Considering the legal battles between Samsung and Apple, it was surprising to see Samsung selling an exact copy of Apple’s Smart Cover dubbed the Smart Case. It was made by Korean company, Anymode, which has a “strong affiliation” with Samsung, and was supposedly available in Samsung shops in Korea and on the Anymode website.

Samsung has already pulled the product and made the following statement:

As a general practice, Samsung Electronics reviews and approves all accessories produced by partners before they are given the “Designed for Samsung Mobile” mark.

In this case, approval was not given to Anymode for the accessory to feature this official designation.  We are working with Anymode to address this oversight and the product has already been removed from the Anymode sales website.  The product has not been sold.

I doubt Samsung should continue their “strong affilation” with Anymode moving forward. Something tells me that this is definitely something Anymode “cooked up.” Lets face it, Samsung would not be that stupid to release the product, only to then realize that it is a complete knock off, and pull it.

Samsung Smart Cover knock-offs come and go faster than the speed of light

Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Nokia is ending its bundling of free music downloads with cellphones in 27 countries, where it has gained little traction since its 2008 launch.

The world’s top cellphone maker will continue to sell phones with 12-month subscription to free music downloads in China, India and Indonesia and with 6-month subscriptions in Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.

Ovi Music Unlimited, previously known as Comes with Music, is a music subscription that has been included on some Nokia phones. It allows users to download an unlimited amount of music to their PC or over the air to the phone. After the subscription is over users can continue to listen the tracks they have downloaded.
Nokia unveiled the service in late 2008 — but the Comes With Music program has lacked operator support and failed to attract many customers. All four major labels — Vivendi’s Universal Music, EMI, Warner Music Group and the music arm of Sony — signed up for the service, which was seen at start as a major challenger for Apple’s iTunes.

Reasons behind the lackluster performance include use of older supporting handsets for the product at its launch, digital rights management (DRM) software that tied downloaded music to the device and a difficult to understand product offering.

“The markets clearly want a DRM-free music service,” said a spokesman for Nokia, adding the firm continues to offer DRM-free tracks through its music store in 38 countries. DRM software limits sharing of songs between different devices.

iTunes accounts for 70% of worldwide online digital music sales, making the service the largest legal music retailer. Other services besides iTunes, such as Spotify, also offer access to music on their smartphones for a monthly fee.

Consumers with the free music bundle in the 27 countries where the sale of the service have stopped will continue to have access until their subscriptions run out.

View full post on dailywireless.org

The LG Optimus 2X was announced a few days back, and North America was nowhere to be seen on the “coming to” list. However, if the rumors that RCR Wireless is reporting can hold water, it will and it will do so soon. The dual core beauty could make its way to T-Mobile US by month 3 of the new calendar.

The LG Optimus 2X is the new standard for what a smart super phone should come loaded with. Dual core Tegra 2, HDMI mirroring, 4 inch WVGA display, 8GB internal memory complemented with a microSD slot, 8MP camera, front facing camera, DLNA out of the box. The only thing this phone is lacking is a huge battery, 1,500 mAh just wont do it for very long unless LG has broken the laws of thermodynamics.

Hopefully we will learn much more about this phone come CES. Until then, I’ll be sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for March.

[via RCR Wireless | Seen at Engadget]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

The first round of the AndroidSPIN 2010 Holiday Triple Tablet Give-a-way has come to an end and the following person has been chosen as the winner of the Camangi WebStation Android Tablet.

 

“mistrme”

“I deserve a Camangi Webstation Tablet for the 2010 holiday season, because …. i’m trying to make this holiday season even more amazing for my girlfriend. On top on getting ready for our first child coming soon. A tablet was her most wanted gift but moneys falling short for presents for eachother. I would love to see her happy.“

The next round is now open so head over to the AndroidSPIN 2010 Holiday Triple Tablet page and check out the next Android tablet to be given away to another lucky winner.

