WikiLeaks: Pak said Gitmo detainees were innocent

New Delhi:  Many US Congressmen today made it clear that they don't buy Pakistan's reasons for not knowing that Osama Bin Laden was enjoying a sheltered life at a three-story mansion in Abbottabad, just down the road from its prestigious military academy.  Pakistani President Asif Zardari has insisted that his country  "did its part" even as America rejected Pakistan's claims of arming the US with critical intelligence that helped track down the world's most-wanted terrorist.

Now, as many in America and India demand clearer explanations from Pakistan, a WikiLeaks cable shows how in 2006, a Pakistani official told the Americans that the Pakistanis detained at Guantanamo Bay (there were reportedly six at the time) were "just the wrong men at the wrong place."  In fact,  Lieutenant Colonel Muhammed Imran Yaqoob (who seems to have been erroneously mentioned as Lt. Col Imran Farooq in the cable sent to Washington) petitioned the Americans to release Saifullah Paracha  - described in the Guantanamo dossiers as a senior Al Qaeda member who had direct access to Osama Bin Laden and 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Mohammed Shaikh.

Osama had 500 euros, phone numbers sewn into clothes

Washington:  In indications that Osama bin Laden was prepared to flee at short notice, cash totalling 500 euros and two telephone numbers were found sewn into his clothing when he was killed by US commandos deep inside Pakistan on Sunday.

US media reported that this information was given by top intelligence officials to members of the Congress at a classified briefing at which CIA Director Leon Panetta was present.

Another US media report said the American troops that swooped on bin Laden's compound at Abbottabad in Pakistan, may have laid their hands on the "largest potential intelligence coup of the post-9/11 era."

Iraq to disband court that tried Saddam Hussein

Baghdad:  The Iraqi government said Wednesday it will disband the tribunal that condemned Saddam Hussein and other top regime officials to death and was heavily criticized by human rights groups.

The announcement could help alleviate tension between the Shiite-led government and Iraq's Sunni community, which has long felt unfairly targeted by the Iraqi High Criminal Tribunal and has demanded its closure in the interests of national reconciliation.

The statement only said that the Cabinet approved a draft law to disband the court and that it has been sent to parliament, without giving any further details.

The men who sheltered Osama in Abbottabad

Abbottabad (Pakistan):  In his last days, Osama bin Laden was not surrounded by a circle of heavily armed Arab bodyguards or mujahedeen who had fought with him in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. Rather, he relied on two Pakistanis, one of whom, according to American officials, was his most trusted courier. Both men died with him in the American raid on their compound.

They were known here as Arshad Khan and Tareq Khan, although one police official said that Arshad was not the man's real name and that he carried a fake identity card. Although American officials have said they were brothers, a neighbor who gave his name only as Qassim said the men were cousins. Qassim lives directly opposite the compound that American commandos stormed just after midnight Monday, and his father worked as a watchman there for several years.

Osama was not armed: White House changes account

White House spokesman Jay Carney

Washington:  Osama bin Laden was not carrying a weapon when he was killed by American troops in a fortified house in Pakistan, the White House said Tuesday, as it revised its initial account of the nighttime raid.

Members of a Navy Seals team burst in on Bin Laden in the compound where he was hiding and shot him in a room on an upper floor, after a fierce gun battle with other operatives of Al Qaeda on the first floor.

Bin Laden's wife, who was with him in the room, "rushed the U.S. assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed," said the White House spokesman, Jay Carney, reading from the brief account, which was provided by the Defense Department. "Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed."

Tri-Valley University head indicted in visa fraud

Washington:  The president of the California-based Tri-Valley University (TVU) has been indicted by a federal grand jury on the allegations of visa fraud and money laundering. The closure of the university, which has been accused of a massive visa fraud, had affected nearly 1,500 Indian students.

