IntoMobile » Will Park

The Invisible Bluetooth Headset – Because they’re only cool if you can’t see them

Will Park — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:56:35 +0000

Wearing a Bluetooth headset in public isn’t “cool.” Hell, in some circles, that simple act of geek-dom isn’t even acceptable. We’re certainly not hanging out in those circles (well, not anymore, anyway), but if we were, we’d be all over BrickHouse Security’s Invisible Bluetooth Headset. The tiny little Bluetooth headset is no bigger than a pencil eraser, so it’s just as good as invisible to those overly critical people you call friends.

The Invisible Bluetooth Headset crams a half-functional headset into a barely visible little earpiece that completely hides itself in your ear. You’ll need to use a separate neck-loop microphone and a little remote control if you want to hold a two-sided conversation. But, hey, at at least you won’t have to bear the ridicule that an over-the-ear headset tends to draw. The Invisible Bluetooth Headset even works with a covert SOS button that hides in your shoe.

We can see a couple problems with this tiny headset. The most obvious: it’s too easy to lose. The less obvious: there’s no visible headset, which might make you look crazy as you talk into thin air.

[Via: TheRawFeed]

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AT&T calls on Luke Wilson to ’set the record straight’

Will Park — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:38:12 +0000

Whoever said, “there’s no such thing as bad press,” obviously never worked for a wireless carrier. For the likes of AT&T (NYSE: T), the kind of bad press that Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless has been sending them could end up hurting their bottom line by way of lost customers. That’s hitting where it hurts. In it’s defense, though, AT&T has filed a lawsuit and is starting to hit back with their own Luke Wilson-ified TV commercials. It seems that lawsuit just wasn’t enough to disuade Verizon from running their ad campaign.

The latest of AT&T’s ads shows the usually funny actor taking a more serious tone to “set the record straight.” Verizon has been on a tear about how their rival’s 3G network pales in comparison to its own. AT&T is worried that some Americans might take Verizon’s claims and depictions of AT&T’s 3G coverage maps to mean that their network just doesn’t have widespread coverage. Their answer, apparently, is to show everyone out in TV-land just how extensive AT&T’s wireless network really is.

Take a look for yourself. There’s significantly more coverage area in AT&T’s map than Verizon’s version. By the looks of it, AT&T has some impressive coverage. So, what gives? Turns out, AT&T is showing off their entire 2G/3G network, while Verizon is focusing on the 3G network. That’s not exactly apples-to-oranges. This is getting interesting…

[Via: Mashable]

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Video: Hands-on the Samsung Behold II

Will Park — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:31:52 +0000

This holiday shopping season is dominated by Android. Smartphones running Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s mobile operating system are flooding the market, and we really couldn’t be happier. The latest Android smartphone to find its way into our eager hands is the Samsung Behold II. Just in time for the holidays, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) is offering the Samsung Behold II for $229.99 when purchased with new 2-year contract. It’s slightly pricier than the iPhone and the Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid, but with a sleek design and a quirky new 3D Cube UI, you might not mind shelling out the extra bucks for the Behold 2.

Unlike the original Samsung Behold, the Behold II sports Android 1.5 OS. It sports an impressive 5-megapixel camera (with LED-flash), 3G data, WiFi, GPS and microSD card slot. But, the one feature that outshines them all is the Behold 2’s 3.2-inch capacitive AMOLED touchscreen. The display doesn’t need a backlight, so it draws less power than traditional LCD displays, but manages to deliver a brighter, crisper, more color-rich picture.

The camera is a bit laggy, but serves up some impressively crisp and well-balanced pictures. The 3D Cube UI is quirky, to say the least. We’re sure some people will find it useful, but we just don’t see ourselves using it for more than just showing off to our friends. But, with a speedy browser and an incredible OLED display, the Behold II will more than make up for its confusing UI.

Enjoy the hands-on/unboxing gallery and video!

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Surf your Windows Phone with Remote Access

Will Park — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:11:57 +0000

There are plenty of apps out there that allow you to control your computer from your smartphones, but what if you want to browse your Windows Phone from your desktop computer? Well, then you’ll want to check out WiFi Remote Access for Windows Mobile. The new Windows Mobile app installs itself on your Windows Phone and acts as a bridge between the phone and your computer, allowing you to connect to your handset via WiFi and browse its contents through a web browser (like the one you’re using to read this very sentence).

