Google+Facebook+iPhone: 09/28/11

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

New iPhones, iPods reportedly in Apple's retail system

While we're less than a week out from Apple taking the wraps off the next version of the iPhone, new models--yes you read that right, models--of the company's portable devices are already said to be in its inventory system.

Citing new information from frequent part leaking source "Mr. X," 9to5mac reports that two new iPhones have appeared in the company's inventory system alongside three new iPod Touch models.

Before getting too excited, 9to5Mac says the new models are marked with the hardware identifier "N90A" as opposed to the current iPhone 4's "N90" designation, and could very well be 8GB variations of the existing iPhone meant for entry-level buyers.

As for the iPods, the three new units carry the "N81A" identifier, which the outlet suggests could merely be to designate new white models. That's compared to the "N81" marking on Apple's existing iPod Touch models, which are only available in black.

Notably missing is a set of model numbers for a new iPhone line. At next week's event, Apple is largely expected to launch a successor to the iPhone 4 that improves on the older model with a faster processor, a better camera, and a thinner design.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20112893-248/new-iphones-ipods-reportedly-in-apples-retail-system/#ixzz1ZK3ClZZg

ZTE unveils Tania Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone

Today ZTE announced the launch of a new Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" powered smartphone, the Tania. The new Tania features a large 4.3-inch, WVGA resolution touchscreen and a 1GHz processor.

ZTE is also quick to point out that the Tania features built-in 3D graphics acceleration and comes equipped with a 5 megapixel autofocus camera and 4GB of internal storage. HSPA+ data connections should ensure that the Tania downloads files and web pages at a good clip, and there's also Wi-Fi support for those times when the carrier's network isn't available or reliable.

Few other details are available at this time, but ZTE, Microsoft's sole Chinese partner for Windows Phone smartphones, suggests that the Tania will be available in a number of European markets later this year.

Source:http://www.mobileburn.com/news.jsp?Id=16800

Future of smartphone apps in HTML?

Native smartphone applications may be a thing of the past due to the advent of HTML5. According to a recent study by A.T. Kearney, the global strategy consultancy, HTML5 will revolutionise the apps market, addressing some significant flaws from both a consumer and economic perspective.

The report found that there are two structural limitations with the native apps boom – both from a demand and supply perspective. For consumers, accessing content and services through apps is limited in comparison to the relative freedom of browsing the internet. In addition, consumers are likely to grow tired of having to update (or even repurchase) apps when they change their smartphone or tablet.

Widespread support for the new standard suggests that most digital services and content for mobile phones will eventually be delivered via HTML5 browser-based apps. From a developers’ perspective, using HTML5 could dramatically reduce the time they spend coding, as one app will run across multiple platforms.

HTML5 will work with any online payment technology, enabling developers or content companies to provide customers with a choice of payment methods. It will allow developers to embed links to specific web pages into specific parts of an app, a technique which can be particularly useful for promotions and advertising. This “deep linking” has not been easy to do in native apps. In contrast, HTML5 will open up the range of distribution channels and loosens the grip on the closed OS-centric stores.

Laurent Viviez, vice president and head of A.T. Kearney’s Southern African telecoms business, says “HTML5 could rewrite the rules on app development – it’s potentially a massive game changer.”

Content providers and developers may come to regard HTML5 as a mixed blessing. Whilst HTML5 will reduce their reliance on the current OS platforms, it may intensify competition even further by lowering barriers to entry.

Viviez says “HTML5 has the same strengths that made the web (which is built on previous HTML versions) so successful, but it also supports the seamless integration of Flash-style media and interactivity, coupled with offline capabilities. These attributes make HTML5 apps more robust in areas with bad mobile coverage or no connectivity. HTML5 is likely to continue to enjoy broad support from across the telecoms, media and technology sectors. Moreover it may also help reduce the commoditisation risks for device manufacturers by enabling them to create better customer experience to produce a distinctive user interface.”

Mobile Security Responds to Smartphone Breaches

Computer security companies are beginning to offer smartphone protections to concerned consumers, as a the rising trend in mobile phone hacks, viruses and malware causes greater data insecurity.

McAfee introduced a three-in-one protection service for smartphones, tablets and computers, following Juniper Networks' security partnership with AT&T and Lookout's $40 million more in funding to build virus-scanning mobile apps.

All three security companies are moving into the mobile realm alongside others like Symantec, Sophos and AVG, spurred by consumer anxiety at the increasing number of viruses and malware seeking to infiltrate smartphones.

The DroidDream virus that hit the Android Marketplace tricked people into downloading it by masquerading as a legitimate app. GGTracker signed smartphone users up for a costly text messaging plan without their approval, while the Zeus Trojan virus sought tosteal people's online banking passwords.

These examples are only a handful of the numerous malware and virus variations plaguing the mobile market, which platform creators and software developers are struggling to remove.

Google says it regularly removes infected apps and malware from its Marketplace, but Android is the fastest-growing mobile platform on the market and, as the past suggests, the search giant may be having trouble keeping up with hackers.

Microsoft, Samsung expand smartphone partnership

Microsoft and Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that they also will work together to develop and market Microsoft's Windows Phone software. The deal, which is likely to help Microsoft gain more exposure for the Windows Phone, comes a year and a half after the company signed a similar deal with HTC, which was also reached without filing lawsuits.

Financial terms were not disclosed, though Evercore Partners analyst Kirk Materne said the amount Microsoft will likely get per phone is "fairly low." More importantly, he said the Redmond, Wash., company is working to boost its relationships with phone manufacturers so that it is at an advantage when it comes out with its own operating system.

Microsoft is scrambling to build a mobile version of Windows that will be more widely embraced in the smartphone market, where it has fallen behind Google's Android as well as Apple's iPhone operating system.

For Samsung, the deal likely means that the company recognizes that once Google bought Motorola., "where Android was going to go longer-term was changing," Materne said. In other words, diversifying what operating system its phones run could only be a positive now that the company behind Android owns one of its competitors.

"The deal helps cover their bases," Materne said.

Study: Apple Could Regain Smartphone Market Share Lead with iPhone 5

A new study predicts that 41 percent of all North American mobile users plan to buy an iPhone 5 - assuming there is one, of course.

With the announcement of Apple's next-generation iPhone launch, analysts and analytics firms are going crazy trying to assess who might be in the market for the new phone. InMobi, an independent ad network, commissioned a survey asking users how likely they would be to purchase an iPhone 5.

