HP: webOS products coming but these things take time

We’ve been anxiously waiting to see what Hewlett-Packard will do with Palm and the webOS platform since the $1.2 billion acquisition but it looks like we may have to wait a bit longer.

On his blog, HP’s “innovation czar” Rahul Sood said HP Palm is working on webOS smartphones and connected devices but it could be a little while before we see these.

    You will certainly see products released over the next 12 months, some sooner than others, and some which are very exciting to me. The stuff that excites me the most are the new form factors. Now, when I said “over the next 12 months,” I really mean over the next 12 months. Not at the end of 12 months, not tomorrow … but over the next 12 months we will see the makings of a new portfolio and the beginning of something great again. There is no predefined window of opportunity in the technology business; lack of innovation is the only thing that closes the window.

    There are challenges when you bring together two companies with distinct cultures. Palm was once a much smaller company with less access to resources than HP. HP, on the other hand is large: that’s

TeleNav Launches Ads within GPS Navigation App

TeleNav, the fine folks behind the GPS navigation apps for AT&T, T-Mobile,  Rogers, and Bell, have announced a new advertising program that points users to sponsored search results. It sounds an awful lot like the Poynt announcement made earlier today, but TeleNav’s existing partnerships with carriers will likely give them a leg-up.

There’s something to be said for the advertising effectiveness of a mobile application designed for turn-by-turn navigation – at that point, it’s not just about subliminally inserting logos into people’s heads, but actually affecting shopping decisions at the source. I would be curious to see if carriers need to agree to these advertisement programs, or have any rights to alter sponsored results in their own ways. Poynt and TeleNav should still be able to coexist without butting heads too much – after all, Poynt is about more than just directions, and includes movies, white pages, weather, and a lot of calendar and address book integration.

All Best Buy Locations to Sell iPad Starting September 26

The Apple iPad  has been selling like hotcakes despite being a “niche” device, or not having a place in the market, according to some analysts prior to its release, but now it looks like it’s going to an even bigger boost. Well, perhaps not quite as big as selling in China soon, but close enough. Starting September 26, every single Best Buy location in the U.S. will be selling the iPad.

This is good news for those who’ve been reluctant to order it from Apple online, who don’t live near an Apple retail store, and whose local Best Buy retailers don’t carry the tablet computer. It’s also perfect for the holiday season where the iPad is likely to be a hot commodity for holiday shoppers. Having it at every Best Buy location is going to be very convenient.

HTC Aria gets an firmware update – pulled shortly after release

The HTC Aria is one nice little Android phone and it’s even better when such a phone gets an update. It’s not so good when said update isn’t what you’re expecting at all. Recently, this tiny, Sense UI bearing phone received an update, but nowhere Froyo was to be found.

It’s not all bad, though, as the update the Aria is receiving packs a couple of fixesthat some may be happy to hear. But, let’s face it, this is a minor update and hopefully Froyo (Android 2.2) will pop up shortly.

Full Angry Birds for Android coming in 2-3 weeks

If you’re like me, you’re obsessed with the mobile game Angry Birds and the lite beta version  which hit earlier this month wasn’t enough to satisfy your pig-killing needs. I have good news for you, as the Rovio team said the full version is due to hit Android in 2-3 weeks.

In an interview with the folks over at TalkAndroid, Rovio talked about the release date and some of the issues we’ve been seeing. As you may recall, we heard from many users who said the Angry Birds beta couldn’t be found in the Android Market on devices not running 2.2. There are also support issues with devices like the HTC Wildfire.

