The grand finale of Nokia Developer Summit 2009 began

The grand finale of Nokia Developer Summit 2009 began this afternoon, when the fruits of 'round-the-clock coding from developers creating Web Runtime (WRT) widgets for use on the Nokia N97 multimedia device came before the judges. 'The quality, creativity, and innovation coming from all the developers competing in the Calling All Innovators Hackathon was extraordinary', noted Srikanth Raju, Head of Marketing for Forum Nokia. Of the widgets submitted for evaluation, three were selected as finalists, and one ultimately won the grand prize of 15,000 euros plus four weeks of spotlight promotion in the Ovi Store. The Ovi Store opens for consumer sales in May.

The Social Location Widget created by Plusmo, named 'Rocket', won the grand prize. The widget, originally proposed in the consumer contest, presents a mini view of the locations of a user's friends. Plusmo created that view by extracting information from users' existing social networks or allowing them to create new networks within the widget environment. Plusmo developers took the concept further. Their application adds information about what a person's friends are doing and allows a user to gift their friends with virtual goods, including a bouquet of flowers sent during the live demo.

Inova IT won first runner-up for the company's Shoppy widget, based on the consumer's idea for a shopping list. The developer innovated on top of the idea by allowing the consumer to share shopping lists with friends and locating and navigating to shops offering the item for sale.

PavingWays won second runner-up for the company's Travel Planner. PavingWays took the basic concept of a widget that would track a person's progress through a trip and added a Twitter feed associated with the location of the destination. During the live demo the destination selected was Monaco, and the Twitter feed was from someone attending Nokia Developer Summit 2009.

Congratulations to the Hackathon winners, and to all the developers skilled enough to be invited to compete in this prestigious — and tiring — 24-hour event!

See videos of the three finalists.

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Don't copy if you can't paste!

A popular motivational speaker was entertaining his audience.

He said : "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who wasn't my wife!"

The audience was in silence and shock.

The speaker added: "And that woman was my mother!"

Laughter and applause.


A week later, a top manager trained by the motivational speaker tried to crack this very effective joke at home.

He was a bit foggy after a drink.

He said loudly, "The greatest years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who was not my wife!"

The wife went red with shock and rage.

Standing there for 20 seconds trying to recall the second half of the joke, the manager finally blurted out

"... and I can't remember who she was!"

Moral of the story:

Don't copy if you can't paste !

Facebook Inc. is expected to announce momentous plans today

Facebook Inc. is expected to announce momentous plans to open up core parts of its sites. This will likely trigger a wave of third-party integration of Facebook streams with other popular feeds, most notably that of Twitter.

The announcement, predictable Monday, means developers can access the photos, videos, notes and upload the comments to Facebook, with the permission of the users. It introduces a great change in the social networking site, which controls over the look and feel of its service.

We will be a major step closer to a single stream of realtime events. This in turn will rapidly accelerate a convergence around micromessaging similar to the one around email when it achieved a critical mass following AOL’s opening up of the limited educational and government mail systems to average users.

Developers could build a Web site that aggregates just the articles certain friends upload to the site or build a service that associates the photos a user had uploaded to Facebook with their account on another Web site, like an email service. To take advantage of the new services, users would have to allow the companies to receive access to their Facebook data, according to people familiar with the matter, and users' privacy settings on Facebook will extend to any new services built.

FriendFeed’s realtime direct messages will likely be duplicated in short order by Facebook, and the opportunity for meshing Facebook and Twitter together will prove irresistible to the hot Twitter client market, what with Tweetie for the Mac synchronizing with its leading iPhone app.

The plans are expected to be discussed at a developer event in Palo Alto on Monday. The announcement suggests something between those two views, with a single aggregated feed managed by two or more of the players in a distributed cross-licensing model.

Still, Facebook, which has around 200 million users world-wide, has been heavily criticized for not doing more and for requiring developers to write some services using a customized Facebook programming language. Other companies like micro-blogging service Twitter have generated buzz by opening up more of their core features to developers.

BlackBerry 9630 to launch as the " Blackberry Tour"

Amy-Mae Elliott wrote on pocket-lint.com that RIM's leaked BlackBerry 9630 smartphone is likely to be called the "Tour" when it supposedly launches in early summer, reports US blog Boy Genius Report.

In what's pretty much a two plus two equals five scenario, the news comes from a tipster, but is backed up by some decent logic.

Chris also reported on mobilewhack.com that aside from the 9630's "World Edition" tag working with the "Tour" theme, www.blackberry9630.com and www.blackberrytour.com were both registered on the same day, and point to the same IP address.

Add into the mix the fact that we know rock band U2's "360 Degrees" concert tour is to be "Presented by BlackBerry", and RIM is working with U2 to create something, this handset - with possible U2-custom software - could well be it.

The name hasn’t been officially confirmed yet but coincidentally two new domains have been recently registered: www.blackberry9630.com and www.blackberrytour.com. Does the Tour have anything to do with U2’s upcoming “360 Degrees” concert tour? We suspect so, especially as we know that the band together with RIM are working on something special for BlackBerries.

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The All New i-wood with 3B Technology is individually silk screened onto environmentally sustainable bamboo plywood. Because of this, each i-wood is different and will have minor deviations that are all part of a real analog process.


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3.5 inch (diagonal) Tactile Touch Display
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Computer with a 1.21 Gigawatt Flux Capacitor
USB 2.0 port

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Sensors
Accelerometer
Proximity Sensor
Light Sensor
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Pictures:

For more details visit: www.iwood3b.com

Get the latest Facebook update for your BlackBerry

Facebook is now available for download in version 1.5. The problem I have with this is that you can’t use Facebook for the one purpose that I use it for: the events. The mobile version is still stuck in just status updates which is a good step for the site, but it is not fully functional.

Download the latest Facebook update for your BlackBerry.

BlackBerry solution will revolutionize your calendar

Tungle Accelerate is a free and comprehensive web-based platform. It is a next-generation solution that increases the value, improves the effectiveness and extends the life of current electronic calendaring systems by seamlessly linking and syncing its platform to provide advanced features for Outlook, Exchange, Google Calendar, iCal and Entourage, among others.

Download Tungle and accelerate your calendar now.

Vopium joins the iPhone VoIP app club

Last night, reader Jim Rob Jones emailed to express his displeasure over my switch to the BlackBerry, calling us “irrelevant” because I am not carrying an iPhone. Well, Jim, since I’m not willing to put up with the poor 3G connections from AT&T, I carry an iPod Touch, which does pretty much the same job and allows me to write about iPhone Platform apps. Of course, it does prevent me from yelling at my iPhone, but my doctor thinks that is a good thing. With Wi-Fi and a growing number of VoIP apps such as Skype, Nimbuzz and Truphone, I can also use it to make outbound calls. Today Vopium,a low-cost VoIP service provider, jumped in the fray and released an iPhone app.

