comScore: Verizon's version of the Apple iPhone 4 most popular U.S. handset in February

According to market researcher comScore, Apple increased its market share by .9% in the U.S. cellphone market (not just smartphones) in February. That was the largest increase for the month among the nation's top 5 manufacturers and brought Apple's share of the U.S. cellphone market to 7.5%. Samsung owned the top spot with 24.8%, a gain of .3% for the month.

LG was flat during the second month of the year, ending February with a 20.6% piece of the U.S. cellphone pie. In the fourth spot was Motorola. The Schamburg, Illinois based manufacturer lost .9% of its market share to finish with a 16.1% share. Rounding out the U.S. Top 5 cellphone manufacturers is RIM as the Canadian company lost .2% to close February with an 8.6% share of the U.S. market.

No surprise when it comes to OS market share in the U.S. during February. Android rose 7% to control 33% of the market, followed by the 28.9% held by RIM in the U.S., despite a drop of 4.6% in the month. In February, Android and iOS were the only platforms to show growth in the States as the iOS OS added .2% to finish with a 25.2% total. The 4th and 5th largest platforms in the U.S. for February were Microsoft's 7.7% and the 2.8% controlled by webOS. The two lost 1.3% and 1.1% in market share respectively.

According to comScore, the CDMA version of the Apple iPhone 4 was "the most acquired handset in the month of February." According to the carrier, Verizon's launch of the CDMA iPhone was the biggest launch ever for the mobile operator.

source: AppleInsider

Microsoft says Windows Phone 7 YouTube client fails thanks to Google

Microsoft already has a spat going with Google relating to YouTube. The Redmond based software company is working with the EU's anitrust investigation against Google that claims that the latter company has failed to give competing search engines information for indexing YouTube videos. But Microsoft now has another beef with the Mountain View based company relating to the video sharing site.

Microsoft is complaining that Google will not give them the data needed for YouTube to function on Windows Phone 7 phones as well as it does on Android and iOS devices. Both of those platforms contain the data that Windows Phone 7 has not received. The data enables Android and iOS users to browse videos by different categories, seek favorite videos and look for viewer ratings.

As a result of being unable to obtain the information from Google, the YouTube app on Windows Phone 7 merely re-directs the user to the mobile YouTube site. Micosoft says it is ready to release a YouTube client that is high quality like the Android and iOS versions, and all that it needs is permission from Google to allow Windows Phone 7 handsets to access YouTube like the other platforms do. So far, Google has not provided Microsoft with this permission.

In just 5 short years, we have gone from, "maybe the biggest surprise is finding YouTube on your phone," to expecting to see a YouTube client on any decent smartphone.

source: Microsoft via Gizmodo

Verizon adds tablets to its trade-in program

Last September as we reported, Verizon started its Trade-In Program. Those sending in old handsets can receive as much as $300 in the form of a gift card. Today, Big Red announced that it was going to start including tablets in the program.

The value of the gift card that you get in return for your old device depends on whether or not the returned phone or tablet still turns on, the working condition of the screen and whether or not it is cracked. Greg Haller, vice president of consumer solutions for the carrier, said, "Whether you’re a mobile user looking to move to the nation’s most reliable network or a customer looking to trade up to a new tablet, our Trade-In Program provides options that people can feel good about. Adding tablets to our lineup of eligible trade-in devices along with wireless phones, gives users another option to recycle old devices and get value."

Those wanting to see if their old phone or tablet has value can get an online appraisal of their device by going to www.trade-in.vzw.com and then decide if they want to send it to Verizon for a gift card. The cards can be used online, at Verizon stores or to pay a Verizon Wireless bill.

Another option for those looking to rid themselves of old, unused handsets is to donate them to HopeLine from Verizon. This program gives out old cell phones to victims of domestic violence and more information can be found at www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

source: Verizon via BGR

Receive up to a $300 Verizon gift card by sending in your old cellphone or tablet to Verizon's Trade-In Program

The Onion fittingly releases their iPad app on April Fool's Day

If you're not familiar, The Onion is a popular farcical news source, that has a print and online presence, as well as a new sports show on Comedy Central. Very appropriately, The Onion has introduced their new iPad app on April Fool's Day.

The Onion already has apps for both Android and the iPhone, which repost the website's content. And the iPad version is basically the same, except for the formatting nuances unique to the tablet format.

'The Onion Tablet' is set up like most other iPad newspapers, i.e. 'The Daily'. Its homescreen looks much like a traditional newspaper, but upon swiping to the following tiles, articles and videos are laid out in a more condensed grid. There are also the typical options to share content on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

PCMag reports that they experienced a good bit of latency upon selecting articles and videos, but we imagine that, like any app, the first version has some bugs to be ironed out. And considering The Onion's unique and hilarious appeal, we doubt readers will be dissuaded by a less-than-lightning experience.

source: iTunes via PCMag

Time Warner Cable may be testing a WiMAX phone

According to sources close to the matter, Time Warner Cable is in the process of developing their own WiMAX-based smartphone. The source only noted that TWC is working with unnamed vendors on mobile products that will include voice calling, and those products would work on both the WiMAX and Sprint CDMA networks.

Time Warner Cable spokesman Justin Venech, on the other hand, said the following: "Mobile voice over the 4G network is something we are evaluating at this time...But we don't have formal launch plans in place in regards to a mobile voice product."

