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Alpha Version Of Skyfire Released To Limited BlackBerry Testers


By Eric Zeman | 12:30 PM ET, Jul 3, 2009

Skyfire has made some waves in the mobile browser market on Windows Mobile and S60-based devices. Its key feature is Flash, which lets users of those devices view embedded video content on Web sites such as YouTube and Hulu. Now, Skyfire is working on a better browser for BlackBerries and the alpha testing is underway.

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AT&T Memo To The Troops: iPhone 3GS Best Seller Ever!


By Eric Zeman | 02:20 PM ET, Jul 2, 2009

According to a recently leaked internal AT&T memo, June 19, termed "iLaunch day 2009," was AT&T's best sales day ever. That's funny. Wasn't the iPhone 3GS launched on the same day? Oooooooh.....

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Apple: Yeah, OK, Maybe The iPhone 3GS Is Overheating. But It's Your Fault


By Eric Zeman | 12:35 PM ET, Jul 2, 2009

Owners of the new iPhone 3GS have been reporting sporadic issues with the device since its release on June 19. One of the problems noted is that the device tends to overheat. Apple recently recognized the issue by publishing a warning on its iPhone support pages, but it claims "operator error" is the real culprit.

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Social Network Gadget Site Launches - GDGT


By Ed Hansberry | 06:36 AM ET, Jul 2, 2009

Normally we talk about phones and services related to them in this blog but today I'm going to mention a new website for gadget lovers called gdgt. The site is a mix of social networking, a wiki, tech forum and review site. What's not to love?

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Nokia's N97 Gets Massive Firmware Update Promising Bug Fixes


By Eric Zeman | 11:40 AM ET, Jul 1, 2009

Today Nokia made a new firmware version available for the Nokia N97. The update installs a huge list of fixes, including stabilized widgets, better photo gallery control, and fixed user interface transitions. Long story short, upgrade ASAP if you can!

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Barnes & Noble Matches Amazon eBook Prices


By Ed Hansberry | 05:59 AM ET, Jul 1, 2009

A few months ago Barnes & Noble purchased Fictionwise, the owner of eReader.com, which is one of the most popular ebook stores on the internet. Pricing used to be similar to that of a physical book store, that is to say all over the place. Now they are matching Amazon's Kindle pricing of $9.95. In fact, they are slightly beating Amazon when you include the eReader reward program.

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Apple Seeds iPhone SDK 3.1 To Developers


By Eric Zeman | 09:30 PM ET, Jun 30, 2009

Today Apple began pushing out iPhone Software Development Kit 3.1 to developers of the iPhone platform. The new SDK has several new features that should make it easier for developers to create applications for the iPhone. The biggest new development is that the MMS feature is automatically turned on in 3.1.

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Is The Pre Poorly Built?


By Marin Perez | 06:26 PM ET, Jun 30, 2009

There have been scattered reports that Palm's Pre smartphone is not holding up well. A few Pre users have been complaining that their screens are wobbly and can get easily cracked, the slider is poorly-designed, and the overall manufacturing is shoddy.

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Bsquare: Why Wait? We Got Yer Flash For Android Right Here


By Eric Zeman | 05:28 PM ET, Jun 30, 2009

Bsquare says, "Pshaw!" No need to wait until the end of 2009 to get Flash on your Android device. It is already offering Android developers support for Flash Lite 3.1 on ARM-based devices.

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File Sharing And SMS Powers Come To Skype 3.0 For Windows Mobile


By Eric Zeman | 10:35 AM ET, Jun 30, 2009

The latest version of Skype for the Windows Mobile platform adds some nifty new features. Users will now be able to swap files back and forth, and can send text messages to other mobile phones directly from Skype.

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BlackBerry Tour Hitting Verizon July 12 For $200


By Eric Zeman | 09:10 AM ET, Jun 30, 2009

If you've been hankering for some BlackBerry Tour action from Verizon Wireless, it's time to get excited. The nation's largest carrier has launched pre-orders for the Tour, which will be in stores starting July 12. It will come in two versions: one with a camera, and one without.

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600 Apps For Windows Marketplace For Mobile Launch


By Ed Hansberry | 06:26 AM ET, Jun 30, 2009

When the new application store for Windows Mobile, dubbed Windows Marketplace for Mobile, opens it will have 600 apps to start with according to a Windows Mobile product manager at Microsoft France.

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Palm Kills Homemade Apps With Latest Pre Firmware


By Eric Zeman | 02:21 PM ET, Jun 29, 2009

Palm has issued another firmware update for the Palm Pre. The latest version, 1.0.4, offers some minor security improvements and one unwelcome change: some homemade apps no longer work.