Susan Xiao-Ping Su (41) was taken into custody on Monday morning at her home by special agents of the Homeland Security Investigations of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

US media on new tension with Pak over Osama

Washington:  The Obama Administration's move to seek explanation from Pakistan on the type of support system Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden enjoyed there has resulted in heightened tensions between the two countries, media reports said.

"Tensions between the American and Pakistani governments intensified sharply on Tuesday as senior Obama administration officials demanded answers to how Osama bin Laden managed to hide in Pakistan, and the Pakistani government issued a defiant statement calling the raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader an unauthorized unilateral action," The New York Times reported.

Pakistan either incompetent or involved: CIA chief

Washington:  CIA Director Leon Panetta has told US lawmakers that Washington is trying to get to the bottom of Pakistan's "troubling" role in its professed ignorance about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts and whether it was either involved or incompetent.

In a closed-door briefing for House of Representatives members Tuesday, Panetta told lawmakers "either they were involved or incompetent. Neither place is a good place to be", CNN reported citing two sources.

Responding to a question from a member of Congress about Pakistan, Panetta made clear that he and other administration officials are trying to get to the bottom of which it was - involvement or incompetence.

Bush declines Obama's invitation to Ground Zero

Washington:  US President Obama invited former President George W Bush to join him at ground zero in New York City on Thursday to mark the killing of Osama bin Laden, but Mr. Bush declined, a spokesman for the former president confirmed on Tuesday.

"President Bush will not be in attendance on Thursday," said his spokesman, David Sherzer. "He appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight. He continues to celebrate with Americans this important victory in the war on terror."

For Obama, big rise in poll numbers after bin Laden raid

Support for US President Obama has risen sharply following the killing of Osama bin Laden by American military forces in Pakistan, with a majority now approving of his overall job performance, as well as his handling of foreign policy, the war in Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The glow of national pride seemed to rise above partisan politics, as support for the president rose significantly among both Republicans and independents. In all, 57 percent said they now approved of the president's job performance, up from 46 percent last month.

Akai launches smallest LED TV in India priced at Rs 11,000

Japanese consumer electronics maker Akai today announced the launch of the smallest LED TV in the Indian market priced at Rs. 11,000.
   
The 19 inches LED TV is equipped with latest features and weighs around 3.5 kgs, the company said in a statement.
    
Across brands, LED TVs are currently available to Indian consumers in sizes ranging from 22 inches to 55 inches priced between Rs. 20,900 and Rs. 4 lakh.
    
With the latest offering, Akai is likely to give tough competition to brands like LG, Samsung, Sony, and Panasonic, which are currently the market leaders.

    
"Sky rocketing real estate prices have shrunk the living space. We identified a consumer's need for small and compact TV with high-definition viewing experience, superior picture quality, ultra slimness and more eco-friendly energy consumption," Akai India Managing Director Pranay Dhabai said.

India's first Honeycomb tablets launched by Acer

Acer today has announced the launch of two 10.1-inch tablets in India. One of the devices will be running Windows 7 and the other, Google's Android Honeycomb OS. Both the devices boast of a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen display, strong build, are 13.33 mm thick and show off a full size USB port along with a mini USB port, HDMI output, Micro SD card slot and SIM Card support.

Like all other Honeycomb tablets, the Acer A500 boasts of the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core 1.0 Ghz processor and Flash 10.1 support for a complete web browsing experience. Something the iPad still lacks to date.

Metal beans to keep coffee warm for hours

You needn't be in a hurry to drink your morning coffee while it's still piping hot. Scientists have developed metal beans that can keep your drink warm for up to five hours.

The beans, called Coffee Joulies, cool down your beverage to a drinkable temperature three times faster than normal, and then maintain that temperature.

They work by absorbing extra thermal energy in the drink when it's too hot, and then releasing that stored energy back into the drink to keep it at an optimum temperature as it begins to cool down, the Daily Mail reports.

US TV ownership down for first time in 20 years

The number of US homes owning television sets is falling for the first time in two decades, the Nielsen Co. said on Tuesday.

