August, 2010

• 6 August

  Clinton supports RIM in security spat

  

  The U.S. and Canadian governments are getting involved with a dispute between some foreign governments and Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, over those countries’ restrictions of the device. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would try to help broker a resolution between the two sides. “We are …

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• 6 August

  Motorola Flipout clears FCC

  

  It was a bit of a mishmash in the Federal Communications Commission’s certification labs this week. Among other models, we saw the RIM BlackBerry Torch, the curious Motorola Flipout swivel handset, and what appears to be a Windows Phone 7 device from HTC. Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test …

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• 6 August

  Chop Chop Soccer wins the iOS World Cup

  

  Chop Chop Soccer may not have realistic graphics or gameplay, but it definitely delivers a ton of fun. Gamerizon The child stars of Gamerizon’s Chop Chop series look like angry-eyed refugees from “South Park.” But, man, do they know how to bring the fun. Witness Chop Chop Soccer, the fourth game in the series. It’s little more than single-player soccer …

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• 6 August

  Droid X Froyo update expected by September

  

  Verizon’s Droid X launched just last month, but its promised 2.2 “Froyo” update could still come by the end of the summer. Though originally expected by late this month, it now appears that Froyo’s arrival will lapse into early September. The latest clue came Thursday on a Motorola support forum. On a thread exploring the Exchange 2003 e-mail notification issue …

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• 6 August

  BlackBerry 8530 is Cricket’s first smartphone

  

  While the recent BlackBerry Torch gets all the press, Cricket quietly pipes up and says that it, too, now has a BlackBerry in its lineup–its first ever, in fact. Indeed, the regional carrier has never even had a smartphone in its family before the BlackBerry Curve 8530. Features include GPS, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, EV-DO, a 2-megapixel camera, and of course …

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• 6 August

  U.S. Cellular reveals Android, LTE plans

  

  New smartphones and LTE technology are on their way to U.S. Cellular. During the carrier’s quarterly earnings call Thursday, Executive Vice President of Operations Alan Ferber said the RIM BlackBerry Bold, the Android-powered HTC Desire, and a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S Andorid smartphone will land in the carrier’s lineup by the end of the year. Though U.S. Cellular …

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• 6 August

  How to text without a cell phone

  

  Kids, of course, come in all varieties, and their interests run the gamut. But when it comes to 10-year-old girls, I dare say, there are two ubiquitous desires: getting one’s ears pierced and getting a cell phone. And you may as well let go of that ol’ school stereotype of a preteen–phone glued to ear, gabbing on and on with …

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• 6 August

  BlackBerry Pearl 3G now available on pay as you go with T

  

  T-Mobile is now offering the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 on pay as you go, in line with the current movement away from long-term mobile phone contracts. You can now buy the smart phone for £250, and get an extra six months free email and Internet if you sign up before the end of August, as long as you buy £20 …

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• 6 August

  BlackBerry maker and Saudis close to a deal?

  

  BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is supposedly working with officials in Saudi Arabia to make sure that BlackBerry users don’t lose access to mobile e-mail, several news agencies reported Friday. Government officials in Saudi Arabia announced earlier this week that they were ordering the country’s three wireless operators to block BlackBerry messenger service. Officials said RIM’s stringent security does not …

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• 6 August

  Ask Maggie: On wireless data roaming; gauging usage; and venting about billing

  

  Wireless broadband services are great. But how much data are you actually using and how much is it all really costing you? In this week’s Ask Maggie advice column, I answer a few questions about wireless broadband services. Specifically, I explain why using a U.S. wireless broadband data stick is probably not a good idea without a special data plan. …

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