Windows 7 RC now leaked for Download

Most of us know that Microsoft is not very active at keeping all builds of Windows 7 from getting leaked around the web.

It all started with the Windows 7 beta and since then, nearly every build has been leaked out to torrents and the Windows 7 RC (build 7100) fails to make an exception.

Until now, a lot of Windows 7 RC builds have been making appearances at Torrent sites but as everyone knows, they all were fake. However, the Windows 7 RC build leaked out to torrents today with the build string 7100.0.winmain_win7rc pretty much seems to be the real deal.

Just head over to TPB and search for “Windows 7 RC (build 7100)” to download the appropriate build that works on your PC (x86 or x64) or simply download this zipped file with torrents. Once the ISO has been downloaded, simply burn it to a disc and make use of the key that came with Windows 7 beta to activate and use the OS.

Make sure to make a clean install of Windows 7 RC on a PC for testing purposes as this build does not allow you to upgrade from the Beta or other previous builds.

Please note that we still recommend you to wait for the official release of Windows 7 RC which will supposedly be announce in May by Microsoft.

Beating up on the i-mate 810-F - Ruggedness redefined

I-mate’s brand-new 810-F “Hummer” smartphone really lives up to its nickname. Like the military-tough Humvee (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)), the i-mate 810-F can take a beating and keep on… calling your friends. Seriously, this thing is one tough sucker.

I-mate really wanted to hammer home the 810-F Hummer’s military-spec ruggedness with a live demonstration that put the poor little smartphone through all sorts of torture testing. Through it all, the 810-F kept on playing video like a champ. No amount of smashing, dunking in water, or smearing with condiments could stop the Hummer from doing its thing - which is to say, keeping you connected in the most extreme conditions.

To be fair, we doubt anyone is going to cover their smartphone in ketchup or soda, but it’s good to know that the 810-F will survive just about anything. Hit the video below for all 810F-bashing fun!

HTC Touch Pro lands on U.S. Cellular

In a move that surprised no one, U.S. Cellular has launched the HTC Touch Pro, offering it for $249.95 on a two-year contract, after mail-in rebate. It’s a great thing to see smaller carriers catching on with the smartphone revolution, although I would be even more delighted if this had happened a year ago. The HTC Touch Pro2 will be launched within a month or so, and will make the current model look kinda old school-ish. This is not to say the Touch Pro is not a capable device. Quite the contrary, the Windows Mobile 6.1-powered smartphone has everything a business user could possibly need — including the full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS, HSDPA support, 3.2 megapixel camera, VGA touchscreen, lots of operating memory (RAM), microSD memory card slot, and that cool-lookin’ TouchFLO 3D user interface running on top of Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s OS. In a nutshell, it’s one of the most powerful smartphones available on the market at the moment, and for $250 it’s a great buy!

[Via: MobileBurn]

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 helps manage work-life balance on Windows Mobile smartphones

Spb Software is out with the latest version of their famous Spb Mobile Shell application. Version 3.0 is designed to help users manage work-life balance, and is hence envisioned for two different smartphone use scenarios: at work and at play.

Key features of the application include:

• Professional and Lifestyle home screens
• Widget-based photo contacts with Facebook integration (very cool)
• Widgets support
• 3D carousel and hardware accelerator support (for high-end phones)
• Ringtones, Contacts, Profiles, and Wireless management
• A number of integrated tools such as Weather, World Time, etc.
• Customizable for the needs of phone makers and mobile operators

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 is available in 24 languages and can run on virtually every Windows Mobile smartphone — all screen resolutions are supported. The application costs $29.95, while existing 2.x users can upgrade for $14.95. A free, 15-day trial version is also available.

Demo of TouchFlo 3D on Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Demo of TouchFlo 3D on Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

HTC TouchFLO 3D UI Demo

Horace Luke, Chief Innovation Officer for HTC, presents their new Touch Flow 3D User Interface, part of the HTC Diamond device announced today.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 Unboxing!

It's here - the hottest Windows Mobile device possibly ever. Here is the unboxing.

iTunes Goes Bollywood

An awesome Bollywood version of Apple's iconic iTunes ads! Dancers are silhouetted against a greenscreen, performing classical Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Indian folk, hip-hop, and modern Bollywood dance. The song used is "Bachna Ae Haseeno" from the movie Bachna Ae Haseeno, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and Bipasha Basu.

