HTC Thunderbolt Gets Unboxed on Video

For those of you that might be considering snapping up the Android 2.2 Froyo packing HTC Thunderbolt on the Verizon network, we have a nice little unboxing video of the smartphone for your viewing pleasure today.

The unboxing footage of the HTC Thunderbolt comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily Mobile and by way of Android Police who unwrap the LTE 4G enabled device in this five minute video.

The HTC Thunderbolt smartphone is apparently the only Verizon handset that enables the user over 3G to talk and use data at the same time and as you will see from the footage, the HTC Thunderbolt has aluminium unibody construction.

Spec wise according to Phone Arena the HTC Thunderbolt packs a 4.3 inch capacitive multi-touch Super LCD touch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED flash, 720p video, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, FM radio, built-in Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, WiFi, Bluetooth, DLNA support, kickstand, 8GB internal memory and a 32GB card pre-installed.

So without giving too much away I shut up now and let you head on down to hit that play button so you can check out the super fast HTC Thunderbolt 4G unboxing…enjoy.

Verizon drops Samsung Fascinate, Droid Incredible, Droid R2-D2 to $100

You can call it a Valentine's sale or a pre-iPhone 4 blow out, but any way you slice it there's some pretty good deals on Android phones available from Verizon right now. That includes the Samsung Fascinate and Continuum, as well as the HTC Droid Incredible and Motorola Droid R2-D2, which are all now available for just $100 on the usual two-year contract (the Fascinate deal is apparently today-only). Unfortunately, the sale doesn't include the Droid X, Droid Pro or Droid 2 Global, but Verizon is promising some additional one-day only sales during its "ten days of sweet deals" from now until February 10th, so folks interested in one of those might not be out of luck just yet.

Intel briefly shows off Medfield-based smartphone

Intel promised way back in 2009 that we'd be seeing Medfield-based smartphones in 2011, and it looks like those have now gotten one step closer to reality. While there's unfortunately few details to be had, that's apparently a Medfield-based smartphone of some sort in the hand of Intel's Anand Chandrasekher above, who apparently showed off the phone (possibly a prototype) ever so briefly at the company's sales and marketing conference last week. Could it be a sign of things to come at MWC next month? Maybe, maybe not, but we'll be there to find out.

Android Honeycomb Playing Nice on Nook Color: Video

So the Google Guys are holding an Android 3.0 Honeycomb event on Wednesday the 2nd of February where the mobile space should learn all about the tablet specific operating system. However that hasn’t seemed to stop the OS form being ported to another device.

According to an article over on Tech Gadgets, and by way of Engadget, those very clever guys over at XDA-developers have now managed to port Android 3.0 Honeycomb over to the Nook color tablet.

And of course they have some video footage of Android 3.0 Honeycomb playing nice on the Barnes & Noble Nook Color, which comes our way courtesy of YouTube user Deepbluer, and lasts just over the two-minute mark.

Deepbluer says that the graphics acceleration is “more or less” working, and pretty much everything else isn’t working yet, but no doubt they will get there eventually and have Android Honeycomb playing smooth as silk on the Nook.

So all you need do is head on down, mash that play button and check out Android 3.0 Honeycomb on the Nook Color, and feel free to let us know what you think by posting us a comment.

New Exploit for Untethered Jailbreak Found

It appears that the iPhone hackers aren’t about to give up on an untethered jailbreak as apparently a new exploit has been discovered just over a week after the same hacker posted a video to YouTube of the latest version of Greenpois0n, that video you can view (here).

According to an article over on iPhone download blog, iPhone hacker and Chronic Dev Team member @pod2g used his Twitter account to tweet ” Hey, another untethered vulnerability found! http://twitpic.com/3ujze3”

According to Mobile Clues, this new exploit can be preserved for the next Apple iOS firmware including iOS 4.3 and iOS 4.2.5.

Thus it looks like another untethered jailbreak solution for the iPhone will be coming at some point in the game, that is until Apple steps in and closes the exploit, which is something they usually do in this cat and mouse game.

Nokia to Launch E7 in UK This April

Nokia is the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile telephone, going back in November, expanses listed that the Nokia E7 will be available in UK starting January 10.

But it’s quiet inadvertent to say that, the new E series flagship has not been launched anywhere across the world, the main reason behind this is that Nokia delayed its releases- so the potential customers must probably be wondering when they’ll be able to get it.

Well, Expanses portray that the Simian QWERTY Smart phone is due to arrive in UK on April 12. While the launch date may not be 100% accurate, therefore it is a sign that we might not see the E7 too soon (at least not in UK).
Good news is that Expanses now asks less for the E7 than it did in November: 494.99 (about €576 or $785) Amazon Germany also lists the E7 as coming soon, but are not sure when it will be available- it only shows the Smart phone price: €629. Nokia’s last official word on the launch date of the E7 was “early 2011”.

I hope that company must have realized that we’re about to enter the second month of the year. In any case, 2011 certainly didn’t start as good for the Finns they expected, and maybe we shouldn’t call them Finns anymore, since their new CEO is a Canadian.

Source: Unwired view

Motorola Atrix 4G Release Date & Price: Amazon and Costco

The Motorola Atrix 4G suggested as the most powerful smartphone coming soon is a complete mystery when it comes to the release date and price, this is getting more like most haunted every day.

New reports are coming in about its price and this time is via Android Central who have a screen shot showing the Motorola Atrix 4G price of only $149.99, now this goes with an article we published on January 18 reporting that Amazon had the Android device up on its site for the price above but then it mysteriously disappeared.

Now there have been sights of it on Costco according to Tech2, well we have done a check and it is not on there. Hopefully the price of under $150 is the official price but as usual we need to all sit back relax and wait for the official price announcement and release date.

The Motorola Atrix 4G at the above price would be amazing and considering specs such as dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 CPU at 1GHz each, 1 GB RAM, 4-inch capacitive touchscreen, Gorilla glass, scratch resistant display with 540 x 960 pixel resolution, 24-bit color and qHD would make this one of the best smartphones for the price.

Other features include 3G and 4G, HSDPA speeds up to 14.4Mbps, Wi-Fi with DLNA compliance, GPS with A-GPS support, Android 2.2 Froyo, MotoNav software, 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash/image stabilization/geo-tagging and auto focus, plus HDMI out port, Stereo FM radio, 3.5mm socket, MicroSD card support up to 32GB with 16GB internal storage.

Please do check out our Motorola Atrix 4G vs. iPhone 4 Comparison, if the Moto Atrix is going to release with a $149.99 price tag will you consider buying it.

Cutting Room: Making sense of 20:20 Ireland

20:20 Mobile’s shared ownership with Vodafone Ireland of 20:20 Mobile Ireland looked like a licence to print money. Why then was it so eager to sell?

