After the iPhone (AppStore link) and BlackBerry, Urbanspoon is “going Android.” The application keeps all the functionality (and UI) of the iPhone version, allowing users to find restaurants based on price, current location (nearby) and culinary style. Moreover, Urbanspoon users can rate and review restaurants, providing other folks with the real-life information that can be/is useful when picking a place to dine.

Probably one of Urbanspoon’s most popular features is the random local restaurant finder, and it’s of course included in the Android version. Simple shake the phone, and the application will suggest a place nearby.

As for the Android-specific features, I haven’t caught much. Actually, it’s fair to add that it takes advantage of the bigger screen found in devices such as the Nexus One and Moto Droid/Milestone to show more options.

And that’s about it. If you like it, simply search for “Urbanspoon” in the Android Market and take it from there.

[Via: mashable]

Walmart’s iPhone app has been updated recently (it’s in version 1.1 now) to allow users to access products from all departments at Walmart.com. That’s a major step forward, considering that the original app allowed users to browse products from the electronics section, only. Guess the thinking at that moment was that the iPhone is for the gadget freaks only. Now when Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has shipped so many devices, it’s not only computer geeks who like the iPhone… and iPod Touch.

The application remains free and AppStore link unchanged.

[Via: JustAnotherIPhoneBlog]

Australia’s Optus plans to acquire spectrum licenses for 10MHz of paired spectrum in the 2100MHz band from Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM)’s local subsidiary. As a result, Optus could double its 3G spectrum in the eight capital cities from 10MHz to 20MHz to “support retail and wholesale customer demand for Optus’ increasing range of data services.”

The transaction is subject to approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) and clearance from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed…

[Via: CellularNews]

ZTE will finally get a spot in the major U.S. carrier’s portfolio, as Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is preparing to launch the Chinese company’s first handset – ZTE F350. We don’t have all the details about the device, but it seems like a basic phone with features that include Bluetooth, voice commands and a camera. No word on the mobile OS it runs, if any.

It’s also worth pointing out that Verizon is already offering another ZTE product – the AD3700 USB modem, but this would be the first ZTE phone in their offering.

Unfortunately, we’ve no idea when will Verizon officially launch the F350, but something tells me we’ll hear more from ZTE in the coming weeks and months…

[Via: Unwired View]

If Guinness and Stella Artois can do it, so can Miller. Yap, they’ve made their own iPhone app called “Miller Lite Taxi Cab Finder” in conjunction with 1-800-TAXICAB, a national taxi dispatch service that automatically connects callers with a local-area taxi company.

As you can presume, the application is made for drunken folks who shouldn’t drive home, but get a cab instead. It relies on the iPhone’s built-in GPS capabilities to help users find a Taxi or Limo company nearby. In case you need a Limo, you’ll want to request a quite first before agreeing to pay for the service – that’s also possible from within the app.

In addition, there’s the “cab hailer” feature that flashes to help draw attention from the street, and a shortcut for calling 1-800-TAXICAB… AppStore link is here. (it’s a free download)

Michael Gartenberg, Columnist at Engadget and Vice President of Strategy and Analysis at Interpret, posted these three tweets earlier tonight:

• Just received a mysterious invite to Google (NSDQ: GOOG) event on Wed. in Mountain View. #google
• “We’ll be unveiling some new product innovations and we’d like to invite you to join us” hmmmm #Google
• Oops. That Google event is tomorrow not Wed. #oops

Whether or not it’s Android related we can’t tell. Anything Google does is watched by everyone across multiple industries, for good reason too, so at least we’ll see something semi important.

Update: It’s probably related to Google adding status update features to Gmail.

[Hat tip to @mobile_divide]

Orange has retained its position as the top mobile broadband provider in the UK, according to a survey by independent research company YouGov. Orange was ranked top for customer services and reliability, while customers also rated Orange’s mobile broadband service top in a further seven out of 15 categories, including ‘ease of use’ and ‘upload speeds’.

