May 04

RIM Partners with Bing for BlackBerry Search

Posted in: Microsoft, mobile, search, Today's Chili

Bing - RIM

On stage at BlackBerry World 2011 this morning, Steve Ballmer announced that RIM had decided to work with Microsoft to bring Bing search to all new BlackBerry devices. This isn’t too much of a surprise: there’s no way RIM would give Google more market share by working with them, and it’s no doubt that RIM has a few grudges with Google over the rising popularity of Android biting into their handset sales. 
Ballmer dissed Android by calling their development ecosystem “chaos,” and similarly tossed a barb at Apple claiming their environment was too “limited.” Microsoft, presumably, is right in between, and perfect for BlackBerry. Still, the real winner here is Microsoft: even though users may opt to install Google search on their BlackBerry devices, having Bing search deeply integrated into the BlackBerry experience will be a boon to Microsoft. 
RIM said that Bing would be rooted pretty deeply into the BlackBerry OS, even down to on-device system search, and Bing would provide location services, maps, and driving directions as well. We’ll have to wait to see more when RIM starts rolling out new BlackBerry devices with Bing search built-in, but that won’t be much of a wait. 
[via PCMag]
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May 02

Video Chat Coming To BlackBerry PlayBook

Posted in: BlackBerry, playbook, Today's Chili

bbplaybook.jpg

If you’re a Playbook guy and your iPad-toting friends keep rubbing FaceTime in your face, you’ll soon have an alternative. The Playbook is getting its own video chat app later this months.

The chatting app will let users place video or voice calls to others via Wi-Fi, using the front-facing camera but also letting them switch to the rear-facing camera if they want to show off their car, girlfriend, or anything else.

RIM is also working on getting dedicated apps to match what’s already available on the iPad, including Facebook and Hulu Plus.

Via Engadget

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May 02

AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless Block Wireless Tethering Apps in the Android Market

Posted in: Today's Chili, wifi

Wireless Tether Android

If you’re been using your Android phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot without telling T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, or AT&T about it and paying for their tethering plans, all three companies are out to get you. That shouldn’t be a surprise, since AT&T has been keeping an eye on users with unusual data usage and forcing them to upgrade to tethering-supported plans. Now they’re all taking the extra step to block the myriad of wireless tethering apps available in the Android Market entirely. 
The most popular app in this category, Wireless Tether, is free in the Android Market but requires users have their phones rooted in order to work. The trouble now is that users with Android devices on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless won’t be able to find the app, since it just won’t be listed in the Android market when they search for it. The same is true for apps like PDANet, Tether for Android, and Easy Tether.
That won’t stop most people – you can still grab the APKs for each app from a number of other sources, the least of which are usually the developers’ own Web sites, but the carriers are trying as much as they can to make the process inconvenient for users. If this pattern of behavior continues, expect to see the battle between carriers and users who tether their phones without authorization from their carriers to escalate. 
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Apr 29

White iPhone 4 Slightly Larger than The Original

Posted in: Apple, Today's Chili

White and Black iPhone 4

If you’re one of the folks who ran out to pick up a brand new white iPhone 4 from Apple this week, you might want to hold off on picking up a case for it just yet. The white iPhone is a little bigger than the black version, and by “little,” we really mean only about 0.2mm. 
Now that’s not a huge difference when it comes to how well it fits in your hand, or how well it actually makes calls or surfs the web, but where it’s a huge difference is when it comes to cases, peripherals, and other full-body devices designed to connect to the iPhone 4. Case manufacturers will have to redesign their cases to fit the slightly bigger device (unless we’re talking about bumpers and flexible cases, that is,) and peripheral manufacturers with stands, keyboard attachments, and other devices that clip onto the entire body of the iPhone will have to account for the ever-so-slight size difference. 
In the end, it won’t be long before you’ll head into your local electronics store and see iPhone cases along a wall marked with “AT&T – Black,” “AT&T – White,” “Verizon – Black” and “Verizon – White” on the packaging so you know which one to buy. 
[via MacRumors]
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Apr 28

Verizon iPhone Sales Bump Apple to No. 3 US Phone Manufacturer

Posted in: iPhone, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

Verizon iPhone 4

The NPD group released new numbers this week to show that the winter launch of the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless managed to rake in enough sales to boost Apple to the number 3 spot among US phone manufacturers of any type. Apple comes in at 14%, trailing LG (18%,) and Samsung (23%.) In comparison, Android’s market share declined a bit from 53% to 50% across all manufacturers due to the availably of the iPhone for Verizon Wireless customers.  
Research in Motion (RIM,) the makers of BlackBerry mobile phones, saw its market share drop five points, and now ties Apple at 14% with its numbers continuing to decline. NPD also noted that the fact that the iPhone is now on two carriers – the nation’s largest ones, to boot – also cemented the iPhone 4’s place as the best-selling single phone in the US. Second to the iPhone 4? The iPhone 3GS on AT&T, which has seen a price drop to $49 in the wake of the iPhone 4’s launch on Verizon Wireless. 
With this week’s launch of the white iPhone 4, those numbers are likely to continue to rise. NPD claims that many new iPhone customers coming out of the woodworks are a combination of first-time smartphone buyers, Verizon Wireless customers who wanted an iPhone but didn’t want to switch to AT&T, and to a lesser extent, converts from BlackBerry or Android phones. 
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Apr 27