The company will add iPod Touch support for its service in a couple of weeks. I will check it out then. Meanwhile, if you have an iPhone, you can sign up for their service today, and get 30 minutes of free calls and 30 text messages (SMS). Vopium also works on other handsets, such as BlackBerry and Symbian-based phones.

GigaOM.com

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone

Mel Martine wrote:

Rarely has an iPhone/iPod touch app seen so many ups and downs.

People have expected Sling Media to provide a version of their streaming video player for Apple since the iPhone first launched, but it has yet to materialize. In January, Sling demonstrated a beta of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone at Macworld and created a flurry of excitement.

Three weeks ago Sling announced with a great deal of fanfare that the app had been submitted to the App Store, but so far, all we're hearing are crickets...

Earlier this month AT&T changed its published Terms of Service to directly prohibit apps like SlingPlayer Mobile from operating on the AT&T network. After a major meltdown from AT&T customers, all the carrier could say was "whoops, we didn't mean it -- that was a mistake".

Last week, an anonymous tipster with a dubious domain told TUAW that he worked for Apple and stated that the company was going to reject the app because AT&T couldn't support the bandwidth demands. Of course, carriers do support the SlingPlayer on other phones, including the BlackBerry and several Windows Mobile phones.

So, here we are, more than three weeks after SlingPlayer Mobile was submitted to the app store, and there's still nothing. Nada. Bupkis. Zlich. In the meantime, Sling Media has alienated many Slingbox owners by intimating that a lot of their older gear won't work with the iPhone app when (or if) it is released.

Disappointed with the slow rate of progress and the constant stream of rumors, I checked with Sling Media today to get the official word on what was up. Cathy Cook, a spokesperson for the company, says the app was submitted, and that Sling Media and Apple are in regular touch with each other. She says anything else people hear is rumor and conjecture. She added that Sling Media thinks the app is 'solid and a great experience' and they'd like nothing better than to have it in the App Store.

I dashed off another quick email to Ms. Cook asking if Apple had communicated any concerns about the app in the three weeks that it has been in limbo, but I haven't receive a response to that question so far. She did mention in the first email that "We've been told that a two-to-three week wait is common. Some apps may take less time, but it's important to remember that SlingPlayer is far more complex than a typical iPhone app. It makes sense it would take a little extra time to go through this process."

I think it is pretty clear that the 'inside' source at Apple who claimed that the app was rejected was a hoaxer, but it's also clear that Apple is taking a while to evaluate SlingPlayer Mobile before it either passes or fails the App Store testing. With AT&T begging Apple to renew the iPhone partnership for another year, and Apple about to launch new iPhone software (and maybe hardware) in the next few months, all eyes are on AT&T, Apple and Sling. It's a guess as to what will happen next in this little drama, so all you can do is wait for the Sling Media announcement and keep your fingers crossed. If you'd like to hear directly from Sling Media when the app becomes available or is finally turned down, there is now a web page where you can submit your email address to a contact list.

Nokia E71x coming on 4 May, check out all the E71x guides

The last we heard, the Nokia E71x was coming to AT&T in April or May for $99.99 after rebate and contract. I had a tipster send in some valid looking information that shows a 4 May launch date so let’s go with that for now. I also received several PDF documents for the E71x that should answer just about every question you have about the device before you get it into your hands.

PDF documents on the AT&T Nokia E71x:

• NokiaE71xDatasheet
• Nokia E71x Getting Started Guide
• Nokia E71x User Guide
• Nokia E71x FAQs
• Nokia E71x Tips and Tricks
• Nokia E71x Job Aid (2-page document that looks to assist AT&T employees)

There is some great information in these documents and I may just have to swing by my AT&T store to pick one of these up. This purchase could also help to support getting more Nokia S60 devices here in the US, right? I am always looking for ways to justify my purchase

I spent some time with the E71x at CTIA and think it should do well when people see it in the store next to all the other forward facing QWERTY devices. The sleek black stainless steel design and performance should bring a few people to the S60 platform. [from Nokia Experts]

Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac

If you're a Mac® user, it's easy for you to take full advantage of a BlackBerry® smartphone^1,2. PocketMac® for BlackBerry lets you load new applications onto your BlackBerry smartphone, as well as synchronize your email, contacts, calendar, tasks and notes with popular Mac applications, including:

• Mail.app Email
• Entourage® Email, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Notes
• Address Book Contacts
• iCal® Calendar and Tasks
• Now Contact®/Now Up-To-Date® Contacts, Calendars & Tasks
• Meeting Maker Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks
• Lotus Notes Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks
• Safari Bookmarks (One-Way sync)

PocketMac for BlackBerry

PocketMac for BlackBerry supports MacOS 10.4 or higher (including Intel Duo Technology). It’s available to BlackBerry smartphone owners as a free download. So you can stay on top of it all, wherever you go.

Updated Drivers for PocketMac

This is an update to the USB driver in PocketMac 4.1. It corrects connectivity issues with BlackBerry smartphones, including the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm. It also corrects connectivity issues for Apple MacBook computers released in October 2008, and Apple PowerPC-based computers running MacOS 10.4. The driver update must be installed only after PocketMac 4.1 is installed.

Need Help?

• Go to Blackberry Technical support
• Go to Blackberry Site
  

(Download PocketMac and Download updated drivers for PocketMac for BlackBerry)

Oracle Corporation buys Sun Microsystems

Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) and Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: JAVA) announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Oracle will acquire Sun common stock for $9.50 per share in cash. The transaction is valued at approximately $7.4 billion, or $5.6 billion net of Sun’s cash and debt. “We expect this acquisition to be accretive to Oracle’s earnings by at least 15 cents on a non-GAAP basis in the first full year after closing. We estimate that the acquired business will contribute over $1.5 billion to Oracle’s non-GAAP operating profit in the first year, increasing to over $2 billion in the second year. This would make the Sun acquisition more profitable in per share contribution in the first year than we had planned for the acquisitions of BEA, PeopleSoft and Siebel combined,” said Oracle President Safra Catz.

“The acquisition of Sun transforms the IT industry, combining best-in-class enterprise software and mission-critical computing systems,” said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. “Oracle will be the only company that can engineer an integrated system – applications to disk – where all the pieces fit and work together so customers do not have to do it themselves. Our customers benefit as their systems integration costs go down while system performance, reliability and security go up.”

There are substantial long-term strategic customer advantages to Oracle owning two key Sun software assets: Java and Solaris. Java is one of the computer industry’s best-known brands and most widely deployed technologies, and it is the most important software Oracle has ever acquired. Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle’s fastest growing business, is built on top of Sun’s Java language and software. Oracle can now ensure continued innovation and investment in Java technology for the benefit of customers and the Java community.

