November 9, 2009

Engadget Mobile

Engadget Mobile

Navigon updates US iPhone navigation app, live traffic updates are a go

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 04:35 PM PST

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A little later than previously alluded to, but Navigon's finally rolling out live traffic update to its MobileNavigator iPhone app. Same prices as mentioned before, it'll regularly be $24.99, but for the next four weeks, it's only gonna ring up at $19.99 for lifetime use, no monthly fees. Not that TomTom needed anything else to think about, of course. Full presser after the break.

Continue reading Navigon updates US iPhone navigation app, live traffic updates are a go

Navigon updates US iPhone navigation app, live traffic updates are a go originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Motus gets FCC approval, Sholes Tablet looking legit

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 03:11 PM PST

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Whenever a Moto with triband HSPA hits the FCC, we're naturally going to end up scouring the documentation -- what can we say, it's in our blood -- and today we've found a model claiming to be the rumored Motus. As a refresher, this is a device we'd heard would rock the Android midrange with a 5 megapixel AF cam, 3.1-inch QVGA display, and HSPA for a Q1 '10 release, so it's not much more than a tweaked CLIQ as far as we're concerned -- but the big news here might actually be that the Motus filing adds legitimacy to the leaked roadmap where we'd originally heard of it. That document made mention of a "Sholes Tablet" that takes the already-high-end DROID / MILESTONE further upmarket with an 8 megapixel cam and xenon flash, and as you can imagine, we'll be listening to our friends at the FCC pretty intently over the next few weeks to see if we can catch that one sliding through.

Motorola Motus gets FCC approval, Sholes Tablet looking legit originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 029 - 11.09.2009

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 02:45 PM PST

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"DRRRROOOOOOOOID." Okay, we spare you from actually playing the "DROID" alert sound at any point during the podcast, but the fact remains: Verizon's powerhouse from Motorola is a major topic of conversation on this week's show. Dig in!

Hosts: Chris Ziegler, Sean Cooper
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International)

01:38 - Motorola DROID review
22:15 - Verizon's LG Chocolate Touch skips on the BL40 influence
24:33 - Verizon's DROID ERIS by HTC does Android and keeps it cheap
30:25 - BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions
32:36 - HTC HD2 officially coming to US, out in Europe and Asia today!
36:44 - Telus kicks off HSPA+ network with iPhone November 5th, HTC Hero, LG New Chocolate and more to follow
41:16 - Bell confirms HSPA launch on November 4
53:02 - Listener questions

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 029 - 11.09.2009 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXX: HTC Hero gets iPhone flair

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 12:39 PM PST

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It's just like the old riddle: what looks like a Hero, thinks it's an iPhone, and does double-duty as an old-school FM handheld? Why, it's the TVG3 -- and when combined with some prototypical shanzhai flair, its (con)fusion of attributes from all over the cellphone space make this one a stunning exemplar of KIRFness. Behold! 3.2-inch touchscreen, G-sensor (aka gyroscope), dual sims, Bluetooth, WiFi, built-in TV tuner, HTC looks and an almost-iPhone UI: not bad for $130, eh? In case you won't be in Shenzhen any time soon, you can get a closer look after the break.

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXX: HTC Hero gets iPhone flair

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXX: HTC Hero gets iPhone flair originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T's Nation with Canada plans make border runs a little cheaper

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 12:01 PM PST

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Right on cue, AT&T has announced new Canada-friendly plans today that make the occasional trip to Whistler, Yellowknife, or Fredericton just a little more bearable. The packages range from $59.99 up to $219.99 a month with anytime minute buckets of 450, 1,350, 2,000, 4,000, and 6,000 and include compatible rollover and an extra 1,000 night / weekend minutes for good measure. Though the plans don't include data, you pay $2 a megabyte, which is the same rate as domestic (and is still plenty high enough to get you into serious trouble with a smartphone or tethering setup). Those on family plans can look into the action starting at $89.99 a month, so get on your snowshoes -- we're headed to Banff.

