Motorola Mobility CEO Confirms June Webtop Integration in Smartphones

Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha has confirmed to investors attending the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference that the manufacturer’s Webtop overlay which allows for desktop PC style functionality with the Laptop Dock will be integrated into all future Motorola smartphones from June onward, with no immediate word on updates for hardware launched before the integration date.

The next high-end smartphone from Motorola will be the Droid Bionic for Verizon Wireless, with Jha admitting that Webtop integration for the phone was dropped during development due to time constraints, suggesting a future Webtop update for the phone at some point in the future.

Motorola subsidiary 3LM to offer enterprise-class device management for Android; HTC, Sony Ericsson, others on board

Apple's been working hard to chip away at RIM's lead in the enterprise over the last couple years by beefing up iOS' IT policy management chops in ways that traditionally only BlackBerry (and the now-marginalized Windows Phone 6.5 / Windows Embedded Handheld platform) have excelled at, but Motorola -- a company that's got virtually 100 percent of its skin in the Android game -- would obviously like to see that change. To that end, it acquired a little company called 3LM (that's "Three Laws of Mobility") last year that's been working on an enterprise management platform for Android, and it appears they've pulled off a bit of a coup -- not only will its parent company be supporting it on devices starting in the second quarter of the year, but devices from competitors like HTC, Sharp, Sony Ericsson, and Pantech are on board, too. A standard software package for this sort of thing is just what IT bosses like to see -- and it could be Android's most dangerous strike yet on the enterprise side of the market. Follow the break for Moto's press release.

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3LM and its Partners Announce Plans to Launch Enterprise Manager Solution for Android

Motorola Mobility, HTC, Sony Ericsson, Pantech Co. Ltd and Sharp are among the first to support 3LM Enterprise Platform

Feb. 15, 2011

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Feb. 15, 2011 – Three Laws Mobility, Inc. (3LM), a subsidiary of Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), in conjunction with HTC Corp., Sony Ericsson, Pantech Co. Ltd and Sharp Electronics Corp. (Sharp), today announced plans to launch a complete end-to-end mobile management solution based on the 3LM Android enterprise platform.

3LM will offer the first mobile management solution for Android devices that supports all of the critical IT device policies commonly requested by businesses and governmental entities, and is designed to enable the adoption of Android devices among enterprise users by addressing ease, cost-of-management and security concerns of IT managers and chief information officers.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this series of partnerships that will significantly enhance the capabilities of Android devices for enterprise businesses," said Tom Moss and Gaurav Mathur, co-founders of 3LM. "The 3LM solution was developed for three reasons: first, to enable next generation mobile devices such as tablets and phones to become the primary computing devices at enterprises, replacing laptops without sacrificing security or functionality; second, to help enterprises reduce IT costs while at the same time increasing user choice and satisfaction; and finally, to unleash innovation in enterprise applications and services."

3LM, which was acquired in 2010 by Motorola Mobility, expects to launch its mobile device management services for enterprises in the second quarter of 2011, in conjunction with devices from Motorola Mobility, HTC, Sony Ericsson, Pantech, Sharp and additional Android original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that will leverage the 3LM platform.

"We are very excited that the 3LM solution, and this set of partners, will enable a broader set of customers to enjoy our Android products," said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services product management for Motorola Mobility. "3LM gives us access to an exciting new set of customers within the enterprise space that have a unique set of requirements."

About 3LM
Three Laws Mobility, Inc. (3LM) develops technology for Android devices based on three core principles: (1) Protect your user. A mobile device may not harm its user or, through inaction, allow its user to come to harm though malicious code or content. (2) Protect yourself. A mobile device must protect itself and the integrity of its data and secured communications. (3) Obey. A mobile device must let the user use the device freely, as long as such usage does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

Everything Everywhere to launch split-retail stores

Orange and T-Mobile joint-branded stores part of trials to establish company’s brand strategy as it says a multiple brand play for the JV is also a possibility

Everything Everywhere is to launch Orange and T-Mobile 50/50 split-retail stores in the coming weeks and has revealed it’s considering launching new network brands in its Everything Everywhere retail stores before September.

Everything Everywhere, the parent company of Orange and T-Mobile in the UK, has told Mobile News it will launch up to five Orange and T-Mobile joint-branded retail stores in March as it continues trials to establish its brand strategy.

Everything Everywhere agreed the joint venture in March 2010 and informed its shareholders it would continue to operate both brands in the UK for 18 months, ending this October.

The company is already trialling six dual-branded “concession” stores in areas where only one of the operators exists and earlier this month announced plans to open five Everything Everywhere branded retail stores with minimum  network branding.

The new stores will be split down the middle to offer both Orange and T-Mobile products and services. Staff will be trained to offer an equal sales experience and customer service for both brands for the first time. Details on store locations and potential store closures have not been revealed. Everything Everywhere insists it is still looking to increase its 720 retail footprint despite the store mergers. Branding for both T-Mobile and Orange will be included on the front signage for the first time, it is understood.

Everything Everywhere compared the move with PC World and Currys’ launch of a number of dual-branded stores last year, and the 50/50 joint venture  between Vodafone and 3 in  Australia, signed in 2009.

Everything Everywhere vice president of brands and communications Steven Day said: “Retail stores are a big part of the jigsaw and we have done several different formats. We have the Everything Everywhere stores, which are just opening, we have the concession stores for either brand and we will have 50/50 stores, which will be split down the middle.

“If you walk in to an Orange dual-branded store at present you may be curious at the concession stand in the corner but it’s still an Orange experience. The stores split will be very much 50-50. Three did something very similar with Vodafone in Australia, so we have used that as an example.”

Everything Everywhere also told Mobile News it may increase the brands it operates under in the UK, comparing the customer experience to that found in a Carphone Warehouse. Day, who compared the “potential” strategy to that of Volkswagen, with multiple brands in the car industry, said it is considering the same approach in its Everything Everywhere stores where the Orange and T-Mobile branding is recessive.

Day said: “We have an obligation to fulfil, which we said when the merger went through, that we would look at our brand strategy and make an announcement by October this year.

“The question is how do we maximise value for our business using the tools of our brands and other activities we engage in?

“We are trying to be open-minded and there are options. We could have more than two brands. We could easily have three, four or five. Just look at the Volkswagen Group: they have a multiple-brand strategy even though they are operating in the same market segment. Going multi-brand might be the right  strategy.

“It’s something we are going to look at with our stores. So it’s a possibility there will be another brand by the end of September.”

Orange vice president of wholesale and M2M Marc Overton added: “If you look at the bigger picture it puts us in a very different place in the buying behaviour of the UK consumer and more akin, say, to The Carphone Warehouse.”

Day also confirmed its corporate sales team no longer enters discussions as Orange and T-Mobile, discussing tariffs and propositions as Everything Everywhere.

Virgin re-signs

Everything Everywhere has renewed its MVNO agreement with Virgin Mobile, Mobile News understands.

The multi-year deal is understood to have been signed in January and continues the 12-year relationship.

Virgin become the UK’s first MVNO with T-Mobile (now  Everything Everywhere)  in 1999.

Everything Everywhere refused to comment.

2011 Daily Love Horoscopes: Astrology iOS App

Knowing what future you have in love this year of 2011 is very hard to predict so it is down to the astrologers with the cool 2011 Daily Love Horoscopes astrology iOS app.

This app via iTunes is great and will give you all the information onto your iOS device such as the iPhone or iPod, what does the astrology hold for you today? This daily love horoscopes application will give you all the 12 zodiac signs.

Being it Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius or Pisces you can view features such as daily power numbers, intellect, love, emotions, work, wellness, intuition, creativity and money, you can even view celebrities born today.

Please do let us know what zodiac sign you are and if the horoscope for you today is correct or not, if you already have this app ‘Love Horoscopes’ By DailyHoroscopes.net installed on your device please send us your personal review in the commenting area provided below. Thanks

Mobile Phone Names: The 10 Worst

One sometimes has to wonder what process mobile phone manufacturers take to come up with a suitable moniker for their latest handset, as in the past it is quiet evident that some of these phone makers simply lack any imagination in the phone naming department and have come up with some really boring names.

Thus the guys over at Tech UK have come up with the ten worst mobile phone names in their opinion, so we though we’d bring you that hit list of the ten worst mobile monikers, so let’s get right to it…

The first offering is the new HTC Chacha, a smartphone that also offers a dedicated Facebook button so you can send all your gear right to your social network and is probably the only selling point of the device.

But honestly Chacha? Unless the smartphone is amongst the category of an all singing, all dancing gizmo, then Chacha should have been a no-no, so perhaps whoever came up with the moniker was a dancing fan.

Moving along we have the IBM Simon from way back in 1992, which at the time there would have been far more suitable phone names still untaken. According to WiKipedia, the IBM Simon was an “advanced cellular telephone for its time.”

I had to check with Wikipedia because to be perfectly honest I’d never heard of the phone, but the handset was apparently sold initially for $899. Perhaps the naming guy was called Simon and wanted the handset named after himself…who knows.

Anyway next we have the Pantech Jest, a touch screen 3G smartphone that apparently lets the user take life a little seriously according to Pantach USA, offering a 2.6 inch display along with a full QWERTY keyboard, and 16GB external memory.

