Phreaky Phonez mobile news

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:15:00 EST
hands-on, ifa, ifa 2010, Ifa2010, mobile, prototype, sharp
Sharp shows off mobile prototype with 3D screen, 3D camera, and 3D output

We've seen enough home theater 3D already to be well and sick of it, but mobile 3D is still an upcoming sector, one which Sharp seems to be making a bid for. It's showing off a mobile device prototype (it looks like it could be your friendly neighborhood carrier's next Android handset) with a glasses-free 3D parallax screen (akin to the tech used in the Nintendo 3DS), a 3D camera around back, and 3D output over HDMI. The result isn't stellar -- just because a mobile device is shooting grainy, color-bleeding footage in 3D doesn't make the footage stop being grainy and color-bleeding -- but it most certainly works, as we witnessed both on the device's own screen and on a regular glasses-required 3D TV the prototype was outputting to over HDMI. The 3.7-inch LCD rocks a 800 x 480 resolution in 2D mode, which gets halved to 400 x 480 in 3D, and Sharp is also showing of a 10-inch glasses free LCD that didn't come off as so impressive somehow.

Sharp shows off mobile prototype with 3D screen, 3D camera, and 3D output originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:58:00 EST
android, app, apple, apps, blackberry, facebook, google, ios, iphone, mobile, mobile apps, MobileApps, rim, social networking, social networks, SocialNetworking, SocialNetworks, statistics, stats, users
Facebook mobile app stats shocker: 104 million iPhone users, 12 million Android users

Facebook's recently begun displaying user stats for its mobile apps for several platforms, and the numbers are downright overwhelming. The iPhone takes the largest slice of the cake with (at the time of writing) over 104 million active monthly iOS device users, with BlackBerry users at nearly 60 million, and just over 12 million using the Android client. So what can we take away from these numbers? Well, at last count, Facebook has over 500 million users, so a pretty sizable chunk of them are using mobile apps. Interestingly, the last reported number of iOS users was 100 million; that's the number announced at WWDC, just back in July -- but Facebook lists more than that amount of active monthly users, so we're not sure how these numbers are being calculated. We've reached out to our contacts at Facebook and will update if we get a clearer picture of where the stats are coming from.

Facebook mobile app stats shocker: 104 million iPhone users, 12 million Android users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:18:00 EST
data, desktop, email, figures, habits, internet habits, internet portals, InternetHabits, InternetPortals, mobile, nielsen, numbers, online gaming, OnlineGaming, portals, social, social networking, SocialNetworking, statistics, stats, web, web habits, WebHabits
Americans prefer to email on the go, social network at home

We do like a pretty chart around here, and these latest ones from Nielsen are positively gorgeous. The internet stat-keeper has come out of a particularly hot and heavy research session with the conclusion that American online habits are a-changing. The unstoppable juggernaut that is social networking (23 percent) leads the way on computers, with online gaming (10 percent) now joining it in second place, and email ousted to an unhappy third (8 percent). The slack in electronic postage is being picked up by mobiles, however, with 42 percent of cellular internet time dedicated to exchanging messages the old fashioned way. Video streaming has shown double digit growth relative to last year, but remains a comparatively small part of what US interneters do. One thing we find humorous in the data is that 34 percent of all web time spent on computers is bundled into Nielsen's "Other" category -- any ideas on what people might be doing during that time?

Continue reading Americans prefer to email on the go, social network at home

Americans prefer to email on the go, social network at home originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:07:00 EST
2Wire, 3com, bid, bidding, bigs, business, cellphone, china, chinese, defense department, DefenseDepartment, government, Huawei, industry, mobile, motorola, security, us, usa
Huawei bids high, loses hard on two major US assets
Huawei has been kicking for well over two decades, and while a great deal of its business revolves around the enterprise, the company still has a presence in the consumer arena (most recently with its S7 tablet). But for whatever reason, it's having one bear of a time breaking into the US acquisition game. According to a pair of people sourced by Bloomberg, Huawei wasn't selected as the winning bidder of two large US assets in recent months despite having offers of "at least $100 million more in each case." Ouch. As the story goes, the sellers (2Wire and Motorola) "doubted Huawei's ability to win US government approval," possibly because of the founder's prior role as an official of the People Liberation's Army. It's also not the first time that Hauwei has been deterred in the US; the outfit dropped a bid in 2008 for 3Com after America began "investigating whether a deal would give China access to anti-hacking technology used by the Defense Department." 'Course, given the existing legal trouble between Huawei and Motorola right now, we're not sure a +$200 million bid would've sealed the deal on its recently hawked wireless equipment unit. Hit the source link if you're down for a serious read. Mystery, drama, deceit -- it's all there.