The rumour last week was 20:20 Mobile Group has sold its 51 per cent in its 20:20 Ireland joint venture with Vodafone to free up cash. It seemed strange.

20:20 Ireland has consistently appeared like an ace in the hole for the 20:20 Group, especially as its UK business has been forced through a transformation under private equity ownership and a
squeezed UK landscape.

Of course, Ireland has also got 20:20 in trouble with Nokia in the past, but it was considered by the market almost a way for it to print money.

A joint venture with Vodafone? No two-year tenders, no battering on margins? Guaranteed supply? Forever?

As it turns out, Vodafone jumped first. One must suppose Vodafone Ireland’s move is symptomatic of a broader Group instruction to take distribution in house and centralise it.

That was the sense of Vodafone’s removal of Data Select in the UK for web fulfilment, the choicest contract in Data Select’s roster; something Vodafone is understood to be in the long process of
winding down.

In fact, rumour last week was Vodafone had run the rule over an outright purchase of Data Select as a vehicle for its pumping third-party dealer sales.

It was a rumour twinned with Brightstar interest in Data Select too. Nothing came of that either, and of course it has done the rounds before.

Clearly, if every business is really for sale in this market, then Peter Jones presumably holds the business dear enough to accept only a considerable offer for it.

Anyway, that is just the gossips talking.

Developments in Ireland are interesting. Fergus deBurca and Don Maher clearly led a buyers’ market for 20:20 Ireland.

But one must wonder on what terms they agreed to the purchase, or more precisely their backers agreed to it.

Presumably there is in place at least some contract with Vodafone for ongoing supply.

The Irish market is very different to the UK. Distributors have power in Ireland. They handle all supply into high street and independent retail.

But as the demise of Sigma last year showed, firms require that essential operator contract. Sigma’s O2 deal went straight to Radius, which looks to be holding all the cards.

Likewise BPI, itself taken from Brightpoint in a management buyout by Fergus Sweeney and Barry Napier some years ago, lost O2 business to Radius. And it has the Meteor deal.

20:20 had the only other one – and it was the one to have – with Vodafone.

Sources close to 20:20 suggest the Irish business handled perhaps 300,000 units per year – of the 10 million it claims to ship globally. Perhaps then, its Irish business wasn’t essential to it,
and certainly missable without Vodafone over a barrel.

Perhaps, then, 20:20 is not cutting short its international expansion, as it seemed at first look.

20:20 and Vodafone sell 20:20 Ireland

App Voted Word Of Year 2010

App, short for application and one of the most used words associated with smartphones, tablets, and computers, but it wasn’t really until Apple came up with the original iPhone and their App Store, that the term “App” really took off in the mobile space, and there have been several “app stores” become available ever since.

Now according to an article over on Mobile Syrup, and by way of Nseries Blog, the term “App” has been votes as Word of the Year 2010 by the American Dialect Society. The official meaning to the word App according to the society is “Application, a software program for a computer or phone operating system.”

However we all know that an App is much more than that, an app delivers a multitude of things for the user to do, play games, watch videos, chat, social network, and so much more. Let’s face it without the humble app the smartphone wouldn’t be where it is today.

Apparently one of the most convincing arguments for “App” becoming the Word of the Year 2010 was down to a woman stating that even her grandmother had heard of the word, so it would appear that “app” doesn’t have any age barriers.

Having owned a computer for what seems like centuries, I always referred to computer programs as programs and it wasn’t until I had my first smartphone, an Android T-Mobile G1 that I used the term “App”, so personally I would say that the invention of the smartphone, such as the iPhone, really brought the word into the public arena.

So what do our readers think, does “App” deserve the Word of the Year 2010 award or do you thing there is another word that should have gained the title?

iPhone 5 NFC Plans Discussed: Video

You may or may not be aware that Apple is rumoured to be looking at Near Field Communication known as NFC for their future tech gear meaning future iPhone users will be able to pay via iPhone for goods and services, presumable once the iPhone 5 launches.

And the other day Jon Rettinger of Technobuffalo spoke with CNBC about the iPhone 5 and NFC and we have that interview for your viewing pleasure below. Apparently there’s quite a bit of evidence that Apple is very interested in NFC with Apple apparently purchasing NFC related equipment, and hiring an NFC expert, and of course filing several patents for NFC.

Jon says that although Apple isn’t the first into the NFC game they do have the edge due to market penetration, and that its almost a sure thing that smartphones are going to change the way we use our wallets in the near future.

So rather than me go on about it all just jump on down and hit that play button to check out the video, and feel free to let us know if you agree that NFC is the way forward, would you be prepared to swap your credit card for mobile payment via the iPhone 5? Or do you think NFC is just a flash in the pan that will never really take off?

Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again

We'd all rather be flown to some exotic, Caribbean location for our next corporate get-together, but in these hard economic times sometimes a good 'ol audio bridge makes the most sense. Increasingly those concalls are happening via some sort of VOIP bridge, and Plantronics' latest are ready for it. First up is the Calisto 800 series "multi speakerphone" devices, which offer connectivity to an analog phone line, a mobile phone over Bluetooth, and even a PC over USB. This lets you easily dial in to just about anything and naturally offers a full duplex speakerphone with noise cancellation and an LCD with caller ID. There's even an optional wireless microphone that you can plunk down on the table so the lamentations of the entire QA team will be picked up load and clear.

Also new is a revised version of the Voyager Pro UC, a rather more traditional Bluetooth headset with an extended boom for better voice pickup and the ability to pair to a mobile phone and a PC (via a tiny USB adapter) simultaneously. It'll even do A2DP so you hold music won't be the only tunes you hear. Both appear to be available now, and both start at $199.95, putting them out of reach for most non-corporate attendees.

Show full PR text

Plantronics Launches the Calisto 800 Series of Multi-device Speakerphones to Simplify Communication for Today's Increasingly Distributed Workforce

New Speakerphones Intelligently Streamline Audio Communication across PC-Based Softphones, Mobile Phones, and even Home Landlines in a Single, Smart Hands-free Solution.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Jan. 26, 2011 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced the Calisto® 800 Series, the first speakerphones in its unified communications product portfolio that combine multi-device hands-free connectivity with intuitive visual call management. Optimized for use with Microsoft® Office Communicator and LyncTM, these products were designed for private and home office workers who depend on multiple communication devices to collaborate effectively. The Calisto 800 Series includes the Calisto 825, which manages calls between a PC and a mobile phone. The Calisto 825 also features a unique wireless microphone that provides unparalleled speakerphone audio quality and freedom of movement.

