A list of 27 user names and encrypted passwords apparently for an Apple website was posted to the Internet over the weekend along with a warning from hacker group Anonymous that the Cupertino-based computer maker could be a target of its attacks.

Macworld

I saw recently that the overseas online Nokia stores were closing, but figured the US one would stay open given that just a small number of carriers sell Nokia smartphones. However, if you go visit the Nokia USA store website you will find that it is now CLOSED. After the crazy Nokia N8 experiences I had, I have to say good riddance. You were much better off finding phones at Amazon, Newegg, Dell, and through other online retailers anyway.

This is what is posted on the Nokia USA site:

The Nokia US Online Store has been closed from June 30, 2011. Below you will find information on where to purchase a new Nokia product and/or compatible accessory and information on where to find support for your current online order from the Nokia Store.

The site lists the various questions and answers you may have regarding current orders, promotions, and service issues.

Nokia Experts

Since not all of us were able to attend BlackBerry World this year that means that we all had to live out the Bold 9900, and OS7 through our computer screens by watching hands on videos from those who were lucky enough to play with it. If you have been dying to get your hands on OS7 and see how it differs from OS6, and to get a little alone time with the 9900, you can now simulate that relationship with the device simulator. So, if you aren’t out with the family at a bbq, or doing something else this Memorial Day weekend give it a download and check it out for yourself.

• Click here to download the BlackBerry Bold 9900 Device Simulator 

Source: N4BB

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Bold 9900 simulator surfaces online

CrackBerry.com blogs

A U.S. lawmaker introduced a bill to create an online do-not-track tool for all U.S. Internet users.

View full post on Macworld

Internet access in Egypt appears to have returned to normal, reports the BBC. Facebook and Twitter are now available and the four major Egyptian internet service providers are back in business, after an unprecedented 5 day Internet blackout.

All Internet providers had their services cut last week, following mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptians quickly found ways around the blocks and yesterday Google introduced a “speak-to-tweet” service which allowed people to connect to Twitter via the telephone.

A Wall Street Journal report gives censorship effort a failing grade:

It was a shock to many that Communications in Egypt and Internet in Egypt could be so completely disrupted. Reporters Without Borders keeps tabs on press freedom. RSF counts Egypt as one of its “Internet Enemies”, although Egypt’s capacity to filter the Internet has never rivaled China or Iran.

Egypt is currently served with three international submarine cables, FLAG, SEA-ME-WE 3 and SEA-ME-WE 4. Orascom Telecom Holding is the first multinational Egyptian corporation and considered among the largest and most diversified network operators in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. Etisalat Egypt, a subsidiary of Etisalat U.A.E., is one of three mobile operators in Egypt.

In other news, Hong Kong’s Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) says six potential bidders have expressed an interested in Hong Kong’s spectrum auction in the 850MHz, 900MHz and 2GHz bands (pdf). Applications are now closed and OFTA will launch the auction bidding at the end of this month. The six companies are China Mobile, CSL, Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN), Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT), Hutchison Telephone and SmarTone Mobile Communications.

Hong Kong completed a spectrum auction in the 2.3 GHz and 2.5 GHz bands in January 2009. Three companies won a total of 90 MHz of radio spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band with 30 Mhz each. The three bidders Genius Brand Limited, CSL Limited and China Mobile. China Mobile, of course, is a big supporter of TD-LTE, but the 2.6 GHz spectrum is paired.

Communications in Hong Kong is among the fastest and cheapest in the world. Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) offers 10 Mbit/s up to 1 Gbit/s via Fiber to the building and Fiber to the Home. Their 100Mbps service costs only $99HK (about $13 U.S.) per month. HKBN’s fiber network was expected to reach over 90% of all homes in Hong Kong at the end of 2010.

A new oceanic fiber, Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE), will connect Hong Kong with Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines by the end of 2012. Mainland China and additional Southeast Asian countries may be connected in subsequent phases. Incorporating the latest 40 Gbps optical technology, its designed capacity of 15 terabits per second (Tbps) is expected to further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a telecommunications and Internet hub in the Asia Pacific region.

Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Thomas Carper (D-Dela.) introduced legislation in the last Congress that would give the executive branch authority to cut off “critical infrastructure” in times of crisis. The “Protect Cyberspace as a National Asset Act” wasn’t passed in 2010. But, according to a recent report in Wired, Sen. Collins plans to reintroduce the bill for an Internet Kill Switch in the new Congress.

View full post on dailywireless.org

This is going to make so many people happy. The long awaited and recently announced update to RIM’s BlackBerry Theme Studio has just leaked! What does this mean for you? Well, if you are a theme developer it means themes can now be made for devices running BB6 besides the Torch. If you are a theme junky that recently upgraded either your BlackBerry or the OS to 6.0, it means you can get ready to start buying/downloading themes again because they will soon be available! Hopefully it also means that Torch themes will be less buggy. Keep in mind this isn’t an official release, it’s a leak, so expect to see an official announcement from RIM sometime in the near future.

So theme developers, go get it and start making us some spectacular themes!! I wonder who will be first to release a theme made from Theme Studio v6.0 for a device other than the Torch? 

Download Theme Studio v6.0

Source: @triax0 and @AnthonyScags via Driphter

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Theme Studio v6.0 leaked online!

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

On Saturday, the English language version of Asia’s largest massively-multiplayer online role-playing game launched on the App Store. Empire Online, developed by Lakoo, is an anime-inspired adventure title that tasks players with building their own handheld kingdom

View full post on Macworld

Ever want to learn to code for Android?  Well, the New Jersey Institute of Technology is now offering a Android Operating System Application Development Course online.  It’s available to the public and you can do it from anywhere!  The class starts on the 18th of January and will run you $1,050.  It’s a bit pricey considering their are already free online guides and tutorials from Google to get your hands dirty in Android, but hey – not all of us are self-movitated geniuses.

With Android now beating out iOS in mobile ad impressions, there is sure to be a lot of future developers looking to create new and exciting apps.  So we see this as a step in the right direction if you have been on the fence about learning Android.  The only downside is that it’s a non-credit course.  Press Release after the break. Read More…

NJIT offers Android development college course online

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Today on Motorola’s website we found a very nice little device showing its self off. This device is called the DROID Bionic. Again with the DROID names huh? Well it has worked so far for Motorola and Verizon, why not keep it up.

The device will support 1GB of RAM coupled with a dual-core processor, an 8 MP camera and a 4.3″ screen. From the looks of the back of the device there is a dual LED flash as well. I am not sure if I was having system issues or if Motorola managed to disable a lot of the page, but I wasn’t able to get any more insight from them then what is available on the main page. At this time I am unsure on Android OS version or other specific facts.

It does look pretty promising though. Hopefully we will get a better glimpse of this device at CES. Stay tuned for more information as it unfolds.

Source: Motorola

View full post on AndroidSPIN

Are video games more than just a way to blow off steam to you? Do you get tired of talking with people who don’t know their Gran Turismo from their Mario Kart? Do you have a stack of games you’re done with, but that you can’t bring yourself to trade in at your local game store because they give you so little for them? If that sounds like you, you ought to check out Gamervision.

Gamervision’s tagline is “How gamers see the world,” and you can tell that they don’t just talk the talk. The site has reviews, articles, discussion forums, and even videos — some informative, some downright silly and occasionally hilarious. The site’s been up for several years, but they’ve only recently added a feature that should appeal to serious video gamers everywhere: a place to swap, sell 0r buy games from people who care as much about them as they do. And all features of the website are absolutely free.

Gamervision was founded by Fred Bauer and Edward H. Cohen, who’d been in the entertainment industry a while (and who made the awful film Under the Rainbow, which inexplicably has little cult following). Bauer and Cohen dreamed of making a TV show that, like shows that highlight music videos, would highlight video games, but when the Web 2.0 “revolution” happened, they changed strategies. The website has picked up a bit of a following from word-of-mouth (or word-of-keyboard) between gamers and from several of their videos going somewhat viral — see below for their brilliant “Inglorious Plummers” trailer.