InMobi found that over half of those users who intend to buy an iPhone 5 will do so within six months. If that's true, then Apple's smartphone share could climb from 27 percent, as measured by comScore in June, to 41 percent, InMobi said, placing it on par with Android, which recorded a 41.8 percent share in June. (That assumes that all of the additional users would be pulled from other mobile OS platforms, eliminating any overlap by Apple-to-Apple purchasers.)

However, the InMobi study also found that 51 percent of all Blackberry users will ditch that platform entirely, shifting over to the new Apple iPhone 5, with 27 percent of all Android users following suit. About half of the current iPhone user base will upgrade, the survey found.

The study is the second to try and determine consumer preference; last week, iPhone in Canada attempted to answer the question, concluding that close to half (46 percent) of iPhone owners plan to upgrade, and summarizing the rest of its findings in an infographic. Nielsen also reported this weekthat consumers are still choosing Android.
Read more at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393748,00.asp#fbid=TdLJUPzN0H4

AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II goes on sale Oct. 2 for $199.99. eWEEK compared it to Sprint's Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch. Read on to learn some of the differences.

AT&T's (NYSE:T) Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone, which I've had the pleasure of using as my primary phone for the last several days, will launch Oct. 2 for $199.99.

Normally, I would do a full-review, but the device is certainly the baby brother toSprint's Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch smartphone, which launched Sept. 16 for $199.99 and which I reviewed earlier this month. I also created this gallery of AT&T and Sprint's S II models.

Both phones run Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android 2.3.4 "Gingerbread" operating system and both share a lot of the same attributes under the hood.

AT&T's S II is a touch lighter and leaner, at 0.35 inches thin, compared with the 0.38 inches of Sprint's S II, and 4.3 ounces compared with 4.6 ounces for the Epic 4G Touch. Both phones are black and feature the same textured plastic back.

With a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) Plus display, AT&T's unit felt more comfortable in my hand than Sprint's gadget, whose 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen I found difficult to grip. The 4.3-inch screen is as high as I would go in a smartphone.

Like Sprint's S II, AT&T's model is powered by a 1.2GHz, dual-core processor, whose speed improvement over existing 1GHz dual-core chips was noticeable. Both phones are 4G-capable, though only Sprint's 4G WiMAX network was available to me; combined with the souped-up chip, the phone deftly processed YouTube content and rendered Web pages much faster.

Both handsets use Samsung's TouchWiz user interface technology, which renders widgets and other tools completely customizable across the 7 home screens.

Both devices are motion-activation-capable. Users may hold two fingers on either phone and tilt to enlarge or shrink browser screen size, or press and hold on a screen to access Vlingo's Voice Talk speech-recognition software, which will let users text, email and do searches by speaking into the phone.

Motorola Photon 4G tech specs with dual core processor and Android OS

The Motorola Photon 4G Android smartphone arrived just a couple of months ago on Sprint 4G WiMAX network, and retails for $99 with a two-year activation. Offering WiMAX, CDMA and GSM connectivity, the Motorola Photon 4G has the ability to access 3G networks whatever the Sprint 4G network is out of reach. Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network also delivers the ability to simultaneously access voice and data. This means that during a voice call you do not have to hang up the phone to surf the web, download apps for access any data you may need.

The display Motorola used to design the Motorola Photon 4G is a 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen with 540 x 960 pixel resolution. Standard multitouch gestures are supported and used to navigate the touch screen, and light and proximity sensors are integrated into the display, which is topped off with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass which provides anti-scratch protection. The Motorola Photon 4G arrives in typical Android candybar form, at average size and above average weight. The handset measures 5.00 x 2.63 x 0.48 inches (126.9 x 66.9 x 12.2 mm) in size, and weighs 5.57 ounces (158 g), slightly heavier than the 4.4 ounce smartphone average.

Box teams with Motorola; will be preloaded on Xoom worldwide

The Honeycomb-based slate rolled out earlier this year, but it’s not the first tablet or device to come preloaded with the Box cloud app.

Box already has a close relationship with HP as the Box app was one of the first (and only) available apps on the HP TouchPad, which included 50GB of free lifetime storage.

Kathy Chou, vice president of strategy and operations at Hewlett-Packard, also announced at the BoxWorks 2011 keynote on Tuesday morning that HP business PCs will soon start shipping with Box apps pre-loaded on shipments starting with SMBs in North America, and there are plans to expand globally.

But the mobile route really fits with Box’s strategy more. Box’s cloud structure is ideal for enterprises and consumers who want cloud storage for remaining productive from anywhere, even if it’s just by hitting a few taps on a touchscreen.

Box also announced several other partnerships during the keynote, including with VMware, Ping Security and integration for Salesforce Chatter.

Jason Ruger, senior director of IT strategy and security, posited that the consumerization of IT and the 4G connection speed of the Motorola Xoom is what makes Box.com an ideal app on the tablet.

Connected by Facebook, Islanders Prospect Joins Fans for Night of Roller Hockey

Shawn Shea, a 29-year-old engineer from Amityville on Long Island, was looking for a few players for a pickup roller hockey game last month. Then he remembered that he was Facebook friends with Kirill Kabanov, the skilled right wing from Russia the Islanders selected in the third round of the 2010 draft.

“I figured,” Shea said, “it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

The Facebook messaging between fan and potential world-class ringer went like this:

Shea: “We’re playing in Massapequa Park.”

Kabanov: “I don’t have roller skates.”

Shea: “You don’t need them. Come on down anyway if you can.”

Kabanov: “Ok. I’ll come for sure.”

Shea was stunned. The Islanders’ prospect not only signed on, but gave the impromptu event a little publicity by updating his Facebook status with his plans for the night.

Suddenly, what Shea envisioned as a little 3-on-3 with pals at Marjorie Post Park became something none of the 30 participants and a few dozen surprised spectators would ever forget.

“We couldn’t believe what a gentleman Kirill was,” said Michael D’Andrea, a 36-year-old from Elmont who is a music therapist by day, DJ at night and amateur goaltender in his spare time. “From the moment he got there, Kirill was posing for photos on everyone’s phones, signing autographs, talking hockey, high-fiving kids. The whole night was incredible.”

Facebook PAC raises political profile for 2012

Social networking giant Facebook is expanding its political footprint, confirming that it has filed the necessary paperwork to open a political action committee in advance of the 2012 elections.

The move is the latest in a series of maneuvers boosting the Palo Alto company's political profile in recent years, joining a steady rise in lobbying spending, several high-profile fundraisers and the failed statewide candidacy of one of its key officers for attorney general last year.

News of the Facebook PAC was confirmed earlier this week by congressional newspaper the Hill, which noted that the company registered two domain names - FBPAC.org and FBPAC.us - that were intended for the committee's use.

