appMobi appFlash Transforms Adobe Flash into Native iOS Apps

appMobi today unveiled appFlash, a new Web-based application that allows Adobe Flash websites, ads and apps to be converted to native iOS apps in just a few minutes. This experimental utility is available to any developer and leverages appMobi’s cloud-based cross-platform native app “build” service. With appFlash, HTML5 code is uploaded and compiled into native binary apps that are ready to submit to the Apple App Store without the need to set up and learn the Apple platform’s development tool stack.

Adobe Flash files are uploaded to Google Labs’ “SWIFFY” website, which ingests Flash assets in the .SWF file format and outputs HTML5 files. appFlash then allows users to view and touch up the converted HTML5 using the appMobi XDK software, even test the HTML5 directly on their iOS device using appMobi’s AppLab. Users can then build the app as a native code app for the Apple App Store with a single click using appMobi’s cloud-based build system.

Yankee Group Sees Global Mobile Transactions Exceeding $1 Trillion by 2015

Yankee Group’s latest Mobile Money Forecast finds the value of global mobile transactions will grow from $241 billion in 2011 to more than $1 trillion by 2015, a CAGR of 56 percent. That growth, coupled with 500 million mobile banking users around the world in the same time frame, presents an enormous opportunity for both new and established players in the mobile money ecosystem. To help companies capitalize on this rapidly evolving opportunity, Yankee Group unveiled an innovative new service today called Mobile Money StrategiesTM.

“We are on the cusp of a burgeoning mobile money marketplace, one where first movers will gain a significant strategic advantage,” said Gigi Wang, chief research officer at Yankee Group. “With consumers flocking to all things mobile, Mobile Money Strategies delivers the market intelligence and insights needed to profit from this revolution.”

Empirix Delivers QoE Intelligence to Mobile Operators

Empirix Inc., a market leader of service quality assurance solutions for end-to-end comprehensive customer experience management of mobile broadband and IP-based communications systems, today announced enhancements to the Empirix Converged Assurance Platform. This platform was engineered to provide mobile operators with greater visibility into the measurement, understanding and improvement of customer experience.

 

The Empirix Converged Assurance Platform is a comprehensive solution for monitoring the Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) of voice, video and data applications delivered over mobile networks. It features upgrades to its underlying components, the IPXPlorer® probes used for network data collection, and E-XMS, the solution’s management and analytics software.

U.S. And U.K. Latest Victims Of Nokia’s Online Store Shutdowns

We already know that Nokia has started shutting down some of its online stores, such as those in Spain, France, and Finland, but we didn’t expect to see the U.S. and U.K. web outlets close so soon after.

That’s right folks, Nokia online is gone. Forever. In fact, the only online stores Nokia has left are in China, Portugal and a few South American countries. Luckily for the end user, Nokia phones are still available across a number of different online retailers including Amazon.

Go ahead and regulate your breathing, Nokia fans. Everything’s going to be fine. Well, everything will be fine as long as the Finnish phone giant wasn’t lying when it said these shut downs are about a transition to carrier shelves, and not a result of poor sales.

[via Phone Arena]

Sprint updating the Samsung Galaxy Tab with Gingerbread on July 5

It's hard out there for a Samsung Galaxy Tab owner, watching Honeycomb slates hit the market by the bushel, with a lucky few stepping up to Android 3.1 and its resizeable widgets. Sprint, at least, is still giving the 'ol Tab some love -- according to an anonymous tipster, the Now Network will push out an update to Gingerbread, something Tab owners overseas have already been enjoying. The upgrade's expected to roll out starting July 5th, and will include not just Android 2.3, but a step up to HID Bluetooth as well. Oh, and while it's at it, Sprint will also release a fix for a bug in the Samsung Transform that has interfered with PRL and data profile updates. Sounds like as fine a way as any to beat the post-holiday weekend blues.

Google+ for Android app (hands-on)

Given the number of apps Google's made available for smartphones, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that it's taken its suite of social networking services direct to the mobile world as well. As soon as Google+ was officially announced, an app was ready for download in the Android Market and a web app became available for Safari for iOS (with its full offering to the App Store coming soon). As usual, we couldn't resist the urge to play around with it, but how does the mobile iteration fare against the competition? Continue past the break to get a peek of the larger-than-life service squeezed into a 4.3-inch (or smaller) display.

