Verizon Now Has the Droid Incredible

Verizon had announced the release of the Droid Incredible.  Droid Incredible by HTC features the newest version of the HTC Sense experience, a seven-panel home screen with a selection of interactive widgets designed so the most important content is immediately available at a touch. Customers get integration with Exchange ActiveSync, quick and easy access to Flickr for sharing and viewing pictures, video, and Android Market with more than 30,000 Google applications. Droid Incredible by HTC is the first Verizon Wireless phone that takes advantage of Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and it’s the first available phone from Verizon Wireless to include an 8 megapixel camera.

Shortly after the phone becomes available, customers will be able to enjoy two of the latest exclusive apps from Verizon Wireless – NFL Mobile and Skype mobile.

Key features

• Android 2.1 with HTC Sense experience
• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• Friend Stream for unified Flickr, Facebook and Twitter updates
• “Leap” view for quick access to all seven home screen panels
• 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash for crisp, detailed images
• Razor-sharp 3.7 inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED capacitive touch display
• Optical joystick for smooth navigation
• Dedicated, touch-sensitive Home, Menu, Back and Search keys
• Proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass
• Integrated GPS
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• 3.5 mm headset jack

Customers who purchase DRroid Incredible by HTC before May 31, 2010, will receive a free 2 GB memory card. This includes customers who pre-ordered the device. Customers can receive only one memory card per Droid Incredible by HTC purchase.  The Droid Incredible by HTC is now available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Verizon Wireless customers will receive their DROID Incredible by HTC rebates in the form of a debit card. Customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan (beginning at $39.99 monthly access) and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan (beginning at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access).

Technorati Tags: DROID, HTC, Smart Phones

Using Computers to Help Kids Get Fit

The epidemic of childhood obesity is a real one, and the numbers are staggering. The rate of childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years to the point where almost 20% of children aged 6 to 11 years are considered obese by the Centers for Disease Control. The creators of the Do Crew wanted to make a new type of game that focused on getting kids off the couch as they played with their favorite characters.

The games are a blend of traditional cartoons and Augmented Reality and they call on the viewers to jump up and down, wave their hands, and play with the characters. The catch? Unlike traditional television programming, the show can’t go on unless children actively participate. All these motions add up to calories, and the just-launched site already has kids jumping and running all over the world. Do Crew games require physical exertion, like the Wii, but don’t require expensive consoles and the purchase of games. As the Do Crew continues to grow, they’ll be able to bring the excitement and activity of the Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution into every living space with a computer.

Do Crew focuses on the fun, and makes exercise fun for kids. “It’s amazing to watch a four-year old break into a sweat in front of a computer, jumping up and down and laughing,” says Chas Mastin, CTO of Whistlebox. You certainly won’t find that type of reaction to most television programs.

The Do Crew makes all this magic happen with ordinary computers and webcams. The technique of mixing one’s image with games and videos is called Augmented Reality (AR), and DoCrew.com uses AR to place kids into episodes of a cartoon about colorful Beavers and their problems. The child becomes part of the show: swimming underwater, jumping for exploding fireworks, and dancing with the animated characters. Parents are loving it, saying “If you don’t enjoy it, you’ve lost track of your inner child.”

Technorati Tags: Fitness, Health, Kids, Video Games

Bento 3 Helps Families Get Organized

FileMaker has announced the Bento 3 Family Organizer, a fast, free and easy way for families to get organized using their Mac, an iPhone or new iPad. It includes a free 30-day trial of Bento 3, the latest version of the personal database that’s as easy to use as your Mac, plus templates that organize bills, meal planning, shopping lists, chores and weekly routines—all within Bento.

For families who worry over whether they have missed a bill, or are frustrated because they constantly recreate shopping lists, meal plans, chore charts and weekly family events, the Bento 3 Family Organizer wants to be the answer.

“Organizing a household is challenging for all of us. From paying bills to shopping, planning meals and other responsibilities, it’s a major job,” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president of marketing and services for FileMaker, Inc. “The Family Organizer, together with Bento 3, helps make the task of organizing a busy family much easier.”

The Bento 3 Family Organizer is designed to work with Bento 3, which has received numerous media accolades including an Editor’s Pick award from Macworld. Bento 3 adds useful new features such as Grid View, integration with iPhoto, sharing data with others on a local network and securing data with 128-bit AES encryption. The Bento 3 Family Organizer also works with Bento for phones and the new Bento for iPad, so customers can organize their bills, shopping lists and other family management activities on an iPhone or iPad and then synchronize the information with their Mac.

FileMaker also provides the Bento Template Exchange, offering hundreds of additional ways to use Bento. The Bento Template Exchange is a Bento community site that showcases real-world uses and offers Bento templates that users can browse, download and import into Bento 3 and use on a Mac, iPhone or iPad. Today, Bento users have created and shared over 600 templates on the Bento Template Exchange.