Nielsen estimated that 114.7 million US households, or 96.7 percent of US homes, will own television sets next year, down from the current 115.9 million, or 98.9 percent.

Nielsen said the last drop in TV ownership was in 1992.

It said there were several reasons for the decline, including the 2009 transition from analog to digital broadcasting, when some TV owners did not purchase new digital sets or converter boxes.

Amazon launches designer brand sales site

Amazon unveiled a membership-only private sales site on Tuesday called Myhabit.com offering designer and boutique brands.

The Seattle, Washington-based online retail giant said Myhabit.com will offer up to 60 percent off list prices on selected fashion products, such as designer clothing through daily events.

"Myhabit gives fashion customers an elegant and easy-to-use online destination for private sale shopping," Maria Renz, president of Myhabit, said in a statement.

Amazon said Myhabit will offer brands such as Doo.Ri, Elizabeth and James, Halston and Vera Wang and feature women's, men's and children's departments.

Osama: Dead, but most wanted online

Osama bin Laden is a bigger presence in cyberspace dead than he ever was alive. On Tuesday, Google Tweeted, "On May 1 between 7:30-8:30 pm PST, we saw a 1 million percent increase in searches for [bin laden]"

At the time of President Barack Obama's speech, Twitter, Google and Facebook were flooded with the news of Osama's death. The search hype for Osama's death has outstripped the search demand for the Royal Wedding that, only 2 days ago, was the best performer online.

An indication of Osama's online stats: an old Facebook page about his death got over 400,000 likes in a matter of hours.

TRAI Report: How many mobile subscribers does India actually have?

That's a question there is no good answer to. According to the highlights of telecom subscription data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, there are 811.59 million wireless subscribers in India. But, the report goes on to say that there are only 573.97 million subscribers in the Visitor Location Register (VLR).

What's the difference? VLR is the database that stores information about users that are roaming into a particular network. A user can be present in only one VLR at any given point of time. Thus, this is a better approximation of the number of active users that are currently in the network.

This means 237.62 million subscriptions are dormant rather than active subscribers on the network. Also, many subscribers are using dual-sim handsets with more than one connection on the same device - which means the actual number of subscribers may be even lower than the 573.97 active subscriptions.

Note: This VLR data excludes the number of CDMA BSNL subscribers as the service provider did not provide the VLR details of their 5.57 million subscribers.

Angry Birds flies off with Webby Award

Angry Birds has picked up a Webby Award to go with its millions of addicted fans.

The Angry Birds iPhone application from Finland's Rovio was named Best Mobile Game as the winners of the 15th annual Webby Awards were announced in New York on Tuesday.

Angry Birds was also named the winner of the People's Voice award determined in an online vote.

Other Webby Award winners included teen pop star Justin Bieber, in a comedy category, Arcade Fire for their "The Wilderness Downtown" video and The New York Times, which picked up awards in the How-To, Travel and Mobile categories.

Nokia Chairman to quit next year

Nokia board chairman Jorma Ollila said Tuesday that he would leave his post by the year 2012 as expected, but that he would not "throw in the towel" at the world's leading mobile phone maker before then.

"As originally planned, the nominations committee of the Board of Directors has started searching for a new chairman with the view that at the 2012 Annual General
Meeting I would no longer stand for re-election," he told Nokia's annual general meeting in Helsinki, according to a script of his statement provided by Nokia.
Ollila, who has been a Nokia executive since 1986, stepped down as CEO in 2006 but remained chairman of the board of directors.

When he announced last September that Stephen Elop was replacing Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo as CEO, Ollila said he would stay on to help with the transition but estimated that he would exit sometime around 2012.

At Tuesday's meeting, he said that for the time he has left, he was "committed" to helping Nokia, which has seen its market share eaten away by competitors in recent years.

"The past year has been extremely heavy, and I believe the current year will also be a demanding one," he said.

Videogame giant EA buys Australia's Firemint

US videogame titan Electronic Arts (EA) on Tuesday announced it is buying the Australian mobile game maker behind hit titles "Flight Control" and "Real Racing" for play on iPhones or iPads.