Google+ for Android hands-on

When we downloaded Google+ from the Market, two icons appeared in the app tray: one that bears the same name as the service, and Huddle. Both took us to the same app, but Google+ put us on the program's home screen -- a portal that offers the Stream, Huddle, Photos, Circles, and Profile sections -- while the latter of the two icons bypassed this screen completely and started us in the Huddle service itself.

Huddle is the only service in the Google+ suite exclusively offered on the Android app. It uses the same style of messaging as we've come to expect with any standard IM client, and as a result it doesn't bring anything new to the table. It gives you the ability to chat it up with groups or individuals, and you can use other apps as you wait for a response since incoming messages will come in as a regular notification. If most of your friends use Google, this puts Huddle on par with your phone's messaging app. Sounds a lot like Google Talk, but the two services are unfortunately not integrated at all. And while Huddle's considerably mobile-friendly, there's no option to continue chats on your computer as soon as you get home; Huddle is nowhere to be seen on the Google+ home page, and no Chrome extensions or other browser add-ons have been made available for it yet. We'd love to see this get thrown in soon -- we're probably spoiled by our recent run-in with MightyText, but hey...

For the services that can be synced, however, we enjoyed a seamless experience between the app and computer. For instance, the app offers an Instant Upload option which does exactly as the name implies: immediately after a new picture is taken on your phone, the image gets pushed up to a private album, which will appear on Google+ and Picasa simultaneously. Following the upload, we went back to the computer and noticed an option to "share photos from your phone," with our picture sitting there waiting to be shared with everyone or certain circles. The downside? After trying the app out on multiple devices, we determined that uploaded images get downscaled in order to cut down on transfer time and data usage; our high-res photos appeared at a paltry 720x540 on Plus, and 2048x1536 on Picasa -- and it stayed the same when using cameras with varied resolutions.

You can also share your location, if desired. The Stream has three screen options that you can swipe left or right to view: your circles, seeing status posts from those in close proximity, and checking out incoming posts. You can view all of your photo albums and choose pictures to share with whichever circles you'd like, look at and edit your Google profile, and invite others into your circles.

The absence of the Hangout feature puzzled us. By leaving it out, it feels like we're missing out on the perfect way to take advantage of a phone's front-facing camera -- Of course, it wasn't until Android 2.3.4 that we enjoyed the same functionality for Google Talk on the Nexus S, so it may be something reserved merely for the latest and greatest OS revisions.

In all, the Google+ app does a commendable job of bringing the full web experience down to the mobile level, though we can tell the app isn't hitting its full potential by excluding Hangouts and neglecting to sync Huddle with our computers. The program is still under field test status, which means there are some minor bugs that need to be worked out before it's ready for the public -- not to mention a very small user base -- but our sneak peek was a resounding success otherwise. Now, if only we had a few friends to share it with...

ANOVO awarded Strong Digital TV contract

Repair and service company to manage manufacturer’s pre- and after-sales service as well as warranties for its Thompson branded set-top boxes

ANOVO has been appointed by Strong Digital TV to manage the forward and reverse logistics together with the warranty management for Thompson branded set-top boxes.

Complementing the forward and reverse logistics solutions, ANOVO will also manage the manufacturer’s warranty. This will include managing the claims, repair/return/exchange process management and direct consumer warranty. ANOVO will also be responsible for the warehousing and fulfillment of spare/replaced consumer accessories such as cables and remote controls.

Strong is a European provider of consumer digital  TV reception equipment offering a range of digital terrestrial, satellite and cable TV receivers in addition to high-end related accessories in 55 countries.

Strong UK sales director Michael Smart said: “ANOVO have a proven capability in both forward and reverse logistics, most critically for Strong is ANOVO’s ability to manage the logistics relationships throughout the supply chain from point of manufacturer to retail.”

ANOVO UK chief commercial officer Stephen Maxwell (pictured) said: “With significant experience across both forward and reverse logistics with the infrastructure and networks industry, ANOVO can deliver the ideal solution to Strong.”

Data Select beats rivals to LG Optimus 3D deal

Distributor says it has scooped exclusive rights ahead of 20:20 and Brightstar to distribute new LG device across the UK from July 8

Data Select has claimed to have beaten rival LG distributors 20:20 Mobile and Brightstar to land exclusive distribution rights for the LG Optimus 3D.