The Calisto 825 simplifies PC and mobile phone call management through its intuitive visual display. Device setup is effortless and fast - in less than five minutes users are up and running and able to switch between mobile and PC calls, dial, and mute across devices at the touch of a button. Professionals are afforded the choice to move around freely while on a conference call using the wireless lapel microphone or connect a Bluetooth® or corded headset to the speakerphone when privacy is desired. Additionally, the unit features unmatched audio quality and premium sound through echo and advanced noise cancellation technology.

"Extensive research exploring the collaboration habits of today's dispersed workforce went into the development of the Calisto 800 series," said Bill Loewenthal, vice president of unified communications at Plantronics. "Today's office has moved beyond the cubicle environment. Whether work is conducted from a private or a home office, people want devices that simplify hands-free communication. The Calisto 800 Series simply unites modern professionals' most critical communication platforms."

Simply Smarter CommunicationsTM

Calisto 800 Series

The Calisto 800 series of unified communications products provide premium sound and unparalleled audio quality thanks to full duplex wideband audio and advanced noise cancellation. In addition to the Calisto 825, the portfolio includes the Calisto 820 and the Calisto 830. The Calisto 800 series also offers a range of hands-free options including wireless connectivity with Bluetooth headsets or corded connectivity with 3.5mm headsets/headphones when privacy is desired.

Pricing and Availability

The Calisto 825 is a two-way speakerphone for the PC and mobile phone. It includes the PA50TM wireless lapel microphone, and charging base. It has an MSRP of $259.95.
The Calisto 820 is a two-way speakerphone for the PC and mobile phone. It has an MSRP of $179.95.
The Calisto 830 is a three-way speakerphone for PC, mobile phone and analog landlines. It includes a USB cable, analog/landline port, RJ11 cable and AC adapter and has an MSRP of $199.95.
The PA50 is a wireless Bluetooth lapel microphone and can be purchased for either the Calisto 820 or 830 as an accessory. It comes with a charging base and has an MSRP of $79.95.
The Calisto 800 Series is Optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator and Lync and is available through authorized Plantronics resellers and at www.plantronics.com/calisto UC standard versions of the Calisto 825, 820 and 830 that will support a variety of leading softphones including those from Avaya®, Cisco®, IBM® and Skype® will be available in Spring of 2011.

Please visit www.plantronics.com/calisto to learn more.

Safe Harbor

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements relating to Unified Communications ("UC") and our Calisto 800 series products, including timing of product availability. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated are: (i) UC solutions may not be adopted with the breadth and speed in the marketplace that we currently anticipate; (ii) manufacturing or other production delays (iii) our plans are dependent upon adoption of our UC solution by major platform providers such as Microsoft, Cisco, Avaya, Alcatel, and IBM, and we have a limited ability to influence such providers with respect to the functionality of their platforms, their rate of deployment, and their willingness to integrate their platforms with our solutions. For more information concerning these and other possible risks, please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1, 2010, quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q, particularly the sections entitled "Risk Factors," "Certain Forward-Looking Information" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations", and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as recent press releases. Plantronics undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Show full PR text

Plantronics Unveils Award-Winning Next Generation Voyager PRO UC Headset

The First and Only Intelligent Headset System to Combine Smart Sensors with Exceptional Audio Technology and Enable Intuitive Communication across Devices

SANTA CRUZ, CA - January 26, 2010 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today extended its 50-year legacy of developing breakthrough communication innovations with the introduction of the next generation award-winning VoyagerTM PRO UC Bluetooth® headset. Voyager PRO UC revolutionizes mobile phone and PC communications through smart sensor technology. It uses advanced hardware and software that seamlessly eliminate communication complexity by detecting presence, integrating with your PC applications, and dramatically enhancing the headset experience.

"Unified communications is bringing together different communications modalities and devices. We will move between our PCs, mobile phones, and deskphones seamlessly," said Bob Hafner, managing vice president of Mobile and Client Computing, Gartner. "Just as the introduction of email revolutionized enterprise communication 40 years ago, unified communications is revolutionizing communications and collaboration today and unifying the PC, mobile phone, and deskphone. Today, no one would be expected to work for a company without email and seven to ten years from now business professionals won't want to work for a company without unified communications."

Simply Smarter CommunicationsTM

Sensors

Plantronics' smart sensor technology in the Voyager PRO UC headset transforms the end-user experience for mobile phone and PC communications.

Auto Answer: Easily answer mobile phone and PC calls simply by placing the headset on your ear - no buttons to press, applications to open or voice commands required.
Smart Call Transfer: With the smart sensor technology, the headset now knows when it is being worn and routes the call appropriately: when a call comes in and the headset is not easy to access, the audio is automatically routed to the phone so there is no fumbling with the phone and missing calls. Calls are automatically transferred to the headset when it is put on.
Auto Call Button Lock: The Voyager PRO UC eliminates accidental dialing by locking the call button when the headset is not being worn.
Auto Pause for Streaming Media: The Voyager PRO UC supports listening to streaming media, including music, podcasts and turn-by-turn navigation, as well as recorded webinars via A2DP technology. The smart sensor technology automatically pauses streamed media from mobile phones and PCs when the headset is taken off and automatically resumes the stream when the headset is put back on.
Simply Smarter CommunicationsTM

Software

Plantronics has developed intelligent software that further integrates the mobile and PC communications experience through the new Voyager PRO UC. The software is customizable, so users can easily set personal preferences for their PC-based communications.

Smart Presence: Voyager PRO UC brings a new level of intelligence across PC and mobile phone communications by integrating with PC softphone clients. For example, when you're on a mobile phone conversation, Voyager PRO UC automatically informs applications such as Skype® or Microsoft® LyncTM, you are busy and changes your presence status to busy, so contacts know to not interrupt you. Similarly, if you are on a Skype call, Voyager PRO UC updates your status on Microsoft Lync.
Escalate IM to Voice: Voyager PRO UC enables you to effortlessly switch from an instant message chat to a voice conversation by simply placing the headset on your ear.
"For years, mobile calling and computer-based communication services like Skype or Microsoft Lync have existed in silos," said Renee Niemi, senior vice president of Communications Solutions at Plantronics. "The Plantronics Voyager Pro UC unifies and simplifies communications for today's connected and increasingly distributed workforce by enabling accurate availability information and delivering intuitive features like smart call transfer. For 50 years, Plantronics has revolutionized the way we communicate and today's announcement represents our longstanding commitment to innovation and making smarter communications a reality."

The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC includes a new ultra-portable mini-USB Bluetooth® adaptor which provides wideband audio for PC conversations and software that enables interaction between the PC and the mobile phone.