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Apple Reporting iPhone 3GS Shortages


By Eric Zeman | 11:05 AM ET, Jun 29, 2009

It looks like the iPhone 3GS is a solid seller. Apple is reporting that the iPhone 3GS is out of stock at 29 of its retail stores (as of 6/26). Apple also recently launched a tool to let would-be iPhone buyers check the stock levels of the Apple Store near them.

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T-Mobile Launch Events For New Phones


By Ed Hansberry | 07:21 AM ET, Jun 29, 2009

T-Mobile in the US is holding events in seven cities around the country for the impending launches of the HTC Touch Pro2 and HTC Dash 3G. The Touch Pro2 has been eagerly awaited by many, and the Dash 3G might be better known to you as the HTC Snap.

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Mythbusters' Adam Savage Hit With $11,000 Data Bill From AT&T


By Eric Zeman | 04:31 PM ET, Jun 26, 2009

Adam Savage, one of the mighty busters of myths on The Discovery Channel's Mythbusters show, is freaking out on Twitter right now. The target of his rage? AT&T, for slapping him with an $11,000 bill after he surfed the Web in Canada for a few hours.

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Sprint Goes For AT&T's Jugular, Targets iPhone Users In New Ad


By Eric Zeman | 03:07 PM ET, Jun 26, 2009

Palm and network operator partner Sprint have leveled their sites directly onto iPhone users. The new ad reads, in part, "Your iPhone contract is up. Perfect Timing." Next to these words is a picture of the Palm Pre resting against an eaten Apple.

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Garmin Adopts Android And Windows Mobile


By Ed Hansberry | 12:48 PM ET, Jun 26, 2009

Garmin, a leading manufacturer of GPS devices, has announced that they are dropping their home-grown Linux OS in favor of Android and Windows Mobile for future phones.

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Nearly Half Of Americans Would Give Up Mobile Data To Make Ends Meet


By Eric Zeman | 11:35 AM ET, Jun 26, 2009

According to a new report compiled by Strategy Analytics, 48% of Americans would dump their mobile data plan to save money. The poll also revealed that only 10% would consider dropping their broadband Internet.

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Report Confirms Texting While Driving More Dangerous Than Drinking And Driving


By Eric Zeman | 10:50 AM ET, Jun 26, 2009

The dangers of texting from behind the wheel have been documented all-too-well by recent accidents involving texters. Now, Car and Driver magazine has proven just how dangerous it is: Drunk drivers have better reaction times than those sending texts while driving.

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HTC's Sense UI Coming To Other HTC Android Phones? Not So Fast


By Eric Zeman | 01:10 PM ET, Jun 25, 2009

The blogosphere has latched onto a short quote from HTC Peter Chou about its newly revealed Sense user interface for Android and whether or not it can be ported to other HTC Android phones. Chou's words seem to confirm that it can, but there's more to the story.

Continue reading "HTC's Sense UI Coming To Other HTC Android Phones? Not So Fast..."

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Verizon Wireless Bows Another World-Roaming Smartphone From HTC


By Eric Zeman | 10:31 AM ET, Jun 25, 2009

Today Verizon Wireless and HTC announced the Ozone, a Windows Mobile smartphone that works in the U.S. and around the world. Killer features include a slim waist line, camera and full QWERTY keyboard. All this can be yours for just $50.

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From The Useless Statistics Department - Palm Pre App Downloads


By Ed Hansberry | 09:25 AM ET, Jun 25, 2009

Now that the Apple App Store hit one billion downloads of third party applications after just nine months, other app stores will follow suit with their own app download progress. The application store for the Palm Pre has had one million downloads in less than three weeks. Or has it?

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Nokia Holding Fire Sales At U.S. Flagship Stores June 25


By Eric Zeman | 04:12 PM ET, Jun 24, 2009

About 10 days ago, Nokia had a three-hour sale at its U.S. flagship stores, where it offered pretty steep discounts on a number of its popular phones. Tomorrow (June 25), there will be a repeat performance, this time lasting for five hours. Also, Europe's number one contract phone is revealed.

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Palm Sells 150,000 Pres


By Ed Hansberry | 12:08 PM ET, Jun 24, 2009

In the three weeks since its release, Palm is estimated to have sold 150,000 Pres. There is still a bit of a backlog and strong demand, but it seems there is a steady supply of new devices keeping the waiting lists relatively short.

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HTC Looks To Its Android-Powered And Flash-Toting Hero To Save The World


By Eric Zeman | 08:41 AM ET, Jun 24, 2009

At an event in London today, HTC unveiled its latest Android-based handset, the Hero. On top of an impressive set of specs, the Hero boasts a brand new user interface from HTC called Sense. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, Flash 10 is on board, too.

