Here we go, in no particular order.

• Live Wallpapers
• Air Drop (maybe not in implementation but clearly taken from Android Beam)
• Semi-Transparent "Pop-ups" (Notifications, settings, etc.)
• Notifications on Lock Screen
• Settings from a swipe gesture on any screen.
• Multitasking across all apps
• Unlimited browser tabs (more than 8)
• Passwords and activity carried over from desktop browser (Android / Chrome)
• (Some features) Auto-tagging / organization of photos (from Google+)
• App Store auto updating apps
• Did I miss any??

So what do you think?  Is Apple innovating these days?

Google has updated to its Android and BlackBerry Google Voice app and is promising faster phone call connection times. According to Google, “Our mantra is faster = better.” Here is how the updated clients will expedite calls:

Until today, the Google Voice app had to make a request to the Google Voice server every time you wanted to make a call to send us the phone number you wanted to dial. Then the call would be connected via a Google Voice access number. With direct access numbers, we assign a unique phone number to every person you call. This means that we no longer need to use your data network to access the server each time you make a call, so calls will be placed much faster.

Full Press Release:

Faster dialing with Google Voice on Android and Blackberry devices
Thursday, July 22, 2010

At Google we are obsessed with speed. Our mantra is faster = better. This is true for our Google Voice mobile apps as well. When you want to make a call, your phone should connect you as quickly as possible, whether you’re calling via Google Voice or not.

Today we are launching an enhancement to the Google Voice mobile app on Android and Blackberry phones, which makes placing calls much faster. We call this feature “direct access numbers.” Here’s how it works:

Until today, the Google Voice app had to make a request to the Google Voice server every time you wanted to make a call to send us the phone number you wanted to dial. Then the call would be connected via a Google Voice access number. With direct access numbers, we assign a unique phone number to every person you call. This means that we no longer need to use your data network to access the server each time you make a call, so calls will be placed much faster.

The updated Android app is available from Android Market starting today. For Blackberry users, you can download the app by visiting http://m.google.com/voice from your mobile device. You will need a valid Google Voice account to use the app, and at this time, Google Voice is available in the US only.

Best Buy once again has beat everyone to the punch in offering a pre-order on the game changing HTC Evo on Sprint.  This newest addition to Android phones will sport the same snapdragon processor as the Nexus One and the HTC Droid Incredible but have a larger 4.1" screen, front facing camera, 4G WiMax Technology and support a WiFi hotspot.  We call this the first of the next generation Android and smartphones.  Look for this level of functionality to be standard on all cutting edge smartphones next year.

Skype is reportedly halting development for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 platform and is instead focusing its efforts on the Android, iPhone and Symbian OS. Speaking at an event in Australia, Dan Neary, the Asia Pacific Vice President for Skype, confirmed that the VoIP software giant is not currently developing a version of its popular software for the Windows Phone 7 platform. This revelation comes close on the heels of Skype’s removal of its Windows Mobile version due to the product’s less than stellar UI and poor user experience. Neary failed to provide a reason for Skype’s dismissal of Windows Phone 7 but the decision could stem from WP7’s lack of native code and its tight integration with XNA and Silverlight for development. It also doesn’t help that Windows Phone 7 is a new and untested platform. Regardless of the reason, heavy Skype users looking to jump to Windows Phone 7 may be wise to wait for Skype to change its mind or for some savvy third party developer to pick up the slack.

You can say that it has been the decade of smart phones. The past 3 years have been absolutely revolutionary in terms of smart phone technology and capability. Today we have heavy competitors that deliver amazing functionality and performance from Apple (iPhone), Palm, Nokia (Symbian), RIM (Blackberry) and the newest to the field that is pushing the envelope even further... Google (Android OS). Notice one missing? You guessed it, the company that arguably started the smart phone business is hardly a serious competitor anymore... Microsoft with their Windows Mobile platform.

Microsoft’s newest available release of Windows Mobile (now called Windows Phone) is 6.5 and still looks, feels and operates like Windows XP crammed into the lightweight hardware of smart phones. Performance aside (which is terrible), the user interface is not designed properly for what most smart phones users like to user as the primary interface… touch. Windows Mobile 6.5 phones were really designed to be used with a stylus.

