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Android 2.2 hitting Desires in Europe this weekend

The past couple days have been sprinkled with rumors of Android 2.2 finally being ready for release over several handsets, and now it has been made official. Engadget got word directly from HTC that Froyo, the newest Android OS, will be available this weekend for owners of the HTC Desire in Europe.

This rollout is for unlocked versions of the phone; those that are locked into a carrier may have to play a little bit more of the waiting game to get their hands on Froyo. This update is expected "in several weeks' time" as testing is finished up. Along with the OS, the update for the Desire is also unlocking 720p recording mode, the HTC App Share widget, iTunes sync, and the Smart Caller ID feature.

Continued reading Android 2.2 hitting Desires in Europe this weekend (full post)

Samsung Cetus brings video calling to Windows Phone 7

An as of yet unannounced smartphone from Samsung, currently dubbed the “Cetus,” was uncovered in a post by the Bluetooth SIG. Coming with Windows Phone 7, this is the first handset seen with Microsoft’s OS that is outfitted with a front facing VGA camera listed as a “video call” camera.

Video calling is not a feature that Microsoft has officially stated that Windows Phone 7 supports. Skype announced a couple months back that they would not be working on an app for Windows Phone 7, so either Samsung is supporting the feature with its own software or Windows Phone 7 is capable of more than we are currently wise to. Other specs for the Cetus include a 4 inch 800x480 display, 5mp camera, Wireless N and Bluetooth capability, and an FM radio.

Amazon updates iOS version of Kindle app

The Kindle app from Amazon got a pretty good facelift today. The iPhone and iPad version is receiving several new features, including a 250,000 entry dictionary and the ability to look up words on Google or Wikipedia. The dictionary, which other apps like iBooks and Barnes and Nobles’s ereader already support, allows you to tap any word on the page to get a definition. The update also allows searching within books on the iPad and adds support for fast app switching on iOS 4 devices. The app is free and available for anyone running iOS 3.0 or later.

Blackpad from RIM possibly coming in November

The rumor mill got restarted yesterday with the report that RIM had acquired the domain blackpad.com, and now it seems that will indeed b the moniker for their tablet project. The folks at Bloomberg apparently received some info from a source at RIM that the Blackberry inspired tablet will indeed be called the Blackpad and have a 9.7” screen. The tablet is hoped to be "introduced in November," although no projected shipping date was leaked. Here’s hoping that this announcement date means we will get to play with the device at CES, though.

Sprint announces Froyo coming to the EVO 4G on August 3rd

It seems the rumors were true; Froyo is indeed right around the corner from hitting the EVO 4G. In an official announcement, Sprint revealed August 3rd as the date that the EVO 4G will receive the long awaited Android 2.2 OS update.

Dubbing themselves “the first wireless carrier to bring the latest version of Android to its customers,” this is indeed a big step forward as Froyo has only been available to certain unlocked phones to this point. Some listed features and enhancements include Voice Dialing Over Bluetooth, Application Storage on External Memory, 4-way camera rotation, and Improved Browser Performance including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash 10x Support.

Continued reading Sprint announces Froyo coming to the EVO 4G on August 3rd (full post)

Viper SmartStart app hits Android devices

I live in Texas where it is hotter than the surface of the sun for most of the summer. A remote start system lets you get your car nice and cool so you can actually touch the controls without being burned when you get in.

If you use an Android phone and want a remote start system the Viper SmartStart application is now available for Android devices. The application was previously only available for the iPhone and Blackberry handsets.

Continued reading Viper SmartStart app hits Android devices (full post)

Atomic9 Bluetooth Wristband Speaker phone turns your plain phone into a wrist phone

If you liked those watch phones that you can wear on your wrist that have surfaced this year, but you want to keep your existing handset a new option is available. A company called Atomic9 has unveiled a wrist worn Bluetooth speakerphone.

The device has a 30-foot range to let you walk and move around the home or office without the phone on you. When a call comes in the wristband can beep or vibrate and speak caller ID info.

