Archives for March 2010

Apple iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 5 Update Arrives

Apple have released their latest iPhone SDK numbered 3.2 Beta 5. At the moment the differences between Beta 4 and Beta 5 are not known although we should know more by the end of today.

When Beta 4 launched on March 9 a few new features were found within the SDK that indicated more gestures were to be made available to developers, specifically 3Tap and LongPress.

We don’t know yet what is in Beta 5, but we’ll probably see a couple of minor adjustments and perhaps an addition or two for new functions. [Read more…]

Kindle for Mac OS X 10.5+ now Available for Download

Amazon have announced that Kindle for Mac is now available for download. To get the software working you need to download at the link above and ensure you have a Mac running OS X 10.5 or above.

The Kindle software brings eBooks to your Mac and lets you read books from the Amazon bookstore without using an Amazon Kindle.

If you do have an Amazon Kindle, or another device that uses the Amazon Kindle software then when reading books on the Mac or another device, the last page viewed is synced with other devices allowing you to easily pick up the book from where you left off. Bookmarks and annotations can also be viewed between devices. [Read more…]

Windows Phone 7 Series Tablet Concept

Apple decided that the Apple iPad will use the iPhone OS running at a slightly higher resolution and from what we have seen, the iPad works very well in this configuration. We have also seen tablets before that run Android based operating systems. This particular concept tablet takes that idea but uses Windows Phone 7 Series as an operating system unlike the HP Slate that will run Windows 7.

The concept designer Umang Dokey has designed an 8 inch tablet that has a couple of webcams, a built in keyboard that acts as a kick stand as well as joystick controls and shoulder buttons allowing the device to be used as a computer, for games and the joystick used also for scrolling through documents.

It’s actually quite a neat idea and perhaps something that Microsoft should consider in the near future when the new operating system lands. [Read more…]

Google Maps 4.1 Update on Android Devices

Google Maps has been updated for Android 1.6+ based phones and brings a new set of features to the software.

New features include a new search results page that now allows you to swipe to get to the next result. Account switching is now possible allowing you to log in to a different Buzz, Latitude and other accounts on the device and a Latitude widget can now be added to your homescreen that allows you to see a map of where current friends are located.

“You can select any section to see more reviews, buzz, etc. If you want to get to more search results without going back to the list, simply grab the page with your finger and swipe it away to the left or right to see the next or last result.”

[Read more…]

HTC Incredible could Land on Verizon in two Weeks

We just mentioned the HTC Supersonic being potentially officially announced next week and now we are also hearing that the HTC Incredible is getting ready for launch on to the Verizon (NYSE:VZ) network.

It is expected that the HTC Incredible will be landing on the network in the next two weeks. The information is said to have come from sources within Verizon, although we always prefer to wait for the official announcement of things like this.

The HTC Incredible when launched is said to have 512MB of DRAM along with a Snapdragon processor that has been downclocked from 1GHz to 768MHz (possible to save battery power). The battery it’s self has a capacity of 1,300mAh. An 8 megapixel camera can also be found on the back of the device. [Read more…]

Google Nexus One Heading to Sprint

Sprint have announced that the Google Nexus One is heading to their network which will mean that all the device will be supported on all four of the major carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile).

Pricing hasn’t been confirmed and neither have availability dates although we expect it will closely line up with T-Mobile who already offer the device on their network.

Just yesterday we announced that Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) were offering their Nexus One SIM free on both the AT&T and Rogers networks although today those networks are not showing up on the Google.com/phone website with just the SIM free (T-Mob compatible) and T-Mobile contract versions showing up. [Read more…]

HTC Supersonic Could be Announced Next Week

WSJ are reporting that the HTC Supersonic phone might officially be announced next week on March 24 at a keynote speech by Dan Hesse.

The Supersonic was first leaked a few months ago when some firmware was found to contain a reference to it. Shortly after a report came saying that the phone was going to be running a new Android OS built (Android 3.0). Following that, some renders of the HTC (TPE:2498) Supersonic were found showing it to have a large 4.3 inch screen and finally a video showing the Supersonic a little. [Read more…]

Apple iPhone Screen Protectors to get Removed from Apple Store

We are hearing today that Apple are about to remove all screen protectors for the Apple iPhone out of the Apple store. Screen protectors have been very common for a number of years with a lot of users wanting to protect their devices from scratches and scuffs.

Since the company (NASDAQ: AAPL) has launched their latest iPhone 3G S, the phone has contained a special coating on the screen that prevents almost all fingerprints and grease from forming on it keeping the surface shiny and smooth. It is not known at this time if the screen protectors are perhaps damaging the surface, or if Apple just don’t want to interfere with their screen technology. [Read more…]

Apple Pico Projector Patent

Apple [AAPL] have filed a patent for a pico projector system and from what patentlyapple have found out, they are taking the research to the next level and looking at ways to integrate them in to the next level of hardware.

The way Apple describe the system it seems that they may either make a dedicated pico projector device that connects up to a device such as an iPhone that will be used to remote control the projector.

Integrating a projector in to an Apple iPhone or Apple iPad could be handy allowing for presentations to be done to sound ideas off with a few colleagues before a larger presentation is done. [Read more…]

Spotify Consumes more Bandwidth than Sweden

The CEO of Spotify recently said that ‘On certain days, we’re consuming more Internet capacity than Sweden has as a country.

Spotify uses a P2P setup that takes bandwidth usage away from a single server setup allowing the network to grow larger. P2P works by users instlaling the Spotify application which then streams information from one computer to another rather than from a central server setup.

It’s interesting to see how quickly Spotify have grown as they now have 320,000 paying subscribers with around 7 million users in total and yet, they have not entered the US market. [Read more…]

Motorola DROID to get Android 2.1 Thursday

We recently found out that the Motorola DROID was going to be getting an Android 2.1 update this month sometime. The exact date has now been provided and is happening tomorrow (March 18).

The updates won’t all happen at once with some upgrades starting before others although there should only be a day or two delay between updates with them finishing by the weekend from what we understand.

The information has come from a screen capture that shows the release date and what is included in the update and says the roll outs will start at 12pm EST. [Read more…]

Samsung Windows Phone 7 Series Handset was Omnia HD

Yesterday we showed a few phones that were the first handsets to run Windows Phone 7 Series. One of them was a device by Samsung that some believed to be a Samsung Omnia HD (i8910HD). This has now been confirmed although it’s still not clear if the Omnia HD will actually receive a Windows Phone 7 Series update.

The demo used on the phone was just a one off as the phone apparently received a multitouch upgrade with a WVGA screen and a 1GHz chip.

When compared to the original phone it has the same three buttons below the screen that are a requirement although for the demonstration purposes the buttons were relabelled to Start, Search and Back. [Read more…]