Technorati Tags: Data Bases, Filemaker, Home Organization, Moms

Flixter Users Peg Top 5 Summer Movies

For moviegoers at Flixster, Iron Man 2 and Inception are the most highly anticipated movies of the summer – with the sci-fi thriller eliciting surprisingly strong buzz within the world’s biggest online movie communities.

More than 1 million users have rated the summer’s biggest films, and based on their feedback, the five most-anticipated movies of the summer are currently, in order: Iron Man 2, Inception, Toy Story 3, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and The Last Airbender. Both Inception and Iron Man 2 currently have a 95 percent want-to-see score (out of 100), the highest of any summer releases. To be included on the list, movies must have received at least 10,000 want-to-see ratings.

Moviegoers rate yet-to-be-released films as “Want to See” or “Not Interested” at www.flixster.com or on Flixster’s apps for Facebook, MySpace, iGoogle, iPhone, BlackBerry and Android-powered devices. Moviegoers can also rate movies on Rotten Tomatoes at www.rottentomatoes.com.

“Inception features the director and star of two of the biggest movies of all time in a completely original concept, and it has had consistently strong interest for the past month,” said Joe Greenstein, CEO and co-founder of Flixster, which also owns leading movie-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. “Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3 and Eclipse continue hugely popular franchises, and it’s clear that they’ve got audiences very excited.”

Many of the Flixster want-to-see ratings were driven by users of Flixster’s mobile apps, which have seen major growth in recent months. Since April 2009, Flixster apps for smartphones have been installed more than 15 million times.

Between early May and Labor Day, Flixster estimates that moviegoers using its mobile apps will drive more than $500 million in box-office receipts.

“Moviegoers are more engaged with mobile devices than ever before,” Greenstein said. “The growth has been extraordinary: Mobile has become the predominant way many people make their movie choices.”

Flixster Inc. operates Flixster.com and RottenTomatoes.com, and also has apps on Facebook, MySpace, iGoogle, iPhone, BlackBerry and Android-powered devices. Together, Flixster’s communities provide the most comprehensive movie information online – including a database of more than 250,000 movies; 2.3 billion user reviews; 500,000 critic reviews; and more than 20,000 trailers and videos.

Technorati Tags: Entertainment, Flixter, Hollywood, Movies, Rotten Tomatoes

Vodafone Offers Nexus One to UK Customers

Vodafone has announced that UK customers can order the Nexus One, the new superphone from Google, at vodafone.co.uk/nexusone.  Vodafone is the first European mobile operator to offer Nexus One. Customers who pre-order online will be the first to get a Nexus One for free on a 35 pound monthly price plan (24 month), on April 30. The Nexus One will also be available via Vodafone stores and telesales, with Vodafone providing direct support to customers with the superphone when they need it.  Nexus One will be available on a range of great value Vodafone price plans, on both 18 and 24 month contracts. Price plans start from 25 pounds a month on a 24 month contract.

Vodafone UK customers with the Nexus One can use up to 1GB of mobile data as part of their price plan as well as take advantage of unlimited access to Wi-Fi in the home and free, publicly available services throughout the country. Customers using Wi-Fi can also use an additional 1GB of data at premium BT Openzone hotspots throughout the UK.

Nexus One features the latest in Google innovation including Google Maps Navigation (Beta), which offers satnav-style turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output and Street View. Also included are other favourites like Google Mail, YouTube and access to Android Market with more than 40,000 applications.

Google Maps Navigation is an Internet-connected GPS navigation system that provides turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps for Android. Key features include Google Search and Search by voice to find your destination, the most recent maps, businesses and live traffic from Google Maps, and street and satellite views.

Nexus One Hardware Features

• Display: 3.7″ AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display
• Thinness: 11.5mm; Weight: 130g
• Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging
• Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
• Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB)
• Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
• Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control
• Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
• Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone
• Trackball: Tri-colour notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive

Technorati Tags: Google Phone, Smart Phones, Vodafone

Rugged Notebooks Add Verizon Wireless

Getac has announced that its best selling B300 rugged notebook computer and V100 rugged convertible are now Verizon Wireless Network Ready and will incorporate the company’s 3G wireless network for expanded wireless coverage. The certification is especially beneficial to Getac customers in the public safety, utilities, construction, and military professions who often work in remote areas where coverage is weak.

“Access to Verizon’s 3G wireless network has made two of the best rugged notebook solutions for field use even better,” explains Jim Rimay, president, Getac. “This will provide our customers with greater options for their wireless needs and increase productivity by ensuring they can stay connected, which is absolutely critical for our customers.”

“Getac’s products provide mobile users with tools to improve productivity when away from the office,” said Anthony A. Lewis, vice president of Open Development at Verizon Wireless. “As businesses have the need to stay connected no matter where work happens, they can be confident that these devices combined with the Verizon Wireless network will help them do just that.”