The deal has been described as the ‘coup of the year’ by Data Select chief commercial officer Roy Taylor (pictured).

The decision to award the contract, which will commence on July 8, to Data Select was, according to Taylor based on its “industry leading customer base”, its “strong business plan” and its “Platinum Club support structure”.

The Optimus 3D will be backed by a multi-million pound marketing campaign to drive consumer demand, with Data Select ofering marketing funding, seeding samples and training to dealers and resellers.

“It’s a fantastic win for Data Select. For LG to place their trust in one distributor for a product of this magnitude shows just what we can do in the market, and the strenght of our relatiosnhip with LG,” Taylor said.

HTC EVO 3D gets Netflix under the table courtesy of EVO 4G's APK

So, you just bought HTC's EVO 3D for its three dimensional display and delectable dual-stage camera key, and you're loving its buttery smooth Sense 3.0 software. Yet, you were dismayed to find that the device wasn't among the chosen few granted access to Netflix for Android. But don't worry, folks, apparently the Netflix APK for the EVO 4G can get you streaming cinematic masterpieces in no time. Just head on over to the source link to get your download on, then sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Verizon Starts Receving 4G LTE-based Galaxy Tab 10.1 Pre-order

Verizon Galaxy Tab 10.1

Verizon Wireless have just announced that the new 4G LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is now available to pre order, and prices start at $529.99 for the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB version, this is subkject two a new two year mobile broadband contract. With 4G LTE in tow, user will be able to surf the web without having to depend on a Wi-Fi hotspot. Apart from the additional connectivity option, Galaxy Tab 10.1 is similar to the Wi-Fi-only variant with 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor on board, 1GB RAM, Bluetooth 2.1, 3MP and 2MP camera, 720p HD video recording, 16 or 32GB internal memory and 7,000mAh battery giving up to 10 hours. It looks like the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G will ship within the next four to six weeks, you can find out more details over at Verizon Wireless.

HTC Status for AT&T announced on Facebook, risks being tagged in embarrassing pics

The HTC Status (formerly known as the ChaChaCha, the ChaCha, and "the Facebook phone that's not a Facebook phone") is inching ever closer to its AT&T debut. It's already been pictured, sashayed its way through the FCC, and now it's been revealed for all the world to see, appropriately enough, on Facebook. As we were already aware this social networking-focused, QWERTY candybar has had its CPU bumped up to 800MHz, but otherwise it's the same Sense and Gingerbread packing device we saw back in February. Unfortunately, all we can tell you is that the Status will land on AT&T shelves at some point -- price and availability are still as much of a mystery as ever. There's some refresher PR after the break.

Show full PR text

Today, HTC launched a new page on Facebook, all about the HTC Status, coming exclusively to AT&T this summer. You know those priceless moments with your friends on Facebook-that quick pic, inside joke, or perfectly timed post? The first device with a Facebook share button, the HTC Status ensures those moments happen more often, keeping you at the center of your social circle. The HTC Status lets you share just about anything with just one touch, including music, photos, location and status updates. HTC Status also features a chat widget that allows you to, at a glance, see when your friends are online. You can start a live instant chat and juggle between as many private conversations as you want, all straight from the device.

"HTC Status brings a Facebook experience to people who want to share their experiences with their friends faster and easier than ever before," said Jason Mackenzie, President, HTC Americas. "With a dedicated Facebook share button combined with the hallmark HTC Sense experience, HTC Status makes it easy for people to stay connected to the things that are important to them."

Dedicated Facebook share button

One touch to share- Press the Facebook share button from your home screen to instantly post on your wall.
Snap, shoot, share- Take a picture or shoot a video and share it instantly with a press of the Facebook share button. You can even post pictures automatically as you're taking them..
Quick-on-the-draw check-in- Just long press the Facebook share button to check in your location with Facebook Places.
Be first with the news- See something cool on the web? Share your latest find with a quick press of the Facebook share button.
Post to your wall – or a friend's wall – From the home screen, a quick tap of the Facebook HTC share button makes sharing anything on your mind quick and easy.
Share what you're listening to- The Facebook share button glows when you're listening to music, to let you know you can share. Let your friends in on the music you love with the push of a button.

