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eMusic and AT&T to partner for mobile music downloads

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joshua Topolsky @ 11:29 am

The nation's second largest online music retailer, eMusic, is apparently announcing plans today to partner with AT&T to sell tracks by independent artists directly to mobile phones, without the need for the computer middleman. The music-seller will make nearly all of its 2.7 million songs available for direct download to the carrier's devices, although eMusic's rates will jump from $9.99 for 30 songs using their traditional service, to $7.49 for just five songs with the new mobile service. You would think AT&T would be hot-to-trot with Apple when it comes to selling music for phones, but the telco already has agreements with services like Napster, and since the iPhone-maker somehow failed to include iTunes direct downloads to its device, and doesn't offer them to other devices, AT&T clearly sees a window. Granted, eMusic's catalogue is somewhat more eclectic than iTunes, but with artists like Paul McCartney and The Pixies, the cash registers could start ringing.

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eMusic and AT&T to partner for mobile music downloads

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joshua Topolsky @ 11:29 am

Filed under: Cellphones

The nation's second largest online music retailer, eMusic, is apparently announcing plans today to partner with AT&T to sell tracks by independent artists directly to mobile phones, without the need for the computer middleman. The music-seller will make nearly all of its 2.7 million songs available for direct download to the carrier's devices, although eMusic's rates will jump from $9.99 for 30 songs using their traditional service, to $7.49 for just five songs with the new mobile service. You would think AT&T would be hot-to-trot with Apple when it comes to selling music for phones, but the telco already has agreements with services like Napster, and since the iPhone-maker somehow failed to include iTunes direct downloads to its device, and doesn't offer them to other devices, AT&T clearly sees a window. Granted, eMusic's catalogue is somewhat more eclectic than iTunes, but with artists like Paul McCartney and The Pixies, the cash registers could start ringing.

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iPhone’s first sketchy battery replacement kit appears

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joshua Topolsky @ 10:24 am

Filed under: Cellphones

When the time came and your battery died, you were probably thinking you'd have to send your iPhone off to Apple as part of their expensive and complicated battery replacement program -- but now you've got a sketchy DIY option instead. Once again, a mysterious Chinese company has stepped in and "created" a "solution" to your problem with its iPhone battery replacement kit. For just $20, which is cheap enough to elicit genuine concern, you get a 1400mAh, 3.7V iPhone battery, some type of screwdriver-like tool, a strange plastic shiv, and an instruction manual (presumably in English, but you never know). All you have to do is crack open your $600 phone, de-solder your old battery and solder in the new one... and probably some other, more complicated stuff too. At this price, it seems unlikely that this battery won't explode, so buy at your own risk, and definitely try at your own risk.

[Via I4U, thanks Luigi]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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iPhone’s first sketchy battery replacement kit appears

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joshua Topolsky @ 10:24 am

Filed under: Cellphones

When the time came and your battery died, you were probably thinking you'd have to send your iPhone off to Apple as part of their expensive and complicated battery replacement program -- but now you've got a sketchy DIY option instead. Once again, a mysterious Chinese company has stepped in and "created" a "solution" to your problem with its iPhone battery replacement kit. For just $20, which is cheap enough to elicit genuine concern, you get a 1400mAh, 3.7V iPhone battery, some type of screwdriver-like tool, a strange plastic shiv, and an instruction manual (presumably in English, but you never know). All you have to do is crack open your $600 phone, de-solder your old battery and solder in the new one... and probably some other, more complicated stuff too. At this price, it seems unlikely that this battery won't explode, so buy at your own risk, and definitely try at your own risk.

[Via I4U, thanks Luigi]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Cellphone lights enable operation to proceed in blackout

Filed under: Uncategorized — Darren Murph @ 8:01 am

Filed under: Cellphones

Hearing that a cellphone saved someone's life isn't exactly surprising these days, but it was the manner in which a bundle of handsets enabled doctors to continue on in a recent operation that differentiated this one from the rest. Reportedly, the backup generators at the Policlinico Juan D. Peron hospital in Argentina failed to activate after the power went out whilst an appendix surgery was ongoing, but rather than panicking, a family member gathered up a number of phones in order to provide enough light for the surgeons and anesthetists to keep on keepin' on. According to the hospital director, the operation went on without proper lighting for no more than 20 minutes, but thanks to the beaming LCDs, the fellow under the knife came through just fine.