While Venech didn't concede any commitment to mobile voice, it wouldn't surprise us if TWC were making a move for the mobile phone industry. They've been reselling Clearwire's WiMAX service, and using Sprint's EV-DO network for roaming. So it wouldn't be a big stretch to adapt a phone.

But a move into mobile phones would place them in the midst of a tumultuous mobile market, including AT&T's potential acquisition of T-Mobile, and the continuing struggle between AT&T and Verizon Wireless. But, as they would merely be adapting a device to use on Sprint's infrastructure, a failure wouldn't spell complete disaster.

And besides, TWC reports that their existing mobile efforts are producing "not very impressive and pretty inconclusive" results. So they are probably deciding between investing more heavily in their mobile efforts, or throwing in the towel.

source: FierceWireless

Palm Pre 2 for Verizon is now free on-contract through HP's Wireless Central store

Continuing to see who can outgun each other in the other in terms of pricing for the Palm Pre 2, both Verizon and HP seem to be on the ropes with one another. It wasn’t too long ago that HP slashed the price of it to free for a brief period of time, but since then, it has been brought back to its usual $149.99 on-contract price point.

Well, HP is here once again to the rescue if you want to experience the most up-to-date webOS smartphone in the US market. In fact, they’re selling the same handset for free with your signature on a 2-year agreement. Naturally, the new price point easily blows past what Verizon is asking for from its customer - which is still a cold hard $150.

Still, we have yet to see any movement in terms of no-contract pricing. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t worry because it’ll more than likely happen once the newest members of the webOS family start to appear in the future.

source: HP via PreCentral

Speed tests show Verizon's LTE faster than Sprint's WiMAX

Who has the fastest 4G service between Verizon and Sprint? On Friday, BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk announced the results of 1,000 speed tests conducted between a Verizon HTC ThunderBolt and a Sprint EVO 4G. According to the results, Big Red's LTE service is faster and more consistent than the WiMAX offering from the nation's third largest carrier.

The tests were done using the mobile Hotspot functions on both phones and those conducting the test were given an Apple iPad 2 and a Toshiba laptop to use on each of the two networks. The tests also were divided by location, such as "inside a building" or "near a window".  The bottom line figures showed that on average, Verizon's LTE network had speeds of 9Mbps down and 5Mbps up. Sprint's WiMAX network averaged about 1Mbps both down and up.

According to Piecyk, Verizon peaked at 19Mbps down and 10Mbps up. In addition, the analyst claims that Big Red's network is the more reliable between the two, and offers more coverage than Sprint's 4G service. With talk that Sprint might switch to an LTE network of its own, a report like this could carry plenty of weight in the carrier's boardroom.

source: BGR

Over 1,000 tests revealed that Verizon's LTE 4G network is faster and more reliable than Sprint's WiMAX 4G service

Hasbro's My3D viewer for the iPhone will be available on April 3rd

No 3-D display? No problem! The My3D system from Hasbro, the renowned toymaker, will turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into a 3D machine. My3D, which is expected to cost $35, will be available from Target on April 3rd, and other retailers starting in June.

My3D is like a modern version of their old ViewMaster device. It works by holding your iPhone or iPod Touch at the end, and making the display look 3-dimensional. Free stereoscopic apps are already available, such as My3D Presents (a demo app), My3D 360 Sharks, My3D Sector 17, My3D Teleport L.A., My3D Bubble Bolt, My3D Tunnel Pilot, and My3D Shatterstorm.

Hasbro is already working with Dreamworks, Sony, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. to bring 3-D movie trailers to the My3D as well. Beyond movie trailers, we can expect a host of 3-D games to follow. My3D is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch (3rd and 4th generations).

source: Hasbro via Electronista

Survey shows that 50% of shoppers consult their phones in making a decision for a purchase

Power is once again being diverted to the average consumer, and that’s partly due to the immense popularity seen with mobile phone apps.

In a recent survey conducted by Arc Worldwide on 1,800 US phone users, they astonishingly find that approximately 50 percent of consumers are consulting their mobile phones for their shopping needs. Even more surprising is the fact that feature phones make up a good majority of those figures primarily because the smartphone penetration rate has yet to hit 50 percent in the US market.

Not only are we seeing more venues accepting payments from mobile devices, such as Starbucks, but handset owners definitely have a stronger presence in bargaining for the best prices. In fact, there are quite a few apps that allow users to instantly compare prices on specific products by simply scanning their barcodes – thus giving a slight leverage to the consumer in attempting to get the most bang for the buck.

Naturally, we’d expect these figures to rise over time, but it’ll be interesting to see how retailers adapt to these new mobile strategies.

source: Mashable via Textually

Google claims that CNN falsified the report of a facial recognition app

CNN reported, according to an interview, that Google was developing an application that would recognize faces, and tie them to phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Google has gone out of their way to adamantly deny that they have such an app in the pipeline.

Google issued the following statement: "We are NOT 'introducing a mobile application' (as the CNN piece claims) and as we’ve said for over a year, we would NOT add face recognition to any app like Goggles unless there was a strong privacy model in place. A number of items 'reported' in the story, such as a potential app connecting phone numbers, email addresses and other information with a person’s face, are purely speculative and are inventions of the reporter.”

That's not only a denial, but a pretty scathing criticism as well, particularly the inclusion of quotations around "reporting". But how could a reporter, particularly one for an established news source, get the story so wrong?

