Mobile Devices - Page 364
The latest and most important Mobile Devices news - Page 364.
Asus passes Apple as most reliable Computer maker
In an interesting twist Asus, a company that has had a few technical support and reliability issues in the past has surpassed Apple in the early days of 2009 as the most reliable computer manufacturer.
This is according to a study done by RESCUECOM, they compare technical support calls against the number of systems shipped.
RESCECOM noted that Asus had a very high score of 972, this is more than likely due to the mass of EEEPCs shipped in the early parts of this year. The score may settle out as the year progresses and we may again see a change of leadership.
Apple meanwhile dropped to second place after ending the 2008 year in the top position with a score of 324.
Read more here
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New iPhone rumored for June?
The gang over at Boy Genius Report has spoken with someone high up in AT&T and they seem to be confirming the third coming of the iPhone.
According to the article it looks like June will again be the time of mayhem and non-working servers that have come to expect from AT&T and Apple. They have never quite been able to deal with the demand on upgrades and new hardware.
But that is not the biggest or worst news, If the Boy Genius is right we might just start seeing AT&T's horrible shovelware on the iPhone. Yup AT&T's U-verse applications might be coming to the new iPhone.
What a shame that would be.
Read more here
What is really new in iPhone OS 3.0?
Yesterday was the big day for the iPhone OS 3.0 sneak peak. Many sites were all a buzz with live blogging and Twitter links covering the event.
The funny thing is that what was all the excitement about? From where I am sitting iPhone OS 3.0 only gives us things that have been on other smart phones for years, Copy and Paste, MMS, and finally a landscape keyboard.
Yet in true Apple fashion this is touted as a huge and revolutionary advance for users.
In reality the only people getting something new are developers, they get a better understanding of the App Approval Process as well as access to areas in the OS that were off limits before.
My biggest question about iPhone OS 3.0:
Will Apple finally upgrade its activation network to prevent the outages that have happened every time they release a OS for the iPhone?
Read more here
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No DRM in chip in iPod Shuffle Headphones
Yesterday we reported that Apple had inserted an authentication chip into its headphones to prevent the use of third party headphones with its new iPod Shuffle.
Apple is stating it is not intended to lockout third party vendors at all, but is an effort to ensure that all headphones work and are able to control the iPod Shuffle correctly.
However, Apple would not comment directly and instead pointed people to Kevin Lee, the vice president of marketing and strategic business development for Monster Cable; he said it was not authentication without going into specifics.
When ask if this has happened before, Lee had to admit that he had never been restricted like this by Apple before.
Read more here
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Shuffle Headphones have Authentication chip
Well the rumors that the new iPod Shuffle has an authentication chip to prevent the use of third party headphones might just be true.
The gang over at Boing Boing Gadgets dissected the headphones and found an odd chip. But it was V-Moda that confirmed the chip was in fact an authentication chip.
This means that Apple is now trying to find ways to lock out even using their party earphones on their devices. But I imagine that they will work with anyone willing to pay enough.
Read more here
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iPod Touch 2G finally gets Pwnd
Looks like the iPod touch 2G has finally been hacked for the masses.
Today the DevTeam released a free jailbreaking application on the heals of the $15 one that was released this morning
This adds the iPod touch to the "pwned for life" according to the Dev Team Blog.
The new Jailbreak is completely untethered and allows iPod 2G users to access the world of third party applications that are available through Cydia and Installer
Read more here.
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LG Spyder Phone Recalled, Drops 911 Calls
The US Consumer Product Safety Commision has recalled about 30,000 LG 830 Spyder phones after a user's 911 call was dropped.
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New Case with Battery for iPhone Appears
Something that falls in the interesting category crossed my desk this morning.
This is a new case for the iPhone, but it is not a simple "protect your phone" type of case. No, this case includes a battery to help increase the usefulness of your iPhone between charges.
The new gadget is called the iConn+ iBP1200 it looks like an oversized leather slide-in case for the iPhone but once you open the front flap you find out that it is much more.
Under that cover rests an extra Li-polymer 3.7V/1200mAh battery that is capable of almost doubling the length of time between charges. You are still able to connect and sync your iPhone even while in the case. The iBP1200 will also charge both batteries at the same time when connected to power or your system. You also still have access to the headphone jack and camera while in the iBP1200. Considering the number of apps that eat your battery like a kid in a candy store this is certainly something that the market could use.
Pricing should be around $80 (US) with availability right around the corner.
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Acer Announces Four New Smart Phones
With the Mobile World Congress going on in Barcelona it is no wonder much of the news this week is about phones.
Well here is some more for you. It seems that Acer has just announced four smart phones of their very own. The phones show up on the heels of their purchase of Eten and while one was announced by Eten before the purchase the others appear to e new projects.
All four phones offer some very good features and show promising specs.
The pricing and time will tell if they will have a big impact on the market or not.
Read more here at Fudzilla.
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Skype and Nokia strike up a deal
Skype has been striking deals with mobile phone makers. In fact they just announced a deal with Nokia to have Skype bundled on Nokia phones.
The first phone to see the new Skype will be the N97 Nokia's flagship Smartphone. Skype will be integrated heavily into the phone, including being part of the address book so that you will be able to see which of your contacts are online with Skype straight from there.
Skype and Nokia are also going to allow the service to work over both the 3G and Wifi networks. This would mean messaging and VoIP calls even when you are not at a hotspot.
There is some concern that Nokia phones sold in the US would have this stripped from them as Skype on a mobile is a large fear for US cellular providers.
Read more here at CNet.
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