Latest Gear Live Videos
Windows Mobile 7 leaked: Microsoft’s mobile savior?
Posted by Sparky Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2008, Design, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video,
The Inside Microsoft blog has scored an exclusive first look at Windows Mobile 7, and boy is it hot. Taking some user interface cues from the iPhone as well as throwing some truely unique and possibly revolutionary ideas the whole package looks slick, usable, and very much ‘the future’. The OS features a multi-touch interface similar to the Microsoft Surface table, and additionally features gesture based actions allowing a user to shake or rotate the phone to perform on-screen operations.
Windows Mobile 7 looks to be leaps and bounds ahead of the currently released Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1 OS’s. This kind of software revolution may just be the edge Microsoft needs to keep their market share in the mobile space and help give them an edge in the upcoming generation of portable internet and media centric devices.
Read More 
| Inside Microsoft
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Organize and Recharge Your Gadgets with the Charging Valet
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Accessories, Smart Home, Storage,
Being a gadget-geek occasionally has its downside…such as keeping track of all your “toys” and making sure they’re always charged. Brookstone’s Charging Valet can certainly lend a hand. It’s a handsome, wooden storage unit with a hidden power surge and can hold up to six devices. Just plug their adapters (which also remain hidden) into the surge and Voila! You’ll have an elegant display for your gadgets—while simultaneously charging them. Holds MP3 players, PDAs, digital cameras, portable game consoles and more and measures 13 7/16"L x 8 7/16"W x 5 5/16"L. Available for $75 USD.
Read More | Brookstone
Protect Your Bluetooth Device from Hackers
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Corporate News, Misc. Tech, Mods / Hacks,
A study by InsightExpress uncovered that 73% of mobile device owners are in the dark about protecting their device and data from Bluetooth hackers. If you fall into this bracket, listen up. There are three ways your gadget can be hacked: with Bluejacking, you’ll start receiving unwanted spam text messages, which can send your monthly bill (and mental state) skyward. The next level is Bluesnarfing, in which a hacker gains access to your data – and copies it for themselves. Most disturbing is Bluebugging, where a hacker can completely control your phone and make calls, obtain data, send texts and even eavesdrop on your calls. Prevention methods are amazingly simple, according to Ooi Szu-Khiam, a Symantec senior security consultant:
1) Turn off any Bluetooth features you’re not using.
2) Try to keep your device’s Bluetooth ID visibility setting at “hidden” so hackers can’t scan and find it.
3) Use passwords with a lot of digits, say 10. The more digits, the longer it takes to crack, if at all.
Read More | ZD Net
The Starbucks iTunes WiFi music store reviewed
Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Internet, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Product Reviews, Software, Wireless / WiFi,
As promised Apple and Starbucks started their rollout of the Starbucks WiFi Music Store in select cities. Gear Live is lucky enough to be in Seattle, the first city to get the special version of the iTunes Music Store in our Starbucks. The service allows laptops, iPhones, and the iPod Touch users to connect for free to the iTunes store while sipping lattes without having to pay for for a T-Mobile Hotspot account. Click through for our full impressions on Apple’s new partnership with the coffee mega-store Starbucks.
Click to continue reading The Starbucks iTunes WiFi music store reviewed
Apple WWAN Support Update 1.0 Released
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Broadband, PC / Laptop, Software, Wireless / WiFi, USB,
As I was Twittering, Software Update popped up and notified me that there is a WWAN Support Update available. What does this mean? Since I am posting from a MacBook Pro, it means that Apple is adding support in OS X for even more cards for hopping online. Included are a bunch of Novatel products, like the Novatel Merlin XU870 ExpressCard (HSDPA) for Cingular, and the V740 ExpressCard for Verizon that supports EVDO Rev. A. The full message is below:
The WWAN Support Update v1.0 provides SW support for the following WWAN products:
Available on the Cingular network:
- Novatel Merlin XU870 ExpressCard (HSDPA)
Available on the Sprint network:
- Novatel Wireless Merlin EX720 Express Card (EVDO Rev. A)
- Novatel Wireless Ovation U720 USB Modem (USB Adapter, EVDO Rev. A)
Available on the Verizon network:
- Novatel XV620 ExpressCard (EVDO Rev. 0)
- Novatel V740 ExpressCard (EVDO Rev. A)
- Novatel Wireless Ovation U720 (USB Adapter, EVDO Rev. A)
If you’re on a Mac notebook, rev up Software Update for the download.
Digby: Mobile Commerce for the BlackBerry
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,
Gear Live reader “Slezak” wrote in to tell us about Digby:
Digby is a really cool app that lets you shop for all sorts of stuff from your BlackBerry without having to use the browser. It has a local catalog with flowers, chocolates, books, cds, dvd, etc,.. including search capabilities for stuff not already in the catalog. It links up with the address book and the calendar so you can buy and ship stuff to yourself or anyone in my address book without having to rekey info that is already on my BlackBerry. Digby is a free download and the products are at the same price as they are on the vendors normal website.