CNN then offered a response: "Google’s claims do not fit the facts of the situation. This interview was prearranged – on the record – and staffed by a Google PR rep, who raised no objections at the time and did not deny what the engineer said. Additionally, we have an audio recording of the interview, as does Google. We stand firmly behind Mark’s reporting."

We're not quite sure who to believe. It's not like either source is more or less credible. If we had to guess, the Google representatives probably got a little over-eager, and started speculating on the potential for a facial recognition app in general, rather than what Google itself was developing.

source: SlashGear

Rogers throws open the doors for pre-orders of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc & PLAY

Consumers in select Asian and European markets are getting the fine opportunity of snagging the gaming centric Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY starting today, but for the people of North America, they can only watch on the sidelines for now as the handset envelops these newly minted owners.

Well, if you happen to be a Rogers customer, you might be slightly ahead of the game in North America seeing that the carrier has opened up pre-orders for not just one Xperia handset, but two! Right now, you can fetch yourself a pre-order of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY and Arc – which are two solid Android devices thus far. As it stands right now, Rogers is only providing the 3-year on-contract price of $99.99 for both handsets.

Although you can guarantee yourself a handset come launch day with a pre-order, the devices are still positioned to launch some time in the late April time frame.

source: Rogers via Unwired View

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc	Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY

Boost's Samsung Galaxy Prevail is rumored to make an appearance at an NYC event

Boost Mobile doesn’t necessarily claim that many Android powered devices in its clan, but luckily it seems that we’re about to be on the verge of seeing one making a splash in the very near future.

Both Samsung and Boost Mobile are hosting a special event in New York City on April 5th, and seeing the tandem working congruently with each other on this event, it raises some eyebrows on what they have planned. Reports indicated that they’ll be announcing, and most likely showcasing, Boost Mobile’s upcoming Android powered smartphone – the Samsung Galaxy Prevail.

Specs are still quaint at this point, however, it’s alleged to be a handset that closely resembles the Samsung Transform – but without a keyboard. This would complement Boost’s sole Android device on their lineup, the Motorola i1, while the leaked rendered image might point to a display that’s less that 4-inches in size. More than likely propped to be a low to mid-range device, the Samsung Galaxy Prevail is also reported to be equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera and powered by Froyo.

With April 5th literally right around the corner, we’ll find out exactly what’s brewing at Samsung and Boost Mobile’s event in New York City.

via Pocketnow

Survey of Verizon reps says that the HTC ThunderBolt is outselling the Apple iPhone 4

Research firm BTIG decided to find out if the Apple iPhone was reigning supreme at Verizon. So the firm got their people on the phone and called 150 Verizon stores in 22 cities and asked sales reps which model was selling better, the Apple iPhone 4 or the HTC ThunderBolt. The latter device is the carrier's first 4G enabled handset.

61% of the reps said that both models were selling at the same pace. 28% told BTIG that the HTC ThunderBolt was outselling the Apple iPhone 4 while 11% said that the iPhone was outselling the ThunderBolt.

Until Verizon reveals precise sales figures for both phones, we are left with unofficial surveys like this one to determine which of the two models is selling the most units for the carrier. While other research firms have reported that Android as a whole has been outselling Apple's handset, those figures are comparing a number of Android handsets against just one model. If the ThunderBolt is indeed outselling the iPhone 4, it would be the first Android phone to go up against the iOS flavored handset one on one and win.

We recently compared both models and you can read our conclusions by clicking on this link.

source: AndroidCentral

A survey of Verizon reps shows that the HTC ThunderBolt is outselling the Apple iPhone 4

Dell Streak 7 Unboxing

Although it might be overlooked due to the sheer presence of some other highly prized Android powered tablets coming to the market in the near future, it’s nearly impossible to miss the Dell Streak 7 since it sports an affordable no-contract price of only $450.

Getting a brief tasting of the Dell Streak 7 back at CES in January, we’re finally getting a little bit more intimate with Dell’s latest Streak device. Included with the packaging are the customary set of materials – such as a USB cable, wall charger, stereo headphones, and the usual set of documentation. However, don’t let this portable 7” tablet fool you because it’s packing a wallop underneath its chassis. Specifically, it features a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, and  HSPA+ connectivity.

As for the design of the Dell Streak 7, it unequivocally mirrors the style of its distant sibling – the Dell Streak 5. Surprisingly, there’s a fair amount of hefty weight with this all plastic tablet, but it still nonetheless feels quite sturdy all around. Meanwhile, it’s running Dell’s customized Stage UI which presents a boatload of useful widgets that take up the entire space of a homescreen.

Well, that’s all for right now, but considering its low cost of ownership versus the competitive offerings out there, it’s definitely one of the main driving points that might propel it. Check back soon because we’ll be putting it through the ropes over the next few days.

Samsung Droid Charge and HTC Droid Incredible 2 priced on document

We recently reported about a Verizon roadmap that showed April releases for the Samsung Droid Charge and the HTC Droid Incredible 2. The former is expected to launch on April 7th with an April 28th date expected for the release of the latter handset. According to leaked documents, we now have an idea of how much both phones will cost when they are rolled out later this month.

At $299.99, the Samsung Droid Charge is priced well above recent high-end phones. In fact, with a 1GHz processor, a 4.3 inch display, LTE connectivity and an 8MP camera, the phone has basically the same specs as the recently launched HTC ThunderBolt which was priced at $249.99. If you were thinking about buying this phone, don't fret. Not only could the price change, but Verizon could impose a $50 mail-in rebate that would take the price down to the $249.99 level that we would have expected for the phone in the first place.

