Play offers Nokia’s C7 unlocked
THE INQUIRER ONLINE RETAILER Play.com is offering the Nokia C7 unlocked at a bargain-ish price.

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Now that Verizon plans to bundle Apple’s iPad with a mobile hotspot and cut-rate 3G data plans, PCWorld’s Jared Newman decides to compare the options out there for wireless networking.

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Image source: Engadget

The Motorola WX445 Ciena, also known as the Motorola Citrus that was leaked back in August, has shown up again offering a little more specs that will make up this entry-level device heading to Verizon. This device offers nothing us power users would be interested in, but still offers the beloved Android OS and could be possibly gracing shelves this holiday season.

Features of the Motorola WX445 include:

• Android 2.1
• 3-inch QVGA screen at 240×320 resolution
• 528MHz Qualcomm chipset
• 256MB RAM
• 512MB ROM,
• 3MP camera with no autofocus or flash
• This device will also feature that BackTrack pad which we’ve previously seen with the Motorola Charm on T-Mobile

This device was rumored to be hitting shelves in September, but as we know that didn’t happen. It looks like Verizon may be ditching this device altogether, although it might still sneak out in their holiday line-up which we previously suggested.

Would anyone consider this device if Verizon still launched it?

Via: Android and Me

A new iPad application offers a sophisticated approach to cloud computing

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For basic drawing tasks, Inkscape is just as powerful as Adobe Illustrator.

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Are you looking for a new Android device but running short on cash? Hit up Amazon right now and get the Samsung Vibrant for just 1¢ with a new 2yr-agreement. That price is unbelievable for a smartphone that is less than a month old. The Samsung Vibrant is the latest smartphone to come out of T-Mobile and is Magenta’s Samsung Galaxy S device. The Vibrant features Samsung’s Super AMOLED 4″ display and when you watch Avatar on it, you’ll want to flick off your TV. The device ships with 16GB internal storage and is running Android 2.1 underneath Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. This is an amazing phone for an amazing price. Head over to Amazon right now to purchase the Samsung Vibrant.

Via: Amazon

Anyone need a penny?

View full post on AndroidSPIN | Your No.1 source for Everything Android.

This Mobile Safari alternative wants to make iPad browsing more convenient while offering a few features that Apple’s built-in browser lacks.

View full post on Macworld

Not to shabby eh? Head over to Wirefly before this offer ends on August 2nd

[via wirefly]

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

Wirefly offers up loads of free Android phones

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

Are you one of those hyper-multitaskers (aka insane weirdos) who keeps a bazillion browser tabs open at once?

Here’s something for you, and for the tab-curious: Tab Candy, a new experimental feature in Firefox that groups tabs into topical clusters to improve your workflow. It’s made entirely with JavaScript and HTML.

Firefox creative lead Aza Raskin offers this synopsis:

With one keystroke Tab Candy shows an overview of all tabs to allow you to quickly locate and switch between them. Tab Candy also lets you group tabs to organize your work flow. You can create a group for your vacation, work, recipes, games and social sites, however it makes sense to you to group tabs. When you switch to a grouped tab only the relevant tabs are shown in the tab bar, which helps you focus on what you want.

Here’s a video of Tab Candy in action.

An Introduction to Firefox’s Tab Candy from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Tab Candy has been kicking around as a pre-release for a while, but it’s just now getting to the point where the Mozilla folks feel it’s ready to be tested by a wider audience.

If you want to try it out, head to Raskin’s site where you can download a TabCandy-enabled build of Firefox. Note that this isn’t an extension, it’s a bleeding-edge build of Firefox with Tab Candy built in, so plan accordingly.

There’s also an FAQ, and a feedback forum you can use to get answers or submit requests.

See Also:

• Firefox 4 Beta 2, Due Next Week, Adds Tabs on Top for Macs
• Mozilla Moves Tabs to the Top for Firefox 4

View full post on Webmonkey

Do you have a Droid X yet? If so, you may be one of those complaining about wifi signal and syncing with Exchange servers. But, fear not, for Motorola has heard your pleas, and is pushing out a fix.

