In Mark Zuckerberg’s response to the FTC, we learned that Facebook is being forced to be more transparent, more privacy-oriented, and to get permission across the board for any changes they make both by users, the FTC, and anyone else who cares. This is a real blow, not because it hampers their ability to make money with the site but because it will force them to make some adjustments to the phone they’re developing. The folks at Geek Culture “discovered” what the real plans were before. How they will change with the FTC agreement is anyone’s guess, but one thing is sure – they’ll need to make changes…

One might think that AT&T was expecting Sprint to file suit against their plan to buy T-Mobile based upon the speed of the response. With a very aggressive style and stance, AT&T had choice words for their competitors and the attempt to block the formation of a super-cell-provider: This simply demonstrates what we’ve said all along – Sprint is more interested in protecting itself than it is in promoting competition that benefits consumers. We of course will vigorously contest this matter in court as AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile USA will: help solve our nation’s spectrum…

Flip phones were hot in the first half of the millennium. If you weren’t a stuffy business type with a Blackberry or Palm, you probably carried a flip phone. Then, the iPhone came and changed our world. Smart phones took over. The flip phone died. It’s back. Sort of. With three flexible AMOLED touchscreens, a smart triangular design, and sporting a custom Android interface, this artistic and functional design by Kristian Ulrich Larsen gives us a glimpse of how the smart phone generation can be flipped again. …

I’ve talked before about how no one in the tech industry is happy with the color of grass in their own patch. Apple wants to be Facebook. Google wants to be Apple. Microsoft wants to be anyone but Microsoft. Well here’s a rumor that could practically write itself. Mike Arrington at TechCrunch is reporting that according to internal sources, Facebook may be planning to release their own cell phone. The benefits of a Facebook phone are obvious: automatic contact integration, using names instead of numbers to make calls and of course, full Farmville integration for the agriculture junkies. But the…

Despite Soviet heritage, I don’t pretend to know more Russian than I learned watching James Bond movies through my childhood. Basically, I know ‘yes’, ‘no’, and a host of Russian swear words slipped slyly past the ratings board. That being said, as you can probably guess, I don’t have much information on the video you’re watching, there, beyond the fact that it’s Russian President Dmitry Medvedev handling a 4G prototype phone with a display on either side. This would, of course, come off as entirely ridiculous, but if I’m not mistaken, that back screen appears to be e-ink. Totally rocking if you…

Some people would kill to have the latest technology, and some are being killed by it. A mobile phone number has been discontinued after three separate owners died after having been allocated the number. The cell phone number 0888 888 888 seems like an awesome cell phone number, right? Easy to remember, looks cool on your business card, etc. But the three people who have owned that number have all died under suspicious circumstances. The first owner, Vladimir Grashnov, was the owner of Bulgaria’s Mobitel. He died of cancer in 2001, but there are rumors that he was poisoned by a business rival. The…

As a gadget nerd, it’s important to carry only the very latest cell phone, mp3 player and camera. But poor old mother earth takes a hit each time you upgrade. The Aeolus is a cell phone concept that uses wind and solar power on the go in addition to charging. With a built in fan and solar panels, no one could accuse this device of being an energy hog. The phone is designed to be attached to the handlebars of a bicycle for easy hands-free charging, and will be built from renewable materials. With so many gadgets all milking the grid with inefficient rechargeable batteries, I love the idea of devices that help…

The sleek phone is coming out on June 4th of this year from the phone provider Sprint for $200…too cheap for just hitting the market? Well, you guessed it, that’s after a mail-in rebate. The full price of this phone, you ask?..$450. Not too bad when it’s compared to the BlackBerry or Apple’s iPhone 3Gs, which could run you a bill past $699 without a three-year contract. This Android-powered Windows MAX phone runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, it also has a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video-conferencing and so on, an 8 megapixel camera for shooting photos and videos and a large 4.3-inch…

I actually talk about this often with friends: how it’s interesting that nobody seemed to notice when the shorthand ‘phone’ became a term for cellphones, and ‘home phone’ now needs clarification when (and if) used in general conversation. Well, it seems those home phones are on their last legs. Researchers for the NCHS have discovered in a recent study that… brace for it… seriously, hold on to your hat. Do you have a weak heart? I’d advise you to leave the room for this one. Alright, here goes… Land lines are going extinct. By all means, facepalm for a moment. I can wait. Seriously, though, apparently…

Apple has a host of patents to its name, and rifling through them can offer some fascinating insights into the potential future of technology and the possibilities that are open to the company as it executes its vision for the future convergence culture. We’ve taken a look at some of the most recently published Apple patents and chosen six of the most exciting to tell you all about. 1. iSpecs: an advanced head-mounted display system for the iPhone or iPod This system (above) may even host its own video camera or be able to communicate with the camera that’s already inside the iPod touch or iPhone….