Continue reading "HTC Looks To Its Android-Powered And Flash-Toting Hero To Save The World..."

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AT&T Says Network Improvements On The Way


By Eric Zeman | 05:08 PM ET, Jun 23, 2009

Anyone remember SXSWi? AT&T's cellular network in Austin was so overwhelmed by the huge number of iPhone users during the conference that it pretty much crashed. In response, AT&T opened up its 3G network across the 850MHz spectrum holdings it owns in Austin to boost capacity during the conference. It's about to do the same thing in NYC, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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HTC Firestone Leaks


By Ed Hansberry | 01:23 PM ET, Jun 23, 2009

HTC has a big announcement tomorrow in London, but there haven't been a lot of details. Some think it is the HTC Hero, an Android powered device. It may be something else entirely, or a combination of things. We've got leaks of the HTC Firestone for you. Here is the rundown.

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Apple's MobileMe Helps Man Recover Stolen iPhone. Already


By Eric Zeman | 10:59 AM ET, Jun 23, 2009

During Apple's WWDC keynote address, it was sure to talk up one of MobileMe's new features: Find My iPhone. It lets users track down the whereabouts of a lost or stolen iPhone. Turns out it's not just a fun exercise. It actually helps real people, such as iPhone owner Kevin Miller, get a stolen iPhone back.

Continue reading "Apple's MobileMe Helps Man Recover Stolen iPhone. Already..."

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Is Apple's App Store Closing Mobile Web?


By Ed Hansberry | 10:27 PM ET, Jun 22, 2009

Apple retains quite a bit of control over what is posted to the App Store and some are arguing that instead of the iPhone being a device that is open and allowing users to be limited only by their imagination, it is doing quite the opposite. Is the iPhone hegemony is closer to a walled garden than you might think?

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Moto's Android Phones Hitting T-Mobile, Verizon


By Marin Perez | 07:53 PM ET, Jun 22, 2009

Looks like Motorola's super fun Android handset will be coming to T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless later this year, according to the folks over at The Wall Street Journal. It will be interesting to see how well these handsets are received, as Motorola has a lot riding on them.

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Adobe Flash 10 Headed To Smartphone Platforms In October


By Eric Zeman | 04:45 PM ET, Jun 22, 2009

Now this is some pretty darned good news. Adobe CEO Shantanu Naraye let it slip during an investor call that the company plans to debut Flash 10 for smartphones running the Android, Symbian S60, Palm webOS, and Windows Mobile platforms.

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Did T-Mobile Wait Too Long To Introduce The myTouch 3G?


By Eric Zeman | 03:25 PM ET, Jun 22, 2009

Today, T-Mobile announced its second Android device, the myTouch 3G with Google. Horrible name aside, the device has a decent spec list. But is the myTouch 3G too little, too late?

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Apple: We Sold 1 Million iPhones Over The Weekend


By Eric Zeman | 08:43 AM ET, Jun 22, 2009

According to an email I just received, Apple claims it sold one million iPhone 3GS's during its first three days of availability. That doubles what analysts had guessed Apple would sell. Apple also says more than 6 million people have downloaded iPhone OS 3.0.

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Palm Says No webOS SDK Any Time Soon


By Eric Zeman | 03:07 PM ET, Jun 19, 2009

Today Palm published some information that is sure to leave many Palm Pre owners and webOS developers in dismay. The SDK -- tools necessary for developers to create applications for webOS -- won't be available until the end of the summer. That is not such great news.

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AT&T: We Sold Hundreds Of Thousands Of iPhones BEFORE Launch Day


By Eric Zeman | 12:35 PM ET, Jun 19, 2009

Lending more weight to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster's predictions that Apple and AT&T will sell about 500,000 iPhones this weekend, AT&T claims that "hundreds of thousands" of customers preordered the iPhone 3GS before today.

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FLO TV To Integrate Into Windows Mobile Phones


By Ed Hansberry | 10:20 AM ET, Jun 19, 2009

FLO TV, owned by Qualcomm, is rolling out its service now that the switch from analog to digital has taken place in the US. Qualcomm is working with OEMs to integrate the service into mobile phones.

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What It Was Like To Buy A New iPhone 3GS Today


By Eric Zeman | 08:20 AM ET, Jun 19, 2009

This morning I braved the gaggle (not a crowd, that would imply more people) and bought a new iPhone 3GS. The difference compared to last year's launch of the iPhone 3G was stark. I was in and out of there pretty fast (as should be obvious based on how early this blog is posted). Word of advice, if you didn't pre-order, go home now and try again later.

