Facebook blunder leads crowd to teen's birthday

 

HAMBURG  - More than 1,600 people showed up to celebrate a German teenager's 16th birthday party after she inadvertently invited the public to attend on Facebook, Hamburg police said on Sunday.

The teenager named Thessa fled her home in the leafy Bramfeld section of Hamburg and alerted police after 15,000 Facebook users accepted her invitation ahead of the Friday evening birthday party, police spokesman Mirko Streiber said.

The crowd of 1,600 mostly jovial revelers jammed into the street on a balmy evening in front of her house while about 100 police were on hand to keep order for the duration from 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. Thessa had unwittingly neglected to mark her party as private on the social network, police said.

Streiber said 11 people were taken into custody for violations ranging from bodily harm and resisting arrest to property damage and violating explosives laws.

"It was by and large a peaceful party," Streiber said. "There were some fires set alight, some acts of violence and with considerable alcohol consumption there was some property damage. There have been larger organised birthday parties in Hamburg but this may be the largest unorganised birthday party ever."

Hackers attack Nintendo's servers in United States Hackers attack Nintendo's servers in United States

 

LOS ANGELES  - Nintendo's U.S.-based servers were attacked several weeks ago but no consumer data was stolen, the company said on Sunday.

Nintendo is the latest company to be targeted by cyber criminals in a hacking attack. In April, hackers broke into Sony Corp's servers and exposed the personal information of more than 100 million of its customers. No group has taken responsibility for that attack.

Inspired to be red? Radio Shack is now offering the HTC Inspire in red for $29.99 on contract

It is not everyday that you can pick up a smartphone for $29.99, but Radio Shack is offering the HTC Inspire 4G in red for that price with a new or upgrade 2 year contract. The device certainly has some nice specs as it is equipped with a 4.3 inch Super LCD screen offering resolution of 480 x 800, an 8MP camera that captures video at 720p, and a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon processor under the hood. Android 2.2 runs the show, which means the browser can run Flash animation.

Actually, we're not totally surprised by this since a few weeks ago we reported that the HTC Inspire 4G was being produced in red for the Shack. But now we can tell you that the phone is available at Radio Shack and of course, we have told you the price. What we can't do is force you to head over to the electronics retailer to take advantage of this deal, but we know that you were planning on doing that anyway, right?

source: RadioShack via AndroidCentral

You can now pick up the HTC Inspire 4G in red from Radio Shack for $29.99 on contract

Tutorial videos of Motorola DROID 3 are leaked

The original Motorola DROID sold many units for Verizon as the carrier's first handset that at the time, could not only compete with the Apple iPhone, but also surpassed it in many ways. The first Android 2.0 device has now been upgraded to Android 2.2, but that looks like the end of the line and as many DROID owners have their 2 year contract soon expiring, the upcoming Motorola DROID 3 is going to be seen as a natural replacement.

With that in mind, Motorola is upping the ante with the DROID 3. According to a leaked tutorial video of the device, the physical QWERTY keyboard has indeed been improved to a 5-row format with a dedicated row of numbers. An 8MP camera is on back with the ability to capture video at 1080p HD. Other changes include a pair of volume controls instead of the usual volume rocker. And like the just launched Motorola DROID X2, there is no camera shutter button aboard.

It still looks like the DROID 3 will come to market without LTE connectivity, and it is still unclear which version of the Android OS will be installed on the phone. Oh yeah, pricing and a launch date are both still unknown at this point.

source: PhonePads via Engadget

Motorola XPRT available today at Sprint

The Motorola XPRT is available at Sprint, starting today. Priced at $129.99 with a signed 2-year contract, the handset is similar to Verizon's Motorola DROID Pro. The XPRT is a world phone and offers a BlackBerry-esque portrait QWERTY keyboard to make typing out emails and texts a whole lot easier and with more accuracy. The handset is equipped with a 3.1 inch display and with a 1GHz processor under the hood, things you need to get done for work can be completed quickly. On back is a 5MP camera with dual-LED flash for low light situations. Sprint has seen the need for an 1860mAh battery to come with the unit, as opposed to the 1420 mAh cell on the DROID Pro, to make sure that your phone doesn't conk out when you need it in the middle of the business day.

