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Pantech has just announced their fledgling Android effort, the Sirius IM-A600S, will be launching on SK Telecom in Korea by the end of April. Readers in the U.S. and Japan should pay attention as well though as Pantech is in talks with AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. and KDDI in Japan.

A more complete specs list can be found at the bottom of the post, but the major bullet points are:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon (QSD8250) 1Ghz
• 3.7″ WVGA AMOLED Screen (800×480)
• 5MP Camera w/flash
• HDMI out
• Android 2.1
• 500 MB ROM
• Optical Joystick

Snapdragon has definitely become fairly commonplace for new Android releases; although I haven’t gotten sick of seeing that 1GHz listing yet. The optical joystick/trackpad is another feature that we are coming to expect from these devices, so no ground won or lost for the Sirius there. I suspect that HDMI out is going to be mainstream by this fall, but for the time being that is definitely a nice way to differentiate this from the Nexus One, Desire, and Droid Incredible that share otherwise similar specs.

On to the few possible dark clouds on the horizon for this device.

• The amount of RAM wasn’t announced, with the device cleared to output 720p video it seems unlikely that they skimped there, but it would be nice to see the number.

• Pantech has a skin running on top of Android 2.1, as you can tell from the somewhat iPhone lookalike homescreen, but it isn’t clear what it offers or how deep it runs in the OS.

• According to the Pantech site there is a stylus included which thus far has meant a resistive touchscreen.

I tried reaching Pantech for confirmation on some of the missing specs, but they have yet to respond. I will update the post when they do get back to me.

I realize if this is resistive touch then it is DOA (at least for our readers), but what if they have slipped a capacitive friendly stylus in there? Does anyone else think that might be useful at times?

Model Name	Sirius (IM A600S)
Launch	2010.04
Operator	SK Telecom
OS	Android 2.1
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon (QSD8250) 1Ghz
Display	3.7-inch WVGA(800X480) AMOLED
Size/Weight	123.5 x 63.5 x 11.5 mm /128g
Qwerty Keypad	No
Mobile TV	T-DMB
Touch-Screen	Yes
Camera	5-megapixel
Bluetooth	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes
Battery	1150mAh / 1400mAh
Internal Memory	500MB
External Memory	8GB, Up to 32GB
Feature	DviX, HDMI, SNS Manager (Twitter, Me2day), Optical Joystick

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I decided to create “science only” feed. Specifically, a feed which has only the posts which directly and primarily address natural science topics (obviously mostly genetics). I just added the category “Science” to all the posts which I thought were appropriate. Note that I exclude topics such as Creationism, or surveys of scientists, from this category, as well as my link roundups which mix science and non-science. It’s more like stuff I’d put into Research Blogging, though not always. Anyway, here’s the address:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/GeneExpressionScience

Also, if you don’t like RSS, this is the category address:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/category/science/

by Duncan Hollis

Today, U.S. News & World Report (USN&WR) officially released its 2011 rankings of American law schools.  This, in turn, led the legal blogosphere into its annual love-hate dance with the “overall” rankings–pouring over every move up or down the ladder, while simultaneously denouncing the ranking’s methodology and utility.  Lest our readers feel left out, I thought I’d flag the “new” International Law rankings that accompany the overall tiering.  NYU leads the pack, which actually seems quite sensible.  Although NYU lost a truly tremendous figure in Thomas Franck last year, it hired José Alvarez and Ryan Goodman to join the likes of Philip Alston, David Golove, Robert Howse, Benedict Kingsbury, Mattias Kumm, Andy Lowenfeld, Linda Silberman, and Joseph Weiler (and that’s only a partial listing of NYU’s international law faculty, not to mention their global visitors, clinicians, and institute folks who also spend time working on international legal issues there). 

I’ll leave to others to decide what to make of the remainder of the top 10 that’s available on the USN&WR website.  What I wanted to call attention to was the “premium” access list (i.e., the list for paying customers).  It details a fuller ranking of U.S. international law programs (here, for example, is where you’ll find my institution–Temple–coming in at No. 12, tied with Berkeley).  There’s something different, however, about the premium list this year.  In the past, USN&WR used it to list the “top 25″ international law programs.  This year, the list stops at 15 (actually 17 given tie scores).  What gives?  Was this a calculated effort by USN&WR to change the scope and value of these specialty rankings? Was it the result of some problems with the survey data (I believe these rankings are done almost entirely based on peer evaluations) that precluded offering a longer list?  Or, was it a result of some other methodological shift?  I couldn’t find anything on the USN&WR site that explained the change.  As a result, I’d welcome thoughts from readers on the topic.  In doing so, I’ll also open up the thread to more general comments about the accuracy, utility, and value (or lack of any of the foregoing) in ranking international law programs at U.S. law schools.

