Just  a little while ago Apple issued a news release that they have filed a suit against HTC, alleging that the company is infringing on 20 patents, like iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture, and hardware.  We just have to sit back, and wait for more details to unfold!

CUPERTINO, California—March 2, 2010—Apple® today filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Apple reinvented the mobile phone in 2007 with its revolutionary iPhone®, and did it again in 2008 with its pioneering App Store, which now offers more than 150,000 mobile applications in over 90 countries. Over 40 million iPhones have been sold worldwide.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

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A really hyped Nexus One Smartphone (previously known as Google Phone) is finally launched. 

The phone is powered by Snapdragon processor and built by HTC.  The phone specs look very promising and the phone itself looks very sleek, but nothing ground breaking. 

Everyone expected this phone to be very sexy, but did Google Succeed?  Well The phone looks very sleek but the beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.  It sort of looks like a stretched version of Palm Pre with a trackball in the middle minus the keyboard.  The body of the handset is dark gray with lighter gray outer wrapper. 

The thickness of the phone is 11.5mm, and it measures at 59.8mm by 119mm.  In the front of the device there are four touch-sensitive buttons (back, menu, home, and search).  On the left side there are volume button, sleep / wake / power button on the top, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and on the bottom there’s a micro-USB port.

On the back of the phone you will find the a 5 megapixel camera and LED flash, which we hear takes some very nice pictures. 

Nexus One will run on 1GHz Snapdragon CPU from Qualcomm.  As far as the internal memory, the phone has 512MB of both RAM and ROM.  The display is an AMOLED, 480 x 800 capacitive touch screen.  Some other features that the phone has are light sensor, proximity sensor, and accelerometer, and an HSPA-capable GSM radio (AT&T users will be out of luck), WiFi, and a microSD slot (which comes with a 4GB card, but is expandable to 32GB).

The pricing for Nexus One is set for $529.99 without contract, and $179 with a two-year agreement with T-Mobile.  Not really sure why Google decided to limit themselves to T-Mobile, but I guess future will show.

Source: Engadget

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We have put together a list of gadgets that we feel would make any gadget and electronics lover jump for joy once they open their present and receive one of these:

1.  Amazon Kindle – Is a leader in e-book market.  It is very simple to use, and yet has enough gadgets to tech to impress almost any gadget geek.  There is a physical keyboard for ease of typing, and you can even browse the web 9basic text browsing).  there is plenty of content that can be downloaded directly through Amazon, paid and free, and it does support PDF format so you can upload your own documents.  

2.  Barnes & Noble Nook – This is a new e-book reader that is trying to give a very tough competition to the above mentioned Amazon kindle.  Current you can only pre-order the Nook, but some of the lucky people may actually receive it before Christmas.  The biggest difference with this device is its dual-screen interface, open format support.  If you tend to find yourself at Barnes & Noble a little much this device maybe for you.  

3.  Archos 5 Internet Tablet - Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet is not just another media player and internet device, it is also a GPS navigation.  This is a perfect gift with many features in one great package for all those garget lovers. 

4.  Apple iPhone 3GS – If you know someone who has been on the market for an iPhone but has not gotten one just yet, and you would like to be the one who can make it happen, Apple offers gift cards specifically for the phone, which makes it a relatively painless process for the one that you would like to give this perfect gift for.

5.  Motorola Droid – This is another great gift for this holiday season.  The Droid has Android 2.0, a beautiful capacitive WVGA display, 5 megapixel cam with LED flash, and OMAP3 processor.  Perfect gift for those hat would like to jump on the Android bandwagon.

6.  Lenovo X200 Multitouch Tablet – There are plenty of touch screen laptops out there, but what sets all of them apart is the Lenovo’s X200t new 12.1-inch multitouch capacitive display, 1.4GHz Intel SU9400 Core 2 Duo and 2GB of RAM just a start.  Most of these specs can be upgraded.  Not to mention that this is a sexy little tablet.

7.  Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro – if you are a MAC lover or the person who you would like to get this gift for, you may want to look in to an all new aluminum MacBook Pro. it has a very solid construction, a  very nice screen, Core 2 Duo processor and NVIDIA 9400M graphics processor.  it will be able to handle almost anything you can throw at it.  You know you can run Windows on it as well right?