EA did not disclose how much it is paying for Melbourne-based independent studio Firemint but indicated that the deal was expected to close within four weeks.

"The Firemint team is remarkable for its critical and commercial success," said EA Interactive executive vice president Barry Cottle.

BlackBerry chooses Microsoft over Google

Research In Motion will use Microsoft's Bing services on new BlackBerry smartphones.

Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer made the announcement Tuesday at RIM's annual BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, Fla. Bing director Matt Dahlin outlined the plans on the Bing Search Blog.

Dahlin says BlackBerrys shipped to wireless carriers will use Bing as its default search and map services. Bing will be the BlackBerry browser's preferred search engine. RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet already uses Bing for search and maps.

According to comScore Inc., Microsoft had about 14 percent of the U.S. search market in March, while Google had about 66 percent. But the growth of smartphones could present opportunities for search engines such as Bing to catch up.

Bin Laden story shows changing media nature

A soldier in Afghanistan learned about the death of Osama bin Laden on Facebook. A TV producer in South Carolina got a tip from comedian Kathy Griffin on Twitter. A blues musician in Denver received an email alert from The New York Times. And a Kansas woman found out as she absently scrolled through the Internet on her smartphone while walking her dog.

In an illustration of how the information world has changed, many people learned through media formats or devices that weren't available a decade ago that the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had been killed.

Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu dead, crashed helicopter found

Itanagar:  Five days after the helicopter that he was using went missing, Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was found dead in Luguthang, near the China border. A government official and a relative of Mr Khandu have identified his body.
"The Chief Minister and four others are dead," Union Minister for Development of Northeastern Region  B K Handique told a press conference in Itanagar this evening. Kiran Rijiju, the advisor to the Late chief minister said since it is snowing it will not be possible to bring in the bodies till Wednesday.

Owaisi attack case: Seven accused sent to judicial custody

Hyderabad:  Seven accused in last week's attack on Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi were on Tuesday remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by a court.

The seven arrested persons, including alleged mastermind behind the attack Mohammad Pahelwan, were produced in the court under heavy security cover.

Pawan Hans office attacked after Arunachal CM's death

Itanagar:  Angry protesters attacked the local Pawan Hans office, breaking window panes and ransacking furniture after reports that the missing chopper carrying Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu had crashed.

A group of youths ransacked the Pawan Hans office in Maharlagun, 14 km from Itanagar, police said.

The glass panes of the director's chamber and booking counter were damaged in the attack, they said.

Civil Aviation Ministry holds talks with Air India pilots

New Delhi:  After their strike crippled Air India's domestic operations for eight days, the Civil Aviation Ministry today held talks with the protesting pilots to find a way to end the deadlock soon.

Sources said a two-member team of the ministry, headed by Joint Secretary Prashant Shukul, has been set up for talks with the pilots as they understood to have objected to hold parleys with Air India CMD, Arvind Jadhav.

Now, Ramdev on 'fast track' against corruption

New Delhi:  Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today said he would undertake a fast unto death in New Delhi on June 4 to demand recovery of black money deposited by Indians in Swiss banks, disclosure of account-holders' names, and a ban on high-denomination currency notes.
   
The satyagraha will be held at Ramlila Maidan "to force the Government to act on corruption-related issues," Ramdev told reporters here.
    
"Along with me, several supporters spread across the world will also fast during the satyagraha," he said.

BJP asks Manmohan to review talks with Pakistan

New Delhi:  The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review his decision to restore peace talks with Pakistan after Osama bin Laden was killed in that country, proof that it had been harbouring the world's most wanted terrorist.

"The elimination of Osama bin Laden, the global face of terror, is the high point in the global war on terror. It (Osama's killing by US in Pakistan's garrison town of Abbottabad) established that Pakistan is epicentre of terror and was harbouring world's most wanted terrorist," BJP spokesperson Arun Jaitley said.