Industry Leading Audio Quality

The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset delivers world-class noise-cancellation with AudioIQ2 technology, its award-winning digital signal processing technology is enhanced by a unique adjustable dual-microphone boom. Plantronics Voyager PRO features three layers of WindSmart® technology to minimize wind distortion.

Voyager PRO also delivers unmatched inbound audio quality to ensure every word is heard on both sides of a conversation. It features a custom speaker that delivers full-spectrum audio so conversations are richer and more vibrant. The adaptive 20-band equalizer delivers distortion-free audio and works with AudioIQ2 technology to automatically adjust sound to comfortable levels based on the noise level around you to ensure maximum audibility.

Voyager PRO UC delivers wideband audio during PC-based conversations for heightened speech clarity for fuller, richer conversations.

Broad Compatibility

Plantronics Voyager PRO UC offers compatibility with leading communication clients from Avaya®, Cisco®, IBM® and Skype® and is available in a version Optimized for Microsoft Lync and Office Communicator.

Pricing and Availability

The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC, including the new mini-USB Bluetooth adapter for maximum portability and software that enables interaction between the PC and mobile phone has an MSRP of $199.95 and is available in the US starting today and in Europe and Asia in February 2011.

Please visit www.plantronics.com/voyagerprouc to learn more.

Safe Harbor

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements relating to Unified Communications ("UC") and our Voyager Pro UC products, including timing of product availability. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated are: (i) UC solutions may not be adopted with the breadth and speed in the marketplace that we currently anticipate; (ii) manufacturing or other production delays and (iii) our plans are dependent upon adoption of our UC solution by major platform providers such as Microsoft, Cisco, Avaya, Alcatel, and IBM, and we have a limited ability to influence such providers with respect to the functionality of their platforms, their rate of deployment, and their willingness to integrate their platforms with our solutions. For more information concerning these and other possible risks, please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1, 2010, quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q, particularly the sections entitled "Risk Factors," "Certain Forward-Looking Information" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations", and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as recent press releases. Plantronics undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Verizon To Ditch Mail-In Rebates In Favor Of Lower Up-Front Prices?

Mail-in rebates are the pits. If you remember to send them in, you’ve gotta pray that Mr. Mailman doesn’t lose it, toss it, or take it back to his You-shrine for worship. Then you’ve gotta wait a few months for it to “get processed”, which is a fancy way to say “sit in a big pile until someone gets around to it”. Eventually (generally long after you’ve forgotten you sent the rebate form back in the first place), you get a random envelope back from a processing company you don’t recognize, and there’s about a 50/50 shot it goes in the trash unopened. It’s an archaic process, often used by retailers banking on the idea that few people will actually bother to send it in or cash the check.

According to our buds over at AndroidCentral, Verizon’s tired of’em too. While phones that go for sub-$150 will still be paired with mail-in rebates, they’re ditching the rebate system for anything over that price. The good part: as long as their source is hearing right, the wallet-friendly price cuts will still be there — they’ll just be instant.

Lets just hop that last bit’s true — and if it is, that it starts a trend.

No BlackBerry Corporate Email Access for Indian Government

Will India carry out their threat to ban BlackBerry smartphone if Research In Motion doesn’t give their government access to BlackBerry Enterprise Server? Well we may soon find out as RIM say they can’t give access to corporate email.

According to an article over on Techtree and by way of the Wall Street journal, the Blackberry maker has stated they are unable to deliver access to their BlackBerry Enterprise Server to the Indian government.

The vice president for industry, government and university relations for RIM, Robert Shaw has said… “We can’t give a solution for enterprise services [corporate email]. It’s not possible to do so, because the keys of that service are with the corporate enterprises and corporate entity that owns the server.”

Research In Motion recently bowed down to the government of India demands by allowing access to BlackBerry Messenger as previously reported (here) but this was due to BlackBerry user conversations are hosted by RIM servers themselves.

Apparently Crow will meet with Indian officials over the coming days to thrash out a solution to the issue, however apparently India’s federal Ministry for Home Affairs has thus far not commented. So will India ban BlackBerry or will they back down over BES, only time will tell.

Leaked! Blackberry Curve Touch

A sure sign that things a changin’ over at RIM HQ, the keyboard-less Curve Touch — codenamed “Malibu” — has today leaked out into the wilds of the web, courtesy of CrackBerry.com.

This comes just a week after we spied a keyboard totin’ next-gen Curve, known internally as the “Sedona”, so those die-hard keyboard fans need not fret: mid-range Blackberry lovers will have a choice of hard and soft keyboards.

Any leak worth its salt also provides some specs, and this one — while only focussing on the CDMA version — is as artery hardening as you could hope for:

Processor: Qualcomm MSM 8655 800MHz CPU

Radio: CDMA – EvDo Rev A

Display: 3.25″ 480×360 HVGA

Navigation: Trackpad & Nav Keys

Keypad: Virtual QWERTY

Camera: 5 MP (with HD Video recording)

Memory: 1GB Flash + 512MB RAM, Hot Swap MicroSD slot

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

GPS: Autonomous & A-GPS

Connectivity: NFC, Micro USB, Bluetooth 2.1

Sensors: Ambient Light Sensor, accelerometer

Now, these are only the proposed specs, so they may change before the device launches in late 2011/early 2012, but they seem about right for the mid-range curve.

[via Engadget]

Everything Everywhere enters NFC market

Everything Everywhere has partnered with Barclaycard to “revolutionise” the way customer pay for high street goods, by launching the first commercial contactless mobile payment service

Everything Everywhere has partnered with Barclaycard to launch the first commercial contactless mobile payment service for high street items, which it claims is as significant as the launch of the first credit card 40 years ago.

The service, available from the second quarter, will allow Orange customers to use their handset to pay for goods in more than 40,000 retail locations across the UK, by waving it over a contactless reader.

Retailers already signed up include Pret a Manger, EAT, Little Chef and Co-Op. A number of transport companies will be added shortly it said, but this will not include the London Underground.

The service will not be available for T-Mobile customers, however.

Everything Everywhere said it is working with tier-one manufacturers for handsets to carry NFC technology, which will be available at launch. It refused to name partners, but Samsung and Nokia have already produced NFC ready handsets.

The service will be available to both prepay and contract customers.

Customer will require an Orange credit card, or Barclays credit or debit card to top up their NFC account, which they must register to the device.

Customers can manage their accounts online through the MyBarclaycard website, as well as view up to 30 days transaction history from the handset. Users can also add a security pin to be entered prior to making a transaction.

Everything Everywhere chief development officer Gerry McQuade said: “This is the beginning of a revolution in how we pay for things on the high street. It’s a cultural shift that is as important as the launch of the personal credit card or ATMs.