Well Microsoft isn’t a company known to roll over and play dead. Enter Windows 7 Series phones. Microsoft announced this OS build and hardware just a few weeks ago. I must say, it looks great! I am impressed. Here’s the problem, it is too late. It would have been too late if Steve Balmer was handing out released, ready for production handsets to press member at the mobile conference in Spain but no. The official release date for this device and OS is holidays 2010. Any “cutting edge” features included in this new Windows Mobile release would easily be swallowed up by the rabid pace of development and version/build release of Android and even Apples iPhone OS.

After over a year of exclusivity with Sprint's network, it looks like the next generation Palm Pre termed the Palm Pre Plus will be making its way to the big red. During the Palm press conference today, CEO Jon Rubinstein announced that Verizon Wireless would be getting a new and improved version of the company's highly-successful Pre smartphone.

Dubbed the Pre Plus, this new handset features double the internal memory of the original Pre (16 GB compared to 8 GB). The Pre Plus also does away with the home/navigation button on the front of the original Pre, and includes a touchstone-compatible cover right out of the box.

There is no official word on pricing just yet, but I would guess that the Pre Plus wil be about $200 with a two year contract.

From their Mountain View headquarters search giant Google launched their firepower on the cell phone and more specifically the smart phone industry with what they termed a "super phone". The new device is called the Nexus One and is manufactured by the Taiwanese cell phone giant HTC in close collaboration with Google engineers. With the latest build of the increasingly popular Android operating system 2.1, this device packs some serious power. Nexus One features the much touted Qualcom cpu called the "snapdragon" which screams along at 1.0GHz.

The phone is available today directly from Google as an unlocked device for $529.00 or with TMobile with a 2 year contract for $179.00. Google also announced that Verizon Wireless in the United States and Vodafone have agreed to join Google’s mobile phone. He said the Nexus One would be available in the spring on Verizon.

Google also announced that it would sell Nexus One directly in an online store beginning Tuesday. Consumers will be able to buy it unlocked or with a two-year calling plan from TMobile. The company said it hoped to add other devices and carriers to the direct-to-consumer program.

Size and weight

Height 119mm

Width 59.8mm

Depth 11.5mm

Weight 130 grams w/battery 100g w/o battery

Display

3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen
800 x 480 pixels
100,000:1 typical contrast ratio
1ms typical response rate

Camera & Flash

5 megapixels
Autofocus from 6cm to infinity
2X digital zoom
LED flash
User can include location of photos from phone’s AGPS receiver
Video captured at 720x480 pixels at 20 frames per second or higher, depending on lighting conditions

Cellular & Wireless

UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth

Power and battery

Removable 1400 mAH battery
Charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger

Talk time Up to 10 hours on 2G Up to 7 hours on 3G

Standby time Up to 290 hours on 2G Up to 250 hours on 3G

Internet use Up to 5 hours on 3G Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi

Video playback Up to 7 hours

Audio playback Up to 20 hours

Processor

Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz

Operating system

Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1 (Eclair)

Capacity

512MB Flash
512MB RAM
4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB)

Location

Assisted global positioning system (AGPS) receiver
Cell tower and Wi-Fi positioning
Digital compass
Accelerometer

We have now had a little time (a couple days) to play with the top two Android phones on the market now, the Sprint HTC Hero and the Motorola Droid for Verizon. So we wanted to offer our initial impressions between the two handsets. Here is my breakdown:

Motorola Droid wins in the screen deptartment big time. It's bigger (3.7 inches) and has better resolution (854 x 480). It also wins big in overall speed, as the Motorola Droid does have a faster processor.Lastly for the Moto Droid, the physical keyboard is... [READ FULL ARTICLE on ShopAndroid.net Blog]

Reviews vary widely in verdict, just like the original Storm (CNET gives it two out of five stars, while PC Mag gives it four out of five) but on the whole everybody agrees that it's a definite step up, fixing most of the issues users had with the original (most notably that lag problem). Some of the reviews, particularly PC Mag and IntoMobile, are downright glowing, which is unexpected given the critical response to the original Storm, but certainly welcome. Note: The two British publications, TechRadar and Times UK, reviewed the 9520, which is the Vodafone version. All others reviewed the 9550 (the Verizon version we'll see in the States).

CrackBerry: "The Storm2 fixes many of the BlackBerry Storm's outstanding issues and makes a ton of incremental improvements, all of which add up to something that feels noticeably better."
CNET: "The RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 brings some welcome additions, such as Wi-Fi, updated software, and a better touch interface, but it's going to face some serious competition from Verizon's upcoming touch-screen smartphones."