Skype For iPhone Is LIVE Again !

When they said "Tuesday," they meant it. Not long ago, the clock struck midnight in the Land of the Rising Sun, and sure enough, the bona fide Skype application (v1.0.0.63) for Apple's iPhone has gone live. It's absolutely free to download, and early reports from Japan have been pretty stellar in regard to sound quality. We're fully expecting it to roll out elsewhere as Tuesday (March 31st) arrives in various time zones, so make sure you (and at least one Skype buddy) stay up late to try 'er out. [Warning: iTunes read link may not work for all time zones yet.]

Cydia launches its own App Store for iPhone

Good news for the Jailbroken iPhone users is that now they will be able to choose, purchase and download apps from an App Store other than the official iTunes App Store.

The new App Store by Cydia will eventually give iPhone users access to all those apps which had been previously rejected by Apple. In this manner, they shall be able to make use of applications which provide extended features and functionality to the iPhone such as SMS forwarding, video recording and 3G tethering.

To access the new store, all you have to do is update the Cydia app to the latest version on your Jailbroken iPhone.

Commercial apps in the Cydia store are now highlighted in blue and tapping on one takes you to a login page, which can be either integrated to your Facebook or Google profile to keep a track of all your purchases. Payments can be made through Amazon Payments, although a new feature of paying through Paypal is on its way.

One thing you will love about the Cydia App Store is that the prices for apps are in their most exact form unlike in iTunes e.g. if an app has a worth of $1, you won't see it as $0.99 like in iTunes.

But when it comes to design and usability, the Cydia App Store has still a lot to achieve before it can be compared to the iTunes App Store as a potential competitor.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Panels in action

We caught a demo of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1's panels interface at work, and it's really cool. It is worth noting that this software is very, very early, and that it will run more smoothly when the device is ready to be released.

Free E-Book reader for iPhone by Amazon

Amazon has rolled out their library of online books for iPhone and iPod Touch users. This new application known as Kindle for iPhone comes totally free of charge and can be downloaded from Apple App Store.

Upon installation, it allows you to read Kindle books on your iPhone and iPod touch. It automatically synchronizes your last page read between devices with Amazon Whispersync. You can also adjust the text size, view the annotations you created of your Kindle or add bookmarks. This application will give users full access to over 240,000 e-books including many of the best sellers.

The vice president of Amazon, Ian Freed stated,

We think the iPhone can be a great companion device for customers who are caught without their Kindle.

He also added that the experience of using the new iPhone application will mostly likely to persuade people to buy a Kindle because it has much longer battery life than the iPhone and a screen better suited for reading.

Key features of Kindle for iPhone

• Free of charge
• Offers best reading experience on your iPhone
• Access your Kindle books even when you don't have Kindle with you.
• Adjust text size
• Add bookmarks
• View the annotations you created
• Access to over 240,000 Kindle books

Download Kindle for iPhone and iPod Touch for free here.

Note that the application is free but you will still need to buy the books.

Nokia Ovi Store launching this May

It was long rumored that Nokia would soon launch a cloud service of its own, providing storage and synchronization facilities for Nokia phones along with a whole range of free and paid apps to choose from. At the Mobile World Congress today, the prophecy came true as Nokia officially announced the Ovi Store in their presentation at Barcelona.

Nokia may be far behind in launching the service but it sure did dive head first into the competition with some intuitive features. Nokia plans to unite the services offered under its Ovi platform into an online store service which would include Applications, Games, Music, Maps and most importantly Widgets.

Some features are already functional like the Ovi Music Store and the N-Gage gaming service along with Nokia Maps, but the heart and soul of the new platform would be the App Store putting Ovi in direct competition with Apple's App Store.

What came as a surprise was the fact that Ovi would not only be limited to the Series 60 platform. Rather it would be available as a download on a number of Series 40 devices starting in May. The first Nokia handset to feature Ovi pre-installed would be the flagship N97.

Sony Ericsson 'XPERIA X1' Video Review

Today marked the launch of XPERIA and a new era in mobile communications with the announcement of the XPERIA X1, a stand-out, arc slider phone from Sony Ericsson designed to address the growing need for a premium, converged mobile experience.