“We’re making something that’s been talked about for many years a reality and, very soon, using your mobile to buy a sandwich, a cinema ticket or, in time, even something bigger like a computer will simply be the norm.

“This is part of our wider strategy to re-define what people use their mobiles for, with mobile payments being the start.”

Samsung Announces New Galaxy Phones: Ace, Gio, Fit And Mini

Low-to-mid range Android handsets rarely get any official press duties.  Samsung, however, decided to give four of their upcoming handsets in the category a formal unveil, announcing them in one fell swoop.

The four smartphones consist of: Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830, Samsung Galaxy Gio S5660, Samsung Galaxy Fit S5670 and Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570.  All will run Android 2.2, with a varying range of features.

Samsung Galaxy Ace. Currently available in Russia,  it's the better phone of the bunch.  With an 800MHz CPU commanding the action, it features a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (HVGA resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera, aGPS, WiFi, 3G with HSPA, Bluetooth 2.1, 158MB of onboard storage, microSD card expansion (up to 32GB) and a 1,350mAh (rated at 6.5 hours of talk time).  Aside from Russia, it's also scheduled for launch in other parts of Europe, as well as India and China.

Samsung Galaxy Gio. Sporting a humdrum candybar design that looks like it came from two years ago, the handset features a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen (HVGA resolution), WiFi and a bevy of social networking apps.  Availability is being pegged for Europe, China and India.

Samsung Galaxy Fit. We're not sure if the screen is curved (probably Photoshopped), but it sure looks it from the product photo.  At any rate, this one comes with a 600Mhz processor, paired with a 3.3-inch QVGA touchscreen display, a 5.0 megapixel camera module and WiFi.

Samsung Galaxy Mini. The littlest of the bunch, this one gets a 3.14-inch QVGA screen, paired with WiFi, a lower-end camera (probably 3.2 megapixels) and a 600Mhz processor.  Like the others, Europe, China and India are the target markets.

All four handsets will be on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where they will sit side by side with their more powerful, dual-core-packing brethren.

[via UnwiredView]

BlackBerry Balance details emerge: available in two months' time, coming to PlayBook too

If you're champing at the bit to separate your work life and personal life into two distinct, impenetrable entities, RIM's got your back: it turns out that the Balance product announced a few days ago will be available in just a couple months' time. In a recent chat with Retuers, the company's senior VP of business and platform marketing revealed that Balance is already in testing with carriers ahead of a wide-scale launch -- and furthermore, it'll be available on the upcoming PlayBook as well. As a refresher, Balance seeks to let you do all your personal stuff on your BlackBerry while still giving the IT suits in your office unfettered access to the secure stuff -- corporate email and the like -- which means you can carry a single device (as long as you're okay with that one device being a BlackBerry) where you might have previously carried two. Of course, if you've got a phone and a PlayBook, we suppose you'll have two devices anyhow -- but regardless, at least you'll be able to Facebook your face off without corporate security getting in the way.

T-mobile’s Galaxy S 4G page up ‘n’ running

Last week we told you that T-mobile had announced their 4G variant of the near-ubiquitous Galaxy S. Well, for anyone that’s itching for this high-speed variant, I’m happy to tell you that today, T-mobile’s info page for the handset has gone live.

There isn’t any new info given, but there is an option to sign up for notifications about the device.

For those that can’t remember, the Galaxy S 4G will run Froyo (Android 2.2), and sport the same 4″ 800480 Super-AMOLED display that we all know and love, but will be compatible with T-mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network, supporting download speeds of up to 21mbps.

If you’re keen to sign up for more info, you can see the page for yourself here.

[via Cell Phone Signal]

Macworld Expo 2011: Fail

Apple Sued Over iPhone 4 Broken Glass

It appears that given the opportunity anyone and everyone will file a lawsuit against Apple, there have been several lawsuits in the past from iPhone owners, and apparently another is about to do the rounds of the law courts.

According to an article over on Intomobile by Marc Flores and by way of LA Weekly, Donald LeBuhn, a resident of Los Angeles has filed a class action suit against Apple due to the iPhone 4 glass cracking when his daughter dropped it.

Apparently LeBuhn claims that the iPhone 4 glass is not as strong as claimed and Apple advertising is misleading. According to the lawsuit, LeBuhn says… “Months after selling millions of iPhone 4s, Apple has failed to warn and continues to sell this product with no warning to customers that the glass housing is defective.”

However apparently LeBuhn compared his iPhone 4 with his pervious handset the iPhone 3GS and says the glass didn’t shatter when he dropped the 3GS from a similar height, and apparently he isn’t to only owner to make the same comparison.

Apparently SquareTrade, an independent warranty provider analysed 20,000 iPhone accidents and found that iPhone 4 users reported 82 percent more damages screens in the first four months when compares with 3GS users, and that the overall iPhone 4 accident rate was 68 percent higher than the 3GS.

So how many of our iPhone 4 toting readers have experience problems with their iPhone 4 glass cracking and do you feel the iPhone 3GS was better equipped to deal with accidental drops?

Facebook HTC Phone Rumours Won’t Die

The rumour of Facebook putting out their own mobile phone has been around for donkeys and nothing has eve come of said rumours, even though Facebook has denied they are planning a Facebook smartphone as reported (here) but the rumours just don’t seem to want to die.

According to an article over on Engadget a couple of separate sources that have reported the appearance of a “call button” on certain Facebook user pages, the first of which is from the Boy Genius Report.

Apparently the BGR gained some info from a tipster that was part of a focus group for an upcoming product that could be the Facebook phone and gave the guys a few features of the device which include, always-on GPS, everything cloud based and no local storage, news ticker style notifications, and location aware coupons.

The second source is City AM, with an article that says an “unnamed source” has leant that HTC will apparently debut not one but two Facebook phones during Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona, and as for details on the two devices, as usual they are a tad scarce.

Apparently though the HTC Facebook phones will sport Facebook colours and branding and a “tweaked version” of the Android operating system. Furthermore, apparently Facebook’s Matthew Papakipos and Joe Hewitt are behind the rumoured launch.

So there you have it the latest rumours of a Facebook phone, and as MWC 2011 isn’t that far away we’ll soon find out if there is any validity to these Facebook phone rumours or if they will finally be killed off.

Grim Joggers for iPhone Puts Multiple Runners Under Your Control

While Grim Joggers doesn't bear the most novel concept, it does put enough spin to feel like a whole different experience from the mass of Canabalt-inspired running games in the App Store.  And it's pretty fun, too.

Instead of controlling a single character as he runs through the game world, you control a whole bunch of them. Starting out with 15 people, the goal is to extend the run as far as you can until every single one of your joggers succumb to the environment's multiple hazards.