The Sun Solaris operating system is the leading platform for the Oracle database, Oracle’s largest business, and has been for a long time. With the acquisition of Sun, Oracle can optimize the Oracle database for some of the unique, high-end features of Solaris. Oracle is as committed as ever to Linux and other open platforms and will continue to support and enhance our strong industry partnerships.

“Oracle and Sun have been industry pioneers and close partners for more than 20 years,” said Sun Chairman Scott McNealy. “This combination is a natural evolution of our relationship and will be an industry-defining event.”

“This is a fantastic day for Sun’s customers, developers, partners and employees across the globe, joining forces with the global leader in enterprise software to drive innovation and value across every aspect of the technology marketplace,” said Jonathan Schwartz, Sun’s CEO, “From the Java platform touching nearly every business system on earth, powering billions of consumers on mobile handsets and consumer electronics, to the convergence of storage, networking and computing driven by the Solaris operating system and Sun’s SPARC and x64 systems. Together with Oracle, we’ll drive the innovation pipeline to create compelling value to our customer base and the marketplace.”

“Sun is a pioneer in enterprise computing, and this combination recognizes the innovation and customer success the company has achieved. Our largest customers have been asking us to step up to a broader role to reduce complexity, risk and cost by delivering a highly optimized stack based on standards,” said Oracle President Charles Phillips. “This transaction will preserve and enhance investments made by our customers, while we continue to work with our partners to provide customers with choice.”

The Board of Directors of Sun Microsystems has unanimously approved the transaction. It is anticipated to close this summer, subject to Sun stockholder approval, certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

There will be a conference call today to discuss the transaction at 5:30 a.m. Pacific time. Investors can listen to the conference call by dialing (719) 234-7870, passcode 923645. A replay will be available for 24 hours after the call ends at (719) 884-8882, passcode: 923645. A live audio webcast of the call will be made available at www.oracle.com/investor and a replay will be available for seven days after the call ends.

Oracle.com

Vodafone is allowing you to pre-order your Nokia N97

The Nokia N97 is set to ship on Vodafone from July - if the update on the company’s site is to be believed.

We brought you news at the end of last week that the Nokia N97 was about to go pre-order and it seems it has.

Vodafone is the first carrier to load up a page allowing you to pre-order your Nokia N97.

Check out the Vodafone Nokia N97 page.

Well, when we say pre-order, it seem the holding page is very much that - a holding page, as you can enter your details and Vodafone will let yuou know when it’s due.

Vodafone gives a breakdown of what we can expect:

Go straight to your web favourites from the Nokia N97’s home screen - and enjoy superfast internet when you’re browsing.

Up to 48GB of memory means you can take your whole world with you. And for great photos, there’s the 5 megapixel camera with a sharp-shooting Carl Zeiss lens.

Load up your music, videos, pics and games on 32GB of built-in memory. Store even more by adding another 16GB - perfect for the DVD quality videos you’ll shoot with your N97.

A fantastic 5 megapixel camera gives you pin-sharp pictures day or night. And they look amazing on the N97’s crystal clear 3.5″ touch screen. Slide out the QWERTY keyboard and you can add captions to your best shots before you put them online.

However, no more news is forthcoming, not even what we’re likely to find in the box! So, while it’s great news that Vodafone will definitely be carrying the Nokia N97 come July, we’re still no nearer to an official launch date or a price for the most eagerly awaiting Nokia of 2009.

Sadly, there is no news from Nokia Online as to whether there is about to be a simialr page popping up on the Nokia site. We’ll keep our eyes peeled and let you know as soon as it happens.

Features:

• 5.0 megapixel and over
• HSDPA
• Built in GPS navigation
• Black
• Slide phones
• 3G
• GPRS
• WiFi
• Quadband
• Bluetooth
• Memory card slot
• Touch screen
• Qwerty keyboard
• Vodafone Mobile Internet
• Email
• Games
• MP3 player
• Poly ring tones
• Camera / Video
• Flash or light
• Alarm clock
• Calendar
• Memory card

Out source your life with TimeSvr

Today I am going to tell you about the amazing service which I found recently, this is Time Svr. These guys come up with the great Idea to help people in their busy life.

They provides on-demand Virtual Assistants, called Aides, for busy professionals who'd like to get the most out of their day. TimeSvr members can access an Aide anytime (24/7/365), from anywhere, using email, text messaging, Skype IM, the Phone or the Web. There Aides are specially handpicked to provide high satisfaction while carrying out almost any task requested. They are equipped with the technology they need to do almost any task you require off them, from arranging travel and dinner reservations to making phone calls and doing research on the internet for you. The system is flexible to allow you to use your Aide to do whatever you think is important, however you would like it done.

There Workspace allows you to access every single task you have set, regardless of how you communicated it, in one place. Task updates and status are also reflected here.

Each member also has access to a customizable profile. This is where you can store information about yourself which will help your Aide perform the tasks you set (Frequent Flyer numbers, restaurant preferences, schedule reminders, etc.). All information can be edited or deleted at any point in time, putting the control in your hands. Don't have time to fill out the profile just once? No worries! The result? Perfect service tailored to your needs, every time!

I found this a very cost effective solution, currently TimeSvr offers a 3 day free trial for its Personal service, which provides unlimited basic tasks and up to 8 hours of complex tasks a month, for only $69 per month. TimeSvr Dedicated service allows companies and individuals to buy chunks of Aide time, at $7.5/hour or $850 monthly for a full time Aide (discounts available for longer contracts).

For more information visit: www.timesvr.com

Ashton Kutcher Beats CNN to Twitter Million Followers

Actor Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) became the first twitter user to achieve a million (1,000,000) followers at 6.12 UTC today. He narrowly beat CNN breaking news (@cnnbrk) which had overtaken the Barack Obama twitter account as the world’s most popular in the last few months. CNN became the second account with a million followers just under half an hour later . Both users had been heavily promoting their race to a million, Kutcher using UStream.tv and CNN using their own broadcast channel. The Huffington Post carried a live counter and follower graph that looked like something from a US presidential election.

This milestone confirms a number of observations about twitter as a ‘channel’.

• On-line popularity is linked to off-line popularity - both Kutcher and CNN are hardly unknown.
• Twitter can be a broadcast channel. It is neither the principal function nor does it reflect twitter’s flexibilty but if enough people subscribe to a feed you can ‘broadcast’ information and links.
• Twitter works as a news feed - lots of traditional news meda are bulding large follower numbers. Group them together and you have a powerful customisable news channnel.
• Twitter is now firmly part of the celebrity PR portfolio.

