Sprint To Offer 4G Speed To 3G iPhones

As we know that the wireless technology is slowly moving towards a fourth-generation (4G) system that will allow faster speeds and secure IP communication from the network core to mobile devices. Several standards are evolving to implement 4G, and are in varying states of readiness. AT&T and Verizon are both moving to implement Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, which is a step along the road to true 4G. Sprint chose to go a different route with Mobile WiMAX, a wireless Ethernet protocol based on the IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard intended to bring wireless "last-mile" connectivity similar cable modems or DSL.

Sprint Nextel is the third largest wireless carrier in the United States, trailing behind the two mobile industry giants – AT&T and Verizon. Sprint has been struggling to maintain their existing list of subscribers and is taking a shot at AT&T’s often maligned network by showing off an iPhone 3G user connecting to Sprint’s 4G service through their Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot device, which is a combination WiMAX subscriber station/WiFi base station.

Sprint is marketing the Sierra Wireless Overdrive device for use with its WiMAX network, which is currently available in 27 cities in the US, with more coming later this year. The battery-operated portable hotspot has a 4G receiver, a WiFi base station, and it allows up to five WiFi devices to connect at speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G, according to Sprint.

With Apple sticking with AT&T as the carrier of choice for the iPhone and iPad, other carriers are trying to get a piece of the action by offering alternative data plans for the devices. Verizon's MiFi currently uses 3G, but takes advantage of Verizon's well-regarded network costing $60 a month, with 5GB limit, compared to Sprint's WiMAX service that offeres 300MB for $59.99 a month.

See the video below:

HTC's New Phone 'Incredible" Leaked

The HTC Incredible, which first made leaked rumors back in December turns out to be the real deal. Pocket Now has released some sneak peak information on the phone. Including a brown colored version:

The phone seems to have wacky shapes in the back and is probably a prototype placeholder (or so we can hope.) Some of the specs have been released including an Android 2.1 OS with HTC Sense, running on a Snapdragon CPU. It is rumored to be running on 256mb RAM which is accompanied by a 3.5'-3.7' WVGA screen. A leaked video was also released which can be found here. What do you guys think of HTC's new product?

Blackberry Internet Service 3.0 Does Justice to Gmail

As everyone may know Blackberry's are considered a business user's best friend but at the same time it is ironic to see the list of unsupported features such as being unable to do two-way read status syncs with an IMAP email account, and being unable to natively connect to an Exchange ActiveSync service without being routed through RIM's back-end software. Finally one of many list of unsupported featuers which users have been complaining about since 2002 is going to get patched up thanks to a leaked list of email features in Blackberry Internet Service 3.0. Users will now be able to syncrhonize read status and sent items with their own Gmail accounts, just as if you were using virtually any other phone on the market. Unfortunately it isn't up to the user to help decide the features that come with the phone. RIM could just add IMAP support directly to it's phones that would work with any third-party email service, but that would make too much sense wouldn't it?

Symbian Mobile OS Now Open Source

The Symbian Foundation made its big announcement today about moving to open source. The foundation has completely moved to a fully open, royalty-free platform, meaning that no one needs to pay to be a member for the Foundation to see the code. Although Symbian isn't getting as much popularity in the mobile discussion these days, it's still important to keep in mind that the software deployed by the Symbian Foundation has been used for hundreds of millions of devices making this move of theirs the largest-scale conversion of a closed operating system to open source in history. The company needs to get back into the spotlight very badly and this move will hopefully allow them to do just that. Below is a link o the intro video to the wide world of open source and Symbian^3 (which is the first version to be spread out for everyone to see):

Firefox Mobile 1.0 Released for Nokia N900

Mozilla has been at work and finally released a Firefox Mobile, which went live on Maemo5. The mobile version retains much of the original Firefox features and includes WeaveSync for keeping tabs, passwords, and bookmarks the same on desktop and mobile versions. This is just one of the few impressive achievements for the Nokia N900, along with playing Starcraft and Duke Nukem 3D. You can download Firefox Mobile 1.0 from Mozilla's Firefox Mobile page at their official website.