Remote Access is still in beta, but doesn’t skimp on features. You can view photos, complete with thumbnails. You can listen to the music you have stored on the phone. You can even edit your Windows Phone’s registry through the app.

There’s no desktop installation required. Simply install the Windows Mobile app on your smartphone and point your desktop computer’s browser to the handset’s IP address. It’s that simple.

Find more information on Remote Access here. Grab Remote Access here.

[Via: FuzeMobility]

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Motorola Droid just $119 from Dell

Will Park — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:50:27 +0000

We love seeing hot new smartphones getting their price tags slashed mere weeks after its initial launch. The latest price reduction on the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid comes from Dell.com, making it possible to put a Droid in your pocket for just $119 and a 2-year contract with Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless. The deal also applies to contract extensions, so you don’t have to wait until you’re eligible for an upgrade to take advantage of the low price.

If you like high-tech smartphones and want an Android-powered handset, the Droid fits the bill perfectly. If you’re not sure that the Droid is for you, check out our hands-on impressions and video. Keep in mind that the Droid is so far the only Android smartphone to rock the new Google Maps Navigation app.

To recap: Dell is selling the Droid for $119 with new 2-year contract (or a contract extension for existing customers), and will even ship the handset to you for free via Fedex. That’s one “hot deal,” to be sure.

Dell’s $119 Motorola Droid

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Motorola Droid Exposed – The Teardown Aftermath

Will Park — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:25:47 +0000

As we wind down our Friday afternoon and wind up for the weekend, we’re going to leave you with some intimate images of the Motorola Droid. The folks over at Phone Wreck managed to strip a Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid down to its bare parts, and they took some extensive photos for your viewing pleasure. These teardown pictures give us some interesting insights into the Droid, but they’re mostly just fun to look at.

The Droid teardown shows that the relatively small RAM/ROM chips (256MB/256MB) come from Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF). You’ll also want to take note of the beautifully integrated PCB that is so small, it actually turns out to be one of the smaller internal components of the Droid. Interestingly, the NAND Flash memory module bears handwritten markings that indicate the chips are sample units. And, no, we’re not ashamed to admit that handwriting on sample IC’s piques our interest.

Take a gander at the pics and think about just how much work went into making sure your Droid can stream sleepy puppies from YouTube.

Head on over to Phone Wreck for the full Droid teardown gallery.

[Via: PhoneWreck]

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FunMail for iPhone – MMS with a twist

Will Park — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:21:47 +0000

Quick, raise your hand if you sent an MMS from your iPhone this past week. Okay, how about this past month? If you’re not raising your hand, your either A) not following the rules of this game or B) just like the millions of Americans that just don’t send out MMS (picture messages) regularly from their iPhones. I fall into the latter category. Today’s release of FunMail might change all that.

FunMail for iPhone automatically analyzes your text message and serves up relevant images that you can embed into your message. The idea behind FunMail is to bring MMS out of the dark ages and allow people to use images for rich communication. Rather than send your friend a text message asking them if they want to eat, FunMail would have you send them the same text with overlaid on an image of a burger. You can even send that messages to Twitter and Facebook.

The trick to making picture-chats convenient is FunMail’s “Media Brain,” which pulls out the semantic meaning behind your text and gives the user a set of pictures that might fit the situation. If you’re talking about going to lunch, FunMail returns images of food. Talk about a birthday, and you get birthday-related images.

The app is free in the iPhone AppStore, so it won’t hurt to give it a shot. I personally can’t see myself using FunMail for everyday communication, but it’s definitely worth trying out at least once.

Check out FunMail’s demo video here.

FunMail for iPhone [iTunes link]

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Verizon Wireless adds cell site in Woodland Hills, CA

Will Park — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:54:02 +0000

This one goes out to all of you out there in Woodland Hills. In a puzzlingly region-specific announcement, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless has announced that it has added a new cell site in Woodland Hills, California. Those of you living in the western San Fernando Valley will see improved 3G wireless coverage and performance on your Verizon handset.

Verizon’s press release also mentions that the carrier spent $600 million in infrastructure improvements in California during 2008. With all the back-and-forth between AT&T and Verizon these days, we can’t help but think that the $600 million figure is a jab at AT&T (NYSE: T). Although, we have to point out that Verizon is quoting numbers from a lifetime ago (which roughly equates to a year in the mobile world).

