smartphones

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Web Puts 2nd Language at Your Fingertips

Online options, from free to pricey, abound

(Newser) - The days of chanting vocabulary words in a classroom and dozing off in the language lab are fading from memory as language instruction becomes increasingly available on the Internet. Freestanding smartphone apps are one option, and more structured instruction comes at a price—and sometimes no price at all. The...

Google's Nexus One Cleans Up Curse Words

Voice-recognition feature uses # symbols on its screen readout

(Newser) - No cursing, please, your Nexus One might be listening: Reuters has discovered a quirk with the Google phone's nifty voice-recognition feature. If you say "bullshit," the readout on the screen will be "bull####." Ditto with other favorite phrases of the potty-mouthed. What gives? Google says it's...

Smartphone Scammers Recycle Dial-Up Tricks

 Smartphone Scammers 
 Recycle Dial-Up Tricks 
bogus phone calls
Jan 15, 2010 5:00 AM CST

Smartphone Scammers Recycle Dial-Up Tricks

Trojan diallers call premium lines, racking up huge charges

(Newser) - Criminals have revived an old trick dating from the days of dial-up Internet access to target smartphone users. Trojans known as "diallers" that hijack a line to dial dozens of premium-rate numbers or send premium SMS messages are on the rise again, according to security experts. The diallers—generally...

Users Already Grousing About Google Phones

Lack of support helpline irks Nexus One users

(Newser) - The honeymoon for Google's Nexus One smartphone lasted under a week for many users. Support forums are already filled with critics complaining about various problems, especially connectivity issues. The biggest problem, though, appears to be that many users aren't clear on which company is supposed to answer their questions and...

Nexus One: 'Google's Most Public Misstep'

Bad network, stymied opportunity for Android OS—what's to like?

(Newser) - The much ballyhooed Nexus One landed yesterday, but over at PC World , David Coursey is having none of it. “The Nexus One is a somewhat faster Droid with a somewhat better screen,” he writes, but all in all it's a bad idea and needless risk for Google. First,...

Google Poised to Unveil Nexus One

Smartphone launch expected at 'event' today

(Newser) - The eyes of the tech world swing over to Google HQ today, where the search engine is expected to roll out its much-anticipated Nexus One "superphone." Google has stayed tight-lipped about the phone—confirming only that handsets have been handed out to employees for testing—leaving the industry...

Unlocked Google Phone Will Set You Back $530: Leak

Gadget $180 on 2-year T-Mobile contract

(Newser) - Google’s upcoming phone will cost users $530 unlocked and unsubsidized—or $180 with a 2-year T-Mobile contract, Gizmodo reports from leaked documents. The tech firm will sell its new gadget itself, and sources tell TMO News that it will go on sale January 5 at 9am, There’s just...

UK Network: Dropped Calls? Blame iPhone

O2 follows suit after AT&T accuses gadget of data gluttony

(Newser) - Slammed for poor signal and dropped calls, AT&T has blamed its troubles in part on the iPhone’s heavy data usage—and now UK provider O2 is also pointing a finger at the gadget, PC World reports. O2 users have been plagued by similar problems, and “where we...

AT&T Resumes Web Sales of iPhones in NYC

Network issues may still be reason for blocking transactions

(Newser) - AT&T has lifted its ban on selling New York City residents iPhones online, but the reason for the shutdown remains unclear. Customer service reps at first said New York was not "ready for the iPhone," then offered nebulous explanations about "increased fraudulent activity" in the area....

Firefox Heads for Cell Phones
 Firefox Heads for Cell Phones 
Dec 23, 2009 9:39 AM CST

Firefox Heads for Cell Phones

Fennec launch imminent, but, iPhone users, don't hold your breath

(Newser) - The release of Firefox's Fennec browser for mobiles is imminent after more than a year of development. Mozilla exec Jay Sullivan says the browser is being put through final testing and will likely be available for download before the end of the year. Fennec —which synchronizes mobiles with the...