But if you really want someone to take a smartphone seriously then you shouldn’t name the device the Jest, it’s just way too close to being an April Fool joke that’s gone wrong.

Then there is the Samsung Glyde, a texting orientated handset for Verizon that offered a slide out QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS, microSD expansion and very little else.

Have to say though if you are stuck for a name for a hanset you could always take a tip out of the Samsung Glyde handbook and simply misspell a word to come up with a moniker.

At the halfway point sits the Motorola GRASP Dynamic, with according to Motorola, its 2.2-inch display and QWERTY keyboard for tapping out those messages to friends, 1.3 megapixel camera, sGPS, Bluetooth, and 8GB memory.

Obviously stuck for a name for this handset Motorola had the brainwave of capitalising the name to make is stand out, while some ingenious bod came up with tagging dynamic on the end to make it seem more technical that it actually was.

Next up is the Vergatario, a mouthful on its own, a budget handset for Venezuela, which was according to Wikipedia designed by the Venezuelan state owned Vetelca in conjunction with ZTE and was announced by the Venezuelan president.

However if you are going to name a mobile phone then surely you would take into consideration the translation of the name you choose for the device as apparently Vergatario roughly translates to penis…need I say more?

Then we have the ridiculously named Samsung Honey Bubble a smartphone according to Ubergizmo offered a 2 megapixel camera, DMB Digital TV, Bluetooth, GPS, SOS Siren Alarm, and not much else.

Luckily Sammy only used that rather sickly name Honey Bubble in Korea, I mean come on Samsung who would really want to carry around a mobile phone called Honey Bubble?

Next is the Casio G’zOne Ravine handset a ruggedised flip-phone for Verizon that came with a 2.2-inch display additional 1.35-inch display, 3.2 megapixel camera A-GPS, turn-by-turn navigation, bluetooth and expandable memory up to 32GB according to My Bull Frog.

Such a shame that the Casio guys couldn’t just come up with a more simplified moniker than one that capitalises the middle letter, and reminds one of a wide gulf as in ravine.

Almost there we have the rather ridiculous BleckBarry, an obvious knockoff of the BlackBerry handle, a device that according to Engagdet sports a 2-inch display, FM radio and TV, Bluetooth, dual-SIM, and 506KB of internal memory.

But I mean was the person responsible for the naming of this handset dyslexic or just plain unimaginative, although he was probably called Barry.

And the last of these jokers we have the Motorola Devour, I’m sure most have heard of the Motorola Devour smartphone, but if you go on the premise that a handset moniker means something then what were Motorola thinking?

Perhaps they thought the Motorola Devour would devour the market and take over the mobile space by eating up all the customers.

So there it is people, the top ten worst names for mobile phones, although I’m pretty sure there are others out there that fit the bill and if you have your own dislike of a handset name feel free to share it with us below.

Motorola: all our high-end smartphones will have Webtop from June onwards

You know how Motorola's Atrix is unique in having all these docking stations and a Webtop app that collectively turn it into a far more versatile computer than your average superpowered smartphone? Well, Sanjay Jha has just told investors at a Morgan Stanley shindig that the Atrix won't be unique for long -- the Webtop app will be making an appearance on all of Moto's "high performance" smartphones in the second half of this year, and we're told that the only reason the Droid Bionic won't be shipping with it was the simple constraint of time. What that implies, but something Jha didn't say, is that the Bionic and Moto's other forthcoming devices are likely to have laptop docks of their own -- hopefully with a connector that makes the docking accessory interchangeable between models.

Apple iPad 2 To Be Physically Different From Original

More word on the next generation Apple iPad, as apparently the word is the Apple iPad 2 will be physically different shape wise to that of the original iOS tablet and may mean that accessory makers will have to postpone accessory launches until after the unveiling on the 2nd of March.

According to an article over on Itproportal, an unnamed but trusted Apple accessory manufacturer has apparently confirmed that the Apple iPad 2 will have a slightly different shape to its design and apparently a “particular Apple casing” wont fit the Apple iPad 2.

Apparently the guys have been informed that the Apple iPad 2 will sports a “slightly larger screen and a thinner bezel” than expected contrary to previous reports that the next generation tablet would sport a larger bezel.

Of course this could just be yet another rumour, but then again it’s not beyond Apple to surprise everyone and slip out an Apple iPad 2 with a larger display, which could even be HD, however, no doubt all will be revealed in two days time.

Mystery Shopper: Coventry

Mystery Shopper wants to purchase a prepay handset that includes monthly internet access, with a budget of 200

5: Orange

Product range – 5/5
Product knowledge – 2/5
Airtime knowledge – 2/5
Questioning ability – 1/5
Sales ability – 2/5
Shop appearance – 5/5
Total – 17/30

4: O2

Product range – 5/5
Product knowledge – 3/5
Airtime knowledge – 4/5
Questioning ability – 1/5
Sales ability – 2/5
Shop appearance – 5/5
Total – 20/30

3: Vodafone

Product range – 4/5
Product knowledge – 4/5
Airtime knowledge – 3/5
Questioning ability – 3/5
Sales ability – 3/5
Shop appearance – 4/5
Total – 21/30

2: Orange

Product range – 5/5
Product knowledge – 3/5
Airtime knowledge – 3/5
Questioning ability – 4/5
Sales ability – 3/5
Shop appearance – 5/5
Total – 23/30

1: Three

Product range – 4/5
Product knowledge – 5/5
Airtime knowledge – 5/5
Questioning ability – 3/5
Sales ability – 4/5
Shop appearance – 5/5
Total – 26/30

Summary

All the Coventry stores scored above-average and offered appropriate solutions. But it was the Three store’s mix of great customer service and commercial value that no other outlet could match on the day.

A variety of handsets were recommended, of which the majority run the increasingly popular Android operating system. It was the level of detail that separated the best from the rest, with issues ranging from very top-line handset descriptions to inaccurate tariff information lowering Mystery Shop scores.

Full review in Mobile News issue 483 (February 28, 2010).

Welcomm increases base with Crown buy

Dealer’s base surpasses 40,000 as company targets three more deals before the end of the year

Welcomm Communications has increased its base to more than 40,000, following the acquisition of Coventry-based dealer Crown Mobile.

Market Harborough based Welcomm, and O2 exclusive partner, acquired Crown for an undisclosed fee on February 12 adding close to 3,000 O2 connections to its base.

It is the third acquisition from Welcomm in just over 12 months, having purchased the O2 base of Nuneaton’s CDM Global (2,500 numbers) in November and Northamptonshire-based Dialect in late 2009 (5,000 numbers).

Welcomm chairman and founder Chris Stanton (pictured), who claims one of the closest strategical dealer relationships with O2, was alerted that Crown were considering exiting the business, by an O2 account manager.

Crown managing director Roger Adey, who founded Crown Mobile in 1993, setting up offices in Coventry and a service centre in Worcester, is now understood to have “semi-retired” from the mobile industry.

The Crown office in Coventry will be retained and re-branded as Welcomm, with no redundancies. However, Welcomm confirmed it did not acquire the assets for the Crown office in Worcester, which is expected to close at the end of its lease.

Stanton said he expects to acquire “at least” three more “larger” O2 dealers or dealer bases by the end of 2011 and more in 2012. He refused to name potential targets, however.

Welcomm moves to a purpose-built 7,000sqft office early next year to cope with the expansion.

HTC Thunderbolt Heading to Verizon Stores, Release Imminent?

After the expected release date of the HTC Thunderbolt smartphone for Verizon was moved with the expected release date now either the 4th or 10th of March, the word is shipments of the HTC Thunderbolt are now on the move to Verizon store.

According to an article over on Phone Arena by way of Gizmo Fusion, Thunderbolt handset are in transit to Big Red stores and that sales will begin once the stores have stock of the Android 2.2 Froyo 4G smartphone.

Thus it’s looking good that potential customers will finally be able to snap up the HTC Thunderbolt within the next few days, hopefully the 4th of March rather than the 10th, but even if it is the 10th, it’s still not too long to wait.

Price wise though it may be a bit tough on customers to have to shell out so much cash for the device as apparently the HTC Thunderbolt commands a price tag of a whopping 700 bucks, as reported (here), so with that price in mind will you still be hoping to snap up the HTC Thunderbolt?

Mystery Caller: Social networking

Mystery Caller decided it was time he took his ‘stalking’ habits to the next level. He wanted the best social networking phone out there for 30 a month

6: O2

“I was ringing for advice and he didn’t seem that keen to give it to me”

Manner – 1/5
Understanding – 0/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 0/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 1/5
Total – 5/30

5: Three

I didn’t see how insight into his personal life was going to help me in my search for a new handset

Manner – 2/5
Understanding – 2/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 1/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 2/5
Total – 10/30

4: Virgin Mobile

She asked again if she could call me back, which became downright annoying. I also didn’t appreciate her throwing services I hadn’t requested at me

Manner – 1/5
Understanding – 2/5
Knowledge – 2/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 2/5
Total – 11/30

3: T-Mobile

Rachel handled me efficiently, answered my questions and didn’t attempt to thrust anything on me without my asking

Manner –4/5
Understanding – 4/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 4/5
Total – 22/30

2: Vodafone

Was the music an investment by Vodafone to soothe its customers? It should be

Manner – 4/5
Understanding –4/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 4/5
Overall – 4/5
Total – 23/30

1: Orange

Like an old sturdy car, Orange spluttered to life, but then cruised down the highway at full steam

Manner – 4/5
Understanding – 5/5
Knowledge – 5/5
Helpfulness – 5/5
Clarity – 4/5
Overall – 4/5
Total – 27/30

Summary

Once again the network CSAs had an open chance to take this week’s challenge and run with it. Some did just that, but others simply weren’t bothered.