Acer reportedly planning 5-inch Android 3.0 tablet

Acer had some 7- and 10-inch Android tablets in the works, but it looks like it's not stopping there. DigiTimes is now reporting that the company is also prepping a 5-inch tablet which, like the others, will be based on Android 3.0 and will roll out sometime in the first quarter of 2011. Of particular note here is that the 5-inch model will reportedly boast both "handset and tablet PC functionality," which would pit it up against the likes of the Dell Streak. Details otherwise still seem to be pretty up in the air for all three, though in fact, DigiTimes  says that Acer is still deciding between Qualcomm's Snapdragon and NVIDIA's Tegra 2, and that it will even release an Intel-based Windows 7 model before the Android tablets in order to "test the water in the market."

iOS 4.1 offers new photo features, Game Center

Though music and entertainment were the of focus of Wednesday's Apple press conference in San Francisco, CEO Steve Jobs devoted a few minutes to the next release of the company's mobile operating system. iOS 4.1 will be available next week for the iPhone and iPod touch. And in a change from previous OS updates, it will be free for iPod touch users.

Here's a summary of the new features that Jobs announced. We'll add to this list as we learn of other additions and we'll follow up with a hands-on review after next week's release.

Bug fixes
These will be for the proximity sensor, Bluetooth, and iPhone 3G performance. Though Jobs didn't detail the specific problems that Apple is fixing, we've experienced the latter two issues on the iPhone 4 and previous models. In fact, Bluetooth connectivity with stereo headsets was one of the first issues we noticed with the iPhone 4 the day it went on sale.

Game Center free to download next week on iOS 4.1

Ever since Apple's spring run-down of iOS 4, we've been curious about Game Center, Apple's attempt to add an across-the-board social gaming dashboard for the iPhone and iPod touch. Apple left it out of iOS 4's release, but it will finally be available for free next week as a download after the release of iOS 4.1, and will appear on iOS 4.2 on the iPad.

Game Center was given a quick demo at today's Apple music event, and it seems to offer some actually useful features. While social multiplayer services such as OpenFeint already exist, Game Center will work across most games. Like Xbox Live's dashboard or PSN, game achievements and player-to-player automatching will be highlighted. Player-to-player game invites will appear as popups.

Nokia discontinues remote data access service Ovi Files

Nokia has sent out an email notification to alert Ovi Files users that the service, which lets them access their computer data remotely via the Internet, will be shut down from October 1.

"Nokia is discontinuing the Ovi Files service, effective October 1, 2010," the company said, while asking users to uninstall the Ovi Files Connector client on their computers. Nokia added that users will not lose any content since the service only mirrors the files residing on the desktop.

Nokia assured users they will still be able to share content between their handset and the PC via Ovi Suite. The difference is that this method requires a wired connection and isn't a direct substitute for Ovi Files.

The world's largest phone-maker started to build its suite of Internet services in 2007. Ovi Files, previously known as Files on Ovi, was the result of Nokia's acquisition of Avyenu. The beta service launched in July 2008. A year later, it moved from being a paid to an entirely free service. According to Nokia, Ovi Files had 631,000 active users worldwide to date with over 1.5 million registrations.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet unveiled at IFA 2010

Samsung's plans to create the Galaxy Tab Android tablet can't come as much of a surprise at this point, but today's announcement at IFA 2010 marks the first time we're seeing official specs from the company.

Official pricing is still unknown, but we now know that the device is due to hit European markets in mid-September, and the US and Asia by year's end. The Galaxy Tab's size and specs put it somewhere between the phone-like Dell Streak and the magazine-size Apple iPad. The Tab uses a 7-inch capacitive touch screen with a 1,024 x 600 Wide Super VGA (WSVGA) resolution. It ships with Android 2.2 (Froyo), the complete Google apps Market, Flash 10.1, 16GB or 32GB of memory, GPS, and integrated sensors, such as a gyroscope, accelerometer, light sensor, and geomagnetic sensor.

Huawei announces affordable Android 2.2 IDEOS and three others

Google's mobile operating system just got bolstered by four new Android smartphones from Chinese telecommunications provider and handset-maker Huawei. The company said previously that it plans to announce a new Android smartphone at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin this week.

Dubbed the IDEOS (Industrial Design Evolution Operating System), the touchscreen smartphone runs on a stock implementation of Android 2.2 Froyo, the latest version of the Google OS, and will be priced between US$100 and US$200. The IDEOS has a 2.8-inch QVGA display, 528MHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera, 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card slot. It also supports a range of wireless connections including 7.2Mbps HSDPA, GPS for navigation, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi b/g/n and doubles as a Wi-Fi router.