Much like Microsoft and Google before it, Facebook's meteoric rise has been followed by a boost in political activity across the board.

Federal records show the company has more than tripled its federal lobbying spending since 2009, from about $200,000 to more than $730,000 this year. Much of Facebook's recent lobbying activity has focused on net neutrality and privacy issues.

The company also has added a number of key political players to its bench in recent months. Sheryl Sandberg, who served as chief of staff for the Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton, joined Facebook as chief operating officer in 2008. She held a fundraiser for President Obama this week at her home in Atherton, where Lady Gaga was among the attendees.

Other key political hires have included former George W. Bush administration official Joel Kaplan, who was hired to lead the company's Washington, D.C., offices, and Tucker Bounds, who ran communications for former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's failed gubernatorial bid last year.

The company has expanded its footprint in Sacramento, too, spending more than $50,000 on lobbying through the first two quarters of this year and nearly $80,000 last year, when it hired its first state-level lobbyist.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/27/MNLS1LAAJA.DTL#ixzz1ZK0sXMhz

Taleo Helps Facebook Users Realize Their Full Potential in Today's Job Market

DUBLIN, CA, Sep 28, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- There's something new for professionals to "Like" on Facebook -- a way to build their reputations among peers and top companies by using authentic feedback on their skills and abilities to create a unique view into who they are and what they have to offer.

The new feature is available only to users of Talent Exchange from Taleo CorporationTLEO -3.00% , the global leader of SaaS-based Talent Management solutions. Talent Exchange for Facebook is an implementation of Taleo's open online marketplace where more than 5,000 companies can connect with candidates.

Leveraging the popularity of tagging among Facebook's 750 million users, Talent Exchange adds analysis and rankings that people can use to help them get ahead in the job market. In Talent Exchange, friends and colleagues can tag a user's profile with short feedback on that person's skill set, strengths and work ethic. Taleo then analyzes and ranks each user's feedback and network activity so individuals can measure how they compare with peers in their field. Talent Exchange also uses game-style features like badges and leader boards to encourage users to tag more often, which in turn leads to more comprehensive rankings. The new features are available to everyone who joins Talent Exchange, whether through Facebook or directly at talentexchange.com.

Talent Exchange also helps give professionals a head start on their next career move by exposing their reputation and marketplace ranking directly to recruiters and hiring managers who work daily in Taleo's recruiting software. And as soon as a hiring need is created by a Taleo customer, that opportunity is immediately available on Talent Exchange. This gives Talent Exchange users a first look at the latest job openings, often before they're posted elsewhere.

Ex- Facebook exec leads $17M investment in Yammer

SAN FRANCISCO

Yammer, a startup that helps companies build their own social networks, has gained the financial backing of a former Facebook executive.

Chamath Palihapitiya, who left Facebook three months ago, led a $17 million investment in Yammer through his Social+Capital Partnership fund. Three of Yammer's earlier investors -- Charles River Ventures, Emergence Capital and U.S. Venture Partners -- also participated in the funding announced Tuesday.

With the latest infusion, Yammer has now raised a total of $57 million since it was co-founded three years ago by David Sacks, who helped take online payment service PayPal public in 2002. A few months later, eBay Inc. bought PayPal for $1.5 billion.

Sacks is trying to strike it rich again with Yammer, one of several companies that are developing tools designed to allow a company's employees, customers and partners share information the way friends and families do on Facebook's online hangout. Yammer's competition includes Jive Software Inc., which is trying to raise at least $100 million in an initial public offering of stock, and Salesforce.com Inc., which already runs a highly successful business software service.

"Social networking is destined to have as significant an impact on the enterprise as it has already had in our personal lives," predicted Palihapitiya, who served as a vice president in various roles at Facebook.

Yammer, which is based in San Francisco, says it has more than 3 million users from a list of companies that include Ford Motor Co., Orbitz Worldwide Inc. and 7-Eleven.

Sacks said Yammer didn't need to raise more money but decided to take the cash because it was a way to give Palihapitiya an "observer's seat" on the company's board of directors.

Make Facebook Look More Like MySpace With Timeline Cover Photos From FBCovers

Last week, Facebook introduced one of the boldest makeovers to the Facebook profile page since the company’s launch with the new Facebook Timeline. The updated profile provides a deeper look into your past, with navigation that lets you time travel back through the previous months and years spent on Facebook.

The most noticeable and eye-catching change to your Facebook profile, however, is not the Timeline navigation – it’s the large banner-sized photo that’s displayed at the top of the page where, as of today, a series of smaller profile pictures appear. But what if you don’t have a good photo to feature there? That’s where the newly launched Cover photo resource at MyFBCovers comes in.

To be clear, we’re not exactly recommending this site, which is buggy, ad-filled and whose Facebook app requests permission to send you emails. Instead, MyFBCovers offers a somewhat frightening look into the future of Facebook’s design.

Essentially, MyFBCovers is a wallpaper site for Facebook Timeline Cover photos. It’s not entirely remarkable in and of itself, and will likely be just one of many similar sites to appear. But it’s one of the first out of the gate, targeting those of you experimenting with the developer build of the Facebook Timeline. (And we know you are).

The site provides two styles of banners. The first style offers the traditional, wallpaper-esque photos featuring animals, cartoon images, nature scenes, sports, schools, companies, celebs, and dozens of other categories. The other style lets you build banners containing a collage of photos from your own Facebook albums.

Facebook media apps raise privacy concerns

Privacy campaigners have warned that Facebook is not making users sufficiently aware of how it plans to use a mass of information, including their reading and listening habits, that it will collect from new entertainment and media applications.

Changes to the site unveiled last week mean that advertisers are looking at ways to use Facebook members’ activities as endorsements that can be placed in ads and shown to their friends on the site.High quality global journalism requires investment.

Facebook has not ruled out harnessing data on its users’ activity from independent websites and services for marketing, and some inside the company indicated last week that this was its intention, but the company says it has not yet started work on this area.

A similarly gradual approach was taken last year when Facebook launched its Like button, which was not initially used to target ads but now plays a central role in creating “Sponsored Stories”, one of its most popular ad formats.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, last week made what he called “frictionless sharing” the centrepiece of his speech at f8, the company’s annual developer conference. By integrating applications from media companies more closely into Facebook, actions such as reading an article on a news site or listening to a song are automatically transmitted to all of a user’s friends, provided the user has first granted permission to the app.

The New Facebook: How to Take Control of Your Privacy

Facebook took a huge step toward ubiquitous sharing with itsnew timeline and sharing features. And it rightfully creeps some people out.

Not everybody wants to share their life story on their profile, see their friends’ activities in real time or have their preferences in music, movies and reading shared as they’re consuming media.