View full post on AndroidSPIN

 

Research In Motion Co-CEO, Mike Lazaridis has just hit the stage at the All Things D: Dive Into Mobile conference and already he has confirmed to Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher that Research In Motion has plans to offer tablets in different sizes. When questioned regarding the current size of the BlackBerry PlayBook Mike Lazaridis noted, "We’ve got different sizes potentially coming". In addition to the size of the PlayBook being questioned, Lazridis was also questioned when the QNX operating system would be available for BlackBerry smartphones. Mike’s reply still leaves us wondering when exactly but gives us an idea of what they are waiting for. Lazaridis stated when Research In Motions moves BlackBerry smartphones to dual core systems; we will then see the QNX operating system arrive and also noted the "next generation of BlackBerry smartphones will be great". We’ll have more as the updates continue as well as video as soon as we can but, for now you can view the live blog over at the All things D website.

Click Here To Head On Over To The Live Blog

Source: All Things D

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Mike Lazaridis confirms RIM has plans for tablets to come in different sizes

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

Boston’s Museum of Science recently opened two new exhibits: Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly and K’nex: Thrill Rides. Both fall short of the museum’s typically high quality exhibits.

Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly was not a terrible exhibit. It holds itself out as the world’s largest traveling reptile exhibition and was created by Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland. Beyond the wide range of reptiles, it’s well designed for kids. The viewing windows were at kids’ eye level. That means you don’t need to pick up the little ones to see what is behind the glass. The reptiles are easy to see and easy to find in the tanks. I did need to get on my knees a few times to help spot the more elusive animals. (Yes, that included the chameleon.)

The problem with the exhibit was its subject matter. Being cold-blooded, reptiles are rarely interesting to watch. They generally lie motionless most of the time. A curled up boa constrictor is interesting for a minute, but my three-year old and six-year old grew quickly bored staring at the lump of scales. Even the alligator snapping turtle, with all of its dinosaur-like ferocity, just floated in the water waiting for a fish that never came.

K’nex: Thrill Rides was a blatantly commercial exhibit with little, if any, educational value for kids. There were two dozen interesting thrill rides made with K’nex. A six-foot tall Ferris wheel stood in the lobby, enticing visitors. The purpose of the exhibit is to allow visitors to explore the science, math, and technology behind amusement park thrill rides. Unfortunately, the models in the exhibit are poorly lit and fenced off from prying hands by panes of glass. That made them easy to ignore.

The kids just ran to the bins of K’nex parts in the exhibit. Bins and bins of the brightly colored pieces sat in assembly stations waiting for little hands to mash them together and cherish the end result. At least the museum knows a revenue stream. You won’t have to force your kids to rip apart their creations when you leave and send them into tears. You can buy them on the way out. The sale price is based on weight. There is also a wide selection of K’nex kits available for purchase. Just try getting out of the K’nex exhibit without buying something.

I’ve started going to Museum of Science every six months since they started letting me participate in their Media Family Day. That means free admission and small gift for the kids (a small K’nex kit). For me, it’s a great reason to spend a day with kids exploring their current interests in science.

After the Reptiles and K’nex, the kids went to some of their favorite exhibits. My three-year old has entered her dinosaur phase. My six-year old is currently fascinated with ships, so he was entranced by the nearby collection of model ships. The kinetic sculpture “Archimedean Excogitation” by George Rhoads is one of my kids’ favorite exhibits and they ran to it when we first entered the museum.

Even if the temporary exhibits are underwhelming, there are plenty of great things to experience at the Museum of Science.

(All images by Doug Cornelius)

View full post on GeekDad

In honor of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, at midnight on Thursday, we over at GeekMom hereby declare this Harry Potter week!

Each day on GeekMom, we’ll have new posts that tackle a different angle of the Potterverse.

The week kicks off with The Spellbinding Awesomeness of Lego Harry Potter, Years 1-4 and Harry Potter: Why the Movies Just Can’t Compare. We’ll have new posts each day, culminating in a review of Part 1 of Deathly Hallows! Please join us as we celebrate the beginning of the end of an era.

View full post on GeekDad

Verizon announced today that new models of the Samsung Fascinate, Moto Droid X, and Droid 2 will come with the Kindle Android app preloaded. The Kindle for Android app gives users access to over 700,000 books, which they can download and read right on their Android device. We’re assuming that the newest shipments of the above devices will be the first to come with the app preinstalled. If you don’t already have Kindle for Android, search for “Kindle” in the Android Market or scan the QR code below It’s a great app and definitely worth a look.

Press Release

Kindle for Android to Come Preloaded on Fascinate, Droid 2, and Droid X originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

VOTE NOW!  What is your take on all the Android Market alternatives?