According to sources, Droid X’s will be receiving update 1.13.604 soon, and it will have a small arsenal of minor fixes in tow. There is also some documentation (PDF) concerning the update, and there are rumors circulating that the update could be knocking on doors on July 19th. According to the documentation, fixes will include:

• Improved battery charging status indicator.
• Smoother transition for camera and camcorder functions.
• Redesign of weather widget icons.
• Faster Exchange ActiveSync® email loading.
• Streamlined organization of newly downloaded applications.
• Organized favorite contacts by call count.
• Updated Bluetooth® connection for enhanced video sharing experience.
• Coordinated date and time across phone displays.
• Cleaner looking status bar for GPS symbol.
• Improved sync capabilities for 3G Mobile Hotspot.
• Faster Visual Voice Mail loading.

If any of our readers out there are fortunate enough to get this update on their devices, let us know in the comments!

[via VZW]

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

Droid X update offers up some minor fixes

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With Nike+ users reporting problems after upgrading to iOS 4, app maker Abvio says its fitness apps have been updated to run on Apple’s new mobile OS.

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DotMobi Offers GoMobi Mobile Domain Tools
New service offering for mobile websites aims to simplify the process of setting them up.

Read more on Small Business Computing

The newly released Postbox Express offers a lightweight version of premium e-mail app Postbox for free.

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Mr. Giggle is a very fun and addictive game that plays well on the iPhone but is even better with the extra screen real estate on the iPad.

Mr. Giggle is a universal app, meaning that with one purchase it can be downloaded and played on either an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

Much like Tetris, the object is to manipulate a group of colored shapes to clear the screen. However, unlike Tetris the shapes are all snarky squares that either smile or frown depending on their mood. By swiping on the rows and columns the squares can be moved around and eliminated by matching them with like colors.

From the main screen you can access the various settings by tapping on one of four icons. A tool icon brings up the settings menu, which allows for setting the game timer for one, two, or three minutes. This is how long you will have to (…)
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Mr. Giggle Offers Tetris-Like Play | Best iPad Apps | Best Free Apps

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Mozilla is rebranding its Weave Sync feature, which keeps your bookmarks, history and other Firefox data in sync across computers. As of version 1.3, Weave will be now be known as Firefox Sync.

The name change is intended to help less tech-savvy users understand what Weave does — namely, sync Firefox.

However, because Weave also works (somewhat) with SeaMonkey and Thunderbird, the name Firefox Sync may end up confusing some users. So far no word on whether there will be a Thunderbird Sync or SeaMonkey Sync.

Firefox developer Tony Chung announced the name change and the release of Firefox Sync version 1.3 (still in beta) on his blog.

The new version of the add-on isn’t just a rebranding, there are also quite a few new features coming to the add-on formerly know as Weave. The new Firefox Sync 1.3 features a new user interface, better response times during syncing, a backup feature for your bookmarks before the first sync and better support for Fennec, the mobile version of Firefox. Complete release notes with all of the changes in this version can be found on the Mozilla site.

Chung says that a final version of Firefox Sync will available later this month, though don’t expect to see the rebranded add-on joining Firefox proper for some time. According to Chung, the version of Weave that currently ships with Firefox 3.6 won’t be updated until the new Firefox Sync hits 2.0 (we assume it will probably do so before Firefox 4.0 ships later this year).

In the mean time if you’d like to test out the latest version of Firefox Sync, head over to the Mozilla Labs page (which still refers to the add-on as Weave) and look for the link to the “experimental” version in the green bar. As always, we recommend upgrading all instances of Firefox Sync before actually syncing your data.

