With the iPhone 3.0 Firmware and the 3G S out and in full swing applications are starting to take advantage of the new performance of both these Apple releases.
One big update is the new Facebook app. It’s added some great features and redesigned the home screen in a new layout. There’s no push yet, but we hope to see that in the 3.1 firmware update. Supposedly coming soon.
Check out some of the new features with this update, available in the Apple iTunes store:
Respond to RSVP
Upload and create new photos
Photo tagging
Zooming on photos
Easy contact integration for texting and calling
New, better home screen
There’s a lot more in the update and if you’re a F-Book user, we highly recommend downloading this update and enjoying thoroughly.
Tired of high mobile phone bills? Looking to reduce those text message fees? Are you German? If you answered yes to those questions (especially the last one), the German carrier E-Plus may have the solution for you.
Communications Tech Firm Alcatel-Lucent announced that they will be providing hardware to E-Plus to allow them to integrate advertisements into their mobile phones. Customers have the option to select service with advertisements for reduced service fees.
While further details about how the advertisements will be presented are not available this could be a great way for other carriers to offer more affordable plans to their customers. However if it becomes intrusive and disruptive you won’t likely be seeing people running to get 2 cents off of a text message while having to sit through a 20 second ad.
Hopefully they will come up with a solution that provides customer and advertiser with good service and simple advertising which doesn’t make you want to toss your phone in a lake.
Those of you who have been huffing and puffing for the last two weeks can finally calm down. It’s here! Jailbreak and Unlock for the iPhone 3G S, under the name purplera1n. It hasn’t come from the usual source of the Dev-Team however. It is being brought to us from one of the original iPhone geniuses, geohot.
At the moment there are just a few limitations:
Do not go near the 3.1 OS update. This apparently has fixed the hole that is being used for the 3.0 Jailbreak on the 3G S
It’s Windows only for the moment, but a Mac version is coming soon.
This is a beta version and like every other jailbreak out there, so ba USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
The jailbreak uses a slightly different approach to more popular methods and does not require a full custom firmware upgrade and works with apparently more sneakier methods. It also jumps the gun on the Dev-Teams conservatism in that they were waiting for the 3.1 upgrade to get a full attack on Apple without revealing too many of their tricks.
Once the jailbreak is performed you will then have access to Cydia and can use the same ultrasn0w utility which unlocked the iPhone 3G.
In an effort to make your phone even more important in your life there are developments being made to introduce RFID (radio frequency identification) into your mobile to allow it to act as your credit card, for easy purchasing.
Håkan Djuphammar, of Ericsson (the more bashful half of Sony Ericsson), spoke to delegates at the Business Innovation Forum in Stockholm saying that “A year from now, basically every new phone sold will have [near field communication]. It’s a two-way, bio-directional RFID communication link that makes this device work as a tag or reader.”
The hope is to use RFID chips to integrate into your phone so that using your credit card won’t even require a card. The radio frequency will transmit all of your information to a payment receiver and then automatically charge your account.
The technology is not only limited to commerce either. There are also moves to use the RFID of your phone as a key or a personal remote control for your home.
While security is still a large question in the development of all of these technologies, the developers have ensured us that serious steps are being made to prevent nefarious use. This involves closer monitoring of the use of the services to ensure no fraudulent activity is occurring and also easy ways to deactivate your phone remotely in case of loss.
So what do you think? Do you want the convenience or is it not work the risk?
With the Nokia N97 coming out only a few weeks ago Nokia has already rushed out a software update to address many of the problems that the first users were having.
Many users had problems with the phone crashing with the Widgets and also slow or sluggish UI transitions which seriously hindered the performance of the phone. It left us wondering if the Nokia N97 was rushed out without sufficient testing. However this update should fix a lot of the problems that were out there.
The Software Version 11.X.021 is now available through the regular Nokia Software Updater.
Here is a list of some of the other problems that have been fixed in the update:
New applications added
Ovi store client now embedded in the core system image
USB detection error fix
PC does not detect N97 or USB charging connection not detected.
Widgets
Home screen online/offline widget crash fix
Fix for “Alphabetical and Number input are mixed in facebook until end key is pressed.
