Innovations in the Software Industry

Jailbreak iPhone 3GS/3G/2G on 3.1.3 Firmware With PwnageTool

2010-02-09T02:30:00.000-05:00

Finally the iPhone Dev-Team has released the PwnageTool 3.1.5 for Mac OS X which can be used to jailbreak iPhone OS 3.1.3 on iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS (older bootrom) and iPod Touch 1G and iPod Touch 2G non-MC model. The latest PwnageTool 3.1.5 allows you to update your iPhone Firmware without changing the baseband. If you had already upgraded your iPhone 3GS to 3.1.3 firmware, then your baseband will be upgraded from 04.26.08 or 5.11.04 to 05.12.01 and the baseband cannot be unlocked.

So if you are a Mac user, you can download PwnageTool 3.1.5 to upgrade the firmware of your iPod or iPod Touch to 3.1.3 without changing the baseband. After you had successfully jailbroken your iPhone, you can use ultrasn0w to unlock it so that you can use a sim of your choice.

Source:http://www.techhail.com/iphone/

Gmail to get social features to compete Facebook

2010-02-09T01:35:00.003-05:00

According to Wall Street, Google is planning to pimp Gmail to make it social network place that will allow users to exchange status and updates with friends and family members. It also let users to share web content links or stories which make it in direct competition with Facebook and MySpace.

No official comment was not received from Google about reshaping Gmail, however, company has reportedly invited journalists and bloggers to its events which is scheduled on Tuesday in the Mountain View, California.

The status update will ultimately emerged with other Google services such as YouTube and Picasa.

Sources:http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/102813.htm

BlackBerry to get Gmail syncing?

2010-02-08T05:35:00.002-05:00

Seems there is no shortage of BlackBerry Internet Service information these days. The BIS 3.0/3.1 documents contain a few long awaited changes. The folks over once again tipped off to more BIS 3.0 information. After having looked at the files, some of what we had learned from the last leak was once again confirmed. Check out the run down.

GMail - The enhanced plugin will get an update which allows for read/unread status of email.

Open Office- Open Office documents will gain support for presentations, text, speadsheets.

WMA Support - Long awaited handling of WM Audio will be supported now in attachments.

Email Setup /Validation - An enhanced email set up application will be added. Increasing security for end user and methods of email validation/revalidation uponPIN changes.

Carrier Enhancements - Error messages will now be more indicative of who they should be related to. ie: "If you are having a problem please contact .

Other -Carrier based tools such as BIS Admin which help with troubleshooting customers.

Nice updates most importantly out of all of it would be the GMail, Open Office and WMA support as I see it. The email validation and settings is something that some users will appreciate especially first time users, those familiar won't even likely notice until it comes time to change a device. Can't say I like having to wait for all these changes to happen but it's good to know they are coming. Now how about a new browser since I didn't really have an issue with the email before?

Source:http://crackberry.com/blackberry-internet-service-3-0-details-leaked-again

Love and the Super Bowl

2010-02-08T04:03:00.000-05:00

If you watched the Super Bowl this evening you'll have seen a video from Google called "Parisian Love". In fact you might have watched it before, because it's been on YouTube for over three months. We didn't set out to do a Super Bowl ad, or even a TV ad for search. Our goal was simply to create a series of short online videos about our products and our users, and how they interact. But we liked this video so much, and it's had such a positive reaction on YouTube, that we decided to share it with a wider audience.

If you like it too, we hope you'll watch the others. Enjoy.

Official Google Blog: Love and the Super Bowl

Facebook Webmail Approaching?

2010-02-08T01:00:00.001-05:00

There’s a strong rumor saying there’s an internal Facebook project developing to be released to the public soon: Facebook’s Webmail.

As greedy as it could sound to you, it really doesn’t seem like a big shock, Facebook is the biggest social network available with over 350 million users and with an amazing growth in the last few years. Constantly looking for new ways to expand; a while ago we’ve showed you an interview of Facebook’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckeberg, that said Facebook is not intended to be a simple website, they are looking to represent your identity in Internet.