Stephen from O2 resembled an old school teacher who is fed up with life and doing his best not to bite someone’s head off. Mark from Three, while slightly more polite, could easily have done better. Grace from Virgin was OK at first, but her persistent hawking almost tipped me over the edge. Rachel from T-Mobile was a breath of fresh air, genuinely seeming to care, while Dan from Vodafone had enthusiasm like no other. But it was Ms Orange who stole the show, with a truly intelligent display from someone who clearly knew what she was doing.

Full review in Mobile News issue 483 (February 28, 2010).

Motorola Xoom Overclocked and Plays Nice at 1.5GHz: Video

Well folks if your 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core Motorola Xoom isn’t quite fast enough for your liking you can always overclock the Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet to 1.5GHz apparently, as evidenced in the video footage we have for your viewing pleasure below.

The footage of the Motorola Xoom being overclocked to 1.5GHz comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily Mobile and by way of YouTube user Coolbho3000, and lasts just over the five minute mark of showing the Xoom being overclocked using a custom kernel.

Apparently this resulted in a substantial increase in the Android tablet’s speed in both benchmarks and real-world situations, and apparently all the user needs is root access and the kernel to accomplish the same.

So if any of our Motorola Xoom sporting readers want to give it a go you can grab all the necessary from the guys over at XDA-developers, and if you do, feel free to let us know how you get on, but before then don’t forget to check out that video footage below…enjoy.

T-Mobile continues campaign against iPhone 4 with new 'State of the Smartphone' infographic

T-Mobile cares about you. It cares so much that it's spending all its advertising dollars lately making sure you know full well that the iPhone 4 can't do "4G" the way its own phones can. The latest salvo in this crusade of enlightenment includes the above graphs showing just how much faster and further your money can go if you ride along on the Magenta network. It conveniently ignores the fact that AT&T and Verizon offer other phones besides Apple's iPhone, some of which can handle speeds above the 3G threshold, but such is the price you pay when you want to have a really pretty and eye-catching chart. Hit the source link to soak up more of T-Mobile's priceless wisdom.

[Thanks, Ramon]

HTC Thunderbolt said to have terrible battery life, might explain delay?

We're hearing from... well, let's call them "people familiar with the matter" that HTC's Thunderbolt -- a phone that's supposed to be Verizon's first with LTE -- is experiencing positively miserable battery life that's making it difficult for testers to avoid carrying a second phone around as a backup. How bad? Two to three hours from full to empty in some cases. Of course, we wouldn't be surprised if battery life was really bad with the LTE radio left on -- the EVO 4G wasn't much different at launch with WiMAX lit up -- but the word on the street is that the power situation is largely responsible for the delays we've been seeing. In fact, our source tells us the phone is currently working on its sixth retail delay at the moment. More on this situation as we get it.

Update: We've just heard from another trusted tipster that there's definitely a new firmware in the works to address battery life and signal issues (which -- you guessed it -- are interrelated). Thanks, HTC Kid!

Consumer Reports Confirms Death Grip In Verizon iPhone

Apple just can’t get a break. Consumer Reports is, well, reporting that in their testing scenarios the Verizon iPhone 4 has the same “death grip” attenuation issues as the AT&T/GSM model.

Just as with the previous model, the Verizon iPhone 4 suffers from the same conductive gap issues and the problems manifest when you touch the small spot between the two pieces of metal cladding.

This means you’ll probably have to put your their fault”iPhone in a case and clearly the issue isn’t stopping the iPhone 4 from still selling like crazy.

With the iPhone 4, we placed a finger in contact with the lower-left-side gap. Reception typically dropped notably within 15 seconds or so of the gap being bridged. The iPhone eventually dropped calls when touched at very low signal strength—that is, at levels of around one bar in the phone’s signal-strength meter.

HTC Merge official, coming to 'multiple' US carriers this spring

Boy, we've had so many leaked materials relating to the HTC Merge that we kind of assumed the handset was official by now. Never mind, HTC is taking care of that little oversight now, admittedly much later than we expected the phone to show up, by announcing that the Merge will arrive on multiple US carriers in the spring. It brings Android 2.2, skinned with HTC's Sense UI, a 3.8-in touchscreen plus that slide-out keyboard, and a 5 megaixel autofocus camera with 720p video recording. Not bad, now let's see how those carriers decide to price this mid-range contender.

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HTC Introduces the Powerful, Feature-Rich HTC Merge

The HTC Merge™ Smartphone Brings Android™ and HTC Sense™ to HTC's First CDMA Android World Phone

Download image

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC Corp., a global designer of smartphones, today announced that the new HTC Merge smartphone will be made available through multiple North American carriers beginning in spring 2011. The HTC Merge smartphone combines a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard with the power of Android 2.2, the HTC Sense experience, a large 3.8-inch touch-screen display and a 5 megapixel camera to create a complete mobile experience for those looking for a truly complete smartphone. The HTC Merge is also HTC's first Android-based CDMA world phone.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110225/SF54676)

"HTC prides itself on creating unique solutions that meet the needs of different customers, and with features like a full keyboard and global 3G roaming, the HTC Merge smartphone is the perfect example of this commitment," said Jason Mackenzie, president, HTC Americas. "Combining the functionality of Android with the HTC Sense experience, the HTC Merge is the perfect device for those customers who are looking for a reliable mobile experience with the features and functionality of a smartphone, whether it's at home or travelling around the world."

Customers will appreciate seamless integration with Exchange ActiveSync, enjoy quick and easy access to Flickr® for sharing and viewing pictures, and find new ways to customize their experience with the Android Market™ with more than 100,000 applications. With a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, customers will be able to keep in touch with friends and family no matter where they are, as well as stay in the loop with Flickr, Facebook® and Twitter™ updates through HTC FriendStream™.

In addition, the HTC Merge smartphone has a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash that captures outstanding images, while 3G connectivity makes sharing those special moments with friends and family quick and easy. The HTC Merge smartphone also comes with integrated GPS, Wi-Fi connectivity and even the ability to capture high-definition 720p video.

Availability

HTC Merge is slated to be available from multiple North American operators beginning in spring 2011.

HTC Merge Announced At Last

The HTC Merge! Remember that thing? It was the focus of almost constant leaks back in 2010 (like this one, or this one , or this one) and then… nothing. It pretty much disappeared off the radar, with word that HTC had gone back to the drawing board to add LTE support.

Well, the HTC Merge is finally a real boy.

HTC just popped out a press release on the device, confirming that it’s an Android 2.2 phone with a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a 5 megapixel rear camera, a 3.8″ display, and that it’ll be HTC’s first Android-powered CDMA world phone. Alas, there’s no mention of LTE support — but they might just be holding that back for certain carriers (read: Verizon) to talk up when launch time comes sometime in “Spring 2011″.

Apple iPad 2: More Details Surface

Not long now until Apple hopefully pulls their finger out and unveils the next generation Apple iPad which is expected on March the 2nd, however more rumoured detail has again hit the net waves concerning the Apple iPad 2.

According to an article over on Phone Arena, the guys over at Engadget have some further detail on the Apple iPad 2 and they say their sources are “highly reliable” and claim that a couple of Apple iPad 2 features that were expected have now been reserved for later iPads.

The first rumour to be quashed is that the Apple iPad 2 will sport a high resolution display; apparently the iOS device won’t have this feature due to “engineering issues,” and apparently the device will remain the same as the original Apple iPad in that area.

Secondly expandable storage via an SD card won’t come with the Apple iPad 2, the device will not carry an SD card slot contrary to quite a few rumours that the second generation tablet would come with an SD slot.

So there it is, if all turns out to be true, looks like there won’t really be that much difference between the original and new Apple iPad, other than a slimmer profile, a more powerful processor, more RAM and the addition of a front facing camera of course.

Virgin Mobile Throttles Broadband2Go at Half of Previous Cap

Following its move to throttle users after the unexpected growth of its Broadband2Go service last year, Virgin Mobile has further reduced the amount of data that can be transferred at full speed before throttling is implemented on a customer’s account, from the previous 5GB limit to 2.5GB. While the operator previously implemented a 5GB soft cap on the 15th, the latest information suggests that Virgin Mobile has decided to maintain the unlimited data plan but will implement throttling on a more frequent basis with a lower transfer limit.

Virgin Mobile is also allowing customers that want to lift the throttling on the account to purchase an additional month of service at $50, but this makes the offering less attractive for home users and directly contradicts Virgin Mobile’s own marketing which touts it as a viable home broadband solution since home users are more likely to hit the new cap as well as those frequent travellers using Broadband2Go as an alternative to hotel Wi-Fi. Read more for the explanation.