As I mentioned, the newest (albeit still in beta)  feature of the website is “Swap and Sell,” which provides a board with a dead-simple interface to allow gamers to post things they’re willing to part with and what they want in return — either in the form of games or money. Gamervision only makes the connection, leaving it up to the users to complete the transaction (they will have a feedback form to allow people to build good or bad reputations based on others’ experiences dealing with them).

I spoke with Sean Curran, Gamervision’s creative director, about their vision for the site. He told me they’re striving for “more social network than troll community,” which should be music to anyone’s ears who’s participated in gaming forums elsewhere. Sean and the other executives are themselves participants in the forums, since they love the games as much as the other users do. He told me they consider being a gamer (though not necessarily a hardcore one) a requirement for working there, and it shows in the content. He also told me that the company is working on forming a partnership with a bricks-and-mortar game store to provide a place for gamers to meet in real life as well as online.

The company isn’t quite at its destination, “to make sure that the site is a place where gamers can express how they see the world and what they want to see in the world.” But it’s got a good start on it, and I think all it really needs now is for more gamers to try it out. If you enjoy video games, and I don’t know why you’ve read this far in the article if you don’t, you owe it to yourself to give Gamervision a shot.

View full post on GeekDad

Image © Disney Channel

If you’ve ever seen an episode of Disney’s Phineas and Ferb series, you’re aware that the show is based in the summertime — heck, it’s even in the theme song. Last December, though, the show branched out into winter with Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation, and as we head into the winter holiday season once again the special is coming back — but this isn’t just a rerun.

The Christmas special by itself is a lot of fun, as I wrote about last year, and as evidenced by Peanuts and the Grinch, there’s nothing at all wrong with re-airing the same Christmas special every year. But this is 2010, and Phineas and Ferb is very much a 21st-century TV show. It’s spawned two Nintendo DS games, several music albums, and a very cool Father’s Day e-card maker. And now they’ve created something even cooler (pun intended) to go with the re-release of Christmas Vacation.

You and your kids can go online and take command of Phineas and Ferb’s “Winter Wonderland.” At first sight it looks like a fairly standard Flash game, but it has a very creative addition I haven’t seen elsewhere: it lets you tell the characters what to do by talking to them. All you need to do is hook up a microphone — the one in a webcam will do fine — and you can give them any of a list of fifteen simple commands (which are listed in the game, of course). It definitely seems (appropriately) to be programmed to listen for kids’ voices, so if, like me, you happen to have a very low speaking voice, you may find you have to raise your pitch a lot to get it to register. For people who don’t have a mic or have trouble with the voice interface, you can type the commands instead. I don’t want to spoil the fun, so I won’t describe the animations in detail, but suffice it to say they’re very amusing and very much in line with what you’d expect from the show. There’s an e-card maker associated with the game as well, which allows you to send certain animations to friends and loved ones.

Image © Disney Channel

Once you’ve had some fun playing around with the game, you can put on the new Phineas and Ferb Christmas album they’ve come out with. “Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites” (iTunes link) has several of the better songs from the Christmas special, but also quite a few winter standards. Some, like “Let It Snow,” are recorded exactly as they usually are, but some, like “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” are hilariously updated with participation from pretty much every character from the show, including Perry (though not the kids’ parents, for some reason). I’m not a big fan of Christmas music in general, but I really enjoyed this album.

And then there’s the expanded version of the Christmas special, which will air this Friday at 8:30pm Eastern and 9:30pm Pacific on the Disney Channel and Saturday several times during the day and evening on Disney XD. The re-airing includes a new song and animated sequence of Candace singing “What Does He Want?” (which is on the new album as well). As it was last year, the Christmas special is highly recommended.

Oh, and come visit GeekDad again on Thursday for my preview of the new Phineas and Ferb TV project called “Take Two.”

View full post on GeekDad

If you’re a Harry Potter fan but haven’t been able to make it to Universal Orlando for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you can now at least bring a bit of it to you. Just in time for the penultimate movie’s release today, much of the attraction’s exclusive merchandise is being made available for purchase online.

