Google Maps 5.3 for Android allows you to view your location history dashboard

For anyone grasping tightly onto an Android 1.6+ device, you’re once again being treated with yet another tasteful update for Google Maps.

Naturally, Google’s highly prized mobile platform is getting in with the latest version of Google Maps – and with this one, it’s now version 5.3. Although some people might not be all that into “checking in” to various places, like Foursqaure, Google is nonetheless attempting to get its users to get on board with this trend.

Specifically, the new update features things like the ability to check in at home once you’ve set the location in Google Latitude, adding specific feedback to certain places when you rate them, and access to your very own location history dashboard. With the location dashboard, it actually breaks down the amount of time you’re at work, home, or elsewhere – thus giving you a detailed look at what you do on a weekly basis.

Definitely more focused on Latitude aspects more than anything, hopefully it’ll get user to consistently check-in to specific areas.

source: Google Mobile Blog via Android Central

Spotted retail packaging for the T-Mobile G2x might signal an imminent launch

Things generally seem to come together when retail packaging for an unreleased handset starts to make an appearance in the wild, and rightfully so, it might also signal an imminent launch.

That’s exactly what’s going on with the T-Mobile G2x, Big Magenta’s version of the LG Optimus 2x, seeing that its retail packaging was recently snapped on film – thus potentially indicating a sooner than later release. If the speculations hold true, customers can expect to see this one arrive on April 20th; hopefully. Furthermore, a leaked training document seems to place more credence for an upcoming launch.

All in all, let’s just hope that we get some concrete information, like pricing, between now and the next couple of weeks to give people enough time to start salivating and saving up for it.

source: TmoNews

Apple iPad 2 shipments pick up speed in the U.S.; online orders now arrive in 2-3 weeks

Can't wait to receive the Apple iPad 2 that you just ordered online? The good news is that Apple has reduced the length of time that it takes for the tablet to reach its destination after being ordered via Apple's web page. The previous 3 to 4 weeks required for shipping has been cut to 2 to 3 weeks. Not too long after the iPad 2 was first launched, the Cupertino based firm was showing a 4 to 5 week delivery time frame on its site. Apple still has a 2 tablet maximum when ordering online.

Overseas, where the Apple iPad 2 launched in 25 countries on March 25th, the wait is also 2 to 3 weeks when ordering online from Apple. And as we recently reported, 500 of the most highly shopped Radio Shack stores are now selling the device which indicates an increase in supply.

source: AppleInsider

Apple has reduced the shipping time for iPad 2 orders made online to 2 to 3 weeks

'Friday' tracks your calls, texts and more on your Android phone

Want to know if your phone was on vibrate instead of ring when you missed that important call from your boss last month? If you own an Android phone running 2.1 or higher, you can get that answer and more with 'Friday'. Available only as a private Alpha release for now, the app gives you all sorts of statistics about how you use your Android handset. You can find out how much strength your battery had at certain times, finds out how many incoming calls you had last week, or you can see a map of all the places you've been from a certain date.

Sure, some of the information is useless, but if you like statistics and love to analyze things, 'Friday' will probably end up installed on your phone. And if you didn't know that it was downloaded on your handset, you would never know except if you stare at the notification bar after a call or text. Otherwise, 'Friday' is quiet.

The app is free, but you need to be approved for the Alpha release for it to start working. Simply installing the app without this approval will not work. To sign up for 'Friday' and ask for approval, simply click on this link.

source: AndroidGuys

'Friday' will analyze how you use your Android phone with many statistics for you to see

Amazon UK is now accepting pre-orders for the Acer ICONIA TAB A100

Although there appears to be some sort of leadership rearrangement going on with Acer, those who happen to be starving to check out one of Acer’s upcoming tablets will have the opportunity of picking up a pre-order right now – but it’s only available in the UK.

Online retail giant Amazon UK is now offering pre-orders for the Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB A100 for the price of £299.99 ($484). Surprisingly, we’re also greeted with an expected ship date of April 20th for this shiny 7” Android 3.0 Honeycomb powered tablet. That’s not too much of a wait to say the least, but with most things, its ship date can always fluctuate. Nonetheless, you can scope a pre-order now to guarantee yourself a unit when it becomes available – and of course, to be one of the first ones to sport it as well on your block.

In terms of pricing versus other similar tablets on the market, it’s definitely competitive considering the features it has to offer – such as an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 8GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a resolution of 1024 x 600.

source: Amazon UK via SlashGear

AT&T in line to add the Google Nexus S to its Android offerings?