Mobile Mouse Pro Remote App: Server Discussions & Download

Mobile Mouse Pro is one of the best apps to use if you wish to sync your iOS device to your computer and today we will discuss a little about the app, the features, what we think of it, server problems and your own discussions.

Mobile Mouse Pro (Remote / Trackpad) is an app that we would recommend you installing onto your Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad, we did this earlier on today on the iPad and must say how fantastic it is. We had a few teething problems trying to get it working but the official Mobile Mouse Support Page really helped a lot seeing as we are not clued up on a few things.

This app as said is fantastic and as said installed the app on our iPad and onto our MacBook Air, once all done you can control your computer with the iOS device that works beautifully.

Sit back and relax with your iOS device in your hands and use the Mobile Mouse remote to surf the Web check your emails, control your music library etc, you know basically whatever you please. We tried on the iPad and the iPhone and must admit it works nice on both but controlling is much easier on the larger iPad screen.

It is like the trackpad, you get left and right buttons and the rest of the screen is where you stroke for gestures. Check out the main features below:

Main Features Include: Accelerometer based mouse controller, Full screen vertical and landscape mode full screen trackpad, Ability to hide keyboard (Using the shake gesture if you like), Application switcher, shake in landscape mode to show, Media Remote where you can control the up and down volume and eject buttons, Web Remote, Numeric keyboard, Presentation mode (Keynote/Powerpoint), plus Remote keyboard with function and arrow keys, Application notifications, Programmable hotkeys and Scroll pad.

The Specs List Continues: Left and Right mouse buttons, On screen typing, Sleep/Wake your computer, Multitouch gestures (scroll & right click), Modifier Keys, Custom sensitivity settings, Foreign language keyboards, Password protection, High resolution graphics for retina display on iPhone 4, Supports Bonjour or static IP, Works with multiple monitors and much more.

Requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7 (32/64bit), Mac OS X Tiger/Leopard/Snow Leopard (Intel/PPC), Mobile Mouse Server Software and WIFI router.

Please visit iTunes if you wish to download the stunning Mobile Mouse Pro: Click for iPhone/iPod and please click for iPad. You will also need to visit Mobile Mouse Here to install the server application on your computer so that the Mobile Mouse app can connect to it, just follow the onscreen instructions for either Mac OS X or Windows.

Server Problems: Many customers who have installed this app on their iOS device s and installed the server application on computers have said that they had issues getting the two to sync, well please do not worry it is very simple process to get it all working and we do RECOMMEND you visiting the SUPPORT PAGE for in-depth help details. Do not worry just visit the support page it is very simple to follow.

For even more information about Mobile Mouse why not check out a few reviews via Cnet, The New York Times and Mac World, or you could just visit the Reviews Section.

If you already have this app installed please do post all your personal reviews and opinions in the commenting area provided below. Thanks, watch the video below – enjoy

iPhone 5 Not 4G LTE, 4G iPhone Delayed Until 2012

There have been quite a few rumours concerning the next generation Apple iPhone, currently being referred to as the iPhone 5, and along with the rollout of 4G LTE networks there has been speculation that the iPhone may release with 4G LTE support.

However apparently the iPhone 5 won’t be 4G LTE enabled as that little piece of tech has been reserved for the iPhone 6.

According to an article over on Pocket Now, The Street is reporting that Sam Greenholtz, an analyst for Telecom Pragmatics says the iPhone 5 which is expected this summer will not be 4G LTE as the next in the line, the iPhone 6 will deliver LTE support sometime in June 2012.

Apparently Geenholtz bases his comment on speaking with the usual unnamed and unconfirmed “people close to the matter.”

Furthermore according to the Street report, checks with several analysts and industry insiders support Greenholtz’ comments, while neither Apple nor Verizon would comment on the matter as usual.

So it would appear that the iPhone 5 won’t be playing nice on a 4G network and will be coming quite late to the 4G game with the 4G iPhone 6.

HP Palm webOS 2.0 Upgrade Debacle, Timeline Edition

We like Palm, and we like HP. We’re even partners with them on some levels. However, the failure to properly follow through on their commitment to deliver webOS 2.0 for all webOS devices keeps getting worse. We can only bullet-point the chain of events at this point, in “graphic” detail below:

* Palm commits to webOS 2.0 for all devices. Notes that original Pixi on Sprint won’t get Flash.
* HP acquires Palm.
* HP announces new devices and announces webOS 3.0. Later that night, HP says Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi, Pixi Plus won’t get webOS 2.0 as previously promised.
* HP explains the next day that the devices couldn’t handle webOS 2.0 well, promises “something special” to make up for it down the road.
* O2 issues Palm Pre Plus update to webOS 2.1 in Europe. Flash and Voice Dialing are missing from the update.
* HP changes position to saying that “some devices” will not be updated to webOS 2.x. HP tacitly acknowledges the O2 European Pre Plus has been updated to webOS 2.1.
* HP changes position again, saying that it is up to carriers to decide if their Palm Pre (Plus) will be updated to webOS 2.1.
* AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon all fail to respond to PhoneNews.com requests as to if they will offer webOS 2.1 on their Palm Pre (Plus).

And now, you’re up to date. User pressure will likely determine if HP will offer a webOS 2.1 upgrade for the Pre and Pixi family in the United States at this point. The code base is clearly there to do it, however, the lack of Flash, Voice Dialing, and some apparent wish to treat the software as unsupported have HP and carrier relations strained. Clearly, HP wishes to devote carrier testing time to new devices, and not exhaust it on old devices that sell for $49 on Woot-style sites.

Considering the PR blunder that HP has run into with this experience however, and customers whose first impression of webOS may be a $50 Palm Pixi Plus, it is our opinion that the best thing HP could do is offer an unofficial webOS Doctor on their web site… and let the users decide which webOS to run on their devices.

It is unlikely, again, in our opinion, that carriers would cry foul over such a resolution.

Today’s Mobile News in Brief (Feb 24, 2011)

As reported here on Cell Phones Etc. and across the Web, here’s your daily brief on what happened in the world of mobile phones this Thursday, February 24th 2011.

Official Android 2.3.3 updates for Nexus One and Nexus S unearthed, available to the impatient
Can’ wait for the OTA Android 2.3.3 to become available in your neck of the woods? If so, here’s good news for you. The official version of the update has been posted over at XDA Forums just waiting for your downloading pleasure.
BriefMobile

Apple finally GMs iOS 4.3, build 8F190?
There’s no official word yet from Apple, but according to one of BGR’s sources, the upcoming iOS 4.3 is ready to roll out. And based on the timing of it all, we might actually get to see this launched alongside the new iPad in next week’s event. Speculation, yes, but it’s highly probable.
BGR

HTC Arrive is Sprint’s first Windows Phone 7 device, launches March 20th for $200
Sprint’s first Windows Phone 7 device has arrived (sort of) aptly named the HTC Arrive. Don’t’ be fooled by the new name, though. This is just a rebranded HTC 7 Pro they have here. This QWERTY side-sliding touchscreen Windows Phone 7 handset packs a 1GHz processor under the hood, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording at the back, and 16GB of on-board memory. It’s already available for pre-order and is scheduled to hit stores by next month.
Engadget

WIND Mobile expands coverage to East Orleans
Despite their current legal woes, Wind Mobile continues to expand their growing network. This time around, they’re proud to let everyone in Ottawa know that their “WIND Zone has just been expanded to East Orleans!” Good news indeed for loyal Wind Mobile subscribers. Now, let’s just hope that all their hard work doesn’t end in vain due to legal constraints.
Mobilesyrup

Apple Patent Reveals iPhone 5 With NFC Icon
The iPhone 5 isn’t expected to arrive until sometime mid-2011, but if this newly discovered patent is any indication of what we can look forward to in the new iPhone, NFC support will definitely part of the package as evidenced by the new e-wallet icon. Of course, as patents go, this isn’t a done deal, but we’ll see.
Gizmodo

Sprint Announces HTC Arrive

As expected, Sprint has announced the HTC Pro 7 as the HTC Arrive for March 20th at $299.99 before an additional $100 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $199.99.

The Arrive features a 5.0 megapixel camera with flash, autofocus and 720p HD video capture, stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS radios. The phone also features a 3.6-inch display at 800 x 480 resolution, sliding and tilting QWERTY keyboard and is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 16GB of built-in storage and access to an additional 25GB of cloud storage.

Sprint is currently taking pre-orders for the device with the purchase of a $50 gift card in retail stores.

Sprint pulls Epic 4G Froyo update, cites data connectivity and SD card issues

Well, we're not quite sure what the trouble is with firmware updates for Samsung phones this week, but another one's just been pulled days after it was rolled out. This one affects the Epic 4G, which has now seen its recently released Froyo update pulled by Sprint, which says it's received reports of SD card issues and data connectivity problems from customers who've already installed the update. Still no word as to when a new update might be rolling out, but Sprint says that those who have already taken the plunge should be able to fix any problems with a hard reset -- after they backup all their data, of course.

Android Market adds e-books; movies and music soon to come?