PC Mag: "The BlackBerry Storm2 9550 finally delivers on the original Storm 9530's promise."
Washington Post: "Definitely an upgrade from the first Storm in design and usability"
Wall Street Journal: "Fixes all those [hardware] flaws [in the Storm]," but "the traditional BlackBerry interface cries out for a major overhaul"

Laptop Magazine: "It's really more like a do-over than a sequel."
IntoMobile: "I might find something to nag about on the Storm2 after putting it through the gauntlet, but right now, I just really like this thing. All of the gaps have been plugged."
TechRadar (9520): "Overall, the Storm 2 is very much an improvement over the original Storm, but it's evolutionary rather than revolutionary, despite overhauling the SurePress interface."
Times UK (9520): "For all its attempts to court a new customer base, the core market for the Storm 2 remains the business user"

More and more we are hearing about Android based phones coming to Verizon. So far the only official talk is behind the Motorola Sholes model which features a decent screen and a slide out qwerty keyboard. But futher rumors are being reported that the Palm Pre and other HTC devices will be released later this year with the Android based operating systems.

We say good move Verizon. Along with what will be most likely the first carrier to have 4G speeds with their LTE network, it is looking more and more like Verizon will not need the iPhone to be the number 1 smart phone carrier in the world.

CNet today reports that Microsoft is today expected to announce a partnership with the Finnish mobile phone maker that will see the two companies collaborate to bring a version of Microsoft office to Nokia devices.

Citing people familiar with the matter, WSJ also reports the same rumors of an announcement and goes on to say that the deal will be announced by Kai Oistamo, executive vice president for Nokia's devices unit, and Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft's business division, a group within the software company responsible for its Office business.

While neither Microsoft nor Nokia are talking turkey right now, the two companies have a press conference scheduled for 8 a.m. (PT) this morning. When word first got out about the event, many people thought Nokia was going to reveal a Windows Mobile device.



Click here for the full story.

Exclusive Heads up: A few months ago, Skype CEO Josh Silverman was asked when was he going to launch the iPhone version of the P2P voice and IM service that has now been downloaded more than 405 million times. His response was, “Stay tuned.”

Now Skype is almost ready to launch that iPhone version, perhaps as soon as next week (reported by gigaom.com). CTIA Wireless, a large mobile industry trade event, kicks off in Las Vegas next Wednesday, so perhaps the announcement will be made there.

The biggest clue about Skype’s pending iPhone launch came when iSkoot decided to move on from its Skype-centric strategy. The company had been offering a client that allowed cell phone users to use Skype services. Skype already offers a Windows Mobile version of its client.

As I’ve said before, Skype will have to turn to mobile to keep its growth intact. In recent months, many services, among them Truphone and Nimbuzz, started supporting Skype in their communication clients. However, a standalone Skype client would get a lot of traction among the Skype faithful. In the meantime, I think Skype is slowly flexing its muscles and swatting away little VoIP players with some of its recent moves.

Well chalk up another iPhone competitor, this time it is Sony Ericsson hopping into this uber-lucrative market. Sony hope's to revive its 80's era blockbuster electronic product that invented portable music players by using the "WalkMan" name associated with this new smart phone. The new Walkman phone called the W995 and carries a code-name of "Idou". To say that we are impressed would be an understatement and with specs like this who isn't! To name a few, a 3.5-inch touch screen, an emphasis on entertainment, and–this feature isn’t the least bit iPhone-like–a 12.1-megapixel camera with flash! Okay enough already, feast your eyes on the press release photos.

T-Mobile has entered the competition in a partnership with Google with their new touch screen phone. The first thing to note about it is unlike any of its competitors it has both a slide out keyboard and a touch screen. Both seem to function well. The keys are adequately spaced apart and have a great feel. Although the touch screen doesn’t measure up as well as Apple’s iPhone, it still gets the job done. The G1 uses an open source OS, which Google hopes will get developers to create software for the phone. It will feature applications similar to iPhone with Android’s market.

The phone features WiFi, a full html browser, and GPS functionality. It has one-click contextual search, which lets you search for anything simply by typing in something with the keyboard.
The phone comes with a 3.2 mega pixel camera that takes still images, but not videos. It also doesn’t have a headphone jack, if you want to listen to music you will have to get an additional adapter that plugs into the USB port. It comes with a 1 gig memory card that can be upgraded to an 8 gig, or even higher down the road.

