Awaz Apni

Folks have been concerned that the upcoming (Thursday!) Motorola Droid X would be in the same situation as the earlier Motorola Milestone, in terms of having a similarly locked bootloader. In fact, it appears that the answer is an unfortunate yes. There have been reports that people who have pre-release devices and needed ROM updates were stymied by Motorola. Rather than installing the updates themselves, they had to return the devices to Motorola for flashing. While unclear why, it seemed to point to this "feature." According to Droid developer Stephen Bird, the X indeed has a signed + encrypted bootloader. While he's not sure yet, he's pretty sure it will be the same as on the Milestone. He did say that the Droid X will be rooted, so that those apps which require root access will still be usable. However, custom ROMs will be out of the picture. Folks have been trying to crack the Milestone's bootloader to enable custom ROMs for months, unsuccessfully. Of ...

Folks have been concerned that the upcoming (Thursday!) Motorola Droid X would be in the same situation as the earlier Motorola Milestone, in terms of having a similarly locked bootloader. In fact, it appears that the answer is an unfortunate yes. There have been reports that people who have pre-release devices and needed ROM updates were stymied by Motorola. Rather than installing the updates themselves, they had to return the devices to Motorola for flashing. While unclear why, it seemed to point to this "feature." According to Droid developer Stephen Bird, the X indeed has a signed + encrypted bootloader. While he's not sure yet, he's pretty sure it will be the same as on the Milestone. He did say that the Droid X will be rooted, so that those apps which require root access will still be usable. However, custom ROMs will be out of the picture. Folks have been trying to crack the Milestone's bootloader to enable custom ROMs for months, unsuccessfully. Of ...

The Dell Streak, that 5" sort-but-not-really tablet is already on sale in the U.K., and it appears Apple is taking no chances. Do a search on the Dell Streak in Google's U.K. search engine , and look what comes up as a sponsored ad? The iPad. Interestingly, while we were able to duplicate that result, we weren't able to see the other sponsored ad that's been reported as well: it was reported that a query for HP Slate was bringing up a similar iPad ad, but it appears to no longer be happening. Since the fate of the Slate appears on certain, why throw money that way, right? At any rate, there's nothing wrong with this behavior, per se. One would think, since the iPad is really targeting another audience, that the sponsored ad isn't going to change any minds. However, what's more interesting is that it shows Apple is taking challengers to the iPad seriously. Of course, a search for Samsung Galaxy S doesn't bring up an iPhone 4 ad. We suppose Apple i...

The Dell Streak, that 5" sort-but-not-really tablet is already on sale in the U.K., and it appears Apple is taking no chances. Do a search on the Dell Streak in Google's U.K. search engine , and look what comes up as a sponsored ad? The iPad. Interestingly, while we were able to duplicate that result, we weren't able to see the other sponsored ad that's been reported as well: it was reported that a query for HP Slate was bringing up a similar iPad ad, but it appears to no longer be happening. Since the fate of the Slate appears on certain, why throw money that way, right? At any rate, there's nothing wrong with this behavior, per se. One would think, since the iPad is really targeting another audience, that the sponsored ad isn't going to change any minds. However, what's more interesting is that it shows Apple is taking challengers to the iPad seriously. Of course, a search for Samsung Galaxy S doesn't bring up an iPhone 4 ad. We suppose Apple i...

Looking for an open parking spot? There's an Android app for that. No, there's no iPhone app, only an Android one; sorry, for once Android has a leg up on the iPhone. Indeed, it's called Open Spot , and it could prove really useful to folks in parking spot limited locales. It's a Google Labs app, which means it's experimental, so keep that in mind. Users of the app let folks know when they are leaving a spot. Google marks the open spots on the map with red pins for newly opened spots, orange pin for spots that have been open for more than five minutes and yellow pins after ten minutes. After 20 minutes, the spot is removed from the map. Those living in San Francisco might think 20 minutes is a little generous, and Google acknowledges it on their Open Spot FAQ page . For those who are competitive, or just like a pat on the back for their good deed, you can earn “karma points” for broadcasting your open spots. Your karma points are displayed in the app (as show...