Lock screen shortcuts

Instead of a barrier, the HTC shortcut lock screen just became a launch pad to what you want to do now! Open your favorite apps by just dragging their shortcut icons into the lock screen ring.

See what's happening before you pick up

Every time you get or make a call, you see your friend's profile picture and latest status update right on the call screen. If it's their birthday that week, you'll see that, too.

Special effects for photos and videos

Anyone can be an artist. Use camera effects to make your photos and videos look like they've been taken through special lenses and filters-like Sepia for an old-fashioned look, or Aqua for a touch of cool. Apply effects right in the viewfinder, or apply them afterwards in the Gallery.

Front and back cameras

Take a spontaneous self-portrait or a quick cheek-to-cheek pic with your best pal on the VGA front-facing camera-or just double-check your hair with the Mirror app. With the 5.0 MP main camera with LED flash, you can capture every moment, with pictures or high-quality video.

A smarter ringer

The "Quiet ring on pickup" setting reduces the ring volume when you pick the phone up. The "Pocket mode" setting increases ring volume when your phone is in a pocket or bag, and then returns the volume to a reasonable level when you take it out.

Tech Specs

Platform: Android™ 2.3 + HTC Sense
Display: 2.6-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution
Network: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900
Memory: 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
Processor: MSM7227, 800 MHz
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, 1250 mAh
Camera resolution: 5 MP main camera with autofocus, VGA front-facing camera

Monster Offers One-Click Mobile Payment with My Max Speed App

Monster Offers, a leading mobile banking solutions company and Daily Deal aggregator, announced today its family of mobile payment solutions will be bundled with the popular new mobile phone application, My Max Speed. A speed monitoring application to encourage safe driving and protect consumer rights, My Max Speed is experiencing a record number of downloads as users can keep tabs on their teenagers’ driving speed in addition to confirming in an instant their own rate of speed if pulled over for a citation, among its many other features.

Through a partnership with Iconosys, Monster Offers is providing free downloads of Monster Offers’ “One-Click” Payment Processing, Pre-Paid Debit Card, P2P Mobile Money and Daily Deal eWallet to My Max Speed application users. The planned integration is expected to be complete by July 2011.

Focused on the future

It’s been two years since Mobile News visited telecom dealer Focus Group, and much has changed. Michael Garwood heads south to discuss re-brands, relocation, expansion and ambitious B2B targets

Speaking to most personnel in the mobile industry, you’d be forgiven for thinking the momentum to unify communications is weighted heavily towards the traditional mobile space. With network-led fixed-based services such as O2 Joined Up, Vodafone One Net and Orange Pocket Landline now established, many dealers and distributors have been quoted in these pages suggesting fixed-line is, perhaps, a declining market due to its struggles to adopt mobile.

While this may be true for some, the management team at Southwick-based telecom all-rounder Focus Group vehemently disagreed.

Established in 2003, it begun trading in 2004 with just two employees sitting around a table and a phone, and Focus has gone from strength to strength predominately in the fixed-line space. It has a customer base exceeding 4,500 UK businesses, and wholesale deals with Gamma, Opal Telecom, Cable and Wireless and BT Wholesale.

The company has a turnover of more than 11 million, and featured in the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 in recognition of its growth in consecutive years. It is ranked 84 in the EMEA 500 across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Focus has also recently acquired 47.5 per cent of local IT company Aztec, which it expects to help raise revenues to close to 14 million by the end of 2012. The deal saw the Aztec brand removed and merged into its own Focus IT business, enabling it to off er web hosting, design, and computer repairs among other services.

Relocation
Since Mobile News last headed south to meet the team two years ago, the company has relocated from a modest-sized building and cluttered office in Hove, to a new, spacious, 840m2 modern building just a short drive away.

Staff numbers have also increased by 30 per cent to nearly 50 in two years; a move it said was designed specifically to allow future growth.

Sales director, and co-founder Chris Goodman (pictured left) reels off impressive fixed-line statistics, comparing them with those from our last visit. They show a 130,000 per month rise in calls and a 130,000 rise in customer line rentals.

“Does this sound like an industry in decline?” Goodman asks with a wry but not arrogant smile, while shaking his head.

“We have more customers, more sales people and have put in more work. Runrate turnover for the company is around 12.5 million in the year ending November.