View full post on AndroidGuys

Since my evaluation Nokia N8 hasn’t arrived quite yet I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for my friend Rafe Blandford’s coverage on All About Symbian to post. Rafe and Steve went above and beyond the call of duty in posting this first part of their extended N8 series and offers in depth thoughts, screenshots, and video that I have yet to see from anyone else on the Internet. We can expect MUCH more from the experts there at All About Symbian and I will try to supplement that with my American take on the device.

I was extremely impressed with the video they shot showing some features I was unaware of in regards to the video recording capabilities, including the amazing digital zoom and depth of field features. I always have written off digital zoom and cannot tell you how impressed I was with what Rafe and Steve showed on the N8.

You may also want to check out unboxing and first impressions and T-Mobile vs AT&T 3G speed tests over at The Nokia Blog. I do not have AT&T so I will only be testing out T-Mobile, but as you know the Nokia N8 is the first penta-band smartphone so we no longer have to worry about that rubbish of US AT&T vs. T-Mobile vs. the rest of the world for data speeds. It was also nice to see Mark’s T-Mobile SIM spank AT&T, but that is highly dependent on your geographic location. HSPA+ is rolled out here in the Seattle area, so I may see quite fast speeds even though the N8 doesn’t support HSPA+ itself due to the way the data is still managed by T-Mobile.

View full post on Nokia Experts

Image via Wikipedia

No, it’s not just the movie. Nor is it the (fun, but limited) soundboard available now. No, someone is making an Army of Darkness game for the iPhone:

The movie might not seem like a good fit for touchscreen platforms, but Backflip told Touch Arcade the game will rely heavily on castle-defense mechanics. Players will use their boomstick and chainsaw to protect the Necronomicon from hordes of nasty Deadites. Backflip promises that all of Campbell’s best quotes will pop up in the game’s audio.

I’ll be downloading that faster than you can say “Klaatu barada necktie!”

Read the full article here at Be the Gamer.

View full post on GeekDad

Happy Comics Release Day!

When I’m reading comics, particularly my favorites, finishing one story often inspires me to pick up another with the same characters or by the same writer. Over the last month, I’ve written about The Dark Knight Returns and Sandman Mystery Theatre.

They both led me to Kingdom Come.

Similar to The Dark Knight Returns, this story features an alternate future for the DC universe. It begins with the death of the elderly Wesley Dodds, the star of Sandman Mystery Theatre, passing his prophecy of seemingly inevitable world destruction to an ordinary man.

Kingdom Come is co-written by Mark Waid, whose other works I’ve reviewed in this column before.

But the best-known creator associated with the story is co-writer and artist Alex Ross. This may be his masterpiece.

Summary:

The world is devolving into chaos as a new generation of superheroes use the Earth as their playground, uncaring of civilian casualties or in providing a good example. Think Paris Hilton with superpowers. They’ve moved into a gap left by Superman, who’s isolated himself after the death of Lois Lane and society’s subsequent sanction of the murder of her killer.

Readers travel along the story with Norman McCay, a pastor who receives Dodd’s powers of future perception, and The Spectre, a supernatural being who is the representation of the Angel of Death. After a horrific accident in America’s heartland kills over a million people, Superman is jolted back to the real world.

The superhumans then form three groups: Superman, mentally vital again and determined to bring order, a villain’s alliance determined to make sure they come out on top in this struggle, and Batman’s army. Bruce Wayne, using an exoskeleton for support, wants to find some middle road that doesn’t put humanity at the whim of those with superpowers.

What Kids Will Like About It:

It’s epic. I don’t know of any other way to describe the story. DC characters because are such perfect mythic archetypes. As much as I admire Marvels, a series about iconic Marvel Comics characters that featured Ross’s art, that is more grounded in the everyday and much more episodic than Kingdom Come.

The fact that the Bible’s Book of Revelations is used extensively throughout only underscores this epic feeling. The struggles feel earth-shaking, as in the Lord of the Rings.

There are many, many battles — which my kids loved. They also enjoyed seeing the new generation of heroes and reading the guy they call “cranky Bruce Wayne” from Batman Beyond. The Wayne in this book isn’t the same but he’s close enough that it didn’t matter to my kids.

