James was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. Almost 15 years ago he started out in the 'real world' as a web and graphic designer. Through the years he has finely tuned his skills in SEO, internet marketing, conversion strategy, and project management. To date, he runs his own successful consulting business where he advises companies all over the globe. A co-founder of www.crackberry.com, and sole proprietor of www.mactropolis.com, James in recent years has become very active in the tech blogosphere. Online community building and strategy is fast becoming one of his passions. Watch for James' no frills attitude, unique perspective and to-the-point comments here on IntoMobile!
Want to load up a completely useless app on your iPhone? What if I told you that you’d have to pay for it? Still interested? Enter FirePlace from ToughTurtle. The app is a virtual fireplace with the added benefit of not actually being a fireplace. There’s no need to start up an actual fire, to tend to it, or even clean up after it. Bonus. You can use it in both portrait and landscape, and the app features lovely audio crackling noises as if you were in front of the real thing. You can even set it to play background music from your iPod library.
Note: OK, perhaps I was a little harsh here. I could see this coming in handy during that geeky/romantic date, or perhaps as a sideshow feature at those family holiday gatherings. Heck, even if you live in a small apartment or condo, with this app you can turn on the fire and enjoy the vibe. Yeah, maybe I was a little harsh. Still, I don’t think I’d spend $1 on it. That’s just me though
A must have for any Arsenal fan, the Arsenal Football Club App for iPhone and iPod Touch keeps you up-to-date with the latest goings on in ‘Gunner’ land. Read news, fixtures, player bios, watch highlights, check out injury news, and much more. You can even pull up image galleries from past games.
The app itself pulls content from the official website, so this app serves as a ‘bridge’ of sorts, connecting you to the site when you’re away from your computer’s web browser. However, you may like this app so much, it may be all you use to stay on top of all news and info on the Gunners.
If you’re one of the early adopters of the BlackBerry Bold 9700, chances are you already have 5.0.0.321 or 5.0.0.330. However, heading into the weekend there’s been a new OS leak for the Bold 9700, bringing the OS to 5.0.0.344. Keep in mind this is an unofficial release, so be sure to backup your device and take all necessary precautions before you install. If you’re hesitant, hold off… I have a feeling we’ll see this build hit us in a more official capacity in the near future anyways.
Gotta love it when carriers update their networks for a faster and better mobile experience. Case-in-point today comes Hong Kong’s SmarTone-Vodafone (NYSE: VOD). They’ve announced the launch of their HSPA+ network upgrade. The upgrade (in theory) brings peak network speeds of 21 Mbps.
Douglas Li, CEO of SmarTone-Vodafone commented on the upgrade:
“SmarTone-Vodafone will continue upgrading network speeds to 28 Mbps and 42 Mbps next year, paving the way for 80 Mbps and even higher speeds with implementation of LTE…We are firmly committed to delivering best-in-market broadband services and customers will love the difference.”
Besides the groovy network upgrade, SmarTone-Vodafone has introduced 3 new mobile broadband price plans as well. The new plans are designed to meet customers’ different needs. The new ‘Power 3′ plan provides usable speeds of 2.3 Mbps, the ‘Power 7′ offers 2.6 Mbps, and the ‘Power 21′ plan brings speeds of 2-14 Mbps. Depending on your requirements and needs, it looks like SmarTone-Vodafone has a plan tailored for folks in Hong Kong.
Fido customers that have been waiting for a new stylish and compact flip device may not have to wait that much longer for the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 2720 ‘Fold’. In a little promo image (above) you’ll notice a ‘coming soon’ starburst slapped right on top of the 2720. If you’re looking for a solid, compact flip device, the 2720 fits the bill. Great to have when you need to have a small device you can just tuck away in your pocket.
The 2720 features a 1.3MP camera with video, FM radio, Bluetooth, MP3 player, and 2.5mm audio jack. Pretty basic for sure.
The Nokia 2720 will go for free on a 2-year contract, or $125 contract-free or prepaid. I’ll keep an eye on the Fido site for more information as it becomes available.
The app that recently won a Webby Award Honoree for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Devices has made it’s way to Android. I’m talking about ‘TheStreet.com’ App, and it’s now available for those of you on your Android devices via m.thestreet.com or in the Android Market.
The app delivers up-to-the-minute market data, articles, commentary from the one and only Jim Cramer and much more. No matter if you’re a day trader, or just a casual investor, TheStreet.com app is a worthwhile addition to your app portfolio for sure.
The port to Android was a natural one, according to Kunal Gupta, CEO of the developers at Polar Mobile:
“The buzz around Android is undeniable…With Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Samsung, LG and other major players taking a significant bet, it is essential for Polar to extend our SMART Platform to support Android devices for our customers. The application market is heating up and we get that media brands need help getting their content out across multiple platforms.”
Again, you can check it out via m.thestreet.com or via the Android Market. TheStreet.com app is also available on BlackBerry and iPhone.
So, not only do we have the new Storm2, the Bold 9700 and the Tour 9630 to gobble up on the market these days… It’s looking like AT&T (NYSE: T) may be slapping a new coat of paint on the Curve 8900 to push it out the door. Earlier this morning via BGR, I noticed said White BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Curve 8900. Of course, no pricing or launch details were made available, but what do you think? The 8900 is a solid device, would you pick one up in the new white livery when it becomes available? Or are the new offerings from RIM simply to good to go back to that ‘old’ 8900?
Chances are you’ve noticed one of HTC’s latest commercials on the boob-tube. I first took in one during the Yankee’s punishment of the Phillies a little while back. You can check one of the spots out above. Now, the background music you hear… you recognize it, right? For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what song it came from… I was scratching my head over and over, trying to figure out where I’ve heard that beat before…
Then it came to me this morning.
The song? ‘Sinnerman‘ by Nina Simone. I think the song was featured in the movie ‘The Thomas Crown Affair‘.
Had to share this with you folks. Was bothering me Check out the scene in the movie I’m talking about right here (fast forward to around 2:14). Great scene.
Just a quickie here for the TweetGenius users out there. I noticed a little earlier via Twitter that TweetGenius has been updated yet again, this time to version 1.1.2. A bunch of bug fixes and tweaks have been addressed… Of course, no detailed changelog was made available, but we’ll have to assume 1.1.2 is a marked improvement.
If you’re running TweetGenius on your BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), the upgrade is free, as all upgrades are a free-for-all until version 2.0. If you haven’t bought it yet, you can pick up your copy for $7.99.
Happy Twittering!
Note: While you’re at it, follow @IntoMobile, would ya?
Want to listen to police or emergency vehicle radio? Yeah, there’s an app for that. It’s called ‘Scanner 911′, and with it you can listen in on the likes of the LAPD, NYPD, and all sorts of other EMS radio channels from around the US and Canada. But not only can you listen to live radio, you can record live broadcasts to give them a listen later on (not sure how I feel about that feature…) There’s also a list of the 50 most active channels, and the developers are always adding new channels all the time. Rest assured, each time you pop this one open and give it a listen, something new and exciting will come of it (ok, maybe not ALL the time).
Gotta love it when carriers update their networks for a faster and better mobile experience. Case-in-point today comes Hong Kong’s SmarTone-Vodafone (
Just a quickie here for the 