There isn’t much information about the project, which already has a codename: Titan and that your mail address will be the same used in your vanity URL. In my case should be augusto.a.alvarez@facebook.com. And of course, you will be able to set E-Mail Clients like Outlook or Thunderbird to access your mail using POP or IMAP protocols.

The webmail really sounds like a very possible next step. Could we expect next a bigger instant messaging experience?

Source: http://crenk.com/facebook-webmail-approaching/

X2 launches new tablet computer, dubs it the iTablet

2010-02-06T02:01:00.002-05:00

Fresh off the heels of Apple’s iPad launch, UK manufacturer X2 today announced the launch of a new tablet computer that they have dubbed the iTablet, according to several UK sites. A slick marketing move, though Apple might not think so.

The iTablet comes in either 10.2-inch or 12.1-inch sizes and includes an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, 250 GB hard drive, a 3G chip and runs Windows 7. Coming in at 35mm thick (Apple’s iPad is 13.4mm), the iTablet might seem a bit clunky. Though the reason behind the thickness makes sense, the devices offers USB 2.0 ports, HDMI out support and a 1.3 megapixel camera.

According to the company website, X2 manufacturers several different tablet computers and its clients are mainly in the industrial, commercial, military and government sectors. The company’s other tablet computers are much more rugged and enterprise focused than the newly launched iTablet.

While I commend X2 for trying to push into the personal computing space, the iTablet feels more like a glorified netbook based on its specs than the competitor to Apple’s iPad that the name might suggest.

Source:http://digital.venturebeat.com/2010/02/05/x2-itablet-ipad/

Motorola Droid Gets Google Maps with Multi-Touch Suppport

2010-02-06T00:52:00.003-05:00

After the addition of pinch and zoom on the Nexus One, it is turn of the Motorola Droid to get that feature too on the same new Google map app version 3.4.0 (available on the Android Market) . The Gallery and the browser with P-A-Z capability have to wait a little longer however.

Other enhancements included in this update:

* Starred items from Google.com now sync with maps
* Search suggestions from maps include maps.Google.com search history
* Night mode navigation

Source:http://solsie.com/2010/02/motorola-droid-gets-map-with-multi-touch/

WordPress for BlackBerry v1.0 releases officially

2010-02-05T02:33:00.001-05:00

The beta days are over.We’ve been following WordPress for BlackBerry for quite sometime now, and were waiting for the new official version to roll out leaving beta behind. Many of you may seem to not care for the update at first, but wait til you see the new features in this build:

Ability to record and upload videos from your phone. We now support both 3gp and 3g2 formats on older generation BlackBerry devices.

Introducing support for the HD video service VideoPress.

Streamlined UI and functionality relating to comment moderation

Overall enhancements to the speed and stability of the app

If you’re browsing via PC or Mac, click here to check out the video demo for WordPress v1.0 to get a better idea of what it has to offer. Convinced yet? You can now download WordPress for BlackBerry from the BlackBerry App World absolutely free.

Source:http://www.pocketberry.com/2010/02/04/wordpress-for-blackberry-v1-0-releases-officially/

The Symbian open source opportunity

2010-02-05T01:00:00.002-05:00

The announcement that the Symbian platform is now wholly open source represents a unique moment for the mobile industry as a whole. The most widely distributed smartphone platform, the biggest migration from proprietary to open source software in history; delivered 4 months ahead of schedule (go to here to navigate different aspects of the open sourcing). Symbian also represents the largest addressable market for developers in mobile.

The migration is backed by the foundation’s broad commitment to openness: Any individual or organization can now take, use and modify the code for any purpose, whether that be for a mobile device or for something else entirely. Openness also includes complete transparency in future plans, including the publication of the platform roadmap and planned features up to and including 2011. Anyone can now influence the roadmap, contribute new features and build market opportunity.

Here are a couple of links to additional videos you might want to review. We’ll post them here later too.

For Chris Davidson on being open source go here,

And here for chief architect Daniel Rbio on the Symbian System Model.

