When it comes to super-slim and sexy smartphones with enough computing power to take over the world, the Toshiba TG01 takes the cake. Thanks to a power-packed Snapdragon chipset, the TG01 speeds along at 1Ghz clock speeds while playing with a hefty 256MB of RAM and a 4.1-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen display. The kicker - the TG01 stuffs WiFi, GPS, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3G data connectivity into a package barely 10mm thick! And, it’s coming to the UK next week.
We’ve been keeping an eye on the Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) TG01 ever since we had a chance to put hands on the super-thin smartphone in Barcelona. Despite having pulled the plug on Japanese production, Toshiba looks to be going strong with their TG01 roll-out. Check out our in-depth Toshiba TG01 hands-on here.
While those of use in The States will have to wait for the Toshiba TG01 to get all official, it looks like the UK will be the next market to get the Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone. Come July 9th, Toshiba will be showing off something really cool in London. Given Toshiba’s Summer launch window for the TG01, it’s highly likely we’ll see Toshiba unleashing the Toshiba TG01 on British soil next week.
Like to take trips to foreign locales, do you? Don’t forget your iPhone! Armed with the right iPhone apps, your iPhone can be an invaluable tool to help you organize your trip and find your way around not-so-familiar terrain. Who better to help you find those iPhone travel apps than the globe-trotters at National Geographic? The renowned travel/exploration publication has posted their Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps for your perusal, and it’s a good’n.
From free iPhone apps like “Room” to paid apps like “Packing,” Nat Geo has all the your travel needs covered. Common travel apps like FlightTrack and Google Earth are staples of any would-be traveler, but less popular apps like Babelingo (300 common phrases in 11 languages), Room (helps you pack for your trip) and Cheap Gas (um, self-explanatory) also deserve a quick mention.
The Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre’s biggest downfall is the network technology that it uses - the US-only CDMA standard. That fact alone limits the Palm Pre to the US. American GSM users and just about everyone else on Planet Earth will have to wait for Palm to launch the GSM variant that we spied in Barcelona.
The good news is that the GSM Pre may not be too far off. A newly leaked set of pics shows the Palm Pre clearly rocking a SIM card under the battery cover. The removable SIM bodes well for a near-term release of the GSM Palm Pre. Sooner is better than later.
The iPhone OS 3.0 is a bit buggy. With stories of bugs and general instability floating around, the inevitable iPhone OS 3.1 update is looking pretty nice. Thankfully, we may not have to wait too long for Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to go public with the iPhone OS 3.0 update. Apple has today seeded an iPhone OS 3.1 beta and accompanying SDK to the iPhone dev community!
iPhone developers can get their hands on the first update to the all-new iPhone 3.0 OS, but mere mortals like ourselves will just have to wait for Apple to push the update through iTunes. Bug fixes, here we come!
The dedicated do-it-yourselfers out there will probably have already slapped together an iPhone tripod using some spare toothpicks and a fork, or two. The rest of us haven’t even considered making a DIY iPhone tripod. For those of you in that second category, iPhone-modder Scott Patrick has posted a DIY video that explains how to make an iPhone tripod using a Contour Case and a few hardware knick-knacks.
Contour Case used for this DIY is the most expensive component you’ll need. It’s $30 and you can grab one here.
The HTC Snap has already proven itself a top choice for cost-conscious smartphone fans looking for a Windows Mobile smartphone with a good QWERTY keyboard. But, with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard running the show, the HTC Snap is going to feel a little dated when Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) launches Windows Mobile 6.5 later this year. Unless, that is, HTC decides to bless the Snap with a Windows Mobile 6.5 update - as hinted at by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).
For those of you that don’t yet know, the Bluetooth SIG is a Bluetooth certification body that, well, certifies, uh, Bluetooth. Anyway, the Bluetooth SIG website can be a goldmine for leaked tid-bits on upcoming mobile phones. The latest leak makes reference to the HTC Cedar (HTC Snap’s codename) running “WM6.5.” It’s not clear if HTC intends to release a WM6.5 update for both HTC Snap/Cedar variants, or if the update will only be available for the recently spotted HTC Cedar100. Still, the mention of an OS upgrade for the Snap is intriguing.
With a little luck, HTC Snap owners might be treated to a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade in the near future.