The Android world's been a-buzz this last week over a few new Android Market URLS, including http://market.android.com/music/ and http://market.android.com/movies/. In case you thought there was nothing to this tip, guess again: the third member of this trifecta (http://market.android.com/books/) has gone live. That's right, visitors to the Android Market can pick up Glenn Beck's mile-a-minute thrill ride The Overton Window for a mere $9. We hope that takes some of the sting out of the fact that a Google Music launch wasn't part of this month's Honeycomb event -- although if we had to wager a guess, we'd say that the company will have Music and Movie offerings soon enough.

Apple iPad and iPhone Apps Price Drop from Gameloft

For all the iOS faithful out there that enjoy playing mobile games on their iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad the guys over at Gameloft are giving iOS app users a surprise sale, and have dropped the price of over 30 of their iOS games.

Now for those wanting to play away till their hearts content, Gameloft has reduced in excess of 30 iOS games down to just $0.99 on the App Store.

Games such as Modern Combat: Sandstorm, or maybe you’d like N.O.V.A -Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance, or how about Shrek Kart, or maybe some more experienced racing with Asphalt 5, perhaps you are into skating so why not pick up Skater Nation, or maybe some cut and slash action with Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles HD, the list goes on and on.

No matter what gaming genre you’re into on your iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad, there has to be a game in this big bundle of cut price iOS games that will suit your need, so head on over to Gameloft for the full list of games available and then hit up iTunes to grab them at this reduced price.

HTC Thunderbolt delayed until March 4th, says a Best Buy store with a Twitter account

Wondering why the Thunderbolt isn't in stores yet? Hard to say -- apart from the reeling HTC and Verizon employees might be doing in light of the Apple / Intel news -- but a Best Buy in California spilled the bad news on Twitter last night that it's now expecting Big Red's first LTE phone on March 4th. As Android Police points out, the store appears to have confused the day March 4th falls on (it's a Friday, not a Thursday), but we're figuring it's far more likely the date is right, not the day of the week. And if Best Buy has a launch exclusive on this thing, that means it could be another week or two beyond that before the phone shows up in Verizon retail locations and elsewhere. Bummer, eh?

HTC Thunderbolt Delay: Your Discussions

We reported earlier that the HTC Thunderbolt delay has got longer, we want to do is get to the bottom of the smartphone delay mystery and decided to have a ‘Your Discussions’ area just for you.

Could the Best Buy tweet be wrong or could there possibly be Verizon problems (You know like LTE network issues) that they want to iron out?

Now the new March 4th delay that we mentioned earlier via a Best Buy in Roseville Tweet could be true, but one commenter on our previous article noticed (we are sorry but we missed it) that the Twitter message by Best Buy says “Thursday March 4” but March 4th is not a Thursday it is a Friday, quite confusing now when you look at it.

Could Verizon be building some sort of excitement to make the product even better, you know “The Must Have Smartphone”, some of the comments on our other article mention that they have been to Verizon Wireless and sales persons say that it will be released February 28.

The Twitter message of the delay that came in could be just that area, another commenter here on phonesreview.co.uk mentions that their local Best Buy in Westwood, CA say they will have the handset on the 28th.

Please let us know what you think, is the tweet wrong, do you think Verizon is having problems, or do you think everyone should just relax and wait for the official release date?

Top Pay As You Go handsets, New Tariff and Competition

We have a few updates for you covering the top Pay As You Go mobile phones, new Tariffs with a few changes and a competition where you can win some stunning products.

e2save have just recently launched some amazing things, a tariff change, a new competition, plus some top amazing and very cheap pay as you go deals that you really do not want to miss out on.

We will start wit the new tariff changes, e2save have a new tariff on Vodafone (Vodafone 100 24m with Blackberry Data) at 15 per month giving customers 100 minutes, 500 texts, 250MB mobile internet and Blackberry e-mail.

The Competition: This is called ‘follow us competition’ and one lucky winner can get to bag a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, Asus X5DC notebook, Nokia X6 and ZTE F102 Worth a whopping 700. This competition closes 24th April, for the chance to win all you need to do is follow e2save on Twitter, Newsletter or YouTube.

Just to let you know the San Francisco is now back on sale for only Only 79.90 plus 10 top up. For more information about this particular mobile phone please visit here.

Check out these amazing top pay as you go handsets and deals: -

1. Nokia 1800 – Only 1p plus 10 top up.
2. Samsung C3050 Black/Pink Refurbished – Only 4.90 plus 10 top up.
3. Samsung E1080 – Only 1p plus 10 top up.
4. Nokia 2330- Only 14.90 plus 10 top up.
5. LG GS101 Refurbished – Only 2.90 plus 10 top up.
6. Nokia 2720 Fold Black – Only 24.85 plus 10 top up.
7. Nokia 6303i – Only 79.90 plus 10 top up.
8. Nokia X2-00 Refurbished – Only 28.90 plus 10 top up.
9. Orange San Francisco– Only 79.90 plus 10 top up.
10. Samsung Tocco Lite Refurbished – Only 34.90 plus 10 top up.

For more information about the above deals please visit e2save.com

Flood Alert App for iOS Devices Launched

In this day and age of storms and flood wouldn’t it be nice to be alerted to potential flood situations before you’re actually standing knee deep in water? Well if you own an iOS device, you’ve probably guessed there’s an app for that.

The Flood Alert app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad from Halcrow is the first flooding app on the market and uses the Environment Agency’s live flood warning data feeds, enabling user to quickly monitor flooding areas close to them.

With the Flood Alert app for iOS devices the Environment Agency deliver Halcrow with live flood warnings data throughout England and Wales 24 hours per day aand will enable users to receive alerts based on their location along with 2 extra locations.

Richard Crowder of Halcrow has said…“Over five million people in England and Wales live and work in properties that are at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Everyone in an ‘at risk’ area needs to be aware of flooding and the current weather situation, even when on the go”.

The Flood Alert app for the Apple iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone can be downloaded for free from iTunes while a professional Flood Alert app will be available later in the year along with an Android version.

Motorola Xoom Limited Edition Gold Up For Grabs

If you simply just can’t afford to shell out the required dosh to purchase the new Android 3.0 Honeycomb Motorola Xoom, there is an opportunity you may be able to win one of the tablets, but not just any Xoom rather a limited edition gold Motorola Xoom.

According to an article over on Android Central, Motorola is feeling generous and have used their official Twitter account to tweet…” We gifted movie star nominees w/ special gold Motorola XOOM tablets. RT for chance to win 1! http://moto.ly/xrules#motoxoom”

The link in that tweet send you off to an image of the gold limited edition Motorola Xoom along with all the necessary official rules of the Motorola Xoom contest, but basically all you need to do is if you qualify as per rules is re-tweet the original tweet.

Sounds simple enough doesn’t it, although no doubt there will be quite a few other people tweeting away, but as they say, you have to be in it to win it. One more point, the contest is only open to people residing in the US.

Motorola Xoom 4G Upgrade Process Details

Potential owners of the new Android 3.0 Honeycomb packing Motorola Xoom are obviously aware that on purchase the Android tablet will be playing nice on 3G, but only 4G LTE is ready the Xoom will be upgradeable to play nice on Verizon’s speedy new network.

But what is the process for upgrading your Motorola Xoom to 4G LTE? Well according to an article over on Droid-life, the upgrade to 4G LTE should become available roughly 90 days after release of the Motorola Xoom and will be free of charge to all Xoom customers.

Apparently Motorola will handle the software and hardware 4G upgrade, the upgrade will be available for up to 6 months after the 4G LTE launch, and that upgrading to 4G LTE isn’t mandatory and users must request the upgrade.

However the big downer of the 4G LTE upgrade is that the customer is required to send in their Motorola Xoom, which will take up to six days to complete, meaning of course you’ll be without your Android tablet for a while, and it is advised customer should back up any personal data before shipping.

Apparently you can get all the info you’ll require from the Verizon website once it goes live which apparently should be sometime today.

So the big question is, are you prepared to go without your Motorola Xoom for 6 days to gain 4G LTE capability, or will you just stick with 3G?

Apple to Unveil iPad 2 in San Francisco on March 2

Headed for those who care extremely about this kind of stuff–which would be pretty much everyone in the tech ecosystem–Apple will hold its much-anticipated event on March 2, where the tech giant seems poised to unveil a new version of its hugely successful iPad, according to multiple sources.

As in, iPad 2! Or, as BoomTown is now authoritatively nicknaming it: iPad Too. Analysts expect the iPad 2 to be thinner than its predecessor and feature an improved display, as well as front-facing camera and Face time video chat support.

And some reports suggest it will be powered by one of Qualcomm’s multimode chips and will run on both GSM and CDMA-based networks around the world. In its last earnings calls, Apple said it had sold nearly 15 million iPads, since it went on sale last spring.

This is a very big deal, although Apple will be facing increased competition with the launch of a pastel of tablets coming from numerous manufacturers, most of which are using the Honeycomb version of Google’s Android mobile operating system.

Source: dvcreators

Samsung Galaxy Tab Series Mounting with 8.9-inch Model by summer

Details about this handset is not very much provided here, but the Korean Yonhap News Agency is reporting that Samsung has an 8.9-inch Android tablet due in the first half of the year.

However this is according to a Samsung company spokesman speaking to the reputable news site over the phone. Yonhap also notes local media reports claiming that the tablet could be for sale as early as next month.