A page on the Samsung.com web site suggests that AT&T will be serving up a version of the Google Nexus S. While the T-Mobile version of the Nexus S is labeled as the GT-I9020T, it would make sense that the GT-I9020A would be a variant of the phone for AT&T. Of course, the caption at the bottom of the web page that reads, "Getting the most out of your AT&T Cell Phones" also gives away the destination of the model.

The big question is whether or not we will see a carrier subsidy on AT&T's version of the Nexus S. As you might remember, the Nexus One was sold unlocked with AT&T's frequencies on board. Will history repeat itself for the latest "Nexus" model or does the placeholder page indicate more "hands-on" involvement from AT&T and a carrier subsidy? A press release from the mobile operator would surely end the suspense.

source: Pocketnow

Will an AT&T version of the Google Nexus S be sold with a carrier subsidy?

Gadget turns your iPhone into an amateur microscope with 60x zoom

If you are looking for a way to unleash the geek that hides inside of you, this little iPhone gizmo might just do the trick. Enter the pocket-sized microscope attachment, the tool that grants your iPhone with 60x optical magnification capability. Once you have the gadget at your disposal, what can be observed with it is only a matter of your creativity. Simply slide it on top of your iPhone and take a closer look at the pixels of a LCD display, zoom in on a circuit board, or read the miniature text written on a dollar bill. What is even better is that you can always snap a photo or record a video of the object with the iPhone's camera.

This portable microscope fits the iPhone 4 only and will set you back roughly $50 including shipping costs. Even though we have seen similar DIY microscopes before, this has to be the first professional solution that we come across. The iPhone microscope may not be as versatile as a professional unit, but for amateur explorers like us 60x magnification should be more than enough.

source: Firebox via AVING

Homebrew hack brings NoDo update to every single WP7 smartphone

Little by little, the NoDo update for Windows Phone 7 smartphones is already rolling out bringing a number of significant improvements to Microsoft's mobile platform. What has been slowing the update process, however, is the fact that some carrier-locked devices are still not allowed to download NoDo. Some carriers have yet to make the update available for download over the air, which may take days or even weeks. Chris Walsh, an experienced WP7 hacker, was quite unhappy with the limitation, which is why he decided to come up with a solution to the restriction.

Thanks to Chris' hacking skills, a way of installing NoDo on any device running Windows Phone 7 already exists on the web and lets everybody who is brave enough to try it themselves at their own risk. In fact, his tool is said to allow flashing a device to any version of WP7, as long as it has been publicly released by Microsoft. As with all homebrew hacks, there is always the risk of bricking a device and voiding your warranty so it is highly advisable to backup your data and try the hack only if you know what you are doing.

Link to Chris' updating tool here

source: Neowin.net

Sony Ericsson strikes with two more Xperia PLAY ads, controversial as ever

In the last few months Sony Ericsson has made a name for itself with its... Xperia PLAY ads. Some people characterize them as disturbing, others say they are brilliant, but all seem to agree they are... just a little bit creepy.

Now we have spotted two more of these Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY ads featuring the ever-charming (or disturbing?) Kristen Schaal doing her thing, i.e. showing-off all the wonders that the newly-released (in some parts of the world) Sony Ericsson flagship model offers.

We won't give you too many spoilers, but let's just say that in the first ad Ms. Schaal, equipped with an Xperia PLAY, annihilates (including verbally) a version of herself that's playing on just another smartphone.

In the second promo, she teases the daily business tasks you can do with your Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY, and then suggests some rather different ways to deal with your business rivals. Sweet.

Take into account these videos are not appropriate for all audiences, so if you are below the age of 21 15 or above the age of 55 you would better not watch them. It's for your own good.

source: Sony Ericsson (YouTube)

Negotiations between Nokia and Microsoft go well, a large number of WP Nokia phones coming in 2012

The announcement Nokia is to adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy spawned an incalculable number of analysis, but after the dust settled it became clear there are some more negotiations to be done before the deal is officially sealed.

New Nokia CEO (and ex-Microsoft employee) Stephen Elop said in February that a few months are required before the deal is concluded. Now more details about these talks are available and it seems they are going just fine. In the words of Kai Oistamo, head of corporate development at Nokia:

"Negotiations have progressed very well. They will be concluded well on schedule."