See Also:

• Xmarks Syncs Open Tabs Across Browsers, iPhone
• Mozilla Gets Ready to Weave Syncing Into Firefox
• Weave Adds Personas to its Bag of Firefox Syncing Tricks
• Weave May Let You Keep Firefox and Your iPhone in Sync

View full post on Webmonkey

Goober Networks has announced a public beta of Goober 3.0, its unified communications software. The new version allows HD VoIP calling, multi-user video conferencing, and multi-protocol instant messaging.

View full post on Macworld

Vopium is one of a group of apps that uses a Wi-Fi connection to make and receive phone calls and text messages. It is a good concept—the more one can avoid AT&T’s spotty network, the better. Plus any calls made over the Internet don’t incur minutes against a calling plan.

AT&T’s recent lifting of its policy against using 3G for VoIP calls means that apps like Vopium can also be used on its network. VoIP apps have also proven to be a popular method to make international calls due mostly to the lower price. New users even get 15 minutes of talk time and 15 text messages when signing up for service.

Vopium allows free calls to other Vopium customers as well as users of Google Talk or Skype. (…)
Read the rest of Vopium Offers Limited Phone Experience

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Vopium Offers Limited Phone Experience | Best iPad Apps | Best Free Apps

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Opera software has released Opera 10.52 for Mac OS X. The latest version of Opera’s flagship browser brings some speed boosts, more HTML5 support and much tighter integration with the Mac platform.

Mac users can grab the latest release from the Opera website.

While the Opera web browser may not have the largest market share, it is the source off many browser innovations. Tabbed browsing got its start in Opera, and the browser was one of the first to broadly support emerging standards like HTML5 and CSS 3.

The new Mac version features a revamped interface that makes Opera look and feel almost like something Apple would have created. In fact, aside from Apple’s Safari, Opera 10.52 is the most Mac-like of the web browsers available on OS X.

The changes — which include using the Cocoa and Core Text frameworks — also offer some performance improvements. Opera 10.5 was already one of the fastest browsers available and the new update continues to best both Firefox 3.6 and Google Chrome in our informal page load tests.

This update is also notable for supporting the multi-touch trackpad gestures available in Apple’s more recent laptops. In Opera 10.52 you can use gestures like pinch to zoom and three finger swipes to navigate back and forth in your browser history (both Safari and Firefox support the same gestures).

Opera 10.52 for Mac features a number of smaller enhancements that make day-to-day browsing a bit nicer. The URL bar’s search capabilities have been improved and you can now search your bookmarks and history page as you type — much like the Firefox “awesome bar,” and Opera’s page dialogs and alerts are now considerably less intrusive.

While Opera 10.52 is relatively minor update, it’s worth the upgrade for Mac fans — particularly those looking for a more “Mac-like” experience. To get Opera 10.52, head over to the Opera downloads page.

See Also:

• Opera Updates 10.5 Beta for Windows, Adds Mac Support
• Is Opera 10.5 the ‘Fastest Browser on Earth?’ Maybe
• Opera Looks to the Future With Latest Browser Preview
• Opera CTO Sees Open Video Formats as Key to Web’s Future

View full post on Webmonkey

Anyone who’s been with Android – and naturally, with Twitter – since the beginning knows the story about Twidroid: It was the first Twitter client on Android to set the bar of what a Twitter app should be. It gets a shaky reputation for being unreliable, somewhat unstable, and very inconsistent on its performance over time, but that was back in ‘08. It’s 2010 now, and Twidroid has grown a considerable amount since then. It’s even pioneered the advancement of new core Twitter features such as native retweets and list support.

We’re going to focus on what Twidroid is and not what it was: a damn good client that should be your first stop in the market if you need something to get all of your tweeting done. Twidroid’s user interface should stand out as remarkable to anyone that needs a good combination of features, usability, and aesthetics: it looks absolutely wonderful.

The default sky-blue theme fits well with the look and feel of Twitter.com itself, and the ability to switch between multiple themes in the “Pro” version grants you a degree of customization that isn’t often available in other clients.

