Mobile posts

The big story continues to be Gizmodo’s iPhone 4 revelations, and a police raid in which editor, Jason Chen’s computers were seized and his house searched. At issue here could be the rights of journalists to report the story they have in their hands, as corporate America continues its attempt to define bloggers as not being journalists, while offering recognition as journalists only to those writers who are connected to big name corporate media brands. California’s Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team seized four computers and two servers from the editor’s house. They did so using a…

Though still successful, Blackberry is no longer the must-have gadget for the mobile crowd. What do they need to do to reclaim their position of leadership? Once upon a time, not so long ago, to own a Blackberry wasn’t to simply own a smartphone – it was to possess a symbol. Carrying around a Blackberry meant you were a successful, busy person, often ahead of the curve and definitely on top of your game. Oh my, how times have changed. While you could hardly argue that Research in Motion, the makers of the Blackberry, are doing poorly, it would be equally mistaken to say Blackberries are still the symbol…

Unlike its decidedly corporate brethren, the Blackberry Pearl was the kind of phone you would see everyone using, from teenagers on the bus to seniors at the mall. The little candybar smartphone that could was RIM’s first real foray into the consumer market. So while the announcement of a new Pearl 3G seems a bit unexciting, it’s likely that soon, millions of people around the world will be carrying one of these new Pearls with them. Perhaps the most surprising change here is the availability of a Pearl with a standard T9 keypad, in additional to the Pearl’s traditional 20-key ‘it’s kinda’ like QWERTY…

Soon you too could be sending or receiving unsolicited messages via Bluetooth from up to 65-metres (200-feet) or more away, as the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard has been finalised. Now we know manufacturers haven’t exactly rushed to launch Bluetooth 3.0 devices, but the new standard may interest some, with its low-energy mode and boosted range, up from 30-feet to 200-feet. Realistically, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) maintain the new standard will be of use to manufacturers of small devices, such as watches or remote controls, and to those creating network equipment. “Bluetooth…

He may have predicted that Apple’s iPad would ‘rule the world’, but the man who invented the notebook concept isn’t happy with Steve Jobs at the moment. Alan Kay is one of the great heroes of the technological revolution we’re still experiencing today. So much so that when Apple introduced the iPad, Jobs took pains to send Kay one as a personal gift. But it isn’t the product that Kay has a problem with – it’s Apple’s determination to control what developers do with it. Apple last week changed the terms of its deal with developers, introducing new clauses which forbid iPhone apps from…

Google takes on the world’s governments today, publishing details about how often countries around the world ask it for user data or instruct it to censor information. The data is available using Google’s newly-introduced Government Requests Tool (illustrated above). Interestingly, Brazil took the top of the list with 3,663 data requests the US took second place with 3,580 and the UK came in third with 1,166 such requests. Sure, we know Google has withdrawn from China in protest against that country’s censorship, but it was unable to publish those figures as they are state secrets. Brazil…

Strong iPhone and Mac sales and the continued dominance of Apple’s iPod drove the company to deliver a new record March quarter in revenue and profit. Admitting these results, chief operating officer Tim Cook also confirmed iPad sales so far have “shocked” company execs. Asked how the iPad compares to netbooks, Cook said, “To me, it’s a no-brainer. It’s sort of 100 to 0. I can’t think of a single thing a netbook does well.” Returning to the results, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs said: “We’re thrilled to report our best non-holiday quarter ever, with revenues up 49 percent and profits…

Whenever you think of ‘wrist communicator’, it’s hard not to conjure up images of clean Star Trek vessels and their neat, pressed uniforms. The 24th century is slick, man! But while this new concept Samsung smartphone/wristwatch is certainly futuristic, you gotta’ admit – the design seems a lot like the wristbands favored by the kind of people you find constantly playing hacky sack (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Designed by Erik Campbell, the concept is based on a combination of a flexible, OLED touchscreen, a physical keypad and shock-resistant electronics. Obviously, the…

The latest and greatest from HTC and Android is now available for pre-order from Verizon Wireless. It is the HTC Incredible (we love the name), and it is set to put all other Android devices to shame. While most Android phones run the same software, Verizon and Motorola previously set themselves apart from all the rest by offering the Motorola Droid. Droid did offer more in terms of hardware and features than the rest of the Android players. However, with Sprint aiming to catch up with the competition with the HTC Evo 4G (a truly stunning device), HTC and Verizon partnered up to offer something even…

Sprint, the George Bush of US wireless carriers has announced a new product it hopes will catapult it to the front of the mobile market. It’s an iPad case. Clearly not put off by the fact that AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone, and Verizon is the only other network ever mentioned as a contender to this throne, Sprint hopes to maintain relevance by simply being able to use the word ‘iPad’ in one of it’s product names. The stylish case has a pocket on the front to hold a Sprint Overdrive portable wifi hotspot device, a tenuous link at best. In an even greater display of advertising smarts, the case…