Melissa Thompson has managed to break the texting world record by typing out a text message in just 25.94 seconds. This is around 9 seconds faster than the previous record which stood at 35 seconds.

This particular world record requires that those entering type in a specific phrase…

“the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human”

[Read more…]

Last week, MyDroidWorld managed to obtain the Motorola DROID X Android 2.2 update. The update wasn’t the final version, but was uploaded to a server for users to download and install.

This update has now been taken off line as Motorola has sent a cease & desist to MyDroidWorld telling them to take it off line, which they did.

The full details of what happened and the request that was made to remove the update.zip can be found over at My Droid World. [Read more…]

Developers over at XDA Developers have managed to find that the range of Galaxy S class smartphones have unlock codes built within that allow you to switch networks in the US. To activate the Galaxy S unlock code you need a USB cable and a script to run that when successful, lets you run your Samsung Vibrant T-Mobile device on the AT&T network.

The Samsung Galaxy S unlock codes are stored in a .BAK file on the device. The normal place manufacturers keep unlock codes is on a secure server. Having them on the device it’s self means that no real tampering with the system needs to be done to crack it open. [Read more…]

Visa is developing a system with Bank of America that will be tested in the next few weeks. The new system will allow contactless payments to be made with a digital wallet system. If successful, we could see these type of payments becoming main stream of the next few years.

The trials are being run next month in the New York area. Although these kinds of payments are not the common thing to see in the US or Europe, they have been working successfully in Japan for a number of years. We are basically left playing catchup with Japan like with all things such as HDTV. [Read more…]

The Motorola Droid X Android 2.2 update has leaked out from what My Droid World report.

According to the My Droid World forums, the update is an actual leak of an upcoming OTA update for the DROID X. That link just posted provides all the instructions needed to run it yourself although keep in mind that this isn’t an official update and you should read all the details and proceed with caution. [Read more…]

Engadget has scored a number of Windows Phone 7 and Android scoops through the night it seems. The latest is for the Samsung Cetus i917. The Cetus is another Windows Phone 7 smartphone.

It is described as being Pre-esque in shape. From what we understand, it will also be moving on to the AT&T [T] network. On the back of the device it is glossy, black and curved. The front has a 4 inch AMOLED screen. With the Cetus being Samsung built, it could well be the Super AMOLED screen that is also used on the Galaxy S for example. [Read more…]

Two new Sony Alpha cameras have leaked on to the internet. The first is the Sony a560 and the second, the Sony a580.

The Sony a560 has a 14 megapixel sensor. The camera it’s self is similar to the Sony a33 that we mentioned the other day although this one is not a pellix camera. The ISO range of the camera works from 100-12800. It is capable of capturing video in 1080i. The camera has 15 AF points with some of those cross-point. [Read more…]

Another smartphone leak has been spotted. Earlier we caught a glimps of the T-Mobile G2. Now it’s time for the LG C900 Windows Phone 7 smartphone.

The LG C900 is a Windows Phone 7 device that has a slide out QWERTY keyboard. It is ideal for those who prefer not to use a virtual keyboard on the Cetus for example.

The device it’s self is quite rounded in features. It has the regular three buttons below the screen (a requirement from Microsoft [MSFT]), and looks to have a screen about 3.7 inches in size. [Read more…]

Earlier this week a T-Mobile G2 mini site was launched. The G2 is a step up from the G1 and brings a list of improved features such as a faster processor, more memory, better screen and an updated Android OS. Another feature is that it will be compatible with HSPA+ networks allowing it to receive and send data at 4G speeds on the T-Mobile network.

The new smartphone is expected to have a 3.7 inch screen and also have a sliding QWERTY keyboard as pictures above. One thing we noticed when compared to the G1 is that a row of keys is missing with the QWERTY being the top row with numbers on the shift key. [Read more…]

Teevox is an app for the iPhone that lets you remotely control video content from Hulu and Netflix on your computer.

The app (demonstrated below), interfaces directly with Hulu and Netflix and lets you easily control your computer by pausing, playing and switching between movies. Volume controls are also included. [Read more…]

Vodafone has announced that the HTC Desire Android 2.2 update will be made available this coming Monday August 23rd.

The update will follow along the path of other updates in that HTC Desire users will receive a notification on their smartphone telling them that an update is available. Vodafone will be pushing out the update in phases over about a 2 week period. [Read more…]

Engadget managed to get hold of a couple of prototypes of the Dell Thunder smartphone.

It appears that the Dell Thunder could work on both CDMA and GSM networks as some code inside had references to both networks. An interesting feature on the phone is the screen looks to be slightly curved. When we say feature, it’s not exactly ground breaking, but certainly different to the flat glass screens we see these days.

This particular phone (or set of phones) were labled EVT1 which indicates it is perhaps the first engineering verification test. With this, a number of problems were spotted such as a few screen issues, no hole for the microphone as well as a few small quirks, all of which should be ironed out before launch we assume. [Read more…]