It looks like Motorola and Microsoft have signed a deal to launch Android smartphones in China.
The downside is that the phones will come equipped with Microsoft software. So users will get a Bing search widget, a Bing browser bookmark, and Bing's location-based services, including maps. Motorola doesn't say whether or not you can remove the Bing services.
This is Motorola's second phone to have the whole Android experience ruined. Earlier this week, AT&T launched the Motorola Backflip, which does not allow users to install apps from outside the MarketPlace and uses Yahoo as the default search engine.
Barnes & Noble announced plans to release and e-reader application for the iPad, which will most likely compete with Apple's iBookstore app.
The bookseller already has an iPhone application, released last July, and now offers more than 1 million books. They are planning to launch an iPad version app when the device will start shipping next month.
It is not yet clear if Apple will allow Barnes & Noble to launch this app on the iPad, seeing that Apple already has the iBookstore built-in the iPad.
Amazon also released its own Kindle application for the iPhone last year, but has not yet announced plans to build and iPad-specific app.
Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have their own ebook readers, the Kindle and Nook. According to a study, consumer interest in the Kindle dropped after the announcement of the iPad, which features a color LCD.
Verizon Wireless announced plans to roll out its first 4G device in mid-2011. Their high-speed 4G network will open up by the end of the year to about 100 million people 25-30 markets, bringing wireless broadband speeds of up to 5 times faster than 3G. The carrier plans a 4G nationwide launch in 2013.
The first 4G devices will also be equipped with 3G chipsets for backward compatibility. The voice traffic will continue to use the existing CDMA network, while the data will be offered through 4G.
According to Verizon's recent tests, the speed of their new LTE network is peaking at 40-50Mbps for download and 20-25Mbps for upload. The average speed users will be getting is about 5-12Mbps for downloads and 2-5Mbps for uploads, which is a great improvement over the existing 3G speeds of 400-700Kbps.
Sprint is also getting ready to launch a 4G HTC Android smartphone this summer.
According to AppleInsider sources, Apple is getting ready to add multitasking to the iPhone OS 4.0. The current version of the iPhone already has multitasking abilities, but playing poker while listening to music and surfing the web during a call is just not cutting it anymore.
The new multitasking manager is expected to take advantage of UI technology already built-in with its Mac OS X operating system. But with this feature, new problems will arise. Running multiple applications in the background will most likely eat up battery life. And even if they solve the issue by launching a new iPhone, how will OS 4.0 run on the current generation iPhones?
There are a lot of questions to be answered and from what rumors are saying, Apple still has a long way to go before finishing this thing. Let's hope for a preview at WWDC.
In an effort to steal some of Microsoft's business users, Google yesterday launched an online store dedicated exclusively to business applications.
The store is called Google Apps Marketplace and it offers apps from 50 companies, including Concur, eFax, Intuit, Jobvite and many more. Google said that the marketplace will provide Google Apps users with many more capabilities, like customer tracking, expense reporting and other functions.
Third-party developers will have to pay $100 to place their applications into the Google Apps Marketplace and get an 80% cut of each sale.
"The marketplace is going to significantly help Google Apps adoption and also help adoption of our partner apps, We're going to bring 25 million users to these partner companies." - Vander Mey
Not only is AT&T the last of the major US carriers to launch an Android device, but it looks like they're also the only ones to screw up the whole experience.
They have just launched the highly expected Motorola Backflip, which now became the most locked down of all Android handsets. AT&T does not allow users to install apps from sources other than the Android Market, a feature that most handsets on other carriers are currently enjoying.
AT&T has also removed the option to delete the 10+ AT&T applications, which come pre-installed with the phone. This can be as annoying as the Stocks app on the iPhone.
The other problem with the Backflip is the inability to search using Google. Believe it or not, AT&T decided to replace that with Yahoo Search. Briliant job there, guys!
So if neither of these problems bother you, go ahead and get Backflip for $99.99 with a 2-year agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate.
As promised, T-Mobile USA will officially begin shipping the HTC HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone starting this Spring, most likely by March 24. The carrier has already set up a 'coming soon' page for the device, but unfortunately failed to offer any information regarding the price. According to recent rumors, the HD2 will cost $199.99 with a 2-year contract and $449.99 with no contract.
The HTC HD2 features a high-res 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, a 1GHz Snapdragon Qualcomm processor, 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and autofocus, pre-installed 16 GB microSD, GPS functionality with turn-by-turn navigation and 3G.
Via TmoNews
Apple yesterday began removing several Wi-Fi hotspot finder apps, which allowed users to find open Wi-Fi networks in their area. The removed apps include WiFi-Where, WiFiFoFum, and yFy Network Finder.
It seems that the apps were using private frameworks to access wireless information, according to one of the developers. Sekai Camera was also removed because of using the same method. Apple was not available for comments.
This isn't the first time Apple has mass-removed apps. In February, Apple removed all applications from its App Store that even hinted to adult-content, bringing the app count down by 5,000.
Nokia and T-Mobile USA today announced the upcoming availability of the Nokia 5230 Nuron, a affordable smartphone packed with apps, Ovi Maps with turn-by-turn directions, and more.
Features of the Nokia 5230 Nuron include a 3.2-inch (640 x 360 pixels) nHD touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom and video recording at 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps, 70 MB internal memory, microSD card slot for up to 16 GB of extra storage, 2.5 mm Nokia AV connector, 3.5mm audio jack, dedicated keys for camera, volume, power, send & end, application launch and media bar touch key.
The Nokia Nuron will be the first device to come pre-loaded with Ovi Store, which gives users access to thousands of apps and other content. T-Mobile is also planning to simplify the buying process by having the purchased items billed to your monthly bill or via a credit card.
T-Mobile is planning to launch the Nokia 5230 Nuron in the coming weeks in retail stores and online. No price has been announced.
Skype and Nokia today announced the release of Skype for Symbian, a Skype client for Nokia smartphones. Skype for Symbian will allow you to use Skype over either a WiFi or mobile data connection (GPRS, EDGE, 3G). It is now available for free from the Nokia Ovi Store.
Skype for Symbian enables Nokia smartphone users to make free Skype-to-Skype calls, send and receive instant messages to and from individuals or groups, share pictures, videos and other files, receive calls to their existing online number, see when Skype contacts are online and available to call or IM and import names and numbers from the phone's address book
Skype for Symbian will run on the latest version of the Symbian platform. The application will soon be launched for other manufacturers as well, including Sony Ericsson. The initial Skype for Symbian app is compatible with the following Nokia models: N97, N97 mini, X6, 5800 XpressMusic, 5530, E72, E71, E90, E63, E66, E51, N96, N95, N95 8Gb, N85, N82, N81, N81 8 Gb, N79, N78, 6220 classic, 6210 Navigator and 5320.