The XPERIATM X1 combines a 3-inch clear wide VGA display and a full QWERTY keyboard within a quality metal-finish body. With Windows Mobile® inside, the XPERIA™ X1 lets you choose from a dynamic range of activities at anytime and anywhere; from enjoying your favourite entertainment content to working efficiently on-the-move. Access a world of experiences simply by touching the XPERIA™ panel on the screen.

"XPERIA™ represents the first brand that is truly borne from within Sony Ericsson. It represents our vision for a premium, energised communication experience," said Dee Dutta, Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson. "This launch, and the announcement of the X1, further strengthens the overall Sony Ericsson brand and places us at the forefront of mobile convergence."

"Our vision for the XPERIA™ X1 is to deliver a seamless blend of mobile Web communication and multimedia entertainment within a distinctive design," said Rikko Sakaguchi, Head of Portfolio and Propositions, Sony Ericsson. "XPERIA™ is our promise to think foremost of user experience and to deliver the premium experience -- anytime, anywhere, anything, with anyone."

Copy and Paste to debut in iPhone 3.0

According to Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg and the co-host of Diggnation, the Copy and Paste feature will be making its long-awaited debut in iPhone 3.0 which is to be previewed by Apple on March 17th at its special media event.



As he explains, double-tapping on a word on iPhone would bring up quotes around it which can then be extended to cover the neccessary text as to highlight it and perform the required operation such as copy, cut or paste.

Last year in August we got to see a proof of concept for copy/paste on the iPhone. Mix it with the fact that Kevin is quite a pro at leaking official news before time and what you get in result is a iPhone 3.0 cake with copy/paste topping all over it.

Along with the news about copy/paste on the iPhone, Kevin also partially hinted on availability of multi-tasking in iPhone 3.0 but its still a big mystery for all of us. He also seemed certain that iPhone 3.0 will make the iPhone as powerful in feature as the Palm Pre but the iPhone may still not see any of video capturing capabilities anytime soon.

Apple to launch an affordable 17-inch iMac

While the news is not official yet, it still seems to come from a very authentic source i.e. Apple's very own education site.

Earlier this month, Apple updated its line of iMacs with new hardware including 20-inch and 24-inch models but a 17-inch model was nowhere to be seen. However, the latest newsletter from Apple's very own e-news for education site has an indication about a new 17-inch iMac (refer to the text in the image on the right).

Interestingly, the official Apple iMac store shows no indication of this new model.

Apple also mentions the price of this new 17-inch iMac to be starting at $899 which is quite reasonable and will definitely attract new users in terms of affordibility. Also, it is believed that Apple might be planning to introduce this new iMac model specially for the students as we already know that Apple has been kind enough to offer student-discounts for Macbooks in the past.

Below is sneak-preview of the e-news for education newsletter, in case Apple decides to remove indications for the new iMac.

Click on image to enlarge

Even though the 17-inch iMac might not attract those high-end Mac users, but it is probably the first move by Apple into introducing some affordable computing for the low-budget users and we really appreciate if it comes out to be real.

Apple iPhone SIM Unlocked For UK Carriers

Don't get your hopes up yet, folks. We still don't have a software-only complete unlock solution to free our iPhone from the evil grip of AT&T, but we do have workaround. Hackers in Europe have devised a method to forge a blank SIM card with a SIM reader/writer to fool the iPhone into working on a non-AT&T network. The hack enables incoming and outgoing call and SMS text features.

Getting your iPhone to work on any network is as simple (or as complicated, depending on how you look at it) as grabbing your Infinity USB Unlimited SIM reader/writer ($88 + shipping) and a blank SIM card ($8.27+shipping).

A Hackintosh forum member has already tested the hack and reports success:

Just tested it - works fine with Orange UK - Call In/Out, SMS In/Out. Great job to everyone who made this possible (specially to the guy that edited the Hex file).

I used the subscriber ICCID, so maybe is best to edit the tutorial - activation should
be the last step.

My thoughts on safety of using this: If so called 'Total Unlock' is released, it will be
probably patching of the baseband firmware to do a similar thing. So no worry about
alerting the network, the trick seems to fool only the good/bad guy check in the
baseband firmware.

Find the SIM hack tutorial here. And, as always, proceed at your own risk. Your subscriber may shut down your account in violation of your TOS. But, hey, having an iPhone on your non-AT&T network might be worth it. Right?