Having acquired the IT company (Aztec) our 2011/2012 figures are likely to be 13 to 14 million.

“Customer numbers have continued to grow. We are probably growing by 50-60 net customers per month at least. Margin has increased, particularly since mobile termination rates have dropped so we will see an increase in margins over the next four years through that.

“I don’t think customer numbers will drop; we certainly have no indication of this happening. We are not losing customers to Vodafone. We’ve had a few customers phone up about One Net but it’s not difficult to sell against. It’s very complicated and no-one seems to be totally clear about it. So, no, we haven’t lost anyone. BT came out with its One Plan Inclusive. It fits for some, but for many it’s not what they want.”

Re-brand
This was coupled with a company rebrand in April, moving away from what the team described as a consumer sounding ‘Focus 4U’, to the ‘Focus Group’.

The Group incorporates six business divisions covering voice, mobile, data, systems, IT, design and energy offering a full one-stop solution.

The re-brand was designed to make the company and what it has to off er clearer for customers to understand, with each business colour coded on the newly launched website, and to improve the overall image of the company. It’s another reason for the relocation.

“Space was the key reason, and the need to create a more appropriate environment for the company we have become,” says Goodman. “We could have moved out a lot sooner but we felt we didn’t need to. But we literally had no more space to grow the business. We were at total capacity.”

Full article in Mobile News issue 490 (June 6, 2011).

To subscribe to Mobile News click here

Rumour:iPhone 5 To Feature A Dual LED Flash

The last things we heard about the next generation iPhone, the iPhone 5 is that the new Apple smartphone will launch either at the end of August or the beginning of September, and it will feature the same A5 processor that is found in the iPad 2.

We have been hearing rumors over the last few month that Sony will be supplying an 8 megapixel sensor for the iPhone 5 and it will be capable of recording Full HD video in 1080p, and now according to Digitimes, the iPhone 5 will feature a dual LED flash.According to Digitimes, Apple has reduced its orders for existing flash units which are currently supplied by Philips for the iPhone 4 and now switched to taiwanese suppliers who will supply the dual LED flash for the iPhone 5.

A dual LED flash would make sense for he iPhone 5, as the camera is one of the main features that Apple are likely to advertise with the iPhone 5, as the iPhone is now the most popular camera on photo sharing sites like Flickr.

Rumour:Nokia Windows Phone 7 Devices Launching 26th Of October

Nokia has already announced that they would be launching their first Windows Phone 7 devices in certain European countries in quarter four of 2011, and now it seems that we may have a possible launch date of October the 26th.

Nokia has announced the dates for its Nokia World Conference, which will take place this year on the 26th and 27th of October in London, and there will be conference includes two daily keynote addresses as well as an event for the 26th of October which is currently listed as ‘To be announced’.
No doubt Nokia will be featuring Windows Phone 7 at Nokia World 2011 and this seems like the prefect place for the company to unveil their first Windows Phone 7 devices

LG and AT&T together Releases LG Thrill 4G

LG and AT&T announced that they would be launching an AT&T branded version of the LG Optimus 3D, which would be called the LG Thrill 4G, and now AT&T has announced that it will start selling the LG Thrill 4G in its stores this summer.

The LG Thrill 4G shares the same specifications as the Lg Optimus 3D, it will come with Android 2.2 and it features a 4.3 inch 3D display that is capable of displaying 3D content without the need for a pair of 3D glasses.

Other specifications on the LG Thrill 4G include a dual core 1GHz processor, plus two 5 megapixel cameras which can record full HD video in 1080p or HD 3D video in 720p.

Nokia N5 and Symbian Anna Caught in an Affair

Setting aside the sad goodbye for Nokia’s MeeGo against Windows, there have been leaks going around that one phone is in an affair with a new lover. With Stephen Elop promising to continue pushing the Symbian OS with later models, the Nokia N5 has been caught sporting a Symbian Anna, confirming Elop’s pledge to pursue the relationship. The design may look like a bigger and more solid 5800, with a screen sized about close to 3.5 or 4 inches.

Many not so conscious lookers may think of the UI as a MeeGo due to the icon design and layout, but remember that Elop mentioned that it would only be the N9 and N950 that would have the MeeGo. This phone may still prove to be useful for Symbian loyal fans out there, as critics are questioning if this will still sell out with Windows Phone Mango already on the wraps. Check the images to entertain your curiosity.