Orange offers a selection of mobile broadband and connected laptops in the UK, and in November 2009, made it even easier for customers to access content online by offering two new dongles, the Orange e1752 and the Option 515M, as well as two new laptops; the Asus 1005HGO and the embedded Compaq CQ61, both featuring the operating system Windows 7.

Asif Aziz, Director of Broadband and Home, Orange UK said: “Retaining our position as the top mobile broadband provider in the UK is a great accomplishment which we’re really proud of. This win is recognition of our strong focus on network quality and brilliant customer service and its our aim to build on these, as well as the products and services we offer, to ensure our customers continue to benefit from a high quality user experience.

Orange’s mobile broadband was also ranked number one in YouGov’s Dongle Tracker survey in October 2009.

If after reading that you feel like you need some mobile broadband fun, you can visit the Orange site here.

Our buddies over at picoprojector-info.com have come up with a little gem of an advert (if somewhat wacky) for a new Pico-projector phone in China. The projector module is LCoS-based (the projection module is made by iView), and it supports audio/video/photo files, and also some documents. It’s also a TV receiver. The phone is Quad-band with dual-SIM support. The phone is available now in Japan (at least according to the ad).

So, here it is:

[Via: picoprojector-info.com]

What you’re looking at below are supposed images of the next iPhone. It’s 1/4 inch taller than previous iPhones, but similar to the original aluminium backed iPhone, the screen is glued to the multi touch screen digitizer. There’s also a tiny reflective surface right above the ear piece, which could be there for video calls, but that’s just my guess, it could be anything.

With the release of the iPad, my admiration for Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s ability to innovate was dramatically reduced, so my expectations are not that high for the next iPhone. That being said, Steve and the rest of the crew have between now and June 28th, the day of the next Worldwide Developers Conference, to come up with something new and exciting. Crossing my fingers that the NFC rumour is true.

When images like these turn up, always take them with a grain of salt.

[Via: iResQ, MacRumors]

The Mobile Data Association (MDA) has made public a summary of its latest report on the texting habits of the UK population – saying we like messaging is a bit like saying ‘a fish is keen on water’, but perhaps we didn’t recognize the scale of it before (no pun intended)!

The continued growth of messaging is highlighted by a 2009 daily average of 265 million text messages and 1.6 million picture messages.  2009’s text message total was 96.8 billion, while over 600 million picture messages were sent across the whole year.

Seasonal drivers still appear to propel the use of Picture Messaging, with 4.5 million picture messages being sent on Christmas Day itself, while Network Operators’ figures also indicated an upturn in picture messaging during the recent cold snap.

Assessing the findings of the MDA’s report, Rob Bamforth, Principal Analyst at Quocirca, said: “New generation touchscreen handsets and the bundling of SMS messages into many tariffs has made texting easier, and seen its role develop.  Now it is not only a convenient medium for a quick chat with friends, but also a way of participating in television voting and raising funds for needy charities.  When a powerful call to action is given, the population of the UK often turn first towards their mobile phones.”

Steve Reynolds, MDA Chairman, said: “These statistics show that even with new social media forms of messaging such as Twitter and Facebook, people are using SMS as a social messaging tool because of its simplicity and ubiquity. There remains a significant and still developing role for text messaging.  In a seemingly relentless tide of status updates, tweets and pokes, the UK population’s love affair with  mobile messaging for instant, on-the-go communication continues to deepen.”

In case you love the detail, here are the Q4 2009 Statistical findings

Text Messaging (SMS)

Total number of text messages (SMS) sent in:

• 2009 total 96.8 billion
• 2008 total 78.9 billion
• 2007 total 56.9 billion

These SMS statistics can be broken down as follows in 2009:

• Year on year growth (2009 vs 2008): 23% growth
• Number of text messages sent per day: 265 million

Video and Picture messages (MMS)

Total number of picture messages (MMS) sent in:

• 2009 total 601 million
• 2008 total 553 million
• 2007 total 449 million

These statistics can be broken down as follows in 2009:

• Year on year growth (2009 vs 2008): 9% growth
• Number of MMS messages sent per day: 1.6 million

I think we all need a sit down with a nice cold drink after that veritable stat attack