-------------------------------------------
More about Mobile Phone?
Goto http://ggkandy.blogspot.com
-------------------------------------------
Smile to others, simile to self! ^_^

A new generation iPhone?

The current iPhone has a lot of limitations in its OS and hardware but that certainly doesn't mean that Apple is not considering to upgrade the software and hardware features in a newer generation of the iPhone.

Observing Apple's behavior closely on product development and release gives us a definite clue that just like we got to see a new generation of the iPhone and iPod Touch last year, an even new generation of the iPhone may already be awaiting us this year.

Gizmodo has made a mockup of the new generation iPhone which they call it as the iPhone 4G.

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

According to them, the very noticeable features of this new generation iPhone would be:

• A removable battery
• 32GB of on-board storage
• Made out of Titanium and Glass
• An OLED display
• 3.2MP camera with video recording
• Front camera for iChat

While the design mock-ups suggested by Gizmodo for the new iPhone might be way too much ideal in concept, the new set of suggested features is something what a user would really want to see in the new iPhone.

Till we get another wave of rumor on the new iPhone, we are still clueless on what unique it has to offer.

Leaked photos of the next generation iPhone?

Later yesterday we published a report on A new generation iPhone, highlighting some of the limitations in the current iPhone OS and hardware and providing a list of suggested features for an upcoming version of the iPhone.

As we discussed that a new generation iPhone may already be in the works at Apple, a recent wave of rumors is definitely here to support us in this case.

Macrumors has been tipped off with some images of a new iPhone which looks to be the next generation iPhone.

As you can see above, this casing for the supposedly new iPhone is much different to what we have seen in the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G. The new case-back is said to be made out of metal and is also said to be textured to provide a better grip for the user.

Even though the images come from a source in China, the leaked images look quite real and who knows, this might actually be a real casing for the upcomign iPhone.

Please share with us in the comments whether you find these images authentic or not?

Adobe and Apple working on Flash for iPhone

To me, getting Flash on iPhone is the second biggest priority after having a stable file transfer system. It will be a challenging job for Adobe System Inc to add this fantastic application on iPhone.

At an interview with Bloomberg yesterday, Adobe's Chief Executive Office Shantanu Narayen said

"It's a hard technical challenge, and that’s part of the reason Apple and Adobe are collaborating, The ball is in our court. The onus is on us to deliver."

On the other hand, for over a year Steve Jobs has remained skeptical with the nature of Flash itself. Desktop Flash is obviously too resource intensive for small processors and low memory smartphone, Jobs warns that Flash Lite lacks features and might not work as per expectations of its users and do such things as play videos on internet or display complex animations on websites.

At first the idea of Flash for iPhone didn't really excite Steve much last year, probably because of the resource-hogging performance of Flash for Mac, but recent reports suggest that both the companies are now showing keen interest in bringing Flash to the iPhone.

For now, another company will be collaborating with Mozilla and Opera to perform the same functions of Flash in a way that it doesn't use much resources.

Download the new iPhone 3.0 beta Firmware for Free

Everyone is excited about the new iPhone 3.0 firmware beta which was released earlier a couple of days ago at the iPhone 3.0 event by Apple.

The new firmware brings some exciting new features, most significantly the Copy and Paste and Multimedia messaging. But the unfortunate part here is that the final iPhone 3.0 firmware will be released during the summer for consumers and till then there is no direct way of accessing and testing out the features of this new firmware on your iPhone or iPod Touch unless you are an official iPhone developer.

Our blog shall give you the chance to download the iPhone 3.0 firmware beta for your iPhone (2G and 3G) or for your iPod Touch (1G and 2G) and will also provide you instructions on how to install and get it working on your device without any problems. Below you will find the download links for each of the device. Make sure to read the note at the end of the article.

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPod Touch 1G (Direct)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod1g-direct

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPod Touch 2G (Direct)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod2g-direct

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPhone 2G (Direct)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone2g-direct

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPhone 3G (Direct)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone3g-direct

In case the above links are removed or are not accessible for some reason, we have hosted the backup firmware for devices on Rapidshare which can be seen below. Here, you can make use of our List of Rapidshare Premium Generators to save yourself from waiting in the queue.