Infinidock App for Jailbroken iPhones

 

If you are the kind who has several dozens iPhone applications on your iPhone at any point, it can become quite cumbersome to sift through several home screens every time you want to launch one of your favorite applications. How about bookmarking all your frequently used apps on the iPhone dock to easily locate them?

Infinidock, a new project from chpwn, one of the developers of popular multi-tasking iPhone app, ProSwitcher does exactly this. Available on Cydia for jailbroken iPhones, the application lets you add as many icons as you choose to the iPhone dock without needlessly cluttering the interface. All of the apps added to the dock are arranged horizontally and users may choose how many apps be visible at any given point. To surf through the rest of the list, you may simply swipe across the dock horizontally.

The note about the jailbreak app by the developer reads:

    "Full dock customization: scrolling, adjustable icon amounts, and more! Add as many icons as you want, and the dock will grow to accommodate them, and set how many you want on every page. The ultimate dock customization tool, by one of the developers of ProSwitcher. Please report all bugs and submit all feature requests via email so we can take a look!"

The Infinidock app is now available on Cydia for $0.99.

Apple to Feature LED Camera Flash in iPhone 4G?

According to a AppleInsider report, Apple has ordered significant amount of LED camera flash components for the year 2010 that could help the next-generation iPhone 4G to produce better image and video recording in low-light situations.
Philips LEXEON LED flash technology may already have secured the orders for the expected LED camera flash components for the iPhone 4G, the report says.

This report is inline with the earlier report where OmniVision secured the orders from Apple to supply 5 megapixel CMOS image sensors for the next Gen iPhone 4G.
As an iPhone owner, you would know how frustrating it is to take photos in the dim-light with your iPhone.
Having competitors like Motorola DROID, HD2 and Nexus One from Google, featuring a high Res camera with LED flash in the upcoming iPhone 4G is what situation requires from Apple if they want to see their baby’s growth in future.
The next generation iPhone is expected to be unveiled at the annual WWDC 2010 conference featuring iPhone OS 4.0.

Qualcomm to Power Verizon iPhone?

According to an "exclusive" from the financial website TheStreet.com, the supposed new Verizon iPhone will be powered by a chip from Qualcomm. Contradicting earlier rumors, though, the phone would not be dual mode - allowing it to be used both on CSMA systems like Verizon's and GSM networks like AT&T's in the US - but rather based on a standard EV-DO chip from Qualcomm.

Quoting Northeast Securities analyst Ashok Kumar - who himself had "confirmed the decision with the manufacturers and suppliers involved," TheStreet.com's Scott Moritz wrote that Qualcomm has closed the deal to produce a CDMA-based iPhone. Kumar says that Apple had originally asked for a dual-mode chip but wasn't happy with the results, which resulted in them choosing the conventional chip. Kumar did not detail what Apple had found fault with, but Electronista notes that "dual-network phones have often had significant if sometimes artificial limitations in their frequency support."

Qualcomm's high-performance Snapdragon chips have been featured in some high-profile phones - from the original Android handheld, T-Mobile's G1, to the new Google Nexus One - and even Lenovo's new Skylight subnetbook. The manufacturer had recently trumpeted its forthcoming dual-mode HSPA/CDMA chipset that was at the time heralded as the heart of a new hybrid iPhone. The chip is expected at the end of the year, so the timing is being held up as a reason why it is thought that chip is being passed on for the 4G iPhone, as new models have heretofore released in summer.

Industry observers are seeing any move to Qualcomm as a blow to Infineon, which has supplied the chipsets for every iPhone since it was released. Some reports have laid the blame on Infineon's chips for the iPhone's widely-lamented poor performance on AT&T’s network.