Continued reading Atomic9 Bluetooth Wristband Speaker phone turns your plain phone into a wrist phone (full post)

Duracell outs new universal netbook charger

If you have a netbook that you take back and forth from home to the office you have probably wished that you had two power adapters at some point. Having to crawl under the desk to unplug and plug that power cord is a pain.

If you need a new power adapter for your netbook, Duracell has announced a new offering that is priced well. The Duracell Portable Universal Netbook AC Adapter sells for a bit under $50 and will be in stores and online.

Continued reading Duracell outs new universal netbook charger (full post)

Redbox crams Blu-ray flicks into 13,300 of its kiosks

One of the only places I can rent movies in my town is from the Redbox kiosks that are in just about every grocery store in town. I have long wished that there were Blu-ray films in the kiosks and that wish has finally come true.

Redbox announced this week that it has added Blu-rays to 13,300 of its rental kiosks around the country. The company also plans to have Blu-ray films in all 23,000 kiosks it operates by this fall.

Continued reading Redbox crams Blu-ray flicks into 13,300 of its kiosks (full post)

Parrot AR.Drone up for pre-order ships September 3

One of the coolest things that was at CES this year was the Parrot AR.Drone. The cool helicopter device with four propellers is controlled by the iPhone and has a camera built-in.

If you have had a serious Jones for the thing since it debuted and have been waiting for pricing and availability information here it is. The AR.Drone will ship on September 3 for $299.

Continued reading Parrot AR.Drone up for pre-order ships September 3 (full post)

Download of the Day: Digsby Beta (build 80)

Our Download of the Day today is Digsby Beta (build 80).

Digsby provides you with IM, email and Social networks in one easy to use application.

Instant Messaging - Digsby is a multiprotocol IM client that lets you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber with one simple to manage buddy list.

Email Notifications - Digsby is an email notification tool that alerts you of new email and lets you perform actions such as 'Delete' or 'Report Spam' with just one click.

Social Networking - Digsby is a social networking tool that alerts you of events like new messages and gives you a live Newsfeed of what your friends are up to.

Version 38 onwards is a stub installer that includes numerous toolbars etc., we recommend you do not install these.

Continued reading Download of the Day: Digsby Beta (build 80) (full post)

Deal of the Day: Lenovo G455 Laptop with 14" Display, 4GB of Memory, ATI Mobility Radeon H4200 and More for $449 after eCoupon

Our Deal of the Day today is the Lenovo US (ThinkPad) - Lenovo G455 Laptop with 14" Display, 4GB of Memory, ATI Mobility Radeon H4200 and More for $449 after eCoupon.

Offer: You get a 14" WXGA LED Backlit display with 1366x768 resolution, 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM memory, a big 500GB hard drive, ATI Mobility Radeon HD4200 512MB video, dual layer DVD+/-RW drive, 802.11b/g/n, AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core M320 processor, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 6 cell battery, Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit and a 1 year warranty! Coupon discounts another $180 off the $120 already applied, giving you a combined savings of $300!! Use eCoupon: USPG34726 (expires 8/2/10 or after 300 uses)

Friday Morning Roundup

The latest happenings from around the web - July 30, 2010

Motherboard

- ASUS Crosshair IV Formula Motherboard @ ixbtlabs
- MSI 890FXA-GD70 AMD 890FX Motherboard @ Legit Reviews
- X58 Motherboard Roundup July 2010 @ Hardware Heaven
- Gigabyte H55N Mini-ITX Motherboard @ Ninjalane

Memory

- Crucial Ballistix Tracer (LED) DDR3-1600 4Gb Kits @ Funkykits
- Kingston HyperX blu KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX @ Overclockers Club

Continued reading Friday Morning Roundup (full post)

Jailbreak Matrix has your roadmap to jailbreaking

Want to take a dive into the newly legalized jailbreaking of your Apple product but confused on where to start? Jailbreak Matrix has a roadmap to get you on your way to the joys of jailbreaking.