Getac B300
The B300’s durability, dependability and advanced performance technology are a few reasons why it is Getac’s best selling rugged notebook. The B300 offers Getac’s exclusive QuadraClear Technology with touchscreen, which utilizes special anti-reflective coatings, linear and circular polarizers and a 1200 nit LED display for optimal viewability in direct sunlight. Battery life is extremely important in the field, and due to superior power management technology and advanced display technology, the Getac B300 offers up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge allowing extended use in remote areas where access to additional power may not be available. Users also have the option of placing a second battery in the media bay for an additional 12 hours* of battery life. The Getac B300 is covered by a 5-year bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Getac V100
One of the most important features of a rugged mobile computer is the ability to view the display in direct sunlight. Getac’s V100 fully-rugged convertible computer offers Getac’s exclusive breakthrough QuadraClear technology with touchscreen, allowing for optimal viewability in direct sunlight. QuadraClear utilizes special anti-reflective coatings, linear and circular polarizers and a 1200 nit LED display to create this innovative technology. This technology allows our military personnel to read even the most complex maps or “intel” in the bright desert sunlight—an environment which would render most LCD’s unreadable. The Getac V100 is covered by a 5 year bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Technorati Tags: Business, Laptops, Rugged Computing

Manage Business Travel with Tripware MoBook

Tripware MoBook, a travel app for iPhone and iPad users, offers business travelers full travel planning, booking, and managing of their business trips. All travel planning, booking, and organizing is done within the app - no need to search the mobile web or use multiple travel apps. By filling out their online Tripware Traveler Profile, travelers have their travel preferences and requirements pre-populated in MoBook so that only personalized travel options are displayed. By automatically syncing with their Traveler Profile, MoBook provides the fastest and simplest travel booking for Apple iPhone and iPad users. MoBook travelers get the same great rates as other online options, the ability to automatically integrate frequent rewards numbers, the opportunity to review current, past and future itineraries and access to all relevant phone numbers and maps. Tripware MoBook includes up-to-date flight status as well as the ability to book alternate flights, hotels, or cars when the traveler’s plans are interrupted. With 24/7 telephone support through Tripware’s 877-FLY-4BIZ number, travelers always have travel planning and booking support at their fingertips.

“While there are many travel apps available through the Apple ecosystem, we sought to offer business travelers an extremely efficient, all-in-one travel tool built upon our patent-pending technology,” says Clark C. Rines, President and CEO of Tripware. “With MoBook, we bring Tripware’s fast, simple, and personalized travel booking to the mobile phone. Our MoBook interface compliments our growing list of interfaces that allow business travelers to focus on their business instead of fiddling for hours with 1990’s travel technology.”

Tripware fully released their OutBook and DeskBook interfaces earlier this year. Similar to MoBook, the other Tripware interfaces allow business travelers to plan, book, and organize their travel where they work: OutBook, a plugin for Microsoft Outlook users, and DeskBook, a simple desktop app for travel arrangers.

To receive the most personalized and targeted traveler options, Tripware recommends users fully complete their Tripware Traveler Profile. The profile contains over 75 customizable travel requirements, preferences, and discounts that sync with all of Tripware’s interfaces, including MoBook. Travelers who complete their profile enjoy the maximum speed and ease of use available through the Tripware interfaces.

To get Tripware MoBook, travelers simply sign up for free at the company’s website, http://www.tripware.com, and follow the prompts to the iTunes store. Tripware MoBook is currently compatible with the iPhone and iPad. Tripware has plans to offer MoBook on additional mobile platforms later this year.

Technorati Tags: Business, iPhone, iPod Touch, Travel

Boost Adds Juno to Handset Line-up

Boost Mobile has announced the launch of the Sanyo Juno by Kyocera. Available in both impulsive pink and deep blue for only $99.99, Juno is designed to offer simplicity and flare, with a full QWERTY keyboard and large 2.2-inch display screen that shows off the phone’s easy-to-use menu icons for quick and intuitive navigation. In addition, consumers will never miss a photo opportunity with friends and family thanks to the one-click button accessing the 1.3 megapixel camera with digital zoom, fun editing features and photo quality-capture settings.

“The Sanyo Juno by Kyocera is an ideal handset for Boost Mobile customers who want a stylish and affordable QWERTY messaging device that doesn’t skimp on features or performance,” said Yasuhiro Oishi, vice president of sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc. “The Juno is a great tool to unleash the power of the Nationwide Sprint Network, and we are proud that our product line is so strongly represented in Boost Mobile’s growing handset lineup.”

The Sanyo Juno from Boost Mobile is available today for $99.99 (excluding taxes) with free shipping when purchased at www.boostmobile.com. In the coming weeks, the phone also will be available through Boost Mobile Exclusive Retail Stores and select independent wireless dealer locations.