What Parents Will Like About It:

If you loved superheroes when younger, this is the story for you. It serves as a counterpoint to the grim and realistic era of superheroes where being a hero seemed to count for very little. The concern about heroes becoming too powerful owes something to Watchmen but the message that heroes, particularly Superman, can inspire hope and change the world is definitely nothing like Watchmen.

For your inner geek, the book also has cameo appearances by nearly every DC hero who’s ever appeared plus all the new heroes that are sons and daughters of the familiar ones. Not to mention the cameos by creators, including Stan Lee.

Dick Grayson’s daughter is present, so is the daughter of Black Canary and Green Arrow, and they’re only two examples of many. The artwork is also filled with all kinds of Easter eggs and little asides that only comic fans will get.

Then there’s the art. I will confess I’m not a big fan of Alex Ross’s painted work. For me, It tends to rob the material of its suspension of disbelief because I find the more superheroes look like real life, the less my suspension of disbelief works to enter their imaginary world. In this story, that’s not a problem. Ross has outdone himself with the details, with the splash pages featuring a huge cast of characters, and with the genuinely frightening images of apocalypse. He also brings the story down to earth with wonderful facial expressions and small wordless moments between people.

Favorite Panel:

It’s so hard to choose, they’re all so full of detail and perfection. I think maybe it’s the one where Clark Kent’s glasses finally show up, near the end.  Among all the battles and destruction, it’s the small moments that stand out.

Extras:

The regular trade edition of Kingdom Come can be purchased for under $15. DC released an Absolute Kingdom Come deluxe edition but it’s pricey and may set you back one hundred dollars or more. Some might consider the extras worth it. It’s completely annotated, has numerous sketches and drawings by Ross, and interviews with Waid and Ross. It would probably warm the hearts of comic geeks the most, if you can afford it.

About the Creators:

Ross’s father was a minister, which may account for the Biblical emphasis in the story. He first made a name in comics with Marvels. He developed his style of painting sequential art while at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois.

View full post on GeekDad

You heard right! Vodafone has made their announcement official that they will be releasing Froyo to their HTC Desire users on Monday, August 23rd, after much delay. The update, as most, will be OTA (over-the-air), and is only for Vodafone branded Desires. For the full announcement, hit up the source link below and scroll down to the 3rd posting.

Android 2.2 to come to Vodafone HTC users Monday, 8/23

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

Samsung plans to introduce tablet computers this quarter, reports Reuters. Unwired View has a spy shot. The Samsung Tablet will be based on Google’s Android operating system and join dozens of firms seeking to challenge Apple’s popular iPad.

Nokia, Microsoft and HP are also planning tablets. Nokia’s is likely to be based on MeeGo, its new open source platform for smartphones, tablets and settops, Microsoft will use its own version of Mobile 7, and HP will likely use its WebOS, which it acquired from Palm.

RIM’s tablet computer, expected in November, may be called the Blackpad. It is rumored to be about the same size as the iPad, which has a 9.7-inch diagonal screen. The device will include WiFi and Bluetooth, and allow people to connect to the Internet through BlackBerry smartphones.

Samsung, the world’s No.2 handset maker after Nokia, said its tablet PC will have a 7-inch display, smaller than the 9.7-inch screen on the iPad. It did not provide further details.

Samsung’s local rival LG Electronics, the world’s No.3 handset maker, also plans to introduce tablets or slate devices running on Android in the fourth quarter.

Microsoft said on Thursday it would introduce new tablets based on its Windows operating system and is working with PC makers Acer, Dell, Toshiba and others to develop the devices.

Global handset shipments rose 13 percent to 308 million units in the second-quarter of the year, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics. The firm cited lower-end 2G models in emerging markets, particularly South America, and high-end 3G touchscreen devices in mature regions as driving growth during the quarter.

View full post on dailywireless.org

The Dell Streak is already reported to be packed with top notch specs and features. Now the fine folks at streaksmart.com are showing off the aesthetically pleasing packaging for the US version of the Streak.

If the final retail packaging looks even remotely close to this box it might persuade some to buy the Streak on looks alone. When it comes to selling products marketing is more than half the battle and Dell is obviously trying to hit a home run with this device.