When I visited the attraction back in August, I marveled at how many amazing souvenirs, collectibles, toys, etc. could be bought there that I had never seen before because they simply weren’t sold anywhere else. Of course, I didn’t have enough available money to buy everything my kids, my wife and I might have wanted to — nor did I relish the idea of trying to fit a lot of merchandise into our suitcases for the flight home. So I was excited this morning to find a package on my doorstep from the folks at Universal Orlando, containing an official resin (not cheap plastic) replica of Harry’s wand and a note telling me about the online store opening.

This is great news for Potter fans everywhere, if perhaps not such great news for our wallets. While the selection is still somewhat limited (though it will be expanded soon, they’ve said), you can still get such cool items as a riding broom with fiber optic “magic” effects, any one of 25 different wands, or silly things like a Pygmy Puff or a multicolor light-up hairbrush called Comb-A-Chameleon (which must be hard to keep on the shelves, as it comes and goes*).

I have a feeling my kids will be getting a few things from this store for the holidays. And maybe their parents will, too.

* – For those readers too young to remember 1983, this will explain the joke.

View full post on GeekDad

Verizon has the Motorola Droid Pro (otherwise coined the “Droidberry”) listed available online. Consumers visiting the site are able to add the Droid Pro to the shopping cart long before the original launch date on November 18^th!

Seems Verizon has been shooting from the hip with its Android lineup launches lately, with the Samsung Continuum said to launch Nov. 11^th, only to be postponed to Nov. 18^th a few hours after. The Droid 2 Global being available for sale before any official announcement being made. Maybe Verizon is just as exited as its customers and can’t wait to launch!

So if you’ve been waiting to get your hands on this one…don’t! You can get it now.

Droid Pro Showing Available Through Verizon Online

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Telus looks to be the first carrier to get the Bold 9780 out for public comsumption. The device is now listed in their online store (in some areas) and is available for purchase. The BlackBerry Bold 9780 will run you $99 on a 3 year term, $399 on a 2 year term, $449 for 1 year or $499 no term. The device sports many upgrades over the Bold 9700 including BlackBerry OS 6, a 624 MHz processor, an updated 5MP camera, 512mb flash memory and much more. You can pick up one via Telus online, but we have yet to confirm if the device is available for purchase in stores.

• Check out the BlackBerry Bold 9780 from Telus >>

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Bold 9780 now available online from Telus

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

Verizon is giving Droid owners a chance to elevate their Android game in an online workshop.

If you want to register, but hate typing, here you go: http://www.verizonwireless.com/wirelessworkshops

Possible topics to be discussed?

• Task Killers: Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread
• iPhone Will Eat Your Soul, But Not The iPad
• Tethering, It Works Better When You Pay For It
• 2.3 Is Only .1 Better Than 2.2, BFD

What else will they talk about?

[via DroidLife]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

The Armored Strike Online Android App by Requiem Software Labs, Inc is a classic tank warfare game with a modern touch and the ability to play online. There are 7 vehicles, 31 weapons, 9 terrains, 3 CPU allies and 5 wind settings. There are also 75 achievements.

There are lots of upgrades available which you can buy with money that you have earned in the game. The more enemies and terrain you destroy the more money you earn. The graphics are well and they are pretty detailed. Controlling the different elements of the game is very simple. Browsing through the weapons and selecting weapons is very easy as well.

Overall, this is a great classic tank warfare game that gives you the ability to play online. At the time of this review the Armored Strike Online Android App is $3.99. Thumbs Up.

Download Armored Strike Online

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You can pick up a new T-Mobile G2 Android smartphone for $50.00 on a new or re-signed 2 year contract through membershipwireless .com.

What are you going to do with that $50? Fill up your gas tank, pizza and beer for NFL Sunday, shiny new pair of fresh slacks or perhaps a new Android device like the G2! Which of those things is not like the other (Sesame Street)?