Windows Mobile 7 coming to MWC in February

We'd heard some rumblings, but apparently Robbie Bach let the cat out of the bag at an analyst briefing this week, stating that we should expect a showing of Windows Mobile 7 at the Mobile World Congress show in Spain, which begins on February 15th. He also added that the OS (which he's played with, surprisingly) will 'set the bar forward not in (just) an evolutionary way,' and that Microsoft is going to be 'more engaged' with OEMs in its 'go to market approach.' We love a good buzzword or three, but the hope here is that Microsoft has learned its lesson from iPhone and Android and is ready to compete in the next-gen smartphone game in a big way - a WinMo 7 showing just four months after the release of Windows Mobile 6.5 certainly smacks of that.

Use Your iPhone as a Security Camera

By now we've all adjusted to inhabiting a world where security cameras are so ubiquitous we almost hardly ever notice they're around. From grocery stores to post offices, we're always on camera it seems, a reality that may be further perpetuated thanks to a new iPhone application that essentially transforms your device into a general, run-of-the-mill security camera.

From CNET:

Quote:

The app lets iPhone owners set a phone to take a picture, either at a set interval of minutes, or every time the phone's microphone picks up sound. The two modes can also be set to run at the same time, so it'll take photos every few minutes, and when it picks up noise.

The app, appropriately dubbed "Security Cam," has been on its way to us for quiet some time. Only obtaining access to the App Store this week, Security Cam was first pitched to Apple in late 2008 - more than a year ago. While some are quick to once again harp on the lengthy approval process illustrated by this latest example, perhaps such a privacy-threatening application should get a little extra time in the review process. After all, most agree that Security Cam is, indeed, a sensitive app that should be thoroughly looked into before being rolled out.

Quote:

Along with these settings, the app can also be set to put your phone to sleep after a selected period of time, as well as watermark photos with a time stamp of when it was taken. These shots then end up in your photo roll.

Is it creepy? Is it cool? Is it necessary? All of those questions, of course, are now irrelevant. Security Cam is not only available, it's also poised to become a relatively popular $0.99 app download. Despite concerns that this could "fall into the wrong hands" and violate the privacy of unwitting individuals, the fact of the matter is that there are already myriad security cam gadgets far superior and less conspicuous than an iPhone is. In this regard, the Security Cam app isn't creating a privacy-eating monster. That beast already exists.

Quote:

Of course, the one problem with this app, and any others like it, is that you have to set up your phone somewhere.

So if you're concerned that you're "being watched," just keep a lookout for a random iPhone propped up on a table or wall that may be pointed at you. Chances are, it won't be mounted there for long, assuming that the owner no longer wants to use his or her phone and only needs a security cam. At that point, however, there are far more efficient and cost effective security cam devices than a modified iPhone.

NAVIGON launches MobileNavigator for Android and Windows Mobile Phones

NAVIGON is bringing MobileNavigator, its popular turn-by-turn navigation solution to Windows Mobile and Android users in North America. Originally launched on the iPhone, MobileNavigator for Android and Windows Mobile utilizes your mobile phone’s on-board GPS receiver and pre-loaded maps to provide navigation when there is no cellular coverage. It’s a pretty feature rich app and it includes:

• Reality View Pro which displays photo-realistic 3D views with actual road signs and lane guidance for virtually every highway interchange and exit drivers will encounter
• Lane Assistant Pro which helps drivers prepare to make an upcoming exit or turn by providing a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.
• Text-to-speech functionality which announces street names in addition to turn-by-turn directions
• Speed Assistant with adjustable audio-visual warnings
• Day & Night Mode for map display, 2D and 3D map view, Automatic switching between portrait and landscape format
• Direct Access allows navigation to contacts saved in the phone’s address book, Intelligent address entry
• Route Planning, Branded POIs and POIs along the route

The Windows Mobile version of MobileNavigator will ship with maps of North America (US, Canada, Hawaii and Puerto Rico) from NAVTEQ and will debut next week at Pocketgear and Smartphone.net. MobileNavigator for Windows Mobile will run $69.00 until February 14, 2010, at which point the application will jump to its full retail price of $89.00. The Android version will launch in Spring 2010 at a yet-to-be-determined price.