The HTC Droid Incredible 2 shows a price of $199.99. As we told you, the original Droid Incredible has reached "End of Life" status at Verizon. The new Droid Incredible is expected to have a bigger 4 inch WVGA, TFT screen, along with an 8MP camera with dual Xenon flash. Under the hood will be a  1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655-the same chip seen on the HTC ThunderBolt. Of course, with the lower price comes the lack of 4G connectivity. But if LTE is not yet available in your area, or if you don't care about having the faster connection, the Droid Incredible 2 seems like a bargain.

Note that the leaked prices are Minimum Advertised Prices set by Verizon for its authorized dealers. MAP prices help keep the pricing consistent and allows Big Red to keep a certain high standard of quality among independent dealers.

source: AndroidandMe

A leaked MAP price list shows Verizon's pricing intentions for the Samsung Droid Charge and the HTC Droid Incredible 2 among others

At Bat 2011 lets you follow the new Major League season wherever you are

If you love baseball, one of the best apps for scores and highlights is At Bat 2011. At $14.99, it is also one of the costliest, but that price won't even buy you a decent seat in most ballparks these days.

Those using an Apple iPod get the best that this app has to offer including free out of market games streamed to your tablet for April. But that doesn't mean that smartphone owners are shut out (pun intended). MLB.TV will broadcast a free out-of-market 'Game of the Day' throughout the season, for your viewing pleasure. In addition, key moments and turning points will be sent directly to your device via Live Look-Ins (no blackout restriction on these quickies) and of course, there is the ability to listen to the play-by-play call of every MLB game in progress. You even get to pick between the Home and Away radio crew.

Another great feature is live up-to-date scores from around the AL and NL including the batter, pitcher, current count, runners on base (if any). While a game is in progress, video highlights become available (we would suggest watching those on Wi-Fi).

For Android owners, there is a list of handsets that support live video at the source link. Android 2.1 or higher is required for the app, which can be downloaded from the Android Market. Owners of BlackBerry models running OS 5.0 or higher can grab a version of At Bat 2011 that does not have all of the features available for the iOS and Android versions, from BlackBerry App World. iOS users can pick up At Bat 2011 from the App Store. One last note. If you are a subscriber to MLB.TV, Android and iOS users can gain access to their account via their handset.

It looks like an exciting baseball season is starting. Anyone want to go out on a limb and give us their World Series winner for 2011? Just head over to the comments box below and leave us with your pick.

source: MLB

Check out our BlackBerry Storefront for RIM deals.

BlackBerry Touch, aka Monaco/Monza, photos surface on the web

An upcoming full touchscreen smartphone from RIM arsenal has made yet another appearance on the web in a brief photo session supposedly running BlackBerry's updated mobile platform – OS 6.1.

It is suggested that this device will be launched as the BlackBerry Touch, even though right now the smartphone bears two separate codenames – Monaco and Monza, with the former representing the Verizon-bound CDMA model and the latter being the GSM version.  Regardless of its name, the smartphone's supposed hardware specs remain the same – a 3.7-inch WVGA touchscreen in front, 5-megapixel camera on its back with 720p video capturing capability, and a nimble 1.2 GHz processor under its hood. The hardware inside the phone is an upgrade compared to what we have seen from RIM's previous touchscreen handsets, and considering the amount of time it is taking them to polish the device, it should not disappoint when it launches later this year.

Stay tuned for more rumors and tips revolving around RIM's upcoming smartphone, as there will probably be more of them before its release. In the meantime, feel free to check the device's photo set and share your opinion with us!

source: Boy Genius Report via BlackBerryOS

Check out our BlackBerry Storefront for RIM deals.

RadioShack tweets April 20 as T-Mobile Sidekick 4G release date

The original T-Mobile Sidekick was loved by its fans as it was built for instant messaging from the ground up. Unfortunately, its appeal dropped significantly after the carrier had to pull the plug on the Danger cloud-based social networking services. However, rumors about T-Mobile reviving its acclaimed smartphone as the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G started circulating the web several months ago until they were eventually confirmed to be true by the carrier itself.

So when are we going to see the Sidekick 4G you may ask. Well, thanks to a recent tweet by RadioShack, we now know that T-Mobile's smartphone is going to hit the shelves on April 20, which is when the T-Mobile G2X and the T-Mobile G-Slate are rumored to be scheduled for release as well. Priced at $99 after a mail-in rebate and a two year unlimited data contract, the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G will be powered by a snappy 1GHz Hummingbird processor and will feature a spacious 4.5-inch WVGA touchscreen display. Android 2.2 Froyo will be running the show while a 21Mbps HSPA+ radio will be responsible for keeping you connected to the web.

source: TmoNews via Boy Genius Report

Asus Eee Pad Transformer makes a brief catwalk for $399 on Best Buy and Newegg

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer might be the Trojan Horse of the company on its way to take on a sizable chunk of the Android tablet market. It appeared briefly, and was subsequently pulled out on two retailers' websites - Best Buy and Newegg, at both places for the very decent price of $399.

For that kind of money you get a 10" tablet screen with 1280x800 pixels of resolution, 5MP rear camera, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal memory, which is not a bad deal at all, considering the sharp-looking tablet comes with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The Eee Pad Transformer was a member of the tablet quartet Asus announced at the CES show this year.

