Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...
One of the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid’s headlining features is its Android 2.0 OS and the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps Navigation app. Sure, the Droid’s huge display and geeky-cool design make it one of the coolest Android phones on market, but the turn-by-turn GPS navigation feature allowed the Droid to truly stand apart from the crowd. Not anymore, though. The ambitious hackers over at XDA Developers have figured out a way to port the Google Maps Navigation app to other Android devices (like the T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) G1). Then, to take it one (huge) step further, they’ve managed to get the app working outside the US!
The latest set of instructions allows your G1 to work with Google Maps Navigation for directions outside US borders. Until now, even the Droid would stop dead in its tracks if you tried to get GPS navigation directions to, say, Canada. But, for those of you fearless enough to mess around with the some terminal commands and risk bricking your G1, you can trick GMN into giving you voice-guided directions to any destination in the world.
Here are the instructions from XDA, but we strongly recommend you read through this entire thread first:
Next, install the SpeechSynthesis Data. You can do this either by going into the market and searching “SpeechSynthesis Data Installer”, or on some ROM’s, like CM 4.2.5, Menu -> Settings -> Speech synthesis -> Install voice data
If you have root, download http://drop.io/rxbqaw4/asset/maps-root-aligned-apk
If you do not have root, download http://drop.io/rxbqaw4/asset/maps-no-root-aligned-apk
Install the new file:
adb install -r maps-root-aligned-apk
or
adb install -r maps-no-root-aligned-apk
Be warned, you are taking a risk by modifying your smartphone’s code. We do not take responsibility for anything bad that might happen as a result of your hacking efforts. But, if you get GMN working and you love it, feel free to thanks us!
Don’t you wish Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) would make a flip phone? An iPhone with a keypad and a flip form-factor. No? We thought not. But, for the 12 people out there that actually want an Apple clamshell phone, you’ll be glad to hear that some no-name Chinese phone maker has crafted a dumbphone that looks a lot like a mini MacBook, it even sports the backlit Apple logo. Make no mistake, though, the handset is as fake as they come – even with a name like the “Apple Q300 Ultra.”
The Apple Q300 Ultra and its glossy-white exterior can be yours for $70-$80. It doesn’t support any apps, it doesn’t even run a smartphone operating system, and it sports a 2.2-inch display. It will, however, get you some attention (don’t blame us for any ridicule you bring unto yourself).
Turkey Day is fast approaching, and you know what that means. Burned, dry and otherwise barely edible birds will be hitting American dinner tables in a few days’ time! Admit it, you’re secretly hoping you don’t make a mess of Thanksgiving by cooking the turkey too long. It’s okay, we feel your pain. That’s where TurkeyTimer for iPhone comes in. The new iPhone app keeps track of your turkey’s cooking progress, reminds you when it’s time to baste the bird, and even alerts you to take your sizable bird out of the oven. The TurkeyTimer app even adjusts cooking time to accommodate your taste for moister or dryer turkey. In other words, it does for your cooking skills what your mother never could.
TurkeyTimer takes into account your turkey’s weight and uses algorithms based on cookbook instructions to determine cooking time. The app tracks the brownness of the turkey, the approximate internal temperature (which will determine how moist your turkey turns out), how long it needs to cook, and even how long you have to wait before tearing into the oversized bird.
Grab TurkeyTimer from the iPhone AppStore for $2.99. We think the price is worth not having to face your family with a too-dry turkey… again.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
One of the Motorola (
Turkey Day is fast approaching, and you know what that means. Burned, dry and otherwise barely edible birds will be hitting American dinner tables in a few days’ time! Admit it, you’re secretly hoping you don’t make a mess of Thanksgiving by cooking the turkey too long. It’s okay, we feel your pain. That’s where 
Whoever said, “there’s no such thing as bad press,” obviously never worked for a wireless carrier. For the likes of AT&T (