Full press release after the break

New Verizon Wireless cell site also adds capacity to stay ahead of demand for calls, email and text
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ — Los Angeles County residents, businesses and visitors are enjoying improved service thanks to a new Verizon Wireless cell site. The site improves 3G wireless coverage from Santa Rita Street South to Rosita Street, and from Corbin Avenue East to Vanalden Avenue. The increase in network coverage and capacity means more calls, emails, text and picture messages for locals, plus expanded wireless access to the web.
Verizon Wireless invested over $600 million in California during 2008 to enhance service and coverage. Nationally, the company has invested more than $48 billion in its network since it was formed in 2000. The result is the nation’s largest, most reliable 3G network that powers services such as Mobile Broadband and email.
Businesses of any size can tap into the power of Mobile Broadband. The service allows users to connect to the Internet wirelessly while on the go to download music over-the-air, and access e-mail or corporate data. For example, customers can download a small 1 megabyte PowerPoint® presentation in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.
Small business owners interested in Mobile Broadband, and other wireless solutions, can visit http://smallbusiness.vzw.com where they will find:
An online forum to share experiences and connect with other business owners
Access to Small Business Specialists in each Verizon Wireless store
Discounts and promotions to help businesses stretch their budgets
Summaries of mobile solutions like email, wireless Internet and Push to Talk service
24/7 tech support
Verizon Wireless tests its network and those of its competitors. The company determines if voice calls and data connections are successful on the first attempt and stay connected. Nationally, Verizon Wireless’ real-life test men and women drive 91 specially equipped vehicles almost 1,000,000 miles annually. They drive on Interstate, U.S. and state highways, as well as major roads and streets in high-population areas, based upon U.S. Census counts. Vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than three million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless’ network and the networks of other carriers.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving 87.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 87,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
SOURCE Verizon Wireless

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Motorola Motus rumored to sport reverse keyboard and backside touchpad?

Will Park — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:10:02 +0000

The metaphorical ink on the just-leaked Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Motus spy pic hasn’t yet dried and were already hearing rumors that the Android handset will sport some really unique features. If you thought the form factor was a bit odd, you’re going to want to sit down for this. Word has it that the Moto Motus will feature a “reverse flip keyboard,” and (as if that isn’t crazy enough) something called a “rear directional touchpad.” Of course, the Motus is also rumored to be packing the usual assortment of smartphone features.

All this is completely unconfirmed at the moment, but Android And Me are saying that the Motus will feature a 3.1-inch touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera (with LED flash), 3G data, WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth 2.0. Android 1.5 OS should be running the show with Motorola’s social network-savvy Motoblur UI skinned atop. As for the geeky specs, were expecting a 528 MHz Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) MSM7201A CPU, 512 MB ROM / 256 MB RAM, quad band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM radio, and a never-been-done-before quintuple (yes, thats five bands) WCDMA radio pulling down 3G service on the 850Mhz, 900Mhz, 1700Mhz, 1900Mhz, and 2100Mhz bands! For those of you keeping score, that would mean the Motus can hop on any 3G network in the world (even T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) USAs wonky 1700Mhz 3G network) and work as the mobile gods intended.

The “reverse flip keyboard” kinda, sorta, makes sense, given the quirky looking keyboard in the spy pic. That “rear directional touchpad,” however, is just plain confusing. A touchpad on the backside of the touchscreen? Your guess is as good as ours. Whatever it turns out to be, we’re hoping it changes the way we think about interacting with touchscreens.

[Via: MobileCrunch]

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Motorola Motus spied in the wild

Will Park — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:36:53 +0000

You see the handset in this here blurry spyshot? It’s apparently the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Motus that was rumored in a leaked roadmap not too long ago. We know, it looks like it was taken by Mr. Blurry-cam’s drunken step-brother after a booze-fueled night of fun, but Engadget Mobile has confirmed that what we’re looking at is another Android-powered smartphone from Motorola.