It's reported that this will allow the Finnish giant to ship a large number of WP-powered Nokia handsets in 2012.

Previously, the Nokia CEO stated that some of the future WP phones will target the low-end segment of the market. However, it's speculated that we won't see any handsets manufactured by the Finnish giant with its principal smartphone OS in 2011.

source: Reuters

Nokia to release 40 handsets by the end of 2011, 12 smartphones

According to Hindustan Times citing a Nokia executive, the Finnish company will release 40 handsets for the remainder of 2011, of which 12 will be smartphones. It's anticipated that these devices will be launched from mid-April until the end of the year.

Additional details are not disclosed, but it is suggested that all these phones will be powered by Symbian, which reiterates the rumor we are not to see a WP-running Nokia handset before 2012.

It's unknown whether these handsets will be low, mid or high-end, but it's implied that Nokia will rely on the sheer number of these phones to grab some consumer love for its native platform.

It's important to note this is not exactly a confirmed information, so treat it with a pinch of salt until more official info arrives.

source: Hindustan Times via The Nokia Blog

Sony confirmed to be working on a Honeycomb-powered tablet

Remember those rumors about a PlayStation-certified tablet, which Sony has been supposedly working on? Well, it is not a rumor anymore, at least for the most part. It was Sir Howard Stringer himself, Sony's chief executive officer, the one to let the cat out of the bag and confirm that the company will launch a Honeycomb-powered tablet computer by the end of this summer. What is even better is that the device will probably be released on the U.S. market first instead of debuting in Japan. It was not made exactly clear whether the tablet will truly be PlayStation-certified, but that is still not out of the question.

The news of Sir Howard Stringer's announcement comes from a recent report by the Japanese media giant Nikkei quoted by Bloomberg. However, it was never mentioned if the device will adopt Sony's conceptual “wrap” design, the rumored dual-screen folding one, or it will simply be a straightforward slate tablet like the ones we are familiar with.  About the PlayStation part of the equation, hardcore gaming without any physical buttons can be a bit tricky, but if Sony has really decided to aim its tablet at the gaming crowds, we suppose that it will also introduce a matching wireless gamepad as well. All we have to do now is wait until photos of the tablet start leaking on the web.

source: Bloomberg via Engadget

Zune Marketplace now in India

You may now consider purchasing a device running Windows Phone 7. Why? Because Microsoft has finally launched the Zune Marketplace in India where users can purchase apps in INR (Indian Rupees). Microsoft claims that they have 36,000 registered developers and are adding 1,200 developers every week to the Windows Phone 7 portfolio.

As of now users can only download apps and may not have access to any of the other Marketplace features such as Zune Pass, videos and music which includes 11-million DRM (Digital Rights Management) free MP3 songs at 320kbps.

Up till now users in India who wanted access to the Zune Marketplace would have to register under the US and find some alternate mode of payment to download apps.

Even though Microsoft has pulled the plug on its Zune music player, the Zune Marketplace continues to grow in all Microsoft devices namely the XBOX 360, Windows OS and Windows Phone 7 devices.

Turks defy book ban on Internet

A draft book banned as part of a controversial coup probe in Turkey has been published online, prompting a prosecutor to launch a fresh investigation, media reports said Friday.

Defying the ban, tens of thousands of people downloaded the text after anonymous users posted it Thursday on document-sharing sites, whose links were quickly reproduced on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, reports said.

"The ban is blown up on the Internet," headlined the Taraf daily as Radikal hailed "Cyber disobedience".

The book reportedly tells how followers of influential Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who are close to the government, took control of key posts in the police over the past several decades and are now manipulating a sprawling coup probe that has shaken Turkey since 2007 and landed dozens in prison.

Acer pledges efforts to rebound amid slowing sales

Taiwan's Acer Inc. has pledged to meet new challenges in the slowing PC market after it replaced its top executive as sales fall amid competition from tablets and other devices.

Stan Shih, Acer's founder and a board member, acknowledged smartphones and tablet computers such as Apple's iPad have brought "a far greater impact on the PC industry than we had anticipated."

"I hope once again we can face the challenges with a new strategy ... and push again for corporate reconstruction," Shih said in a statement.

Henry Wang, director of Acer's corporation relations, said the company will seek to enhance its brand by offering users "a different experience" and better services.