Source: Excellular, Engadget Mobile

BlackBerry Travel 1.1 Now Available

BlackBerry Travel app, BlackBerry Travel v1.1, BlackBerry App, Mobile Rental Car Booking, World Clock

BlackBerry Travel v1.1 is now available to download from the BlackBerry App World storefront. Today’s release introduces a variety of new features and enhancements:

Mobile Rental Car Booking: To get you where you need to go, you can now book a rental car from almost any rental car agency anywhere in the world, whenever you need transportation.

World Clock: One of the most often-requested features, we now have a world clock that has been designed to allow you to track the time across multiple locations worldwide. This is very handy when trying to figure the best time to call family back home!

Support for Car and Hotel Bookings in local currencies: added 20 international currencies to accommodate booking in local currencies.

 

Nokia CEO: Even If The N9 Is A Success, It’ll Be Nokia’s Only MeeGo Phone

As the launch of any new platform tends to do, MeeGo’s debut on the Nokia N9 last week sparked a glimmer of hope. Nokia has never been the best at making software that’s as pretty as it is powerful — but with MeeGo’s fancy animations and surprisingly well thought out UI, we walked away pleasantly surprised on almost all fronts.

Maybe, just maybe, we figured, Nokia might find a way to keep MeeGo around, even as they fleshed out their new-found allegiance to Windows Phone 7. Maybe if it proved popular enough?

Not gonna happen, says CEO Stephen Elop.

In an interview with the Helsingin Sanomat (as noted by MTV3 Finland), Elop put it quite clearly: even if the N9 is a success, it’ll be Nokia’s only MeeGo phone. Well, technically, their only consumer-facing MeeGo phone, as they’ve got a second MeeGo phone meant only for developers.. but we get their gist.

It makes sense, of course; as much of a bummer as it is to see a nascent platform abandoned in its early state by one of its parents (it still has Intel and the Linux Foundation standing behind it), Nokia had to choose one or the other. Supporting one platform in the smartphone wars is tough enough. Supporting two would be insanity.

[Via EngadgetMobile]

Elop Still Plans on Dropping MeeGo In Spite of Foreseen N9 and N950 Success

Last week was one of the most special weeks that Nokia has encountered so far, for 2011. The N9 was presented to most individuals for an actual review, the N950 was pictured for the press, and the Windows Phone Mango was introduced to the press with the codename Sea Ray. Most people who have held the N9 and who are anticipating the N950 are positive that the large screen Harmattan wonders will sell for many smartphone lovers. These positive feedbacks coming from various sources are for naught however, since Stephen Elop is firm in dropping MeeGo.

After all, his primary plan is to have Windows as the company’s main smartphone operating system for a while. Many are already wondering why would something be so successful be ditched away so fast. With that news on the road, expect that there will be more phones coming out with unique physical features having all that Windows Phone goodness inside.

Source: Helsingin Sanomat

Internal AT&T Slides Confirm July LTE Launch, Possible LTE iPad 3

The infamous hacker collective known as LulzSec has provided a parting gift in its data dump torrent by leaking AT&T’s internal LTE planning deck. The deck details AT&T’s LTE network testing procedures, network architecture and its timeline for testing and commercial rollout on top of other details related to marketing and internal testing. One of the slides breaks down the timeline for initial testing all the way to soft and commercial launch for the LTE network, now slated to launch the first full week of July.

The second major discovery concerns the appearance of the iPad in the LTE slide deck in regards to network testing, suggesting that an iPad model with an LTE radio is being tested before its eventual release next year in order to maintain its yearly update cycle. Read More for the entire deck.

iOS 5 beta 2 blocks Gevey SIM Unlock, brings photo album curation to iDevices

It's only been a few days since Apple released iOS 5 beta 2, but we've already received a bevy of tips from developers who've spent some quality time with the update and uncovered a few of its more salient features. Here are some highlights.