While the Motorola DROID Pro recently received an update to Gingerbread, as we reported, the Motorola XPRT is launched with Android 2.2 installed. And as a business-centric device, it is important to note that this is the first Android handset available from Sprint using 256-AES encryption for the phone and the microSD card.

source: Sprint via AndroidCentral

The business-centric Motorola XPRT is now available at Sprint

AT&T's CEO says that a smaller SIM card is a "no-brainer", comments on which phones are hot or cold

Ralph de la Vega, the CEO of AT&T, sounds ready to embrace the smaller SIM card format produced by Apple. Calling such a reduction in the card a "no-brainer", the executive still has not totally committed to the new SIM card design the way that the CEO of France Telecom has. Last month, as we reported, France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard said that carriers and Apple had agreed on the smaller SIM card as a compromise. Apple had discussed using an embedded chip instead. Thanks to the smaller size of the new card, Richard said that the size of the new card will allow Apple to make the next iPhone "smaller and thinner". Currently, the Apple iPhone and iPad use a micro-SIM format.

While not as ecstatic as Richard seems to be with the new SIM card design, de la Vega does admit that AT&T is working with the industry on the improvements and as far as replacing the larger card format with the smaller sized cards, he says, "I think that probably will happen". According to an executive at France Telecom subsidiary Orange, Apple submitted the new SIM card form factor to a European Standards Institute.

The AT&T executive commented on how sales of certain platforms are doing. Noting the drop off in BlackBerry sales, the AT&T CEO noted that the Apple iPhone and Android have been "positive surprises". Summing it up, de la Vega said that, "Android and Apple are really the hot products right now," he added, noting that customers have been "choosing other products rather than traditional BlackBerries."

The CEO also said that sales of Windows Phone 7 flavored models have been disappointing. While he said that he likes the platform very much, sales have not been up to the level that neither he or Microsoft expected. What could improve Microsoft's mobile OS? De la Vega says that offering customers more apps with more functionality on the phone is all that Windows Phone 7 needs. The AT&T CEO was interviewed earlier last week when he made the comments.

source: AppleInsider

Does the death grip affect the HTC Sensation's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance?

It has been months since we have heard about the left handed death grip, the problem that affected the Apple iPhone 4 so soon after its launch. Held a certain way, with the user's hand holding the lower left region of the phone, the user's body interfered with the antenna causing a drop in signal strength. According to the Nordic Hardware Lab, the same problem is seen with the HTC Sensation and with this model, the problem also affects Wi-Fi and Bluetooth performance. The video below shows how when the phone is lying on your palm, Bluetooth performance falters. And with Wi-Fi, the list of lower signal hotspots disappears from the screen.

 In Apple's case, the company got too cute and wrapped the antenna around the outside of the casing to improve the strength of the antenna. While HTC was not as blatant in its antenna design, the Taiwan based firm used a large metal battery cover which has some plastic parts that act as an antenna. When covered by your hand, it affects the performance of the radios inside the unit-especially the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios.

To appease customers, Apple ended up offering free rubber bumpers and cases to iPhone 4 buyers. The rubber prevented human contact from interfering with the antenna, which caused the attenuation. Since word about the death grip happening on the HTC Sensation is so far very limited, it might require some more problems to appear after a launch in the U.S. before the manufacturer feels compelled to offer a solution. The HTC Sensation 4G is expected to launch in the States via T-Mobile on June 15th, as we reported. But the model has already hit the market overseas, and if anyone using the handset has experienced the death grip and the loss of signal, let us know by leaving a comment in the box below.

source: GSMArena via NordicHardware (Translated)

Chinese Teenager Sells Kidney For iPhone

Website of Nintendo's US subsidiary hacked: report

TOKYO  – A website operated by the US subsidiary of Japanese videogame maker Nintendo was hacked several weeks ago, but no personal information was stolen, a report said Sunday.
The entertainment giant, a producer of popular DS handheld game players and the Wii game console, said some of the information hacked from its server was published on the Internet, Kyodo News said, citing unnamed company sources.
A Nintendo spokesman could not be reached to comment on the report.