Sony spills the beans on the iPhone 5 Camera

In a recent interview to the Wall Street Journal, Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony accidentally spilled the beans on the iPhone 5 camera. While speaking to Wall Street Journal's Walt Moseberg, Sir Howard Stringer inadvertently let it slip that the iPhone 5 image sensor was being manufactured in one of the 15 factories in Japan which were ravaged by the earthquake.

However, the Sony CEO did not specify whether it will be an 8-megapixel image sensor. Previously in our gallery of expected features in the iPhone 5 we reported an 8-megapixel camera for the device.

Apple employed Omnivision 5-MP and 3.2-MP image sensors in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS respectively. Apparently Omnivison's 8- megapixel image sensor was not ready for the iPhone 5 which prompted Apple to move towards Sony.

Sony has recently launched the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc that employs a powerful 8 MP camera sensor, which could be supplied to Apple for their latest iPhone. But, it still remains to be seen when will Apple launch the Apple iPhone by the end of this year. According to various reports, Apple may miss its target of launching the much anticipated successor of the iPhone due to part shortages.

HTC Flyer to get Honeycomb when it is made available

A variety of manufacturers want to cash in on the success of Apple iPad, and the smartest way to do this is to adopt Google's tablet specific Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS. Even though a large number of tablets have been showcased running Honeycomb, we have only seen the Motorola Xoom hit store shelves so far.

Recent rumours on the Internet suggest that HTC's 7-inch tablet called the Flyer may be stuck with Gingerbread OS until Google makes Honeycomb available to the manufacturer. HTC tweeted by saying "We will be offering a Honeycomb upgrade when it's made available. What feature are you most excited about?"

HTC heavily customizes the OS on its mobile devices with its own unique skin called HTC Sense. Google which has left all previous iteration of Android open source for anyone to customize is keeping Honeycomb very close to the chest. Could this be because of the Nexus tablet rumours that are circulating the world wide web?

The HTC Flyer is expected to launch in Q2 2011 and boasts of a 1.5GHz single core processor (when other tablet developers are aiming for dual core processors), 1GB RAM, 32GB flash storage expandable via microSD card, aluminium unibody construction, 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution, 5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front facing camera and 4000mAh battery.

Promoting science, and Google, to students

Google is synonymous with "search engine," and now, for students, it wants to be synonymous with "science."

The company is getting into the science fair business with its first Google Science Fair, a global competition for teenagers that spans sciences as diverse as computer engineering, space exploration and medical technology.

The event does not have the name recognition and deep roots of the science fairs from companies like Intel or Siemens, but for most children, Google is the most familiar company of the three. With the science fair, Google aims to play an even bigger role in their lives by encouraging young scientists to experiment -- and to use Google products while they're at it.

Google's science fair is different from the others in a major way: entrants submit their projects online, using Google products like Gmail, YouTube and Google Docs and Sites. It's the modern-day version of showing up at the school gymnasium to demonstrate lava-spewing volcanoes or bacteria colonies in petri dishes.

Google founder hopes to prove he's ready to be CEO

Google co-founder Larry Page is known for his vision, passion and intelligence.
Yet there is a fair amount of concern that Page's other known traits -- his aloofness, rebellious streak and affinity for pursuing wacky ideas -- might lead the company astray.
Page takes over as CEO on Monday as fast-rising rivals and tougher regulators threaten Google's growth.

Investors used to Google Inc.'s consistency in exceeding financial targets worry that new leadership will bring more emphasis on long-term projects that take years to pay off. And many people still aren't sure he has enough management skills to steer the Internet's most powerful company.

Page already has learned that smarts alone won't make him a great leader. Although Page impressed Google's early investors with his ingenuity, they still insisted that he step down in 2001 as Google's first CEO. He turned over the job to Eric Schmidt, a veteran executive who began working in Silicon Valley in the early 1980s while Page was still in grammar school.

Facebook sued for $1 billion over Intifada page

Facebook and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg have been hit with a lawsuit seeking more than $1 billion in damages over a page on the social network which called for a "Third Intifada" against Israel.

Facebook this week shut down the "Third Intifada" page, which had almost 500,000 fans, but the lawsuit filed in a court here claims that the social network showed "negligence" by not quickly responding to appeals to remove the page.

Besides awarding damages, the complaint calls on the court to bar Facebook "from allowing the Facebook page titled 'Third Palestinian Intifada,' and other related and similar sites, which advocate violence and death to Jews."