For those that say that twitter is just this year’s social web fad it’s not about to fizzle out just yet.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX officially announced all over again

Sound familiar? Indeed, this isn't the first time T-Mobile has offered a Sidekick LX -- but much like last year's simply-named Sidekick, the carrier is once again carrying forward branding while totally revamping the hardware. The 2009 edition of the Sidekick LX is thoroughly new and pretty much nails every item on every Sidekick fan's wishlist: GPS, 3G data, an absolutely glorious 3.2-inch full wide VGA display, and super-tight integration with Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. You've also got a 3.2 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, microSD expansion (T-Mobile throws a 1GB card in the box), video recording and playback (including YouTube access), stereo Bluetooth, quadband EDGE, and HSDPA 2100 for high-speed coverage when you're galavanting around Europe. The ace up T-Mobile's sleeve, though, might be Exchange ActiveSync support, which will be coming via the on-device software catalog shortly after launch. It's available for pre-sale to current T-Mobile customers starting today -- everyone else will have to wait until May 13 -- but either way, you'll be paying $199.99 after rebate on contract in your choice of "carbon" or "orchid" finishes. Check out all the snazzy photography below -- and follow the break for our quick first impressions of the phone. [image/post credits: engadgetmobile]

"nobody gets it perfect out the door" : RIM CEO on BlackBerry Storm

If there's two things we love, it's hearing RIM's own Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis open their gaping traps. While the former was sufficiently panned back in January for exclaiming that buggy smartphone software was simply the "new reality," his partner in crime may have just done him one better. In a recent sit-down with Laptop Mag, Mike was specifically asked to address that aforementioned quote. His response? "That's our first touch product, and you know nobody gets it perfect out the door. You know other companies were having problems with their first releases." If you're struggling to translate that into layman speak, allow us: "Tough luck, early adopters!"

As the interview progressed, the co-CEO took the opportunity to snub Apple on its inability to get Push Email out early on, noting that BlackBerry OS has "constantly been underestimated" and was "designed to multitask from day one." He also stumbled all over himself when it came to speaking about the BlackBerry's web browser, stating that "by writing our browser in Java, that provides our CIOs and wireless managers the assurances they need, to allow the browser to access internal information at the same time it accesses external information." We've literally meditated on that for a solid half-hour, and we still have absolutely zero idea what it means in English. Nevertheless, the whole thing is a pretty great -- if not comical -- read, so give it a look and share your colorful opinions in comments below. [image/post credits engadget]

Second Life Growing Again by new ruler, Mark Kingdon

They say numbers don’t lie, and in recent months the number of people populating virtual world Second Life has started to rise again. Mark Kingdon, CEO of parent company Linden Lab, has been touting the return to steady user growth; to back up his claims, he shared with us the chart below, which tracks the number of unique repeat logins into Second Life on a month-by-month basis (it doesn’t include new sign ups during each month).

Mark Kingdon comes from a user experience background, and so is keen to make Second Life a lot easier to use. Photograph: Ivor Prickett

That number stood at 731,000 as of the end of March, the result of an upward climb that began in August 2008. Notably, it’s higher than the number of SL’s active monthly users (defined as those who log in for more than an hour at a time) in March, which Kingdon tells me was just 650,000. Since taking the helm from founder Philip Rosedale last April, Kingdon has been working with a team of newly-appointed executives to simplify the user registration/conversion process and stabilize the platform — efforts this chart suggests are paying off.

The Strongest Man in The World from Egypt

Facebook Applications for Current and Prospective College Students

Facebook is a splendid example as to how online social networks can enhance our ability to communicate with one another. Once created, other entrepreneurs immediately began working on programs that would allow Facebook to connect with other useful applications.

Today, there are a number of such options that can provide Facebook users access to information about colleges, the courses offered and the professors teaching those courses. One of the applications provides info from the famous US News and World Report college ratings publication while others seek to connect students within schools, with course information and professor ratings.

Any readers using these or other applications?

Gradzilla

Gradzilla is an application featuring some of the data compiled by US News and World Report. With Gradzilla, students can gain access to information on all aspects of selecting a college including information on majors, athletics, extracurricular activities, tuition, and student body size.

With Gradzilla, students can search for schools by name, location, major, tuition, size, setting, extracurricular activities and intercollegiate sports. The results can then be easily bookmarked for a second review later.

College Planner

This Facebook interactive application allows you to research information on more than 5000 colleges. The application was created by Embark.com, a company that has “helped more than 15 million students research, organize, and apply to the schools of their choice.”

With College Planner, users can create their own personalized profile. In conjunction with the site’s advanced school finder, the profile can then generate suggested schools that meet your personal criteria and interests.

And all the while you do your research, you can share everything with other Facebook friends.

SkoolPool

SkoolPool seeks to connect college applicants to one another and to current students at respective schools. The first primary objective is to help students find the right school.

Through the site you can meet existing college students and theoretically get unbiased information from them about their school. Given that these individuals may attend your final school of choice, the site also allows you to connect with potential classmates.

Courses

Courses is designed for both students and instructors. Using Facebook with the Courses application will allow students to share their schedules including the courses they are taking and the activities they are participating in. Students can then search for other classmates where they can share files and discuss specific classes.

In theory the application is also built with instructors and teaching assistants in mind. If students within the class can access one another through Courses and Facebooks, teachers can use the social networking application as part of the class structure. Announcements, syllabi and assignments can be distributed over the student network rather than one constructed by the colleges. Of course, the application can also form the basis for virtual office hours.

Course Profiles

Course Profiles is designed for those students taking courses through The Open University. Students may enter the OU course code, or portion of the title and Course Profiles will search the database and provide the full course full name.

By displaying the courses on the Facebook application that students have studied, they can then find people who have taken or are taking the same course creating a potential “study buddy” through the virtual connection. Students can suggest relevant resources and leave helpful details on the comments wall.

Rate My Professors

Offering access to nearly eight million opinions on more than one million instructors, Rate My Professors is a tool that allows students to share their opinion of their college instructors. With the Facebook application, students can browse through the ratings and comments on every one of those professors, doing so directly from the student’s personal Facebook profile page.

What makes the application so popular is that students can then learn what other students think of specific professors prior to enrolling in that instructor’s class. As the site notes, “Before you register for class find out which professor will inspire you, challenge you, or which will just give you the easy A.” [via]

Apple portable i Pod rumors gather pace ahead

The long weekend has got right in the way of a raft of proper, fact–based gadget news. But the Apple rumour mill continues to churn out its heady mix of tittle tattle from Cupertino. This time the news comes right from the top, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

The financial rag claims that, "People privy to the company’s strategy say Apple is working on new iPhone models and a portable device that is smaller than its current laptop computers but bigger than the iPhone or iPod Touch."