Source:http://blog.symbian.org/2010/02/04/symbian-is-open/

Advantages of Custom Software Development

2010-02-04T06:12:00.003-05:00

“Custom Software Development" is considered more important these days in the IT scenario. Though this is not a new technology in IT, it has vastly improved a number of specific functions within the whole IT organization. It is gaining popularity as it is a bright new chapter in the field. It comes with it's package of advantages and each firm,whether small or big is looking forward to avail all it's benefits and services. Now the business world is becoming dependent on new techniques. In that case, custom software development is of tremendous use. Each and every business firm is ultimately planning to make it's way to custom software development.

Now the question arises where do we need the Custom Software Development? Each firm whether small or big has it's own business functions and requirements. Therefore, in order to fulfill these requirements, the firms have to tailor-made products to execute in an efficient manner. This is where Custom Software Development comes into play. With the help of custom software development your business will reach new heights and for good results.

In today's age of competition, custom web development is one answer that meets the specific needs of the clients. The major advantages of custom software development includes it's cost-effectiveness, high quality scalable custom solutions that can perform and deliver quick results. In addition, it saves your money and time too. This is why it is gaining popularity among various business fields. It offers you solutions as per your needs, and you will not find anything that is not of any interest to you.

Although, custom software development offers you a lot of relaxations but it can be effective if and only if you approach a right software developer. Every software development initially begins with studying the business requirements, preparation of records, execution of plans and following standard development life cycle processes at each stage of the project.

A software developer should be chosen accordingly. Such as he should be able to justify your business and perform according to what you want out of your business. Moreover, the software developer must be experienced in multifaceted project management. He should be responsible enough to complete the project successfully within the given time limits. The relation between the developer and you as a client should be maintained. Thorough communications should be made. Both the parties, the developer as well as the client, must be able to understand each other's requirements. And also work on the common objectives to meet those requirements.

Basically, the selection of custom software development depends on you. And the above mentioned points will be helpful in ensuring that your organization gets the maximum benefit at the most reasonable price.

A1 Technology, Inc. an Offshore Outsourcing Company offer cutting-edge solutions by using technology in a more productive and effective way. Our cost effective solutions are efficient procedures for both industry leaders and small companies to reduce expenses and retain a competitive advantage.

A1Technology is a leading Offshore Software Development Company in India. We possess specialized aptitude in Custom Software Development, E-commerce Software Development using custom software programming including .NET, C#.NET, PHP, Open Source, JAVA, J2ME, J2EE, Oracle, Mobile Application and AJAX.

Ovi Maps Navigation Downloaded 1 Million Times In First Week

2010-02-04T03:02:00.001-05:00

Nokia is more than pleased with the take-up of the new Ovi Maps, announcing over 1 million downloads of the free sat-nav service in the first week.

The five most popular phones to get the service are the Nokia N97, N97 Mini, Nokia E72, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and the new Nokia 5230 - even more impressive considering the N97 was a latecomer to the upgrade party.

Nokia's Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki was suitably elated with the rapid take-up:

" This is great news for our 3rd party application developers. Within a matter of days there is an installed base of more than 1 million active users all potentially hungry for new and innovative location-aware apps.

When we announced free walk & drive navigation we knew it would be a game-changer. The number of people now using their Nokia for navigation, and as a result looking for more location-aware software, is growing faster than even we predicted."

Bringing free turn-by-turn navigation to Symbian phones has been an interesting move for Nokia, both putting their handsets within striking distance of dedicated GPS devices at an attractive price-point, as well as re-invigorating interest in Symbian as a legitimate platform for developers.

Source:http://darlamack.blogs.com

Monster Acquires Yahoo Hot Jobs for $225 Million

2010-02-04T00:50:00.000-05:00

Monster has announced that they will be acquiring the “assets” of Yahoo HotJobs for $225 million in cash. I’m not going to scrape the press release, you can read it here. I wonder what will be left of Yahoo after all of their consolidations, partnerships and sales. Yahoo says today’s sale will allow them to focus on their core businesses and, “delivering exceptional experiences to users, partners and advertisers.”