We first heard about Samsung’s plans for 7-, 8-, and 10-inch tablets way back in June – long before the 7-inch Galaxy Tab was announced. Now, with the 10.1-incher official, there’s no reason to doubt an 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab by summer.

Source: Engadget

Joystickers: For When You Wish Your iPhone (Temporarily) Had More Buttons

The iPhone is great for gaming… in some ways. The App Store as a distribution model? Fantastic. The finely-tuned development platform? Amazing! The lack of even a single physical face button beyond the one that exits the application? Ehhh, not so great.

While most game developers have learned to make do in this frightfully buttonless world, there are some ideas that simply require buttons. This has lead to a rather staggering number of games that draw their controls onto the touchscreen — which, for anyone who witnessed the control pad’s evolution from the palm-destroying corners of the NES to the pampering curves of today’s consoles, is a fairly terrifying idea. Playing a fighter game on a slab of tactility-free glass? No thanks.

Enter Joystickers’ Classics — they’re removable, reusable, arcade-style buttons built to give the iPhone (or just about any touchscreen device) that little bit of extra game.

So, how do they work? You take your iPhone, and boot up your favorite game that makes use of onscreen buttons. Slap one of these buttons on top of the onscreen button you’re looking to replace, push down, and bam! The Classic should hold in place thanks to a “special micro-suction cup material imported from Japan”, which they’re promising should stick and re-stick without leaving a mark.

Sadly — and contrary to what the “Joystickers” name might imply (get it? Joystick.. stickers?) — it seems that they’ve yet to come up with such a workaround for a Directional Control/D-Pad equivalent. In other words, even if you snatch these up and put’em all over the buttons, your other thumb will be left swimmin’ in a sea of glass for any of the directional input stuff that the game may involve.

Like so many of the crazy concepts we’ve been writing up lately, these buttons are part of a crowd-funded Kickstarter project. They’re trying to raise $25,000 to get the project off the ground, most of which they say will go toward funding the “prohibitively expensive” costs of injection molding.

Mobile Phone Usage Can Cause Temporary Brain Changes

As you are probably aware, health concerns over the usage of mobile phones has always been in the background for years, and by now everyone should realise that using a mobile phone when driving isn’t a good idea; and the latest info apparently show that even just placing the device to your ear can cause temporary changes to the brain.

According to an article over on Boston.com, new research recently published by the Journal of the American Medical Association make the claim that the simple use of a mobile handset can deliver slight effects on the cells of the brain; however apparently doesn’t extrapolate as to whether mobile phones increase any risk of brain cancer.

Apparently the study does show that using a mobile phone can temporarily raise brain cell metabolism such as glucose and sugar in areas that are close to the handset antenna and is apparently the first research of its kind to examine that area of brain function with a mobile phone.

The study ran “Positron Emission Tomography — an imaging test that measures cells’ uptake of glucose” brain scans on 47 healthy participants whilst a mobile phone was attached to the ear for 50 minutes during a muted call, the results of which showed a 7% increase in glucose metabolism in the brain area closest to the device.

According to Dr Nora Volkow, the study author, “It’s not a dramatic increase It’s more in the range of the brain activation that occurs in, say, the language center when you’re speaking,’’ and added, “I wish my study could enlighten brain cancer risks. But we don’t know whether activation from cellphones could be negative, or even whether it could be beneficial.’’

Does the thought that your smartphone may be able to make subtle changes to your brain although only temporary give you cause for concern, or do you feel the use of a mobile device is safe no matter what the medical profession reports?

Motorola Atrix 4G Disassembled In Teardown

As with most new devices sooner or later someone digs deep inside, rips the device apart and puts it on display, and now this has happened with the new Android 2.2 Froyo packing Motorola Atrix 4G, a little sooner than expected no doubt as the device only went on sale recently.

Anyway according to an article over on Ubergizmo, he guys how usually do this kind of stuff, iFixit, have now completed a teardown of the Motorola Atrix 4G revealing all its internals for the viewing public.

Apparently the guys did note that there isn’t much of any real interest inside the Android device other than that the glass panel isn’t glued in so replacing should be a breeze and that the device packs a Qualcomm MDM6200 HSPA+ chip.

The guys also state that the Motorola Atrix 4G should be an easy smartphone to repair should you accidentally break the thing, but other than that apparently there’s nothing to shout about.

The Motorola Atrix 4G teardown is accompanied by the usual guide on how the guys went about doing so, along with several images of the stages which can be view by checking out their website. Of course we do remind you not to try the same with your own Motorola Atrix 4G.

Microsoft pulls Windows Phone 7 update from Samsung phones until it can resolve issues

Such a big load of trouble for such a small update. Microsoft's first WP7 firmware refresh has been causing some unfortunate brick-like behavior in Samsung Omnia 7s and the company has wisely decided to pull the new software back until it can correct whatever's going wrong. An official communiqué to WinRumors says Microsoft has identified the issue at hand and is working to correct it and redistribute the update as soon as possible. For any Samsung WP7 phone owners who haven't been able to resuscitate their device yet, the advised course of action is to go back to the store and swap it for a livelier one.

Turnover drops, new contracts up at Everything Everywhere

T-Mobile and Orange joint venture reports a drop in turnover for last nine months but says contracts are up by 33 per cent

Everything Everywhere has reported a drop in turnover for the last nine months, but says it has sustained growth in its customer base.

In its financial results for the nine months to December 31 2010, the company said turnover stood at 5.3 billion – a drop from the combined 5.4 billion Orange and T-Mobile posted 12 months earlier.

Its adjusted EBITDA was 1.02 billion, down from around 1.2 billion over the same period in 2009.

Everything Everywhere chief executive Tom Alexander (pictured) said the drop in turnover and  EBITDA was down to “regulatory and competitive pressures”.

Everything Everywhere added 752,000 new net contract additions to its customer base over the nine months – a 33 per cent rise from the same period in 2009 when it added 567,000.

The company said 300,000 of these new additions came in Q4 alone, up from 267,000 in Q4 2009.

It said in total 82 per cent of all pay monthly connections in Q4 were smartphones compared to 50 per cent in the same period in 2009.

However it saw a decrease in prepay sales from 732,000 to 559,000 over the period.

The joint venture said it was set to hit its synergy target – laid out when it was formed – of 3.5 billion thanks in part to gross OPEX savings of 146 million in 2010.

Alexander said: “Our continued cost management has allowed us to invest in contract customer growth across both brands.

“The strategy for T-Mobile was to focus on costs and profitability, in contrast to Orange’s customer growth strategy; these strategies are now aligned, with a continued focus on costs coupled with a drive to invest in contract customer growth on both brands, as evidenced by the performance in the fourth quarter.

“The company is committed to the long term corporate strategy, as outlined back in September 2010 and expects to grow the contract customer base across both brands.”

RIM To India: You Know Google And Apple Encrypt Stuff Too, Right

The ongoing dispute between the Indian government and RIM is… well, ongoing, and I get the feeling neither side will be happy with the inevitable compromises. This week the understandably sullen RIM mentioned in a statement what it has likely been telling Indian officials the whole time: Blackberries aren’t the only devices with encrypted data services. It suggested Google, Apple, Cisco, HP, and several other companies as examples of other companies with similarly protected services. Will pointing the finger make a difference? Probably not.

As the de facto default solution for enterprise mobile security, RIM is in more of a prickly situation than the others, who don’t make the same promises of security, and whose products aren’t aimed in the same direction. India wants a back door into secret international business relations; consumers come later, once a method is established and the carriers cowed. Blackberry is the hard case they need to crack first.

I do think it’s a bit silly, however, that the government there is worried about encryption fomenting dissent or allowing terrorists to organize. I think we’ve seen elsewhere in the world lately that people don’t need encryption to topple a government. So relax, India! If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen!

Motorola Atrix 4G Now Available

As expected, the Motorola Atrix 4G is now available for purchase from AT&T. The flagship Android smartphone from Motorola features the capability to be docked to an optional Laptop Dock and be used as a netbook as well as a few other docking options for multimedia. The Motorola Atrix 4G is set at $199.99 after new 2 year agreement with the option to order multiple docks in the Entertainment/Webtop, HD Multimedia and Laptop docks from AT&T.

The smartphone features a 4 inch 960540 touch display, Android 2.2, 5.0 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and HD video capture, a Tegra dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and support for up to 48GB of memory, a front-facing VGA camera and 5.0 megapixel main unit with an LED flash, a 1930 mAh battery that promises nine hours of talk time and biometric fingerprint login security.

Third-party online dealer LetsTalk is currently offering the best deal on the Atrix 4G with the phone being offered for $129.99 after instant discounts and new 2 year agreement.

Nearly 30% Of Motorola Mobility’s Revenue In 2010 Came From Verizon

Verizon is pretty important to Motorola. Anyone with a TV could have told you that; just about every third commercial on the air last year was focused on Verizon’s “DROID Does” campaign and whichever Motorola DROID phone VZW was touting at the time.

Still, I don’t think I ever could have guessed just how important Verizon was to ol’ Moto in 2010. Go ahead — take a stab at how much of Moto’s revenue came from Verizon last year (assuming you didn’t already read the headline.) You ready for this? Twenty eight percent. Yep. Nearly thirty percent of Motorola Mobility’s revenue last year, all from one carrier.