That's a pretty hefty claim, but does fit in with Steve Jobs' suggestion last year that the company had some "interesting ideas" about a netbook style device. Doubtless this would be going head to head with the Sony Vaio P series rather than the likes of the Asus Eee PC.

Seeing as a new iPhone is almost a banker for WWDC, we reckon Apple will give it a few months at least before touting the "iPod Touch Pro", with the annual iPod unveiling in September most likely.

Via Electricpig

Prince-Themed iPod Touch

While certainly not the most expensive iPod we've ever seen, the limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch is definitely amongst the priciest. Sold only as part of an ultra rare kit that includes a luxurious book of Prince photographs from Kraken Opus, this touch (of unknown capacity) comes preloaded with 40 minutes of "exclusive" footage along with a live soundtrack from 'Indigo Nights.' Of course, it's also doused in purple and splashed with Prince's symbol 'round back, but even with only 950 kits available, we still say the $2,100 price tag is far too lofty. Hate to break it to ya, Opus, but those hedge funds are no longer partying like it's 1999.

[Via All Things Digital]

Get Certified by Blackberry

About Blackberry:

Developed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM), the Blackberry was first introduced in 1999 as a two way pager. By 2002, the Blackberry had transformed into a convergent device. Blackberry became one of the first smart phones available in the world. A Blackberry combines features that support mobile telephone, text messaging, e-mail sending and receiving, web browsing and internet faxing and other wireless information services. A Blackberry is a Public Digital Assistant (PDA) along with telephone capabilities. A Blackberry is characterized by a QWERTY keyboard, and newer models also incorporate Push To Talk (PTT), which work like a two-way radio.

Blackberry offers a certification program that sets the industry standard for levels of skills and knowledge of specific Blackberry products and services. Getting a Blackberry certification will validate your skill and knowledge levels and provide you professional credibility. On the other hand, a Blackberry certification will also set you and your resume apart in the world on mobile devices and applications.

Blackberry Certifications

Blackberry offers a number of certification programs that are focused on different stages of deployment in a Blackberry based on plan and design, managing and monitoring the Blackberry and supporting and troubleshooting any Blackberry device. Blackberry certification is available to everyone, including customers, mobile device technicians and support staff in organizations that use Blackberry.

You can find a complete blackberry certifications preparation online in the form of certification tutorials, selftest engines, practice exams etc. This can be your single source for all relevant information you will require for clearing your Blackberry exams. You will have access to Blackberry training tools to hone your Blackberry skills and a Blackberry study guide to enhance your Blackberry knowledge. Your entire blackberry certifications preparation will be taken care of at Exams Experts along with providing you with a number of practice exams to give you the feel for the actual Blackberry certification exam.

So, what are you waiting for? If you want a successful career in the industry of mobile device and application, a Blackberry certification will set you apart and increase your chances of success. Check out the Certifications or black berry exam like BCP-410 practice exam tab to find out which Blackberry certification is best suited for you.

Call India from Blackberry mobile phones - Make cheap VoIP calls to India from PC to mobile phone or landline. Cheap India calling plans with cheapest VoIP calling rates to India.

Online Surveys For Steady Cash Supply

Making money is not always easy. However, if you are given the chance to make easy money legally, would you not grab the chance? One great opportunity for those who want to earn extra money is to take part in survey sites which offer online surveys in exchange of a pay. All you have to do is have access to a computer and the Internet, and you are good to go. You simply need to sign up at these survey sites and you can start making money easily without much effort.

One great advantage to taking online surveys for money is that you can do it right at the comforts of your home. You need not waste time traveling nor do you have to work full time. As long as you have a few minutes to spare, you can already become a successful online surveys taker which brings home steady cash. Being one can assure you of a steady first or second income and the amount of money you can earn can depend on how much time you are willing to give. Of course, the more surveys you take in a day, the more money you can have.

All these means that you can easily have a steady cash flow to pay off those loans, to thicken the savings account, to make your pockets full, or to simply have extra shopping money. Start taking online web survey and you will be surprised that making money is not at all that hard with the help of technology.

How-to Connect Wifi via BlackBerry

BlackBerry is really famous and if you want to connect via BlackBerry and need how to successful get connected, here I will share to you the steps.

1. Click icon Manage Connection

2. Check/click on Wi-Fi ON

3. Scroll down and see “Set Up Wi-Fi Network”, click Next

4. And now click Scan For Networks.

On this step BlackBerry will scan all of the Wi-Fi around you. Find the Wi-Fi that you want it and save if needed.

5. If you know the SSID network, you can Manually Add Network. And now click the BlackBerry menu and click Connect.

6. If you ask for password, fill it. Usually in free Wi-Fi hotspot there’s no password needed.

7. The next step is fill the name for the Wi-Fi connection to save on Wi-Fi profie or you can just click to Connect. Click Next to continue..

8. The Menu will be back to Manage Connection. Check the Wi-Fi Options to set the UP address is it using DHCP (on BlackBerry it will said “Automatically obtain IP address and DNS”) or using static IP address. If using DHCP you can browsing to Internet but you must change the setting at the browser on the Main Menu -> Options -> Advance Options -> Browser. Change the default browser configuration with the Hotspot Browser. Good luck to surf on the net!

9. But if it’s need manually fill the IP address. You can go to Wi-Fi Options, Hightlight Wi-Fi profile which you already save previously, click the BlackBerry Menu, Edit, Highlight the text “Automatically obtain IP Address and DNS”, click BlackBerry Menu, Change Option, fill the IP one by one (default is 0.0.0.0). And click Save. And don’t forget to change the browser by follow the step on number 8.

Happy surfing on the internet using Blackberry!! But do not forget turn-off the Wi-Fi to save the battery lifetime.

I take you as my partner loving what I know of you - Love Poem

by Miss Take

I take you as my partner
loving what I know of you
trusting what I do not yet know
looking forward to our life together
as best friends.

I wish for sunshine and laughter
but know we will draw strength
from each other if cloudy days
pass our way.

I give you my love and ask
only that you cherish this gift.

Everyday, love me your own special way
melt all my fears away, with your smile
take time to tell me you really care
and we wlll share a lifetime together.

I will always love you....forever.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager Software 5.0

With BlackBerry 5.0 device software for the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve 8900 leaking onto the interwebs this week, it only makes sense that Destop Manager 5.0 software would follow suit. Big thanks goes out to sliderz once again for sending us in the link.

I'm not sure how close this software is to being in final form considering it hasn't been officially released by RIM, but it looks to be the same as in the Desktop Manager 5.0 preview we brought you a couple weeks back. After unzipping the file and installing on my PC, the software seems to be working fine and loaded up 5.0.0.90 onto my Curve 8900 without issue. But as usual with this kind of thing, ** Install and Use at Own Risk ** (via CrackBerry)

• Download BlackBerry Desktop Manager 5.0 from RapidShare >>

Did you know?