Here are the specific particulars regarding the agreement on top of the HotJobs acquisition, “Monster and Yahoo! have also entered into a three year commercial traffic agreement, to take effect upon the closing of the acquisition, in which Monster will become Yahoo!’s provider of career and job content on the Yahoo! homepage in the United States and Canada. The traffic agreement calls for performance based annual payments calculated by clicks and expressions of interest, subject to annual floors and ceilings.

In addition, the traffic agreement provides Monster with an exclusive right for a period of time following the closing of the acquisition to negotiate similar traffic agreements with Yahoo! properties on a global basis, including countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America, subject to certain limitations.”

The job aggregators including Simply Hired and Indeed are doing well because they pull in jobs from multiple sources. But many of the jobs that the aggregators pull in come from Monster and that means Monster most likely made money on the initial job posting.

The interesting thing here is that Web 1.0 is still alive and kicking. It’s also interesting that when you look at so many categories, the Web 1.0 site in that category is still the biggest player.

As a side note, I still think Yahoo will wind up with AOL – the more they sell off, the more appealing the merger would be. Especially as both businesses get even closer in terms of offerings.

Source:http://www.centernetworks.com/monster-acquires-yahoo-hotjobs

Steve Jobs calls Adobe 'lazy', says Google can't 'kill the iPhone'

2010-02-02T01:56:00.001-05:00

Apple CEO Steve Jobs isn’t holding back with how he really feels about Google and Adobe - at least according to Wired and some anonymous sources over in Cupertino.

According to the Wired piece, Jobs let loose on his Silicon Valley neighbors/frenemies during an Apple employee Town Hall-style meeting.

The highlights of the speech? Starting off with Google,Jobs fired off that Apple “did not enter the search business,” rather that Google “entered the phone business” and “they want to kill the iPhone” with the HTC Nexus One. But Jobs won’t let that happen on his (probably touchscreen) watch.

He then allegedly roared that Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” motto is, well, “bullshit.” (But now that quote is being disputed.)

Then on to Adobe, Jobs just thinks they’re plain “lazy.” And if you ever wondered why your MacBook is crashing, it’s all Flash’s fault, he said, continuing on that HTML5 is the way of the future. (Maybe he’s just upset because everyone made a big deal that the iPad doesn’t really handle Flash and it was so obvious at the press event last week.)

So is any of this true? Maybe some of the language is questionable, but I wouldn’t really be surprised about any of this. It’s just business, not personal, right?

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=11925

Revealed: Which social networks pose the biggest risk?

2010-02-02T01:05:00.004-05:00

One of the nuggets of interesting data inside the newly-published Sophos Security Threat Report 2010 reveals which social network people believe poses the biggest security risk.

We polled over 500 firms, and 60% felt that Facebook was the biggest danger:

We shouldn't forget, of course, that Facebook is by far the largest social network - and you'll find more bad apples in the biggest orchard.

The truth is that the security team at Facebook works hard to counter threats on their site - it's just that policing 350 million users can't be an easy job for anyone. But there is no doubt that simple changes could make Facebook users safer. For instance, when Facebook rolled-out its new recommended privacy settings late last year, it was a backwards step, encouraging many users to share their information with everybody on the internet.

Although LinkedIn is considered to be by far the least threatening of the networks, it's worth remembering that it can still provide a sizeable pool of information for hackers.

Targeted attacks against companies are in the news at the moment, and the more information a criminal can get about your organization's structure, the easier for them to send a poisoned attachment to precisely the person whose computer they want to break into.

Sites like LinkedIn provide hackers with what is effectively a corporate directory, listing your staff's names and positions. This makes it child's play to reverse-engineer the email addresses of potential victims.

If you haven't already done so, download the Sophos Security Threat Report 2010now.

http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2010/02/01/revealed-social-networks-pose-biggest-risk/

BlackBerry Bold 9700 launched in India

2010-02-01T03:40:00.003-05:00

Research In Motion has refreshed its Bold smartphone line-up in the country with the launch of BlackBerry Bold 9700.