So there you have it, for all you BlackBerry owning shopoholics out there, Digby might be just the thing you needed to push your credit card bill over the edge.
[Thanks Slezak!]
Read More | Digby Product Page
CES 2007 Video: A Look At Ontela
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2007, Features, Internet, Software, Videocasts, Videos,
Read More | The Bleeding Edge
CES 2007 Video: Ontela Sends Photos From Phone To PC
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Cell Phones, CES, CES 2007, Features, Software, Videocasts,
We met with Dan Shapiro from Ontela here at CES and learned more about their coming mobile photography technology. The average consumer takes more than 150 pictures with their cell phone each year, and does nothing with them - they sit on the phone, unprinted, unsent, and unappreciated. Ontela’s technology automatically transfers photos from your phone to your home computer using your phone’s internet connection.
The Ontela technology is brain dead simple: the trigger for the transfer is as simple as clicking the shutter button. Once you have taken your photo it’s sent to the computer, effectively giving you a computer hard drive sized memory card. You can also choose to have the Ontela service transfer the photos to Flickr, Kodak, or other services for you automatically.
The technology is being sold to carriers and is not available yet, but will be appearing in phones soon - stay tuned for more information on this fantastically simple way to get your photos off your phone, and in to your life.
Apple Announces The iPhone, Widescreen iPod, Internet Navigator
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Music, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video,
We have been waiting for this one for quite a while, and Apple delivered on the iPhone rumors that have been making the rounds for the better part of a year. The iPhone is more than just a phone though - this is the next generation iPod, a portable version of OS X, and a portable Internet navigator. Let’s first look at the hardware features.
The new iPhone features a 3.5-inch widescreen tough-sensitive display. The screen is a 320x480 at 160 ppi - that is an absolutely amazing feat, as 160 ppi is going to be gorgeous. The phone itself is 11.6 mm thin, and features a 2.0 megapixel camera, quad-band GSM/EDGE, EiFi, and Bluetooth 2.0. Battery life will be 16 hours for audio, 5 hours for talk time, video, and web browsing. Even cooler still is the built-in proximity sensor, which recognizes when the phone is on your ear so that it turns off the screen to save power. The accelerometer senses when the phone is tilted into a portrait or landscape display, and changes what is seen on the screen as appropriate. Lastly, there are ambient light sensors as well.
On the software side of things, the iPhone runs a specialized version of OS X, with the promise of support for full desktop-class applications. The phone also has SMS session support, which looks to have an iChat-like interface. This allows you to follow an SMS conversation back and forth on one screen. The three way calling support on the phone looks to work easily and seamlessly - if you have two calls going at once, simply hit the conference button, and both calls are brought together. Safari is built in, touted as the first fully usable HTML browser on a phone, and it features on-the-fly zooming that reminded us of the Wii Opera Browser. Photo management is top notch, and the phone even support Dashboard widgets as well, allowing for a whole host of software application possibilities that haven’t even been thought of yet.
Apple also announced support for Yahoo! IMAP email, which will be PUSH email similar to what you find on the BlackBerry. Google Maps is also integrated into the phone in a snazzy way, and that includes satellite map support.
The iPhone is going to be offered exclusively through Cingular in the US starting in June, and hits Europe in the fourth quarter of 2007, followed by Asia in 2008. The 4 GB model will be available for $499 with a two-year contract, while the 8 GB model will sell for $599 with two-year contract. Once it passes FCC approval, the phone will be available for purchase from both Cingular and Apple.
Apple has created a great interactive site that lets you see exactly how a bunch of the iPhone features work, which you can check out below.
Read More | Apple iPhone Product Page
Mobile Halo Developer Suing Microsoft
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, First Person Shooters, Xbox 360,
Mobile content develop In-Fusio is suing Microsoft over issues regarding a version of Halo for mobile phones. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that the lawsuit alleges that Microsoft is wrongfully attempting to end the partnership between the two companies. According to the report, Microsoft wishes to terminate the agreement based on missed payments by In-Fusio. In-Fusio says that it is withholding payments because of Microsoft’s alleged stonewalling while the mobile developer attempts to get design approval.
This does mark the second high-profile deal that has had problems in the past few months; Microsoft’s Halo movie deal fell apart and now there is trouble with this partnership. Bungie and Microsoft have been very protective of the Halo franchise; it is hard to tell if these problems were due bad matches between the corporations or if if Microsoft is being an overprotective parent. Either way, it does appear that with both of the deals, expectations were not met by any of the participating parties.
Read More | The Seattle Post-Inteligencer