But to Facebook’s credit, it has tread into a new level of sharing with some caution. In many ways, its privacy settings are more accessible. A new private activity log, for instance, allows you to review all past activity in one place to easily hide it from your Facebook Timeline, change the privacy setting on individual stories or delete posts altogether.

If you’re bothered by some new features, however, it might take a couple of clicks that are less than intuitive to opt out of them. Here’s how to avoid three of the new Facebook’s potential privacy concerns.

The Contradiction Of Google And Facebook

For the last three years I've listened to the debate about whether Facebook will be around and still dominant in 10 years. If you'd asked me the question last month, my answer would have been yes. However, if you asked me that question anytime this past week, my response would have changed -- dramatically.

Facebook is simply making too many mistakes. Its principals seem to have attended the same professional schooling that birthed the CEO of Netflix, or Qwikster, or whatever they call themselves this week. Facebook changes its privacy policy like I change Pearl Jam T-shirts on a weekend. Facebook folk futz with the interface of my news feed, adding triangles and squares and call-outs. They change the parameters of whose posts will show up in my news feed at a whim and without my consent, forcing me to uncover cleverly hidden ways to return the feed to its original appearance. They cease sending me updates on when people post on my page, making me miss important information. In sum, they attack my habits as well as invade my privacy in a way that doesn't foster much loyalty or allegiance.

Google has been the exact opposite. Google folk don't change the interface: it's a search box (it took 10 years for me to be able to put a picture on that page). They add features in beta and test them for years before they roll them out to everyone. Search results may be updated on a regular basis with slight tweaks to the algorithm, but in such subtle ways to truly offer refined value to the consumer without causing mass hysteria. When Google does do something big, it tells you about it and offers you the chance to prepare and ease into it. When Facebook makes a change, it's summarily adopted overnight and that's that. You have no say in the matter.

What's truly most disturbing, and what cannot be forgiven (most of the issues above are basically changes in design and can be forgiven) is that Facebook messes with privacy and Google rarely does. Facebook's means of generating revenue is by guessing who I am and what I like based on what I post. It's implied targeting. Google's means of generating revenue comes from stated requests for information. That's search targeting. Google does have a behavioral, privacy-threatening component in some of its mail ads, but for the most part they're still based on keywords and not by scraping personal data. It's still fundamentally targeting by content rather than audience. Google's hat is hung squarely on the hook of search, whereas Facebook's hat is hanging by a thread to the hook of privacy and inter-personal communications.

Google+ Closes in on LinkedIn, MySpace

Going public was probably a good thing for Google+, as a recent market research report shows its social media market share is closing in on LinkedIn and MySpace.

Market research company Experian Hitwise said Google+ saw a 1,269 percent increase in its social media market share last week.

"In just one week, Google+ went from ranking as 54th most visited site in our Social Networking and Forums category to 8th place," the researcher's stated.

Google+ had 15 million visits to its site the week of Sep. 24, raising its profile in the top 10 most popular social networking sites. That's a category ruled by Facebook, which had about 1.8 billion visits last week, according to Reuters.

Should Google+ continue to grow like this, it will be in a position knock down the likes of MySpace and Linkedin very soon. Facebook may be way out of reach for now as it has 750 million active users.

Google+ initially enticed mainly college students, who are deemed "early adopters," but is now attracting a wider population.

Reuters noted that the research company separated the consumers into "fun" groups. However, while Google+ was initially attractive to those in "Colleges and Cafés" and "University Town," it has grown to "Bohemian Groove" and "Hispanic Hospitality," the article stated.

An Experian Hitwise spokesperson told Reuters that the popularity of Google features such as Gmail, YouTube and search should lead to more people using the site.

Google Map Burglar Used Tech to Target Homes

Google Maps have helped countless individuals navigate driving directions, locate restaurants and or even go for a run.

One Chicago area criminal has been using the technology for more devious means.

Indian Head Park police say Samuel A. Watson, 33, has been using the convenient mapping technology to scout and case homes in upscale suburban neighborhoods.

Cops arrested Watson Friday at his South Side Chicago home, Friday, for his alleged role in a break-in in the Indian Head Park neighborhood.

The owner of the burglarized home picked him out of a line-up, police said. That homeowner allegedly confronted Watson when the would-be thief pried open a rear door of his home.

Now police say he Watson may have been involved in more than eight burglaries in the area.

After he was picked out of the line up, police said he confessed to how he cased the homes.

He would use Google Maps to select expensive homes along the highways and then turn on the satellite view and use the 360-degree view to get a better look.

“He typed in Google ‘expensive homes that run along highway’ … then he used Google Earth to zoom in on the streets,” said Sgt. Curt Novak.

Watson allegedly stole jewelry and other easily transported materials.

An apparent accomplice, Claude L. White, 45, helped police track down Watson, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

White was arrested during an alleged getaway from another theft. He was the passenger in an SUV that Watson was believed to be driving. The SUV crashed into a parked car and Watson allegedly fled on foot.

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Google-Map-Burglar-Used-Tech-to-Target-Homes-130702328.html#ixzz1ZJwVzz00

Irony Alert: Microsoft Profits From Each Google Gadget Rival Sells

Forget Windows Phone. Microsoft’s cash cow is actually Google’s Android.

The Windows giant is filling its coffers off of Google’s patent woes -- even as its own phone operating system struggles. Samsung, the second largest smartphone maker in the world, announced a patent licensing agreement with Microsoft on Wednesday that allows it to distribute phones running Google’s Android operating system.

The confusing three-way deal has a simple net effect: Microsoft will be paid a royalty for every Android-powered device Samsung sells -- tablets as well as phones.

The arrangement is similar to one made last year, when it was reported that another behemoth maker of Android-powered electronics, HTC, settled with Microsoft to the tune of $5 for every phone it sold.

Such wrangling over intellectual property disputes has been aptly called the “patent wars.”

“Together with the license agreement signed last year with HTC, today’s agreement with Samsung means that the top two Android handset manufacturers in the United States have now acquired licenses to Microsoft’s patent portfolio,” write Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith and deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez in a blog post.

“These two companies together accounted for more than half of all Android phones sold in the U.S. over the past year. That leaves Motorola Mobility, with which Microsoft is currently in litigation, as the only major Android smartphone manufacturer in the U.S. without a license.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/28/irony-alert-microsoft-profits-from-each-google-gadget-sold/#ixzz1ZJwF6f84

Google Expands Rooftop Solar Funding

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Google announced another investment in companies selling rooftop solar panels Tuesday, putting $75 million into a fund that solar contractors and designers can draw on to finance solar systems for homeowners.

