A living room entertainment experience while on the go

Samsung Epic™ 4G, a Galaxy S™ smartphone, is the second 4G capable handset from Sprint, a Galaxy S smartphone and Samsung Mobile’s first 4G Android™-powered device. It is part of a new breed of Samsung smartphones offering the very best in screen, speed and content quality for a premium user experience, offering a fully integrated multimedia, messaging and social networking experience at 4G speeds on Samsung’s industry-leading 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen display. Powered by the Android 2.1 platform, Samsung Epic 4G’s user interface also supports a series of advanced touch screen gestures including multi-touch pinch, long tap and zoom and vertical and horizontal swiping. It also offers high-def like entertainment in the palm of your hand thanks to its HD-like video capabilities for a theater-like movie experience. In the coming months, Samsung Epic 4G will have access to the Samsung Media Hub, making it the first and only 4G handset to feature a video store with movies and TV available for purchase or rental and optimized for a handset screen for an HD-like entertainment experience. With 4G from Sprint, users will be able to get the fastest download of a full library of video and literary content powered by some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Productivity:

• 3G/4G capability
• Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Application Processor
• 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom
• Google full HTML browser – bandwidth and quality that rival that of netbooks
• Android 2.1, with access to more than 50,000 apps on Android Market™
• Simultaneous voice and data capability in 4G and Wi-Fi coverage areas, enabling Web surfing and more while talking
• Google™ mobile services including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Google Talk™, Gmail™, YouTube™ , and syncs with Google Calendar™
• Visual voicemail
• Messaging – personal and business email and text messaging, as well as IM through a downloadable Android Market app
• 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability – connects up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices
• 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps
• 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) – peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps

Entertainment:

• Dual camera: 5 MP camera/camcorder with autofocus, Power LED flash and 3x digital zoom for HD video (720p) recording for capture and playback on an HD television and front facing VGA camera for video chat and more
• Qik video application for video chat service and live video sharing
• High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G and 4G data speeds
• Samsung’s exclusive AllShare service to wirelessly share stored music, pictures and HD video to other DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified™ home electronics, including HDTVs, monitors, digital cameras, printers and more.
• Samsung Social Hub integrates all of the user’s social networking services, messages, personal and business email, calendars and contacts, and can display calendar information from portal calendars, such as Google Calendar and social networking services together in one view with two-way synchronization
• Future access to the Samsung Media Hub, a full library of video and literary content powered by some of the biggest names in entertainment
• Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
• Sprint applications including Sprint Football Live, Sprint Navigation Sprint TV®, and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
• Bluetooth® 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
• Built-in WiFi®: 802.11 b/g/n
• Digital compass, six-axis motion sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
• Expandable memory: 16 GB microSD card included; supports up to 32 GB

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 4.9 inches 2.54 inches x 0.56 inches (124.8 mm x 64.6 mm x 14.2 mm) (LxWxT)
• Weight: 5.46 ounces (155 grams)
• Battery: Standard removable 1500mAh Lithium (Li-on) battery
• Memory: 1 GB ROM, 512 MB RAM

Features, services, and specifications subject to change.

Mark Elliott, Sprint                                         Brett White, MWW Group for Samsung,
415-684-7314                                                  604-232-1445
mark.j.elliott@sprint.com bwhite@mww.com

A lucky private beta tester has shared the new  BlackBerry Messenger v5.0.1.17 that RIM is working on.

BlackBerry Messenger v5.0.1.17 is in the blackberry beta zone for download. Head on over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone and see if you can sign up for this app.

[Via: Pdastack.com]

The Sprint HTC EVO 4G has been rooted for a little while now, but don’t you wish that it could be a little easier? Well, it is now, thanks to the SimpleRoot EVO root tool. SimpleRoot will have your EVO rooted in just one click!

If you’re feeling a little daring, you can unlock Nand, and install a custom recovery image in two more clicks. This will allow you to perform full system backups, and install custom ROMs for your device. So it should be worth the sweat and tears, go ahead, click three times.