The suit, a copy of which was obtained by technology blog TechCrunch, was filed in DC Superior Court by Larry Klayman, who describes himself in the complaint as "an American citizen of Jewish origin" who is "active in matters concerning the security of Israel and all people."

Royal wedding, ground-breaking coverage

It may not be the first royal wedding of the digital era, but it is the first full-on British royal wedding of the digital era in which a potential future king of Britain will marry.

So, when Prince William weds Kate Middleton on April 29, the event will be commemorated by a series of media firsts as well.

It will be the first big British royal wedding to be streamed live on the Web. It will be the first to give birth to mobile applications. And it will be the first whose soundtrack will be released on iTunes within hours of the ceremony.

These are, of course, only a few examples of the growing media frenzy surrounding the event.

Spider-Man Edge of Time announced

Last year we saw the release of Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. Although the game didn't get great reviews, it was one of the better Spider-Man games. In Shattered Dimensions, players controlled Spider-Man in four different universes namely Noir, Amazing, Spiderman 2099 and Ultimate Spider-Man.

The new Spider-Man game titled Spider-Man Edge of Time was announced at WonderCon 2011 in San Francisco and is expected to hit store shelves in the 2011 fall. The game is not a sequel to last year's title and has a completely fresh storyline. It is however being developed by Beenox studios (Now owned by Activision) who developed Shattered Dimensions. No specific platforms were mentioned but the game is expected to hit all the current generation platforms namely the XBOX 360, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and PC.

Spider-Man Edge of Time will take place in two Universes namely the Amazing Spider-Man universe and Spider-Man 2099 universe. Marvel writer Peter David who wrote the story of Shattered Dimensions is scripting the storyline of Edge of Time.

In this iteration of the game, both Spider-Men must work together to prevent the death of Peter Parker.

Although the core gameplay mechanics will stay true to tradition, the biggest change is that the heroes of both the universes will have to work together to save the day

Southwest Boeing 737 crack was from before the flight

Arizona:  Southwest Airlines mechanics were working Sunday to cut out a section of ruptured fuselage from a Boeing 737-300 that was forced to make an emergency landing at a southwestern Arizona military base.

The tear along a riveted "lap joint" shows evidence of extensive cracking that hadn't been discovered during routine maintenance before Friday's flight, and probably wouldn't have been unless mechanics had specifically looked for it, officials said.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators were overseeing the removal of the top section of the jetliner's roof around the 5-foot long tear and will send the structure to Washington, D.C., for analysis.

Meanwhile, Southwest said it had cancelled about 300 flights for the second day in a row on Sunday as it inspected 79 similar planes in its fleet that it has grounded. The NTSB said it had not been notified of similar problems cropping up during those inspections. Southwest has not said if it has found other problems.

What caused the hole in plane with 118 passengers

Phoenix:  The five-foot hole that ripped open midflight Friday in the roof of a Southwest Airlines jet and terrified passengers on their way to Sacramento from Phoenix was caused by fatigue cracks in the aluminum underskin of the lap joints, the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday.

In addition, Southwest Airlines said that inspections had detected subsurface cracks in the bodies of two other Boeing 737 jetliners similar to those found on that flight.

"Based on this incident and the additional findings, we expect further action from Boeing and the F.A.A. for operators of the 737-300 fleet worldwide," Mike Van de Ven, Southwest's executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement Sunday evening.

The airline said it has retested and cleared 19 other planes and planned to finish testing 58 more by Tuesday. Southwest had canceled about 300 daily flights on Saturday and Sunday after the problem on Friday.

Australian cannibal jailed for life

Sydney:  A self-proclaimed cannibal who slit his housemate's throat, partially severed his genitals and then drank his blood was found guilty of murder in Australia today and jailed for life.

A Supreme Court jury convicted Robert Ian Logan, 23, of killing Ben Huntingford, 22, in their Queensland home in June 2006 and stabbing his pet dog, Butch, in a bloody attack likened by witnesses to an abattoir slaughter.

Huntingford's throat was cut from ear to ear and prosecutors told the jury his blood had been used to write obscenities on the walls.

His penis was almost severed and Huntingford also had stab wounds to the heart, liver, spleen, kidney and lung, with Logan alleging he was motivated by an unwanted sexual advance from Huntingford.

BP seeks to resume drilling in Gulf of Mexico

London:  BP has asked United States regulators for permission to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, two company officials said on Sunday, creating a delicate situation for the Obama administration as it seeks to balance safety concerns with a desire to increase domestic oil production.

