Hasta La Gadget!

Though it was predated by a usable hack, the Pantech UML290 USB modem — one of just two devices launched so far for Verizon’s LTE network — has finally been blessed with an official Mac OS driver. What does this mean? Well, technically, it means that this is the very first time Mac users are getting any LTE love in the US whatsoever — though with that Samsung-sourced mobile hotspot on the horizon, USB modems might be a tough sale at this point. On a bright note, the availability of the driver today means that Verizon beat its own estimate of February; the UML290’s counterpart from LG, the VL600, is still Windows-only, though we imagine that’ll be hitting soon as well.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Pantech’s UML290 LTE modem for Verizon gets official Mac support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maybe Windows Phone 7 can gain some presence with the help of the iPhone’s hacker community.

Recently released as a public beta, a new hack transforms the interface of the iPhone to mimic the main screen of Windows Phone 7.

So gone will be the springboard UI we’ve all grown accustomed to on the iPhone and Android OS, and in its stead will be the tile-based interface of Windows Phone 7.

Of course, the iPhone theme doesn’t work exactly the same as the real thing. The authentic Windows Phone 7 uses tiles to represent “Hubs” containing the main experiences of the phone. So for example, the photo hub has your camera, and after you snap a photo it brings up another feature to share the photo on a social-working site or e-mail the pic. Microsoft calls these “threaded” experiences.

The iPhone hack doesn’t replicate the threaded Hub functionality of Windows Phone 7. It just repurposes your individual apps into Windows Phone 7-like tiles and mimics the process of adding or removing these tiles. Check out the video below for a demo.

Windows Phone 7 offers a fresh and brand-new UI compared to competing smartphones, but that hasn’t been enough to win over a large number of customers yet. Microsoft has been cagey about initial Windows Phone  7 handset sales numbers, but according to a new report by NPD, the OS is off to a slow start. Windows Phone 7 debuted with 2 percent of the smartphone OS marketshare, which is lower lower than the debuts of WebOS and Android, according to NPD.

So maybe you’ll more likely see an iPhone running this fake Windows Phone 7 theme as opposed to the real thing.

It’s a neat theme, and if you’re tired of the iOS UI but don’t want to ditch the iPhone just yet, this will be a fun hack to tinker with. Visit the ModMyi forum for a quick tutorial on installing. Jailbreaking is required.

From Gizmodo

We won’t lie: we’ve been pretty skeptical of the rumors so far that the HTC Thunderbolt would have support for simultaneous voice and data over EV-DO — SVDO, as it’s known — turned on. Perhaps more than any other US carrier, Verizon has a reputation for testing the living daylights out of devices and locking out hardware that doesn’t meet its reliability standards, and so we were a little leery of some supposedly leaked internal communication not long ago letting reps know that although it’ll be enabled, it shouldn’t be discussed because it doesn’t offer an “experience… consistent with [their] brand.” Well, we’ve just been fed a second document that features the same wording, so it looks like this might be real after all — and what’s more, it’s got updated verbiage stating that mobile hotspot capability will be available at launch, contrary to other leaks floating around today. This particular document is dated today, so we’re feeling good that the information is current — and if anything, it should get potential Thunderbolt buyers more excited than ever.

[Thanks, David]

HTC Thunderbolt might be getting simultaneous voice and data on 3G after all originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Something’s seriously going on over at Amazon’s Wireless store where the Droid Bionic, a Verizon sibling to AT&T’s Atrix 4G, has today been spotted listed for sale with a $149.99 price. That matches the levy Amazon asked for the Atrix last week (before promptly yanking the page) and seems to confirm that the $150 price point is receiving some sincere consideration for these 4G-equipped handsets. The Bionic’s page has now also disappeared into the ether, but the memory of its delectable promise remains.

[Thanks, techcruncher]

Droid Bionic appears on Amazon with $150 price tag, quickly disappears again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The very first electric Smart car — the Smart ForTwo — has arrived in Maryland.

The tiny EV has made its American debut, and the lucky owner is Mindy Kimball from Silver Spring, Maryland. The car is one of just 250 to hit the roads of the United States this year. The full-scale rollout for the car — which features a 40 horsepower electric engine and a battery pack that’s good for a range of a little over 60 miles — is expected next year.

“This is a groundbreaking day for smart in the United States,” Smart USA President Jill Lajdziak said. “We are extremely excited to add the smart fortwo electric drive to the smart product lineup, solidifying our position as a key player in transportation electrification.”

Via Wired