Contractors get cheap financing from the fund and pay a commission from each sale.

Administered by Clean Power Finance, the fund allows installers and designers of solar power systems to offer their customers rooftop solar panels for little or no money down.

Then, instead of paying an electric bill to the power company, homeowners send a monthly payment to Clean Power Finance who passes the check along to Google.

Ultimately, Google owns the panels and is also able to take the various state, local and federal tax credits associated with them.

"This allows companies [like Google] to invest in a space that makes a lot of sense," said said Rick Needham, Google's head of green business. "It creates jobs, it puts clean energy onto rooftops, and it allows homeowners to pay lower bills."

The funding will put solar panels on 2,000 to 3,000 homes.

Clean Power Finance is a startup firm that runs a software platform connecting small solar installers with financing. It currently works with over 1,400 solar installers, and has received financial backing from by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Google Ventures and Claremont Creek Ventures.

Google is the second company to create a fund with Clean Power, but who the other investor involved is, and how much was invested in the first round of funding was not made public.

Read more: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/29316143/detail.html#ixzz1ZJw08btO

Larry Page talks Motorola Mobility, Google+ & Google’s biggest obstacle

Page made the pronouncement at Google’s annual Zeitgeist conference for partners. He took to the stage to address the audience on the company’s future and was later joined by Google’s Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, for a round of questions.

Page addressed the company’s latest acquisition and assured the audience that the US$12.5-billion deal to buy handset maker Motorola Mobility doesn’t represent a new era of risk-taking for the search giant.

The 38-year-old emphasises that the acquisition is an example of Google making “significant investments” to drive growth of its business.

The deal which is currently facing antitrust review, Page says will double Google’s workforce but not its market capitalisation.

“While it’s significant, it’s not doubling our market cap as much as we’d like it to,” Page said of the acquisition, Google’s largest to date. “It’s relatively small in that sense.”

“We’ve always strived to take those risks,” Page said in reference to Google’s US$1.6-billion acquisition of YouTube in 2006, which he says “was a great acquisition” with more than 3-billion playbacks day.

“One of the interesting things that we’ve noticed is that companies correlate on decision-making and speed of decision-making,” Page said. “There are basically no companies that have good slow decisions. There are only companies that have good fast decisions. So I think that’s also a natural thing as companies get bigger, they tend to slow down decision-making. And that’s pretty tragic.”

Microsoft to skim Samsung Android takings

Samsung, one of the industry's biggest Android device makers, will pay Microsoft a royalty for every handset it ships running Google's operating system.

The electronics giant will pay Microsoft as part of a licensing agreement announced Wednesday, that will also see Samsung licence Microsoft's patents with Redmond agreeing not to prosecute Samsung.

As per usual in such deals, Microsoft did not say which patents are being licensed or how much Samsung - maker of the Galaxy Tab - is paying Microsoft.

Earlier this year it was reported Microsoft and Samsung were in negotiations, with Microsoft wanting $15 per device loaded with Android. Samsung kicked it down to $10.

Announcing the Samsung deal Wednesday Microsoft wasted no time in flagging up how Motorola Mobile is the only major Android smart phone manufacturer in the US without a licence with Redmond.

Microsoft is currently in litigation with Motorola Mobile, which is being bought by Google for $12.5bn, over claimed patent violations in Android.

Samsung and HTC are the industry's two largest makes of Android-based smartphones and fondleslabs, and Microsoft boxed HTC to an identical licensing agreement in April 2010.

Between then and now Microsoft has signed up Acer, General Dynamics Itronix, Onkyo, Velocity Micro, ViewSonic and Wistron.

Microsoft, Samsung expand smartphone partnership

NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft and Samsung Electronics have agreed to cross-license one another's patent portfolios, with Microsoft getting royalties for the mobile phones and tablets Samsung sells that run Google Inc.'s Android operating system.

Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday that they also will work together to develop and market Microsoft's Windows Phone software, which is likely to increase exposure for the Windows Phone.

It's the seventh deal Microsoft has signed in the past three months with hardware makers that use Android for their smartphones and tablets, according to Brad Smith and Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's general counsel and deputy general counsel, who made the comment in a blog post. Other hardware makers it's working with include Acer and Onkyo, and a year and a half ago Microsoft signed a similar deal with HTC — all without filing lawsuits.

Financial terms were not disclosed, though Evercore Partners analyst Kirk Materne said Microsoft probably will get a "fairly low" amount per phone. More importantly, he said, the Redmond, Wash., company is bolstering its relationships with phone manufacturers so it has an advantage when it comes out with its own operating system.

Research firm IDC says Samsung was the No. 2 smartphone maker in the world in the second quarter, behind Apple Inc. Samsung's Galaxy phones, which propelled it to No. 2 from No. 4 in the smartphone market, run on Android.

Microsoft is scrambling to build a mobile version of Windows that will be more widely embraced in the smartphone market, where its operating system has fallen behind Android and Apple Inc.'s iPhone operating system.

Kristin Cavallari And Jay Cutler Getting Friendly On Twitter

A little more than two months ago, Kristin Cavallari was searching for a wedding dress and packing her bags to move to Chicago. She and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler had already selected a venue for their spring wedding, and many residents of the Windy City were openly discussing how long they thought the union would last. Then it all imploded. She was spotted out and about sans wedding ring, and rumors started to circulate that he unceremoniously dumped her over the phone. That prompted me to ask Pop Blend readers whether Jay Cutler was a jerk. Fifty-two percent responded in the affirmative, and I moved on, expecting never to discuss this couple again. Turns out I may have written them off too quickly. Never bet against the backslide.

For the past few days, the pair have been practically making out on Twitter. He’s been encouraging his followers to vote for her on Dancing With The Stars, and she’s been passing along pictures of herself in a Bears Sweater. I don’t know what more proof one could need, but in case you’re a skeptic, People is also reporting Cutler and Cavallari are back on. They don’t seem to have started making calls to see if the wedding location is still available, but a few more weeks of blissful togetherness, or non-togetherness in their case, might push them to that point. Sometimes all it takes is an extended absence to resolve trivial disagreements.

If this is what it takes for the Bears to get back on track, I’m all for it. The offense was bleeding weak sauce on Sunday. Maybe some stability will help right the ship. I’m all for professional athletes finding happiness, especially if that bliss adds tallies to the W column.

Source:http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/Kristin-Cavallari-Jay-Cutler-Getting-Friendly-Twitter-35489.html

Heidi the cross-eyed opossum dies, tributes on Twitter and Facebook

Heidi's fame sky-rocketed in December 2010 when the abandoned opossum was taken from Virginia in the US to Leipzig Zoo in Germany.