Jailbreak Matrix has posted a huge chart covering the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad and all of the possible firmware for each. Combining that with possible baseband and boot loaders, you end up with the tools needed and version of iTunes you can use for a jailbreak with a higher possibility of success. They even hook you up with a step by step process to make the process as easily as possible. Just remember, nothing is guaranteed and you’re voiding your warranty……if you care about that sort of thing.

Android 2.2 update for EVO 4G possibly coming as early as tomorrow

It was reported yesterday that the Android 2.2 “Froyo” update would be rolling out of HTC today, and that may have been exactly what happened. According to some internal Sprint communication peeked at by Engadget, the Froyo update for the EVO 4G Froyo update may be download ready as early as tomorrow.

The upgrade coming to the EVO seems to have a lot more to offer than the expected Froyo releases, as new widgets, 720p ligh assisted video, video capture improvement, and a flashlight mode for the LED flash are on the table as well. While this update may shutdown the hack that allows your EVO to act as a free mobile hotspot, the upgrades would seem to be worth it. More tomorrow when/if the download comes available.

Canadian iPhone 4 info finally out ahead of tomorrow's launch

While it’s been known that the iPhone 4 is launching in Canada, among other countries, tomorrow the details on plans have been sketchy. With only a few hours to go, plans have finally come unveiled from Rogers; the first carrier bringing the iPhone 4.

First off, the Canadian iPhone 4 will be hitting shelves at a lower price that it came to the U.S.; $159 for the 16GB and $269 for the 32GB, although Rogers requires a three year contract for that price. Their $30 plan for 6GB of data is back, and for an extra $20 you can share that data between your iPad and your new iPhone. Bell’s iPad sharing plan is rumored to be only $10. So get ready to line up, everyone; and don’t forget to ask about your free bumper or case.

RIM grabs "BlackPad.com;" tablet rumors begin anew

Following in the footsteps of HP trademarking “PalmPad” for their expected new tablet, RIM has purchased the domain name “BlackPad.com” in a move that is starting more chatter about the rumored Blackberry tablet that RIM has still not leaked a whole lot about to this point.

The tipoff came from someone doing a WHOIS search on a domain sating that RIM purchased the name only a few days ago. The domain has been owned by quite a few people since 2002, so RIM had to go and find the owner and take it off their hands. Whether it’s the pre-production codename or what we’ll see on retail packaging, the folks at Blackberry are making sure they’ve got this little marketing tool in their pocket.

YouTube upload limit increased to 15 minutes

Ten minutes wasn’t long enough to show off your Final Fantasy play through or mad breakdancing skills on YouTube? You’ve now got an extra five minutes worth of video time now. YouTube announced today that the upload limit had been extended from the very familiar ten minutes to fifteen minutes.

Following through on the most requested feature on the video upload size, Youtube credits its “Content ID” copyright violation removal technology for the ability to increase the limit. Joshua Siegel, YouTube product manager for upload and video management, stated in his blog post announcing the change: "Because of the success of these ongoing technological efforts, we are able to increase the upload limit today."

OWC offers RAM upgrades for new iMacs

Apple announced some new and updated gear recently and among those items were updated iMac AIO computers. There are many people out there who order machines with the minimum RAM available to save some money.

If you ordered your iMac this way OWC has announced that it now has RAM updates ready for the new iMac machines. You can get a single 2GB DIMM for $59.99, a pair of those 2GB DIMMs will cost you $117.99.

Continued reading OWC offers RAM upgrades for new iMacs (full post)

Custom steampunk flash drive is actually for sale

I am not a huge fan of steampunk. I like the attention to detail that I see in some of the products and the overall cool factor. I would never use a steampunk product though, I like my tech to look high tech.

If you like steampunk gear, but aren’t able to build your own you can buy this interesting steampunk flash drive. The drive is made from real wood along with lots of brass and a small gauge.

Continued reading Custom steampunk flash drive is actually for sale (full post)