Spotlight falls on Sony's troubled cybersecurity

 

LONDON – Another massive data breach at Sony has left hackers exulting, customers steaming and security experts questioning why basic fixes haven't been made to the company's stricken cybersecurity program.
Hackers say they managed to steal a massive trove of personal information from Sony Pictures' website using a basic technique which they claim shows how poorly the company guards its users' secrets. Security experts agreed Friday, saying the company's security was bypassed by a well-known attack method by which rogue commands are used to extract sensitive data from poorly constructed websites.

Senators target Internet narcotics

ALBANY, N.Y. – Two U.S. senators said Sunday they will ask federal authorities to crack down on a secretive narcotics market operated on the Internet with anonymous sales and untraceable currency.
Heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines are among the drugs being sold in the well-protected website apparently operating for just a few months.

Nintendo says server breached, no data lost

 

TOKYO – Nintendo was targeted in a recent online data attack, but no personal or company information was lost, the Japanese maker of the Wii game console said Sunday.
The server of an affiliate of Nintendo Co.'s U.S. unit was accessed unlawfully a few weeks ago, but there was no damage, company spokesman Ken Toyoda said.
"There were no third-party victims," Toyoda said, while declining to elaborate. "But it is a fact there was some kind of possible hacking attack."
The damage from what could be a recent spate of such data breaches targeting big-name brands was more serious at rival Sony Corp.
Sony has said massive personal information, including email addresses, names and birth dates, and involving more than 100 million users, is suspected of having been stolen after security was compromised in April for its network service for the PlayStation 3 game machine, for other online services and, in the past week, from Sony Pictures' website.
It is still unclear who is behind the attacks at Sony or Nintendo, based in Kyoto.
Hackers calling themselves Lulz Security — a reference to the Internetspeak for "laugh out loud"_ have recently boasted of compromising more than 1 million users' personal information.
Tokyo-based Sony has said it is strengthening security measures. It has contacted the FBI and other authorities for an investigation into the cyber attacks.

HTC Sensation 4G for T-Mobile benchmark tests

T-Mobile customers have something to be absolutely excited about, especially when they’re going to soon be able to grasp yet another  dual-core processor packing handset in the carrier’s offering with the upcoming HTC Sensation 4G. Indeed sensational on so many levels, even more when it’s packing some improved hardware under the hood versus some other recent offerings, the 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor combined with 768MB of RAM that it’s packing should make the experience more than acceptable.

In terms of user experience thus far, we undoubtedly satisfied since it exhibits a reasonable amount of responsiveness with various actions – such as opening up apps, navigating across its homescreen, and kinetic scrolling. Coughing up some astonishingly nice looking 3D visuals with its interface, there’s no arguing that the CPU is chugging along to provide a satisfactory experience, but as always, we’re sure there are some people curious to know what kind of results it’ll dish up with certain benchmark apps.

With that in mind, we first decided to run the Quadrant Benchmark app where it manages to obtain scores between 1,914 and 2,311 – though admirable, it’s not mind blowing compared to some other handsets we’ve checked out. Additionally, we ran the AuTutu Benchmark app and it dishes out an overall score of 3,247. Again, it’s considerably better than the average, but nothing extravagant to position it as a true competitor to things like the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Quadrant Benchmark Results

AnTutu Benchmark Results

Regardless of that, the performance it’s exhibiting so far proves itself since it’s not slowing down to hinder the overall operation of the handset. Furthermore, combining the fact that Sense is featuring some serious looking visuals compared to the competition, it’s nice to see that the processor is keeping up in presenting us with a responsive experience thus far.