It looks like Apple has blocked Applenberry's Gevey SIM software, which allowed users to unlock devices running iOS 4.3 or iOS 5 beta 1 without having to jailbreak. (Read)

According to Dev Team member MuscleNerd, iOS 5 beta 2 can still be jailbroken using the RedSn0w 0.9.8b1 tethering tool, released earlier this month. (Read)

The beta refresh also brings a few tweaks to iOS 5's notifications system. Traditional alerts and reminders now pop up on the lock screen in larger typeface, alongside their appropriate icon. If left unattended, the notifications will eventually be added to the Android-like banner menu, at the top of the lock screen. (Read)

Users can now create and curate photo albums directly from their iDevices, though the feature isn't without its quirks. A tipster informs us that photos added to new albums remain in the original collection, as well. If you migrate an image from one album to another and delete the original, both pics will disappear.

The next beta release might be issued over the air. When a tipster checked for updates on an iPad running beta 2, he received a "No updates were found" message, suggesting that users may be able to find future refreshes without syncing their devices with iTunes. (Screenshot after the break.)

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

MobileMe service will not be available in iCloud, Apple will discontinue iDisk and iWeb

Apple has released more information on its new iCloud service which will replace Apple’s MobileMe service when it is released in the fall, and now we know that two MobileMe service will not be available in iCloud, Apple will discontinue iDisk and iWeb.
Apple will also discontinue their MobileMe gallery feature in iDisk, although this will be replaced with ‘Photo Stream’ in iCloud, and apple has also released some information about how the transition between the two services will work.

One of the main complaints by MobileMe users was that if you already had an iTunes account before you setup your MobileMe service, you would not be able to use your MobileMe email address with iTunes.

It looks like Apple has attempted to address this problem with iCloud, although from the information released on their website, it seems unclear if this will actually address the problem.

If I use different accounts for iTunes and MobileMe, can I merge them into a single account and use it with iCloud?

No. You cannot merge two accounts into one. However, you will be able to move your MobileMe account (yourname@me.com) to iCloud and, if you choose, you can continue to use a different iTunes account for store purchases and iTunes in the Cloud.

So it looks like users will be able to finally move their @me.com email address to their iCloud account, which would contain their existing iTunes account details, although it doesn’t look like they will be able to merge multiple iTunes accounts together.

How would you change Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play?

It came with a bang, but even Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play seems to have already become yesterday's treasure in a world swamped with dual-core superphones. Still, the Play remains the only Android phone on the market with a full-on slide-out gamepad, and while the library's still lacking, there's oodles of promise here. And that, friends, is where you come in. For those that forked over whatever it took to snag one, we're anxious to know how you'd do things differently. We're guessing that SE didn't sink an absurd amount of resources into this thing without a successor in mind, so what are you hoping to see in Revision B? A higher-res display? A few more buttons to mash? Ice Cream Sandwich? Get as crazy as you wanna be in comments below, won't you?

Android Honeycomb 3.1 update to their Xoom tablet in Europe

Motorola has announced that it has started rolling out the Android Honeycomb 3.1 update to their Xoom tablet in Europe, and the update is expected to be rolled out accross Europe over the next few weeks.Motorola has announced that it has started rolling out the Android Honeycomb 3.1 update to their Xoom tablet in Europe, and the update is expected to be rolled out accross Europe over the next few weeks.

Android Honeycomb 3.1 adds a range of new features to the Motorola Xoom, which include the activation of the Xoom’s built in SD card slot, customizable and re-sizable widgets, support for USB connected accessories, and expanded Bluetooth support, the news of the update was announced on Facebook by Motorola who released the following statement.
The 3.1 update for Motorola XOOM™ outside the U.S. has started. Owners in Europe can expect updates over the next several weeks until the roll out is complete. The 3.1 update for non-U.S. devices, in addition to many other improvements, also includes SD card activation. Release notes will be made available in each region, functionality varies by region.

Lytro Focus-Free Digital Camera in Progress

An new an innovative way to take photographs is currently under development that could revolutionise the way you use your camera. The new Lytro focus-free digital camera uses light field technology which is currently under development.

Its being to created to remove the need to focus your shot before you press the shutter release button on your camera. Enabling you to take photographs instantly without having to worry about the camera going through its focusing procedure first and wasting precious seconds.

The new Lytro light field camera isn’t due out until later this year but a demonstration of the new technology has been unveiled to show the concept. View a picture taken with the new system after the jump.
The Lytro Focus-Free system has been created by Dr. Ren Ng, a Stanford Ph.D after receiving a $50 million investment to develop his concept after writing a dissertation on light-field technology five years ago, that won him countless awards worldwide

EcoFriendly Speakers for iPad and iPhone

Some of our reader will remember the iBamboo iPhone dock that we featured on hotcellular the other week, now there is another Eco friendly iPhone dock, which is designed to improve the iPhone’s built in speakers sound without the need for a power source.