Nexus One tips for iPhone users

Filed under: Hardware, Portables, iPhoneHere's an interesting post from Scott Knaster, a happy iPhone user and Google employee who made a cold-turkey switch to the Nexus One for three months (yes, some employees can get their hands on things early).



You might expect a Nexus One v. iPhone post from a Google employee to be slanted, but that's not the case here. Mr. Knaster obviously loves his iPhone, and offers practical tips for users looking to switch, like:

• You can simply move the SIM from iPhone to the N1. However, you won't get 3G on AT&T, only Edge. This hasn't been a big deal for me. And my iPhone data plan seems to work fine for the N1.
• I miss the iPhone's silence/ring switch, but you can silence the phone by swiping the volume control on the lock screen. If the phone is already on, hold down the Volume Down button to (silently) silence.

There's a lot more, so read the whole thing. He also talks about the Dolphin browser with its support for touch, pinch and gestures. I haven't used it but must admit that gestures screen seems like a holdover from Graffiti, and not in a good way.

Apple and Verizon in Talks: CDMA iPhone in 2010?

A deal is in the works for Verizon to carry a special CDMA version of the iPhone, according to an analyst. If the two companies can come to terms, the iPhone could be running on Verizon's 3G network by the middle of 2010, according to UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard J. Um.

Apple has seen, in country after country where the iPhone is available on multiple carriers, a marked uptick in sales. However, in the largest market there is only one carrier, because Apple had made a long term agreement with AT&T. The original deal was reported to be for a five year term, though it's been widely rumored that the term was changed when the AT&T agreed to heavily subsidize the expensive iPhone 3G. Most observers believe that the arrangement will expire this year.

Rumors and reports from cell phone chip manufacturers like Qualcomm have persistently suggested that a CDMA-capable version of the iPhone may come to market this year. Verizon's CEO also fed these rumors by saying his network "could handle" the iPhone. UBS indicates that Apple and Verizon are currently in negotiations. "We believe a CDMA-iPhone is also in the works," analyst Um wrote in a note to investors, as AppleInsider reports. "We believe Verizon Wireless and Apple may currently be apart on pricing."

Verizon has been harshly critical of AT&T's 3G network in its "There's a Map for That" ad campaign, and poked fun at the iPhone in its ads for the Motorola Droid smartphone, This has led some observers to doubt that Apple would bring the iPhone to Verizon, which is also beginning to market Palm smartphones and Google's HTC-manufactured Nexus One.

Many consumers have expressed disappointment with AT&T's network performance, and the company received the lowest rating of all major US carriers in a recent survey, while Verizon came in first. Also, the iPhone currently runs only on UMTS/GSM networks, and adding CDMA capability would allow the phone to be used on more systems worldwide. If the two companies can agree on pricing, a potentially enormous market could be opened up for the iPhone.

Nexus One Vs. iPhone - Can Google Nexus One Be An iPhone Killer?

Nexus One, the much awaited smartphone from Google

is here. In an "Android gathering" held at Mountain View, the company unveiled their Android based handset. Google claims that the Nexus One is a league ahead of the current crop of smartphones and hence has chosen to call it a "Super phone".

So, what do we know about the device?

Here's a list of specifications officially announced by Google:

• Display : 3.7" WVGA AMOLED touchscreen
• Camera : 5 megapixels with 2X digital zoom and autofocus
• Video : 720x480 at 20 FPS and above
• Capacity : 512 MB RAM with 4GB Micro SD Card (expandable up to 32 GB)
• Height : 119mm
• Width : 59.8mm
• Depth : 11.5mm
• Weight : 130 grams w/battery (100g w/o battery)

The Nexus One is powered by Snapdragon's 1 Gigahertz core processor and comes with a lot of nice features. Among them are the built-in noise cancellation feature, LED powered trackball that glows in different colors depending on the kind of notifications that you receive and dynamic wallpapers that react to user activities. But the most prominent among these is voice integration. Every text field in the phone and also the applications are voice enabled, which means that users only have to speak out and no longer have to type out messages.