Hi-res icons ensure that everything within the app look great, and on various screen sizes and resolutions. You can change font settings and even disable profile pictures for faster loading times and better performance. Twidroid steps away from the usual cast of icons to put its own spin on the different functions you can tap into. There’s a lot more substance beyond the app’s looks, though.

This high degree of style doesn’t come with any notable performance issues. The Twidroid of today is miles ahead of the version we were treated to just months ago: tweets load exceptionally fast, navigating through the interface and scrolling through the timeline is a lot smoother, and I rarely, if ever, run into any force close issues.

Those are all things you expect from any application, though, but Twidroid packs a powerful feature set that a lot of apps can’t hold a candle to. In the pro version especially, multiple account support (with combined or swipe-able view) is a god-send for those of us who need to handle multiple accounts. Usually, you’ll have to look to a desktop client to get that sort of functionality but Twidroid manages to put it all in the palm of your hand.

Managing multiple accounts is simple, but I would love it if I could select multiple accounts from which to tweet (currently, you can only select one at a time). I also found it quite confusing to delete an account: naturally I’d long-press on the list item and expect to find an option there, but instead you have to press the Account and then press your phone’s “Menu” button to find an option to delete.

That was a minor annoyance, though, which doesn’t bother me as much now that I at least know how to get to it (and honestly, who’s going to be deleting accounts that much anyway?). Other useful features that you won’t find in many other clients is the ability to reply to all (so you don’t have to type each name separately if multiple people were mentioned), auto-complete usernames whenever you press use the “@” character (in case you can’t remember the exact twitter name of someone you follow) and in-depth search features to ensure you stay on top of whatever you’re looking for.

Specifically for search, I would love to see some options for setting local Trend and Search options – even if divisible by country alone – so I can weed out some of the tweets that I can’t even understand. Everything else here seems to be top-notch, including support for saving your search terms and synching them to the Twitter server, as well as a Twittersphere option that’ll pull up a list of links related to what’s trending on Twitter at the time.

Composing a tweet is very simple as the app presents you with a collapsable interface to write your tweet, attach files, and send it off into the cloud, but there are some annoyances here. For starters, if you’re a fan of using a d-pad or trackball, it’s rather difficult to navigate the composition window as there is no graphical queue to tell you what’s currently highlighted. Another frustration presents itself when you’re using a phone with a smaller screen (or even any phone in landscape view) and the window takes up half of the real estate.

This might not seem like a deal breaker to some as you’ll most likely be focusing on the tweet you’re writing, but if you are using a large font style and need to go back and forth to reference something in a particular tweet, it does a fantastic job of getting in the way. Check out the gallery of screenshots at the end of this review for examples of what I mean.

That’s very nitpicky stuff, though. Beyond the stream of updates you’ll be getting, Twidroid equips you with an impressive set of preferences you’ll want to dive into to make the app behave exactly as you need it to. There are a ton of options here and it would take too much time to go into each one for the sake of this review’s length (and for the sake of your insanity).

Luckily, whatever you think you’ll need to change will most likely be customizable. From the photo provider you want when you upload those quick pics to changing even the smallest nuance of notification preferences, if Twidroid isn’t what you want it to be out of the box then I’m pretty sure you can make it what you want.

Twidroid was and continues to be an app of firsts in the Twitter space. That continues with its unique – and now imitated – ability to bring plugins into the mix. If you’re a developer, you can create plugins that interface directly with Twidroid to extend its features beyond what you get with the 1.7mb download that this clocks in at. There is very little support right now – There are only two plugins known to exist – but what’s out there shows just how well built Twidroid’s engine is and how extensible it can be. Hopefully, with time, more developrs begin to support this functionality (which I can only describe at this point as virtually useless to the end user).