While the method is simple, preparing your computer to get it to work requires a couple more steps. First of all, you must be running Windows (sorry Mac, Linux), and have Microsoft .NET 4.0 framework installed. Although it may not be a required download, you may as well get HTC Sync installed as well. After all that, run the SimpleRoot program.

You’ll be greeted with three buttons, which you should select in order. Root, which roots your device and will allow you to run root-only applications. Unlock Nand, which will give you the option to back up your entire system, and can be restored easily if say, you install a custom ROM and want to switch back. Nand saves you from having to go through the setup process again, and your apps are all still there, data included. The last, Flash Recovery, will install a custom recovery image, which will not only allow you to flash custom ROMs, but also comes with many more options than the stock recovery image.

After all the steps are completed, you have full root access, and are able to add custom ROMs, mods, and root apps to your heart’s content. Speaking of custom ROMs I hear Cyanogen is cooking up something special for the EVO. Froyo, anyone?

For full instructions and download links, hit up the link below.

Happy rooting!

[Via: AndroidPolice]



While we certainly haven’t forgotten about Haykuro, Cyanogen is the king of Android development when it comes to custom ROMs – and to continue that tradition, he’s planning to bringing Android 2.2 (Froyo) to a handful of devices before it’s officially pushed out.

While we’re hearing that Nexus One users have began to see the final Froyo build hitting their devices, they will still benefit from the CyanogenMod release. CyanogenMod is heavily optimized, and comes with small tweaks that can make a big difference. For example, one of the tweaks allows the trackball to have an assigned color when a particular notification comes your way (text message, email, etc.). Another tweak allows you to unlock the home screen by using just the trackball (so convenient). These small mods will obviously not be found in the official Froyo release, so Nexus One users can still benefit from CyanogenMod even if they have the official Froyo build.

Other devices that will see the Cyanogen Froyo update are the HTC Desire, Sprint HTC EVO 4G, T-Mobile G1 (yes, you read right), HTC Magic (MyTouch 3G), MyTouch 3G Slide, Sprint (CDMA) HTC Hero, and the Motorola Droid. This guy has some great ambitions, and is already hard at work getting the ROMs working for your pleasure. Sense users, if you’re ready for some Froyo in your life, expect to shed the devices’ sexy skin. It should be easy enough to give up when you’ve got so many features on board Froyo.

Let’s not forget the other amazing Android Developers out there, either. If you’re not quite into stock Android, there are countless ROMs to get your Sense on. Still, it’s hard to deny full Flash support, and a free mobile hotspot option. I think those two features alone may be enough to give up Sense.

Expect to see CyanogenMod 6 coming down the pipes sometime soon!

[Via: AndroidAndMe]

A lucky private beta tester has shared a new traffic application for BlackBerry that RIM is working on. We’ve been hearing a lot about how RIM has trademarked BlackBerry Drive and will be collecting anonymous GPS data to estimate traffic conditions; combined with their acquisition of Dash Navigation, this app seems to fit the bill. The main screen shows you what to expect in terms of traffic, what turns to take along your route, and how long it should take given the data the BlackBerry has to work with.

The three buttons we see below include a search option, which presumably lets you see which businesses are nearby based on keywords, and additional options provide an estimated time of arrival (and the ability to share your ETA), and stats on your speed and progress. This is definitely different than your average navigation app, which usually provides a map and turn-by-turn directions, but one can assume that at least BlackBerry Maps (and Google Maps, if we’re lucky) will be able to import a route into the app. In a way, the simplified interface is more appropriate for at-a-glance information, since your attention should be on the road.

Head on over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone and see if you can sign up for this app.

[via PocketBerry]

During Apple’s WWDC keynote a couple of weeks back, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus revealed his company’s wildly popular Facebook game Farmville would be making its way to the iPhone later this month. Who knew that later this month really meant in time for the iPhone 4 launch because that’s exactly what happened.

If you haven’t sat down and asked your girlfriend, wife, daughter, or mother what the hoopla is all about with FarmVille, then allow me to educate you via the App’s in-depth description:

Plow, plant and harvest on the go 24/7! FarmVille, the most popular game on the web, is now available on your iPhone. Current FarmVille players can access their existing Facebook farm, and new users can create a farm.