This phone will be available in US retail stores October 22, 2008 for $179 with a contract.

Rating 5/5

I was talking on my cell phone the other night, when my battery died. I plugged my phone in for about 10 minutes, certainly not long enough for all of the "bars" to reappear... I unplugged it, however, and began using it again as if my battery were completely recharged, only to watch it die again within minutes of my next call.

You may have noticed that your mobile phone seems to spend an awful lot of time with its battery gauge saying it's full, or at least almost full. Once you get to the half-full mark, the battery seems to die very quickly.

This phenomenon isn't as obvious with today's low-power-consumption phones, but it is still pretty hard to find a phone that doesn't do it.

Some say, it's a marketing scam... Here's why that's true: Battery meters are controlled by software, and software is controlled by human beings.

Everyone knows that a battery that stays full for a long time makes a phone look good. When your phone appears to have a good bit of battery life left, you're more likely to use it. People who think their phone is about to die will make fewer or shorter calls and that is no good for the phone company.

This is one more illustration of the curse of a good marketing agent. Both phone makers and cellular service providers want you to think that your phone is still pretty much full of charge even if it's almost half empty. (DansData.com)

Just in time for the holidays...

According to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1041006/Apple-launch-iPhone-nano-time-Christmas.html?ITO=1490
the iPhone Nano is expected to be in stores in time for the holidays.

"The product will be launched in the UK at up to £150 for pay-as-you-go customers by O2, the mobile phone group owned by Spain's Telefonica. 'This will be a big one,' said an industry source." "The iPhone 3G has been the fastest-selling phone ever in the U.K., but it is too expensive to be a realistic proposition in the pay-as-you-go market," the source told the newspaper. "However, a cut down version, with the candy bar shape of iPod Nano music players, would be a huge hit as a Christmas gift."

Picture Here... (attached)

"Based on the photos, the new Nano has a vertical display with a click wheel.
The Nano 4G will get the same screen treatment as the iPhone and the iPod Touch."

The new phone will cost less than $300 and will feature controller wheels instead of touch screens.

Happy shopping!

First impressions say that this is LG's attempt to compete with the iPhone, and that is basically what it is. The major differences are that rather than Apple's software, you get the familiar VCast features. The Dare is also a little lighter (3.76oz. vs. 4.7oz) than the iPhone, and a little smaller (4.1"H x 2.2"W vs. 4.5"H x 2.4"W).

It comes with a 3 inch touchscreen that will recognize handwriting, but it doesn't come with a stylus so you will have to use your finger. The screen is a little smaller than iPhone, but that's expected on a smaller phone. It does however take up nearly the entire phone, and yet there are still call buttons for you to use. Since this is the phone's main feature you would expect it to perform as well or better than Apple, but sadly it does not. If you have never experienced iPhone's touchscreen you would think that it works fine, and it is by far than any LG out there to date, but they simply can't compare to Apple's streamless, easy to use touchscreen.

The LG Dare does come with Stereo Bluetooth, and allows you to access full html web browsing, but it lacks the applications that come with the iPhone.

The camera on the LG Dare is a 3.2 mexapixel that can also record digital movies at 640x480 resolution. It also comes with a LED flash that does work quite nicely (although it will make your pictures a bit blueish), which makes it considerably better than iPhone's 2 mexapixel camera without flash.

The battery on the Dare will last about 360 hours on standby, and 280 minutes while talking. The iPhone surprisingly lasts longer while making calls, or listening to music, but does not last as long on standby.

The LG Dare will run you $199 with a contract.

Final opinion, if you want better call quality and a more reliable network the LG Dare is the superior phone, but the iPhone delivers a totally different experience that seems more of a lifestyle with its Apps.

Rumors are starting to circulate quicker about the new Blackberry "Touch". The official model number is the BlackBerry 9500. One glance at the layout of this sleek new phone quickly reveals the intended competition for the incredibly popular iPhone.

The strong point of the iPhone has always been it's bright and high-resolution screen making it best of class amongst multimedia smartphones. The Blackberry 9500's touchscreen is a bit higher res than the iPhone's (360x480 to 320x480) making it a very strong competitor.

It will be running OS 4.7.0 (the Bold runs 4.6). As we inch closer to the September release date expect to hear a lot more details on this exciting phone!

Expect to see California and Washington drivers using cellular phone headsets come July 1 (click here for details on the law). New laws in these states restrict use of hand-held phones while in a motor vehicle. Drivers will start risking being ticketed if they're caught holding a phone to their ear.