Controls appear simple: you jump and double-jump by tapping anywhere on the screen.  When you do that, the lead jogger will immediately leap, with the others following in a rather sporadic manner.  The challenge is to make sure that the rest of the crew manage to make it through the obstacles, which changes the typical approach required from players.  For the most part, this means you'll need to play smart, making strategic decisions in real-time.  The more joggers you have remaining every time you pass each checkpoint, by the way, the higher you score.

Graphically, it's just average.   To its credit, some of the hazardous traps are entertaining (e.g. polar bears who will maul the joggers to death) and some of the things tracked throughout the game are downright funny.  The levels are randomly generated, as well, so there's plenty of replay value.

If you've been hankering for a "different" running game, Grim Joggers should offer a nice break from the old, familiar gameplay.  It's available from the App Store, priced at 99 cents.

[Grim Joggers]

Sony Ericsson Publishes Q4 and Full 2010 Financial Report

If you are one that likes to keep abreast of the financial status of smartphone companies you may like to know that Sony Ericsson today published their fourth quarter and full year 2010 report.

In the report it shows that Sony Ericsson has had four profitable consecutive quarters during last year shipping 43.1 million handsets in 2010 with sales of 6,294 Million Euros.

The president and CEO of Sony Ericsson, Bert Nordberg has said…“2010 was a turnaround year for Sony Ericsson. Our four consecutive quarters of profit reflect the success of our shift towards an Android-based smartphone portfolio. We will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the creation of Sony Ericsson in 2011, and as shown by the recently announced Xperia™ arc, we will continue to focus on delivering the most entertaining smartphones worldwide.”

Excluding restructuring charges, income before taxes was 189 million Euros for the complete year 2010, this is compared to a loss of 878 million Euros in 2009.

Apparently the approximate 1.1 billion improvement is due to the success of higher end smartphones along with an improved cost structure, and gross margin was up to 29 percent in 2010 as opposed to 15 percent in the year previous.

Sony Ericsson shipped 11.2 million units during Q4 which is a year-on-year decrease of 23 percent which was consistent with streamlining their portfolio to concentrate on high end devices.

Hands-On Gallery: The LG Optimus 2X

You hear that thumping? That’s my heart a-pitter-patterin’ over just what got dropped off at MobileCrunch HQ: the world’s first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2X.

It’ll be a few days before I’ve had enough time with this device to weigh in with our official review — but in the mean time, enjoy our humble gallery of hands-on stills below. Let me know if you have any questions about this one, won’t you?

Sony PlayStation Suite Cross Platform Gaming Framework Unveiled

Well, well, if you were expecting Sony to push out one PlayStation smartphone for all you gamers to get to grips with, such as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play PlayStation phone, then you’d be wrong, well sort of as apparently Sony have just unveiled a whole lot more.

According to an article over on Engadget by Sean Hollister, Sony has unveiled a PlayStation phone experience for everyone by unveiling their cross-platform framework that they have called PlayStation Suite.

Basically cutting out all the tech speak, what that means is there will be an official Sony PlayStation Store that will offer PlayStation games for Android smartphones and Android based tablets, sounds good doesn’t it.

Apparently Sony will begin by offering an emulator for PSOne games and has promised an Android game store sometime later in the year.

Word is Sony is calling the new software framework a “hardware-neutral” development to make it possible to bring games to all types of handheld devices along with “new and exciting” content.

Apparently though PlayStation Suite minimum requirement will be Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and is PSOne and not PlayStation Portable titles which will be emulated. No word on just what titles there will be or any pricing yet though.

HTC's buttonless slate spotted in the furry wilds

A second HTC phone to escape the netherworld of disputed renders has just been discovered. This touchscreen slate for Verizon lacking a front-side camera was last seen in the Pocketnow leak but is now snuggled up with a Harrods bear in a Chinese user forum. How cozy. Better yet, we've now got a view of the Droid-Incrediblish backside showing a dual-LED flash. Again, no detail to confirm but we'll bet it's announced with Android at a Mobile World Congress press event in February.

[Thanks, LIMIX]

LG posts Q4 results, 2010 profit down 93 percent, cellphone sales down 15 percent

Nokia isn't the only one with bad news today. LG has posted its Q4 results and is taking this time to look back on what can only be described as a dismal 2010 overall. Fourth-quarter revenues were up 9.4 percent over the third quarter, but still resulted in a 246.4 billion won loss -- that's about $226.3 million. LG Home Entertainment sales were actually up almost 16 percent but still posted a loss thanks to cut prices and stiff competition. LG Mobile, meanwhile, saw an eight percent increase in sales over previous quarter, thanks to "strong" performance of phones like the Optimus One, but compared to 2009 sales are down 14.7 percent, a 15.2 percent drop for handsets alone. Looking for some cooler news? Air conditioning sales are up 50 percent!

Facebook phone rumors resurface: cloud-based, HTC-built?

Ah, the Facebook phone. Despite statements by the company that it is flat out not making a phone, the rumors persist, and not one but two separate stories have now cropped up on the same day that a mysterious "call" button has appeared on some folks' Facebook pages. The first of those comes courtesy of BGR, which says it has heard from someone involved in a recent focus group that supposedly centered on a Facebook phone. As the story goes, the phone (which apparently wasn't actually referred to as a "Facebook phone") would have an always-on GPS service, no or very little local storage, a camera (with images stored in the cloud), a "news ticker-style message notification system" with all messages funneled into one "mass inbox" and, last but not least, some sort of location-aware coupon service that's described as "Facebook Deals on steroids."

Joining that is a report from the London-based City A.M. financial newspaper, which says it has learned from unnamed sources that HTC will debut two Facebook-branded phones at Mobile World Congress next month. Details on those are otherwise expectedly light, but the paper says the phones will run a "tweaked version" of Android and sport Facebook's colors -- supposedly, Facebook's Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos (formerly of Firefox and Google, respectively) are largely responsible for the launch. Of course, the paper also says HTC is responsible for "Google's Nexus range," which doesn't exactly help its case, and leads us to suspect that we may simply be dealing with one big game of telephone here.

FCC Mandates LTE for Public Safety Network

The FCC has mandated Long Term Evolution as the network technology required for use by first responders after a unanimous 5-0 decision this morning, with the regulator hoping that first responders will be able to take advantage of the voice, data and real-time video support in order to garner all the information needed to respond to an emergency before arrival.

The regulator is also seeking public commentary on the best equipment, coverage requirements and best type of encryption to use for the network.

Huawei Files Suit Against Motorola Over Intellectual Property

Huawei has filed suit against Motorola, alleging that Motorola is in the process of selling its intellectual property illegally, as Motorola is in the process of selling its radio division to Nokia Siemens Networks.