The Motus looks like a respectable smartphone from what we can see in the spy pic, but we’ll have to wait until we put hands on it to really get a feel for it. That keyboard might prove to be a sticking point, but, again, that’s us just talkin’ to the wind. The Motus has a lot to live up to…

[Via: EngadgetMobile]

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T-Mobile Complete offers no-contract BlackBerry smartphones – The first bill is on them!

Will Park — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:26:44 +0000

If you’re looking for a new BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) smartphone with no strings attached, you might want to look in T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) USA’s direction. The carrier has announced their T-Mobile Complete program, which gives customers a choice of four no-contract BlackBerry smartphones to be used with T-Mobile’s pre-paid plans. The kicker? T-Mobile is including the first month of service for free with purchase of a T-Mobile Complete BlackBerry handset!

Of the four options, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 will run $299.99, while the BlackBerry Pearl goes for $149.99. T-Mobile is offering several unlimited pre-paid plans that start at $50 per month. At those prices, T-Mobile Complete BlackBerry handsets would work really well as holiday gifts. Think about it, just buy the pre-paid BlackBerry kit (which, again, includes first month of service for free), wrap it up, and you’re good to go.

You’ll find T-Mobile Complete at Walmart and Best Buy locations.

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mplayit – Crowd sourced mobile app discovery for Facebook users

Will Park — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:03:31 +0000

There are now more mobile apps available in the AppStore than any one person could ever hope to try out in a single lifetime. Add in the myriad Java apps out there, and the sheer volume of mobile apps becomes overwhelming. How is anyone supposed to wade through the much and find truly unique and innovative apps? Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s iPhone app “Top lists” clearly aren’t cutting it. Another possible solution is mplayit’s mobile app discovery engine.

At the Under The Radar conference today in Mountain View, CA., mplayit was showing off their Facebook-based mobile app discovery platform. The idea behind mplayit is to harness the power of crowd sourcing and Facebook’s massive social network to give users a quick way to find new mobile apps. A live “Apptivity Feed” integrates with Facebook to show you, in real-time, what apps other Facebook users have been checking out. The “Featured Apps” section monitors apps that are trending hot with Facebook users, while the “Shared” and “Popular” sections display apps that have been shared the most or downloaded the most, respectively.

Once you’ve stumbled upon an interesting app, mplayit serves up app descriptions, reviews, screenshots, and even videos of the app in action – if it’s a Java app, you can even demo it through mplayit’s emulator. You can even download the app, add it to your “collection,” and share the app through email and Facebook right from mplayit’s platform.

At this point, only iPhone and Java apps are supported, but Android and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) will be supported by year’s end. Windows Mobile and webOS will be coming in 2010. Check out the demo video below, and then hit up mplayit.com to see for yourself!

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The Trillian instant message app for iPhone has finally arrived!

Will Park — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:07:34 +0000

Instant message aficionados have been eagerly waiting on Cerulean Studios to bring their profile-synchronizing Trillian client to the iPhone. It’s been years, in fact, since we first heard of the Trillian iPhone app. Today, that wait ends. Trillian for iPhone has officially hit the AppStore with a $4.99 price tag!

The thing about instant messaging apps is that there are a veritable truckload of options available on the AppStore. Some really good apps are offered for free. If you’re not a hardcore IM user, you’re probably going to be just fine sticking with one of those apps. But, if you use instant messaging services like your life depends on them, Trillian for iPhone will probably be a worthy investment.

Trillian supports multiple IM services and allows you to switch between conversations with a tabbed interface. But, it doesn’t stop there. Trillian for iPhone synchronizes your IM accounts with their the Trillian Astra servers, so when you change your status or update your buddy list on the iPhone app, those changes will automatically be pushed to your Windows Trillian client and the web-based Trillian client. There’s also an option to have any instant messages pushed to your iPhone. And, since all chats are stored on Cerulean Studios’ servers, you’ll never have to worry about losing a chat transcript again.

Trillian for iPhone isn’t going to be for everyone, especially with its premium price-point. But, for power-users, Trillian is going to be hard to beat.

Trillian for iPhone [iTunes link]

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Sony Ericsson’s mobile diet: Close four facilities, cut 2,000 jobs

Will Park — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:50:52 +0000

Sony Ericsson has a new plan to whip itself back into shape to compete with leaner and meaner mobile phone makers. The Japanese-Swedish joint venture is planning to close four facilities and cut some 2.000 jobs in an effort to streamline the company. Following a recent round of job cuts that left 450 employees at its Research Triangle Park R&D facility without work, Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) has announced that it will be closing the RTP facility and cutting additional jobs around the world.