Seems like a Special Edition will be released for Red Dead: Redemption after all. This detail was spotted listed on Amazon.com’s German site.
 
 
 
 

We’ve seen videos of iPhone 4.0 Beta being jailbroken, but we thought we’d have to wait for quite a while until the jailbreak tool is released. Well, surprise! It’s already available for iPhone 3G devices. More »

It’s been interesting to watch a fun ride of PlayStation 2 since its conception and it has been a fun one! For Sony it has been one of the best selling products and with its price adjustments as years passed by, it became a very affordable console. However, we have been getting a vibe that pretty soon PlayStation 2 may be disappearing from the shelves of the stores. If you shop around for it now you may notice a slight price adjustment which comes to $99.97 which for pretty much means stores will not be ordering anymore from Sony. It may very well signal the end of the beloved PS2.

To stay on the news of the PlayStation world, here is another interesting insider piece of information for you. Remember Sony mentioned that there would be a shortage of PlayStation 3 this time around? Apparently the reason for this is due to the limited availability of Blu-ray drives for the past few months. Hopefully the supply of those parts is being taken care of and PlayStation 3 units will be populating store shelves as usual.

Wow what a day for OS leaks! Three different BlackBerry smartphones now have OS 5.0.0.610 available for downloading: the Bold 9000 and Curve 8900 and 8520. If you choose to install this OS on your device, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below.

• Download OS 5.0.0.610 for BlackBerry 9000

• Download OS 5.0.0.610 for BlackBerry 8900

• Download OS 5.0.0.610 for BlackBerry 8520

Something you need to remember: This OS is not an official OS released by RIM or any network. Before installing this OS we strongly recommended you do a full backup of your device, just in case something happens. We take no responsibility for any harm caused to your device or data from installing it. Other than that best of luck.

[Sources: CrackBerry and BBLeaks]

You’re reading a story which originated at BlackBerrySync.com, Where you find BlackBerry News You Can Sync With…

This story is sponsored by the new BlackBerry Sync Mobile App Store. Grab your free copy today at www.GetAppStore.com from your BlackBerry.

Leaked: OS 5.0.0.610 for BlackBerry 9000/8900/8520

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Back in March, Derek Kerton noted in a post here on Techdirt some peculiarities popping up around Skype’s plans for mobile devices. In particular, he pointed out how Skype announced a version of its client for several smartphones on the Verizon network, but the app looked crippled because it couldn’t function over WiFi and routed Skype calls over a standard voice connection. When the app became available, I downloaded it for my Android device on Verizon, and I too, noticed that it forced me to shut off the WiFi connection on my device. This didn’t make much sense to me: I’m already paying for a flat-rate data plan, so it’s not as if this would force me to spend more money. In addition, given the way that mobile operators have been saying their networks are overwhelmed by data traffic, why would they force me to use the mobile network when I could offload the Skype traffic to a WiFi connection? Then, when I placed a Skype call through the app and saw that it was actually routed through a voice call to an access number, I was confused even more.

As Derek noted, the Skype app for Verizon followed a series of several other moves that call into question Skype’s actual commitment to open networks, and that combined with US operators’ historical positions against openness, it was natural to assume that the app shut off WiFi on Android devices because of some nefarious purpose. But Verizon has explained itself, saying the app behaves this way because of a combination of technology and legality. In short, Verizon lawyers felt like voice calls made through Skype needed to be treated like standard voice calls from a legal perspective. This means conforming to 911 regulations, as well as the CALEA act, which opens networks to wiretapping by law enforcement. Verizon contends that CALEA dictates that call-signaling info travel over its data network, rather than unknown (and possibly unsecure) WiFi. This is where the technology comes in: apparently it’s impossible for the Skype app on Android to choose to use the Verizon data network if the device is connected to WiFi. So therefore it has to completely shut off the WiFi connection to be sure its data travels over the mobile network. On BlackBerry devices, this isn’t the case, so the app doesn’t force users to shut off their WiFi.