Looking for an open parking spot? There's an Android app for that. No, there's no iPhone app, only an Android one; sorry, for once Android has a leg up on the iPhone. Indeed, it's called Open Spot , and it could prove really useful to folks in parking spot limited locales. It's a Google Labs app, which means it's experimental, so keep that in mind. Users of the app let folks know when they are leaving a spot. Google marks the open spots on the map with red pins for newly opened spots, orange pin for spots that have been open for more than five minutes and yellow pins after ten minutes. After 20 minutes, the spot is removed from the map. Those living in San Francisco might think 20 minutes is a little generous, and Google acknowledges it on their Open Spot FAQ page . For those who are competitive, or just like a pat on the back for their good deed, you can earn “karma points” for broadcasting your open spots. Your karma points are displayed in the app (as show...

What's the bad thing about Apple's new iPhone 4 video chat feature, FaceTime? Well, aside from the fact that it can only be used via wi-fi, it also needs to be done iPhone 4 to iPhone 4. Both of those restrictions are not an issue with the new version of Fring for the iPhone. The new version of Fring will allow device-agnostic video chats, which means now Fring users can video chat with any Skype or Fring user, regardless of device, and even to PCs. Additionally, it works over 3G, though certainly not as well (OK, with lags and jitters). At any rate, given the new version of Fring, we can now have video chats between Android and iPhone users, arguing about which device platform is best. Apple's FaceTime is an openn standard, Apple says, though it remains to be seen if any others will adopt it. It's also a fact that while the impression that many have gotten is that Apple invented video chats via cell phones, that's not the case.

What's the bad thing about Apple's new iPhone 4 video chat feature, FaceTime? Well, aside from the fact that it can only be used via wi-fi, it also needs to be done iPhone 4 to iPhone 4. Both of those restrictions are not an issue with the new version of Fring for the iPhone. The new version of Fring will allow device-agnostic video chats, which means now Fring users can video chat with any Skype or Fring user, regardless of device, and even to PCs. Additionally, it works over 3G, though certainly not as well (OK, with lags and jitters). At any rate, given the new version of Fring, we can now have video chats between Android and iPhone users, arguing about which device platform is best. Apple's FaceTime is an openn standard, Apple says, though it remains to be seen if any others will adopt it. It's also a fact that while the impression that many have gotten is that Apple invented video chats via cell phones, that's not the case.

Steve Jobs famously said that "Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone." This Ann Arbor, Michigan woman didn't buy an Android phone for porn, but got it anyway, and preloaded to boot. The reason that Rhonda Lee ended up with porn on her phone is that the HTC EVO 4G she bought wan't new. She bought it from a third-party (read: not corporate) Sprint store, and they said it was new, but that was obviously not the case. There were five video clips on the phone, some as long as 12 minutes. Worse, Lee ended up discovering the clips when she was showing the device, which has been sold out for a great deal of its "lifespan," to co-workers. Lee tried to return it to the third party store, but employees first denied that the phone had been used. Later, they 'fessed up and said it had been returned by another customer. Meanwhile, Lee is still looking for an apology from Sprint (realistically, it's unclear why as this is obviously not a corporate store...

Steve Jobs famously said that "Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone." This Ann Arbor, Michigan woman didn't buy an Android phone for porn, but got it anyway, and preloaded to boot. The reason that Rhonda Lee ended up with porn on her phone is that the HTC EVO 4G she bought wan't new. She bought it from a third-party (read: not corporate) Sprint store, and they said it was new, but that was obviously not the case. There were five video clips on the phone, some as long as 12 minutes. Worse, Lee ended up discovering the clips when she was showing the device, which has been sold out for a great deal of its "lifespan," to co-workers. Lee tried to return it to the third party store, but employees first denied that the phone had been used. Later, they 'fessed up and said it had been returned by another customer. Meanwhile, Lee is still looking for an apology from Sprint (realistically, it's unclear why as this is obviously not a corporate store...

