilms, communities of bacteria notoriously resistant to antibiotics, dissolved when treated with fragments of the algeferin molecule. And new biofilms did not form. So far, the algeferin offshoot has, in the lab, successfully treated bacteria that cause whooping cough, ear infections, septicemia and food poisoning. The compound also works on... [MRSA] infections, which wreak havoc in hospitals. 'We have yet to find one that doesn't work,' says [one of the researchers]."
Push by Global Crop Diversity Trust is rapidly reviving ailing seed samples from 46 countries that could provide genetic traits vital to maintaining global food security Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2009 | 8:15 pm
Genetic diseases and genetically mixed populations can help researchers understand human diversity and human origins according to a Penn State physical anthropologist."We wanted to get to a strategy to predict what a face will look like," said Mark D. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2009 | 8:04 pm
The University of Pennsylvania has warned its students that three of their peers have been diagnosed with meningitis, a school spokeswoman says.
University spokeswoman Phyllis Holtzman said as a precaution the school canceled all Greek and school-sponsored events for the weekend and is offering medical assistance at the college's special health services clinic, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday.
We believe the common point is that the students had been at a Greek event or in close contact with someone who was, Holtzman said.
The college officials said one of the three students hospitalized with meningitis was in critical condition, while the other two were stable.
Penn freshman Sara Schults told the Inquirer the meningitis scare has students concerned for their health and choosing to be cautious about communal campus activities.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord that can be fatal. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2009 | 7:47 pm
Some scientists think our best bet for finding alien life forms is in our own terra firma. If life evolved independently more than once on Earth, finding this "weird life" could be as easy as hunting in the most unusual places on the planet, such as unexplored deep sea vents.
As smartphones become more and more popular, it would make sense for the applications to also increase in popularity. Handango, a software retailer for a number of platforms including Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry and Symbian has released its “yardstick” for 2008. The report gives some interesting results including the most popular phone for applications and a high average application price.
According to the report, the most popular phone by revenue and units sold is the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, with the BlackBerry Bold being second in both categories. Actually, BlackBerry has half the top ten list in both categories, which isn’t exactly all that surprising. What is somewhat surprising is the average price of mobile applications, which was $18.93 for 2008. It makes sense as the top selling application for Windows Mobile Professional is Spb Mobile Shell 2.1.4, which is priced at $29.95.
Of all the platforms, Windows Mobile Professional has the most sales, with BlackBerry a close second. I find it strange that people pay so much money for mobile applications, but it does make some sense if the application will be used a lot. It seems games have also increased a lot in population, with games now amounting to 19% of all applications sold. If nothing else, it shows that there’s a lot of interest for mobile applications that can work the same as computer applications.
When the Drake Oil Well in Titusville, Pennsylvania began seeping crude oil 150 years ago, humanity allowed itself to become engulfed in the ecology of oil, according to a Penn State environmental historian. Now in the midst of an energy transition, the U.S. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2009 | 6:50 pm
AP - Abu Essam's footsteps echo loudly as he walks through the narrow alleys of Damascus' old city. Around him in 1930s Syria, tall stone buildings block the scorching sun. Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 Feb 2009 | 6:12 pm
AP - Twitter Inc. has spawned a new way to communicate by limiting messages to 140 keystrokes. So here's a way to describe the Internet's latest craze within Twitter's space restrictions: Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 Feb 2009 | 5:44 pm
Many a love-besotted soul has declared they would move the world for their true love, but how many actually accomplish that task in their quest to unite with a lover?Poets and romantics may argue the point, but research has shown that elephants issuing calls, including those of love—more precisely, females in estrus—produce not only audible sounds, but also low-frequency seismic vibrations that can travel through the near-surface soils for distances up to several kilometers.And though we humans may claim to feel our lover's call in our heart, soul or other organs of either physical or philosophical origin, most of us need said love call to caress the hair cells of our inner ears for it to register in what is arguably our most important love/sex organ—our brain.Elephants, however, have two highly developed additional sensory systems at their disposal, both of which can be used for detecting the potential mate's seismic signals (humans have both, too, just not tuned to using vibrations as communication). Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2009 | 5:10 pm
What if you could peer into the thoughts of millions of people as they were thinking those thoughts or shortly thereafter? And what if all of these thoughts were immediately available in a database that could be mined easily to tell you what people both individually and in aggregate are thinking right nowabout any imaginable subject or event? Well, then you’d have a different kind of search engine altogether. A real-time search engine. A what’s-happening-right-now search engine.