He was speaking to reporters after a core committee meeting of the opposition party that discussed the situation in the aftermath of Osama's death.

Jaitley said the BJP believed that "Pakistan can no longer claim to be the victim of terror".

He said the BJP had urged Manmohan Singh and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government that they "need to retrospect on the Pakistan policy (because) talks and terror cannot go together".

India and Pakistan recently agreed to restore their ties frozen after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/bjp-asks-manmohan-to-review-talks-with-pakistan-103361?cp

CWG scam: Kalmadi sent to Tihar Jail for 14 days

New Delhi:  The former chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, will spend the next 14 days in Tihar Jail.

The eight-day police remand of the Congress MP from Pune ended today. A Delhi court ordered that he be remanded to 14 days in judicial custody.

Kalmadi is accused of corruption in his capacity as chairman of the CWG Organising Committee. He is charged with delivering inflated contracts to companies that charged exorbitant rates for equipment and services employed for the Games that were held in September in India.

Aircraft overshoots runway in Mizoram

Mizoram:  A plane with 11 people on board overshot the runway at Lengpui Airport in Mizoram this morning.

The passengers and two pilots have all been hospitalized; their injuries are not reported to be serious. The plane, which belonged to a company named North East Shuttle Services, has been severely damaged.

The nine-seater plane flew from Imphal to Aizawl, where the pilot overshot the runway but managed to brake before the plane dropped off the runway altogether. The incident occurred due to a combination of bad weather as well as pilot error. Airport officials, however, said that the weather conditions were within acceptable limits, and the pilots erred.

The accident evokes comparisons to the Mangalore crash in May last year, when 158 people on a Boeing were killed after the pilot overshot the runway by 2000 feet.

The runway at the Lengpui Airport also has a similar runway - where it is built on top of a hill and is surrounded by mountains. It makes for tricky landings and take-offs because if a pilot lands too far down the runway, a crash is likely.

Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu's relative identifies his body

Itanagar:  A relative and panchayat leader of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu's Assembly constituency has identified his body, according to Union Minister for Development of North Eastern region B K Handique.

He told reporters that the panchayat leader Thupten has identified the body of 56-year-old Dorjee while the other four bodies have been charred beyond recognition.

The minister, however, said that only after the divisional commissioner takes charge of the body and the formalities are completed, they could officially confirm news about Dorjee.

Asked about the successor to Dorjee, he said, "Everything will be taken care of."  The single engine four-seater Pawan Hans helicopter with Dorjee and four others on board went missing soon after taking off from Tawang on Saturday.

Besides Khandu, others on board were pilots Captain J S Babbar, Captain T S Mamik, Khandus security officer Yeshi Choddak and Yeshi Lhamu, sister of Tawang MLA Tsewang Dhondup

Chopper, 3 bodies found in Arunachal; news not encouraging, says Chidambaram

Itanagar:  Wreckage of a helicopter found in Arunachal Pradesh is believed to be that of the one used by Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu.  He has been missing along with four others since his helicopter took off from Tawang on Saturday at 9.55 am for Itanagar, the capital of the state.

"We have some information that is not encouraging...it is not good news" said Home Minister P Chidambaram.  He said three bodies have been sighted along with the debris of a helicopter "from a great height" by a search party near a place called Luguthang near the China border.

Mr Khandu's Pawan Hans helicopter lost contact twenty minutes after it took off as it approached Sela Pass, 13,000 feet above sea level.

"The nearest Army post in Kyela...they have dispatched a team on foot," said Mr Chidambaram.

Massive ground search operations have been conducted over the last few days, with bad weather making it tough for Air Force searches to operate.  Satellite images from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have also been studied by experts involved in the search and rescue operations.