Sony Ericsson will close the doors to its RTP headquarters by the third quarter of 2010. The SE North American headquarters will move from RTP to Atlanta, with the R&D operations relocating to Redwood Shores, California. A facility in Miami, Florida will also be permanently close, alongside facilities in Kista, Sweden and Chennai, India. Sony Ericsson says that severance packages will be included, with some lucky employees getting a chance to apply for jobs in California or Atlanta.

The cellphone maker boasts 4.9% of the global mobile phone market, making it the No. 4 handset maker in the world. When it comes to smartphone market share, which we care about more than overall market share, Sony Ericsson isn’t really a big player. But, with leaned-out operations and attractive new handsets, like the Android-powered XPERIA X10, coming down the pipe, Sony Ericsson looks poised to make a big splash in the smartphone space in 2010.

[Via: BusinessJournal]

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Amazon offers Palm Pixi for $25

Will Park — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:14:16 +0000

Cash-strapped webOS hopefuls and deal seekers alike, take note: Amazon is offering Sprint (NYSE: S)’s Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pixi for just $25. The entry-level webOS smartphone hasn’t been on market for more than a week and we’re already seeing the handset hovering dangerously close to “free with contract” territory. As it stands, Amazon will sell you the Palm Pixi for $24.99 when you purchase it with a new 2-year wireless contract through Sprint.

Remember, though, the Palm Pixi’s entry-level price comes with compromises. The 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen is smaller than the Palm Pre’s display. The 2-megapixel camera falls short of the Palm Pre’s 3-megapixel shooter. And, WiFi isn’t an option. Still, you get GPS, 3G data, 3.5mm headphone jack, and 8GB of onboard storage.

If that’s enough to get you to make the jump, here’s a link to Amazon’s $25 Palm Pixi.

Amazon’s $25 Palm Pixi

[Via: Engadget]

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Chinese iPhone users embrace the AppStore

Will Park — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:18:01 +0000

The iPhone just recently made its debut in China. Thanks to a three-year deal with China Unicom, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has finally managed to bring the iPhone to the world’s largest pool of mobile phone users. With hundreds of millions of wireless subscribers in China, Apple’s got to be raking in iPhone sales, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, the introduction of the iPhone is bringing in some serious revenue, but that money isn’t necessarily coming from iPhone sales. Turns out, the iPhone AppStore is a huge hit in China.

China Unicom reportedly sold just 5,000 iPhones during its first week of sales. China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiobing says he’s satisfied with that number, but in a country that boasts more wireless users than there are people in the US, 5,000 units is a really small number. The silver lining, though, is that the introduction of the Chinese iPhone opened the doors to the AppStore. iPhone users in China have so far generated $1 million in legit iPhone app revenue from the AppStore.

It all makes sense. China Unicom’s iPhone is currently crippled. Apple disabled the WiFi radio on Chinese iPhones to comply with China’s Golden Shield Project. Considering that gray-market iPhones with fully functional WiFi radios are readily available in China, it’s not surprising to hear that China Unicom’s iPhones aren’t blockbuster hits. The flip-side is that there are an estimated 2 million iPhones roaming across China, most of them coming through unofficial channels. All those iPhones are likely driving users to embrace the AppStore. China Unicom also hopes to have a WiFi-capable iPhone available by the end of the year, which could boost AppStore revenue even further.

Still, things may not be all rainbows and happy faces for Apple’s Chinese AppStore revenue. iPhone app piracy is a significant threat to Apple’s bottom line, and could come back to bite Apple. It’s unclear just how much of the $1 million in iPhone app sales came from users looking to download an app with the intention of pirating the software, but it would be interesting to see how China’s pirated app ecosystem compares to the legit AppStore market.

[Via: WSJ]

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AT&T beefing up 3G network in San Francisco Bay Area

Will Park — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:57:42 +0000

AT&T apparently isn’t going to let the likes of Verizon Wireless and bitter AT&T (NYSE: T) subscribers get them down about their 3G network performance. Big Blue has announced that it’s beefing up 3G services in the San Francisco Bay Area – they’ve upgraded more than 800 cellular base stations and is in the process of migrating 3G services from the 1900Mhz spectrum to the more powerful 850Mhz band in an effort to improve 3G performance.