comScore has released its latest report on smartphone market share for the three months of March through May. Unsurprisingly, the trend continues from previous months: Android is rapidly climbing among smartphone platforms. It should be noted, however, that these numbers obviously don't include the iPhone 4, which did not launch until late June. Android continued to climb, and while it still "only" has 13 percent of smartphone market share, what's more important is that rise is from 9 percent in the last report. That rise, therefore, comes to 44.4 percent over a three month period. Meanwhile, during that time, all the other smartphone platforms took dives. RIM still has a 41.7 percent share of U.S. smartphone subscribers (a drop of 0.4 percent), while Apple had a 24.4 percent share (a drop of 1 percent). Microsoft saw a drop of 1.9 percent to 13.2, while Palm dropped rounded out the top five out with a 4.8 percent share, a drop of 0.6 percent. In terms of manufact...

comScore has released its latest report on smartphone market share for the three months of March through May. Unsurprisingly, the trend continues from previous months: Android is rapidly climbing among smartphone platforms. It should be noted, however, that these numbers obviously don't include the iPhone 4, which did not launch until late June. Android continued to climb, and while it still "only" has 13 percent of smartphone market share, what's more important is that rise is from 9 percent in the last report. That rise, therefore, comes to 44.4 percent over a three month period. Meanwhile, during that time, all the other smartphone platforms took dives. RIM still has a 41.7 percent share of U.S. smartphone subscribers (a drop of 0.4 percent), while Apple had a 24.4 percent share (a drop of 1 percent). Microsoft saw a drop of 1.9 percent to 13.2, while Palm dropped rounded out the top five out with a 4.8 percent share, a drop of 0.6 percent. In terms of manufact...

Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone, ditched his iPhone for a Motorola Droid in March. Though he's still using that device, in an interview with CNN over the state of the cell phone industry, it was his last sentence of the interview that was the real bonus for Android lovers. Cooper noted how he gave his iPhone to his grandson. As he said, "Kids are really caught up in that." The final sentence was the zinger (emphasis ours): "But I think that the Android phones are catching up now, and the latest version of the Android phones are every bit as good, if not better , than the iPhone ." The Droid was a huge success for Motorola, and for Android. It's still being sold, and is fact expected to get a Froyo update very soon, as early as July 13th, it is rumored. Other tidbits from the interview: They knew the cell phone would become popular, but they never imagined it would happen so fast. "Well, we knew that someday everybody would have a ( c...

Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone, ditched his iPhone for a Motorola Droid in March. Though he's still using that device, in an interview with CNN over the state of the cell phone industry, it was his last sentence of the interview that was the real bonus for Android lovers. Cooper noted how he gave his iPhone to his grandson. As he said, "Kids are really caught up in that." The final sentence was the zinger (emphasis ours): "But I think that the Android phones are catching up now, and the latest version of the Android phones are every bit as good, if not better , than the iPhone ." The Droid was a huge success for Motorola, and for Android. It's still being sold, and is fact expected to get a Froyo update very soon, as early as July 13th, it is rumored. Other tidbits from the interview: They knew the cell phone would become popular, but they never imagined it would happen so fast. "Well, we knew that someday everybody would have a ( c...

We've been touting the T-Mobile Vibrant as the first Samsung Galaxy S device to hit a U.S. carrier, given its July 21st launch date. On Thursday, AT&T announced that it will be launching their Captivate on July 18th, which would beat the Vibrant by a few days. Ah, but maybe T-Mobile heard about this: there are rumors, but no official confirmation, that the Vibrant will launch July 15th. The new Vibrant (above) date is unconfirmed, as the last date given on Samsung's Twitter feed still says July 21. it does, however, sound likely given the AT&T date. Both the Vibrant and Captivate will ship with 16GB of internal storage. That is unlike Verizon's Fascinate and the Sprint Epic 4G, which will have 2GB and 1GB respectively. However, the latter devices will have LED flash, and the T-Mobile and AT&T versions will not. These four devices will all have the Samsung Hummingbird CPU and Super AMOLED screens. While people should stop using the term "iPhone kille...