With a 2.44-inch TFT LCD display, the phone offers a resolution of 480x360 pixels. Featuring a full-QWERTY keyboard touch with sculpted keys and chrome accents, the phone packs a wide range of communication and multimedia features.

Bold 9700 supports 3G HSDPA networks and is equipped with 624 MHz processor and 256 MB on-board Flash memory.

The phone has a built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, 2X digital zoom, flash and video recording. As for battery, the phone supports talktime of upto 6 hours and standby time of upto 21 days/504 hours.

Bold 9700 also supports BlackBerry App World which features a catalog of mobile applications. The phone is available for Rs 31,990.

Source:http://infotech.indiatimes.com/

Modern browsers for modern applications

2010-02-01T01:53:00.000-05:00

The web has evolved in the last ten years, from simple text pages to rich, interactive applications including video and voice. Unfortunately, very old browsers cannot run many of these new features effectively. So to help ensure your business can use the latest, most advanced web apps, we encourage you to update your browsers as soon as possible. There are many choices:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0+

Mozilla Firefox 3.0+

Google Chrome 4.0+

Safari 3.0+

Many other companies have already stopped supporting older browsers like Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers. We’re also going to begin phasing out our support, starting with Google Docs and Google Sites. As a result you may find that from March 1 key functionality within these products -- as well as new Docs and Sites features -- won’t work properly in older browsers.

2010 is going to be a great year for Google Apps and we want to ensure that everyone can make the most of what we are developing. Please take the time to switch your organization to the most up-to-date browsers available.

Posted by Rajen Sheth, Google Apps Senior Product Manager

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Modern browsers for modern applications

E-book price war Amazon Vs. Macmillan Books

2010-02-01T00:05:00.000-05:00

The New York Times notes that books from Macmillan, one of the largest U.S. publishers, have been removed from Amazon.com. The post says that Amazon made the move in a disagreement over pricing. The publisher has asked Amazon to lift e-book prices to around $15 from $9.99. “Amazon is expressing its strong disagreement by temporarily removing Macmillan books,” the Times reports.

As the piece notes, Macmillan is one of the publishers signed on to sell books through the new Apple iBooks store. Macmillan sells books under the Farrar, Straus & Giroux, St. Martins Press and Henry Holt brands. The Times notes that the books can still be purchased from third parties on the Amazon site.

The Times reports that Macmillan proposed selling books for the Kindle under the same terms it will offer to Apple for the iPad. Under that model, the publisher sets the price, and revenue is split 70/30, with the larger share going to the publisher. Macmillan told Amazon it could keep buying e-books under the existing model - paying 50% of hardcover list price while pricing wherever it chooses - but that Macmillan would delay those editions by seven months after the hardcover release.

Neither company is commenting on the record.

It’s a fascinating battle, which at the heart revolves around this question: who gets to set prices for electronics books: the publishers or the sellers?

Dell Mini 5 Gets Mini Demo from Michael Dell

2010-01-30T06:32:00.001-05:00

Dell has been giving hints about the upcoming handheld Android tablet, previously called the Streak, for some time. TechCrunch spotted CEO Michael Dell in the street and he pulled out what he now calls the Mini 5 and gave a very brief demo. I must say the Mini 5 is much thinner than I expected, and the 5 MP camera is a benefit. Dell stated the Mini 5 will be available in a “couple of months”, so it’s no longer a concept device but a product.

Source:http://jkontherun.com/2010/01/29/dell-mini-5-spotted-in-the-street/

iPad Review on Price, Display and Specs

2010-01-29T05:19:00.001-05:00

Steve Jobs amazed the world with the all-new Apple iPad. Thinking of the possibilities with this gadget, it’s almost limitless. If you are really curious, check out the iPad review for its prices, display and specs details. It’s going to be a quick review on the specifications or the specs of the iPad. Anyway, the details of the new iPad is right below. The prices for the new iPad are as follows: 16GB Wi-Fi only: $499; 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $629; 32GB Wi-Fi only: $599; 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $729; 64GB Wi-Fi only: $699; and 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $829. Go on below for the fullspecs and display details.

iPad Display and Specs list:

The iPad comes in a display: 9.7 inch IPS, weighs around 1.5 lbs and 0.5 inches thin. It comes with a 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip, 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi), fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously, digital compass, Wi-Fi model: Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology,Wi-Fi + 3G model: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz), data only, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology. These are some of the great specifications of the Apple iPad. For more specs details, you can check out more source lists for the iPad Review on price, display and specs.