These states join New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in restricting hand-held cell phones and require the use of only hands-free phones behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. California has the largest number of licensed drivers of any state (almost twice as many as second-ranked Texas) and so it is no surprise manufacturers of bluetooth hands-free devices are chomping at the bit at the promised spike in bluetooth hands-free devices.

Motorola announced plans to roll out a "car-specific" bluetooth headset in the coming months. The question is, "Is it better than a portable Bluetooth car kit?"

California Drivers! Get up to 80% off cell phone accessories before the July 1 law.

Motorola says the new H620 Bluetooth headset is superior because it has noise reduction and echo-canceling technology as well as the ability to adjust the volume automatically to compensate for road noise. It comes with a car charger so you don't have to worry about draining the battery on long drives as well as a dashboard holder in order to place it in a convenient location. The new headset also has voice-dialing for entirely hands-free calls.

With bluetooth now being built into everything from portable navigation systems to car stereos, drivers in California and Washington have plenty of options. Even econo cars like the Nissan Sentra and Ford's Sync system have bluetooth technology as standard equipment making a hands-free system a no-brainer if you're buying a new car. If you drive an older car though, the Motorola H620 may be just the ticket for not getting a ticket.

Motorola said the new headset will be available soon but we're betting it will be released sooner rather than later and at a cost under $100 in order to take advantage to the expanded market for these products.

It's been almost a year now since the original iPhone hit the market with all the hype and fame that only Steve Jobs could generate. No doubt, this has been a paramount success for Apple as it has generate record sales and a cult following not seen since the first Razr model hit the market. So what is new in the updated model. Has Apple addressed all the short comings and made this into the perfect phone?

First, we look at the memory capacity. With now old-fashion 5th generation ipods rotting in most desk drawers topping 80GB hard drive capacities, the newest iPhone disappoints with a measly 8GB and 16GB models. Avid music and video fans will fill up there new gadgets before they even inflict the first smudge of the screen on their cheeks. Rumors are circling of a 32GB model in the works but for now, fans will have to live with either 8 or 16GBs.

Next the physical attributes. The 3G model is slightly thinner on the edges but at closer inspection it is actually a tad thicker in the center of the phone (0.48 inches vs 0.46 inches). This is hardly noticed by users as the new version is actually lighter as well than the old version by a tenth of an ounce. Owners upgrading from the first generation iPhone will be pleased with the elimination of the irritating recessed 3.5mm headphone jack.

Many had hoped the new iPhone would sport a better camera on the front in order to use it for video conferencing but this also fell on the list of ignored requests by Job's faithful.

On to the goodies!
3G means blazing fast internet and data access across three 3G bands (850, 1900, 2100) and both UMTS and HSDPA networks. This means that international travelers should be able to enjoy their uber trendy-ness in more than just the US of A. During Steve Jobs' keynote demo, he accessed a picture intensive website on this new model and the old model and showed drooling customers an improvement of 38 seconds in loading this page. Impressive no doubt, but real street use of this new technology will tell if this level of improvement is typical for most sites and applications.

Now we'll never stop and ask for directions!
One of the most welcome additions in technology was the inclusion of GPS technology in this model. With just about every new smart phone hitting the market sporting this feature in one fashion or another, this was almost a given. It uses Assisted GPS technology using the 3G network to help out the satellites. It promises many third party applications that will make the already cool, cooler.

Finally, Apple addressed battery life concerns by promising improvements to the note of 5 hours of 3G talk time, 10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G Internet time, 6 hours of Wi-Fi Internet time, 7 hours of video playback, 24 hours of audio playback, and 12.5 days standby time.

What is our thoughts overall?
The new price is certainly welcomed although we sense that most agree with us in that we would have rather seen more areas improved and more features added for the same prices as the last versions. We still feel Apple is leaving smart phone customers on the table by excluded important yet every-so-common features like multimedia messaging, voice dialing and video recording. Many were also hoping for a landscape keyboard, the capability to cut and paste, Flash support for the Safari Web browser, expanded memory, and additional Bluetooth profiles.

I think all in all, Apple will win over the tentative buyers with the decreased price and increased overall performance. The hard core iPhone and Apple junkies although will be disappointed as we were. A marketing mind will think this was a good move. The insider, I suspect will not agree. After all, aren't the Apple tech junkies what made Apples success so great with this and other technologies? We'll see...