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Latest Gear Live Videos
AGF Beetle iPhone 4 case review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
The folks over at AGF have worked with AT&T on bringing their Beetle case for the iPhone 4 to market. We were sent an assortment of them to play around with and test on our iPhone 4 model, and we wanted to report back to you guys with some of our thoughts on the case.
Click to continue reading AGF Beetle iPhone 4 case review
Gallery: AGF Beetle iPhone 4 case review
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Is this the Playstation Phone, or a new platform altogether?
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Handhelds, Rumors,
Earlier this week Engadget came out with some exclusive pictures and various facts about what everyone is now calling the Sony Playstation Phone.However, there are many details that indicate that this can't be a so called "PSP Phone". Some of those details, like the fact that it's running Android, came out right at the front. Since the PSP isn't running on Android, that means each game would need to be converted or ported over, which seems unlikely.
Another such detail came out today, and that is the platform that this new phone seems to be using, something called "Z-System". There isn't much known about it yet, but several people have pointed to the label in one of the leaked shots, and it does seem to indicate that this is Sony's attempt at starting a new platform. Whether it will be successful is a matter of debate, but it's obvious that Sony is struggling with the mobile Playstation brand, as the PSP and PSP Go haven't exactly been runaway hits. Maybe a phone that runs ports of Playstation Portable titles on an Android device running the Z-System layer is just the kick in the pants that they need?
Read More 
| Engadget
Gallery: Is this the Playstation Phone, or a new platform altogether?
Apple working on embedded SIM for iPhone?
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
Apple has gotten creative with SIM cards in the past. They've done it before with the iPad, which uses a MicroSIM to connect to a 3G cellular network, and then the iPhone 4 followed suit. While they didn't exactly invent the technology, it's the first time that this gets used in a mass market device. Now, this morning, sources inside of some European carriers say that Apple is ready to pull a similar stunt. Apple and SIM maker Gemalto are reportedly about to implement a new SIM technology which would live permanently inside of the iPhone, and wouldn't need to be removed to switch carrier. The new SIM could be changed from one network to the next by the software, removing the need for it to be a removable card.
This is only rumor at this point, and if it was any other company it would be a dubious one at best. However, Apple's already proved that they can make carriers bend to their will to a certain extent, and this may be no different. The main benefit for Apple would be the ability to bypass the carrier. Consumers could buy a phone online, without any need to be pre-attached to a carrier like AT&T or T-Mobile, and then choose themselves which carrier to configure it for, at will.
Of course it's not all good for the end user. This would remove some of the control from the cellular network, but that control would be put straight into Apple's hands. So it remains to be seen what they would do with such increased power. Nevertheless, if they do manage this feat, it's clear others would be tempted to do so. Time will tell if Apple breaks the smartphone mold once more.
Read More | GigaOM
Gallery: Apple working on embedded SIM for iPhone?
Apple delays white iPhone 4 release for the third time
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, Rumors,
Last night, Apple put out a statement saying that the white iPhone 4 would be delayed again, this time until Spring 2011. This would mark the third time that the white device would be delayed by the company due to manufacturing issues. Apparently, the culprit behind this is that the white glass lets a little too much light through to the inside of the phone, which leaks into the camera sensor and results in washed-out images. The odd thing here is that we all expect that the next iPhone, iPhone 5 or whatever it may be, will be launching around June. Will Apple really release the iPhone 4 in a new color so close to the end of its cycle?
In the meantime though, we've had our white iPhone 4 for a while now, and we've seen no image quality differences between the our white model and black model. In fact, if you wanted one, you could get a white one yourself. Have a look at our white iPhone 4 video coverage for details.
Click to continue reading Apple delays white iPhone 4 release for the third time
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: Apple delays white iPhone 4 release for the third time
Barnes & Noble just announced the nook Color, their next-generation color touchscreen nook ebook reader with 7-inch display, powered by Android. They're saying it's a cross between a tablet device and e-reader, and it'll obviously integrate with a bunch of web services and apps (it's already got Facebook and Twitter integration.) Wi-Fi (but not 3G) is built right in, and the display is impressive at 1024x600 resolution with IPS technology and supporting 16 million colors which B&N refers to as "VividView." The nook Color will ship on November 19th, and you can pre-order it now for $249.