Source:http://www.buzzybloggers.com

BlackBerry Magnum hands-on video review

2010-01-29T01:05:00.001-05:00

The BlackBerry Magnum has now gain a hands-on video review and we bring you that video review for your viewing pleasure which can be located below courtesy of the guys over at fonefrenzy.

The BlackBerry Magnum video lasts just under the tow minute mark and the reviewer emphasises the BlackBerry Magnum is a real BlackBerry with a clicking screen for any doubters out there, and that RIM has tried to keep the style of the BlackBerry Magnum similar to the old style BlackBerry Bold.

He then compares the BlackBerry Magnum up against the BlackBerry Bold 9000 and BlackBerry Bold 9700 noting the Magnum is similar to the 9000 whereas the 9700 has a changed up keyboard.

Anyway enough of me babbling on, you just want to hit up that BlackBerry Magnum video for yourselves and make up your own minds, so get to it and enjoy.

Source:http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/

Google Nexus One

2010-01-28T06:01:00.002-05:00

Google is the new contender in the hot smartphone market. With the release of its much awaited Nexus One, it has entered into the smartphone arena with a bang. Google Nexus One has gone ahead of Apple iPhone and Motion's BlackBerry in terms of the touch sensitivity, features and applications. With its super successful attempt, Google phone has, undeniably become the best Android mobile phone today.

Google decided to unleash its beautiful and sleek device in an anomalous manner. The phone is available to the customers on the web directly and unlocked. In addition, Google has invited infinite carriers to compete with their plans and hardware's subsidized versions in different parts of the world.

The display feature of Nexus One is its biggest highlight. The mobile phone has incorporated huge 3.7 inches wide screen, which is a WVGA AMOLED touch screen. The display resolution of the touch screen is 800 x 480 pixels, and it offers 100,000:1 typical contrast ratio. There are four major keys at the bottom of the display screen to control search, home, menu and back functionalities. There is a trackball at the bottom center position of Nexus One, which will enable you to enjoy smooth navigation of the features and application. The device is available in the market in gorgeous brown color with Teflon coating and its live wallpapers lets the users enjoy an awesome experience.

Apart from bringing in immaculate touch screen display with 119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm dimensions, the Nexus One embodies the high-end camera features as well. This Google phone comes loaded with a 5 mega pixel camera including LED flash and auto focus along with geo-tagging and smile detections features. The Nexus One also has a suite of photo editing software so that the user can manipulate pictures right there on the device and upload them to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

Nexus One is a really attractive device, and the Android Marketplace is arguably more 'extensible' for both users and developers than Apple's App Store. It is an alluring proposition for the users who want to experiment with the new gadget and new trends in the market.

Apple's iPad :A Revolution in Personalize Computing

2010-01-28T04:55:00.002-05:00

Apple Inc. unveiled a tablet computer named 'iPad' to revolutionized personal computing. Priced at $499, the device features a 10-inch touchscreen, with 3G data and a custom ARM processor instead of the previously considered Intel Atom processor. It will be positioned in that empty spot between smartphone and laptop in Apple's product line.

Similar to modern netbooks in design and scope, the iPad is projected to enter the same bloated netbook market with Apple’s high end design (it’s expected appearance looks like a large iPhone), functionality (OS X for its operating system).

According to Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs,”The iPad can display full Web pages, books and iPhone applications, and has a touch-screen keyboard that’s almost full size.” A 16-gigabyte version will sell for $499, while a 32-gigabyte model costs $599.

With its "communication enabled" operating system, the data can be faxed, e-mailed, beamed via infrared or sent to a desktop computer or printer. It is also convenient for voice, video and other advanced technologies when they become available.

