Cell Phone Hub

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Not to say it's actually easy to get your hands on the rumored 1.1.3 firmware at this point, but in the event that you do, proceed with caution. Nate True, the guy that brought us a video walkthrough of the supposedly leaked goods, is reporting that he can't seem to downgrade to 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 after performing the install. Locked phones show an "Incorrect SIM" error -- a problem unlockers of yore are all too familiar with -- while previously unlocked phones can't be upgraded to 1.1.3 at all. Let's be honest, though: if you somehow managed to score a copy of 1.1.3, is that really going to stop you from going for it?

[Thanks, cingular#1]

Update: We're hearing that the phenomenon observed by Mr. True has existed since the very first firmware release; it's a state the phone enters whenever it finds a baseband version different than the one it's expecting to find, and it's apparently been bypassable via a modified "lockdownd" binary for some time. Thanks, Alex!

Update 2: To those asking why the network says "Nate," Nate True told us that "The network name comes in through the com.apple.springboard preferences plist. That file is copied back to the phone after a restore (and is thus not affected by an update)." In other words, even after an update that file pushed through and apparently showed the network name. So there you have it.

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones

Just yesterday we saw some pics of what was being touted as an iPhone running the as-yet-unannounced 1.1.3 firmware version, and now we've got word of some video proof from a pretty reliable source. Nate True, all-around modder and creator of the Walluminate light-up wallet, has a short vid up on his cre.ations.net site that claims to depict that handy home page icon rearrangement feature -- you know, the one that suggests an SDK to make use of all the new slots. Go on, check out the short clip after the break.

[Thanks, Marcus S.]

Continue reading iPhone firmware 1.1.3 icon rearrangement on video?

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones

Looks like there may have been a possible leak of the next version of Apple's iPhone firmware, 1.1.3. According to Gear Live, it can now handle SMS to multiple recipients, the springboard (home screen) supports reordered icons and pagination (as well as web bookmarks), and Google maps gets hybrid view and that nifty cell-based location system. If this is all Steve plans to announce iPhone-wise at Macworld next month, we think there will be more than a few disappointed iPhone users out there. Then again, home screen pagination would kind of imply an SDK to make use of all those slots, so maybe the real news is under the hood.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones

Quite honestly, it's hard to know where to start with this one. Should we bash on the totally unlicensed Mercedes-Benz logo curiously adorning the front? Or should we begin by trying to put into words just how hideous this device truly is? The QKfone G998 is reportedly a GPS-equipped handset with a built-in microSD expansion slot, a 2-megapixel camera, an internal (2.8-inch) and external (1.8-inch) display and a world map plastered on the back for an extra dash of classiness. Apparently, the phone sports tri-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and a full-fledged media player to keep you occupied when not hiding this thing away from public sight. No word on a price, but trust us, it's for the best.

[Via PMPToday]

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Apparently, Amazon's wondrous e-book reader, the Kindle, has more than meets the eye -- not unlike some fictional, alien, robotic characters which shall not be named. Users of the device have been plumbing its depths, and have uncovered a handful of easter eggs which will make current owners extra happy, and might push potential buyers over the edge. Amongst the hidden features are access to Google Maps coupled with CDMA-based location-finding, which also allows you to quickly locate nearby gas stations and restaurants (as well as your own custom searches). In addition to the GMaps integration, the Kindle also comes equipped with a hidden picture viewer and slideshow functionality, the ability to snap a screenshot, a clock quick-look, plus everyone's favorite time-wasting game: Minesweeper. Hit the read link to learn all about the unrevealed guts of the innocent little reader.

[Via interface]

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

According to a report from the Boston Globe, a man claims that he was typing a text message into his cellphone when he lost control of his SUV and fatally struck a 13-year-old boy on a bicycle. In a stark and sad reminder of the cause for recent laws put into effect governing texting / phoning while driving, it appears the man was so distracted that he didn't even realize what had happened until later that night. Ironically, the friend of the boy who had been walking with him attempted to call 911 on his phone, but was unable to get through. The driver is being charged with motor vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and driving without a license. A tragic story -- and unfortunately not the first we've seen -- but hopefully a cautionary tale for anyone who regularly juggles driving and texting. Don't.

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Wireless

An armed robbery at a Columbus, Ohio Wendy's restaurant on Wednesday morning was thwarted mid-progress, partly due to an employee's Bluetooth headset automatically answering a call because of the robber screaming at her to do just the opposite. We've all learned to live with the wonky voice command features in our headsets and handsets, but on this occasion it actually turned out to be a benefit, as 35-year-old Keith Allen Sturgill's screams to NOT pick up an incoming call actually opened the connection, while the parolee and his three hostages waited for the safe to unlock before customers arrived . The caller, a friend of the employee who worked at a nearby bank, heard the screaming and called police, who were eventually able to talk Sturgill into surrendering -- but not before he had "rammed the gun to his own forehead until he bled," as you can see from his mugshot. Luckily for the habitual offender, he'll soon be back in a familiar place where neither cellphones nor their many accessories will bother him for a very long time.

[Via UPI]

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

We think the emphatic "For Parts ONLY" in the description of this well-loved E90's eBay auction pretty much says it all.

[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones

Continue reading Samsung's P720, F490 make their video debut

 

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

Filed under: Cellphones, Features, Handhelds

The irony is so thick we're almost drowning in it, but we had to see this thing through to the end.

Back in 2005 we got a once in a lifetime scoop -- the Treo 700w -- that proved once and for all Palm was doing non-Palm OS devices. Then, earlier this year, we were there when Jeff Hawkins announced the ill-fated Foleo at D5. We got the first ever hands-on of the thing, and eventually wrote a letter to Palm which not only prompted a public response from CEO Ed Colligan, but that many attributed as a cause of the Foleo's death. And lucky us (we think?), we managed to snag one of the few Foleos ever produced.

We'll be writing a brief post-mortem review of the thing shortly, but for now just enjoy some images of the hardware and software -- and let us know if there's anything in particular about the Foleo you've just got to know!

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