Nokia Slashes 4000 Jobs Worldwide

Posted in: Microsoft, nokia, symbian, Today's Chili

Nokia Logo

We all knew it was coming: when Nokia and Microsoft signed their agreement to bring Windows Phone 7 to Nokia handsets, the end was nigh for Symbian – and all of the developers, engineers, and support staff that Nokia had built up around the flagging mobile OS. Now, Nokia has made good on the bad news and served over 4,000 employees worldwide with pink slips. 
In addition to letting that staff go, Nokia is divesting itself of Symbian entirely, and handing it off to Accenture, another technology firm that’s agreed to take Symbian support and development off of Nokia’s hands. Accenture in turn will then become the “preferred provider” of software and services for Nokia’s handsets – including the upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices. 
Nokia may have just fired 4,000 people, but they are offering many of them the opportunity to re-apply for other jobs at the company and get job training for roles elsewhere. Look on the bright side guys, Google still says they’re hiring. 
[via SlashGear]
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Apr 25

US Army Looks to Adopt Android Devices

Posted in: Today's Chili, Weird News

 

us-army-logo.jpgThe U.S. Army is always looking for ways to help its troops fight better. First the Army embraced video games as a way to train, now the Army is wanting to adopt Android-based devices. The Army would allow developers to develop a couple of apps just for the Army in order to protect themselves in better ways.

Here is what Lieutenant Colonel Mark Daniels had to say about this:

That’s going to allow us to be interoperable across the entire family of systems of JBC-P, which would include the platforms, the aviation, the logistics community, the tanks, the Bradleys, the handhelds

The Army did not confirm that the Android device will be adopted, nor has any soft release date been released. As for why the Android devices are the only smartphone OS being considered is pretty clear at this point. As of now, the Android OS is the only open source one on the market, thus making it easier for the Army to work on.

Via TG Daily

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Apr 25

Husqvarna Lawn Mowers: Controlled by iPhone

Posted in: Robots, Robots Robotics, Today's Chili

Automower

Mowing the lawn can be a pain. Not too many people look forward to going outside in the sun and pushing a lawnmower around their yard for hours making sure the grass is even and trimmed. Well, thanks to Husqvarna, now you can sit on the porch or stay inside where it’s nice and air conditioned, and send a robot to do the work for you. All you have to do is keep an eye on the little guy on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad and guide him around your lawn. 
The Husqvarna 260 ACX lawn mower comes with GPS on-board, and with the My Automower app for iOS, you can watch your lawn mower’s position on a Google Map as the little bot moves around your lawn. You can program a path for the mower, or control it live in real-time. You can even run quick diagnostics on the mower and check its overall health and status. 
The 260 ACX can mow 1.4 acres before needing to recharge, and when it’s out of juice it’ll head back to base to plug itself in. If something gets in its way or it stops for some reason, the mower will even text you to let you know it’s encountered a problem. It’s clearly not going to replace a riding mower for that guy who seems to cut his lawn every weekend, but if you’d rather sit on the porch and sip lemonade while the bot does the hard work, the 260 ACX is the lawn mower for you.
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Apr 21

Verizon’s Samsung Fascinate FINALLY Gets Android 2.2

Posted in: Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

fascinate.jpg

Consumers who bought a Samsung Fascinate from Verizon expected to get the Android ‘Froyo’ update about one year ago, but it just now received the important software upgrade.

Android 2.2 is one of the most important versions of Google’s mobile OS, as it brought Adobe Flash support, enhanced SD card functionality, and the mobile Wi-Fi hotspost feature to the platform.

The Fascinate is the last of Samsung’s original Galaxy S devices to get Froyo, ending the long saga of delays and frustration.

Via Ubergizmo

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Apr 21

Report: Verizon Wireless Sold 2.2 Million iPhones in Two Months

Posted in: att, iPhone, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

iPhone 4

Back when the iPhone 4 launched on Verizon Wireless, people wondered whether or not it would sell well, considering we were likely months away from an iPhone 5. 
Then on launch day, reports of short lines and tepid response were metered against the fact that Apple and Verizon Wireless had stocked up in case demand was extremely heavy. 
Now, in Verizon’s Q1 financial report, the company revealed that they sold over 2.2 million iPhones in the first two months they were available, and added over 1.8 million new wireless customers to its list of subscribers. Not a bad showing at all. 
By contrast, AT&T announced that it activated 2.6 million new iPhones in the first quarter. Still, Since Verizon only got the iPhone in February, AT&T had a month or so headstart on the competition.  The real test will come when the iPhone 5 is unveiled: then we’ll have the opportunity to see how many AT&T customers are patiently waiting for the new model to switch carriers. 
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