In fact, the crude beginnings of this “now” search engine already exists. It is called Twitter, and it is a big reason why new investors poured another $35 million into the two-year-old startup on Friday. Twitter is not the only company trying to solve this problem. Facebook, FriendFeed, and even Google are trying to crack it, but Twitter has a decided advantage in that it is capturing the vast majority of the real-time thought stream on the Web (because more people enter their thoughts directly into Twitter’s database than any other, and are doing so at an increasing rate).
What makes Google and other search engines so valuable is that they capture people’s intent—what they are looking for, what they desire, what they want to learn about. But they don’t do a great job at capturing what people are doing or what they are thinking about. For thoughts and events that are happening right now, searching Twitter increasingly brings up better results than searching Google.
Whether you want to know how people are mentally gearing up for this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona or what they are thinking about today’s Ireland vs. Italy rugby match, searching Twitter will give you a pretty good smattering of sentiment and opinion. It is also a lot faster at getting out the essential details about breaking news, such as the Mumbai attacks or the plane that landed on the Hudson.
Twitter’s search engine is powered by Summize, a startup it acquired last July. But it also developed a feature called Track, currently disabled but coming back soon, that allowed people to follow the mention of specified keywords. John Borthwick, an investor in Summize (and thus now an investor in Twitter), explained in a blog post earlier this month ago why he thinks that “Twitter search changes everything.” Excerpt:
Imagine you are in line waiting for coffee and you hear people chattering about a plane landing on the Hudson. You go back to your desk and search Google for plane on the Hudson — today — weeks after the event, Google is replete with results — but the DAY of the incident there was nothing on the topic to be found on Google. Yet at http://search.twitter.com the conversations are right there in front of you. The same holds for any topical issues — lipstick on pig? — for real time questions, real time branding analysis, tracking a new product launch — on pretty much any subject if you want to know whats happening now, search.twitter.com will come up with a superior result set.
. . . How is real time search different? History isn’t that relevant — relevancy is driven mostly by time. . . . This reformulation of search as navigation is, I think, a step into a very new and different future. Google.com has suddenly become the source for pages — not conversations, not the real time web. What comes next? I think context is the next hurdle. Social context and page based context. . . . Twitter search today is crude — but so was Google.com once upon a not so long time ago.
Twitter may just be a collection of inane thoughts, but in aggregate that is a valuable thing. In aggregate, what you get is a direct view into consumer sentiment, political sentiment, any kind of sentiment. For companies trying to figure out what people are thinking about their brands, searching Twitter is a good place to start. To get a sense of what I’m talking about, try searching for “iPhone,”“Zune,” or “Volvo wagon”.
Why can’t Google simply index Twitter? It does, but its search results give more weight to links than to time. It could create a new search product along the lines of Blog Search or News search that is geared more towards Micro-messaging services such as Twitter, FriendFeed, and the rest. But what it really needs to go beyond simply indexing Twitter after the fact. IVP partner, and Twitter investor, Todd Chaffee, suggests:
If they were really smart they could partner with Twitter and make Twitter their real-time feed.
Doing that would require Google to “affirm Twitter’s dominance in this category and the importance of the Twitter data stream,” contends Borthwick. But so far, Google has pretty much flubbed this opportunity to open up real-time search. It bought Twitter competitor Jaiku, only to shut it down. And now it is hoping to create a counterweight to Twitter’s growing strength in real-time data by open-sourcing Jaiku. Good luck with that one.