Once Heidi's visage became public thousands descended upon the zoo to visit the lovable little critter.

Twitter users posted their tributes Heidi in their hundreds today. Welovejamielaou tweeted: 'We went to the zoo where she was in summer. sooo cute <3', while ChesserC said: 'Saddest news all week. Germany's celebrity cross-eyed opossum, dies at three-and-a-half.'

Alienplants posted: ' RIP Heidi, the cross-eyed opossum. You were truly an inspiration to us all.'

Heidi the opossum had various Facebook groups dedicated to her, with well over 300,000 members .

One wall post paying tribute to Heidi contained comments of heartfelt sentiment, with one fan writing: ' Very sad news...but she helped many people to understand opossums and what fascinating creatures they are. RIP, Heidi. We won't forget you!'

Another fan wrote: ' My condolences. I'll miss seeing her sweet face here.'

The cause of death was said to be a combination of arthritis and a poor diet.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/stories/876898-heidi-the-cross-eyed-opossum-dies-tributes-on-twitter-and-facebook-flood-in#ixzz1ZJr1OEzr

At Twitter, the Third Mobile OS Isn't an OS at All

Suddenly, everyone wants to know which mobile OS will challenge Apple's iOS and Google's Android as a third option. Twitter's Michael Abbott has an unexpected answer.

Speaking at the GigaOM conference Tuesday in San Francisco, Abbott said that, if he had to choose, the Web itself would step in as the third mobile OS. Abbott, the vice president of engineering at Twitter, said that native HTML 5 applications running on the Web would probably supersede the need for a third mobile OS.

"The third player is maybe the Web," Abbott said. "I say that because I think HTML 5 is continuing to add separate aspects... HTML 5 and the experiences you can build - I'm really excited about it."

Abbott also said that in terms of usage of Twitter, the Web comes in third, behind the other two OSes. He did not say whether that was strictly Twitter's mobile site, access via the desktop, or both.

One of the tech industry's favorite parlor games is speculating about what company will have the third-largest smartphone OS in the coming years behind Android and iOS.

The split seems to break down between RIM's BlackBerry, the ailing, but third-largest platform, and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, the miniscule new player with almost nowhere to go but up. In August, comScore reported that Windows Phone had 5.7 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, compared to 41.8 percent on Android, 27 percent on iOS, and 21.7 percent on RIM. However, RIM's market share has been on a continuous decline for months, while Windows Phone has grown at a snail-like pace.

Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam thinks a three-way system could evolve within a year.

"The carriers are beginning to coalesce around the need for a third ecosystem," McAdam said during a talk at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference. "Over the next 12 months I think it will coalesce and you will start to see one emerge as a legitimate third ecosystem." He didn't say which platform would win out, however.

Samsung Mobile Introduces the HM7000 -- the Ultimate Overachiever in Bluetooth Headsets -- Available Soon at T-Mobile and RadioShack

DALLAS, Sep 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No.1 mobile phone provider in the United States(1), today announced the intelligently slim, capable and convenient HM7000 Bluetooth(R) headset, available at T-Mobile retail stores nationwide and online beginning late October, and at select RadioShack stores nationwide starting in November. Accompanied by an ingenious portable charging cradle, the HM7000 from Samsung Mobile combines premium design and efficiency to create the ultimate overachiever in Bluetooth headsets.

Designed with a sleek, attractive form factor for the fashion-conscious consumer, the HM7000 Bluetooth headset also features a one-of-a-kind portable charging solution that is as premium as it is practical. In addition to its textured finish and chrome metal details, the HM7000's portable charging cradle keeps the headset encased and protected when snapped closed, allowing for maximum portability and charging on the go. With one, quick nudge at the case's hidden hinge, the cradle seamlessly unfolds into an attractive desktop dock, providing a smart and efficient charging station and display stand for the HM7000.

In addition to portability, the HM7000's charging case provides the user with first class battery life, adding the ability to fully charge the HM7000 up to three additional times while on the go. The case also features an on/off switch on the side to conserve power, as well as LED battery status indicators on both the case and the headset. With its extended battery life, Samsung made sure to fit the HM7000 earpiece with an advanced ear gel design for maximum comfort and wearability.

IBM partners with Intel, Samsung and TSMC for fab research

CHIPMAKERS IBM, Intel, TSMC and Samsung have signed a $4.4bn deal to research smaller process nodes and increase wafer size.

IBM will use the deal with the other biggest names in the chipmaking business to develop its own 22nm and 14nm process nodes, something that Intel has been looking at for many years now. However one thing that will interest all parties is research on increasing wafer size from 300mm to 450mm, more than doubling the number of chips on a single wafer.

It is surprising to see Intel partnering with IBM, the company that many Intel insiders used to view as one that could become its biggest competitor if it bought AMD. While IBM's chipmaking skills are primarily shown off with the firm's mainframe oriented Power chips, Big Blue also makes chips that are used in industrial and other applications such as healthcare. Also its production facilities can be rented out by other chip designers to bake silicon.

The deal between the chipmakers will mean significant investment in IBM's New York facilities. The state has also sweetened the deal by offering a $400m investment in the State University of New York College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

When Intel revealed its 22nm Trigate transistor technology the firm said that it expects to use it in both 22nm and 14nm process nodes, however going below that will bring further challenges. While Intel has signed a deal with IBM and others to research down to 14nm, it will keep an eye on going beyond that.

For chipmakers, enlarging the size of wafers effectively means lowering production costs by being able to get more chips out of a single wafer run.

One big name missing from the deal is Globalfoundries, the primary manufacturing partner of AMD. It will be interesting to see if Globalfoundries enters a similar research deal with other chipmakers, although after this deal there aren't many more left.

Source:http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2112790/ibm-partners-intel-samsung-tsmc-fab-research

Desktops and Notebooks: Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Joins Android Tablet Ecosystem

Samsung has set Oct. 2 as the ship date for the Galaxy Tab 8.9, the newest Android tablet in its line. The newest touch-screen in Samsung's lineup (joining the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab and larger Galaxy Tab 10.1), the Galaxy Tab 8.9 packs a significant amount of power under the hood, thanks to its 1.4GHz dual-core processor and either 16GB or 32GB of onboard memory. In a bid to establish its own product ecosystem, Samsung has "skinned" the default Android 3.1 interface with its proprietary TouchWiz aesthetic, and added a few unique apps and features such as an email-consolidating Social Hub. TouchWiz is already present on Samsung's other products, including the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and its Galaxy S II smartphones. Certainly the Galaxy Tab 8.9's capabilities and specs will be instantly familiar to anyone who's used the Tab 10.1; it's basically the same device, minus 1.2 inches of screen real estate. The Galaxy Tab's screen offers 1,280x800 screen resolution, with capability for 1,080p video playback, which is more than enough for most users' e-reading, video watching and Web-cruising needs. It also has access to the Android Marketplace and its hundreds of thousands of apps. Samsung's prime competition is Apple's own ecosystem, headlined by the iPad and the iPhone. In a bid to position itself as the alternative to the iOS way of life, Samsung is also introducing an Android-based iPod competitor, the Galaxy Player, in the October timeframe.