Each of these wooden iPhone and iPad speakers are made to order and are available in a range of different woods which include, maple, cherry, walnut, and many more.

When you set the phone or iPad into the cradle, the natural properties of the wood amplify the sound from the iphone speakers. Care has been taken to cut precise tunnels for best amplification.

Sprint's 2011 Q3 roadmap leaks, gives a glimpse of our smartphone future?

Sprint finally released its much-anticipated Evo 3D into the wild today, but it turns out that's not the only good news for fans of the Now Network. Courtesy of This is my next, we've got some tasty tidbits regarding Sprint's forthcoming phone lineup for Q3 of this year. Apparently, we can expect to see the successor to Samsung's Epic 4G, the Epic 2, sporting a 4-inch display, a single-core 1.2GHz Hummingbird processor, and an 8-megapixel shooter. There's also an unnamed 4G device from Sammy in the works, which our gadget senses tell us may be Sprint's version of the Galaxy S II, the Within. Not a fan of little green bots? Not to worry, because RIM is bringing its Bold Touch and Monaco handsets to the carrier, plus a push-to-talk BlackBerry, too. Well played, Mr. Hesse -- with all these fancy new phones in the works, might this be the summer of Sprint?

U.S. Cellular Launches Its Next Mobile Tablet, the Motorola Xoom

U.S. Cellular, Motorola XOOM, mobile tablet, Wi-Fi, smartphone, Android 3.1, Honeycomb

Starting today, U.S. Cellular customers can select the Motorola XOOM for $599.99 from the carrier’s growing catalog of mobile tablets. Customers can connect the Motorola XOOM to a Wi-Fi network or tether it to a U.S. Cellular smartphone to access the wireless company’s high-speed nationwide network, which has the highest call quality and network satisfaction of any national carrier. 

The Motorola XOOM’s 10.1-inch widescreen display and unique interface make it easy to stay organized by streaming the web, videos, games, calendars and important information right to the customizable homescreen. It’s the first mobile tablet to use the Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) operating system that was designed specifically to run time-saving applications on a larger screen. Multi-taskers can get more done by managing several web browsing experiences at the same time. Those features are powered by a 1 GHz dual core processor that opens web pages twice as fast.

 

“The Motorola XOOM can be a productivity tool for employees who need quick access to information and applications, and its HD screen is ideal for watching movies and playing games,” said Edward Perez, vice president of sales and marketing operations for U.S. Cellular. “We’re providing our customers more options to find the device that meets their needs, which is one reason why we have the happiest customers in wireless.”

 

The Motorola XOOM features front and rear-facing cameras for video chatting on Google Talk and 32 GB of memory to store movies, music and other files. Multimedia fans can watch 10 hours of video on a single charge and play Adobe Flash® movies. It’s pre-loaded with other popular Google applications like Gmail, Google Maps and Google eBooks, which provides access to millions of books titles.

 

U.S. Cellular customers must add a $25 data plan to their account in order to tether the Motorola XOOM to their smartphone.

 

Rumor: Droid 3 To Hit Best Buy In Mid-July?

Alright, fair denizens of the Interwebs: put on your skeptics hat and polish up that ol’ grain-of-salt, because this one’s kinda shaky.

Android fan site Droid Attic nabbed the above shot of what looks to be Best Buy’s internal inventory listing for the Motorola Droid 3. According to the listing, the in-stock date (which in many cases means the day the products arrive, generally one day before it’s put on the shelves) is set for July 13th. If everything comes together, that means the Droid 3 could very well be on sale by July 14th or 15th.

So what’s shaky about this? First, this is the first we’re hearing of Droid Attic; we won’t hold that against’em, but we can’t vouch for their accuracy. Second, these inventory dates aren’t exactly set in stone — especially not 2+ weeks out. In many cases, the dates put in when the listing is created are placeholders, often only getting swapped out for the actual date a day or two before the products hit the delivery trucks. In the end, it’s entirely feasible that the Droid 3 will hit the shelves in Mid-July… just don’t get your heart set on it yet.