You knew it was coming – all the leaks and blog posts from all over the blogosphere – but now it has been confirmed and unveiled. Google has now made a mobile phone. Called the Nexus One, it is a HTC-produced phone that will run on Android 2.1 and will be sold by Google on its website, or by T-Mobile in the US. Verizon Wireless, another US carrier, along with Vodafone in Europe will sell the phone in the “near future”.
Topic: topstory
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Skype Video Goes HD!
Today Skype announced a remarkable step up in the world of video calling. The latest version of Skype is going to suport HD video calling which can be received at up to 720p, Skype has also announced plans to embed the software into televisions that are ‘internet-ready’. Surprisingly this significant upgrade doesn’t come with much of a cost to the end-user, the new FV TouchCam N1 HD webcamera being available in early Feburary 2010 at just $69 without a microphone and $99 with. Skype estimates that the software will run fine on a computer with atleast a 1.8GHz processor & Skype 4.2 BETA. All webcams will be available to purchase in the Skype Shop shortly after release.
Skiff goes against Kindle XL for newspapers and magazines
Skiff has announced a brand new eBook reader that has been optimised for newspapers and magazine content. The Skiff Reader features a 11.5-inch screen with a touchscreen, and claims to be the thinnest e-reader to date (of the announcement). Plus, because many purchases are done on the go, it will partner with Sprint to provide 3G to the devices and plans are underway to sell it on Sprint stores.
Rumours: Apple 50 to 100 percent likely to release a tablet in 2010
RUMOUR MILL: Stop the presses! Is the Apple Tablet really coming!? Well, according to rumours, Apple is set to demo a working 7-inch and a 10-inch tablet running iPhone applications in January. Don’t get your hopes up just yet, however, as the tablet will not likely go on sale on that date, but sometime later to give more time to developers to build apps to work on both the iPhone/iPod touch and the new tablet.
Guess what, Steve Jobs is the CEO of the decade
Steve Jobs – owner of Apple, largest shareholder in Disney and now the CEO of the Decade? Well, that is what Fortune Magazine claims; and that might not be farfetched as it sounds. Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the 1990s after leaving Apple in the 1980s and transformed the Cupertino-based company around to become a powerful technology company – heck, their share price is beating Microsoft.
Sony Ericsson brings out Android-powered XPERIA X10
Say hello to the XPERIA X10 from Sony Ericsson. This phone will be the first phone from the Swedish-based mobile phone manufacturer that will feature the Google-backed Android OS, while having a beautiful UI that is different to what is seen on other Android-powered devices.
Apple thinks different on Woolworths new logo, challenges trademark
Woolworths, the largest supermarket in Australia, is currently revamping its stores with its new brand, and will replace the iconic “Safeway” brand to bring it aligned with the other supermarkets it owns across Australia. The new logo has been described by its Woolworths as a stylised “W” with a leaf on top, but Apple sees differently.
iTunes gets upgraded, store design and adds “next evolution” product
Apple has announced the upgrade to its iTunes application, iTunes 9. The new upgrade will see an redesigned store and improved syncing, and will have new features, including Genius Mixes and its new way to give an immersive experience to music lovers in its new iTunes LP product.
iPod shuffle drops to $79, gets colours
Despite removing the colours from the shuffle when it changed it to just a thin aluminium block, Apple has announced a change to its shuffle product that will have colours and a new 2GB model, along with the current 4GB. The colours have been announced as silver, black, pink, blue and green. Also announced was the addition of third part manufacturers to build headphones for the iPod shuffle with remotes, as the controls are now on the headphones themselves and not on the player.
iPod nano gets small upgrade, adds camera
Apple has announced that the iPod nano will get a small tweak in its design, in addition with a new camera, that would make it in competition with the Flip Mino; along with a slew of new features that would allow it to hold its dominance as the “most popular music player” to date.
Nokia reveals N97 mini, despite leaks
NOKIA WORLD: Despite already being leaked to the public beforehand, Nokia has given the official seal of approval to the news that it will be selling the Nokia N97 mini, the companion to the its N97 phone. The phone is touted as being the stylish and smaller version of its parent.
Nokia brings out more Comes With Music phones with X6 and X3
NOKIA WORLD: Nokia has announced that it will be bringing out two new phones that will join its music portfolio of phones, the X6 and the X3.
The X6 will feature a 3.2 inch touchscreen that has been optimised for 16:9 widescreen viewing with a massive 32 gigabytes of on-board memory, a 5 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss optical lens and dual LED flash, TV-out support and access to its Ovi and Music stores. It will have Bluetooth, AGPS and WLAN, along with HSDPA and EDGE network support. It is said to have up to 8 hours of talk time under a GSM network (5 hours with 3G on), and can play music for up to 35 hours.
Nokia brings out first Linux smartphone – Nokia N900
Despite a few leaks, Nokia has announced it will be releasing its very first smartphone that will be Linux-based (using its Maemo 5 software), and not its Symbian operating system.
Coming out in October, the Nokia N900 is set to operate more like a computer and not a phone; with the Finnish company touting that the phone is, according to Executive Vice President, Anssi Vanjoki, “something that is fusing the power of the computer, the internet and the mobile phone.” It will also set back consumers €500, excluding any taxes and subsidiaries.
Pirate Bay sold to Swedish software company, gets new business model
The Pirate Bay has announced that it is being acquired by Global Gaming Factory X AB, a Swedish software company, that will see a new business model for the website that “allows compensation to content providers and copyright owners.”
ACCC approves 3/Vodafone merger
The consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, has announced that it will not oppose the proposed merger between Vodafone’s Australian operations and Hutchison Telecom Australia to create a 50/50 joint venture company.