Manchester United, Arsenal both held in Champions League

MANCHESTER: FC Porto and Arsenal scored crucial away goals Tuesday, giving both teams the advantage heading into the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals next week.

Porto got a late equalizer from substitute Mariano Gonzalez in its 2-2 draw at defending champion Manchester United, and Emmanuel Adebayor scored in the second half to give Arsenal a 1-1 draw at Villarreal.

The second legs will be played April 15, and the winners will play each other next month in the semifinals.

Gonzalez scored Porto's equalizing goal in the 89th minute, four minutes after Carlos Tevez had put United ahead 2-1 at Old Trafford. Lucho Gonzalez's cross from the right was left by Gary Neville and Mariano brought it down with his chest before beating United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

Tevez thought he had given United the lead for good only minutes earlier, lifting the ball into the net when Wayne Rooney's heel flicked on Neville's throw in.

In the first half, United trailed for the first time in its title defence in the fourth minute when Jonny Evans' poor clearance allowed Cristian Rodriguez to put Porto ahead. But the visitors also had some sloppy defending, and Rooney took advantage of it to equalize in the 15th minute by pouncing on a lax backpass from Bruno Alves.

Arsenal got its away goal in the 66th minute when Adebayor chested a long ball from Cesc Fabregas to the right of the area and beat Diego Lopez with a bicycle kick.

Villarreal had taken the lead in the 10th when Marcos Senna's swerving shot from 20 yards evaded diving goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and landed inside the top corner.

Fabregas had also set up both of Adebayor's goals in Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester City, which marked both players return from lengthy injury spells.

In the 70th, Robert Pires came on to face his former team for the first time since leaving London in 2006, and Villarreal began to respond with better chances. Guille Franco, however, missed two good chances in the last 10 minutes and Senna sent a hard shot toward goal in the 80th but is just missed the top corner.

Arsenal may have the advantage heading into the second leg, but the English team may have to play without defender William Gallas.

The France international could be out for the rest of the season after damaging knee ligaments in the first half. He went down after colliding with Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi late in the first half and stayed on the field for several more minutes before limping off and being replaced by Johan Djourou in the 43rd.

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is also likely to miss the second leg. He hurt his ankle after coming out of his area to clear an early Villarreal long ball.

The last time the two teams met, Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehman saved Juan Roman Riquelme's late penalty to put the Gunners into the Champions League final in Paris, where the English team lost to Barcelona 2-1.

On Wednesday, five-time European champion Liverpool will host Chelsea in the first leg of the quarter-finals, while Bayern Munich visits Barcelona. The second legs will be played next Tuesday.

Truphone goes for the U.S. market offering Cheap International Calls

During the recently ended CTIA in Las Vegas, Truphone announced that it is entering the U.S. market in a big way. More specifically, the company launched its Truphone Business offering and the Truphone Channel Partner Program in the States.

At the same time, they announced the Truphone Channel Partner Program to recruit partners to sell and distribute Truphone Business to companies throughout the U.S. As part of the program, resellers are offered generous commission plans according to a tiered structure, as well as a range of sales incentive schemes, co-marketing funds, and a wide variety of marketing support materials.

Additionally, the channel program offers sales and marketing training modules, dedicated channel managers to support partners’ sales teams in addition to secure and easy to use customer management tools to make all order entries, adds, changes, deactivations and trouble ticketing seamless and instantaneous.

There are several others VoIP providers like Vopium (beta) and skype already hit US market.[source]

Water Resistant Digital Camera

Sometimes when me and my family go swimming on the beach, i’m kinda confused how to capture that precious moments with my digital camera or video cameras. Thank God GE has released water resistant digital camera, now i don’t have to worry again to bring my digital camera into the beach !

Advanced GE G3WP water-resistant digital camera released. With a new century to come, digital camera seems to be a standard device many people are pleased to use. Designed by General Imaging, GE G3WP was introduced as its first water-resistant digital camera. New compact digital camera with high level water resistance allows diving up to 10 feet depth. The G3WP comes with a 4x optical zoom, 12-megapixel resolution sensor, 2.7 inch TFT liquid-crystal display able to adjust brightness. New GE G3WP also features ISO 3200 sensitivity along with image stabilization making pictures more clear.

With a 9.99 price tag, it looks to be affordable product for those looking for a compact digital camera with advanced features. There are some advanced user-friendly detection systems such as auto scene, blink, face and smile detection. Panoramic pictures are possible due to panorama mode while in-camera red-eye removal avoids red eyes appearance. [source]
Other features include:

Internal Memory: 116 MB, SD/SDHC Card (with maximum capacity of 8G)

AF Method: Single AF, Multi-AF (TTL 9-point)

AF Assist Light (On/Off)
Output Jacks: USB cable 2.0/AV-OUT
LCD Size: 2.7 inch TFT color LCD (234,000 pixels)
Focal Length: 6.75mm (Wide) and 27.0mm (Tele)
Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery DS5370, 3.7V 700mAh
Battery Charger
F Number: f/3.5 (Wide) - f/5.15 (Tele)
Weight: 4.2 oz
Dimensions: 3.7 inch Width x 2.4 inch Height x 0.9 inch Depth

Email the way you want it - Nokia E75 begins shipping

The Nokia E75 was recently announced at the mobile world congress. Rumours have been around for a while and so it’s good to be able to see the full tech spec.

The Nokia E75, and the E72, are aimed at those looking for business phones. The E75 has a 2.4 inch screen with 320 x 240 pixel resolutions and a slide out QWERTY keyboard for texts and emails.

Nokia’s plans for the E75 include web browsing, WiFi, GPRS and HSDPA, which will help you get a decent internet connection. One useful tool for business users is the E75’s office document viewer, which means you can view work documents sent as attachments.

The Nokia E75 comes with quad-band cover of GSM850, 900, 1800, 1900 and dual-band WCDMA 900, 2100 so mobile phone calls should be possible in a wide range of countries.

The Nokia E75 comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, LED flash and digital zoom, plus a video recorder with high resolution VGA and video streaming.

Music is available in MP3 and AAC formats and the E75 also features a FM radio, Nokia podcast and windows media player. The Nokia E75 ringtones can be polyphonic, MP3, video or talking ringtones.

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE April 6, 2009

Email the way you want it - Nokia E75 begins shipping

Espoo, Finland - The Nokia E75 has arrived in stores, bringing the company’s best efficiency and productivity solution to the market. The new arrival is the first device to ship with the new email user interface, offering full desktop email functionality, and complete integration of Nokia’s email and messaging services.