South Korea’s KT Corp. sets a September 10th date for the iPhone 4 launch

The iPhone 4 will officially land in South Korea starting September 10th, according to KT Corp.  which confirmed the highly anticipated launch date on Saturday. The iPhone 4 was originally expected to launch on July 30th in the Asian country but problems with regulatory approval forced its delay. After some wrangling, the South Korean government finally gave Apple’s flagship smartphone the rubber stamp of approval at the beginning of August.

As the exclusive carrier for the iPhone 4 in South Korea, KT is ready and rearing to get the handset into the hands of the masses. KT has been accepting pre-orders for the Apple-branded handset since August and sold over 130,000 handsets in the first nine hours of availability. Crashing servers and general chaos accompanied this very successful pre-launch. This degree of enthusiasm is not surprising as KT, also the exclusive carrier or the iPhone 3GS, has sold over 850,000 3GS handsets since the model launched last November.

Google: Hey Apple, Our Android Sales Numbers Don’t Include Upgrades

We had already heard  Google Music for Android could see a delay until next year and a new report today shows that the service could be limping along.

Reuters reports that Google Music hasn’t signed a single music label, which doesn’t portend well for something that will need a large catalog to compete against Apple and its iTunes juggernaut.

That doesn’t mean Google Music is dead in the water though, as some music companies are giddy at the chance to stick it to Apple.

“Finally here’s an entity with the reach, resources and wherewithal to take on iTunes as a formidable competitor by tying it into search and Android mobile platform,” said a label executive who asked not to be identified. “What you’ll have is a very powerful player in the market that’s good for the music business.”

Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem Swings Into The App Store

The Apple iOS operating system, which powers the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, is really gaining traction among web users and it has surpassed the traffic of Linux and Android users, according to data from Net Applications.

It probably shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as there are now more than 120 million Apple iOS devices and these are generally heavy web users. The Linux platform has been around for a long time but it hasn’t come close to cracking the mainstream the way Apple iOS has, despite consumer-friendly versions like Ubuntu.

The data said the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad accounted for 1.1% of all devices that accessed the Internet while Linux accounted for less than 1%.

Apple iOS browsing tops Android, Linux

The Apple iOS operating system, which powers the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, is really gaining traction among web users and it has surpassed the traffic of Linux and Android users, according to data from Net Applications.

It probably shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as there are now more than 120 million Apple iOS devices and these are generally heavy web users. The Linux platform has been around for a long time but it hasn’t come close to cracking the mainstream the way Apple iOS has, despite consumer-friendly versions like Ubuntu.

The data said the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad accounted for 1.1% of all devices that accessed the Internet while Linux accounted for less than 1%.

“It’s something to take note of when a mobile operating system passes something that’s been around forever,” said Vince Vizzaccaro, a Net Applications vice president, in a prepared statement. “Mobile’s growth curve is strong and mobile is becoming quite a phenomenon on the Internet.”

The Google Android platform has been gaining steam lately, as the search giant said it has been activating about 200,000 units a day and it recently outsold every other smartphone platform in the United States. Still, the Net Applications data says that Android devices only account for about 0.2% of devices that access the Internet.

“Whatever the sales are, we’re seeing iOS totally dominate the market on the Web,” Vizzaccaro said. “iOS has nearly a 6:1 advantage over Android.”

Things could swing in Android’s favor over the next year or so, though, as we’re ready to see a plethora of new devices running that little, green robot. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the first of many tablets that we should see flood the market and this could help Android get a big boost. The Google OS will also power a slew of new smartphones and connected devices.

Energizer Announces Wireless Charging Mat for iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Curve 8900

To butt heads pretty directly with Powermat, Energizer today announced that they’ll have an inductive charging pad and case for the iPhone 3GS and battery door for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 starting in October. The mat is Qi-compliant, which is a standard many cell phone manufacturers are huddling around.