AT&T's Nation with Canada plans make border runs a little cheaper originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New DROID ads show off Android, will make a man out of you

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 10:23 AM PST

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"A robot is a thing that does..." Verizon / Google / Motorola are taking their ad onslaught to new heights and in a new direction, with three new ads (which will hit "soon," according to our tipster), two of which actually show off Android functionality. It's a bold new vision for a hyperbole-filled, guytastic campaign which shows no sign of letting up, and seems more than anything to be the complete antithesis to Palm's coma-inducing spots instead of an antidote for Apple's everyhipster sensibilities. Check out the three new DROID ads after the break.

[Thanks, DroidDoesItAll]

Continue reading New DROID ads show off Android, will make a man out of you

New DROID ads show off Android, will make a man out of you originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T intros USBConnect Lightning for 7.2Mbps service

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 09:54 AM PST

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When you're rolling out a new 7.2Mbps upgrade to your network, it naturally helps if you've got some compliant hardware in the stable -- so to that end, AT&T has announced its USBConnect Lightning from Sierra Wireless today. Apart from 7.2Mbps downlink capability, the new model's little more than a run-of-the-mill USB stick so there's not a lot to say about it, though it features a trick swiveling USB connector that should make the thing more likely to work with unusual (and unusually tight) port configurations. It'll be available on November 22 for free after rebate on contract, just in time for service launches in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami expected by the end of the year.

AT&T intros USBConnect Lightning for 7.2Mbps service originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 09:29 AM PST

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Up until now, there have been just two ways to get HD Radio in a portable, handheld solution: buy a Zune HD, or opt for Insignia's NS-HD01. As of today, Gigaware is changing all that, and it's hoping to give HD Radio a kick in the pants by opening it up to every single iPod touch and iPhone user in the US. iBiquity's own HD Radio module has been tucked neatly inside the clickwheel dongle you see above, giving any iPhone / iPod touch with iPhone OS 3.0 (or greater) the ability to listen to HD Radio and FM stations in their area. The (now available) adapter itself sells for $79.99 exclusively at RadioShack, while the accompanying app -- which sports a manual tune wheel or auto-seek option, social network integration, bookmarks and iTunes Tagging -- is available to download free of charge. It's a novel idea, sure, but something tells us the limited availability and lofty price tag will keep it from selling like gangbusters.

Continue reading Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80

Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM unveils tighter Adobe partnership, new app payment platform, OpenGL ES support, more

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 09:00 AM PST

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There aren't any new devices in the mix, but RIM has unleashed a torrent of BlackBerry OS-related news today at its BlackBerry Developer Conference in San Francisco that's sure to make devs happy in the short term -- and you know how that goes: when devs are happy, it doesn't take long before end users reap the benefits. Here are the highlights:
  • BlackBerry devices running OS 5.0 and higher will be able to benefit from OpenGL ES support, the 3D platform used by many of the world's high-power smartphones for delivering killer games. There's a beta of the SDK already, so let's get cracking, everyone -- we need some first-person shooters that totally negate BlackBerry's ultra-productive image.
  • A new plugin for the Eclipse development environment should make building BlackBerry app GUIs easier than ever, which should hopefully lead to prettier apps; it'll be available in mid-2010.
  • BlackBerry Theme Studio is now available, simplifying theme creation with support for changing the home screen layout, fonts, icons, colors, cursors, and more; it supports BlackBerry OS 4.2.2 and higher, which means that virtually every BlackBerry in a pocket (or holster) today should be able to take advantage. The timing's perfect on this one, because RIM has also announced that themes can now be submitted to App World.
  • BlackBerry Payment Service has been announced for mid-2010 availability, bringing in-app payments, subscription support, and a variety of billing options, which all sounds far more robust than the PayPal-only setup they've got going today.
  • The Push Service made available to Alliance Program members earlier this year will be made available to all comers in "early 2010," making it easy to push bite-sized chunks of "time-sensitive alerts" to phones quickly and easily.
  • BlackBerry Advertising Service has been announced for 1H 2010 availability, bringing a unified ad platform for developers with a variety of existing ad networks on board. If this means more free apps in App World, we're all for it.
  • Expanding on the Flash partnership previously announced, RIM has teamed up with Adobe yet again to unveil tight integration with Creative Suite 5 with direct file exports for BlackBerry-optimized formats and the creation BlackBerry-specific web layouts. End users will also be able to pull files directly off their BlackBerrys into consumer offerings like Photoshop Elements. This particular news seems pretty fluffy since Adobe products are already capable of opening and saving media formats that the phones can use -- but as with many of the other announcements here, we're on board as long as it means better-looking apps.
Sure, we wouldn't have complained if some crazy Storm2 with a QWERTY slide had unexpectedly shown up, but all things considered, BlackBerry software shops have to be salivating at the bounty here.