Made from the quality materials one expects from Nokia Eseries, the Nokia E75 has a slide out QWERTY keyboard and efficient three-step email setup. This simplicity is achieved with the integration of Nokia Messaging, which ships with a device for the first time in the Nokia E75. Nokia Messaging is a service that opens up the world’s leading consumer email accounts - including Yahoo! Mail®, Gmail and Windows Live Hotmail - and is joined by Nokia’s corporate email clients, Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveler, which provide direct access to over 90 percent of the world’s corporate inboxes as well.

The richer email experience in the Nokia E75 brings all of the owner’s accounts into one simple to access and easy to use UI, which supports the most common features for desktop email including expanding views, one click reply and sub-folder and HTML support. Added to the enhanced email functionality, upgraded personal information management features such as the ability to create and respond to meeting requests, and contacts lookup and auto-complete, also make their debut in the Nokia E75.

The Nokia E75 also integrates tightly to other Ovi services and ships with Ovi Files, for storing files online, Nokia Maps, which works with the onboard A-GPS, and Nokia’s games service N-Gage which is supported for the first time in a Nokia Eseries device.

BlackBerry Leak Lists Product Code Names: Onyx, Driftwood, Magnum

If you're the kind of BlackBerry gadgetphile who loves product code names, please sit down, because that's what we have here. Three new cologne-sounding code names for BlackBerry products, coming soon: Onyx, Driftwood, Magnum.

The secret list of three was procured by BGR, and is in all actuality a list of three different code names for one product, most likely sold by different carriers

You can see the similarities here, in the spec sheet:

BlackBerry Onyx:

* GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS device
* GPS
* Camera
* Wi-Fi (no UMA support)
* QWERTY keyboard
* 480×360 resolution screen
* Confirmed carriers: AT&T

BlackBerry Driftwood:

* GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS device
* GPS
* Camera
* Wi-Fi with UMA
* QWERTY keyboard

BlackBerry Magnum:

* GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS device
* GPS
* Camera
* Wi-Fi (no UMA support)
* QWERTY keyboard
* 480×360 resolution screen
* Confirmed carriers: AT&T

These are all 9000-series BlackBerry devices, all with 3G. No release dates or other tangibles were given, but like I said, code name-loving folk are consumed with the vapors right about now. [Gizmodo via BGR]

Blackberry Video Converter - Free Download

Often Mobile phones have their own proprietary video format and set of some other video formats which only they support and in order to play videos of different format on your mobile phone you need to first convert such video files to supported format and then play on your mobile.

For example Blackberry phones like Blackberry Bold, Blackberry Storm, Blackberry flip etc only supports video files with 3gp format. If you are looking for freeware tool to convert videos to blackberry supported formats then here is freeware Agogo BlackBerry Video Converter.

Agogo BlackBerry Video Converter is an ideal program for anyone. It enables you convert almost all kinds of video files such as rm, divx, xvid, avi, wmv, asf, mpg, mpeg, vob, mov, qt, mp4, 3gp, swf, nsv to 3gp video.

Agogo BlackBerry Video Converter

1. Simple and easy to use,customize the quality of output video.

2. Support wmv , asf ,mov , qt to cellphone 3gp.

3. Support rm , rmvb,mpg , mpeg , vob ,vcd , svcd to cellphone 3gp.

4. Support avi , divx , xvid ,swf , nsv to cellphone 3gp.

5. Automatically shutdown your computer after long time conversion, such as for big files conversion at midnight.

Screenshot of Agogo BlackBerry Video Converter

Supported Operating system:- Windows 95/ 98/ Me / XP / 2000 / 2003 Server / Vista

Download file size:- 4Mb

Download Agogo BlackBerry Video Converter

[source]

What is Nokia Desktop Notices?

What is Nokia Desktop Notices?

• Nokia Desktop Notices is a free software application installed on your desktop.
• It lets you know as soon as new Nokia devices or services are published.
• Once you see a new device or service you're interested in, visit the Nokia.com website for more information.

You can download the new Nokia Desktop Notice for Window here, or Mac here.

Click "Open" or "Run this program from its current location".

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

Once the installation is complete, Nokia Desktop Notices will automatically open on your desktop.

If for some reason you decide that Nokia Desktop Notices isn't for you, it can be easily uninstalled

FAQ

BlackBerry Niagara 9630 Review

We know you're hungry for some more details on the BlackBerry Niagara 9630, so here we go. Crackberry's released the second part of its impressions with the device, this time focusing on the OS 4.7.1 that they note functions like a hybrid of the Storm's OS 4.7 and Bold / Curve 8900's OS 4.6. Features lovingly borrowed from the SurePress-equipped touchscreen include app switching by pushing down the menu key, trackball gestures in the photo gallery, a revised profiles menu, bubblier boxes in the options menu, and possibly a new memory manager within the media center. On their own, these all seem pretty minor, but they add up to a much more pleasant experience. Judging by the preview, it looks it's still shaping up to be one of the best 'berry's you can buy. The CB crew conjecture this might actually be the upcoming OS 5.0 in disguise, judging by their similarities. We'll find out for sure sometime in May, when we can get our hands on the phone and can check that version number ourselves.

RIM sells its 50 millionth BlackBerry

Other devices may have made it to the mark a bit quicker but, any way you shake it, selling 50 million of any consumer electronics device is pretty darn impressive, especially when the device in question is often laden with contracts and hefty monthly bills. What's more, in addition to announcing that milestone, RIM also confirmed that it's current user base now totals a whopping 25 million, 3.9 million of which were added in the last quarter alone. Those new users also look to have helped push RIM past even its own best earnings forecasts, with the company reporting fourth quarter revenue of $3.46 billion, or about a 24.5% jump from $2.78 billion of the previous quarter -- which should be almost enough to make RIM's top execs forget about all those pesky problems they've been facing over the past year.

[engadget Via TG Daily]

Nokisson - Nokia and Ericsson to form a joint venture

I never though the two giants Nokia and Ericsson can work up a joint venture . The name is quite a sizzler Nokisson ready to make PSP Phone.

The venture may be shocking news for some of mobile manufacturer but can be good and productive step from both companies for the mobile user.

This is look like as that Sony Ericsson joint venture in dangioure and its just my thought and my analysis…..may be i am on wrong side but its look like as. This announcement was made by the CEO Oli-Pekka Kallasvuo and Ericsson boss, Carl-Henric Svanberg.

