Motorola makes the BACKFLIP official, other handsets to see Android 2.1, Flash 10.1 updates: "

Motorola’s time to shine at CES just wrapped up and the North American manufacturer announced the Motorola BACKFLIP. As rumored, the BACKFLIP will have a backwards-folding, outward-facing keyboard, a touchpad on the back of the screen whose functionality is customizable and even API-accessible, 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, a 5 megapixel camera and MOTOBLUR. The BACKFLIP is headed to multiple carriers worldwide including one North American carrier, not identified by Motorola but we will spill the beans

Smartphones, QMDs strong in 2009: "According to Forrester Research 2009 was a banner year for the smartphone market with sales growth on pace with 2008 and growing from 7% share of the U.S. adult population at the end of 2007 to 17% share at the end of 2009."

Apple makes it official, acquires Quattro Wireless: "

Following up on last evening's rumor, Apple has pulled the trigger and made its acquisition of mobile ad network Quattro Wireless official.

T-Mobile takes entire 3G network to 7.2Mbps: "It's really that upcoming 21Mbps HSPA+ action that has us all hot and bothered, but T-Mobile USA took a nice little interim step today in announcing that its entire 3G footprint has now been upgraded from 3.6 to 7.2Mbps. Considering that AT&T won't be at 100 percent 7.2Mbps coverage for some time to come, this is a nice little boost -- of course, T-Mob's got a smaller network to contend with, so it's a trade-off for customers. Can someone do us a favor and drop us a line when we can finally have both a blazing network and coverage everywhere? At the same time?



[Thanks, Patrick]

T-Mobile takes entire 3G network to 7.2Mbps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments"

Verizon Wireless ordered 400,000 Palm devices: "
We’ve been told by one of our VZW connects that the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi are both starting to appear in Verizon Wireless’ inventory systems. In addition, we’ve also heard from the same source that Verizon placed an order for approximately 200,000 Palm Pre handsets as well as 200,000 Palm Pixi handsets.

"

ARTICLE: Rumor: Are these the Apple tablet specs?: "
I’ve been holding my breath, waiting to see what Apple’s potentially game-changing new tablet device might bring with it. Well, happy new year to us! Thanks to a leak of what seems like an internal document, it looks like a lot.

PhoneArena got the goods from an anonymous tip serving up more than just vague buzz, but actual specifications. The info comes courtesy of images that appear to be Apple memos or fact sheets. Among the details contained therein are some pretty juicy bits, including:

Sprint expected to launch 3G/4G router: "

Sprint Nextel is expected to announce a WiMAX/EV-DO pocket-sized router called the Overdrive from Sierra Wireless. The device, which is expected to become available within the next few months, turns 3G and WiMAX signals into a local wireless network--much like the MiFi device from Novatel. Sprint is scheduled to hold a "4G event" at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later this week, which is where the device could make its debut. Article

"

webOS paid apps coming to Europe in March 2010: "Okay, so this is quite the lag from October's North American availability, but at least when the paid portion of Palm's App Catalog rolls out across Europe it shouldn't experience the stuttering start it suffered back in the US of A. Palm has excitedly blurted out the news on its developer network blog, but not without the requisite garnishings of buzzwords like 'leverage,' 'freedom,' 'choice,' 'control,' and 'speed,' as well as something about 'faster cycle times' -- all of it designed to get more developers onboard. Kinda ironic the company is boasting about fast cycle times when it can't transition its paid Catalog to Europe in less than six months, but hey -- the Pre already has that one killer app, and it's free, so what do you care?



[Thanks, Ben]

webOS paid apps coming to Europe in March 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments"

Some handsets suffer Y2K16 SMS bug: "

Ah, yes, Y2K…remember the good old days? ATM’s weren’t going to recognize your bank card, servers were going to spontaneously combust, and elevators would have no idea where the second floor was. For those of you who look back with nostalgia at the Y2K hysteria, there is a new, albeit much smaller, Y2 “something” glitch to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside again. WMExperts is reporting that some mobile users are seeing text messages sent after 1/1/2010 dated as 1/1/2016. The most widely affected group seems to be those on Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.5 although some non-Windows Mobile users are also reporting this behavior. WMExperts has a home grown .cab file posted with a fix, however we haven’t seen anything official from Microsoft or other major manufacturers. How about it? Any of you out there getting text messages from the future?

[Via PocketNow]

Read

"

Palm's Jon Rubinstein named a 'Geek of the Year': "Just to clarify right out of the gate, the 'year' Fast Company is referring to is 2009, but nonetheless, it's an award we're sure Jon is happy to have. 11 geeks were found worthy of the 'Geek of the Year' award in '09, with the likes of Evan Williams and Biz Stone (Twitter), David S. Goyer (the creator of Flash Forward on ABC), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Neill Blomkamp (the writer of District 9) joining him. The justification for Jon making the cut?

US government launches Distraction.gov, wants to scare you straight (video): "

European countries may have long ago banished the use of cellphones while driving to the dark side of the law, but many of the United States persist in allowing their citizens to talk while driving. One reason for their reluctance may be that outlawing something that has become second nature to most people would be both unproductive and tough to enforce. So what do you do? The natural alternative to forcing people to drive attentively is educating them of the reasons why. Never mind the fact that we all kinda, sorta know the risks we undertake while operating a Droid and a Dodge concurrently. The newly minted Distraction.gov is chockfull of scaremongering statistics, topped by a truly epic video which we've handily stashed for you just after the break. Go get it while it's hot.
Continue reading US government launches Distraction.gov, wants to scare you straight (video)

US government launches Distraction.gov, wants to scare you straight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments"

Best Apps of 2009: "

The App Catalog has seen impressive growth since it first went live a little over 6 months ago. Palm's Early Access program brought in dozens of developers who have created over 1,000 applications in that time frame, and while we don't have access to as many apps as other smartphone platforms do, there are a number of high quality ones that fit into all of the important categories.

With that in mind, we've created a list of the must have applications that have come our way in 2009. If you're new to webOS (you should also see our getting started guide), or have been with the platform for awhile and are unaware of how the Catalog has grown over these last few months, this is a guide for you.

read more

"

Palm App catalog hits 1,000 apps... okay, 946: "

Hey, good news everybody! The Palm App Catalog, which has lagged far behind its peers, has reached the 1,000 app milestone as of this morning. Well, to be precise, it's hit 946, as pointed out by Electronista, but still, it's a nice little sign of growth for the webOS apps, whose development was hampered by very restricted initial access to its Mojo SDK. In comparison to contenders such as Android, whose catalog numbers around 20,000, and Apples iTunes store, which boasts over 100,000, Palm's numbers are extremely modest -- but progress is progress, especially considering it launched its App Catalog in June with just 30 apps. We look forward to hearing Palm's CES keynote, that's for sure.

Palm App catalog hits 1,000 apps... okay, 946 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments"

Orange plans to bring 'HD Voice' calls to UK next year: "We've had some indication that Orange planned to expand its 'HD Voice' technology beyond the hot testbed of Moldova sometime in the coming year, and it looks like the carrier is now starting to get a bit more specific about when the UK will finally have an alternative to standard definition calls. Apparently, Orange will begin trials of the new and improved, 3G-facilitated service early in the new year, and fully roll it out along with a 'range of handsets' before the end of the year.

AT&T is latest to end Tiger Woods sponsorship: "AT&T Inc. said Thursday it would no longer sponsor Tiger Woods, joining Accenture in dropping support for the golfer after numerous allegations of infidelities."

Ten gadgets that defined the decade: "

As 2009 winds down and we try to come up with new and clever ways of referring to the early years of this century, there's really only one thing left to do: declare our ten favorite gadgets of the aughts and show them off in chronological order. It's arguable that if this wasn't the decade of gadgets, it was certainly a decade shaped by gadgets -- one which saw the birth of a new kind of connectedness. In just ten years time, gadgets have touched almost every aspect of our daily lives, and personal technology has come into its own in a way never before seen. It's a decade that's been marked the ubiquity of the internet, the downfall of the desktop, and the series finale of Friends, but we've boiled it down to the ten devices we've loved the most and worked the hardest over the past ten years. We even had some of our friends in the tech community chime in with their picks on what they thought was the gadget or tech of the decade -- so join us for a look back at the best (gadget) years ever!
Continue reading Ten gadgets that defined the decade

Ten gadgets that defined the decade originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments"

2009 Year in Review: Android gains mainstream acceptance: "
The news: At the beginning of 2009, there was one Android handset on the market, the T-Mobile G1. By the end of the year, Google's mobile platform could stake a claim to being the most talked-about, buzz-worthy smartphone platform--and the one poised to grow the fastest in 2010. How did it get to that point?

I could write an entire book on successfully managing a sales team, but I will fit just a few pointers into this one post.

One thing you need to keep in mind is ,that many forget about in business, that the people you work with are like another family.  If you think about it, you give minimally 8 hours of your day to your business.  Some simple math tells us that if you sleep 8 hours a day, work 8 hours a day , and have 8 hours of personal family time each day.....you are spending at least half of your conscious time at work.  This doesn't include personal errands, work calls, and travel.  In the world of retail, 8 hours is not really truth.

If you have been in the wireless business for while you know that it changes at a rapid pace.  One of the most important things we can do is KEEP LEARNING every day.  We need to all make sure that we keep up on industry changes and follow new trends for our customers.  KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.


Here are some of my favorites that I read each day.  Let me know your favorites!

Palm Updates webOS to 1.3.5 (Phone Scoop): "Palm Updates webOS to 1.3.5

News Item Related News Comments

posted Yesterday, 10:30 PM � by Rich Brome

Palm today released a system software update for the Palm Pre and Pixi for Sprint. The new version of webOS significantly improves the downloading and storage of apps, supporting multiple simultaneous app downloads, downloads in the background, and control over downloads in progress.