Powermat’s learning how to bypass sleeves and cases altogether by building wireless charging right into the batteries themselves, but that has yet to come to market. Energizer’s a bit of a beast in the charging market, and unless Powermat and other wireless charging companies can take advantage of their head start, Energizer will probably steamroll them. Though inductive charging hasn’t been especially prevalent among mobile manufacturers so far (except Palm), their presence in the Wireless Power Consortium is a hint that maybe even Energizer will get cut off at the source for these products in an upcoming generation of smartphones. The more players the better, in any case – I’m looking forward to a world where I can charge my phone on a restaurant table during dinner, or on my car’s dash while on the move.

LG Optimus One and Optimus Chic eyes-on

That "leaked" low-end LG Android device from a few days back? Turns out it was nothing more than the Optimus Chic, one of two Google-powered phones that the company announced back in early July. They're still not ready to let us touch the damned things here at IFA apparently on account of the fact that they're not commercially available yet but we got close enough to conclude that you definitely won't be fooling anyone into thinking that you've dropped many hundreds of euros on your phone. You could argue that Huawei set the tone for IFA's small-but-notable mobile presence this year with its introduction of the Ideos in other words, cheap Android gear and both of these LGs look primed to go head-to-head with the Ideos in that arena. Nokia had long been hoping to totally own the smartphone industry in emerging markets by driving S60 into the bargain basement but with this latest round of Android releases coming dangerously close to the same price points, we could have an interesting battle on our hands.

Apple's Ping gains a million users in first two days

We're still trying to figure out exactly what Apple's new Ping social network  is good for, but apparently quite a few people are curious about it: it's already racked up a million users in its first two days. That's just a third of the people who've downloaded iTunes 10, so we're sure the numbers are will grow even faster as more people snag iTunes and the network effect starts to kick in and things will get really crazy if Apple and Facebook ever work out their little tiff. Just remember: it's a social network for music.

Vodafone's Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones

Microsoft worked with Vodafone late last year to deploy Surfaces  to a few dozen stores in several European countries (much as AT&T has done in the US), and one of those units happens to be set up at the carrier's IFA booth this week. The basic idea here is that each available model appears as a card that can be twirled, resized, and flung around the screen. When the software first starts, the cards start in a deck from which you can "deal" onto the table but when we first approached it, the Surface had obviously already been played with because the cards were in complete disarray. Not too helpful when you're a befuddled buyer trying to browse models and make a choice from a dizzying selection of handsets, but that doesn't mean it's not cool if nothing else, parents, it's something to babysit the kiddies for a few minutes while you go about your business in the store. Follow the break for video of the Surface in action.

twitter mobile usage dominated by iPhone and BlackBerry users, not Android

Twitter has realized that mobile is the place to be and has been pushing out mobile clients to all the major platforms over the course of this year. Twitter launched its Twitter for BlackBerry app as a private beta  in February and rolled out the official app in July. Unlike the other mobile platforms which were developed by Twitter independently (Android) or via acquisition (iPhone), the Twitter for BlackBerry app was developed in conjunction with RIM. Soon there after, Twitter took on the Android powerhouses of Twydroid and Seesmic when it launched the official Twitter for Android back in April of this year. Last but not least, it acquired Tweetie and rolled out the official Twitter for iPhone in May.

Toshiba Places to deliver web content across all Toshiba screens

Great devices aren't great without content and if you want it done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself. For Toshiba  that means a new online content and services portal called Toshiba Places. The point of this companion software is to ensure that all said company's screens have a similar look and feel which will bring a consistent experience to every size screen while still being optimized for a TV or mobile phone (for example). Places will help you gain access to your own content or share it in your social networks as well as offer access to applications and various other online content. Exactly what premium content is available wil vary region by region and so until the US announcement comes we'll have to wait to learn which of our favorite sources will be included.