The Pros:

• An extremely large feature set which includes multiple accounts, a reply-to-all feature, and more
• In-depth customization of every corner of the app
• Great looking app with options to change colors and other appearance settings
• Multiple widget styles in the “Pro” version that give you a great look at the latest tweet information on your homescreen

The Cons:

• Jumping between timelines is somewhat clunky when you have the “remember timeline position option enabled”
• Hashtags can get messed up due to punctuation
• Geo-information seems to work only when it wants to

The Bottom Line:

The guys behind Twidroid work hard on this app to ensure its quality is upheld over its development cycle, and it shows. There are still a few annoyances here and there – such as punctuation being used in the link of a hashtag if there is no space between them – but punch for punch, you’d be hard-pressed to find another Twitter client that gives you this much control over your 140-character life. Try out the free version, and if the features of the pro version house functionality that you can’t go day-to-day without, then I’m sure you won’t even care about the $5 you’ll have to shell out for it. For more details on Twidroid plugins and the differences between the Free and Pro versions, visit http://www.twidroid.com

—

Be sure to check back frequently as we’ll be bringing you more reviews of some of the premier twitter apps that the Android market has to offer. If there’s a review for an app you want to see in particular, let it be known in the comments below! Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter if you haven’t already.

Other posts in the Twitwars series: Twidgit Lite

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MobiTv, Inc.’s MobiTV iPhone app now delivers live TV and video-on-demand content straight to your iPhone.

View full post on Macworld

Product: Edge 500

Manufacturer: Garmin

Wired Rating: 7

Garmin’s Edge 500 is a new bike-specific GPS unit designed for training and racing.

Cyclists generally train on roads they know. Since race routes are
clearly marked, map functions add unnecessary bulk and expense for a lot
of users, so the wireless Edge 500 does away with them. The resulting
unit is much simpler than the Garmin Edge 705 bike GPS we’ve been
using religiously for the last two years. It’s also half the price,
and nearly half the weight (2 ounces).

If you need map data to prove that you rode up Mt. Evans, don’t worry.
The 500 records where you’ve been. Plug the unit into your computer, and
it syncs with Garmin’s free Training Center software to display your
route on a full-color map on your PC, while your other ride data will
show up in customizable graphs. The 500 can also sync with Garmin
Connect, an online community where people share route information and
ride data — and quietly mock one another for not riding hard enough.

Even without onboard maps, the 500 serves up a geek’s buffet of
cycling metrics: Current speed, average speed, distance, time, altitude,
climbing grade, heart rate, lap times, etc. The readings appear in
customizable fields on up to three separate screens you can switch
between.

The unit’s one glaring flaw is its buttons. It has two large ones along
each side (power and page/menu, reset and start/stop), but using them
while riding takes some practice. The 500′s removable mount secures with
heavy rubber bands, which allows for easy swapping between bikes, but
when you try to press a button, the unit slips. To avoid this, we had to
use a finger on the opposite side as a brace, which often resulted in pressing
the wrong button.

The 500 is still a decent buy, especially given that it’s half the price
of the 705, with nearly all of the functionality. The 500′s mounting
system can fit any size and shape of bar or stem, and the compact design
doesn’t clutter up the cockpit like other GPS units. With reconfigured
buttons, it would be tough to beat.

WIRED No waste — every data field is specific to cycling. Crazy light
weight. Seamless integration with desktop and online utilities.

TIRED A more secure mount would be nice. Awkward button placement.

View full post on Wired Product Reviews

Nokia Offers Free Music Service
To remain competitive in the high-end smartphone market, Nokia Corp. has decided to offer free music downloading services in several emerging markets.

Read more on Zacks.com via Yahoo! Finance

Nokia offers music for free
With Nokia starting to spin out mobile devices that come loaded with its music download service, the Finnish company is eager to see how consumers would use its 3.5-million music library, currently offered free. “Nokia”, said Adam Mirabella, global director, Ovi Music Services, “is experimenting with both coupon-based pricing model and pay-per-download model that can be applied to its music …

Read more on Business Standard India