The petition comes less than 12 months after a rig BP had leased there exploded, causing a huge oil spill and killing 11 workers. The accident tarnished BP's image and raised questions about its safety procedures.

Just last week, the Justice Department confirmed that it was considering a range of civil and criminal penalties against BP, including potential manslaughter charges for the deaths of the rig workers, as part of its ongoing investigation into the accident.

At the same time, President Obama, in a major statement on energy policy last week, said the administrations was seeking to reduce dependence on imported oil in part by increasing domestic production, both onshore and off. BP was one of the major producers in the gulf before the accident.

2 Gaddafi sons are said to offer plan to push father out

Tripoli:  At least two sons of Col. Muammar el-Gaddafi are proposing a resolution to the Libyan conflict that would entail pushing their father aside to make way for a transition to a constitutional democracy under the direction of his son Saif al-Islam el-Gaddafi, a diplomat and a Libyan official briefed on the plan said Sunday.

The rebels challenging Colonel Gaddafi as well as the American and European powers supporting them with air strikes have so far insisted on a more radical break with his 40 years of rule. And it is not clear whether Colonel Gaddafi, 68, has signed on to the reported proposal backed by his sons, Saif and Saadi el-Gaddafi, although one person close to the sons said the father appeared willing to go along.

But the proposal offers a new window into the dynamics of the Gaddafi family at a time when the colonel, who has seven sons, is relying heavily on them. Stripped of one of his closest confidantes by the defection of Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa and isolated by decades of attempted coups and internal purges, he is leaning on his sons as trusted aides and military commanders.

The idea also touches on longstanding differences among his sons. While Saif and Saadi have leaned toward Western-style economic and political openings, Colonel Gaddafi's sons Khamis and Mutuassim are considered hard-liners. Khamis leads a fearsome militia focused on repressing internal unrest.

Magnitude-6.7 earthquake strikes off Indonesia

Cilacap:  Hundreds of residents fled an Indonesian port town for higher ground today when an earthquake struck south of Java with a magnitude estimated by US seismologists at 6.7.

The epicentre in the Indian Ocean was 24 km miles deep, the US Geological Survey said, after initially estimating it at 10 km underground, and 277 kilometres south of the Javanese coast.

Indonesian seismologists put the magnitude at 7.1 and issued a tsunami warning, saying the tremor had the potential to cause a killer wave and asking recipients of its public alert SMS to warn others of the danger.

The warning was later cancelled.

When the quake struck hundreds of residents in the seaport town of Cilacap fled inland and to higher ground by motorbike, car and on foot, an AFP reporter said.

"They were all panicking and shouting 'quake, quake'," the reporter said.

Suharjono, the technical head of Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said shaking from the tremor had been felt in Pangandaran and Cilacap districts in Java.

"This quake roused people from their sleep," he said. "We have not received any reports of damage or casualties so far."

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had said that there was no risk of a widespread destructive wave, but there was a "very small possibility of a local tsunami".

The earthquake epicentre was 241 km from the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island, and seismologists said the tremor was felt there, but no tsunami warning alert was issued for Australia.

"We had reports from there that they felt it," Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepson told AFP, adding that it was described as a "moderate type quake".

Geoscience Australia put the quake at 6.7 magnitude.

Ivory Coast: Journalists, locals come under fire as fighting continues

Abidjan:  A group of journalists travelling in a convoy of three vehicles was shot at as they arrived in Agboville, close to the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan on Sunday.

The journalists, said to be French, did not want to interviewed or identified, but one of the drivers - Ahmed Yoda - said there had been "lots of gunfire."

"The bullets started coming in our direction and hit the car, he said.

"They destroyed our transmission equipment and one of us was injured."

Prince Harry emerges as cool, fun face of monarchy

London:  He's been filmed trekking through the Arctic, gives a smoldering look from the cover of a men's magazine and is being targeted by legions of young women who only a few years ago would have been lusting after his older brother.

With all the attention being paid to Prince Harry, you might forget that Prince William's the one getting married.

"He's a cool guy, he's an action man, and he obviously enjoys quite a good time," said Robert Johnston, associate editor at GQ magazine, which featured a front page, black-and-white photo of the 26-year-old royal. "It's quite a potent mix."

This week's magazine shows a pensive prince, square-jawed and tousle-haired, his lips curling into a smile. GQ's story covers Harry's high-profile polar expedition with Walking With The Wounded, a U.K. charity devoted to helping injured veterans.