Choose from a variety of seeds to grow beautiful fruits and vegetables. Earn coins and XP to decorate your farm or expand your acreage. Work faster with vehicles like tractors and seeders, and rear livestock including cows, sheep, and pigs. The more you help your neighbors, the faster you’ll level up.

FarmVille on the iPhone does require you to have a Facebook account in order to play, which is understandable since the game’s mechanics revolve heavily on the popular social media network.  I just hope you know how to heat up your own hot pocket as a lot of women in your life are soon going to be glued to their iPhones.

FarmVille (FREE) – [iTunes Link]

It looks like iPhone users are very interested in making VoIP calls over 3G networks, as Skype said its 2.0 version of the iPhone app has been well received.

“We’ve had millions of downloads to date,” Russ Shaw, Skype’s general manager for mobile, told Reuters. “That’s really positive.”

The latest version enables iPhone users to use AT&T (NYSE: T)’s mobile data network to make free Skype-to-Skype calls, while the previous version only allowed the VoIP calling over WiFi networks. One of the reasons AT&T users are eager to get this product now is that Skype said it will start charging users a monthly fee, starting in August, to make VoIP calls over cellular data networks.

Shaw didn’t dive into specifics about how much the fee will be but he did say the company doesn’t want to “price ourselves out of the market,” particularly because consumers currently use it for free. The calling service works well, offers near CD-quality audio and it should only become more useful once the iPhone OS 4.0 software enables it to run in the background. But it’s going to be difficult to get a large number of users to pay extra per month, especially now that AT&T is ditching its unlimited plans for data.

There’s a method behind Skype’s madness though, as the company recently inked a deal with Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless. This deal brings the calling service to Big Red’s Android and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) smartphones and it will even utilize Verizon’s voice network, free of charge, to ensure a higher level of audio quality. This service is expected to be free for the foreseeable future and it could be an important difference between the two carriers – heck, the Skype app is featured prominently in one of the “Droid Does” commercials.

So, what do you think readers? Will you pay a monthly fee for Skype on the iPhone?

– Skype 2.0 for iPhone (FREE) [iTunes link]

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless is currently testing Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPads on its CDMA networks, according to reports from the Boy Genius Report.

This report is light on details but there’s confirmation that the device is CDMA, although there may also be some Long-Term Evolution components as well. Verizon is in the middle of an aggressive LTE rollout as part of its push for 4G services. Big Red’s 4G services should be live in up to 40 markets by the end of the year and we know it will be offering tiered-pricing plans for the next generation of mobile broadband.

Testing iPads makes a lot of sense, as rumors have suggested that Verizon and Apple have been flirting with iProducts for years. When it was first introduced, there was still some question about how well the iPad would be received because tablets have done nothing but fail in the past. Apple seems to have bottled lightning with its “magical” device as it has shipped more than 2 million units in less than 60 days, which is even more impressive when you consider it hadn’t been shipping to most international markets.

Does this mean that an iPad on Verizon is imminent? It’s still way too early to tell, as it’s plausible that Big Red is just doing its due diligence. Besides, some analysts have said the no-contract data plans with the 3G iPad have extended Apple’s exclusivity deal with AT&T (NYSE: T).

Another interesting wrinkle in this story is that our spies have told us Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Verizon are working together to create an iPad-killer based on Android. Not much is known about this device but it is supposed to be coming directly from Google and Big Red will naturally be providing the mobile connectivity. I’d imagine it to be an iPad-like device with Android, a USB port or two and a decent camera.

We know there’s going to be a plethora of Android tablets out soon but many of these will lack the strong marketing machine behind the iPad. The Google tablet should receive the full might of Verizon’s marketing team, which can be formidable. The nation’s largest wireless carrier reportedly pumped nearly $100 million into campaigns for the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid and I wind up seeing that handset around town almost as much as the iPhone.