HTC Sensation 4G for T-Mobile Unboxing

Across the big pond, our friends are getting situated with the HTC Sensation 4G as we speak, but T-Mobile customers will soon have the chance to check out what all the ruckus is all about with this refreshingly new handset. Expected to launch June 15th for the customary 2-year contract price of $199.99, it’s seemingly going to make some waves thanks to its intriguing design and updated HTC Sense experience.

Much like most of the previous 5 or so high-end Android smartphones for T-Mobile, like the T-Mobile G2x and Sidekick 4G, the retail packaging with the HTC Sensation 4G follows in the same path. Naturally, an image of the handset prominently graces the box with the T-Mobile and HTC Sensation 4G names all present throughout its sides. Moreover, we’re presented with some noteworthy specifications in the rear to get people drooling about this high-caliber smartphone. Inside though, there isn’t anything particularly exciting since it’s packed along with the usual set of items – like the micro USB cable, wall charger, stereo headphones with clip & ear buds, and an appropriate quick start guide.

Not deviating from the wonderful design and construction that we saw with the European model, T-Mobile’s version is absolutely identical except for the distinguishable T-Mobile branding found near its earpiece. Aside from that, everything else remains absolutely the same, which isn’t a bad thing at all considering it’s top-notch in many ways. With the 4G moniker on board for the ride, it’s enabled to work with Big Magenta’s acceptably fast HSPA+ network – so expect web surfing to be fun and swift.

Undeniably at the top of the ladder amongst the current crop, the HTC Sensation 4G features a 4.3” qHD Super LCD display, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 processor, 768MB RAM, 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with dual-LED flash, full 1080p video recording, VGA front-facing camera, 8GB microSD card, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, aGPS. In terms of software, it’s running the latest version of HTC’s popular Sense UI running on top of Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread. Of course, we’ll be checking it out extensively to see how it handles, but in the meantime, you can watch our unboxing video below. In addition, if you’re curious about the European model, please check out our review – but expect our in-depth review of T-Mobile’s version soon!

Amazon offers great deals on handsets for new Verizon customers

From now until June 8th, Amazon is offering special prices on handsets to new Verizon customers. Imagine paying just 1 cent for the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY. Of course, you will have to sign a 2-year contract and you cannot be a current Big Red customer.

The handsets on sale from Amazon are not the aging phones of yesteryear, but include some of the most recent devices that have been launched by the carrier. For example, the Samsung DROID Charge is just $149.99 for new Verizon customers from the online retailer. Verizon offers the model for $299.99 with a 2 year contract and Amazon's regular price for the model is $199.99. The dual-core powered Motorola DROID X2 and the LTE enabled HTC ThunderBolt are both just $99.99 through Amazon while the HTC DROID Incredible 2, normally $79.99 through Amazon, is just $49.99 for new Verizon account holders, as is the HTC Trophy. Finally, the LG Revolution has a $149.99 price tag at Amazon for those just signing up with the carrier..

If you have been thinking of leaving your current carrier for Verizon, why pay more for a new phone? With deals like these from Amazon, we would imagine that Verizon will be opening more than just a few new accounts until Wednesday is over and the prices revert back to their higher level.

source: IntoMobile

Until June 8th, new Verizon customers can pick up a Motorola DROID X2 for just $99.99 with a 2 year contract from Amazon

Samsung Exhibit 4G and Samsung Gravity SMART to launch from T-Mobile on June 22nd

Just the other day, we reported that sometime this month, T-Mobile would be launching two new Android models,the Samsung Exhibit 4G and the Samsung Gravity SMART, for the budget conscious smartphone buyer. Today. both T-Mobile and Samsung announced that the pair will be launched on June 22nd across all of the carrier's sales channels.

For a price of $79.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and a signed 2-year contract on a qualifying plan, the Samsung Exhibit 4G offers many features that you would see on a much more expensive phone. With a 1GHz processor, single-core of course, and a 3.7 inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, the Exhibit 4G is a perfect handset for the first-time smartphone owner. And while many higher priced models are launching with Android 2.2 aboard, the Exhibit 4G will have Android 2.3.3 under the hood.