41 killed, many injured in blasts at Pak shrine

Multan:  Two suicide bombers struck a crowded Sufi shrine near Dera Ghazi Khan in Pakistan's Punjab province on Sunday, killing at least 41 people and injuring 115 others in the latest in a series of attacks targeting religious sites.

The first bomber blew himself up near the entrance of Sakhi Sarwar Darbar, a shrine dedicated to 13th century saint Syed Ahmad Sultan.

The second bomber struck a security check post outside the shrine, which is located 30 km from Dera Ghazi Khan, police officials and witnesses said.

Regional police chief Ahmed Mubarak confirmed the attack was carried out by two suicide attackers and dismissed earlier reports that there were three blasts at the shrine.

Former Agriculture Minister is new Syria PM

Beirut:  Syrian President Bashar Assad appointed a former agriculture minister on Sunday to form a new government, part of a series of overtures toward reform as the country faces a wave of anti-government protests.

Hundreds of people were marching in Douma, a suburb of the capital Damascus, for funerals to mourn those killed in the latest round of protests, which started two weeks ago. At least 80 people have died in clashes with security forces.

Assad appointed Adel Safar, the former agriculture minister, to form the new Cabinet, Syria's state-run television said. Safar is seen as a respectable figure in a government that many had criticised for corruption.

Assad sacked his government last week in answer to growing cries for reform in Syria, one of the most authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. On Thursday, he set up committees to look into the deaths of civilians during two weeks of unrest and replacing decades-old state of emergency laws.

38 years have passed since the first cell phone call

Yesterday, 38 years passed since Dr. Martin Cooper of Motorola placed the first phone call on a cell phone while taking a stroll on the streets of New York City in the distant April 3rd of 1973. Cooper made a dazzling demonstration by calling none other than rival Dr. Engel, research chief of Bell Labs, closely tied to AT&T at the time. Passers-by on Sixth Avenue must have looked in awe as Cooper picked up his 2.2-pound Motorola DynaTAC handset for the brief call. Cooper is now viewed as the creator of the cellular telephone, which at the time would have put you back a whopping $3500.

Cellular technology was being developed in the times of WWII, but it wasn't until the 70's until it saw wider commercialization. A quick flashback to early phone days shows that mass adoption of the first generation of cell phones actually happened in Japan in 1979, covering metropolitan Tokyo with 23 base stations. Nordic European countries followed suit in 1981 and launched the first roaming network between Sweden, Denmark, Norway and... Finland, of course. In 1983, the metropolitan Chicago area joined the bandwagon stateside.

Finland was the place where innovation happened in following years as the first 2G network was launched in the home country of today's largest phone maker, Nokia. It was the first true digital solution, which opened a brand new range of services like text messaging (1993, Finland), ringtones (1998, Finland) and Internet service (1999, Japan). This brings us to modern times and the 3G wideband networks, introduced in 2001. They not only brought the HSPA protocol for fast data transfers, but were also compatible with the previous generation of networks.

That's how it all started, and today our cell phones communicate with satellites to pin-point our location with amazing precision and we're on the verge of converting to 4G LTE as the main communication standard. Check out our in-depth look at the enticing possibilites of LTE, but to get a sense of how it all started, skip to the video below, where the creator of the cell phone himself speaks about the technology.

source: AT&T and Wikipedia (1), (2)

Android 2.2 Froyo makes its way to the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide

The T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide wasn't afraid to show off its girth back in 2010 – the slide-out keyboard coupled with the latest Android 2.1 could justify the thickness. Not for long, though, as time passed and the myTouch 3G Slide remained stuck with the dated version of Android until a brink of hope for an update remained. To the joy of all believers left, HTC has finally released the Froyo update and now the myTouch 3G Slide can be updated to Android 2.2.

It's not an OTA update, so you'll have to hook up your phone to a Windows PC, to get the latest version of Google's OS running. Froyo brings the benefits of using your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot as well as your main source of data via USB Tethering. To get all this on your myTouch 3G Slide hit the link below and don't forget to let us know how the update went!

source: HTC via TMoNews

Sony Ericsson Xperia SK17i Mango leaks out, to be the successor of X10 Mini Pro

The Sony Ericsson Xperia lineup got some shiny new additions at MWC just two months ago, but if you thought that was all SE had to offer, you'd be wrong. The Sony Ericsson Xperia SK17i codenamed Mango was leaked on Chinese forum IT168 and it seems to offer all that the X10 Mini Pro had, but this time with an HVGA screen sized between 3 and 3.2 inches. Don't be fooled by the Mango codename – by all visible clues the phone will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, not Windows Phone in any form. In addition, the skin seems similar to the UX one tailored for the tiny screen of the X10 Mini Pro.