T-Mobile G2 for $50 online

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

The Bell System Technical Journal from volume 1 issue 1 in July 1922 to the final issue published in December 1983, is now on-line for free.

It is most famous for Claude Shannon’s paper “A mathematical theory of communication” which founded the field of information theory. Also important are the two Unix-themed issues that appeared in 1978 and 1984, containing many landmark papers from the system’s developers.

The scientific discoveries produced by Bell System research and engineering were critical to the evolution of global telecommunications and had a considerable impact on our daily lives.

Captain Crunch found the tones for this “blue box” in a November, 1954 article entitled, “In-Band Single-Frequency Signaling”, which enabled him to call anywhere for free.

A toy whistle, packaged in boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal could emit a tone at precisely 2600 hertz—the same frequency that was used by AT&T long lines to indicate that a trunk line was ready and available to route a new call.

View full post on dailywireless.org

One third of the world’s population will be online by the end of the year, according to United Nations statistics (PDF).

The number of people online has doubled to two billion in the last five years, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) said. The ITU believes that broadband is a “transformational technology” that can be used to spur development.

Of the 226m new net users that have come online this year, more than two thirds are from developing countries. The report suggests that 71% of people in western countries will be online by the end of 2010, compared to just 21% in developing countries.

Although broadband use is increasing it has been outstripped by mobile connections. The ITU estimates that there will be 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2010, of which 3.8 billion will be in the developing world. It says that more than 90% of the world’s population now has access to a mobile network.

The Nokia 1100, with 250 million users, is the most popular phone in the world.

The Market Information and Statistics Division of the UN’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) collects, harmonizes and disseminates more than 100 telecommunication indicators from over 200 economies worldwide.

View full post on dailywireless.org

HTC is making great effort to ensure you want to choose them for your next Android powered smartphone.  Their new website and service at HTCSense.com has gone live and touts some pretty nice features should you own an HTC Desire HD or Desire Z.

• Remotely backup your contacts
• GPS location finder if you lose or misplace your phone
• Remote ring if you can’t find it in the house
• Remote lock and/or wipe of your phone if it’s lost or stolen
• Re-route text messages and phone calls to a separate number if you leave your phone at home
• SMS in real time via your browser instead of your phone
• Remote installation of custom themes/skins from HTC
• Remotely mark apps for install on HTCSense to install later

All in all, a very useful set of features that extend the capabilities of your Android device.  I’d like to see more services like this rolled out by phone manufacturers instead of heavily customized skins.  Way to go HTC – we can’t wait for this service to extend to more phones.  Check out a video walkthrough of the site from pocketnow after the jump.

Read More…

HTCSense.com now online – currently only supports Desire HD & Desire Z

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

View full post on AndroidGuys

Samsung’s Fascinate, the last of the Galaxy S line to be released, will be available online starting September 8th, and in stores the following day, according to Verizon.  The phone, which boasts a 1 GHz Hummingbird processor and runs Android 2.1, will cost $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and a new 2-year contract.  The phone also features the beautiful Super AMOLED display, powered by Corning’s Gorilla glass technology.

Continue after the break for the full presser: Read More…

As we saw with the BlackBerry Torch release (and leaked videos before that) Research In Motion has been putting together some rather detailed OS tutorial videos on devices when shipping them to retailers. The following videos are from the upcoming BlackBerry Style (9670) and show off some of the core functionality of the device. You’ll find more after the break folks. Big shout out to Lucky45 for sending them in!

read more

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. OS tutorial videos for the BlackBerry Style (9670) appear online [videos]

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Those of you who have been patiently awaiting the return of the Evo 4G to Sprint’s online store won’t have to wait much longer.  Sprint has announced that the phone, which recently received its update to Android 2.2, will once again be available online sometime next week.

The device has been insanely difficult to get a hold of, with only limited numbers available in select Sprint and Best Buy locations.  You might not want to wait if you plan on ordering online, as Sprint is once again slapping the dreaded “limited quantity” tag on this batch of inventory.

There has been no announcement as to which day you can expect to see the Evo 4G available online again, so stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Evo 4G to be available online again next week

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums