Author: Chris Velazco

Let’s try a little thought experiment here. Think about a new cell phone: it’s shiny, has a touch screen, and even a QWERTY keyboard. What else comes to mind when you think about that phone? What do you feel like doing?

If your answer to that last question was “play dodgeball”, then congratulations! You’re insane exactly the type of person Samsung is looking for!

To commemorate the launch of their Reality handset on Verizon, Samsung is attempting to set the Guinness record for the world’s largest game of dodgeball at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York. Over 1,500 potential dodgeball champions will square off, all for the glory of receiving a new phone (oh, and some gift cards). Having played with the feature phone already, it seems like this whole event is poised to be much cooler than the device it was meant to hype, but I’m sure that was the point. If you want in on the ball-slinging fun (unlike me, who was that one kid in gym class who pretended to sprain his ankle to avoid doing things), make haste to their Facebook page and sign up.

Ah, who am I kidding? I secretly hope a bunch of tech bloggers sign up, just to settle the score once and for all.

[Press Release]

For a long time, if you wanted to take advantage of Boost Mobile’s $50 Monthly Unlimited plan, you had to put up with a few disadvantages. The biggest, of course, was the fact that you were stuck using their sketchy iDEN network. Not only that, you had to do it with a handset that was (more often than not) as ugly as sin. Ever since Boost has embraced CDMA with open arms though, complaints on both counts have been addressed rather nicely. Except — except there’s one thing that the Boost handset lineup has been sorely missing.

Color!

Now that Boost isn’t running on a stone-age (and by stone-age, I mean “circa 1994″) network, they’re taking a page out of every other carrier’s pay-go playbook, and claiming a unit found on their parent company’s contract offerings as their own. Aside from the full QWERTY keyboard, the Juno (aka the SCP-2700, as far as Sprint is concerned) packs a 1.3 megapixel camera, threaded messaging, wireless web, GPS, and Bluetooth. Sure, it’s not exactly the newest phone on the market, but at $99 available today, it would be the perfect phone to match your Day-Glo leggings for your next 80’s party, if nothing else.

[Press Release]

The first time I jailbroke my iPhone and used SpoofApp, I called up a good friend of mine and (thanks to the voice changer) pretended to be a lusty old flame that just couldn’t get over him.

Not exactly my finest moment — but if I had waited a few more months, it might have even been illegal. It all depends on whether or not House Resolution 1258 (a.k.a. The Truth in Caller ID Act) gets signed into law.

H.R. 1258 isn’t exactly the newest piece of legislature on the block, nor is it the first to attempt to criminalize caller ID spoofing, but with its passing in the House of Representatives today, it’s one step closer to going on the books. The gist of the resolution reads as follows:

It shall be unlawful for any person within the United States, in connection with any real time voice communications service, regardless of the technology or network utilized, to cause any caller ID service to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller ID information, with the intent to defraud or deceive.

It’s the last bit of that last sentence that’s the most important. The resolution doesn’t explicitly make caller ID spoofing illegal, it makes spoofing with ill intent illegal. Right now, the spotlight is mostly on spoofing as performed by telemarketers to circumvent the Do-Not-Call list, but the actual language leaves the issue of regular people using spoofing applications vague.

Sure, there’s a pretty clear distinction between spoofing to play a joke on a friend and spoofing to call in a bomb threat, but since the same app could easily be used for both (especially combined with some clever social engineering), are the tools involved at risk of becoming illegal too? All things considering, probably not: after all, it’s not the act of buying and possessing lockpicks that’s illegal (unless you live in one of these states), but their use for unwanted entry that’s illegal. It’d a bit much to warn SpoofApp users to do so at their own peril, but just to be safe, make sure the person on the other end thinks the joke is as funny as you do.

[via PhoneScoop]

Now that most of us are essentially swimming in 3G signals on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget that a solid percentage of the world still has to make do with GPRS. Telecom giant Vodafone hasn’t forgotten though, and they’re taking a novel approach to making sure the developing world gets their mobile internet fix: they’ll pre-load Opera Mini on 20 low-end phone models.

Just a quick recap on how Opera Mini works: it uses server-side compression to strip out the unnecessary bloat from websites users visit, and in turn reduces the amount of bandwidth necessary to display a page. That means, among other things, lower incurred data costs and faster page loads. This particular flavor of Opera Mini will also feature a number of tweaks to make it more accessible to those who either can’t read, or can’t read very well.

Vodafone obviously isn’t doing it out of the goodness of their hearts; the developing world represents a huge untapped market for data penetration. Revenue will be generated from the string of “highly affordable data tariffs” they have in the works, which (if it turns out to be as popular as they hope) could result in some serious cash flows. Still, it’s always nice to see an intersection between corporate interests and providing people with a valuable service.

The initiative will go live in India, South Africa, Turkey, Tanzania and Egypt first, with other markets to follow.

[via mocoNews]

Now, before we enter the breach, I think it bears repeating that MobileCrunch and indeed the rest of the TechCrunch network in no way condone software/application piracy. Developers work too hard for responsible members of the tech community to give them the shaft like that. That said, while cracked iPhone app repositories like apptrackr continue to operate with impunity, we’re surprised to see that the big Android equivalent has been forced to shut down first. Jesusxxx’s Blapkmarket, which provided paid apps free of charge to its users, was just recently shut down by his hosting company.

The justifications for maintaining a collection of pirated apps are many, and they generally seem to address legitimate grievances with the whole app purchase process. Blapkmarket, for example, allowed users to “test” applications outside of the standard 24 hour grace period laid out in the Android Market program policies. Perhaps more importantly, it allowed Android users in other countries to access and use apps that for one reason or another weren’t available in their home markets. Jesusxxx has even gone on record saying that foreign customers “provide[d] the highest number of requests for paid apps” in an interview with Android Guys.

As noble as those intentions may be, there’s no question that each app pirated robbed developers of sweet, sweet revenue. For all the “scrupulous” users that made avail of the service for legitimate reasons (which doesn’t necessarily excuse their actions), there were undoubtedly countless others that just couldn’t be bothered to pay for anything. With Blapkmarket out of picture for now, the big question is whether other shutdowns are on the horizon. Bigger targets are certainly out there, with repos like apptrackr being prime among them. Whether Blapkmarket’s death knell spells doom for more pirated app repositories is unclear, but one thing seems clear: like their big media brethren, app developers are starting to take pirating very seriously.

[via Phandroid, image via VentureBeat]

Alright kids, it’s time for a little game. Raise your hand if you’ve visited a website with a .com TLD today. Alright, good! Now raise your hand if you’ve been to a .net site today. Great! Here’s the last one: raise your hand if you’ve been to a .mobi site.

That’s what we thought. And that might change.

In 2005, the .mobi top-level domain was introduced in an effort to improve the mobile web browsing experience by creating a subset of websites specifically meant for mobile access. It was certainly an interesting idea, and it was backed by a laundry list of industry notables, including Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, and T-Mobile just to name a few. Looking back on it now though, as we can all see, the whole concept was patently ridiculous. Instead of segregating the internet into mobile and non-mobile friendly areas, mobile browsing has shifted in a way that promotes better browsers that can view regular websites with aplomb.

Given the way the industry is moving, it’s not a terrible surprise to hear that the .mobi was recently sold off to an Irish registrar. Afilias, who already owns the .info TLD, will be earning an “undisclosed annual fee” for each of the .mobi sites registered, so there’s a vested interest in keeping them alive and kicking. According to their press release, “Afilias’ strategic domain expertise combined with mobile industry support will be a powerful accelerant for .mobi growth”, so we could potentially be looking at a .mobi comeback, but we’re not counting on it.

[Wireless Week via MobHappy]

Sagem’s SIMFi is one of those ideas that you wish you had come up with yourself. The concept is pretty straightforward: they’ve created a SIM card with an embedded WiFi radio, so provided you have a suitable data plan, the card itself puts out a WiFi signal instead of relying on the phone. For anyone who’s ever needed internet access on a laptop, with no other tools besides the phone in their pocket, this is a potential godsend. Tethering a handset to a computer for internet access used to occur on a strictly phone-by-phone basis. Have a BlackBerry? Read a few tutorials and you’re pretty much set. Ditto for the iPhone, and most Android and Windows Mobile devices. But where does that leave you if all you’ve got in your pocket is a phone with a cigarette lighter built into it?

Well, provided there’s a SIMFi in it, you’re ready to tether like the big boys, with the added bonus of being able to light a celebratory cigar with your phone. No word yet on availability or pricing, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled at Mobile World Congress for any developments.

[Press Release, via SlashGear]

Why the hell not, right? In an effort to ensure that your future mobile devices are as small as possible, Texas Instruments has developed a new chip that somehow manages to contain 4 individual radios for WiFi a/b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, and FM receive/transmit. Not only that, it’s (according to the press release, anyway) even smaller and more energy efficient than before. Sure, development was probably done under the auspices of moving the wireless industry forward, but it’s also a pretty big middle finger to TI’s competition – we’re already looking forward to what they come out with in response.

OEMs can get their grubby little mitts on samples today, but the rest of us will have to wait until the end of the year before they start popping up in the devices we’re bound to drool over.

[Press Release]

And the Apple-Google war continues. This time, instead of just bad-mouthing each other, Apple is running with a strategy that they’re no stranger to: censoring words in the App Store. Instead of just “boobs” and “booty”, which they don’t seem to have a problem with anymore, Apple’s new target is the word “Android”.

Now, Apple only seems to be looking for the word used within a particular context. A quick look through the App Store reveals a decent number of apps with “Android” in the title that have gone totally unscathed. However, at least one developer in particular has had their app held up pending removal of an Android reference. In its preview Tim Novikof’s Flash of Genius SAT app made mention of the fact that it was a finalist in Google’s Android Developers Challenge, and Apple had him remove the offending snippet before it could go live. Apple’s justification?

“providing future platform compatibility plans or other general platform references are not relevant in the context of the iPhone App Store.”

Novikof reportedly didn’t mind having to pull the reference, but it’s crazy that a developer would have to remove a recommendation (and a weighty one at that) just because Apple doesn’t like who it came from.

[via AppScout]

Today’s looking to be a pretty big day for both Sony Ericsson and Microsoft: with the official announcement of SE’s new Aspen handset, both companies are ready to show off what they should have done in the first place.

Sony Ericsson has never had much luck with their portrait-QWERTY portfolio, with their last attempt being the weirdo P1i a few years back, but the Aspen looks to be a solid (if rather dull) step in the right direction. It packs a 2.4-inch QVGA touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, A2DP, with quad-band GSM/EDGE support into a svelte little frame, and its Greenheart pedigree means even the most eco-conscious among you will find something to like about it.

Honestly though, the big news lies in the Aspen’s OS: it’s the first WinMo device to run 6.5.3, and while it may sound like yet another pointless incremental update, but it’s really anything but. Thanks to the guys at Redmond, touchscreen performance has been improved and (lest we forget), it adds support for capacitive displays and multitouch. Hopefully, the enhanced touch support will work as snappily as it does on the Zune HD, but if it’s anywhere in the ballpark, consider us satisfied.

The Aspen is set for launch in Q2 of this year, in both black and silver. Joy!

[Sony Ericsson, via Engadget]

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The iPhone is indisputably on top of the mobile gaming heap, and even relative small fries like Palm are getting serious about it, but Google’s plan for this year’s Game Developers Conference marks one of their first steps towards making Android the next big platform for games on the go. Sure, they’ve committed to offering a number of sessions on Android game development, and members of the Android team will be on hand to answer questions, but we both know that’s not why you’re reading this. You just want to get the skinny on those Android phones.

Well, fine. Have it your way.

As you could probably tell by that header image up there, Google’s prepared to give qualified GDC attendees a free Motorola Droid or Nexus One to spark some interest in their little operating system that could. Getting yourself qualified isn’t the biggest deal in the world, either: register for either an All-Access or Summits and Tutorials pass by the early bird deadline (a.k.a. February 12), and you’re in the running. Now, while we don’t recommend registering and flying out to San Francisco to get your hands on a shiny new phone (though we’re sure some of you would actually do it), this is a great (if expensive) move by Google to build some good Android karma – after all, there’s no better way to turn normal people into devotees than showing them what they’ve been missing.

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Let me start off by saying this: I really rather like the default Android homescreen. It’s simple, it’s functional, and above all, it’s endlessly customizable. Thanks to Google’s “do anything” approach to handling app development, end users have countless tools to trick out their phones anyway they want. That, as anyone who’s ever used MySpace knows, is a double-edged sword: the end results are usually range from the rare and wonderful to the terribly tacky.

The guys over at Larva Labs have taken a different, almost Facebookian approach. Instead of allowing users to directly get their hands dirty, they completely stripped down the Android into a sparse, information-oriented design they call SlideScreen, which looks something like a mashup between WinMo 6.5 today screen and HTC’s minimalist TouchFLO style. I was given the chance to play with a nearly final build of the app, which is slated for general release within the next few days, and for you info junkies out there, this may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

What was immediately apparent was the level of work that went into it: the whole shebang runs very smoothly, and at times seemed more responsive than the normal homescreen ever was. Each category is color-coded, and dragging the status bar up and down allows you to cycle through new tweets, stock updates, unread Google Reader items, new text messages, emails, and calendar entries. A quick tap on the corresponding icon opens up the associated app, while a long press lets you create a new entry. Without the traditional homescreen, the menu key is now in charge of bringing up the app drawer, along with a shortcut bar along the top for quick access to the apps that were normally out front.

The text, while small, is totally readable, especially on a high resolution screen like the Droid’s. Full disclosure: I’ve been wearing glasses since the fourth grade, so you may want to take any vision-related judgments I make with a grain of salt, but SlideScreen was just as legible on the G1 and Cliq I tested it with. Granted, the experience wasn’t quite as smooth, but considering the underpowered hardware involved, I still came away impressed by the whole affair. SlideScreen also can be run as a separate application instead of a homescreen replacement, just in case people want a one-stop shop for their personal and public information without having to give up pretty wallpapers and such.

It goes without saying that SlideScreen isn’t going to be ideal for everyone. As much as I like its style and organization, it’s certainly more information in one place than some users will feel comfortable with. Still, for those tired of looking at a stock Android install whenever they fire up their phone, SlideScreen is a solid, stylish homescreen replacement that may do them some good.

UPDATE: SlideScreen has just hit the Android Market in two forms, an ad-supported free version and the unfettered Pro version going for $6.99.

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Remember the HTC Touch.B, the slick Touch2 lookalike that surfaced last month? The one running that nifty, minimalist interface over Qualcomm’s BREW operating system? Well, it looks like it’s finally ready for primetime with a brand-new (if not the most accurate) moniker.

The HTC Smart is gunning for the budget-minded phone nerd, and for a lower-end phone, it brings a decent amount of oomph to the table. WiFi is noticeably absent, as is video recording, but Bluetooth 2.0 and 3G support isn’t too shabby. The original Zune-esque interface, which was noticeably slow last time we saw it, has been replaced by HTC’s now classic Sense UI. This could be a bit of an issue – if the spec sheet leaked back in December was accurate, then the Smart’s 300 MHz processor is slower than its earlier variant. How fluidly the Smart will handle the Sense UI and all its eye candy is still up in the air, but we’re hoping for the best. The whole package is rounded out with a 2.8-inch QVG display, 256 MB of onboard memory, and a 3 MP fixed focus camera with flash.

Full press release can be found after the jump, if you’re in to that sort of thing.

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Consumer Electronics Show (CES) — HTC Corporation, a global smartphone designer, today unveiled HTC Smart(TM), a new type of smartphone that creates a new category of easy-to-use, connected smartphones that are accessible by people all over the world. The HTC Smart will be available this spring across Europe and Asia.

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If you’re an AT&T customer and you have a Nokia phone, you probably already know that the app scene is pretty barren. AT&T’s Media Mall offers a few pages of arguably useful apps, but support for programs like AT&T’s App Beta developer initiative is limited to a single Nokia handset.

Fortunately, Nokia has just opened up their catch-all Ovi Store to all AT&T customers with one of their phones. The list of phones supported stretches back a few years – the oldest supported device is the 6555, a barebones S40 flip from over two years ago. According to their press release, customers looking to get set up need only follow a few steps:

• Step one: go to store.ovi.com from your Nokia device from AT&T
• Step two: once at store.ovi.com you will be prompted to download the Ovi Store application
• Step three: enjoy great content and applications for your Nokia device with AT&T.

Apart from breathing new life into some otherwise basic phones, the biggest deal about Ovi’s AT&T debut is its support for carrier billing, which makes impulse buying apps and themes easier than ever. Instead of having to whip out a credit card for purchases, charges show up directly on the bill, which in a sense is a win-win situation: customers get instant gratification and the companies involved pick up some extra, if sometimes unintended revenue.

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You can surf the web with your iPhone, you can take payments with your iPhone, you can make music, drive a car, and even fart with your iPhone, but to date one of the few things you haven’t been able do is watch television on your iPhone.

Alright, fine, Japan’s been rocking a 1seg TV tuner for their Softbank iPhones for over two years now, and CES 2010 has already netted us a few new promising DTV-compatible toys, but FLO TV and their new partner are looking at making the whole mobile television proposition much more pocketable.

Last time we saw FLO TV trying to work with an iPhone, it came in the form of a bulky receiver that plugged into the phone’s dock connector. They’ve certainly come a long way since then, and their new partnership with iPhone accessory giant mophie is proof – in a recent announcement, they’ve outed a series of mophie’s Juice Packs with integrated FLO TV receivers for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. The units themselves are set to be released during the first half of 2010, but the bigger question here is if anyone will actually buy the thing. The Juice Pack itself is a solid accessory, but given the low adoption rate FLO TV (nee MediaFLO) has dealt with for the past two years, sticking a subscription-based receiver that only offers a handful of channels into a case doesn’t seem like the greatest idea either company has ever had.

Anyway, if you’re one of the few who have been clamoring for television on your iPhone since day one, you won’t have much longer to wait. Pricing for the cases has yet to be determined, but let’s face it – if you were really that adamant about FLO TV, you were probably going to buy the damn thing no matter what anyway.

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