Widget UI improvement - New facebook widget fixes a problem of Home Screen background visible on soft-key area.
Browser fixes to improve widgets stability.
MfE related fixes
Partial fix for Messaging/calendar entry lost.
Mail for exchange calendar entry synchronization error fix.
UI transition error fixes
UI transition (Slowness and bad effects)
Slow Touch UI response
Picture of the device lock appears half of the screen when transitioning the UI sometimes
Landscape: in some cases the soft buttons on touch (right hand) show the Home Screen in background (install maps.google.com)
Photos thumbnail performance and stability improvements
Device performance deteriorates when lots of content in the device - especially photos
Partial fix no display backlight illumination when unlocking lock-key - CAP Genius reported already
New version of AccuWeather to improve the “Connection error” situation
Device reset when browsing with high speed packet access (for Malaysia )
“Browser soft key UI doesn’t work after putting Chinese character with qwerty keyboard”
This is one you have to see to believe! A user who is enjoying the video recording function on his new Apple iPhone 3G S is having some fun recording a little portion of his vacation. Then something happens which is usually the death sentence for any mobile device. He drops it into the pool.
But impressively enough we pulls the phone out of the pool and low and behold, it is still recording. We don’t have any confirmation of how far the phone made it after it’s dip, but it went long enough to at least upload the video to a computer.
This is all pretty amazing assuming that the video is legit. We’ve seen other stress tests on the phone which put the phone through similar conditions and it still worked. So we think that it is highly likely that the video is the real deal.
A few months ago we reported on an initiative that was being undertaken by European companies to standardize mobile phone chargers to cut down on waste and bloated production of accessories.
The European Commission announced that they have decided to adopt a standard microUSB charger for all devices. Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and many other major manufacturers have agreed to start manufacturing phones next year that will be using the standardized charger.
Once the charger has entered the market, phones and chargers will be sold separately, so chargers used with previous handsets will be compatible with brand new hand sets. There is currently no specified amount of time for when the items will be sold separately, but it is estimated that it will take at least a few years before it is fully implemented.
Whether this will do anything to reduce the huge amount of waste created by cellphone consumption is yet to be seen, but the effort appears to be appreciated.
Now the question is: When are we going to see this on our side of the pond?
Here’s another thing that you don’t need, but damn do you ever want it! The Mili Pro is a projection system which will hook up to your iPhone or iPod Touch and project videos onto whatever surface you want.
The MiLi Pro is made by PhoneSuit which has also designed other handy accessories such as the battery life extender and Bluetooth headsets. It definitely has a sleek and cool design that iPhone owners come to expect and the specs seem to indicate it will perform well too.
The claim the MiLi pro can project at up to 40 inch screen and will display resolution at 640×480. So it’s perfect for close viewing and a comfortable size for something on your living room wall. There are also integrated speakers to rock the party when you need to.
The new toy is available in September and will be compatible with the whole iPhone family and also iPod Touches.
Like the rest of the world, we at TimTechs are shocked, surprised and stunned at the death of the iconic pop legend Michael Jackson. Whatever your opinions of him may be, his impact on the world is significant and must be acknowledged.
If you’re looking to pay tribute to the fallen star you can do so on your Blackberry Bold 9000 with a free Michael Jackson theme. This is a fan created theme which can be downloaded here. So if you want to do your part and keep the memory strong you can do it with this small gesture.
Samsung is still going strong! After there announcement of the Omnia II, the recent release of the i8910 Omnia HD and the rest of the Omnia family, they are now readying the M8910 Pixon 12. This is a follow up to the very successful M8800 Pixon which featured a very powerful 8 megapixel camera. However the little brother of the Pixon is packing even more heat with a 12 Megapixel camera. That’s right, a dozen!
The camera isn’t just all megapixels either. It comes with some great features such as the following:
Beauty shot
Image stabilization
Smart Auto Mode
28 mm wide angle lens
Xenon and Power LED Flash
Tracking touch autofocus
This baby is packing a punch and is due out in late summer. It looks like the 12 MP camera may be the new standard for power camera phones. The Sony Ericsson Satio (formerly the Idou) is another model which is jumping into that boat.