[via streaksmart.com]

For more information on Android and the current Android mobile phones, check out our Android Guides

Dell Streak US version to come in a fancy box

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

Don’t color us surprised, but we’ve learned that the Motorola Droid X will be coming with a large amount of apps pre-installed and we’ve gotten first word of the full list. Along with all of the standard set of apps by Google, we can expect to see Blockbuster online, Swype, an FM Radio, a Motorola Phone Portal, Skype Mobile, Backup Assistant, City ID, Motorola DLNA, Verizon’s Voicemail app, Verizon’s Mobile Hotspot app, and NFL Mobile, of course.

Whether or not some of these apps will be user-removable remains to be seen, but I imagine you wouldn’t want to remove a few of them. SWYPE – even after its developers have opened the floodgates for new beta testers recently – is a welcome addition for any phone with a touch-only interface. Other obvious desirables include Verizon’s voicemail and hotspot apps, but I guess that all comes down to who’s using the phone and what works for them.

In any case, at least you know what’s going to be on your phone before you buy it, so there should be no excuse for making ill-informed decisions at the point of sale.

[via Phone Arena]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

French, German, Italian and Spanish speakers can now enjoy using Google Voice Search in their native tongue on their Android. Searching by voice is by far the quickest way to search for something, rather than inputting character after character.

Google have been working hard to bring Voice Search to more languages after initially only releasing it for English, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. Google have spent weeks getting people to read popular queries in every day places which will make it easier to use in the real world. One downside to the service is that, if you speak one of the languages with an accent, then it might not be recognized.

So how do you get this? Well if you have Android 1.6 or higher then you already have the Search by voice application installed. It will recognize the language if you have the Language and keyboard setting set to one of the new languages.

If the application isn’t installed, you can install it from the Android Markets of the new language.

Now that Google Maps Navigation is available in 11 more Countries, you will be able to integrate the Voice Search with it perfectly.

[via Google Mobile Blog]

For more information on Android and the current Android mobile phones, check out our Android Guides

New languages come to Android Voice Search

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

View full post on AndroidGuys

With the HTC Droid Incredible, Verizon nixed the Nexus One from its upcoming phone line-up. Now Sprint is following suit (contrary to what they had us believe), citing the HTC EVO 4G as reason enough to not bother with bringing the Nexus One to its wavelengths either, according to a report over at Gizmodo. With this announcment, all hope for a CDMA Nexus One on a U.S. carrier has gone out the window.

Sure, the Incredible and EVO 4G are both perfectly good — if not better in many respescts — replacements for Google’s flagship handset, but you have to wonder what this spells for the Google Phone and its future. Is it that Google has found the Nexus One to be a failed (yet profitable) experiment? Could it actually be that a Nexus Two is closer to launch then we could believe? Perhaps Google wants to step back and re-evaluate its distribution and customer service models before venturing further into the smart phone market?

Your guess is as good as mine with this one, but one thing we can now say as fact is if you were waiting for an N1 on Sprint, you better start getting excited about the EVO 4G, because that will be all you are getting for now.

[via Gizmodo]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

Symbian^3 web app development tools come out of beta, aim for standardized simplicity
Has the Nokia N8 made a Symbian^3 believer out of you? If so, you’ll be glad to know the beta tag has been peeled off the web application development tools for the platform, which — according to Executive Director Lee Williams — provide “an ideal entry point” for coders of all skill levels. This is because the primary languages spoken are HTML, CSS and JavaScript, familiar to almost anyone who …

Read more on Engadget

Lightning Lad and Electron Boy to the Rescue! Photo: Make-A-Wish Foundation

SEATTLE, WA—Trouble was brewing in the city on Thursday when Doctor Dark and his sidekick Blackout Boy trapped the Seattle Sounders in their locker room, stranded a Puget Sound Electric employee in a bucket truck, and then imprisoned sight-seers at the Space Needle. Fortunately for these lucky citizens, Spider-Man was there … to go for help. He knew that Electron Boy was just the hero for the job. Assisted by Lightning Lad, Electron Boy zipped to the scene in his DeLorean, rescued all the victims and defeated the dastardly duo.

This was how the day played out for 13-year-old Erik Martin, who got to be a superhero thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The foundation grants wishes to kids with life-threatening medical conditions (Erik has liver cancer), but this one is probably the most elaborate (and geeky!) wish that I’ve seen. Over three hundred people volunteered to make this wish come true—they even shut down highways and twenty motorcycle cops escorted Electron Boy in his DeLorean. Doctor Dark and Blackout Boy were played by Edgar Hansen and Jake Anderson from “Deadliest Catch.”