One carrier that just got the iPhone. Uh oh.

The word comes from Motorola Mobility’s SEC Filing, which puts it rather bluntly:

During 2010, approximately 28% of net revenues were from Verizon Communications Inc. (including Verizon Wireless) (“Verizon”).

Now, lets recall what Verizon and Motorola sold together in 2010: the Droid 2 (and its variants, like Droid 2 Global and R2-D2 edition), Droid X, and the Droid Pro. Three phones, all pitched to consumers the exact same way: they were the anti-iPhone. (Of course, there was also the somewhat out-of-place and non-DROID branded Devour, which they opted to market as the phone that Meghan Fox uses in the bathtub. That phone was discontinued around 4 months later.)

I think my point is pretty clear by now: Motorola depended on Verizon for nearly 1/3 of their revenue, almost entirely around the idea that they made the ultimate not-iPhone phone. Now that Verizon has the iPhone, that’s a probably not a card they’re going to be able to play again. What’s a Motorola to do? They’ve got the XOOM coming up in just two days — but in a world quickly filling with me-too tablets, is a $600-on-contract tablet anywhere near enough?

I’m not a betting man, but if I were… I’d wager that Motorola’s going to take a bit of a hit this year.

Verizon Launching Motorola Xoom on Thursday

Verizon has officially announced the launch of the Motorola Xoom Android Honeycomb tablet for this Thursday, February 24th at $599.99 with a new 2 year agreement and required 2GB data plan or $799.99 without an agreement.

The Motorola Xoom features a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 10.1-inch capacitive display at 1280800 resolution, while 4G LTE connectivity will be made available as an update in Q2. Other specs include a 5.0 megapixel camera, 720p video recording and 1080p video playback, 802.11n WiFi radio, Bluetooth 2.1, and 32GB of on-board storage. The battery is rated to be capable of 10 hours of video playback on a single charge.

Official Arsenal App for iOS Devices

If you are a devoted fan of Arsenal and own an iOS device then you’ll need the official Arsenal app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad so you can keep up with all the latest breaking news and live match updates.

The Official Arsenal app for iOS devices delivers all the info an ardent fan of the Gunners, all the top news, fixtures, tables, player biographies, and even follow every first team match via the official Arsenal app.

With the Official Arsenal app the user gains live text commentary, match previews and reports, watch highlights; watch Arsne Wenger deliver the latest injury news, along with viewing match images after even Arsenal game.

The Official Arsenal app delivers push half time and full-time notifications, squad information, and the ability to purchase match package or login to Arsenal TV online to subscribe for exclusive video interviews with the boss and players, extended highlights although UEFA Championship League games are not included in the highlights, matchday show including pre-match build up and post-march reaction.

The Official Arsenal App for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad running iOS 3.0 or above can be downloaded to your chosen iOS device for a cost of $4.99 – 2.99 by hitting up iTunes.

Mosaic Photo Facebook and Flickr iOS App

Do you enjoy tinkering with your photos to give them an unusual effect, or maybe you like to create a mosaic of your favourite images, well you can do just that with the Mosiac Photo app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and of course the Apple iPad.

Mosaic Photo for iOS devices is a mosaic tool for your device that enables the user to create photographic mosaics from their own images that can be imported from Facebook and then shared on the users Twitter account.

With the Mosaic Photo app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad, the user can easily create image montages, random mosaics, and mixed mosaics, and the latest version of the app, v1.5 now features the ability to pull your images from Flickr.

Mosaic Photo for iOS devices now supports iOS 4.0 and fast app switching and high-resolution display is now also supported. The Mosaic Photo Facebook and Flickr app can be downloaded at a cost of $0.99 to your device from iTunes.

Mobile World Congress 2011: A Recap

Mobile World Congress 2011 has come and gone.  Some companies made a big splash in the event, while others simply allowed others to shine.  Here's a short recap of what happened:

Sony Ericsson had the big news of the event with its "Playstation phone" finally making an official debut.  The Xperia Play, undoubtedly, received the most attention in the show.  While most people who were there didn't appear to be all that blown away, it's still a signal that Sony Ericsson is making a serious effort in the Android space.

Android, of course, was a big star of the show.  In fact, almost all of the 24 new phones, along with many tablets, debuted at MWC 2011 had it as its OS of choice.  Google's mobile OS is getting bigger by the day, with no signs of slowing down.

LG made a splash of their own with a bevy of 3D devices, including the world's first 3D smartphone.  Personally, I'm not all that thrilled with stereoscopic displays and cameras, but I do know some people who are waiting for the LG Optimus 3D to drop with cash in hand (okay, maybe not literally).

HTC's Facebook phones got some attention, too, along with a roster of non-Facebook-centered Android phones.  While I can't really appreciate the value in a special Facebook button, we guess there's a whole world of Facebook junkies out there who will find such a feature irresistible.
Samsung hardly made a dent in the show.  Motorola and RIM, on the other hand, didn't really come with anything new to offer.  Nokia, of course, made current QT developers cringe with the Nokia/WP7 announcement.  Oh yeah, and the iPhone 4 is still the best device in the world (at least, according to MWC 2011 voting).

GSM Association Touts Increased Support for NFC Payment Systems

The GSM Association, the group that represents all of the carriers and vendors that are involved with providing products and services based on the standard has announced that many carriers and manufacturers will work together to make NFC products and services interoperable with many international services. The trade association has also announced that it will work to develop a set of certification and testing standards to ensure interoperability.

Carriers that have committed to the interoperability of NFC include Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Axiata Group Berhad, Bharti, China Unicom, KT Corporation, MTS, Orange, Qtel Group, SK Telecom, Softbank Mobile, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telekom Austria Group, and Telenor.

Closer to the US, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have formed the ISIS mobile payment venture with the Nexus S being the first NFC capable smartphone in the country currently available on T-Mobile as Android Gingerbread includes support for NFC hardware.

Seesmic for BlackBerry Twitter app

BlackBerry smartphones aren’t just for mundane work related stuff you know; you can actually have a little fun with a BlackBerry device now and again, and if you are a tweeting fan you can manage all your Twitter accounts with one little BlackBerry app called Seesmic.

Seesmic for BlackBerry is the app that lets business meet pleasure by grouping all your Twitter timelines into a nice single app and whether the user wishes to check out a friend’s timeline, view a list, locate a private conversation, or check on a saved search, Seesmic for BlackBerry does it in a single click.

The Seesmic for BlackBerry app can also update the user’s social networks such as Facebook, Tumblr and LinkedIn via Ping.fm. The Seesmic app for BlackBerry smartphones runs in the background and alerts of direct messages along with any replies that require the users attention.

For BlackBerry device users that wish to organise their Twitter accounts you can download the Seesmic app for BlackBerry, which supports all devices for free from BlackBerry App World.

Angry Birds 3D for LG Optimus, WP7 Xbox Live Mystery

Angry Birds is very popular indeed and it is coming to more platforms and of course news is coming in covering a 3D version and of course WP7 will come into play as well.

We mentioned yesterday that Angry Birds will play nicely on Windows Phone 7 and according to many sources such as Pocket-Lint and Brand Imposter Angry Birds 3D will be coming soon.

Angry Birds 3D will be produced for the likes of the new upcoming LG Optimus 3D smartphone and Nintendo 3DS, we know that WP7 has been welcomed but no one is sure as of yet if Angry Birds WP7 will make it to Xbox Live.

This game is hot stuff with over 12-million downloads covering devices such as the iPhone iPad iPod and even Android devices has seen a healthy 5 million times since its October 2010 release.

As soon as we get more information covering Angry Birds 3D we will let you know more, in the meantime please do comment below and let us know how much you would love a 3D version of Angry Birds.

NEC's MEDIAS N-04C is only 7.7mm thick, has Android 2.2, NFC, and no ambition to leave Japan

It's only been three months since the last avalanche of NTT DoCoMo phones, but that's not stopping the Japanese carrier from scheming up another hardware refresh. Leaked out ahead of what's expected to be a February 24th launch, we've now laid eyes on what's likely to be the highlight device of this year's spring batch : the 7.7mm-thick NEC MEDIAS N-04C. It follows last year's N-04B in nomenclature only, what with the older model being a flip phone, and offers a spacious 4-inch touchscreen, a 1seg TV Tuner, NFC contactless payments using Sony's FeliCa standard, and a skinned version of Android 2.2. Look out for it in Japan soon, but don't hold your breath if you live outside the sunlit kingdom -- history has shown devices like the N-04C tend to stick to their native market.

Xperia Play O2 UK Release on April Fools Day

If you love the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) then we know you will be happy about the O2 UK release Date.

Funny enough the O2 UK release is April Fools Day so let’s hope nothing goes wrong, if you look at the main Xperia Play information page it just says coming soon April, but on this page it says April 1.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is going to be the best gaming smartphone to date according to the makers and will take the world by storm; it will come with the latest Android smartphone technology.

Main Features Include: Android platform (2.3), PlayStation certified slide out gamepad with PlayStation buttons, 5-megapixel camera and brilliant 4-inch multi touchscreen, Access to circa 50 games at launch and thousands of apps from Android marketplace and Comes with 6 games preloaded on the device.