The keyboard dock will apparently run you an extra $149, and you gain a chiclet-style keyboard plus and two USB ports. We already wrote that together with the extended battery on the dock the Asus Eee Pad Transformer runs a cool 16 hours unchained from cables, which sweetens up the pot even further.

via Engadget

Poonam Pandey runs riot on Twitter

Twitterati have gone on overdrive since Poonam Pandey, a Mumbai based model, has announced that she will bare all if India wins the world cup. Adding fuel to fire is the fact that today indeed is April Fool's Day. She is one of the most searched people on the Internet and is trending on Twitter too. Here are some of the best messages about her:

1. daddy_san:
Poonam Pandey. Centuries ago a game was lost. A woman was asked to remove her clothes. It started a war. OK, you haven't read that book.

2. blinkandumissit:
What would really give today some meaning would be if Poonam Pandey gets up and yells "April Fool. I'm not goin to do it."

3. sramanaa:
Tomorrow Sachin Tendulkar will take the center stage as Dushasana. Poonam Pandey will be Droupadhi.

4. whatamenon:
Chulbul is called Robinhood Pandey. Poonam is called Dis-robin' Pandey.

5. rajeshsound:
It is time that Mumbai Finals of CWC2011 gets rated A or at least PG. CBFC, are you listening? #poonampandey

6. trishulmody:
If India wins the world cup, will #PoonamPandey shout 'APRIL FOOL'?

7. DementedShaun:
#Poonampandey plays the biggest #AprilFool prank on India instead of Miss #Pandey doing full monty it will Chunkey Pandey #Joke #Fun #fb

8. azhar_91:
Strip Girl #PoonamPandey Says : "Even my parents are proud of me because I am doing something for Team #India" #WTF!

9. siddev18:
I think Ashish Nehra will be a modern day Krishna , defender of Poonam Pandey's modesty .

10. MoviesDM:
Haha! Poonam Pandey on radio: "Mere strip karne se team ka man-o-bal badega"! RJ replies: "Bal to zarur badega"!

11. kumargunjan10: i request to indian goverment as well as BCCI & ICC ..to dnt allow to POONAM PANDEY to do like that(nude) after the winning wc 2011.

Photoshop for iPad

At the recently concluded Photoshop world event Adobe unveiled a working prototype of a future Tablet centric version of Photoshop.

In this case they focussed on the iPad version of the app, which was more on the lines of a full-blown Windows version of the application rather than being similar to the current barebones Photoshop Express which is available for free on the iPad.
In the demo Adobe showed off signature Photoshop features such as Layers, which were successfully adapted for a touch based interface. In the demo the image could be easily be scaled or rotated through the multi-touch interface.

While the Layers feature has been seen in apps like Layers Pro, it is still in its infancy and the
functionality is pretty basic.

Speaking at the conference Adobe's John Loiacono, Head of Photoshop division stated it was a "technology we're looking at".

According to Loiacono, "This is just a concept about how do we take technologies we found in Lightroom and Photoshop and actually extend those to these devices as they become more important to your workflows."

It is no secret that Adobe is investing into image editing apps for touch based devices; already they have Adobe Ideas and Photoshop Express for Android and iOS devices. A more beefed up version of Photoshop would be the natural evolution of the Photoshop Express technology.
Currently the tablet market is already loaded with a plethora of image editing software's such as the award winning paint app Brushes, the vector graphics app InkPad and AutoDesk's SketchBook Pro.

While all these apps work very well they have limited functionality, as heavy-duty image editors require lots of processing power.  Hopefully, Adobe will combine all the features available in separate apps. The new found processing power of tablets can only help in making this possible.

Facebook to be worth $234 billion by 2015

Facebook will have market value of $234 billion by 2015, up from its current valuation of $85 billion, according to an analysis by brokerage firm Wedbush Securities that analyzes the valuations of private companies.

Wedbush Securities analyst Lou Kerner, who made this comment in a report last week, on what he called the 'Second Internet', says by 2015 Facebook will earn $11 billion on $22 billion and have a market value of $234 billion, Business Insider said Thursday.

"That makes the company's recent second market valuation of $85 billion look like a fine deal indeed,'' the business web site said.

In his earlier predictions in February 2010, Kerner had said that Facebook might be worth $100 billion by 2015.

But he now thinks Facebook's margins are better - around 50 percent - and that it will get a bigger share of the global advertisement market, according to the portal.

The analyst also believes "that other revenue sources - like Credits - will scale faster than he originally anticipated.''

Referring to the quick rise of companies as different as Facebook, Zynga, Twitter, The Huffington Post and Quora, the Wedbush Securities analysis says they are all players in the 'Second Internet'.

Because of the social nature of this rising internet companies, the analysis describes this phenomenon as the rise of the 'Social Internet.'

According to the report, only one technology company - Apple - has a current higher market cap of $321 billion than that predicted for Facebook by 2015.

Microsoft is currently valued at $213 billion.

The iPad 2 has been a boon to eBay

The Apple iPad 2, which is still very difficult to acquire at Apple retail stores, is creating a robust and healthy resale market online.

EBay, the online marketplace, released numbers and an info graphic on Thursday showing just how popular the iPad 2 had become on its Web site.

The company said that 65 percent of iPad 2s sold on eBay were purchased by buyers in the United States. In 2010, only 35 percent of sales of the first generation iPad were sold domestically on the online marketplace. The higher numbers in the United States this time illustrates just how difficult it is to acquire the new tablet through traditional retail stores. Apple stores continually sell out of the new tablet, and the wait to get one purchased online is still five weeks.