RIM unveils tighter Adobe partnership, new app payment platform, OpenGL ES support, more originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's X6 to ship next week, maybe sooner if you're lucky

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 08:41 AM PST

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It's been a few months since Nokia's X6 hit the scene, but the touchscreen-based, S60-lovin' smartphone is just about ready to ship out to those who've managed to avoid all of the other stellar options that have launched since early September. It seems as if Nokia is gearing up to ship the phone in at least some parts of the world exactly a week from today in concert with a Rihanna release party. And if Expansys is correct, folks in the UK will see their orders ship out on November 12th. Too bad that £529.99 ($891) price tag is darn near debilitating, but hey, awesomeness has its price.

[Via Brighthand]

Read - Rihanna / Nokia shindig
Read - Expansys order page

Nokia's X6 to ship next week, maybe sooner if you're lucky originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Touch2 coming to Rogers, maybe in fancy colors?

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 06:39 AM PST

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The HD2 has largely blinded us to any other Windows Mobile-based HTC in the lineup right now, but be that as it may, there are other products in the mix, believe it or not -- and Rogers apparently has its eye on one of 'em. Rumor has it that the Canadian carrier is looking at scooping up the low-end Touch2, possibly in a couple wild colors like red and blue -- and considering what we see here in these spy shots, we'll go out on a limb and say that those color choices would be a Good Thing. The phone itself lacks the kind of excitement and buzz that a middling Android-powered phone like the Tattoo is still capable of garnering, so eye-popping cases might be just what the doctor ordered to keep this one in the mix at the cash register. There's no word on pricing or availability for this one just yet... but yeah, Rogers, how about that HD2?

HTC Touch2 coming to Rogers, maybe in fancy colors? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte fixes iPhone sync issue with BIOS update

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 05:47 AM PST

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The Intel P55 Express chipset snafu that caused iPhones to lose their syncing minds has now been remedied -- at least by one motherboard maker. Gigabyte has issued a BIOS update making things all hunky-dory between the phone and the mobo, putting your troubles to an end. The P55 is Intel's latest midrange chipset and orchestrates things for newer Core i5 / i7 machines. The other two P55 purveyors, ASUS and MSI, were also caught by the bug, and there are anecdotal reports of success with an ASUS BIOS update, but not official fixes as of yet. Given the competitive nature of this market, though, we'd be surprised if those two companies didn't quickly follow suit. All's well that ends well, right?

Read - Gigabyte Beta BIOS download page
Read - Update fixes iPhone sync problem

Gigabyte fixes iPhone sync issue with BIOS update originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung pays Qualcomm $1.3 billion to secure wireless licenses

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 03:11 AM PST

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Samsung and Qualcomm have wrapped up a cross-licensing deal with ten figures of US currency in it, which will permit the Korean giant to continue producing 3G- and 4G-enabled wireless devices for the next 15 years. In exchange, Samsung is letting Qualcomm make use of its own 57 patents on mobile technology and splashing out a further $1.3 billion as a down payment. Further royalty payments are involved, but not detailed, but just as a reference point, that's more than the new Dallas Cowboys stadium and its ultra-huge scoreboard cost to build. The move is a renewal of the two companies' current arrangement and Samsung has boldly claimed the terms of the new contract are more favorable to it, but we get the feeling the champagne will be flowing in San Diego this week.

[Via MobileTechWorld]

Samsung pays Qualcomm $1.3 billion to secure wireless licenses originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia initiates shocking charger recall program (update: affects 14 million)

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 01:30 AM PST

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New Nokia owners take notice: Espoo just launched an "exchange program" for certain Nokia-branded chargers. According to the world's largest handset maker:
"We have determined that the plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger's internal components and potentially posing an electric shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket."
The chargers affected are models AC-3E and AC-3U, manufactured between June 15 and August 9, 2009, and model AC-4U, manufactured between April 13 and October 25, 2009. Fortunately, Nokia provides a website that removes all the guesswork from obtaining your free replacement.