Continue reading "What It Was Like To Buy A New iPhone 3GS Today..."

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Would You Pay $70 For 100MB Of Mobile Data?


By Eric Zeman | 09:56 PM ET, Jun 18, 2009

Today Verizon Wireless introduced a new laptop dongle that can handle just about any 3G wireless network you care to throw at it. Too bad data plans start at $130 per month.

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Analyst: iPhone To Trounce Palm Pre In First Weekend Sales


By Eric Zeman | 02:07 PM ET, Jun 18, 2009

Last year, Apple and AT&T sold about one million iPhones the first weekend it became available for sale. This year, analysts predict half that much, but still believe it will easily surpass the Palm Pre's sales figures.Update: Line already forming in NYC!

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AT&T Simplfies Wi-Fi Log-In On The iPhone


By Eric Zeman | 09:10 AM ET, Jun 18, 2009

One nice thing that AT&T has done for its iPhone customers is give them free access to its Wi-Fi hotspots. The log-in process, however, is so heinously annoying that many just give up. Now, iPhones will automatically connect to an AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot, no clumsy log-in required.

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Remote Desktop On Your Mobile Phone


By Ed Hansberry | 01:30 AM ET, Jun 18, 2009

Sometimes you need access to your PC but that doesn't mean you have to carry your laptop with you on a short trip. You may be able to access your PC or servers right from your smartphone. Here are but a few ways to accomplish this.

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Apple May Kill Pre's iTunes Sync


By Marin Perez | 06:45 PM ET, Jun 17, 2009

One of the neat features about the Palm Pre is that customers can use iTunes to transfer and manage media files. It looks like Apple is not too happy about that, and it released a veiled warning that this feature may not last long.

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AT&T Attempts To Appease iPhone Owners, Changes Upgrade Policy


By Eric Zeman | 01:21 PM ET, Jun 17, 2009

Poor AT&T. It has been on the hot seat pretty much ever since Apple announced the iPhone 3GS. Responding to overwhelming feedback from iPhone customers, AT&T has made it more affordable for some iPhone owners to upgrade.

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iPhone OS 3.0 Coming Today At 1PM EST?


By Eric Zeman | 09:25 AM ET, Jun 17, 2009

Owners of the iPhone and iPhone 3G are likely awaiting today's arrival of iPhone operating system 3.0 with baited breath. Be prepared to stick it out for a few more hours. Reports suggest it will become available to everyone at 1 PM EST / 10 AM PST.

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A Windows Phone For $50 Or Less From Acer


By Ed Hansberry | 01:00 AM ET, Jun 17, 2009

We've known for months that Acer was going to release several smartphones running Windows Mobile, and now they are going to do it for $50 or less. With smartphones coming down in price so much, will feature phones be squeezed out of existence?

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Apple Fires Shot Across Palm's Bow Over Pre iTunes Syncing


By Eric Zeman | 10:19 PM ET, Jun 16, 2009

The Palm Pre syncs seamlessly with Apple's iTunes software. Palm touted this as one of the Pre's neat-o features. It does this by tricking iTunes into believing the Pre is an iPod. Turns out, Apple may not like that too much.

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AT&T Clarifies GoPhone Plans For The iPhone 3GS, To Have 'Limited' Supply


By Eric Zeman | 02:25 PM ET, Jun 16, 2009

In response to a stirring brou-ha-ha kicked up yesterday, AT&T is attempting to douse a fire regarding iPhones and GoPhone plans before it spreads too far. Also, it looks like AT&T retail stores will have limited supplies of the iPhone 3GS at launch.

Continue reading "AT&T Clarifies GoPhone Plans For The iPhone 3GS, To Have 'Limited' Supply..."

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iPhone 3GS Is Already Shipping To Some Who Pre-Ordered


By Eric Zeman | 11:26 AM ET, Jun 16, 2009

It's on! Some of the first people who pre-ordered the iPhone 3GS have received notification that their phones have shipped. The cool part? Delivery dates are scheduled for June 17, two days before everyone else can get their hands on it.

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How To Pay Less To Upgrade To The iPhone 3G S


By Mitch Wagner | 10:13 AM ET, Jun 16, 2009

Owners of the current-generation iPhone 3G were in for a bit of disappointment when Apple announced the iPhone 3G S last week. When the new device goes on sale Friday, owners of the current-generation iPhone 3G will have to pay more for the new device than first-time iPhone owners. But 3G owners can still save money upgrading to the new 3G S -- here are some angles to explore.

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