As earlier reported, the phone shall be available for purchase solely from the Google Phone website. US consumers may choose to buy a subsidized Nexus One with T-Mobile for $179. An unlocked version of the same is also available at a much pricey $529. Google has also announced UK, Singapore and Hong Kong as test markets from where consumers can make their purchase.

So how does the phone compare to the other smartphones in the market? Feature-wise, the Nexus One is no doubt a very capable competitor. Google has also hinted that this is only the first in the set of many "Super phones" that they plan to launch. Considering that the next generation of the iPhone is just a few more months from launch, 2010 could see some interesting array of new high end mobile phone devices on sale.

Having said that, Nexus One is also very competitively priced. An analysis of the total cost of ownership for the entire contract period shows that the iPhone 3GS is nearly 50% more expensive than the Nexus One. This price-gap is likely to widen further considering that Nexus One shall be made available with many more carriers soon. Google expects the prices to fall further as competition among the carriers heat up. Here is how the smartphones cost add up to in the present scenario:

We would like to hear your views. What do you think of the Nexus One? Do you think the device is capable of being an iPhone killer?

Apple working with NYC cops to find stolen iPhone

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Steve Jobs, Apple, iPhoneRemember Alisa, the subway sweetheart whose iPhone was stolen and then re-surfaced in her email inbox when the knucklehead thief tried to get it replaced? Apparently she sent a note to our favorite iCEO Steve Jobs as a last resort when the standard Apple CSRs were unwilling or unable to help. As Metro NY reports, Alisa's pleas did not fall on deaf ears.

Over the New Year's weekend, Alisa sent her email, and the day after we reported Alisa's story, she received a call from Apple's executive support team. I corresponded with Alisa, and despite the runaround she received, she was told there is in fact an internal procedure for dealing with such situations.

Apple's Corporate Investigations department is now working with local law enforcement to rectify Alisa's situation. While it is good to hear that the right people are finally communicating to resolve this matter, it is disappointing that it required the victim emailing a CEO to get any real traction on the problem. And even though Alisa has since purchased a Blackberry, we hope she gets her iPhone back soon.

TUAWApple working with NYC cops to find stolen iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST.

Google Launches Nexus One

T-Mobile Plan Available Now, Verizon and Vodafone Coming Soon



Google today announced the launch of its Nexus One smartphone, ushering in what the company calls the first of its "superphones" based on the Android operating system. The Nexus One, which offers an 800x480 screen, 5 megapixel camera with flash and is powered by Qualcomm's 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, utilizes the Android 2.1 operating system.

As revealed last week, the Nexus One is priced at $529 as a standalone purchase or $179 with a two-year agreement with T-Mobile. Google also announced that Verizon (U.S.) and Vodafone (Europe) have signed on with the Nexus One and will be offering similar hardware and service plan packages in the spring. Initial orders are limited to the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Through the web store found at www.google.com/phone, consumers can buy the Nexus One without service (meaning any GSM network SIM card can be inserted into the device), or purchase the phone with service from one of Google's operator partners. As new phones come to market through this channel, consumers will benefit from the ability to match a phone of their choice with the service plan that best meets their needs. Operator prices and plan details will be featured on the site.

"The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call 'superphones,' with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago. It's our way to raise the bar on what's possible when it comes to creating the best mobile experience for consumers," said Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering. "We look forward to working with handset manufacturers and operators to bring more phones to market through this channel worldwide."

The Nexus One offers 512 MB of Flash and 512 MB of RAM, and ships with a 4 GB Micro SD card with support for cards up to 32 GB. The device also offers voice recognition throughout the operating system and advanced widget and home screen personalization.