Also, Ericsson is demoing today, during CTIA, their brand new HSPA connectivity, reaching 56 Mbps and ready to be implemented on the first Nokisson devices, coming this summer. Let us remind you that Ericsson sold it share to the folks of Sony, who were glad to split the company and finally be able to announce the PSP Phone. anyway it's prank... ;)

Difference between Skype for iPhone and Skype for BlackBerry

Skype on iPhone is truly VOIP, the connection is made over Wi-Fi just as it would connect on your PC. On the other hand Skype on BlackBerry connects to Skype's servers using a regular voice call. In other words, when you click "call" contact, it will load the 813-xxx-xxxx number (voice call) to connect with Skype servers. Obviously, this means if you travel outside the US you will be charged INTL. rates to make that connection. Not the case with Skype on iPhone.

The downside on the iPhone is that Apple instructed Skype to restrict connections to "Wi-Fi only", thus 3G connections are blocked... for now at least.

Beyond that we played with Skype on iPhone and it works great! For someone like myself who travels between the Caribbean and the US quite often, this is a great solution. Skype on BlackBerry works ok also but as said before its a lite version so not as many features and as mentioned, no connection via mobile data.

Skype for iPhone has quickly become the #1 downloaded top free app in the iTunes store in the following countries:

- US
- UK
- Holland
- France
- Italy
- Russia
- Australia
- Germany
- Spain
- Japan

It's also the #2 download in China.

Overall most users may still find Skype on Blackberry the better option since can make a call from anywhere. There's no need for a Wifi connection.

Nokia's Point & Find service makes reality better

Nokia just tip-toed out for a glimpse at innovation with the beta release of its new Point & Find application and service. Simply aim the camera of your Nokia phone at any object in meat-space and the Point & Find application will access relevant data off the Internet. Ok, not any object as the beta only recognizes movie posters at the moment, but that's the long term plan. Point & Find uses real-time image processing to recognize real-world objects in a Nokia database of virtually tagged items using the phone's camera, Internet connection, and GPS data. The software also recognizes bar codes and supports category-specific text-entry search. The beta software is a free download for Nokia owners in the UK and get this, the US too. Man, Nokia's getting serious about US market share. [engadget]

Skype Free application enables millions of iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide

Skype announced yesterday that its highly anticipated application, Skype™ for iPhone, will be available on the Apple App Store beginning today. The app also adds Skype calling and instant messaging to any second generation iPod touch with a compatible headset and microphone.

"Skype software for the iPhone has been the number one request among our users. We are delighted to deliver on this request and put Skype into the pockets of millions of people around the world who are carrying iPhone and iPod touch devices," said Scott Durchslag, Skype's Chief Operating Officer. "Skype for iPhone will open up new ways for more than 400 million Skype users to stay connected and take their Skype conversations with them. Skype for iPhone is an experience that offers the same simplicity, ease-of-use and quality our users have come to expect from Skype, combined with an elegance of design and richness so loved by Apple's many customers worldwide."

The application delivers core Skype capabilities including:

• Free Skype-to-Skype calls from any Wi-Fi zone to other Skype users worldwide
• Call landline or mobile phones at Skype's great low rates from any Wi-Fi zone
• Send/receive instant messages to/from individuals or groups via 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS or EDGE (whichever is available)
• Receive calls to a personal online number on Skype
• See when Skype contacts are online/available to IM or talk

Skype for iPhone requires a Wi-Fi connection to make free Skype-to-Skype calls or low-cost Skype calls to mobiles and landlines. Users will not be charged by Skype for making and receiving Skype-to-Skype calls using an iPhone or iPod touch. Skype's normal low rates apply if using Skype to call landlines or mobiles.

The app uses Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS or EDGE (whichever is available) to sign into Skype, update a contact list, maintain and update presence and send/receive instant messages. Skype recommends an unlimited data usage plan for using Skype over a mobile data connection to avoid being charged by a wireless service provider for 3G, GPRS and EDGE mobile data usage. [source]

BlackBerry App World now live

As expected, the BlackBerry App World has just launched for US, Canada and the UK. If your software's updated to 4.2 and you've got a trackball / touch screen and PayPal account, head on over to RIM's website to download. Tell us, is it everything you thought it would be?

RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis is slated to take the stage later today in Las Vegas at the CTIA show and all eyes will be focused on RIM’s answer to Apple’s App Store. While we wished that RIM had held off on the launch of BlackBerry App World until Lazaridis’ little talk, there’s nothing that could have prevented this announcement from hitting at midnight. So, ladies and germs, I present to you BlackBerry App World. Please ensure that you have a PayPal account, OS 4.2 or higher and a trackball or SurePress touch screen (aka Storm) BlackBerry before proceeding.

I must say that BAW is laid out much better than the initial screen shots that RIM released many months ago. But before we dive into it, you should probably download the BAW storefront. Simply navigate here or here from your BlackBerry Browser and experience the awesomeness that is BAW. A circle icon with the BlackBerry emblem will appear on your desktop.

The BAW homescreen features four icons across the bottom and “Featured Items” which can be navigated through by scrolling left or right. The first icon – a set of folders with a blue tab - is your Categories folder where you can search for apps by genres such as Games, Music and Video, or Personal Health and Wellness. Next to the Categories icon is the Top Downloads section (25) – denoted by a starred folder - of BAW that tells you which apps you are most popular. You can also search for applications by clicking on the magnifying glass icon; search works within categories as well.

The download process is simple and straightforward, but we still hate the fact that RIM wasn’t able to implement a backend payment structure of their own. I just don’t trust PayPal and I know lots of folks (besides myself) who have had issues with them over the years. Anyway, clicking on any app that tickles your fancy will present you with the following options: Download, Reviews or Screenshots. I don’t think I need to go into detail or describe what each of these entail, but I will tell you that when you purchase a free application you’ll be taken directly to My World (we’ll get to this in a second), but if it’s a paid app you’ll be asked to sign into PayPal before proceeding.

Now that we’ve searched through apps and purchased a couple or downloaded all the free apps, you’ll want to hit up that last icon with the outline of a person or My World. In My World you can keep tabs on all the apps that you’ve downloaded, write reviews, recommend or uninstall apps. A nice feature about My World is that you can virtually host apps that you might not use all the time without actually having the app downloaded to the device. If you want to reinstall an app that you previously deleted, you just need to log back into PayPal and voila.

iPhone 'Exchange' to Drive Apps Downloads

In a move that was somewhat anticipated, AdMob has launched an iPhone exchange for developers seeking to drive more downloads. Apps/developers contribute a portion of their inventory to the exchange and they get ad space on other apps.

It creates various opportunities for apps to be discovered by users of . . . other apps. This is a logical extension of what AdMob was already doing in advertising apps on other apps.

The growth of this apps "ecosystem" benefits AdMob in the long run as it becomes the ad network that many of these developers will use to monetize their free apps. AdMob also needs to continue to promote downloads because many apps are "perishable" and don't have a long iPhone shelf life. [source]