Depending on how good the Google tablet turns out to be, Verizon may not even need Apple’s tablet.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Some heavy data users thinking of signing up with AT&T (NYSE: T) may be crying foul at new data plans just announced today. DataPlus is the basic service, offering 200 MB for $15, while DataPro is $25 monthly for 2 GB. Aaaand that’s about it. Yep, no more unlimited data. If you want to be able to use that 2 GB for tethering, that’ll be another $20/month. Voice/data bundles are now $54.99 and up. Those prices are actually pretty good, considering up here in Canada we pay $30 for 500 MB and $50 for 2 GB of data on Rogers (NYSE: RCI).

It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, as now AT&T subscribers can finally use an iPhone to provide internet access to their laptop, which is a feature that has been a long time coming. iPhone OS 4.0 will for sure be offering the capability, but will the data cap just mean AT&T will be able to squeeze overage charges out of the app-happy customers that have brought their network to its knees? The network upgrades made to meet these demands don’t come cheap, so maybe these added charges are justified, and it does say something about AT&T’s confidence in their capacity that they’re even offering the option for tethering. On the other hand, if AT&T can’t handle an army of iPhone and iPad tethererererers despite the 2 GB cap, and everything just buckles under the weight again, AT&T will be in bad shape for the June launch of the next gen iPhone. I can’t even imagine how such a tight situation would be compounded with the sudden and magical proliferation of video calling on the iPhone 4. If things do go south, there’s a good chance that Verizon (NYSE: VZ) could step in and offer a viable alternative.

The new plans go live June 7, but those currently on the $29.99 unlimited plan can keep it, or if they’re rather save five bucks a month or desperately need an official tethering plan because they can’t jailbreak for some crazy reason, can switch over to the new offer. Be sure to grandfather the old unlimited plan onto your new handsets if you’re completely in love with it, because odds are it won’t be coming back.

[via AT&T]

Late last night I could have sworn I heard a commercial for the Motorola FLIPOUT on TV. I was tired, slipping in and out of consciousness (I was just tired, nothing more, I promise you!), but I remember thinking to myself, ‘hey, is that Moto’s strange looking swivel device?’… and then I fell asleep.

This morning, it looks like what I ‘thought’ I saw is confirmed, as Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has officially launched the FLIPOUT. If ‘awkward’ and ’square’ are two terms you like to use to describe your mobile device of choice, the FLIPOUT will be the device for you. Packing Android 2.1, the FLIPOUT also features an enhanced version of MOTOBLUR. Key functionality and feature updates on this include:

• Happenings and Messages widgets – filter by social networking account, by contact(s) or by contact group to only see the information you want
• Screen customization – move and resize preloaded widgets on up to seven home screens
• Battery Manager – manage battery consumption by operating in one of three performance modes
• Data Manager – monitor data usage from the home screen to better manage pay-as-you-go and limited data plans
• Personal and Corporate e-mail – pushed directly to the device
• Re-tweet capabilities

The FLIPOUT is definitely something new for consumers to consider. I’m honestly not a huge fan of the swivel design, but, that said the design makes the device extremely ‘pocketable’. Just swivel the darn thing closed, toss it in your pocket, and you’re good to go. The Motorola FLIPOUT also features WiFi, GPS, a 2.8″ QVGA disaplay, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 512MB of internal memory and a 3 megapixel camera.

While pricing on the Motorola FLIPOUT is still up in the air, we do know at this point that it will hit European shores sometime this quarter. Make the jump for the full press release and some teaser video goodness.

Motorola FLIPOUT™ with MOTOBLUR™: Stylishly Square & Pocket Perfect

Multi-touch screen pivots to reveal QWERTY keypad on Motorola’s latest Android-based smartphone

BASINGSTOKE, UK – June 2, 2010 – Motorola (NYSE: MOT) today announced Motorola FLIPOUT with MOTOBLUR™, a stylishly square and compact smartphone that’s as individual as its users.

Launching in Europe from Q2 2010, FLIPOUT runs on Android™ 2.1 and features an innovative square pivot design that opens to reveal a five-row QWERTY keypad with a separate row for numeric keys. FLIPOUT features up to seven customizable home screens, live wallpapers and added security for exchange server users. It also offers enhanced MOTOBLUR features making it easier to follow who and what really matters to you.