Microsoft-Samsung Deal Strikes a Blow at Google

SEOUL—Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. reached a patent-sharing deal, striking a blow at Google Inc.'s effort to provide free software to makers of smartphones and tablet personal computers.

For months, Microsoft and Apple Inc. have pressured Google and makers of cellphones and tablets based on its Android operating software to recognize that Android incorporates some of their designs—and either pay them or alter the products to avoid those designs.

Wednesday's agreement is an acknowledgment by Samsung, the largest maker of Android products, that Microsoft's claims could have merit and that the Korean company needed protection from them. Part of the appeal of Android has been that Google offers it free, but Wednesday's pact attaches a cost to Android, at least for Samsung.

Under the deal, Microsoft will receive royalties for Samsung's Android-based smartphones and tablets. Samsung also will work with Microsoft to develop smartphones and tablets based on Microsoft's Windows software.

Samsung, the world's No. 2 maker of cellphones after Nokia Corp., already makes Window-based smartphones, though in much smaller quantities than Android models. Samsung this month provided samples of a Windows-based tablet for programmers who participated in a Microsoft developers conference.

Microsoft already has a cross-licensing agreement with the second-largest maker of Android-based phones, Taiwan's HTC Corp.

With the Samsung agreement in hand, Microsoft issued a statement apparently to pressure cellphone-maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. to forge a similar deal. Microsoft and Motorola Mobility, which Google has agreed to purchase, have traded several lawsuits over whether elements of Android software copy patented Microsoft technology.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204226204576598661866214854.html#ixzz1ZJglDCxd

Microsoft and Samsung Broaden Smartphone Partnership

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 28, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to cross-license the patent portfolios of both companies, providing broad coverage for each company's products. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will receive royalties for Samsung's mobile phones and tablets running the Android mobile platform. In addition, the companies agreed to cooperate in the development and marketing of Windows Phone.

"Microsoft and Samsung see the opportunity for dramatic growth in Windows Phone, and we're investing to make that a reality," said Andy Lees, president, Windows Phone Division, Microsoft. "Microsoft believes in a model where all our partners can grow and profit based on our platform."

"Through the cross-licensing of our respective patent portfolios, Samsung and Microsoft can continue to bring the latest innovations to the mobile industry," said Dr. Won-Pyo Hong, executive vice president of global product strategy at Samsung's mobile communication division. "We are pleased to build upon our long history of working together to open a new chapter of collaboration beginning with our Windows Phone 'Mango' launch this fall."

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Source:http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/28/3944788/microsoft-and-samsung-broaden.html

InMobi Smartphone Study Reveals 41% of Mobile Users to Buy Apple iPhone 5

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 28, 2011 -- SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- InMobi, the world's largest independent mobile ad network, today announces the combined results of its monthly InMobi Mobile Insights network ad data research and a custom iPhone-focused study, iPhone 5 and the Mobile Market. The InMobi announcement acts as a forecast to the scope and effect of the confirmed October 4th Apple iPhone announcement in North America. InMobi anticipates the North American mobile ad market to experience a significant increase in mobile media consumption based on the iPhone 5 consumer data findings.

Apple iPhone 5 potentially the most successful smartphone launch to date

The recent InMobi consumer smartphone survey uncovers that 41% of current mobile users in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada plan to buy an iPhone 5—potentially making it the most successful launch from the consumer electronics giant to date. The study further finds that over 50% of those users will make the purchase within the first six months of the iPhone 5 launch, which could take Apple significantly ahead of its June 2011 market position, and increase its mobile platform market share from 27% in June (comScore Inc., August 2011) to 41%.

However, if Apple only unveils a product update—akin to the 3GS version of the iPhone that Apple released in 2009—interest in the new smartphone will be significantly lower, with fewer than 15% of consumers likely to actively pursue the new handset.

The study finds that consumers are most hopeful for improved battery life; increased processing speed; higher-quality screen resolution; and stronger phone service in the rumored Apple smartphone.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/28/3944886/inmobi-smartphone-study-reveals.html#ixzz1ZJgHgEIg

Analysis of the Smartphone Application Storefront Market and its Impact on the Smartphone Ecosystem

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0648724/Analysis-of-the-Smartphone-Application-Storefront-Market-and-its-Impact-on-the-Smartphone-Ecosystem.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=NoCategory

The application storefront market, along with the smartphone market, has been one of the key catalysts in the mobile industry. As voice has become more competitive among carriers, data and messaging have emerged, and the industry participants are looking toward applications for revenue. To date, Apple has dominated the market. However, Android has made a significant push in the space and other competitors like Microsoft, Nokia, and RIM have continued to ramp up their efforts in the application storefront space.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/28/3944513/analysis-of-the-smartphone-application.html#ixzz1ZJfoXPWI

New Survey Reveals That Smartphone Users Choose Convenience Over Security

SAN DIEGO, CA, Sep 28, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- In a revealing survey of smartphone and tablet users, the majority polled admit to not password protecting their mobile devices despite keeping them logged in to sensitive online accounts and applications, leaving them open to account compromise, fraud and data theft, announced Confident Technologies, Inc., a provider of image-based authentication technology for websites and mobile applications.

Blending of Personal and Work Life Creates Risk The survey also revealed a troubling trend for businesses that opens up the potential for data theft:

Nokia N9: last of the line

Nokia has started shipping the N9, which is expected to be the company's final smartphone before it launches devices based onMicrosoft's Windows Phone 7 software.

The touchscreen N9, which will not be available in key markets including the UK and US, will be the only Nokia smartphone to run Meego software.

Nokia will announce details of its first Windows Phone device on 26 and 27 October in London, eight months after chief executive Stephen Eloppinned the embattled manufacturer's future on Microsoft's smartphone system. The device will use a micro-SIM card which the company hopes will tempt existing iPhone users to swap platforms.

Nokia has been working on the device since it announced in February that it would abandon its Symbian smartphone platform in favour of Microsoft's new Windows Phone mobile operating system. Now Elop is preparing to unveil the device on the first day of the Nokia World show being held at London's ExCel centre.