Its price is 50 percent lower than the other netbooks. “At that price, they’ll sell millions,” said Hakim Kriout, a portfolio manager at New York-based Grigsby & Associates, which owns Apple shares. “It’s very, very affordable for what it does. This is going to add a huge revenue stream for Apple.”

The device, made of aluminum and glass, can display maps from Google Inc., and has calendar and address-book functions. It also lets users display thumbnail views of photos. The iPad has a 1-gigahertz chip that was custom designed by Apple and battery life of 10 hours, Jobs said.

The device supports Wi-Fi communications and runs the more than 140,000 applications already available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It also works with wireless service from AT&T Inc., the U.S. carrier for the iPhone, though no contract is required.

Apple said there will be two iPad wireless data plans from AT&T in the U.S. One will cost $14.99 and give users up to 250 megabytes of data downloads. The other will have unlimited data and cost $29.99. The company is also working on international wireless plans.

Twitter: Local Trends Go Live!

2010-01-28T01:46:00.003-05:00

More and more people around the world are signing up to Twitter. The service is constantly updating and releasing new features. ‘Lists’ which launched towards the end of 2009 hasn’t really taken off that much but I think Local Trends might just.

Basically, you have the option to take the current trending topics and make it more localised. So if there’s something happening in America which is of no relevance to your area, it won’t be displayed in your Trending Topics because people from your area won’t be tweeting about it. Obviously, big global events such as the Haiti disaster or G8 meetings will attract attention from all over the world, but localised Trending topics can get quite annoying.

Twitter sums it up as follows:

“Twitter trends began as a way to shed light on popular conversations. It’s interesting to know that one topic can now spread across the world in real-time, and Trends help us discover which of those topics are paramount on a global scale.”

“The big events that come up around the world will always become a global conversation, but what about the big events that only happen in your world that only matter to those around you?

Source: http://www.mediapost.com

Verizon to offer prepaid BlackBerry service?

2010-01-27T05:18:00.001-05:00

Verizon will offer a prepaid BlackBerry data plan within the next three months, according to an unnamed source that is said to be historically reliable. The plan will cost $35 on top of a voice plan, though no other details are known at this time. It is likely that only certain BlackBerry devices will be eligible for the prepaid data plan, but this is again unconfirmed.

Thus far, Verizon offer only four handsets in its prepaid scheme, with none of them true smartphones. Three are flips, while one is a candybar, and the prepaid plans are based on daily access rather than a monthly one, as at many other carriers.

Prepaid BlackBerries are increasingly common at other carriers worldwide, most recently Wind Mobile in Canada, but are rare in the US. Most American carriers typically encourage more lucrative monthly smartphone plans that often cost about $70 per month.

Source:http://www.electronista.com/

Google Voice comes to iPhone and Palm WebOS

2010-01-27T03:29:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, Alex Nicolaou, Engineering Manager, wrote about the benefits of the fast and feature-rich iterative web app. Delivering Google services via mobile browsers has worked well for the Gmail team, so we decided to follow the same approach with Google Voice.

Today, we're excited to introduce the Google Voice web app for the iPhone and Palm WebOS devices. This HTML5 application provides you with a fast and versatile mobile experience for Google Voice because it uses the latest advancements in web technologies. For example, AppCache lets you interact with web apps without a network connection and local databases allow you to store data locally on the device, so you don't lose data even when you close the browser.

One of the great benefits of web applications is that you don't need to download and install an app on your phone. Instead, simply point your mobile browser to m.google.com/voice and sign in to your Google Voice account.

Then you can make calls from your phone that show your Google Voice number as the caller ID. You can also listen to voicemail and read voicemail transcripts, send and receive text messages for free, and take advantage of the low international call rates offered by Google Voice.

For quick access to the most important features like "Dialer", "Compose SMS", "Inbox" or "Contacts," you can add shortcuts to your iPhone home screen or Palm Launcher -- so cheap calls and messaging will be just a single click away. And because the Google Voice web app uses advanced features of modern HTML5 browsers, it offers native app-like performance and speed.

Official Google Mobile Blog: Google Voice comes to iPhone and Palm WebOS