Update: Gulp, looks like we're talking about 14 million defective chargers.

Show full PR text
NOKIA PRESS RELEASE November 9, 2009

Nokia initiates charger exchange program

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today initiated a charger exchange program, in which consumers owning certain Nokia-branded chargers manufactured by a third-party supplier are recommended to exchange these chargers for free replacements.

During a routine quality control process, Nokia identified a potential product quality issue with certain chargers manufactured by one of its third-party suppliers. The plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger's internal components and potentially posing an electrical shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket. Nokia is not aware of any incidents or injuries related to these chargers.

Only a limited number of chargers of certain model types manufactured by a single third-party supplier during a specific time period are within the scope of the exchange program. They are the AC-3E and AC-3U models, manufactured between June 15, 2009 and August 9, 2009; and the AC-4U model, manufactured between April 13, 2009 and October 25, 2009.

For more information, including how consumers can check to see if their chargers are part of this exchange program, Nokia has established a website. Consumers are asked to visit http://chargerexchange.nokia.com or their local Nokia website.

Nokia recommends consumers with chargers within the scope of this exchange program to stop using the charger and exchange it for a free replacement.

Nokia initiates shocking charger recall program (update: affects 14 million) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobiado keeps going with the analog clock meme, intros Professional 105GMT Stealth and Antique

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 12:32 AM PST

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When you hear "ability to see 3 time zones simultaneously" quoted as a feature on a phone, you generally don't expect two of those three to be expressed as analog Swiss movements -- unless you own Mobiado's absurd Professional 105GMT, of course, which features two old-fashioned clocks directly below the keypad. Weird, yes; excessive, most definitely, but excess is what luxury phones tend to be all about these days, and in that regard, the 105GMT definitely fits the bill. To that end, Mobiado has just introduced two new versions of the model, the Antique -- with watch faces crafted in rare Cocobolo wood -- and the Stealth, which is as "murdered out" as a phone gets (as the kids would say) thanks to gunmetal black treatment everywhere you look. Both phones are hard to find and even harder to pay for with stickers that run into the thousands of dollars, but the good news is that if you're weird enough to drop that kind of coin on a phone, we bet you probably don't care that it's only got a 2 megapixel camera.

[Via mobile-review]

Read - Professional 105GMT Antique
Read - Professional 105GMT Stealth

Mobiado keeps going with the analog clock meme, intros Professional 105GMT Stealth and Antique originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Palm Pixi unboxed on video

Posted: 08 Nov 2009 09:02 PM PST

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Oop, looks like the crew at WireFly didn't get the memo on the Sprint Palm Pixi launch -- they've gone ahead and posted up an unboxing video a week ahead of official availability on the 15th. Nothing too unexpected here, but honestly, what were you expecting for $100? Video after the break.

[Thanks, bnm]

Continue reading Sprint Palm Pixi unboxed on video

Sprint Palm Pixi unboxed on video originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First iPhone worm rickrolls jailbroken phones

Posted: 08 Nov 2009 07:48 PM PST

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We sort of knew this would happen as soon as we heard about that iPhone wallpaper hack in the Netherlands -- a hacker named ikex has created what's apparently the first iPhone worm, and it's currently infecting jailbroken iPhones across Australia. The "ikee" worm, as it's being called, takes advantage of the fact that jailbroken iPhones with SSH installed all have the same default root password of "alpine," and once in the system it changes your wallpaper to an image of Rick Astley and then tries to install itself on other jailbroken iPhones on the network. Sophos says it hasn't confirmed any infections outside of Oz, and to be clear, this worm can't get to stock iPhones or jailbreak owners who haven't installed SSH -- but if you're running a hacked phone we'd say you should change that root password just to be safe right away. Get to it, kids.

[Via PMP Today; thanks to everyone who sent this in]

First iPhone worm rickrolls jailbroken phones originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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at 6:18 PM