“FLIPOUT merges Motorola’s design heritage with Android to deliver a new take on the typical smartphone form. In an incredibly compact square, FLIPOUT fits neatly in your palm (NSDQ: PALM), purse or small pocket, making it fun and easy to stay connected while on the go,” said Ralf Gerbershagen, vice president and GM, Mobile Devices, Western Europe, Motorola. “For fans of social networking, FLIPOUT also features enhancements to MOTOBLUR, allowing users to connect with their networks however they want.”

FLIPOUT’s array of colors will be country-specific and could include Licorice, Fairway Green, Raspberry Crush, Brilliant Blue, Poppy Red, Saffron or White.
Enhanced MOTOBLUR?MOTOBLUR is Motorola’s exclusive Android experience that syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter™, Gmail™, work and personal e-mail, and last.fm — and automatically delivers them to the home screen.  MOTOBLUR automatically backs up contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations and e-mail to a secure server and provides remote data wipe for lost or stolen devices.  One username and password restores contacts, messages and connectivity to prior networks and email providers.

FLIPOUT offers enhanced MOTOBLUR functionality and features, including:

• Happenings and Messages widgets – filter by social networking account, by contact(s) or by contact group to only see the information you want
• Screen customization – move and resize preloaded widgets on up to seven home screens
• Battery Manager – manage battery consumption by operating in one of three performance modes
• Data Manager – monitor data usage from the home screen to better manage pay-as-you-go and limited data plans
• Personal and Corporate e-mail – pushed directly to the device
• Re-tweet capabilities

Hear and be heard
FLIPOUT includes CrystalTalk PLUS which improves a caller’s voice quality while filtering out background noise for better conversations. Building on Motorola’s proprietary microphone and speaker configuration, CrystalTalk PLUS adds a second microphone to provide even clearer voice quality, while cutting down background noise.

Web & Multimedia
FLIPOUT brings optimal web and photo browsing to the palm of your hand with multi-touch pinch to zoom, and is Adobe® Flash® enabled which provides access to most content-rich websites.

For music fans, FLIPOUT’s connected media player offers full screen lyric support, integrated song ID and a social solution for knowing what people around you are listening to.

Additional multimedia features include a 3MP camera with digital zoom and KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures and gallery mode for tagging and labeling of photos. One-touch uploads to Facebook, MySpace, Picasa and Photobucket make sharing your images quick and easy.  Also included are video capture, playback and streaming options along with Bluetooth®1 capabilities for wireless calls and music.

FLIPOUT features full Google (NSDQ: GOOG)™ services including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and access to thousands of apps on the Android Market.
Availability?Motorola FLIPOUT with MOTOBLUR will be introduced to Europe from Q2 2010. For more information about availability, please contact your local Motorola representative. To learn more about the device visit YouTube™ or here.  To experience MOTOBLUR, please visit www.motorola.com/motoblur.

Evernote is out with an updated Android client. The main thing of the new version is that the nasty java.lang.IllegalStateException error which prevented users from accessing certain notes has been fixed.

In addition, there are three other important enhancements:

• Search bar has been dramatically improved – not only can you use it do the usual keyword and image searching, it can also help filter tags, notebooks and saved searches. As you type, the search bar displays suggestions along with helpful icons that show you what the item is.
• Snapshot Notes now support the phone’s native camera capabilities – giving you a much better control over the quality of your photo notes. You can zoom, adjust brightness, focus, and do just about anything else.
• More languages – Evernote for Android now supports English, German, Spanish, French, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Swedish.

At the end of its blog post, Evernote wowed to bring the local storage facility to the Android. As you may know, it [local storage] already works on the iPhone and I assume Android smartphone users want it, too.

India-based 1-800-Justdial is going States-wide with a launch of its free, personalized directory assistance and category search services. To access the service, users simply dial 1-800-Justdial (1-800-587-8342) from anywhere in the country.