8.  Canon EOS 7D – Canon EOS 7D is a big brother of the T1i.  Not only is it a really nice DSLR camera with dual DIGIC IV processors, and 18 megapixel sensor, it is also a great video camera that can shoot 1080P.  It has a great low light performance, and it will not completely break your bank (well for some of you that is). 

9.  JVC HD Everio GZ-HM400- With a  capability of full HD recording, a 10.3 megapixel sensor, and 32GB internal storage with SD / SDHC expansion, makes this camcorder a great gift.  if you are in to sports and video shooting that requires high frame rate shooting, then 600fps, 300fps and 120fps slow motion capabilities will certainly get your heart racing.  

10.   Kodak’s Zi8 HD – Zi8 pocket camcorder boasts 1080p recording, in addition to face tracking, image stabilization, a 2.5-inch LCD display, and SD card slot. YouTube uploading, and Facebook support, too.  Its a great little gift and can be purchased for under $180.

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AT&T has released a new iPhone app that will allow their customers to report any problems that they experience with their service.

If you have just experienced a dropped call, or poor service, no data service or static, you can just launch an application and report your problem directly to AT&T.

I don’t know about you, but I have been waiting for something like this for a long time, because every day I experience dropped calls in specific areas to the point where it is unacceptable.  This is a great app, but the big question is, how soon will AT&T will get to fixing the problems from the feedback that they receive from their customers?

You can get your app here App Store.

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Verizon has announced that December 2nd will be the day that Samsung Omnia II will go on sale.  The rumors say that new Omnia II will come out with Windows Mobile 6.1 but it has been confirmed that it will have the all new 3.7-inch AMOLED WVGA display.  It has a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, WiFi, and 8GB of internal storage as well as expandable microSD expansion slot, and did we mention video mode.  Verizon’s site and retail locations will start selling the device on December 2nd and it will go for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Not that the Droid is out and at a very competitive pricing, what will you choose?  Choices Choices!

Source: VZW

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In the mean time, here are the highlights from Palm’s about the changes made:

• Yahoo! now appears as a Calendar/Contacts/instant messaging synchronization account.
• You can forward a text or multimedia message by tapping the message > Forward.
• A new option is available for restarting the phone: press and hold power > Power > Restart. The prior restart method (Device Info > Reset Options > Restart) is still available.
• Widescreen videos (including YouTube) now display in widescreen mode on the phone by default, instead of being cropped.
• If you tap to play a YouTube video embedded on a web page, the YouTube application launches and the video plays in the app.
• You can select a unique ringtone for new message alerts: Open Messaging > application menu > Preferences & Accounts > Sound > Ringtone.
• While listening to a song with album art displayed, you can tap the screen below the art to display a playback slider. Dragging the slider jumps forward or backward in the song.

 Source: Palm

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Knocking, is a new photo-sharing app that you can pretty much instantaneously share up to 100 photos at once between two iPhones.  This works by establishing a connection between the two phones, during which one user selects another user with the app and “knocks” the pictures over to them.

For this to work, both people must have the Knocking application.  The app is free for the first 50,000 downloads.  With this app you are also able to control the photo viewing experience on another phone.  For example, if I want to send some pictures to someone, you can select and control which pictures a person can see. 

iPhone MMS allows you to send multiple images but the sending process is slow, and the selection process is not the best, but with Knocking, you can easily share complete albums.  MMS limits you to sending 5 pictures, but Knocking’s limits you to 100.  It takes only a couple of minutes to sync 100 pictures between the two phones.

There is also Facebook Connect integration to allow users to share their “knocks.” And Knocking works over both 3G and WiFi.

Give it a try, but remember only first 50,000 downloads are free.

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If you are a gamer then you are clearly familiar with virtual currency and points that you can buy in many games that you can then trade for virtual currency to buy what ever it is that you may need to get that edge in the game.  But the time goes by and you no longer want to play this game anymore, or you won every level and have every piece of machinery that you ever wanted.  Where do you go from here?  Well most likely you just stop playing this game and move on to the next one.  So what about all that virtual currency that you have so patiently collected over the months or worse, years?  It would just sit there in your account until you decide to play the game again, or not.  Well, there may be a solution for this problem. 

A new startup company called Bodega, is working on a solution that will help users swap virtual goods and currencies across different games, and even across different social networks.

Bodega supposed to allow users sell their virtual goods at auction in return for Bodega’s own currency.  You can sell your virtual goods in an e-bay like fashion, where you can put it up as a ‘buy it now’ style purchase or an auction, with an ability to ser a reserve price.  Users looking to purchase these virtual goods or currency can obtain Bodega Money by buying them with their credit cards, or by selling their own virtual goods in the marketplace.