The only place where the manufacturer skimped a bit is on the 3MP camera, but then again, there is a VGA front-facing camera on the model. And the phone does have HSPA+ connectivity with theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21Mbps which explains the "4G" next to its name. The device is available in violet or black and comes with T-Mobile T.V. and the Samsung Media Hub which offers downloads of movies and television shows.

If you are looking for a messaging device or a phone with specs a little lower down the scale, you can save $10 by purchasing the Samsung Gravity SMART. Available at T-Mobile stores in Berry Red and Sapphire Blue for $69.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and a signed 2-year pact on a qualifying plan, you will get an Android phone loaded with Froyo and equipped with a 3.2 inch screen. Heavy texters will have a choice of using the slideout landscape QWERTY keyboard, the stock Android keyboard that comes with Android 2.2, or the pre-installed swipe to type application Swype. Group text is also featured. If you don't mind owning the phone in Lunar Gray, you can purchase the Gravity SMART for just $29.99 online after rebate and with your John Hancock on a 2 year contract. Again, you must agree to a qualifying voice and data plan.

Who says that you have to spend a ton of money to get a loaded phone? The Samsung Exhibit 4G offers many of the same features that you will find on handsets costing 2 or 3 times its price. And the Samsung Gravity SMART features three different ways to type accurate texts and emails for a price as low as $29.99.

source: TmoNews

T-Mobile will launch the Samsung Exhibit 4G and the Samsung Gravity SMART on June 22nd

Google ad gives away BlackBerry Bold 9930's launch on Verizon

Just the other day, we reported that the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and Torch 9850 would be coming to Sprint. Verizon customers could be excused for being a bit jealous about the former device, which is seen as perhaps RIM's last chance to come close to Apple and Android. To understand why, you need to go back in time to the Summer of 2008 when RIM launched the BlackBerry Bold 9000.

Back then, as hard as it to believe now, Android wasn't even a tiny speck of dust in the smartphone ecosystem and the Apple iPhone had very few challengers except for a few featurephones like the LG Voyager on Verizon. When the Bold 9000 was launched, the squarish form factor made the device feel great in hand and allowed RIM to feature a QWERTY keyboard that was large enough to be considered one of the best physical keyboards on a handset-a distinction that it might still own to this day. But with one eye squarely on the iPhone, Bold 9000 owners could only wish for a touchscreen and a Safari-type browser on the handset.

Back to present day, RIM has not been able to come up with a device to challenge Apple. Even worse for the company, thanks to the Motorola DROID invasion in late 2009, Android has grown to become the monolith it now is and is just as much a challenger to RIM as Apple is-if not more. RIM's attempt to capture some of the touchscreen market with the BlackBerry Storm was a flop and the BlackBerry Torch did not have the specs to compete (although the Torch 2 will apparently have the chops, as we just reported). So RIM took the body and QWERTY of the BlackBerry Bold 9000 and added a 2.8 inch touchscreen, a new OS and what the manufacturer calls "the industry's best browser" and has come up with the BlackBerry Bold 9930 (the Bold 9900 is the GSM variant). All of the specs are in place to make this a major challenger to the Double A pair of Apple and Android.

This Google ad reveals that the BlackBerry Bold 9930 is coming to Verizon

And that brings us to Verizon customers who might have felt a pang of jealousy when they read that Sprint would get the BlackBerry Bold 9930. But those using Big Red as their mobile carrier have nothing to fear because recently an ad popped up on Google that says, "Bold Touchscreen-Verizon's BlackBerry Bold is ready to run. Online orders ship free". Sounds like someone might have jumped the gun. But at least, Verizon customers can relax, knowing that this honest-to-goodness beast from RIM is coming their way.

source: Crackberry

Apple hires the developer of MobileNotifier app; future versions of iOS could benefit

MobileNotifier is an app for the Apple iPhone that offers, "iOS notifications done right". It is similar to the notifications bar on the BlackBerry 6 OS. The lead developer of the app, Peter Hajas, has seemingly been hired by Apple. Obviously, the guys in Cupertino are planning to incorporate a similar style of notification system in an upcoming iOS build.