Listening to Twitter’s investors gives a good sense of how they think Twitter can become a game-changer in real-time search. While it is instructive, it is also important to note that much of this vision has yet to materialize. Twitter’s current search is extremely crude, as Borthwick readily admits. It simply brings up the most recent Tweets with the keyword you are looking for. There is no ranking or clustering beyond that.
An undifferentiated thought stream of the masses at some point becomes unwieldy. In order to truly mine that data, Twitter needs to figure out how to extract the common sentiments from the noise (something which Summize was originally designed to do, by the way, but it was putting the cart before the horse—you need to be able to do simple searches before you start looking for patterns). But what is the best way to rank real-time search results—by number of followers, retweets, some other variable? It is not exactly clear. But if Twitter doesn’t solve this problem, someone else will and they will make a lot of money if they do it right.
Billy Herrington (born July 14, 1969, Long Island, New York) is a bisexual American actor best known for his work in gay pornography.
Herrington began his erotic career when a friend surreptitiously submitted his nude pictures to Playgirl magazine. The photographs won him a "Real Men of the Month" contest and a $500 prize. His appearance in the magazine caught the eye of famed photographer Jim French but it would be two years before Herrington would shoot his first Colt calendars for French.
Soon after that he would be shooting hardcore gay pornography for All Worlds Video. Herrington became one of the more well-known gay porn stars of the late 1990s, even appearing on mainstream talk-show "Ricki Lake."
And why is Billy so immensely popular with the Japanese folks and why has he been made into a Japanese action figure too?
Herrington has also become an internet meme among the Japanese community after a clip from one of his videos 'Workout' was posted on Nico Nico Douga, a Japanese video sharing website.
Over 3000 parody videos of him have been made, many of which utilizes deliberate mishearings of his lines in the porn flick. He is affectionately called "Big Brother" among the Nico Nico Douga community, and most of his videos are deliberately tagged with "Forest Fairy", "Philosophy" or both.
Photo taken last night where I provided the translations for Billy's first ever live internet broadcast in Japan - see more photos and videos from behind-the-scenes.
An example of one of those parody videos below - you cant really see any dolphin waxing so it should be safe for work.
Blockquotes from Wikipedia.
At the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, Nokia has unveiled its initiative to try and repeat the runaway succes of Apple's App Store with its own mobile storefront dubbed Ovi Store. This was an expected move as the rumors about the Finnish mobile juggernaut's mobile applications store already spread last week; they were late confirmed to Reuters by industry sources.
Here's how they pitch it:
Although congress has delayed the mandatory February 17 deadline of switching to digital TV, many analog television owners may be in for a rude awakening when they try to watch their shows on that day and find a snowy picture. Approximately 500 television stations have announced that they plan to make the switch to digital on February 17, regardless of the delay.
Yama hama, great deals abound on this fine Monday morning. Case in point, 
It seems Japan is 
For folks who are wondering what your diet would look like if you lived in Japan for a year.
A collection of 365 photos taken during my brekkie, runch and dinner time in Japan - stuffed in the video below for your viewing pleasure.
All photos taken from my weekly series 
Adobe 
Plucked a few photos from my 
Photos taken with either the 
Sure, it’s a celebration of Washington and Lincoln–but isn’t it also fitting, given the current president’s attachment to his BlackBerry, that on this President’s Day Weekend, one of the most talked-about (or Twittered about) phenomena is Twitter? Not the only phenomenon, though:
During the Microsoft CES keynote Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, announced a forthcoming Windows Mobile application created to manage Netflix accounts. Microsoft made good on that commitment recently when they, in partnership with Netflix, released the Netflix Mobile Manager. While Netflix has had a mobile website available for some time and several applications exist for other platforms, there has not been a dedicated Windows Mobile solution for monitoring and modifying Netflix queues; at least until now.
As smartphones become more and more popular, it would make sense for the applications to also increase in popularity. Handango, a software retailer for a number of platforms including Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry and Symbian has released its “yardstick” for 2008. The report gives some interesting results including the most popular phone for applications and a high average application price.