Skype 5.0 beta brings 10-way video calling to the world

Skype's Windows client is showing a bit of ambition today as its latest beta version now boasts a mighty 10-way video calling implementation. The earlier v5.0 beta threw up five-way vidchat, but it'd seem Skype kept its software engineers working through the summer and now we've got double the visual fun. Which would be awesome if we actually had nine other people we cared to see while talking to them. This update also brings a UI makeover, your typical stability and call quality improvements, and a neat automated call recovery feature.

OS 5.0.0.912 Leaked for the BlackBerry Curve 3G

BlackBerry Curve 3G owners are no doubt enjoying their new devices. While a shiny new Berry in-the-hand is always a good thing, I have a feeling many 9300 owners would be tickled pink of OS 6 was on board  well  unfortunately that’s not what this leak is all about. Sorry.
Yesterday I noticed that 5.0.0.912 leaked for the 9300, and is available right here for download. But don’t fret. BlackBerry 6 is coming, I promise I have a feeling we won’t see many more of these 5.0+ leaks it’s going to be all about BlackBerry 6, baby!
Download OS 5.0.0.912 for the BlackBerry Curve 3G >
Note: Remember, this is a leak and is very unofficial. Before you update, be sure to backup your device and take all necessary precautions before you proceed. After installation, if you notice anything noteworthy in the build, be sure to drop me a note or leave your thoughts in the comments.
Happy OS Updating!

Woman Breaks Text Messaging Record Using SWYPE on Samsung Galaxy S

Have you ever heard the unbelievably fast clicking and clacking of smartphone keyboard inside of a Journeys or during the trailers before a Twilight movie? If you thought teens were fast at texting, you should meet Melissa Thompson, a 27-year-old British woman who just smashed the Guinness World Record for the fastest text message ever.
Thompson wrote the phrase “the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human” in 25.94 seconds, beating the old record held by 24-year-old Franklin Page who wrote the same phrase in 35.54 seconds earlier this year.
What phone did Thompson use to destroy the old record by nearly 10 seconds? A Samsung Galaxy S. And if you thought that the quickest or easiest way to bang out a text messege or e-mail was by using a physical keyboard, you’d be wrong. The record was broken using a touchscreen keyboard with SWYPE, a feature that allows users to write words and phrases by sliding their fingers across the screen.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Launch New BlackBerry App

Ever stayed at a Starwood Hotel or Resort? If so, you’re probably well aware of the awesome accommodations available If you’re a regular guest, booking and managing  your SPG account is about to get a lot easier. That is, if you have a BlackBerry in-hand. Keep reading and I’ll get to the point, I swear.
Over the past few years, we’re seeing more and more hotels take to the mobile scene and with good reason. Apps and mobile sites that allow you to checkin, checkout or even book your next stay are chalked-full of awesom Super handy for sure. With that in mind, Starwood Hotels & Resorts have just launched their first app for BlackBerry.
Tailored around their Starwood Preferred Guest program, the new SPG application for BlackBerry is now available in App World for download. It allows you to manage reservations, view your Starpoints balance, check recent activity and more You can even make reservations, and browse available destinations at any one of the 1,000+ Starwood properties around the world.
David Godsman, VP of Global Web Services for Starwood commented on the launch:

Yahoo! Fantasy Football Launcher for BlackBerry

With the 2010-2011 NFL season coming up on us fast (first games this weekend me thinks!?) there’s still time to load up and try out new Fantasy Football apps on your device of choice. If BlackBerry is your thing, Yahoo! has just released the 2010 Yahoo! Fantasy Football Launcher for your device.

Nothing too fancy here in reality it’s just a mobile site launcher. But, if you’re tied into Yahoo! Fantasy Football perhaps a little more than you’d like, this nifty little shortcut will make it much easier for you to be less productive at work, and more productive checking your NFL football stats.

If you’re not on a BlackBerry or just don’t care to have the mobile launcher installed, you can always hit up Yahoo! Fantasy Football on your device of choice at m.yahoo.com/fantasyfootball. Once there you’ll get live scoring, news, blogs, projections and the ability to manage your fantasy roster among other things.