Read More | nook Color
Gallery: Barnes & Noble Nook Color announced
HTC Surround review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Product Reviews,
We performed our Windows Phone 7 review while using an HTC Surround smartphone from AT&T. Now that we've got the overarching review of Microsoft's big comeback in the mobile operating system world out of the way, we wanted to focus on the HTC surround itself. It's an interesting one, as AT&T is going to launch with three Windows Phone 7 devices come November 8th. The Samsung Focus has that Super AMOLED display and is nice and thin, and the LG Quantum has a slider QWERTY keyboard, which makes it thicker. The HTC Surround is also a thicker slider, but rather than a keyboard, it packs in a pair of Dolby Mobile and SRS Wow "virtual surround" speakers with a kickstand. This is obviously aimed at the Windows Phone 7 customer who plans to use their device as an entertainment device for music and video, and its got 16GB of internal memory to hold that stuff. Is it worth your attention? Keep on reading for our verdict!
Click to continue reading HTC Surround review
Gallery: HTC Surround review
Sony finally stops making casette Walkmans
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
Remember those big boxy things that you wore on your hip, and had to open up every twenty minutes or so to turn over the thingy inside so the good tunes didn’t stop? Yeah, me either. But the Japanese may have a harder time letting go, as it seems that Sony is just now getting around to ceasing production of the cassette Walkman in the far east. Sony will stop selling cassette Walkmans in Japan when the current supply runs dry sometime around April. However, China will still see the production of Sony brand Walkmans, but they will probably be few and far between. Now, let's all bow our heads and finally lay the cassette Walkman down to rest.
Read More | IT Media
Gallery: Sony finally stops making casette Walkmans
Deal of the Day: Save $100 on Nokia N8 smartphone
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Hot Deals,
The Deal of the Day today offers you the lowest price we've seen on the Nokia N8 smartphone. You get the unlocked N8 GSM device (which has GPS and a 12 megapixel camera) for $100 less than retail, saving you 18% off the total price using the Dell promo code:
Save $100 on Nokia N8 smartphone
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.
Gallery: Deal of the Day: Save $100 on Nokia N8 smartphone
Windows Phone 7 review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, Microsoft, Product Reviews, Software,
When Apple announced the iPhone three years ago, the entire mobile industry started to play catch-up to what Apple was doing. It took a while, but slowly companies like Google, RIM, and Palm eventually released smartphone operating systems like webOS and Android that aimed to compete. However, not much was heard from Microsoft. Once heralded as a major player in the smartphone business with Windows Mobile, Microsoft took a hell of a long time to come up with anything that could compete against iOS, Android, webOS, and really anything else out there. Then, finally, they announced Windows Phone 7 Series, and smartly dropped the "Series" part when just about everyone made fun of them for coming up with a name that was more convoluted than necessary.
Microsoft wanted to tell the world that they were serious about competing, even going so far as to hold a funeral for the iPhone and BlackBerry. A bold (and ridiculous) statement for sure, but now Windows Phone 7 has arrived, launching tomorrow over in Europe, and arriving in the USA on November 8th. Has Microsoft actually learned anything by sitting back and observing the smartphone wars over the past few years, sitting on the sidelines while taking notes? We've been playing with Windows Phone 7 non-stop for a while now, and we're sharing our answers with you here in our Windows Phone 7 review.
Click to continue reading Windows Phone 7 review
Gallery: Windows Phone 7 review
Apple sells 14.1 million iPhones, iPad outsells Mac
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, PC / Laptop,
Apple is in the midst of their quarterly financial results call, and the impressive numbers are in. The big one here is that Apple sold 14.1 million iPhone in their Q4 2010 quarter, which is almost double what they sold in Q4 2009, and is just...wow. In addition, for the first time iPad has outsold Macs with 4.19 million units sold, despite Apple selling more Macs this quarter than any other quarter in history (3.89 million.) This all leads to Apple bringing in over $20 billion for the quarter, and profiting over $4 billion.
The most interesting thing here to us is that these numbers are before the holiday season began, and you just know the Q1 2011 numbers will very likely be even higher. Full press release after the jump.
Click to continue reading Apple sells 14.1 million iPhones, iPad outsells Mac