Here’s how Justdial works (from the press release):

Justdial offers more than simple local business search, making it quick and easy for people at home, at work, or on-the-go to receive information like listings and local recommendations, or even nearby hotels in a certain price range. Callers simply dial 1-800-Justdial (1-800-587-8342), reach a live operator that picks up within one ring and state what listing or category of product or service they are looking for by neighborhood, zip code or even intersection. Justdial sends callers relevant listings via e-mail or text message and also connects callers to the listing of their choice, all free of charge. Users can register their phone number and address for maximum speed and personalization when using Justdial, enabling the operator to recognize the user and provide recommendations and listings near their home, work, or any other registered address or location.

In other words, you can use Justdial to search for nearby restaurants, movies, events, florists, plumbers, dentists, car rentals, or almost “any other product or service under the sun.”

Justdial was founded in 1994, where last year it handled 72 million calls. The company is backed by top investors including Sequoia Capital, Tiger Venture and SAIF, which have invested over $46 million to date.

It seems people of India will be blessed with two of Samsung’s high-end smartphones later in the month.

The first of the two devices is Wave, which as you may is the company’s first Bada-powered phone. Its specs include a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, 3.3-inch Super AMOLED WVGA touchscreen, HSPA and WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, microSD memory card slot and so on.

As for the Galaxy S, it’s one of the most anticipated Android-powered smartphones. It rocks a 4-inch WVGA touchscreen that makes this baby super desirable by many geeks around the world, myself included. The Galaxy S also comes with a solid camera, HSPA and WiFi connectivity, GPS, and all other goodies a modern Android smartphone has.

The rumored price for Wave is around Rs. 25,000, whereas the Galaxy S could cost somewhere around Rs. 30,000. Exact release dates are still unknown, and we’ve also no idea whether the Korean giant will push any of the two phones through some carrier partner. As soon as we hear something new, you’ll be the first to know. Stay tuned…

[Via: SamsungHub]

We’ve already seen the Super Nintendo emulator running on the iPad. Now we have additional (and awesome) detail to add to the picture. Not only can you use Wii Remote to play Mario (and other SNES games for that matter) but you can also rely on your existing iPhone or iPod Touch for controls. Isn’t that awesome?

Of course, your iPad must be jailbroken in order for this to work, but if you ever wondered “what’s in it for me” to join the “dark side” – now you know. All those SNES games are available at your disposal!

However, I must warn you that jailbreaking may cripple your warranty. If you’re willing to take that risk, proceed and search for “snes” in Cydia, which will emerge once your iPad gets liberated out of Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s ecosystem.

‘nough said. We have an additional video to share, demoing SNES HD in action. It follows after the jump, of course.

[Via: PocketGamer.co.uk]

Sprint HTC EVO 4G! There, do we have your attention? Of course we do, it’s hard to ignore the phone that has proven to be the hottest Android kit for the foreseeable future. Following our official, comprehensive review of the EVO 4G earlier today, we thought we’d show you what kind of videos the EVO can produce. With the 8-megapixel rear-facing camera crunching out multi-megabyte images with aplomb, we wanted to know how the video camera measured up.

Turns out, you won’t get the same multi-megapixel quality that you get from the sill camera when shooting video. What you get from the EVO 4G’s video camera is high-quality video that should put all but the best mobile phone camcorders to shame. EVO is capable of filming your surroundings in 480p 720p HD, which is about half three quarters the resolution that all current-generation flat-panel TVs can muster these days. That’s going to be make for a noticeable difference on the big screen, but keep in mind that making smartphone that is able to record HD video is no small feat.

You can record the video and share it through email, Bluetooth, social networks, or even post it to your WordPress blog or YouTube account. The sharing options are incredibly well integrated and upload times shouldn’t take too long with a 30-second video and a strong 3G or 4G data connection (or WiFi, if available). Don’t expect to post these videos in real-time, though, as upload times for longer videos and shakier wireless connections aren’t going to be all that short.

Above all, though, keep in mind that this is a smartphone first and video camera second third. Dont’ expect too much and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised!

Check out our video recording test using the Sprint (NYSE: S) HTC EVO 4G’s video camera after the jump and see for yourself!

Daylight recording:

No-light recording:

[Update]
Excuse the mis-type. Evo does full 720p HD video recording. It’s impressive, as long as you don’t expect the same quality that you’d get from a dedicated HD camcorder.