Please do let us know if you will be buying the new Sony Ericsson Xpreia Play phone?

AT&T bang Verizon in iPhone 3G Tests

Well, calm surprising to know that AT&T beats Verizon in iPhone tests. Ookla Speed Test app is available in the App Store, and the results of the test come from 43,000 AT&T and 14,000 Verizon users running the app.

On average, the AT&T iPhone down speed was 1769 Kbps with 730 Kbps up speed.

Verizon iPhone saw much slower speeds, averaging 848 Kbps down and 506 Kbps up. Most of the users ran the test multiple times during the study period, leading to a total of 155,000 test results. A number of users did mention that the speed test never failed on Verizon, while AT&T had a significant amount of failed tests due to a dropped connection.

Source: AfterDawn

Nokia N8 Keyed, Knifed, Frozen and More: Video

For those that enjoy a good old fashioned smartphone torture or just to make the Nokia faithful weep, we have some video footage for your viewing pleasure today of the Symbian^3 sporting Nokia N8 handset being put through various arduous tests.

The Nokia N8 torture tests video come our way courtesy of the guys over at the Boy Genius Report and by way of YouTube user Aleks25111983, and delivers just over six minutes of the Nokia N8 being keyed, knifed, frozen, buried, and washed by the sea.

Unfortunately the video footage commentary is in Russian, but basically you don’t need to know what’s being said to know that the Nokia N8 fares considerably well throughout all the torture tests, and that these tests aren’t done in a factory but in real life.

One thing before you rush out and test out your own Nokia N8, it isn’t a waterproof device so best not to try out that particular test. Head on down, hit that play button and check out the Nokia N8 torture test footage, laugh or cry, but enjoy.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini flip-flops, says he 'would've gone Android' if he were Elop

It's hard to say if Intel CEO Paul Otellini was simply misquoted the first go 'round, or if he really had a change of heart in the course of 48 hours. Either way, the most recent quotes coming from the highest of highs at Chipzilla paints a very different story than the one we first heard, and it's beginning to look like Intel and Microsoft may eventually wage some sort of war -- even if it's one that remains strictly at the software level. Reuters is reporting that Otellini had this to say when questioned about Stephen Elop's decision to select Windows Phone 7 as the future of Nokia's handset business:

"I wouldn't have made the decision he made, I would probably have gone to Android if I were him. MeeGo would have been the best strategy but he concluded he couldn't afford it."

That contrasts starkly with comments made just days ago, where he was quoted as saying that he would've made "the same or a similar call" if found in Elop's shoes. Continuing on the topic of differentiation, Otellini noted that "it would have been less hard on Android, [but] on MeeGo he could have done it." That said, he's confident that Intel "will find another partner," noting that carriers "still want a third ecosystem and the carriers want an open ecosystem, and that's the thing that drives our motivation." Now, the real question: which Paul can be believed?

CE-Oh no he didn't!: INQ chief says Android is too geeky for 'pretty girls'

Take one dose of improper generalization, mix it in with a heaping of condescension, and then add a pinch of good old sexism. What do you get? This quote, coming from Frank Meehan, CEO of the Android handset-making INQ:

"If you go to a nightclub in any city in the world, the pretty girl has an iPhone or a BlackBerry. She doesn't have an Android phone. She has no emotional attachment to an Android phone. It's too complicated. It's a geek device, it's all wrong."

Now, before you go emailing him photos of the Android tattoo girl, there is undeniably some smidgen of truth to the man's words. Android is a geek's dream ecosystem and it's not necessarily the most accessible platform in the world, but to completely write it off for the nightclub-going lady demographic doesn't strike us -- or Justin Timberlake, or Chad Ochocinco -- as the most astute idea in the world.

[Thanks, AC]

Cows vs Aliens Review: Simple Gameplay, But Very Addicting

Ah, casual games.  I love to hate you, yet, you keep coming up with clever gimmicks to hook me back in.  Cows vs. Aliens is the latest of your ilk to find its way into my iPhone and I have to say -- you have me begging for more.

As the title implies, the game has two main characters: cute cows and semi-cute aliens in spaceships.    While nowhere near as attractive as Angry Birds' wingless birds and pigs, they're deliciously adorable as well.  Plus, the gameplay makes it hard to put down.

In Cows vs. Aliens, you get waves of cows appearing from the bottom of the screen that you'll have to herd into a barn located at the top.  To prod the cows along, you touch parts of the screen, creating temporary circular barriers that push the bovine away (hopefully, towards the barn).  Complication is provided by aliens that are trying to get into your barn -- you need to push them to the sides while managing your herd.  If an alien gets inside the barn, the game ends.

Time constraints and an ever-increasing number of cows add challenge to succeeding levels, while the aliens also become more aggressive and harder to whisk off.  The scoring system is clever -- different points are assigned to each type of cow you can wrangle into a barn, with multipliers given for herding multiple animals at the same time.

While there's no more variation to Cows vs. Aliens beyond that, it is quite the addictive little time waster.   I'm sure I'll be sick of it in two weeks.  For now, though, it's a 99-cent download that I'm still enjoying.

[iTunes]

Google's MWC 2011 Android booth tour

It'd be no exaggeration to say that Google's Android booth here at MWC 2011 has been the most popular of them all. The Mountain View secret to this preeminence has been some combination of putting cutesy costumes on its now iconic robot logo, installing a slide for weary geeks to reconnect to their childhood with, and operating a fully fledged smoothie bar that offered up free Honeycomb elixirs. In short, Ye Olde Google has aimed to be fun first and foremost and the crowds have responded by keeping its booth constantly busy. Heck, we even saw our buddy Stephen Elop walking by, though his panther-like quickness was too much for our cameras to document the moment. Never mind, we've still got a ton of photos and video for you below, so why not dig into those while they're still hot?

Google's MWC 2011 Android booth tour

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook WebWorks App Demo Footage

If you are considering snapping up Research In Motion’s first mobile tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook once the device comes out to play, you might like to watch some video footage of what applications look perform like on the tablet.

Thus that’s exactly what we have for your viewing pleasure below, a video of the aura app developed by The Astonishing Tribe, which showcases the flexibility of the BlackBerry WebWorks platform.

The video footage comes out way courtesy of the BlackBerry Blog, and delivers one and a half minutes of checking out the aura app playing nice on the BlackBerry PlayBook during Mobile World Congress 2011.

Apparently the aura app was constructed completely using web tech such as CSS and HTML5, and was actually built in just one week. Apparently the aura app for the BlackBerry PlayBook enables the user to control the weather (obviously not the real weather as I’m pretty sure the BlackBerry PlayBook isn’t that powerful).

Anyway for those that wish to check out a BlackBerry app playing nice on the BlackBerry PlayBook, head on down and mash that play button…enjoy.

NYT: Apple considering a cheaper iPhone, but not a smaller one right now

Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal seemed pretty sure that an iPhone nano was inbound, but the New York Times' anonymous sources dispute that tale -- the paper writes that "Apple is not currently developing a smaller iPhone," and that the company is "not planning to introduce a smaller iPhone anytime soon." While the publication doesn't outright deny the existence of such a device at any point in the story, it does quote an anonymous Apple executive as saying that it doesn't make sense for the company to create multiple iPhone form factors at any given time, and an anonymous Apple engineer as saying that cheaper components, not a smaller size, would make for a cheaper overall price.

One thing's for sure: either Apple's making one, or it's not.

In related news, the Times' sources corroborate the idea that Apple will make MobileMe free, and say that the next full-sized iPhone is nearly complete. Woo!

Android Can Play Nice with Microsoft Kinect Via Hack: Video

So how about getting some action on with Microsoft Kinect via your Android device? Well apparently that’s what some hacker has now managed to achieve and we have video evidence to prove it, although I’m not too sure what the Android device is.

The Kinect hack to the Android device is apparently accomplished using openFrameworks, and the video demonstration which lasts two and a half minutes comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Ubergizmo and by way of the HirotakaSter YouTube page.

According to Ubergizmo this is a merging of Microsoft’s motion sensing Kinect with an Android powered device but there’s no software as yet. You can check out all the tech jargon by hitting up Noritsuna whre you can find links to making the thing.

As I’m not that technically minded when it comes to hacks and as I don’t even recognise what Android device it is, I’ll simply leave you to mash that play button and check out the video footage, and feel free if you recognise the device attached to the Kinect to let us know…enjoy.

GSMA and Cloudmark cooking up an SMS spam reporting system

If you get just five spam text messages a day then consider yourselves lucky, as a Chinese mobile user could easily amass at least 30 messages daily, according to Cloudmark. Fortunately, said company has been working with GSMA and various network operators on building an SMS spam reporting system, which should help drastically reduce worldwide cellphone spam. The idea is rather simple: in a multi-country trial that ended last December, participants from AT&T, Bell Mobility, SFR, Sprint, Vodafone, Korea Telecom, and the Korean Internet & Security Agency forwarded suspect spam to "7726," which is short code for "spam." Cloudmark's cloud-based system would then be able to identify and block these messages in the future, be it scams, linkbaits, or just ads from perverse companies. While this sounds like a perfect solution, it's not entirely clear how much this service would cost the operators, but hey, it's never too early to start a petition if you need it that badly.