Huawei bids high, loses hard on two major US assets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:17:00 EST
concept, intel, maemo, meego, mobile, mobile operating system, mobile os, MobileOperatingSystem, MobileOs, nokia, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, survey, ui, user interface, UserInterface, video
Nokia's treatment of MeeGo smartphone UI revealed?

We've already gotten a glimpse at MeeGo's prerelease stock UI for handsets, but just like Symbian, there's no guarantee that the experience is going to be consistent across manufacturers -- and a new video apparently captured from an online survey makes it seem like Nokia might be looking to go in a slightly different direction. The one minute, twenty-nine seconds of footage walks us through five parts -- starting up, the "powerful multitasking UI," getting connected, the Ovi Store experience, and the music player -- and as you might imagine, it's the Ovi Store portion that has us feeling like this is a thoroughly Nokia-customized experience (not to mention the copyright in the lower left). It generally looks richer and more functional than what we've seen before, and parts -- like the webOS-esque multitasking -- remind us of Maemo 5's thumbnails, which makes perfect sense considering MeeGo's roots. Follow the break for the full video.

[Thanks, MTA]

Update: The video has since been removed from YouTube. New embed posted.

Continue reading Nokia's treatment of MeeGo smartphone UI revealed?

Nokia's treatment of MeeGo smartphone UI revealed? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:46:00 EST
att, authentication, carrier, cellphone, corporate, Encrypted Mobile Voice, encrypted voice, EncryptedMobileVoice, EncryptedVoice, enterprise, gsm, mobile, privacy, security, smartphone, voice
AT&T Encrypted Mobile Voice to bring extra security to Obama's BlackBerry calls
Yeah, we know that the Prez was once seen rocking a Verizon-branded BlackBerry 8830, but just bend your mind a bit and bear with us. Shortly after lighting up Wall Street with an exceedingly excellent quarterly earnings report, AT&T has announced an Encrypted Mobile Voice service that'll hit later in the year. Assuming Obama actually does own an AT&T-branded 'Berry, he'll soon be able to enjoy what AT&T calls "the first mobile-to-mobile voice encryption solution using two-factor authentication offered by a US operator." Said service is expected to provide a higher level of security for calls across the AT&T wireless network, and naturally, it'll be shopped to government agencies, law enforcement organizations, financial services institutions and international businesses, all of which will pay far too much for what's likely a false sense of security. We mean, haven't these guys ever seen 24?

AT&T Encrypted Mobile Voice to bring extra security to Obama's BlackBerry calls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:14:00 EST
google, google tv, GoogleTv, lean back, LeanBack, mobile, tv, video, you tube, YouTube, youtube lean back, youtube mobile, YoutubeLeanBack, YoutubeMobile
YouTube launches Leanback, mobile site gets HTML5 revamp (video)

Looks like YouTube's having quite the day. The site has officially rolled out Leanback, its television-friendly interface first espied during Google TV's big unveiling. The interface works via keyboard arrow keys -- sorry, no option to use the mouse -- letting you scroll through your feeds / recommendations, categories, playback options, and search bar. Videos encompass the entire browser menu and will crank up the HD when available. So far, we're seeing snappy response with navigation, and some utter embarrassment at the (unfortunately accurate) suggestions YouTube is throwing our way.

Meanwhile on the handheld front, YouTube's also pushed live a new mobile site. New touted features include a more touch-friendly UI, further incorporation of the main site's elements such as favorites and ratings, and a generally speedier existence. YouTube also promises to work at bringing update parity across its desktop and portable kin, "unlike native apps which are not updated as frequently" (come on, tell us how you really feel, guys). Since the TV season is in a bit of a lull anyway, might as well grab your iPhone, Android device, HTPC remote, laptop, or whatever other screen you have and play catchup with your viral videos. Promotional footage after the break.

