Hasta La Gadget!

Can’t wait another minute for your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS to be carrier-unlocked once more? If and only if you’re already running the latest firmware, you can actually pilfer a bit of iPad code to pick the requisite locks — though there are some serious risks in doing so. The iPhone Dev Team has a new version of PwnageTool that uses the 6.15.00 baseband from iPad firmware 3.2.2, which just so happens to run perfectly on the iPhone 3G and 3GS since both phones and tablets of that era use the same Infineon radio chip. If you know your way around an IPSW and regularly bench-press SHSH blobs, you can download all the software you need right now — but if you don’t, you might want to steer clear of the proceedings for the time being. We spoke about risks a moment ago, and in this case there are quite a few — like the inability to downgrade from baseband 6.15 or ever do a full restore unless Apple relations improve, and it’s fairly likely that Cupertino won’t look kindly on your warranty if they find you running iPad software. Them’s the breaks, kid.

iPhone 3G, 3GS get iOS 4.2.1 unlock, using risky ultrasn0w workaround originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s been talking details on LTE deployment for some time now, but even at CTIA earlier in the year, the carrier insisted that it would be the first half of 2011 before the next-gen network was active in the US of A. Now, it looks as if the engineers have been working triple-time in order to get Long Term Evolution live in the States under Big Red’s branding, as a new VZW commercial (embedded after the break) has affirmed that the first LTE waves will go public here in December 2010. Yeah, next month. Granted, there’s no information beyond the date, but at least we shouldn’t have to ponder long which devices will be first out of the gate. Here’s hoping Santa’s wish list has room for one more thing.

Continue reading Verizon launching LTE network in December 2010 (video)

Verizon launching LTE network in December 2010 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still clinging on to your iPod touch in the hope that Sprint will one day launch an iPhone? Well, it’s rather early to make a call, but news has it that we may get the next best thing very soon. According to our buddies over at BGR, the ZTE Peel that we saw a little while back is apparently hitting Sprint on November 14th, which is merely a week from today. Sadly, no one knows yet how much this 3G router case will cost, but both BGR and our own sources have confirmed that it’ll be available on a contract-free 1GB data plan for $29.99 per month. Meanwhile, you may consider the Apple Peel 520 that can actually turn your jailbroken iPod touch into a phone, or grab yourself an Overdrive and duct tape for some hot WiMAX Skype action.

[Thanks, Delon H.]

Sprint’s ZTE Peel embracing your iPod touch sans contract on November 14th? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Instant on a PC browser has always been a clever idea in search of a use case. With the new mobile beta for Android and iOS, the search giant has found its first.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have Google Instant on mobile devices, where each keystroke and page load is much slower and you frequently have just a moment to find the information you need?” writes Google engineer Steve Kanefsky.

Indeed. With fast hands and a full QWERTY keyboard, the time between typing “Google Instant” and “Google Ins” is minimal. On a non-PC keyboard like a phone, e-reader or remote control, it’s considerable.

To activate the beta, you need to be running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or iOS. Then go to google.com in your mobile browser and tap the Google Instant “Turn on” link beneath the search box.

The only trouble with Google Instant on mobile devices is the net connection. Google Instant works by making server calls with each stroke. To even make it work in a mobile browser, google had to create a new AJAX and HTML5 implementation to dynamically update the page with new results.

On a good Wi-Fi network, that’s no big deal. On 3G, it’s not a major problem. On (gasp) EDGE, it can actually make search much, much slower.

“With Google Instant on mobile, we’re pushing the limits of mobile browsers and wireless networks,” Kanefsky writes. “Since the quality of any wireless connection can fluctuate, we’ve made it easy to enable or disable Google Instant without ever leaving the page. Just tap the ‘Turn on’ or ‘Turn off’ link.”

See Also:

• How Google Instant Could Reinvent Channel Flipping
• Chrome 8 Adds Google Instant to the URL Bar
• Google Debuts 'Instant' Search (Updated)
• What's In A Search, If You Don't Hit the Search Button …
• Google Adds Gesture Search to Android Phones
• Google Beefs Up Voice Search, Mobile Sync

A report this morning from the South China Morning Post claims that Amazon’s 3G-boasting Kindle is selling fast on the so-called “gray” market in China because of its 3G internet connectivity and browser. The device, it seems, offers the Chinese a rare opportunity to side-step the “great Firewall” of the Chinese government, which restricts access to sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Amazon does not officially sell the Kindle in China, which has the world’s largest internet-connected population at 420 million. The Kindle, which seems to have been overlooked by the Chinese authorities thus far, makes use of Amazon’s own network, Whispernet.

3G Kindle a hit on the Chinese gray market for its ability to bypass the “Great Firewall”? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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