Manage your favorite MLB players on your Android phone with 9 innings: Pro Baseball 2011

Have you always thought to yourself that you could manage the New York Yankees better than Joe Giradi? Here is your chance to prove it. Android game creators Com2uS have created 9 innings: ProBaseball 2011. Unlike all of the other baseball games available for your phone, this is the first one to be licensed by the MLBPA which means that for the first time, your favorite players will perform on your handset as they do on the diamond. 750 MLB players are available, using the latest available stats to make sure that players are capable of playing just as they do in real life.

The game has three different modes. Season Mode allows you to take your favorite team and manage it over 9 seasons with the goal to make the playoffs-just as in real life. Exhibition Mode allows you to pick two teams to play one game and Home Run Mode goes through your lineup player by player in a modified Home Run derby. You get a certain point total as a goal and you keep going through your lineup until that goal is reached.

9 innings: Pro Baseball 2011 is ad supported which means that it is available for free from the Android Market for phones batting with Android 2.1 or higher. If you are a big baseball fan, you are going to want to install this game right away. Play Ball!

source: AndroidandMe

For the first time, you can control real MLB players on your phone

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits the FCC

We were digging through the FCC's web page while having our morning cup of coffee when one entry in particular caught our attention. It seems like we have come across a filing for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – its slimmer variant to be exact with a waistline of the commendable 8.6 millimeters.

The tablet may be only listed with its GT-P7510 model name, but we are pretty sure we are dealing with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 here. It becomes pretty obvious when we take a close look at its technical drawings, which reveal a 10.1-inch display along with some other design features. There is no word of any 3G wireless connectivity, which means that this is most probably the tablet's Wi-Fi-only version.

Receiving the FCC's seal of approval means that the tablet's launch is already a step closer to becoming reality. We are expecting it to hit the shelves in a little over a month's time – on June 8, and if you have not done so already, feel free to check out our Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hands-on to see Samsung's tablet pose for a photo session.

source: FCC

Viber for Android beta now available; free VoIP calling and texting made easy

They say that the best things in life are free. That applies to using your smartphone, don't you agree? Just think about it, free calls and free texting – that sounds pretty darn sweet.

We have told you about Viber before – it is one of the many VoIP clients out there, and it allows you to talk with other Viber users at no charge using only your smartphone's internet connection. What you probably do not know yet is that it is not limited to iOS only anymore. After being downloaded more than 10 million times on any iDevice that it supports, an Android version of Viber has already reached its beta stage and it is available for download.

The Viber for Android beta version is still absolutely free of charge, just the way we like it. It supports everything that we are used to seeing it do – free calling and texting between Viber clients, but its Android beta release should come equipped with some platform-specific features. Besides that, another cool thing that Viber does is that it integrates with your smartphone's contact list, which makes searching for buddies pretty straightforward. (Note that, Skype.)

If you want to give Viber for Android a try, do not look for it in the Android Market because you will not find it there yet. Instead, click on the link that we have provided for you below. BlackBerry and Symbian users – hold on tight because a Viber version for you is on the way too.

If you want to be a Viber for Android beta tester, apply here.

Thanks, Jonah!

BlackBerry PlayBook demonstrated running Android apps

Using Android apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook is something that RIM promised to us not long ago, and judging by the video below, the Canadians are definitely sticking to their words. In a video demonstration given during BlackBerry World 2011, the BlackBerry PlayBook was shown running Android apps without a hitch. No missing features and no glitches of any sort here – Android software appeared to be running pretty much as it would on any stock Android device.

The magic was made possible thanks to Android Player, the software tool that is expected to land on the BlackBerry App World later this summer. In essence, it will emulate the Android 2.3 operating system to a certain level – just enough to enable Android Apps to run natively. However, it seems logical to see its future versions supporting Honeycomb applications as well. After the Android Player's official release, selected Android apps should be available for download through the BlackBerry App World, which means that we may see RIM's software marketplace expand quite a bit.

source: Engadget via BlackBerryOS

Motorola DROID X 2, LG Revolution, and HTC Trophy release date rumored to be May 12

Want to know why we have already highlighted May 12 in our calendars? It is rumored that Verizon is getting ready to launch not one, not two, but three new smartphones on that very day. According to some leaked information coming straight from a Verizon insider, May 12 is allegedly the release date for the Motorola DROID X 2, the LG Revolution, and the HTC Trophy.