Say what you will about Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) products being over-hyped hunks of aluminum and silicon. At the end of the day, Apple is laughing all the way to the bank. It seems demand for the latest iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, is still out-pacing supply by a fair margin. The shortage has prompted Apple to bring back their iPhone availability tool, which allows iPhone hopefuls to check iPhone inventories at their local Apple Store before hopping in the car.
iPhone 3GS availability in California
Daily checks on Apple’s iPhone availability tool indicate that iPhone 3GS shipments are indeed coming fast and hard. But, Apple just doesn’t seem to be able to replenish some iPhone 3GS inventories fast enough to keep shelves stocked. The entry-level White 16GB iPhone 3GS is apparently selling out the fastest in many California Apple Stores. The White 32GB iPhone 3GS is also proving to be one hot ticket - there are more White 32GB iPhone 3GS’s with red dots than Black 32GB iPhone 3GS’s. The Apple Store in the Beverly Center, Los Angeles is even showing (at the time of this writing) an across-the-board depletion of iPhone 3GS inventory!
Ye old iPhone 3GS hopefuls, take heed. Check iPhone 3GS availability in your ‘hood before making the trip to your local Apple Store. Lest you get there to find out your iPhone 3GS has been sold-out for a couple days.
Still waiting to jailbreak your iPhone 3GS and enable some cut/pasteMMStethering multi-tasking support? Well, good news! The venerable iPhone Dev Team has a working jailbreak solution for the iPhone OS 3.0-powered iPhone 3GS. The bad news, however, is that the Dev Team has decided to hold off on releasing the jailbreak for a bit longer.
PwnageTool 3.0 already jailbreaks the iPhone and iPhone 3G running the iPhone OS 3.0. In fact, the iPhone Dev Team’s “ultrasn0w” unlock utility is already capable of unlocking the iPhone 3G’s baseband. The iPhone 3GS is another story. The latest iPhone has yet to be jailbroken and unlocked.
Now, before you get all worked up, know that the Dev Team’s decision to keep their iPhone 3GS jailbreak solution on ice so that future generations of iPhone 3GS owners can use the jailbreak. The Team says that releasing the iPhone 3GS jailbreak now would give Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) the opportunity to patch the exploit in future iPhone OS updates. Given iPhone 3.0 OS’s bugginess, an iPhone OS 3.0.1 update is inevitable. If the jailbreak went live now, that would be awesome for current iPhone 3GS owners, but anyone buying an iPhone 3GS after the 3.0.1 update would be out of luck.
We’re going to be patient wait for the 3GS jailbreak to be released after Apple releases the iPhone OS 3.0.1 update. Hopefully Apple gets moving soon!
One of iPhone OS 3.0s most anticipated features is its support for MMS, sometimes called pictures messages. Unfortunately, the original iPhone crowd was left out of the party. Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) only enabled MMS support for iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 3GSs running the latest iPhone 3.0 OS. Today, a new jailbreak application has been released, allowing the original iPhone (2G) to rock the default MMS service!
The newly released ActivateMMS2G has been published on the Cydia jailbreak applications store. To enable native support for MMS on your iPhone 2G, simply jailbreak and install the ActivateMMS2G app. You need to add “http://cydia.alpden.com/” to your Cydia Sources.
Palm Pre users will be happy to hear that Palm (NSDQ: PALM) has issued a point-update to the WebOS. The Palm Pre’s mobile operating system is now officially set at version 1.0.4, bringing with it a slew of security patches that should leave your Palm Pre at least a smidge more secure. Unfortunately, Palm has also closed the potentially disastrous exploit that allowed installation of homebrew applications on a non-jailbroken Palm Pre. Allowing any and all Palm Pre units to install third-party applications via email isn’t exactly a prudent security policy, after all.
If you haven’t yet gotten a taste for homebrew applications on your Palm Pre, we’d suggest giving them a go post haste. Once the WebOS 1.0.4 update is pushed to your smartphone, you can consider homebrew application installs via email off limits.
When it comes to super-slim and sexy smartphones with enough computing power to take over the world, the Toshiba TG01 takes the cake. Thanks to a power-packed Snapdragon chipset, the TG01 speeds along at 1Ghz clock speeds while playing with a hefty 256MB of RAM and a 4.1-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen display. The kicker - the TG01 stuffs WiFi, GPS, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3G data connectivity into a package barely 10mm thick! And, it’s coming to the UK next week.
Like to take trips to foreign locales, do you? Don’t forget your iPhone! Armed with the right iPhone apps, your iPhone can be an invaluable tool to help you organize your trip and find your way around not-so-familiar terrain. Who better to help you find those iPhone travel apps than the globe-trotters at National Geographic? The renowned travel/exploration publication has posted their Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps for your perusal, and it’s a good’n.
The iPhone OS 3.0 is a 
Still waiting to jailbreak your iPhone 3GS and enable some 