Flash is coming to the iPad and iPhone (and anything else that runs the iPhone OS), but it’s not what you think – a new technology called Smokescreen has entered the fray, with its sights set on making Flash accessible to iPads around the world through the magic of JavaScript (and HTML5). The tech is intended for displaying Flash ads on the iPad and iPhone OS, but the project has deeper ramifications for viewing Flash-based websites on an iDevice.

When it comes to Adobe Flash technology, there’s an ongoing battle between Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Adobe over how to best serve up right media – like embedded videos and interactive websites – on mobile devices like the iPhone or Android smartphones. In one corner, we have Apple and the iPhone OS getting cozy with HTML5. In the other corner, we have Adobe Flash getting cozy with Android (and just about every other smartphone platform out there). That’s how things have been for what seems like ages. Today, Smokescreen becomes the newest player in this Flash-for-mobile-devices soap opera. Smokescreen is a brand new open-source JavaScript project that is essentially a “a Flash player written in JavaScript.”

What does that mean for you? Well, despite mobile ad firm RevShock’s stated goal of using Smokescreen to enable Flash-based ads on the iPad, it has ability to convert all kinds of Flash content to a format that’s compatible with an iPad or iPhone. That means Flash videos and interactive menus might soon be viewable on any of your iPhone OS-powered devices.

How does it work? We’re not too sure, but we think there’s probably some pixie dust and black magic involved. As far as we can tell, Smokescreen is a 175KB piece of JavaScript that weighs in at 8,000 lines of code. It uses JavaScript to deconstruct Flash and then pieces it back together in an iPhone OS-compatible format. Then, it displays the compatible code using HTML5. We think.

Regardless of whether or not we understand the tech, the video demo of a Flash ad running on an iPad is simply inspiring. Today, Flash ads on iPad. Tomorrow? All kinds of Flash-based websites on iPad (cough, porn, cough… and Hulu)!

Watch Smokescreen demo video after the break!

[Via: Gizmodo, Smokescreen, Simon Willison]

Awesome, there’s yet another iPad contender that we have no launch window for. The Viliv X10 (no, not that X10) is another Android tablet that boasts all kinds of features that bests the iPad. But, will that appeal to the masses, other than the nerds who are actually looking for great specs?

The X10 comes with a 10-inch 1366×768 capacitive touchscreen, an SD card reader, USB port,  HDMI port, front-facing camera, (expected) built-in accelerometer, 1080p video playback, and a battery that should serve up about 10 hours of usage. The is also said to really perform when it comes to intensive graphics consumption. The best thing about the tablet, in my opinion, is that by the time it’s released it will be running Android 2.2, and that means Flash support. There’s also a Windows 7 version of the tablet as well, but really, who cares about that?

While the tablet was displayed at Computex, we still have no idea when to expect its availability. This is really what’s somewhat irritating about these upcoming Android tablets. The only device we are expected to see in the near future is Dell’s Streak, and it’s really not much more than a slightly bigger smartphone. There have been tons and tons of Android tablets shown off at shows, but none have materialized yet. Let’s hope this changes with the X10.

If I were to make my dream tablet, the specs would read quite similar to the Viliv, but with the Pixel QI transflective screen that we’ve seen on Notion Ink’s Adam. I know it sounds crazy, but I’d definitely size down the screen as well. With a 10 inch screen, I wouldn’t mind an extra pound or two to hold a keyboard, that’s why I think a 7 inch tablet is perfect. Not too big, not too small, and definitely somewhere in between the screen size of a smartphone and netbook.

So what would be your perfect tablet if you had the chance to make one?

[Via: LaptopMag]

Brightkite made some waves by being the first to offer augmented reality advertisements late last year but these were actually kind of lame, banner-style ads overlaid on your screen. The company has boosted its ads but some of you may not like them.

Before, the ads were at the bottom of the page and pretty much stayed out of the way. Now, the company has teamed with big-name brands like Starbucks and McDonalds to create a larger branding presence. The Starbucks ad, for example, will show off a bigger Via logo when you’re facing your device at an applicable location. This eats up screen space, which may not please the user. Clicking on the icon will give you more information like pricing and directions to the nearest location.