[Via Switched, image courtesy of foto8]

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Cellphone lights enable operation to proceed in blackout

Filed under: Uncategorized — Darren Murph @ 8:01 am

Filed under: Cellphones

Hearing that a cellphone saved someone's life isn't exactly surprising these days, but it was the manner in which a bundle of handsets enabled doctors to continue on in a recent operation that differentiated this one from the rest. Reportedly, the backup generators at the Policlinico Juan D. Peron hospital in Argentina failed to activate after the power went out whilst an appendix surgery was ongoing, but rather than panicking, a family member gathered up a number of phones in order to provide enough light for the surgeons and anesthetists to keep on keepin' on. According to the hospital director, the operation went on without proper lighting for no more than 20 minutes, but thanks to the beaming LCDs, the fellow under the knife came through just fine.

[Via Switched, image courtesy of foto8]

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Tenacious hacker brings the iPhone keyboard to a Nokia N800

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joshua Topolsky @ 9:39 pm

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

One awfully clever Brazilian programmer couldn't stand not being able to experience the sometimes-maddening act of typing on the iPhone's notorious keyboard -- so he wrote an iPhone keyboard app for his Nokia N800. In what appears to have been a fairly short amount of time, Gustavo Sverzut Barbieri put together an Apple-copyin', typepad act-alike using Python, Edje, and a little elbow grease. Without ever actually using an iPhone, Gustavo seems to have clearly captured the essence of the keyboard, which is either really good or really bad for him... only he knows for sure. Check the video after the break to see the app in action.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Continue reading Tenacious hacker brings the iPhone keyboard to a Nokia N800

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Tenacious hacker brings the iPhone keyboard to a Nokia N800

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joshua Topolsky @ 9:39 pm

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

One awfully clever Brazilian programmer couldn't stand not being able to experience the sometimes-maddening act of typing on the iPhone's notorious keyboard -- so he wrote an iPhone keyboard app for his Nokia N800. In what appears to have been a fairly short amount of time, Gustavo Sverzut Barbieri put together an Apple-copyin', typepad act-alike using Python, Edje, and a little elbow grease. Without ever actually using an iPhone, Gustavo seems to have clearly captured the essence of the keyboard, which is either really good or really bad for him... only he knows for sure. Check the video after the break to see the app in action.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Continue reading Tenacious hacker brings the iPhone keyboard to a Nokia N800

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Verizon Wireless to buy Rural Cellular for $2.67 billion

Filed under: Uncategorized — Darren Murph @ 1:50 pm

Filed under: Cellphones

Another one bites the dust, so to speak. This time around, we've got Verizon Wireless doing the acquiring, as it has just announced plans to pay $2.67 billion for "one of the nation's largest rural carriers," Rural Cellular. The news comes just over a month after AT&T handed over a staggering amount of its own to pick up Dobson Communications, and this agreement will expand the carrier's coverage "in parts of the East Coast and the South, as well as in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Idaho, Washington and Oregon." Verizon did note that it planned on deploying CDMA service in Rural Cellular's existing GSM markets in order to convert customers over, but it also mentioned that the existing GSM networks would remain to "serve the roaming needs of other GSM carrier's customers." Look for the deal to be finalized sometime during the first half of next year, and don't be surprised if we see a few more consolidation efforts go down in the meantime.

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Verizon Wireless to buy Rural Cellular for $2.67 billion

Filed under: Uncategorized — Darren Murph @ 1:50 pm

Filed under: Cellphones

Another one bites the dust, so to speak. This time around, we've got Verizon Wireless doing the acquiring, as it has just announced plans to pay $2.67 billion for "one of the nation's largest rural carriers," Rural Cellular. The news comes just over a month after AT&T handed over a staggering amount of its own to pick up Dobson Communications, and this agreement will expand the carrier's coverage "in parts of the East Coast and the South, as well as in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Idaho, Washington and Oregon." Verizon did note that it planned on deploying CDMA service in Rural Cellular's existing GSM markets in order to convert customers over, but it also mentioned that the existing GSM networks would remain to "serve the roaming needs of other GSM carrier's customers." Look for the deal to be finalized sometime during the first half of next year, and don't be surprised if we see a few more consolidation efforts go down in the meantime.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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