So far, AT&T has racked up $65 million in infrastructure upgrades this year in the Bay Area, which has allowed it to double network capacity in the last 45 days. In the end, tasking AT&T’s 850Mhz spectrum for 3G services should give subscribers better coverage, better 3G performance and improved wireless reception inside buildings.

If you’ve been hoping for better 3G service from AT&T, you’ll soon be in luck. On top of the infrastructure upgrades, AT&T will be flipping the switch on 7.2Mbps HSPA data speeds in some markets by the end of the year.

[Via: SFGate]

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Droid Does… pretty damn well in it’s first week

Will Park — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:18:23 +0000

Droid Does. That’s the slogan that Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s ad campaigns for the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid have been hammering into our heads for the past several weeks. With $100 million reportedly invested into the marketing push to turn struggling Motorola’s Droid the de facto alternative to the iPhone 3GS, Verizon and Motorola are betting big on the new Android phone. Turns out, the Motorola Droid did damn well in its first week of sales. A new report estimates Droid sales hitting 250,000 during its launch week!

The analytics gurus at Flurry track over 10,000 iPhone and Android apps, which Flurry says gives it an eye into usage patterns for two out of every three iPhones on the planet. They used that data to estimate that a quarter million Droid handsets made their way into customer pockets this past week. Thanks to the power of a $100 million advertising campaign, Verizon’s 90 million-strong subscriber network and a far-reaching 3G network, Flurry says the Droid is the “fastest-selling Android phone to date.”

Droid nay-sayers will be quick to point out that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) pushed out 1.6 million iPhone 3GS units in the first week of sales, but it would be good to remember that Apple launched the iPhone 3GS in eight countries around the world. There were also 27 million installed iPhone users around the world pushing the iPhone 3GS on their friends. The Droid obviously can’t live up to the iPhone’s numbers, but 250,000 handsets sold in the first week is still an impressive number.

It’s not going to stop there either. The Droid may be the most visible Android handset of late, but there are some incredible Android offerings coming down the pipeline in the near future.

[Via: Flurry]

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Roambi Visualizer turns your iPhone into a spreadsheet cheat-sheet

Will Park — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:32:06 +0000

No one likes poring over spreadsheets, especially on the iPhone’s relatively small display. It would be nice if there were some way to break down spreadsheet information into visual representations that actually make sense. Thankfully, there’s an iPhone app for that. Roambi Visualizer turns your iPhone into a handy spreadsheet cheat-sheet that converts your information into simple-yet-informative charts and graphs that look as good as they are helpful.

To use Roambi Visualizer, you’ll first have to sign up for a Roambi account on the company’s website. Then, simply upload your data-packed spreadsheet through the web-based interface and choose the type of chart/graph you’d like to use to display your data – from sales reports to employee profiles to demographic data, Roambi will probably have a graph to fit your needs. Then, when you’re satisfied with Roambi’s analysis of the data, you can push the eye-catching charts and graphs to your iPhone.

Roambi Visualizer is an incredibly useful app if you deal with spreadsheets often. If you deal with obscure or ridiculously complex data, don’t expect Roambi to turn all that noise into pretty graphs, but most people probably won’t run into that problem. Best of all, the app is free on the iPhone AppStore.

Roambi Visualizer [iTunes link]
Roambi website

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Google’s Android 2.0 Eclair source code now available to all!

Will Park — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:27:02 +0000

Following on HTC’s release of the HTC Hero kernel to developers, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has gone all open-source with their latest Android 2.0 operating system. Android 2.0 OS went live not too long ago with the launch of Verizon’s Motorola Droid, but we have yet to see another Android smartphone launched with Android 2.0 in tow. Today’s release of the source code could bring Android 2.0 features to older Android phone in due time.

The latest Android platform, codenamed “Eclair” (like the delicious pastry), features support for multiple gmail accounts, exchange support, support for Bluetooth 2.1 and improved media playback, just to name a few. Armed with the source code, developers are going to have the tools they need to bring at least some of these new features to other Android smartphones.

The Android 2.0 source code available through the Android Open Source Project.

[Via: AndroidAndMe]

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