Although the majority of sales on eBay have taken place in the United States, people living in Russia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan and Britain have also purchased a large number of iPad 2s.

The most sought-after models of the iPad 2 are on the low and high end. The basic 16-gigabyte Wi-fi-only version and the 64-gigabyte with 3G data connection account for a majority of iPad 2 sales on eBay. They also net a healthy profit for sellers. EBay said that the low-end iPad 2 was selling for $198 over the $500 retail price and the $830 high-end model was selling for an astounding $406 more.

The least desired iPad 2 is the 16-gigabyte 3G model, making up only 7 percent of iPad 2 sales.

The first-generation iPad is still selling well online too. As I've written in the past, many buyers are still hoping to find deals on the first iPad, which is selling for $200 less than the original price in online marketplaces.

Parody blooms on Twitter

Twitter is becoming the place for parody with a cast of characters that includes an elusive cobra, a tipsy Queen of England, a profanity-spewing US politician and a maladroit BP spokesman.

The latest entry in the Twitter comedy sweepstakes was @BronxZoosCobra, a Twitter feed which purported to be that of the Bronx Zoo's escaped Egyptian cobra that amassed more than 200,000 followers in less than four days.

The venomous snake may have been captured in the Reptile House on Thursday but not before delighting its legions of followers with its adventures in New York City and its witty tweets.

"Leaving Wall Street. These guys make my skin crawl," the snake hissed on one of its first days of freedom.

Microsoft declares war on Google in EU anti-trust complaint

US computer giant Microsoft declared war on Internet king Google Thursday when it joined an anti-trust complaint in Europe that could result in billions of dollars in fines.

It is the first time Microsoft, which has itself been hit with multi-million-dollar anti-trust fines by Brussels, has gone public with submissions to European Union inspectors probing the online search giant.

"Microsoft is filing a formal complaint with the European Commission as part of the Commission's ongoing investigation into whether Google has violated European competition law," read an online posting from Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel, Microsoft Corporation.

The move adds momentum to the probe against Google launched by EU regulators in November on accusations it has rigged the search market for consumers.

EU competition watchdogs are investigating whether Google is guilty of "unfavorable treatment" of rival search services providers and whether the company's own services -- including YouTube video, book-scanning or telephony -- are getting "preferential placement" in consumer searches.

The Commission has "taken note" of the complaint and will ask Google for a response, said Amelia Torres, spokeswoman for EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia.

Asked to comment, Google said the action was hardly surprising given a Microsoft subsidiary was one of the original complainants in the probe.

"For our part, we continue to discuss the case with the European Commission and we're happy to explain to anyone how our business works," Google spokesman Al Verney said.

The November inquiry launched by the Commission, the European Union's anti-trust regulator, into Google's pre-eminent position in search services and online advertising followed several complaints, including one from internet portal Ciao, purchased by Microsoft in 2008.

"We should be among the first to compliment Google for its genuine innovations," said Microsoft's Smith. "But we're concerned by a broadening pattern of conduct aimed at stopping anyone else from creating a competitive alternative."

Google refused to divulge its share of the search services market but the Commission reckons it has clinched 95 percent in Europe.

In the United States, Microsoft says it serves around 25 percent of search needs either directly through its Bing search engine or its partnership with Yahoo!

Citing court action against Google practices in the United States, Smith said the situation "is worse in Europe."

Google was increasingly "walling off access to content and data that competitors need to provide search results to consumers and attract advertisers," he charged.

"Having spent more than a decade wearing the shoe on the other foot with the European Commission, the filing of a formal anti-trust complaint is not something we take lightly," he stressed.

He cited by way of example "technical measures" put in place on YouTube after its 2006 acquisition by Google to restrict competing search engines from proper access.

"Without proper access to YouTube, Bing and other search engines cannot stand with Google on an equal footing in returning search results with links to YouTube videos and that, of course, drives more users away from competitors and to Google," he said.

French rock group to play live on Twitter

In what it's calling a Twitter first, French radio station NRJ said on Thursday it plans to tweet a live private concert by pop rockers BB Brunes.

"It's never been done before on Twitter," Tony Onestas, who oversees online projects at NRJ, which claims more than 100,000 followers on the microblogging site, told AFP.

Fans will not only be able to watch Friday's gig being streamed in real time via Twitcam, but they will also have the chance to post their opinions and exchange views online even as the quartet performs.

"In terms of quality, we have a very good camera in place and a direct link the BB Brunes' sound engineer's panel," said Onestas, as fellow NRJ executives anticipated a near-television like experience for viewers.

"We are working so that, even if the final image is less than perfect, it's still right, because we don't want a product only for this who get high-speed downloads," Onestas added.

Vodafone to buy out Indian partner for $5B

Vodafone has agreed to pay $5 billion cash to buy out the Essar Group's stake in their Indian joint venture.

The buyout of Essar's 33 percent stake has been long expected and brings to an end what by many accounts has been an increasingly sour relationship between the partners.

The final settlement is expected by November and the payment is already reflected in its balance sheet, Vodafone said in a statement Thursday.

The buyout will reduce Essar's stake to zero and raise Vodafone's from 42 percent to just over 75 percent, putting it in violation of India's foreign direct investment laws, which cap foreign ownership of telecom companies at 74 percent.