I’m not trying to be an apologist for advertisers but this may be the sort of boost augmented reality needs to become more mainstream. There needs to be a monetization model that makes the big guys invest in this still-new technology and being able to create a stronger connection with the user is a perfect reason. Granted, these ads don’t look like it adds much to the experience (and it could annoy some users) but there is something very powerful about augmented-reality ads done well.

I think the big gorilla in the AR world is Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and its Goggles applications. As you can see from this video, the visual search engine doesn’t always get things right but the search giant continues to add new features to make it incredibly useful. It recently added translation abilities that could be very handy if you’re trying to order food in a foreign country, for example. It also plans to open up Googles to other developers and I think it could really take off once it’s a platform.

[Via TechCrunch]

If you’re like us, you’re probably hoping for a quick resolution to the Gulf Oil Spill and want to use your iPhone or Android smartphone to help track  BP’s incompetent handling of their Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Well, you’re in luck – there’s an app for that! The iPhone AppStore and Android Market now house a handful of apps that let you track the extent of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig’s crude leak, as well as allowing you to report oil contamination in your area. With the tens of millions of gallons of raw crude that have so far leaked out into the Gulf of Mexico, recovery efforts are going to need all the help they can get.

On the iPhone, you can download Oil Spill Response, or Oil Reporter for free. The first app is a simple reporting tool that allows you to log your exact position along with reports of oil contamination. The second app does essentially the same thing, but uses a sliding scale to indicate oil contamination and posts your report to Twitter. There’s also a premium (paid) iPhone app called BP Oil Spill that will give you a visual representation of what the Gulf Oil Spill looks like when compared to other oil leak disasters in recent times.  You can track the total amount of oil that has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico in real-time, using estimates from Purdue University, SkyTruth.org and NOAA (which is the official estimate, but increasingly viewed as under-reporting the leak numbers).

For Android, you can get Oil Reporter or Deepwater 2010 to help you keep track of the oil spill. As with the iPhone, Oil Reporter provides a simple way to report oil spill conditions in your area and its impact on wildlife. Deepwater 2010 will keep you informed about oil spill news, the oil spill’s wiki page and serves up photos of the disaster.

Whatever platform you use, we just hope it’s more stable than BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil platform. Let’s hope BP doesn’t get into the smartphone business.

For context, check out the image above. It’s a NASA satellite image showing what the Gulf Oil Spill looks like from space. Not good.

– Oil Spill Response (FREE) [iTunes link]
– Oil Reporter (FREE) [iTunes link]
– BP Oil Spill ($0.99) [iTunes link]

- Oil Reporter (FREE) [Android Market]

Deepwater 2010 (FREE) [Android Market]

It’s not much of a surprise, but Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has officially shut down the streaming-music service Lala. Is a streaming version of iTunes just around the corner?

If you never had the pleasure of using Lala, it allowed you to upload your tracks to its servers and stream these from any Internet-connected computer. You could also purchase songs directly from them or you could buy web access to them. For a discounted price (like 10 cents or a quarter), you would have unlimited streaming access to a certain song, as long as Lala was in business.

Apple purchased the company late last year and many dedicated Lala fans dreaded the day the service would shut down. Sure, they’ll get iTunes credit but there’s no immediate replacement for the type of service that was provided. But, we all expect Apple to roll out some form of streaming iTunes service and this may debut as soon as next week at WWDC.

Early reports indicate this will be more of an online storage locker: your purchased songs and media will be accessible from the cloud on Apple’s devices. That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about the amount of storage on your iPhone or iPad because all your media content is just a few clicks away. There’s no word if this would work over 3G networks, or how good the quality would be, but this could be a really good value-add to Apple’s products.

It only seems natural for Apple to get into the streaming music business, as competitors are already offering multiple streaming services for Apple products and rivals. Rhapsody’s app gives iPhone users streaming music, as well as the ability to cache tracks for offline access. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s Kin phones can get access to millions of streaming tracks via Zune Pass and future versions of Android will let you stream your home music collection.