With its qHD 4.3-inch display and its snappy 1.2 GHz Tegra 2 processor, we are not expecting to see the DROID X 2 landing anywhere else but on Verzion's top shelves with the rest of the carrier's hottest devices keeping it company. In case you've missed them, feel free to check out the DROID X 2's first press shots, which we wrote about not long ago. On the other hand, the LG Revolution may not pack that much processing power, but it will stand out with its 4G LTE connectivity. You can see our hands-on of the LG Revolution to get a clearer picture as of what the smartphone will look like. Finally, the HTC Trophy will become Verizon's first smart device to run the Windows Phone 7 platform. Yes, we may be living in a world dominated by Android and iOS, but Microsoft's mobile OS does have its fans out there.

Every single one of these three devices has been expected for quite a while and their supposed release dates have been only a matter of speculation so far. We are crossing our fingers that a concrete confirmation from Verizon makes headlines pretty soon, and once it does we will make sure to let you know.

source: Droid Life via Electronista

David Beckham hired as global brand ambassador by Samsung

Some people may cynically point out that David Beckham is a part-time footballer, as most of his time is dedicated to ad campaigns and photo shoots. They won't be wrong, but it seems this is the exact reason why Samsung has chosen him as its Olympic Games Ambassador.

Mr.Beckham is charged with the job to disseminate the news that Samsung is a sponsor for the 2012 Olympic Games that will take place in London, which happens to be Beckham's birth place.

The deal between the Korean manufacturer and the soccer player is already in effect, so between now and the summer of 2012 we can expect quite a few ads with the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid man:

"The collaboration will start with appearances in multi-platform adverts and public relations campaigns, covering various elements of Samsung's London 2012 marketing programme."

Samsung is quite aggressive with its Galaxy S II ads, but we guess that hiring David Beckham as a global brand ambassador for the company brings its efforts to a whole new level.

via: Engadget

Samsung SPH-D600 said to be a Sprint 4G phone with 1GHz processor and QWERTY

A Samsung phone with model name SPH-D600 is rumored to be a Sprint 4G handset with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Some of its specs sound quite good to us, as it's said to pack a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8655 processor (the same one that is to power the LG Revolution), Gingerbread and WiMAX 4G connectivity, but, on the other hand, it's rumored to offer an HVGA resolution and a 3.1MP rear camera, which hints that this handset won't be billed as a high-end device.

Its QWERTY is said to be similar to the one we saw with the newly-announced eco-friendly Samsung Replenish (hands-on). A front-facing camera is also on board.

The lads at Blog of Mobile say this phone passed its FCC test on April 29 (and have a pic to prove it), but its FCC ID returns no results on the feds' site.

source: Blog of Mobile (translated) and pocketnow

HTC Sensation available for pre-order at Vodafone, release date stated as May 19

The HTC Sensation is one of the hottest phones scheduled to grace the mobile scene in the coming months, but now it has moved one step closer to its actual release in some parts of the world, as Vodafone already accepts pre-orders for it.

The carrier offers it for free if you pick a data plan that costs $58 (£35) or more per month. The aimed shipping date is stated as May 19.

As we told you, Voda will enjoy a month-long exclusive period with this handset, but once it is over, Orange, T-Mobile and Three will join Vodafone in offering this sensationally powerful phone in the UK. The HTC Sensation 4G, which is the US version of this beast, will be available for T-Mo customers "this summer" - the exact launch date is still unannounced, but the rumor mill claims it will be released on June 8.

source: Vodafone

White iPhone 4 timeline: What a strange, long trip it has been

Introduction:

The white iPhone 4 was finally launched - after months and months of delays - on April 28. Lots of people are surely rejoicing, though for very different reasons - some are glad that Apple managed to overcome this challenge, others are just happy they are now able to buy this mythical beast and stand out of the crowd, while there is that third group that's simply delighted that they won't see more rumors saying the white iPhone 4 is coming during the summer, fall, winter, spring or at some point in 2012. Regardless of which group you belong to, there can hardly be two opinions that it has been a strange, long trip for the white iPhone 4 from the assembly lines to the shelves, so we decided it's time to relive that journey for one last time.