BlackBerry Email Restored After 8-Hour Outage

Problem with IM software at fault, RIM urges upgrade

(Newser) - BlackBerry email service in North America was restored this morning following its second outage in less than a week. Research In Motion said the root cause of the 8-hour lapse is still under review, but a flaw in two recently released versions of its BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging software appears...

Google Phone's Hardware Rules

Nexus' CPU will be twice as fast as the Droid's

(Newser) - Google’s secretive, much-hyped Nexus One is going to have some real horsepower under its hood. The fine hackers over at TheseAreTheDroids have pored over a leaked ROM of the new phone’s software to figure out what hardware will be in it, and the news is all good. The...

Holiday Shoppers Embrace Price-Comparing Apps

Secure deals with a wave of the smartphone, or go elsewhere

(Newser) - Smartphone downloads of apps designed to help shoppers find the product they want at the cheapest price are way up this holiday season, making it what the Wall Street Journal calls the “first app-powered Christmas.” Particularly useful are programs that utilize the camera of, say, your iPhone to...

Why Google Phone Won't Be a Game Changer
Why Google Phone Won't Be a Game Changer
Farhad Manjoo
Dec 15, 2009 11:47 AM CST

Why Google Phone Won't Be a Game Changer

Platform-exclusive features just aren't in the company's DNA

(Newser) - The Google phone, Nexus One, “is a real looker” and probably runs a great version of Android, Farhad Manjoo writes, but all the breathless predictions about its revolutionary impact on the market ignore the core principles of the company that makes it. First off, “Google doesn’t care...

AT&T Looks to Rein In iPhone Data Hogs

Company may have to revamp how it bills customers

(Newser) - AT&T says it's working on ways to keep some iPhone customers from hogging everybody else's bandwidth. It will unveil a series of "incentives" early next year, which could include charging customers based on how much data they use rather than offering an "unlimited" plan, reports the Wall ...

Smartphones Become Essential Tools for Shoppers

Retailers scramble to establish presence in mobile marketplace

(Newser) - Today's Black Friday finds about 1 in 5 shoppers—double that for the 18-to-29 age set— using a smartphone to track bargains and compare prices. While the number of those who actually buy using a mobile device is relatively small—at $750 million, such transactions account for only .5% of...

iPhone Hacker Gets Job Writing Apps

21-year-old is hired by an Australian tech company

(Newser) - The 21-year-old who created the first-ever iPhone worm has landed a job developing apps for the phone. Ashley Towns revealed via his Twitter account that he's been hired by Australia's monogeneration. Towns has said he created the "ikee" worm—it changed users' wallpaper into a photo of Rick Astley—...

Droid a Savvy Choice for Smartphone Fans
 Droid a Savvy Choice 
 for Smartphone Fans 
WALT MOSSBERG
Nov 5, 2009 5:38 AM CST

Droid a Savvy Choice for Smartphone Fans

Users sick of AT&T now have an option

(Newser) - Verizon has finally come up with a phone that will satisfy users who want an iPhone-quality smartphone to run on the firm's zippy 3G network, writes Walt Mossberg. The Motorola Droid, is, like the iPhone, "a powerful hand-held computer that happens to make phone calls," Mossberg writes. The...

Verizon Unveils Droid Smartphone
 Verizon Unveils 
 Droid Smartphone 
bloggers' first look
Oct 28, 2009 12:44 PM CDT

Verizon Unveils Droid Smartphone

All looks promising, but some think OS is still no match for iPhone

(Newser) - Verizon's Droid smartphone—built by Motorola and powered by Google's Android—goes on sale Nov. 6 for $200. Some early opinions on the iPhone challenger:
  • The phone is "almost not worth writing about," notes Chris Dannen in Fast Company . It's "fine" but "doesn't advance" the Android
...

Enter Tapman: Metallica Debuts iPhone App

Rockers seek to stay relevant with finger-tapping game

(Newser) - Metallica aims to turn a generation of finger-tappers into headbangers with a new iPhone application. Tap Tap Revenge: Metallica, a variant of the top-selling Tap Tap Revenge game, lets players tap their screens in time to hits like Enter Sandman. The game, priced at $4.99, is expected to make...

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