It’s a fantastic story, and I applaud the planning and effort that went into making sure Erik’s wish was a tremendous success. You can read more about the elaborate setup in this Seattle Times article, and see many photos from the day on the regional Make-A-Wish chapter’s Facebook page.

And, of course, if you want to help other kids get their wish, be sure to visit the Make-A-Wish Foundation website to find your local chapter or make a donation!

View full post on GeekDad

Product: Backflip Smartphone

Manufacturer: Motorola

Wired Rating: 5

It’s about time Motorola did something crazy. The Cliq was predictably sleek. The Droid was pragmatically chunky. But AT&T’s new Backflip is just … odd.

At first glance the touchscreen channels the Cliq, but flipping it over reveals an exposed QWERTY keyboard. The phone opens like a reverse clamshell, and once you swing the keyboard around through 180 degrees, it’s facing you, resting beneath the screen. And, get this — hidden away on the back of the touchscreen is a small navigational touchpad (called the “Backtrack”) used for scrolling and selecting menu items.

Of course, this odd design choice inspired a slew of questions around the office: “Won’t the exposed keyboard type in your pocket?” (No.) “Will it snap if you open it the wrong way?” (Absolutely.) “Wait, so that touchie-nippley thing is on the back? Why?!” (We don’t know either.)

At 4.7 ounces it has a satisfying pocket weight, and its slightly cramped 3.1-inch touchscreen — though not as vibrant as other phones — is mostly responsive. We were able to squeeze out 320 minutes of talk time, while also tinkering with the usual multimedia and productivity accoutrements (music, video, GPS, 3G/WiFi data, and mobile TV).

Despite its running an older version of Google’s Android OS (1.5), all the bread-and-butter phone features make cameos on the Backflip and perform as expected.

Unfortunately, even though this is AT&T’s first Android phone, it isn’t a blank canvas like the Nexus One or Droid. Like T-Mobile’s Cliq, the Backflip runs the Motoblur Android skin. This take on the Android OS eschews the standard, grid-like home screen in favor of a widget-based user interface. On the bright side, these widgets are customizable and run the gamut in terms of functionality: News, weather, search and a bevy of social networking sites are all fair game.

Unfortunately, running more than a handful of these widgets simultaneously proves problematic. Not only does the Backflip’s 528-MHz processor start to get sluggish, but the on-screen presentation of simultaneously updated feeds from Facebook/Twitter/E-mail/Text/Weather/RSS is of location-aware, real-time data. It’s just too much.

Motorola attempts to address this by offering multiple home screens (accessible via left- and right-finger whisks), but there’s only so much one can do with 3.1 inches.

Although hardly great at presenting data, the Backflip’s icon-driven interface does offer a silver lining. With the right widget combination (and savvy placement), we were able to get a snapshot of every social facet of our lives on one screen.

However, when a co-worker asked to borrow the phone, we were suddenly a bit reluctant to hand it over. Why? Because pretty much anyone who sees the home screen has access to the explosion of personal data spewing out there. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (unless you have secrets to keep), but it perfectly underscores our issues with the Backflip. On top of its plodding performance, the phone only excels at serving one type of user: the mobile-tweeting, Facebook-feeding, geo-tagging oversharer.

Unless you fall into that category, it’s just not worth bending over backwards to use the Backflip.

WIRED Creative design balances style and function. MicroSD port lets you pack it full of tunes. Supports Android Marketplace for app downloads. QWERTY keys are large, easy to use. Beefy hinge keeps the phone from swinging around wildly. 5-MP camera (with flash!) takes decent pictures. Charges through micro-USB port.

TIRED One of the weakest Android offerings to date. Replaces Android’s Google search with Yahoo. Underpowered and responds at a glacial pace while multitasking. Filled with AT&T-branded bloatware. Flimsy battery door. Screen is too small for its icon-heavy UI.

View full post on Wired Product Reviews

Intel, Nokia let MeeGo come outside to play
Developers got their first look at MeeGo on Wednesday, with the release of key components of the as-yet unfinished operating system. Meego is a mobile version of Linux that will merge Intel’s Moblin OS with Nokia’s Maemo OS. It’s designed to be used in…

Read more on San Francisco Chronicle