Juno’s Features:

• Full QWERTY Keypad
• Thin design with 2.2” High-Res Color Display
• 1.3MP Camera with Digital Zoom
• Dedicated 1-click text & .com keys
• Wireless Web Email Access
• Instant Messaging [Capable]
• Multi-Media & Threaded Text Messaging
• Bluetooth
• GPS & Wireless Web Enabled
• Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting & Call Forwarding
• Speakerphone with Voice Recognition
• Downloadable Games, Wallpapers & Ringtones
• 600 Entry Phonebook
• Alarm Clock, Calendar, To Do List, Calculator & Voice-Memo Recorder

Technorati Tags: Hand Sets, Messaging Phones, Pre-Paid Cellular

TomTom Gives Sneak Peak of Go Live 1000

TomTom has previewed the Go Live 1000, the first in a whole new generation of navigation devices, designed to bring real-time services to millions of drivers.  The new TomTom Go Live 1000 is the first TomTom product completely designed for connectivity. Based around a powerful ARM 11 500 Mhz processor, the device also showcases a new Webkit-based user interface and the latest capacitive touch screen technology.

The software and service delivery platform have been optimised for rapid integration of third party applications and easy localisation to match the needs of specific markets or applications. The back end server systems have been completely redesigned, allowing effortless delivery of rich content and downloadable applications, via cable or over the air. All this also makes the TomTom Go Live 1000 future proof. It will be much easier than ever before to receive the latest content and relevant information instantly.

Working with partner Vodafone, TomTom has pioneered an innovative new business model, delivering real-time connectivity seamlessly across 33 European countries for the first time. With the Go Live 1000 there is no need for subscription or activation, as a full year of services* is now included with the device. This suite of services includes TomTom HD Traffic, mobile speed cameras and local search in 16 countries.

TomTom is committed to providing motorists with the best routing technology possible, developing industry firsts IQ Routes and HD Traffic. For the new platform, TomTom engineers were tasked to design a new routing algorithm that continuously scans the road network for the fastest routes, using these layers of navigation information. This has resulted in a patented super fast routing algorithm that sets new standards in accuracy and speed. And user interface enhancements give drivers a better visual understanding of traffic conditions.

The new user interface and application logic is designed to be feature rich and easy to use. To existing TomTom users, the product will have the familiar TomTom feel, but it does that in a richer graphical environment. The new capacitive touch screen is designed to offer crystal clear graphics at high resolution.

“Our customers are relying increasingly on their navigation devices and it is no longer about the destination alone, but also very much about the journey itself”, said Corinne Vigreux, managing director TomTom. “The Go Live 1000 has been designed to make the journey a relaxed, predictable, safe and enjoyable experience. Thanks to our technologies we know the road ahead and what is happening on the journey. The Go Live 1000 will get our customers to their destination easier, safer and faster than ever before.”

Richer and more detailed maps, covering two million kilometres more roads and addressable locations across 45 European countries, ensure drivers never have to waste time looking for valuable information regarding their route. Also, a new Park Assist feature automatically informs drivers of car parks near their destination.

The TomTom Go Live 1000 will be available in the summer.

Technorati Tags: GPS, Personal Navigation, TomTom, Traffic, Travel

AT&T Intros Mobile Conferencing App for iPhone

AT&T has announced that its AT&T Connect Mobile conferencing App is now available on the App Store. Road warriors now have the option of taking audio and web conference meetings with them on their iPhone from lots more places around the world. The App integrates multiple conferencing products including audio conferencing, web conferencing and video conferencing into a single unified communication (UC) application delivered from AT&T’s global network.

“Converging communications technologies are driving business demand for integrated voice, web and video conferencing services, to reduce costs and speed decisions, delivered by a provider that can create global solutions at scale,” said Ron Spears, president and CEO of AT&T Business Solutions.

“Collaboration across a broad sweep of individuals – employees, suppliers and partners, as well as across geographic and organizational boundaries – is a daily necessity. AT&T is bringing its Unified Communications capabilities to integrate voice, email, messaging and web conferencing in business apps that drive the productivity of businesses regionally, nationally and globally,” he added.

Features and Functionality (depending on connectivity)

• View whiteboard
• Call Me and Dial In features that simplify audio setup
• Interactive participants list: See/hear the other participants in the conference, their emoticons and mode of connection
• Use emoticons to signal opinion
• Alert other participants when stepping in or out of the conference
• Use notes to chat with one or all participants
• Answer polls
• Host an event
• Invite others to join an event

AT&T Connect Mobile App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. Once the app is installed, it takes only a single click from an online calendar or email invitation to join an AT&T Connect meeting.

Technorati Tags: Business, iPhone, Mobile Conferencing, Unified Communications

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