Given mobile operators’ past penchant for closing off their networks, it’s forgivable that somebody would assume one had nefarious purposes for blocking WiFi access to Skype. That may not be the case in this narrow instance — but many of Derek’s other questions about Skype’s much-touted commitment to openness remain unanswered.

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Heads up, everyone! We’ve all gotten used to getting up on Thursdays looking forward to the latest PlayStation Update. That’s about to change now as Sony’s decided to move it up earlier in the week.
 
 
 

The internet’s newest, scariest trojan virus doesn’t just destroy your computer, it destroys the esteem in which you’re held by your loved ones and colleagues, too! By publishing your browser history unless you pay a $15 ransom, that is. More »

Change of Shift is up over at Nurse Me. She was nice enough to enter my entry without my sending one in this time. I am enjoying the edition of the new doctor at the office and will enjoy being caught up on paperwork so I can blog more. Click here for the COS!

His campaign says it has more than $1 million on hand. No word on where that cash came from — whether the wealthy investment advisor wrote a few checks on his own behalf or raised it all from contributors. 

Capcom has done it again! New screenshots from Famitsu has revealed that Lost Planet 2 will not only feature guest appearances from Albert Wesker, Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, they will also include Frank West from Dead

Found under: DROID, Andorid, Motorola, Game Gripper, Accessories, Gaming, Games, Applications,

Having problems playing games on your Motorola DROID I see that little keyboard crapping your style when the game pace heats up getting you killed all the time etc then you might like this ugly thing. This ugly thing I speak of is called the Game Gripper it basically turn your DROID into a useful handheld gaming machine to my surprise the Game Gripper actually works pretty fine damn.The Game Gripper is a wireless rubber pad like thing all you are required to do is put it over the

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vitamin for vegetarians
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Vitamin for Vegetarians is a post from the Vegetarian Vitamins Guide blog where you can find suggestions and advice from vegetarians and vegans on vegetarian diets, supplements, vitamins and overall nutrition.

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• SK Telecom to Rely Heavily on Android for Smartphones, Too
  SK Telecom Co., the largest carrier in South Korea’s (by revenue) has announced that they are planning to sell over 2 million smartphones this year with the bulk of them running Android.  The carrier…

Found under: Android, Market, Google, Nexus One, Applications, Mobile, Smartphone,

Google has accomplished greatness where Android is concerned at todays Q1 earnings press conference Googles Senior VP of Engineering Jeff Huber made it known to everyone that there are now 38000 applications in the Android Market. 38000 apps is bleak compared to the amount of applications available for the iPhone but developers are jumping ship and you can be sure that Android will catch up before too long.Not only is the apps mounting up but market-share and overall use of Andro

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Forget Hulu: with no Flash allowed on the iPhone and iPad, whoever will protect us from the Legion of Doom? [The Duty via Walyou] More »

UPDATE – tBBC has now added threaded comments to our page.  We’re working on finding real-time comments, but this is a clear upgrade from our prior system.  Enjoy!  (oh, and it was really f-ing cool to meet Cris Carter)
—————————-
Liberally borrowing from the Fearless Leader’s work over at Fox Sports Ohio:

• Practice was faster paced today, and Pryor is continuing to shine
• We have a Carter sighting! Sorry, neither Jimmy nor Duron…
• More TE news- Stoneburner is flexed out to the slot, and is looking like he will be a significant part of the offense (for reals)
• Orhian Johnson looks to have the safety spot locked up, and continues to show leadership in the secondary
• Posey continues to shine, while T. Wash may have a case of the “Collinsworths”- makes amazing catches, just not the ones that hit him in the hands
• O and D lines continue to be solid- it was Mike Adams’ turn at starting left tackle
• Couple of injuries: Jordan Hall (shoulder), Connor Smith (leg). More info tomorrow

Tomorrow’s recap will include press time with Terrelle  Pryor.

Found under: Twitter, Android, Applications, Apot, Google, Tweet,

Took them long enough but Twitter finally acknowledges Android and plans an official application when this application will be released for the horde is unknown but how hard could it be to put 1 and 2 together and build a little 140 character tweet thingy Not long I suppose so this app should be out before years end heck how about the next 2 months or so.If you want some Twitter love on your Android phone you can always sample the many 3rd party apps out there Twitter apps like T

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