Huawel is alleging that it has had a standing business relationship with Motorola since the year 2000, whereby Motorola rebranded select Huawei technology and products under its name and gave Motorola further access to Huawei’s technology and designs.

When Motorola announced its intention to sell its radio access hardware division to Nokia Siemens Networks, Huawei had requested Motorola not to sell their technology to the new company, which the suit aims to prevent by seeking the stoppage of the transaction. Huawei is claiming irreperable damage if the sale goes through without the concessions it requests.

Kongregate app pulled from Android Marketplace, CEO hopes it's just a misunderstanding

We've heard of apps getting 187'd from the iTunes App Store ad nauseum, but Google's Android Marketplace? That's pretty novel. In what is probably the most high profile bait-and-switch since the mobile platform's launch, Kongregate found its eponymous software pulled on the very same day it came out. As CEO Jim Greer tells Joystiq, the app was pulled due to the "claim you can't use their app store to distribute another app store." Which is all well and good until you realize that what Kongregate the app does is simply serve as a portal for Kongregrate the mobile site -- Greer says it's the same experience as visiting m.kongregate.com to play its free Flash games -- with the option for offline mode. "It's all essentially cached content delivered in a browser," he said, "which to me is just bizarre that that would be considered an 'app store,'" he said.

The Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement says, "you may not use the Market to distribute or make available any Product whose primary purpose is to facilitate the distribution of Products outside of the Market," with Product defined broadly as "Software, content and digital materials created for Devices in accordance with the Android SDK and distributed via the Market." When we talked to Google, the company pointed out the same clause and said, "Applications in violation of our policies (like Kongregate) are removed from Android Market."

Greer adds that a number of people in Google had seen it previously and liked the app (not the ones who ultimately pulled it), and he hopes this is all some grand misunderstanding. We'll see, but in the meantime, the app is still available for side loading care of Kongregate's website. Nothing like a backup plan, eh?

Motorola i576s now Available on Mike (Telus)

In addition to the Motorola BRUTE i686, here’s another rugged phone you can now get at Mike (Telus), the Motorola i576s. This baby is military specifiction 810F certified against dust, shock, and vibration, and also comes packed with Bluetooth, GPS, and Talk Around short-range walkie talkie functionality. It doesn’t have a camera though, but I guess if it’s a serious mobile imaging device is what you’re really want, you wouldn’t be getting this anyway.

The Motorola i576s is retailing for $279.99 outright purchase or $79.99 on a 3-yr contract. For more info, you can check it out here.

[source]

Google Demos Latest Developments in Cloud-Based Speech for Mobile

SpeechTEK Europe’s opening Keynote features Google’s Engineering Director, Dave Burke, who will discuss and demo Google’s latest developments in cloud-based speech for mobile and the web, and touch on some of the company’s future plans in this important area. Google has been making big investments in cloud-based speech recognition services and applications, particularly for the Android and Chrome platforms. Google’s Chrome is estimated to now have over 120 million users.

The SpeechTEK Europe (London, 25 & 26 May) programme published this month and includes in-depth coverage of the state of the speech tech industry in Europe. With 50 expert speakers from a wide range of global business environments - including Google, Barclays Bank, Deutsche Telekom, Ovum, Nuance, Loquendo, Openstream, Voxeo, Belgian Railways, Telecom Italia and Cable & Wireless – the event makes a compelling case for including speech solutions in today’s business, both to improve customer care, benefit staff, decrease operational costs and boost competitiveness.

 

The full event programme is available at www.speechtek.com/europe2011.

In addition to the Google Keynote, SpeechTEK Europe is pleased to have secured Professor Alex Waibel as the event’s second day Keynote. A world-renowned expert on speech translation techniques and system, Waibel will examine language technology solutions that address language and cultural barriers, and demos some brand new cross-lingual communication systems. Professor Waibel’s latest commercial venture, Jibbigo, is the world's first commercial speech translator to run on a smart phone.

SpeechTEK Europe comprises two full days of conference sessions and parallel Expo, a pre-conference day of hands-on workshops, panel discussions, case studies, and a new ‘Consultants Clinic’, and is supported by a programme of networking and industry events. Organised by leading conference and publishing house, Information Today, this sister event of the highly successful SpeechTEK event series in New York, SpeechTEK Europe launched in London last year to an enthusiastic reception from the European speech tech industry, which has been lobbying for a single forum for developers, producers and users for some time.

Korean researchers demonstrate LTE-Advanced in a custom RV, score 600Mbps downloads

We're just giddy like kids on the way to Disney World at the prospect of LTE and WiMAX sweeping like wildfire across the country, yet someone always has to come along and be a downer by showing off something even cooler. Those kids are the players at Korea's Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, the same folks who brought us a Body Area Network back in 2006 and this creepy looking koala. Now they're working on LTE-Advanced, the real true 4G that delivers 600Mbps downloads. That's six times what you can ever hope to expect from LTE and 40 times faster than 3G -- enough to download a 700MB file in 9.3 seconds or stream 3D HD footage on the go, a feat those crazy cats did in their rolling man cave shown above. Sadly we have no pictures of the thing on the outside, but we're seeing antennas. Lots of antennas.

[Thanks, Andy]

Verizon Special iPhone Upgrade Offer for Current Customers

Verizon is offering a special upgrade offer for current customers that have recently upgraded to a new smartphone and wish to upgrade to the forthcoming iPhone.

The program works as such: Customers must have upgraded to a new phone or smartphone from November 26th to January 10th in order to be eligible, then place an order or purchase the iPhone through Verizon corporate stores and/or online by February 26th.

Once the order is shipped and received, Verizon has opened a portal offering credit for select handset and smartphones that will be exchanged for a Visa debit card at $75 for select featurephones and Verizon certified phones, or $200 for select smartphones regardless of carrier.

White iPhone 4 Listings Appear in AT&T Account Management System

Entries for the long delayed White Apple iPhone 4 have appeared within AT&T’s online account management system.

Originally slated to be released at the end of July 2010, the White Apple iPhone 4 has been delayed multiple times and was even rumored to be canceled completely at one point based on statements from anonymous Apple employees.

The latest speculation pegs the launch of the White iPhone between late February and early March, inline with the most recent marketing material confirming a Spring launch for the long-awaited variant, currently in the possession of a select few.