Continue reading YouTube launches Leanback, mobile site gets HTML5 revamp (video)

YouTube launches Leanback, mobile site gets HTML5 revamp (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:31:00 EST
beta, breaking news, BreakingNews, calling, communication, communications, google, Google Voice, GoogleVoice, mobile, public, software, telephone, video, voice, voicemail, voip, voip calling, VoipCalling
Google Voice now open to the American public

Tired of waiting for the invite that'll never arrive? Not so eager to snap up an Android phone just to automatically get ushered into the party? Good news: Google Voice is now open to the US public at large (sorry, everyone else!), enabling everyone who wishes to get a single number to ring all of their phones, have voicemail that acts more like email and send / receive free calls and texts within the US. Currently, Google has over a million active Voice users, and we suspect that figure will skyrocket after today. If you've been ignoring this hoopla until the invite barrier was crushed, feel free to hop on past the break for a video demonstration of what's on offer. Then hit that source link to sign up. Happy calling... callers.

Continue reading Google Voice now open to the American public

Google Voice now open to the American public originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:23:00 EST
android, app, apps, blackberry, facecash, iphone, mobile, mobile app, mobile payments, MobileApp, MobilePayments, thinklink
FaceCash mobile payment apps are like real money, only with your face on it instead of someone smart

ThinkLink's FaceCash mobile payment system has debuted several apps (for BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android devices) which allow you to pay for things merely by scanning your phone -- and showing off the attached photo to confirm it is, in fact, your own money that you're spending. You sign up, link your FaceCash account to your personal checking and savings account, and you're good to go with participating merchants. The apps can also store credit card numbers and banking information (perfect for when you lose your phone during a night of heavy partying), making it easier to leave your wallet or purse behind... or so they say. Sadly, FaceCash currently only has merchants in California, and really, who wants to live there?

FaceCash mobile payment apps are like real money, only with your face on it instead of someone smart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:43:00 EST
buyout, financial, fujitsu, merger, mobile, mobile division, MobileDivision, phone, smartphone, toshiba
Fujitsu and Toshiba cellphone units merge, become second-largest Japanese mobile company
Merger mania in the Japanese smartphone market, as Toshiba and Fujitsu have decided to combine their mobile operations, creating what will be the second-largest Japanese phone maker after Sharp. The move comes just over a year after these two merged their hard drive operations, so clearly the love here is deep. Fujitsu will reportedly own 70-80 percent of the new company, as it's actually a bigger mobile player -- but it mostly makes dumbphones with gimmicky features for the domestic market, which is why it's buying Toshiba and its lineup of smartphones like the Snapdragon-powered TG02. Of course, the TG02 runs Windows Mobile, so it's not like it represents any sort of future, but we'd bet it'd look real nice running Android or Windows Phone 7. We'll see how quickly these two can get in the game -- the mobile market isn't for the faint of heart.

Fujitsu and Toshiba cellphone units merge, become second-largest Japanese mobile company originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wed, 26 May 2010 12:09:00 EST
cellphone, cellphones, mobile, robert dotson, RobertDotson, t-mobile, t-mobile usa, T-mobileUsa, tmobile, tmobileusa, wireless
T-Mobile USA CEO Robert Dotson announces his departure

It's been a really uproarious week for CEOs in the tech community -- and it looks like the fun is not quite over yet. Early this morning T-Mobile USA announced the departure of CEO Robert Dotson after 15 years with the company. His resignation will take effect in February of 2011, and he'll stay on the company's board until May, with former T-Mobile Deutschland CEO Philip Humm stepping in to fill his shoes. There aren't many other details available regarding the reason for his departure, but we'll keep our ear to the ground for you. The full press release follows.

Continue reading T-Mobile USA CEO Robert Dotson announces his departure

T-Mobile USA CEO Robert Dotson announces his departure originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wed, 19 May 2010 03:53:00 EST
data charges, DataCharges, facebook, facebook zero, FacebookZero, free, free access, FreeAccess, mobile
Facebook launches free mobile access site for emerging markets... and Denmark
Following in the footsteps of Coca-Cola, Facebook is seeking to feed your addiction with a new zero version of its online service. 0.facebook.com leads users to a stripped down, text-only version of the social site, which will incur no data charges from your carrier. Of course, you won't be able to access any other sites or rich media without paying for it, but at least the core functionality of reading your friends' witty status updates and writing satirical responses will be there free of charge. This service is being rolled out primarily in the so-called emerging markets, though more mature environments like Belgium, Denmark and Finland are also present on the list (available after the break). SFR in France, 3 in the UK, and Australia's Telstra are also going to be joining in soon. Guess it's just a matter of finding a pliable carrier to accede to offering the minimal bandwidth necessary in exchange for being Liked by Facebookers.