Hajas recently announced that he was taking a break from MobileNotifier for awhile. When pressed for a reason, he simply retorted that it would be worth it for him to leave, saying that, "if you look around hard enough, you'll probably figure it out." He then signed the post, "Until then, stay hungry and stay foolish", which is a comment made by Apple CEO Steve Jobs during his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford.

Perhaps the best clue was a tweet written by Hajas that was discovered by Redmond Pie. It says, "@brittaahh I’m glad you like it! I’ll see what I can do :) I will be back for a few weeks, then I’m off to work in CA at a “fruit” company." Unless there are some new tech companies named Grapes or Banana in California, it is safe to assume that Hajas will be toiling for Apple. On a list of employers, he names Apple as his place of employment as an intern from May of 2011 to present. Why an intern position? It is said to be how things work at Cupertino with new hires given that title until it is seen how they mesh with current employees before given the key to the bathroom.

source: MobileCrunch

Intel's Oak Trail chipset scores disappointing benchmark results

Friday at Computex, Intel displayed a prototype tablet made by Compal that had Intel Inside. The Intel 1.5GHz Atom Z670 Oak Trail processor with 1GB of RAM, was combined with a GPU based on the PowerVR SGX535. While it all sounds potent, the tablet's score on several benchmark tests was disappointing.

The guys at Tweakers.net put the tablet prototype through several benchmark tests such as CaffeineMark, Linpack, and Quadrant. In those tests, the tablet with Intel Inside finished behind other Android flavored tablets like the  Acer A500 Iconia Tab, and the Samsung Galaxy 10.1. For example, on the Linpack test,Tegra 2 packing tablets scored about 36 MFLOPS compared to the 9.4 MFLOPS tally produced by the Intel powered prototype. On the other hand, the results of the SunSpider benchmark had the Intel powered prototype tablet in first place, ahead of the Asus Eee Transformer Pad, showing that at least, the Intel chips can process JavaScript quickly.

Overall, the test scores were not great news for a company trying to break into a market that already has two proven brands with Nvidia's Tegra 2 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors. And there is also TI's OMAP4 series to contend with. Intel has to make up a lot of ground for the Oak Trail to be a player in this market.

source: Tweakers.net (Translated) via AndroidandMe

Latest comScore survey shows further progress for Android over the last 3 months

According to the latest survey from comScore, Android continues to add to its leading marketshare in the U.S. smartphone market. Google's open source OS added 5.2% from the last survey to have a 36.4% share of the market. Apple's iOS gained 1.2% over the same period to finish with 26% of the U.S. market. The survey counted smartphone users 13 years old and higher living in the United States.

The quarter's biggest loser was the BlackBerry platform. For the latest period, RIM lost 4.7% which dropped the company to third in the survey from the last report's second place figure. As of April, the firm had a 25.6% share of U.S. smartphone platforms, down from January's 30.4%. Rounding out the top 5, Microsoft dropped 1.3% to control 6.7% of the market and webOS dropped 6% to own a 2.6% share.

The top cellphone OEM in the U.S. (for owners 13 years old or higher) during the three month period ending in April was Samsung. The Korean based company had 24.5% of the U.S handset market, a small .4% drop from January. Countrymate LG was second with a 20.9% share, basically flat from the prior survey. Despite a .9% decline over the three months of the report, Motorola finished in third with 15.6% of the pie. Fourth place Apple controlled 8.3% of the U.S. handset market, up from 7% in the January survey while RIM dropped .4% to finish fifth with an 8.2% share, right behind Apple.

The report from comScore also shows that text messaging was used by a whopping 68.8% of U.S. cellphone owners age 13 and higher. 39 out of every 100 cellphone owners used the browser while 37.8% used downloaded apps. Somewhat surprising, only 28% visited a social networking site or a blog, while 26.2% played games on their phone. Just 18% used their handset to listen to music.

source: comScore via AndroidGuys