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPod Touch 1G (Rapidshare)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod1g-part1
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod1g-part2
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod1g-part3

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPod Touch 2G (Rapidshare)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod2g-part1
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod2g-part2
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-ipod2g-part3

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPhone 2G (Rapidshare)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone2g-part1
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone2g-part2
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone2g-part3

iPhone 3.0 beta for iPhone 3G (Rapidshare)
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone3g-part1
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone3g-part2
http://tinyurl.com/sizlopedia-iphone3g-part3

Now that you have all the download links for your respective devices which support the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware, use a utility e.g. WinRar (for Windows) and UnRarX (for Mac) to extract the firmware IPSW to a folder on your operating system.

How to Upgrade to iPhone 3.0 beta on iPhone or iPod?

A couple of days ago we shared links to download the iPhone 3.0 beta Firmware and as promised, we are back with an exclusive article on how to update your iPhone or iPod Touch device to iPhone 3.0 beta firmware.

Before I continue with the procedure, let me remind you folks that it is an advanced level hack so only proceed if you have a clever understanding of what you are doing. I strongly recommend users with unlocked iPhones to wait till the iPhone Dev team releases a patch for the new firmware.

Following procedure is applicable for those with a AT&T locked iPhone and all iPod Touch users.

Installing iPhone 3.0 beta on the iPhone

1. Make sure to have downloaded the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware that relates to your iPhone (2G or 3G).
2. Extract the firmware IPSW to a folder.
3. Connect the iPhone to your computer.
4. Get the UDID registered on the iPhone Developer program. (How to?)
5. Open iTunes and click Restore while holding the Shift key (for Windows) or Option key (for Mac).
6. Locate or browse to the firmware IPSW.
7. Wait for iTunes to unpackage and install the firmware.

Note: Attempting to do this upgrade on a unlocked iPhone can make it useless forever. Even the AT&T locked iPhone users will need to get their UDID registered before trying to upgrade.

Installing iPhone 3.0 beta on iPod Touch

iPod Touch users are pretty safe in this case as there is no question of baseband like iPhone but their is still a catch which I shall be mentioning further below.

1. Once the firmware has been downloaded, extract the IPSW to a folder.
2. Connect the iPod Touch to your computer.
3. Get the UDID registered on the iPhone Developer program. (How to?)
4. Make sure to disconnect from Internet such that iTunes cannot communicate with the web.
5. Only then, open iTunes and click Restore while holding the Shift key (for Windows) or Option key (for Mac).
6. Locate or browse to the firmware IPSW.
7. Wait for iTunes to unpackage and install the firmware.

Note: Step-3 is optional for iPod Touch users but in case you decide not to get your UDID registered, you won't be able to Sync with iTunes. The upgrade method is valid for both iPod Touch 1st Gen and 2nd Gen.

Please note that after upgrading to iPhone 3.0 beta, you might not be able to downgrade to firmware 2.2.1 later on so it is always a good choice to wait for the official release which is due in summer. iPod Touch users are always safe but I have already clearly warned the iPhone users to proceed at their own risk.

New download links for the iPhone 3.0 beta 2 are now also available.

How to activate the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware?

Although the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware doesn't quite neccessarily require you to activate it but if you want to use it on a device without any problems, we recommend you to follow the procedure.

Activating the iPhone 3.0 firmware for your iPhone or iPod Touch is equivalent to getting the UDID of your device registered in the iPhone developer program so you are legally able to test the new firmware on your device without any syncing problems with iTunes.

How to get the UDID registered?

One way is to simply pay $100 and enroll yourself into the iPhone developer program but perhaps this solution is just too expensive and useless when you are not a developer yourself. So just do the following.

1. Connect your device (iPhone or iPod Touch) to the computer.
2. Open iTunes and click on the Summary for the device.
3. Hover the mouse over to where it says 'Serial Number' and click on it to make it toggle into UDID.
4. Note the UDID carefully.
5. Head over to this page to purchase a registration of the UDID for just $5.

Unfortunately! there is no other way of bypassing this.

iPod Touch users have the liberty to even not purchase the UDID registration but in that case, they won't be able to Sync with iTunes. Once UDID registration has been purchased, follow our article on how to upgrade to iPhone 3.0 beta and you should be good to go.

Note: Got in touch with the developer and he tells me that all accounts have been activated. Just try to show a little patience because we working here are humans too! thanks for understanding.