This sounds like a great idea and is very promising accept for one thing.  Unfortunately almost no game manufacturers have this ability developed for their games, weather it is PC, iPhone or web.  Currently Bodega is available on Facebook with plans to launch on MySpace, Bebo, and the iPhone in the near future.  iPhone market is full of these type of games and would be great if Bodega can get their foot in the door on many of these games.  Lets hope they can do it. 

Source:  Techcrunch

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If you are considering a new Bluetooth headset, you may want to take a look at Plantronics Voyager PRO US.  

The Voyager PRO UC is a dual-mode headset that packs integrated Bluetooth capabilities and comes with a USB dongle that allows PC phone software conversations (like Skype) to take place on your headset rather than through your laptop’s built-in microphone and speakers.  Users can even stream audio over it and hear alerts when a VoIP call comes in.  There quite a few technological features that are built in to this unit including noise canceling and much more.  The only problem you may see with this unit is its MSRP.  The Voyager PRO UC headset will go for $199.95 when it will go on sale at the end of this month.

Source: HotHardware

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Press Release:

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and WATERLOO, ONTARIO — Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that the BlackBerry® Storm2™ smartphone will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications stores, online at www.verizonwireless.com, and through business sales channels beginning Oct. 28. The BlackBerry Storm2 with BlackBerry® OS 5.0 evolves the BlackBerry® touchscreen platform with hundreds of hardware and software enhancements – including new SurePress™ “clickable” display technology and built-in Wi-Fi® – delivering the exceptional multimedia experience and communications capabilities customers have come to expect from their BlackBerry smartphones.

Key Features:

• Smooth design and premium finish with sloped edges, chrome accents, glass lens and stainless steel backplate
• Large (3.25”), dazzling high-resolution 480 x 360 display at 184 ppi
• Capacitive touchscreen with integrated functions (Send, End, Menu, Escape) and new SurePress technology that makes clicking the display practically effortless
• 3G and global connectivity support for making phone calls in more than 220 countries and accessing data in more than 185 countries (with more than 80 destinations in 3G)
• Network Connectivity: EV-DO Revision A; UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz); and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Supports Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• 256 MB of Flash memory
• 2 GB of onboard media storage and a microSD™/SDHD memory card slot with a 16 GB card included

Software Updates on BlackBerry Storm2:

• Features BlackBerry OS 5.0, which includes typing accuracy and selection improvements, as well as usability and visual enhancements such as inertial scrolling, spin boxes that make it easier to set dates and times, gradient shading on buttons, and more use of animation
• BlackBerry® Browser is improved with faster JavaScript and CSS processing as well as support for Gears and BlackBerry Widgets
• Customers running BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0 will gain the ability to set follow-up flags, manage e-mail folders, access remote files (Windows Shares), forward appointments, view calendar attachments, and more

Additional Features and Specifications:

• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, Image Stabilization (IS), flash and video recording capabilities
• Premium and easy-to-access phone features, background noise suppression technology, loud distortion-free speakerphone and face detection (proximity sensor) that prevents accidental clicks and blanks the screen while the customer is on the phone
• Media player for videos, pictures and music, plus support for BlackBerry Desktop Manager for both PCs and Macs, and BlackBerry® Media Sync, for easily syncing Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
• 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and dedicated volume controls
• Bluetooth® (v2.1) capable with support for Secure Simple Pairing, hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals
• Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications, as well as photo geotagging; and Verizon Wireless’ VZ NavigatorSM service is pre-loaded
• V CAST Music with Rhapsody
• Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones, with categories including games, entertainment, IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more
• Support for Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service
• Removable, rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides up to 5.5 hours of talk time or up to 11.2 days of standby time

Pricing and Availability:

• The BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone is available beginning Oct. 28 for $179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an Email and Web feature or an Email and Web for BlackBerry plan. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. Data plans for the BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan.
• New Operating System for Existing BlackBerry Storm Customers
• Existing BlackBerry Storm customers will be able to update their handsets to the new BlackBerry OS 5.0 software via Web software load (www.blackberry.com/update), BlackBerry Desktop Manager, or from Verizon Wireless’ download site (www.verizonwireless.com/storm). The software is available today.
• For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers can contact their Business Sales Representatives at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ

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