After Essar's exit, the remaining 24.6 percent of Vodafone Essar Ltd. would be held by entities controlled by Vodafone's other Indian business partners: Analjit Singh, chairman of Max India Ltd., which has interests in health care and insurance; and India's Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd.

"We will remain within FDI thresholds," said Ben Padovan, a Vodafone spokesman in London. "An IPO may be considered in the future."

Essar, which also has a 1.5 percent stake in India's Loop Telecom, declined comment Thursday.

Vinod Sharma, head of private broking and wealth management at Mumbai's HDFC Securities, said the transaction would allow Vodafone to tighten its management control and give Essar cash to deploy across its business empire.

"It will improve the managerial efficiency," he said. "Essar can use that money elsewhere for other ventures where they can call the shots."

Vodafone entered the Indian market in 2007, paying $11 billion for a 67 percent stake in Hutchison Essar.

Since then the British company has been frustrated by high licensing fees, shifting regulations, an unanticipated $2.6 billion tax bill and a sudden proliferation of competitors that sparked a price war in India's fast growing mobile market.

Last May, Vodafone wrote down the value of its Indian business by more than 25 percent, or 2.3 billion pounds($3.5 billion).

In the six months through September 2010, Vodafone's customers in India grew 42.7 percent and service revenues from India accounted for 8.8 percent of the group's total during the December quarter, according to company reports.

Today Vodafone Essar Ltd. is India's third largest mobile operator by subscribers, with a 16.5 percent share of India's 752.2 million wireless subscribers as of December, according to India's telecom regulator.

Vodafone shares were down 0.75 percent at 178.5 pence in late morning trading on the London Stock Exchange.

Millionaire sentenced to 13 years in child-porn case

Cancun, Mexico:  A Mexican court sentenced Lebanese-born millionaire Jean Succar Kuri to 13 years in prison for producing child pornography and corrupting minors.

Succar Kuri, who also faces rape charges, has been behind bars in this Caribbean resort city since his extradition from the US in July 2006.

Besides jail time, the tourism magnate was ordered to pay 350,000 pesos ($29,000) in damages to each of seven victims, the judiciary said in a statement.

While hailing the verdict as "historic", an attorney for one of the victims complained that Succar Kuri's prison term amounts to less than two years for each minor he abused.

Xavier Olea said he and other lawyers representing victims will demand a minimum sentence of 60 years for Succar Kuri if he is convicted on three counts of rape in a trial that could start in May.

The child-porn case dates to 2003, when a group of minors in Cancun filed a criminal complaint against Succar Kuri.

An investigation by Quintana Roo state police uncovered videos and still photographs of sex acts involving Succar Kuri and girls as young as four, while state prosecutors later caught him on videotape confessing to one of his victims.

The businessman fled to the US, but was arrested in Arizona at the request of Mexican authorities.

One of those who did the most to publicise the crimes of Succar Kuri was journalist, author and women's rights activist Lydia Cacho, who suffered death threats and judicial persecution for exposing paedophile rings in Cancun.

Cacho welcomed the conviction of Succar Kuri as the fruit of efforts by society and a few "honest" public servants.

14 held in Spain for offering to commit murders on Internet

Madrid:  Fourteen people have been arrested in Spain for using an Internet forum to offer their services to extort, attack and even commit murders, the police said.

The Internet forum with a Mexican domain and called "Asesinos a sueldo" (Murderers for hire), was reported in the summer of 2009 by a citizen in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona, according to police.

The police discovered comments posted in the forum that provided data about possible hit targets in Spain, including their cities of residence, physical build, sex and age, as well as the amount of money being offered to murder them, figures that ranged between 4,000 and 10,000 Euros.

Among those arrested is a woman from the southern city of Malaga who made contact with four assassins with the aim of having her husband killed.

Besides setting the price of the hit, she provided them with photographs, his license plate number, his work schedule and even the ideal place, date and time to carry out the murder.

However, just like the other cases being investigated, the murder never took place, since the alleged potential killer - who was arrested in the northern city of Orense - did not find in the proper location the weapon he had arranged for.

Another of the people arrested expressed on the forum his intention to kill his parents, while several more were hired to carry out assorted crimes in Palencia and Palma de Mallorca, and one even paid 4,000 Euros to have an acquaintance in Valencia intimidated.

After the authorities fully identified the users of the forum, they proceeded to arrest and charge them.

China scores low in English test

Beijing:  Chinese have "poor" English skills despite huge efforts by the government in language training, according to a study.

China was ranked 29th in the English Proficiency Index, behind other Asian countries like Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, the Shanghai Daily reported.

Test-oriented, memorised learning habits did not give Chinese students the real language skills, education experts said.

The report was based on a free online English test, where two million adults from 44 countries where English is not the native language took part.

Death toll in Thai flood reaches 25

Bangkok:  Severe flooding in southern Thailand has left 25 dead and caused thousands to be evacuated, officials said today, after whole villages were engulfed by the rising waters.

Floods over a metre deep have washed across swathes of the south as unseasonably wet weather deluged the homes and businesses of around a million people in what should be one of the hottest months of the year.

Images in Thai media showed muddy waters reaching to the tops of palm trees, as deadly landslides destroyed homes and bridges and roads were washed away, leaving some areas cut off.

The death toll after 10 days of flooding includes five villagers killed by mudslides in Khao Phanom district, Krabi province, where troops were searching for victims in villages submerged by up to two metres of mud in some places.

