RIM executive to be charged over Indonesian Blackberry sale stampede.

Dec 052011
 

Police in Indonesia are gearing up to charge a RIM executive with negligence charges, following a sale event that turned into a stampede and injured numerous people.

Andrew Cobham, RIM’s Indonesia CEO, is said to be responsible for a sale event in Jakarta in which the Blackberry Bold 9790 smartphone was to be sold at a 50% discount to 1000 people.

When 5000 people ended up showing up, however, things got out of hand, as they ended up rushing the store and crushing many of their peers in the process.

Cobham has not been detained, but he is currently banned from leaving the country.  If he is found guilty of negligence, he could face a sentence of up to nine months in jail.

Police are also expected to charge a security consultant for RIM, a manager at the shopping center where the event took place, as well as an event planner.

Source: Reuters

Android 4.0 ported to x86.

Dec 022011
 

The newest version of Android, dubbed Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich, has been made available for chips that use the x86 architecture.

What is x86?  It’s more likely than not what your computer has been running on, as PC’s have been using x86 chips since the beginning, while Macs adopted it in 2006.

What does it mean?  More likely than not, it means that Android tablets using Intel processors will start to become available, and possibly even mobile phones down the line.  Most tablets and mobile phones now use ARM processors, which are better on battery life than Intel chips have been.

However, it’s been previously reported that the upcoming ARM version on Windows 8 will not run programs designed for x86, so would an Intel Android have the same issues with ARM based (pretty much all Android) apps?  Hopefully that will have been taken into consideration by the time new Intel based hardware comes out.

Source: Ubergizmo

Infinity Blade 2 is now available!

Dec 012011
 

Infinity Blade 2, the sequel to the popular Infinity Blade, is now available in the iTunes App Store!

The game was announced during the “Let’s Talk iPhone” event in October, alongside the iPhone 4S.  However, it will work with any iOS device (running iOS 3.2 or later), including the iPod Touch and the original iPad.

And it can be yours, for $6.99.

Nokia Lumia 900 coming to US in early 2012?

Nov 292011
 

The Nokia Lumia line has yet to hit the US, and there were rumors that part of the delay was due to adding LTE to the Lumia 800.  But there are new rumors now the Nokia’s newest Lumia phone, the Lumia 900, may hit the States in early 2012.

The Lumia 900, which was leaked just last week, will sport a 1.4GHz processor, a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display, an 8 megapixel camera, and will ship with Windows Phone “Tango”, which is to be the next version of the Windows Phone OS.

Nokia is also said to be planning a huge marketing campaign for the phone in January and February, and will probably launch after the Consumer Electronics Show, which takes place in January.

Source: BGR, WPCentral

Demo Windows Phone on your iOS or Android device.

Nov 292011
 

Microsoft is giving people the opportunity to try out Windows Phone via the web, and it will work on your iOS or Android device!

The site, which can be accessed here, will allow you to demo some of the features of the OS, without having to outright to switch to the OS, or going to a carrier’s store to play with the display model.  If you’ve been considering making the switch, it might be worth checking out.

Verizon offering FiOS deal with XBox Live Gold membership, Halo: Anniversary

Nov 292011
 

Verizon currently has a pretty awesome deal for XBox 360 owners who want to sign up for their FiOS service w/ Triple Play.  Sign up by January 21st, 2012 and get your price locked in for the service for two years, as well as a free 12 month subscription to XBox LIVE Gold,which is needed for pretty much ALL of the cool stuff XBox LIVE offers, as well as the new stuff coming with the December 6th update.

And if that isn’t enough, you will also get a copy of Halo: Anniversary, which is an updated version of the classic Xbox game.

Unfortunately, FiOS isn’t available in all areas yet (including my own), but for those who can get it, it seems like a pretty sweet deal.

Source: Slashgear, Verizon

iTether lets you share iPhone’s internet connection with computer, without tethering data plan. (Updated)

Nov 292011
 

Apple has apparently approved an app that allows you to tether your iPhone’s internet connection to your Mac or PC via USB…and you can do this without a tethering plan.

The app is called iTether…and it is currently available for the App Store.  I say currently available, because there is no telling when the app will be pulled, as tethering apps are not generally allowed because of agreements with cellular carriers.

Still though, its there…and it costs $14.99, but you won’t have to buy a tethering plan (unless the carriers catch on down the line and force you to buy one).  You won’t be able to use it at this exact moment, because high demand has brought their website down (which you need to download the PC or Mac software to go with it).

It’s not clear how this app managed to make it through Apple’s approval process, but the company behind it has taken to Twitter, stating “We were very clear with Apple what our app did. They asked us a bunch of questions and then approved us.”

Source: MacRumors, Gizmodo

Update: And….it’s gone.  Apple pulled the app from the App Store.

*sad trombone*

An iPhone 4 tries to off itself, combusts on an Australian flight.

Nov 282011
 

 

Things certainly got interesting over the skies of Austrailia, when on Regional Express Flight ZL319, a passengers’ iPhone 4 started spewing out black smoke, which was accompanied by a red glow.

It’s unclear what exactly happened, whether it was a hardware issue, or if the iPhone 4 was jealous of its new brother and wanted attention, but the glow was successfully extinquished, and the phone was turned over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis.

Thankfully, no one on board the flight was hurt.

If it was an issue with the battery overheating though, it wouldn’t be the first time Apple’s had to deal with that.

Source: Engadget

HTC / Vivid Entertainment (non)update.

Nov 282011
 

About two weeks ago, porn giant Vivid Entertainment issued a cease and desist order to HTC, ordering them to stop using the Vivid name for one of their newest smartphones.

What exactly happened with that?  HTC had until last Monday to get ahold of Vivid regarding the matter, or face a lawsuit.  But Vivid Entertainment has been quiet on the matter, and HTC’s statement continues to be as follows:

We are reviewing the complaint and don’t expect to have any further comment until it is resolved.

So…yeah.  Those hoping for a big porn/tech legal battle may be disappointed, but at least we got a video from Next Media out of the whole ordeal.

Blackberry Playbook being offered to RIM employees for $99, is another tablet firesale on the horizon?

Nov 282011
 

Sure, Best Buy may be cancelling Playbook orders, but if you’re a RIM employee, who cares? You can buy the thing for $99 anyway!

The Verge is reporting that RIM is offering the tablet through a corporate portal for $99 for the 16GB version, $149 for the 32GB version, and $199 for the 64GB version.

Sound familiar? Probably, since HP offered similar pricing for its Touchpad tablet a few months back, after announcing it had been discontinued.

Unlike the HP sale though, RIM hasn’t announced the Playbook’s discontinuation, and this one is only available to RIM employees, but it’s always possible it could be extended to consumers as well.

It’s impossible to say for sure, but it really does sound like the Playbook is about to go the way of the dinosaurs.

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