Android Gaining Momentum Among Future Smartphone Buyers

New survey data released today by ChangeWave Research indicates that Google's Android smartphone operating system has been rapidly gaining momentum over the past few months as the release of the Motorola Droid and the hype around the Google Nexus One have brought Android considerable publicity. In particular, the survey found that 21% of customers planning to purchase a new smartphone in the next 90 days would prefer Android, up from just 6% only three months ago. That performance puts Android within striking distance of Apple, which is reportedly preferred by 28% of future purchasers, down from 32% in the earlier survey.


Customer satisfaction ratings have also shown Android approaching Apple's typically strong performance, finding 72% of Android users "very satisfied" with their phone, while the iPhone checks in at 77% according to the same metric.


When breaking Android's performance down by handset manufacturers, the report sees the strength of the Droid line, which boosted Motorola's share of planned purchases over the next 90 days from 1% to 13% between the September and December surveys. On the other hand, market leaders Apple and Research in Motion saw slight declines, while interest in Palm's offerings plunged by 50%.


While some degradation of Apple's "mindshare" could be expected at the midpoint of its release cycle with the iPhone 3GS having been available for six months now and anticipation of the next-generation iPhone not yet ramping up, Android is certainly showing itself to be a growing force to be reckoned with in the smartphone market.

iPhone OS 4.0 – Second Evidence

Last week the first appearance of iPhone firmware 3.1.3 and the existence of iPhone OS 4.0 was reported.
Today, MacRumors received a tip from a developer that he found a single instance of iPhone OS 4.0 being used in his application’s Pinch Media analytics data.

iPhone OS 3.1.3 may release very soon and is expected to be a minor firmware update and bug fixes but on the other hand iPhone Firmware 4.0 would be a major release and is expected to be shipped with the next-gen iPhone the coming Summer.
There is no info on iPhone OS 4.0 features but it’ll surely brought us more features just like iPhone firmware 3.0 did.
You may also like:

• iPhone OS 3.1.3 Coming Soon
• Download iPhone Firmwares (All at One Place)
• Download iPhone OS 3.1.2 Custom Firmware (IPSW Files) for iPhone 3GS, 3G, 2G
• How to: Check iPhone Firmware Version

VMWare: Your Next Smartphone Might Run Two OSes At Once

In an interview with Computerworld, VMWare's head of mobile phone virtualization has indicated that the company wants to move beyond dual-boot systems to allow phones to run a private and work operating system at the same time. They've already demonstrated the potential on a Nokia N800 running Windows CE and Android concurrently; now they're looking into multiple user interface scenarios for current generation smartphones. [Computerworld]"

T-Mobile holiday deals: $50 off handsets — gift phones, pay with installments

How about some holiday discounts? Yes, please. T-Mobile is offering some Black Friday weekend deals for new and existing customers. What are these magical deals you ask? Well, the Motorola CLIQ will set you back $149, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 will be priced at $149, and the Samsung Highlight will cost $49 — a $50 savings on all three handsets, two-year agreement required of course. The deals don’t stop there however; everyone, at least we hope, has someone in their lives who they care about dearly, someone they adore so much, that they would be willing to pay full retail price for cell phone to give that person as a gift for the holidays. Brings a tear to your eye doesn’t it? Well, if the thought of that special person doesn’t make you all misty then the idea of spending $300+ for a cell phone might just be enough to do it — and T-Mobile thinks it has a solution. Those of you who are on a T-Mobile Even More plan will now be allowed to purchase any phone at full retail price, spread the payments out into monthly installments, and gift that phone to a friend. Not a bad idea. Now, the number of people who can take advantage of this deal is obviously limited, as you will have to: have T-Mobile service, be on an Even More plan, have a friend you like enough to drop $300+ on, and have that lucky person also be on (or ready to switch to) T-Mobile. Nice job T-Mo, we appreciate the sentiment. ‘Tis the holiday season after all, and it is that thought that counts. No?

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]