Continue reading Facebook launches free mobile access site for emerging markets... and Denmark

Facebook launches free mobile access site for emerging markets... and Denmark originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 03:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tue, 18 May 2010 21:56:00 EST
apple, att, breaking news, BreakingNews, broadband, internet, iPhone OS, iPhone OS 4.0, iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4, IphoneOs, IphoneOs4.0, IphoneOs4.0Beta4, mobile, mobile broadband, mobile internet, MobileBroadband, MobileInternet, os, software, tether, tethering, video, wwan
iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option

See that screen there? That's from the minty fresh beta 4 of iPhone OS 4.0, which was just released to developers moments ago. Unless our eyes are badly mistaken, that's an option to setup internet tethering on AT&T, something that WWAN warriors have been waiting for since... oh, forever. We're downloading the new build as we speak, and we'll let you know if we find anything out. Oh, and don't get your hopes up too high -- AT&T proclaimed that it was "still waiting on better network performance" before enabling iPhone tethering just three weeks ago.

Update: There's a video of the screens after the break, just in case your belief was temporarily suspended for any reason. Thanks, Jerish!

Update 2: Well, this is interesting -- we just updated an iPhone 3GS in Chicago, and we're not seeing the tethering option. We're guessing this is a glitch or just a mismatched carrier setting file, since so many others are seeing it, but we'll do some digging and see what's up.

Update 3: Okay, we've got it sorted -- all it took was a quick network settings reset. Thanks, Gray!

[Thanks, Pete]

Continue reading iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option

iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 21:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fri, 14 May 2010 18:01:00 EST
3g, 4g, browsing, calling, communication, CTIA, data, lte, mobile, mobile broadband, mobile data, mobile internet, MobileBroadband, MobileData, MobileInternet, report, smartphone, study, survey, web, wimax, wwan
Cellphones purportedly used more now for data, Gossip Girl blasts than calls

Ever notice how easy it is to find mobile plans with unlimited minutes these days? Yeah, it's because they're about as valuable as pea coats in the dead of summer. With more and more consumers disconnecting their landlines in favor of using their cellie for everything, the art of communicating via voice is also becoming lost. According to "government and industry data" cited in a New York Times report, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has "stagnated," with 2009 being the first year ever in which the "amount of data in text, email messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices [in the US] surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls." Dan Hesse, Sprint's head honcho, even chimed in with this nugget: "Originally, talking was the only cellphone application; now it's less than half of the traffic on mobile networks." We also learned that the average length of a mobile call was just 1.81 minutes in 2009, a drop from the 2.27 minutes per call seen in 2008, with many individuals feeling that other communication methods (email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) were far less invasive of someone's time, being that they could respond to those messages at their convenience. Of course, on the Upper East Side (where all the richies use Verizon dumbphones, apparently), we get the impression that yakking away about a cornucopia of drama is still the hotness.

Cellphones purportedly used more now for data, Gossip Girl blasts than calls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sun, 09 May 2010 03:32:00 EST
canada, carrier, cellphone, CRTC, DAVE, DAVE holdings, dave wireless, DaveHoldings, DaveWireless, Globalive, mobile, mobile carrier, MobileCarrier, Mobilicity, operator, Orascom, public mobile, PublicMobile, WIND, wireless, wireless carrier, WirelessCarrier
Mobilicity gets the green light from CRTC, looks to launch in Toronto soon
Right on cue, the artist formerly known as DAVE Wireless has been given approval to begin operations in Canada. Just as we heard earlier in the year, Mobilicity is looking to add some much-needed competition in the mobile operator space up north, and as predicted, the CRTC has given the initial stamp of approval needed for it to move forward with business operations. The company has to make a few minor changes up the ladder in order to appease the Canadian overlords that regulate this stuff, but the outfit's top brass have stated that they have "no issues" whatsoever in complying. If all goes well, the carrier plans to start up service in Toronto before the summer swings in, with Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa to get covered later in the year. Here's hoping those blasted three-year contracts vanish for good, eh?

[Thanks, Adam]

Mobilicity gets the green light from CRTC, looks to launch in Toronto soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 May 2010 03:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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