If you haven't seen it for yourself, Facebook has been abuzz today with this viral status update: The cause of the concern being that many users have suddenly realized that their Facebook contacts now have ‘handy’ cell phone numbers attached to them, seemingly by magic. The way Facebook has achieved this is through the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry Facebook apps, which now use cell phone number information by default whenever you sync your phone with Facebook.
As part of the ongoing (and ridiculous) saga of what is fast becoming known as the Patent Wars, Apple has successfully blocked the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet in the European Union, with the Netherlands being the sole exception. Any violation of this ban carries a maximum penalty of over $350k and possible jail time for Samsung executives if they are found to be allowing the continuance of sales.
Nokia’s first and final handset to run on the Meego operating system – the Nokia N9 – sparked worldwide interest when it was discovered that, despite low expectations, it was actually a responsive and intuitive device with a range of innovative functionality. Sadly, it will apparently not be coming to America.
According to Microsoft’s official Windows Phone blog, Windows Phone 7 users are the 2nd happiest customers in the US when it comes to the mobile operating system (OS) experience. The graph provided shows that Apple iOS had the most “very satisfied” customers with 70%, followed by Windows Phone 7 with 57% and Google Android coming in at a surprising 3rd with 50%.
The first 4G LTE enabled smartphone on Verizon’s network, the HTC ThunderBolt, is soon to finally receive the Android Gingerbread update. The news comes as welcome relief to ThunderBolt users across the nation who have been waiting for the update since HTC accidentally leaked the information about a Gingerbread update around 4 months ago.
At first glance the HTC HD7 is an elegant, but not unique looking device. Its 4.3 inch screen has a remarkably thin bezel surrounding it, the speaker and microphone are concealed stylishly between the bezel and frame of the handset and the dark yet shiny edge definitely adds an element of class. However, the effect was diminished when we realized that the framed sticks in to your ear when making a call. This was uncomfortable and only became more annoying with time.
The UK website The Guardian, has reported that the iPhone 5 (or whatever it ends up being called) has been sent to carriers for network testing. The alleged phones were transported in locked and sealed boxes under high security. If true, this is pretty exciting news and could even mean that the next iPhone is in line for a September or early October release. It’s not really shocking news, as many online tech journos have expected a September release for the iPhone 5 for a while now, mainly due to both iOS5 and iCloud looking to make their debuts around the same time.
The Google Nexus S is the first Google-branded phone manufactured by device giant Samsung. Running on Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread out of the box and easily upgradeable to 2.3.4 in most countries, the 4 inch Nexus S has seen its fair share of popularity due to its unique outward design, solid specs and penchant for seeing Android updates ahead of the competition.
Microsoft has finally signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build for the Windows Phone ‘Mango’ update. That means that the next phase will be almost entirely in the hands of the handset manufacturers and network carriers. The news is timely, as this move needed to happen soon if Microsoft wanted to hit the market sometime around that valuable September timeframe. It would be extremely beneficial for Microsoft to get the Mango update out as soon as possible, in order to contend with Apple’s new iCloud and iOS5 software services that will be seeing a September launch. As such the next gen of iPhone is also expected around this time.
The INQ Cloud Touch was the first of the new class of Facebook-centric smartphones. Originally referred to in only whispered rumors under the moniker of Facebook Phone, the Cloud Touch is an affordable Android device aimed those who have busy social lifestyles but don’t wish to pay for a top-end device. So, how does it compare to the competition and does its Facebook-centric user interface (UI) hold up under the pressures of a heavy user?
Hundreds of cell phone plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.