Industry sources have told the Guardian that it will use a micro-SIM – the narrow version of the card used by all mobile phones, but which has only been widely deployed in Apple's iPhone. That, sources say, will give Nokia some leverage in trying to tempt iPhone users whose contracts are ending or who want to shift across to the new platform a simpler way to transfer.

Facebook iPad App Releases at Oct. 4 iPhone Event: Tracing the Apple-Facebook Love-hate Relationship

It has been confirmed that Facebook will launch its iPad app at Apple's iPhone 5 unveiling event next week. The long-awaited application has been floating behind the scenes since May, according to former Facebook engineer Jeff Verkoeyen. On his blog, Verkoeyen revealed Monday that his frustration at the app's continually delayed release was a contributing factor to his decision to leave the social networking company.

Verkoeyen isn't the only one fed up with Facebook. Though next week's joint announcement signals a rapprochement of sorts for the two companies, growing strain has marked the relationship between Facebook and Apple over the past two years. As widening scopes of influence have brought the two companies closer together, they have made efforts to collaborate, despite corporate philosophies that fundamentally clash with one another. Experts suggest that tension arises from the fact that neither company is willing to surrender primacy where user experience is concerned. Apple is known to jealously guard its status as the first point of contact between a user and any of its products. The fractious relationship between the two giants has been marked alternately by collaborations, last-minute withdrawals, tentative conciliation and relatively public expressions of dissatisfaction.

Video claims to show graphics switching on a prototype iPhone [u]

A new, unconfirmed video claims to show a prototype iPhone with a software-based developer setting that allows switching between graphics processing units.

AppleInsider cannot offer any verification of the authenticity of the video provided, but it claims to show a handset built for testing purposes that allows developers to choose between the SGX535 GPU found in the iPhone 4, and the faster SGX545, which has not yet been seen in any of Apple's mobile devices.

The PowerVR SGX535 GPU from Imagination Technologies currently handles graphics for the A4 processor that powers the iPhone 4. But the A5 processorfound in the iPad 2 has a SGX543MP2 GPU, different from the "545" model shown in the video. The SGX543MP2 has two SGX543 cores.

Update: A second video provided shows the "About" section of the iPhone Settings application. While the original, unedited video was provided to AppleInsider, it has been cropped to mask anything that might uniquely identify the handset.

The SGX545 GPU was first unveiled in January of 2010, boasting full support for OpenGL 3.2 and OpenCL 1.0 with real-world performance of 40 million polygons per second at 200MHz. For comparison, the SGX535 can produce 28 million polygons per second, while the SGX543 pushes 35 million polygons per second.

But the SGX543MP2, with two SGX543 GPUs, is capable of nearly 70 million polygons per second, which would make it much more powerful than the single SGX545 claimed to be in the prototype.

T-Mobile: Apple won’t let us have the iPhone

T-Mobile thinks the iPhone is cool. It would love to add it to its network. But it’s not happening anytime soon.

That’s according to a blog post by T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman, addressing customers asking T-Mobile for the iPhone. Here’s a quote from Brodman’s post:

We’ve heard from many customers who love their T-Mobile service, but are disappointed that we don’t carry the iPhone. To these customers, first, thank you for your business. Please know that we think the iPhone is a great device and Apple knows that we’d like to add it to our line-up. Today, there are over a million T-Mobile customers using unlocked iPhones on our network. We are interested in offering all of our customers a no-compromise iPhone experience on our network.

He’s right – there are a lot of unlocked iPhones on T-Mobile’s network – but that’s hardly the best way to get the device working for many customers’ preferred carrier. Bringing an unlocked iPhone to T-Mobile means sacrificing 3G wireless service and speeds available through AT&T and Verizon, and being stuck with EDGE cellular speeds instead. That works for some users, but not for most.

The blog post seems to be pretty definitive in terms of the rumors that the iPhone 5 would be available on T-Mobile’s network when it’s available this fall. Apple seems to be ready to announce the next handset on Oct. 4, but it seems safe to say that there won’t be a “one more thing” concerning T-Mobile at the event. According to many rumors, however, that could leave T-Mobile as the only major carrier without the iPhone come this holiday season.

Apple iPhone5: Top 10 Most Wanted Features

Whenever it comes out, what are the top 10 things people can't wait to see on the iPhone5?

1. Slimmer Body: First, the iPhone 5 should have a slimmer body than the iPhone 4.

2. Bigger Screen: A bigger screen (four-inch or larger) would be amazing, but the rumors so far don't look like it's going to happen.

3. Better Antenna: If Apple doesn't fix the antenna problem that causes so many dropped calls, the iPhone users could defect to Samsung's Galaxy S2.

4. Lightweight or More Durable: The iPhone 5 could be made with a new lightweight or more durable case. Some reports say the iPhone 5 will come with aluminum back instead of glass back as seen on iPhone 4. Speaking of cases, Case-Mate will be designing new ones for the iPhone 5. They showed some of the new designs on their Web site, but pulled them down. This has only lead to more rumors that the iPhone 5 will really just be the iPhone 4S.

5. LED Flash and More Powerful Camera: An LED flash feature could help reduce red-eye on the rear facing camera. Perhaps an 8-megapixel camera will find its way on the iPhone 5 as rumors have insisted. That would surely makeSony-Ericsson sit up and take notice.

6. More Powerful Processor: Increasing the speed on iPhone's processor seems like an obvious choice, but the speeds are getting so fast on new smartphones, it probably won't be a huge increase. Can we expect a 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor?

7. More Powerful RAM: What's the point in having a more powerful processor if we can't have a better RAM to match? How about 1GB?

8. Bigger Home Button: The iPad users would love to see a bigger home button because they are used to this already. Some sites claim the physical home button will be replaced by a "touch-sensitive ovaloid area" which will take up the middle half of the bottom border.

9. Killer Voice Recognition Feature: A killer voice recognition feature can't be ruled out in the iPhone 5. If the "Let's talk iPhone" press invite from Apple is any indication, new voice recognition feature may be on its way. Last year, Apple acquired voice-recognition application startup Siri and soon thereafter it added some voice-to-text features to iOS 4, such as the ability to verbally command an iPhone to "call Dad" or "play more songs like this." In the iPhone 5, will voice command feature be linked to location features, personal recommendations and personal reminders?

10. Lower Price: Lastly, we could hope for lower prices!

Tell us in the comments section if we nailed all 10 of your top choices. Also, you should include the wackiest rumor you've heard so far.

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Wednesday, 28 September 2011