We've been touting the T-Mobile Vibrant as the first Samsung Galaxy S device to hit a U.S. carrier, given its July 21st launch date. On Thursday, AT&T announced that it will be launching their Captivate on July 18th, which would beat the Vibrant by a few days. Ah, but maybe T-Mobile heard about this: there are rumors, but no official confirmation, that the Vibrant will launch July 15th. The new Vibrant (above) date is unconfirmed, as the last date given on Samsung's Twitter feed still says July 21. it does, however, sound likely given the AT&T date. Both the Vibrant and Captivate will ship with 16GB of internal storage. That is unlike Verizon's Fascinate and the Sprint Epic 4G, which will have 2GB and 1GB respectively. However, the latter devices will have LED flash, and the T-Mobile and AT&T versions will not. These four devices will all have the Samsung Hummingbird CPU and Super AMOLED screens. While people should stop using the term "iPhone kille...

A few days ago we reported that the creator of the hilarious iPhone 4 vs. EVO 4G video (as well as its rebuttal) was about to lose his job at Best Buy. Well, they've relented, but he hasn't: he's outta there. The original video showed a zombified iPhone 4 buyer refusing to listen to a Phone Mart employee when he tells him of the benefits of the EVO 4G. It was hilarious, as was the rebuttal video. The Best Buy employee was 25-year-old Brian Maupin. He had been suspended while Best Buy HR reviewed the case. While the two videos below are the ones that have gone viral, they didn't mention Best Buy at all. Instead, Best Buy says it was some other videos that mentioned the company that they cared about, and those have been taken down. So, all is forgiven, right? However, Maupin said that originally Best Buy did take offense at his NSFW humor, as they felt it disparaged their customers. Of course, neither video mentioned Best Buy, and perhaps, with the glare of public ...

A few days ago we reported that the creator of the hilarious iPhone 4 vs. EVO 4G video (as well as its rebuttal) was about to lose his job at Best Buy. Well, they've relented, but he hasn't: he's outta there. The original video showed a zombified iPhone 4 buyer refusing to listen to a Phone Mart employee when he tells him of the benefits of the EVO 4G. It was hilarious, as was the rebuttal video. The Best Buy employee was 25-year-old Brian Maupin. He had been suspended while Best Buy HR reviewed the case. While the two videos below are the ones that have gone viral, they didn't mention Best Buy at all. Instead, Best Buy says it was some other videos that mentioned the company that they cared about, and those have been taken down. So, all is forgiven, right? However, Maupin said that originally Best Buy did take offense at his NSFW humor, as they felt it disparaged their customers. Of course, neither video mentioned Best Buy, and perhaps, with the glare of public ...

AppBrain, which we've written about before, is a great place to search online for Android apps, and then select them to install to your device. In the past, however, you'd have to install the AppBrain App Market application , then "sync" your device with it. You would then see a list of apps to install manually. With the release of their Fast Web Installer, however, the apps are now pushed to your device. This is something that's expected to come later from Google. It was shown at Google I/O; it's the ability to select an app from the Android Market and have it sent to your device OTA. However, we now don't have to wait for the feature to come in the next Android release (or whenever). This only works with free apps, but it is really cool, once you download the app and enable its functionality. How do you get it set up? First, of course, you'll need an AppBrain account. Next, install the "AppBrain App Market" app on your phone. Once th...

It's official: the T-Mobile Charm has been confirmed by Motorola in a press release . The device first leaked about a week and a half ago, but we also knew it would be free in an upcoming back-to-school promotion . The Charm, which is squarish with a QWERTY keyboard (non-slide-out!), reminds folks of a BlackBerry (somewhat). Not much in the way of hardware specs has been revealed, but it seems to be a low-to-mid-range device, with Android 2.1, MotoBlur, a 2.8" screen, and a 3 megapixel camera. It definitely falls into what some might call the "cute" range, as well. > The form factor provides the first Android device with a built-in (non-slider) keyboard and a QVGA display (320 x 240 resolution). It will be interesting to see how Android apps, which have been focused on the tall, portrait displays of Android devices until now, run on this device. Click the above image to see a larger one. Neither date nor pricing was announced, but it will be exclusive to T-Mo...