In terms of hard silicon, under the hood we'd have a CPU clocked at 800MHz to 1GHz, and details seem to end here. But most importantly, a chiclet-style slide-out keyboard aims to boost your typing to the uber level. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro might have well claimed the title of the longest cell phone name for such a minuscule handset, but didn't break any technological ground. What's your opinion of its successor, the SK17i – would you consider a handset with such a screen? Sound off in the comments!

source: IT168 (translated)

New Apple iPad 2 ad points out the "magical" functions of the tablet

Apple's new ad for the iPad 2 was posted on YouTube and focuses on the "magical" functions of the tablet. The voice over for the ad says, "Technology alone is not enough. Faster, thinner, lighter; those are all good things. But when technology gets out of the way, everything becomes more delightful, even magical. That's when you leap forward. That's when you end up with something like this," as the screen shows "iPad 2".

By focusing less on specs and pricing-which are things that any manufacturer can copy, Apple is concentrating on hard to duplicate things like the 65,000 iPad-optimized apps in the App Store. So while Motorola can claim that the XOOM has double the amount of RAM on board than the amount on the iPad 2 and Samsung can say that its newer Galaxy Tab models are thinner and lighter than the iPad 2, Apple is answering by focusing on the software and on the "magical" things that the Apple iPad 2 can do.

source: YouTube via AppleInsider

App for HTC ThunderBolt turns on and off LTE connection

While the HTC ThunderBolt has been well received by Verizon customers, even allegedly outselling the Apple iPhone 4 in many of Big Red's stores, as we reported, one area that needs improvement is the battery life on the Android device. Connecting to Verizon's LTE network is becoming a fast battery drain on the phone. In response, TeamAndIRC has developed an app called LTE OnOFF that will disconnect the ThunderBolt from the Verizon LTE pipeline.

Some of the comments on the Android Market, where you can find the app to download for free, rave about how the software was able to increase the life of the handset's battery. And while Verizon is expected to provide a software fix of its own, until it becomes available, downloading LTE OnOFF puts you in control over the phone's connectivity and just might let you squeeze some extra life out of the device's power cell.

source: AndroidMarket via AndroidandMe

LTE OnOFF allows you to turn the LTE connection for the HTC ThunderBolt on and off to save battery life

Best Buy is selling the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 for a mere dollar on-contract

Don’t count out the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 just yet, especially when it’s positioned to get a solid dose of Gingerbread love in the near future, but Best Buy’s recent pricing structure for the handset makes it extremely appreciable.

If you’re planning on taking a stroll through your local Best Buy location, you’ll be shocked to find that some of them are selling the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 for a mere one dollar on-contract. Not only do new customers get the beloved pricing, but customers with qualified upgrades are included in the mix as well – so cheers to that!

However, it’s not found online, which means that it could very well be on the retailer’s clearance list. Meaning, you might not the $1 on-contract pricing consistent throughout all of its stores.

Regardless of that, this deal isn’t too shabby at all considering the still respectable high-end specs it’s packing, but let’s just hope that this version (AT&T) gets in with the Gingerbread update.

source: Engadget

HTC states that the Flyer will indeed get Honeycomb, but only when Google gives it to them

As much as HTC tries to pretty up its Flyer tablet with its very own beloved Sense user interface, some might find it difficult to believe that it’s not packing the most up-to-date Android experience with Honeycomb.

Fortunately though, word quickly came out that the HTC Flyer would indeed get Honeycomb down the road, but there was no mention about an actual time frame. On its Twitter account, HTC once again confirms that the Android powered tablet will get Honeycomb, however, they mention that its arrival depends on when it’s made available to them by Google. With so many upcoming Android tablets flaunting Honeycomb from the start, the Flyer might seem to be handicapped in that specific area.

Nonetheless, potential future owners can at least hope to see Honeycomb gracing the tablet in the future. Regardless, Sense is still one of the more appreciable customized Android experiences on the market – so it can’t be all that bad.

source: Twitter via Mobileburn