One out of every five cellphones sold is a KIRF, says Nokia

When your core business is as wrapped up in emerging markets as Nokia's is, then you'd better know a little something about KIRFs -- those cheap handset clones that our Chinese friends can often stamp out faster than the time it takes for Nokia to ship a handset after its announcement. Nokia executive board member, Esko Aho, says that one out of every five cellphones now sold around the world (primarily in Asia, Latin America, and some parts of Europe) is an illegal or unlicensed clone. We've certainly seen more than our share when browsing the Shenzhen markets of China. Gartner claims the number to be even higher than 20 percent. While we poke fun at KIRFs around here for their shoddy software, comically similar branding (Nokla!), and cheapo materials, they've clearly become a very serious issue for top-tier cellphone manufacturers. How serious we'll see on January 27th when Nokia announces its fourth quarter results.

WSJ: Nokia X7 canceled for AT&T, but at Espoo's behest

Our subsidized Symbian superphone dreams remain squashed, but it looks like we might have a different party to blame -- the Wall Street Journal's anonymous sources say it was Nokia itself who decided to pull plans to launch the X7 exclusively on AT&T. Originally, the phone would would have waved the white globe banner at Mobile World Congress next month, but Nokia reportedly decided that AT&T didn't have its back, and wouldn't provide sufficient marketing support -- and cheap enough subsidized prices -- to make it worth the company's while. If you simply must have the handset and live in the US, though, we're sure you'll still find a way. It's only a matter of time before Nokia launches in countries more willing to play ball... and unlocked models appear on eBay.

iOS Apps Talking Flashcards and Study Fly For Students

We have a couple of iOS applications for your consideration today especially if you are a student, and they are Talking Flashcards and Study Fly for the iPhone and Apple iPad.

Both the Talking Flashcards and Study Fly apps deliver an alternative way for students to learn, by using “read aloud cards” which can be scrolled through either independently or automatically, and apparently save the student time by searching Quizlet which hosts in ecess of 4 million pre-made flashcard set.

Both iOS applications utilise high quality voices which are chosen by the student to read out loud in 1 or 2 modes, “Study” which enables the user to learn at their own pace, and “Play” which scrolls through a deck and reads aloud both the front and back of each card.

Talking Flashcards and Study Fly for the iPhone, and Apple iPad command a price tag of $3.99 and can be downloaded to your iOS device by hitting up iTunes.

We have a video demo of Talking Flashcards and Study Fly for your viewing pleasure below, so hit those play buttons and check out the iOS apps in action…enjoy.

MetroPCS Samsung SCH-R720 Android Smartphone Revealed

The first details on an unannounced Samsung Android smartphone have been revealed with a future release planned on MetroPCS.

The Samsung SCH-R720 will feature Android 2.2, 320×480 display resolution, LTE support, Bluetooth, microSDHC expansion slot and a 5.0 megapixel camera with flash.

No further details on release or pricing are available, but with the launch of the Indulge coming late next month, the r720 looks to shore up the burgeoning Android lineup after the release of the Indulge.

iOS 4.3 Compatible AirPlay Apps Approved by Apple

With the present iOS 4.3 beta it appears that Apple is at last opening up their AirPlay feature for 3rd-party developers and although iOS 4.3 is yet to be released it looks like Apple is already approving iOS 4.3 AirPlay enabled applications.

According to an article over on Mac Daily News and by way of App Advice, the first iOS 4.3 AirPlay enabled app is known as StreamToMe and has already gained App Store approval.

StreamToMe, available from iTunes for 1.79 enables the user to stream video content to their Apple TV and the feature needs iOS 4.3 to function, so for now if you are not a developer you won’t be able to try out the app.

Apparently StreamToMe isn’t a brand new app and word on the application was floating around back in November, and according to the article the “scenario isn’t really game-changing,” however it is good to know that Apple is opening up the AirPlay feature.

Furthermore, the article states that with Apple approving iOS 4.3 apps it could mean that an iOS 4.3 release isn’t too far away. So what are our reader’s views on this matter; is Apple preparing to release iOS 4.3?

Samsung Galaxy Ace UK Release, No Price Yet

The Samsung Galaxy Ace smartphone is being unveiled at Mobile World Congress this year but Samsung has decided to unveil it beforehand, we have a few details covering specs, features and UK release but NO price as of yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace smartphone has many features such as a 3.5-inch HVGA LCD screen and 800MHz processor, before we get right into the features etc we have to add that this handset’s specification list is not the most advanced and that is why we believe the price tag will be low to compensate the out-dated specs.

Main Features Include: Android 2.2 OS with the possibility of Gingerbread making its way onto the device at a later date, but as usual this has not yet been confirmed, 5MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, pre-installed Swype, 1350mAh battery, 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5mm, can take up to 32GB microSD cards with 2GB card included, TouchWiz 3.0, Social Hub for messaging and social networking, for more details on full specifications please visit GSM Arena.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace UK release date is expected to be in March and as said above no price has been stamped on it as of yet but we will keep you informed, TechRadar suggests prices between 20-25 a month on contract.

Talking about Samsung mobile phones, Pocket-Lint has reported that the Samsung Ace, the new Samsung Mini and Fit will be releasing in March and the new Samsung Gio will release a month later.

Apple Store Down, Possible White iPhone 4 and Redesign: Update

It is that time again for speculations, the Apple Store is down at the moment and rumours suggest that it is something to do with the white iPhone 4 being put onto the system.

Now if you visit MacRumors they report via a Tweet that the Apple Store is down because it has something to do with the delayed / Cancelled white iPhone 4, the tweet over on Twitter shows information about new iPhone parts called MC604X/A (16GB) and MC606X/A (32GB) for the White model, apparently the person who tweeted this got access to the last minute part number list and is normally accurate in their findings.

Many customers have been waiting on the iPhone 4 in white for quite some time now and we all thought that the smartphone in white would never release, we thought it went from delayed to never coming out. This is the bit where we wait and see if it does release, what do you think?

Engadget have just reported an update stating Apple.com is getting a maintenance work out and that the site is getting a redesign with a new navigation bar up top that will look better, the Apple site is still down.

We will let you know when the store is back up; do you think the white iPhone 4 is going to make an appearance on the store?

Update: The Apple Store is back and no White iPhone 4 or iOS 4.3 is showing, so nothing new. Sorry folks, read more here

Kongregate makes triumphant return to Android Market after a few tweaks

After Google's uncharacteristic (and swift) action against Flash game clearinghouse Kongregate when its Android app went live a few days ago, it wasn't clear what was going to have to happen to get it back in the Market -- but they're giving it a shot today by making a few key tweaks and republishing. Most notably, version 1.1 no longer dumps Flash games that you download to SD storage; instead, the phone's browser cache is used just as for any other website you visit, which would seem to be a definitive step toward giving the app less of an "app store" feel -- precisely the thing that Google's concerned about. We'll have to wait and see whether this puppy stays deployed... but for now, you can grab it from the Market.