Around 9,000 people have been evacuated from waterlogged areas, including nearly 1,000 holidaymakers stranded on islands in the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea who were picked up by naval ships on Wednesday and yesterday.

Ferry and air services to the popular resort of Koh Samui have now resumed and the navy said its boats were no longer needed.

Bannasat Ruangjan, chairman of the tourism association of Koh Samui, who said 13,000 tourists were stranded on the island earlier in the week, said the situation had "returned to normal" and the floodwaters had receded.

But he said roads and water pipes were in need of repair in some places and 30 per cent of hotel bookings had been cancelled.

The Similan National Park, a popular coral reef diving destination, was not accepting tour boats due to "unfavourable weather conditions", according to the head of the reserve Sophon Pengprapan.

Thailand's army used its helicopters to air-drop aid into isolated areas today and rescue elderly people trapped by the floods.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the scale of the disaster had caught residents "off guard".

"I am very concerned about those people because many roads were washed away in the flood and a lot of farmland was submerged," he said.

All together 87 districts in eight southern provinces have been declared disaster zones.

Thailand's department of disaster prevention and mitigation said 181 people had been injured in the flooding.

Hundreds of properties, including homes, schools and temples, and more than 2,000 roads along with 222 bridges have been damaged.

US concerned about prosecution of minorities in Iran

Washington:  The United States has expressed its deep concern over what it says continued religious prosecution of minorities in Iran.

"We're deeply troubled about reports coming out of Iran that a 20-year sentence of the seven Baha'i leaders was reinstated on appeal by the prosecutor general, a man the US recently imposed economic sanctions and a travel ban on for committing serious human rights violations," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

"We condemn this unprecedented step as a violation of Iran's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," Toner said in a statement.

New problem in Japan: Radioactive corpses

London:  Fear of radiation is preventing the authorities from collecting the bodies of about 1,000 victims of the March 11 Japan earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

There is a growing concern after one corpse discovered within three miles of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, north of Tokyo, was found to contain high levels of radiation.

Rescue workers, police, doctors, and family members have been warned that they risk being exposed to radiation if they collect the bodies, the Daily Express reported.

Radioactive human remains would create a huge problem as cremating them could spread the radiation, while burying them could lead to it simply leaking into the surrounding ground.

Authorities in quake-affected northeastern Japan are seeking to decontaminate infected corpses before they can be disposed of.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are fleeing the area as radioactive material still leaks from the stricken plant on Japan's east coast.

The nuclear reactors at Fukushima n-plant are due to be closed down after the failure to contain the leak, with officials saying the final move would be to encase the plant in concrete to prevent further leaks of radiation.

National Police Agency said on Friday that the catastrophic earthquake and ensuing tsunami have left 11,620 people dead and 16,464 others unaccounted for in Japan by 15:00 am local time (0700 GMT), a Xinhua report said.

Viber iPhone app adds free texts to its free calls service

Viber, an iOS telephony app, might mimic Skype in functionality, but with the addition of free text messaging in the latest 2.01 version it might even make you switch to its services. Unlike Skype, Viber integrates tightly with your iPhone's phone book, so you don't have to keep a third-party app open at all times. In addition, you also get unobtrusive notifications allowing you to continue what you're doing without being distracted.

After installing it, you can call and text other Viber users for free and push notifications won't let you miss a message or a call. The new version adds a fresh polish to the user interface. So why don't you check it out on the App Store (an Android version is in the works as well), the voice quality is pretty decent and it's free. Nothing can beat that, can it?

source: TUAW

HTC Desire S Review

Introduction:

The HTC Desire is widely regarded as one of the most pivotal handsets of recent times in Europe, doing for Android what Google had hoped their own Nexus One would, and catapulting HTC to infamy beyond tech circles and WinMo aficionados alone. In hindsight, the original hit the balance between affordability, availability, usability and attractiveness, so what's the HTC Desire S got to add to the mix? HTC have gone for incremental improvements across the board with the HTC Desire S, offering better battery life, a slimmer and lighter unibody chassis, video calling, and a good helping of Gingerbread on the inside of the phone as well as HTC Sense 2.1. Is it enough to make the HTC Desire S stand on its own two feet or was the HTC Desire just a one hit wonder?


Design:

The HTC Desire S sports the same form factor as its predecessor, only this time rolls out an aluminum unibody chassis. Undeniably robust in the hand with great weighting, in terms of design and ergonomics, HTC has come up trumps with this contender.

The HTC Desire S is undeniably robust in the hand with great weighting

You can compare the HTC Desire S with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.
 
The screen is uninspiringly similar to that of the original HTC Desire, measuring in at 3.7 inches and adopting Super LCD technology with a resolution of 480x800 pixels. Nevertheless, with good viewing angles and brightness / contrast levels, this isn't a bad screen. In fact, it's still pretty good, with perfect touch registration.

The screen of the HTC Desire S measures in at 3.7 inches

Atop the screen is an in call speaker nuzzled under a sexy looking grill, next to a front facing camera for video calls. On the left of the unibody is a volume-rocker and a microUSB port and on top sits the 3.5mm headphone jack and power button with a notable absence of HDMI connectivity on the HTC Desire S. Flip over the phone and you'll find the 5MP autofocus camera and single LED flash. Sadly though, there's no shutter button, which makes taking photos a bit awkward.

The sides of the HTC Desire S

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