The initial delay and some more postponements:

The original Apple plan as stated during the iPhone 4 announcement was that the handset will come in both black and white at launch. Well, that didn't happen (obviously), but it was an internal AT&T document that informed us for the first time there is going to be a delay. Subsequently, it became clear there is some kind of manufacturing issue, which was made official when Apple stepped up and told the public that the white iPhone 4 will be available in late July, 2010. This may have turned into a source of irritation for these people who were quite hungry to taste the white iPhone 4 flavour, but how little they knew back then only became clear when Apple made it official that the white version of its newest model will be released "later in 2010". Things turned from bad to worse when on October 26 yet another official information was circulated - it stated that the white iPhone 4 is coming in spring 2011.

Conversion kits and parodies

As the white iPhone 4 was growing a mythical aura around itself, certain people tried to profit from it. One such lad was a teen named Not Fei Lam who made some $130 000 selling a conversion kit turning the black iPhone 4 into a white iPhone 4. That's plainly ridiculous when you think of it, much like the so-called "Banned white iPhone 4 promo", which shows some actors posing like Apple executives - these chiefs are "explaining" why the white version of the handset has to be delayed. Worth watching, 'cause it's funny as hell. But the humour aside, it was obvious that such conversion kits will never be quite like the real thing, so the vast majority of people opted to wait patiently for Apple's white iPhone 4.

Is it coming or is it not coming?

Apple's word was that the pale version of the iPhone 4 is coming in spring 2011, but the truth is that no one was particularly certain this will be the case. However, a huge pile of evidence was gathering that the handset is finally nearing release - the iCon Steve Wozniak claimed it, Phil Schiller, Apple Vice President confirmed it, while WSJ and Reuters (among others) ran stories that unequivocally stated it's coming in late April.

It's official

You know something is in motion when tech blogs from all over the world leak tons of info that proves the white iPhone 4 is to be announced on April 26 or April 27, but there is nothing like the official thing - the pale smartphone's release details were spilled on April 27 and it went on sale the next day. Fair enough, we were a wee bit disappointed that Steve Jobs didn't ride his white unicorn to announce the almost as mythical white iPhone 4, but we were comforted a bit by the fact it marked the happy end of one of the longest running sagas in the smartphone era - that (presumably) made everyone happy, though for their own reasons.

Web full of free programs to hack sites, bank details 'at click of a button'

Melbourne, April 30 : IT experts have warned that easy-to-use programs that can access bank details and crash websites are multiplying online, resulting in an increase in attacks during the past year.
"The software is free, looks like any other Windows or Apple program, and it can infiltrate computers with the click of a button," News.com.au quoted a spokesman for IT security company Symantec.
"Cybercrime is no longer limited to those with advanced programming skills," the spokesman said.
The company suggested that the "attack kits" created more than 286 million variants of so-called malware last year, accounting for more than 60 per cent of malicious web activity.

Smartphone boom lifts phone market in first quarter

 

HELSINKI  - Strong demand for smartphones gave a further boost to overall cellphone market volumes in January-March and made iPhone supplier Apple Inc a rare winner on the market, research firms said on Friday.
IDC saw January-March market growth of 20 percent, helped also by strong gains by smaller vendors as the three largest phone makers -- Nokia Oyj, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and LG Electronics Inc -- lost market share.

Smartphone boom lifts phone market in first quarter

 

HELSINKI  - Strong demand for smartphones gave a further boost to overall cellphone market volumes in January-March and made iPhone supplier Apple Inc a rare winner on the market, research firms said on Friday.