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Coder Develops App to Enable Multi-Touch in G1

Nerd Grind — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:05:49 +0000

The G1 generally gets good reviews but one of the things reviewers note, across the board, is the absence of multi-touch support. A coder named Ryan Gardner has solved that problem. He authored an app that proves the G1 hardware will support the ability to use two fingers at once.

See for yourself in the video below. Gardner promises to post the app as soon as he finishes tidying up the code. Now the question remains, why wasn’t it already implemented by the original G1 software coders? Curious. Curious indeed.

BlackBerry Storm Rousing Success – Retailers Report Massive Sellouts

Nerd Grind — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:58:48 +0000

Verizon’s launch of the BlackBerry Storm has been going swimmingly, according to various retailers. The phone is sold out nearly everywhere, and the online store is racing to fill the orders of thousands upon thousands of eager buyers. RIM is on track for a hit.

Why is the phone being snapped up? Check the official Verizon video below which lists a series of the device’s unique features. But, be warned, don’t get too excited. They are sold out, remember.

BlackBerry Storm Launches Today – Buy it Via Verizon Stores

Nerd Grind — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:09:58 +0000

This is it. RIM’s BlackBerry Storm is finally available to consumers via their friendly neighborhood Verizon store. Read our review here.

Now it’s time to see if this self-proclaimed "iPhone killer" actually, um, kills some iPhones. The copy and paste function does seem like a winner. We will post some sales figures as they become available. Until then, here is a European TV commercial for the phone to get your wallets excited:

Google Offers Free iPhone App – Advanced Voice Recognition

Nerd Grind — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:38:53 +0000

The NY Times reports that Google has created an app for the iPhone that will give the handset advanced voice recognition. The app will be able to answer user-generated location questions (Like finding the nearest Home Depot), give driving directions, respond to random questions, and even search data from an address book.

It works by recording something you say and uploading it to Google’s servers. Then, it crunches the data and returns with an answer within seconds. The app will be free and should be available for download by as soon as next week.

SquareTrade Releases Study on iPhone – Blackberry – Palm Treo Malfunctions

Nerd Grind — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:50:27 +0000

Research group SquareTrade recently conducted and released the results of a massive cellphone study. They tracked over 15,000 handsets over their first year of use, and denoted discrepancies in reliability. The iPhone malfunctioned 5.6% of the time. The Blackberry (various incarnations) malfunctioned 11.9% of the time. The Palm Treo took the cake by malfunctioning a whopping 16.2% of the time. The company compiled some handy charts on the matter, which are located above and below this writing.

Apple Bests RIM and Becomes #2 Smartphone Seller in World

Nerd Grind — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:58:12 +0000

The iPhone has allowed smartphone upstart Apple to attain second place in the worldwide sales wars. Sales reports note that the company recently jumped ahead of RIM (Research in Motion) with a 17.3% share of the market. RIM lands squarely at a 15.2% market share. Of course, neither company even gets close to Nokia’s massive 38.9% market share.

These numbers have a lot to do with the successful launch of the iPhone 3G, which has sold nearly 7 million units since it’s July 11 launch. Apple’s share of the entire cell phone market is now a respectable 2.3%.

AT&T Releases Quickfire a Couple of Days Early

Nerd Grind — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:01:51 +0000

The AT&T Quickfire, also known as the Knick, has gone on sale a few days early. The handset was scheduled to debut on November 10th, but reports are coming in that some lucky consumers have already gotten their hands on them. The asking price for the device is $149.99 with a $50 dollar mail in rebate. This price, per usual, requires a two year contract. Word on the street is the units were snatched up early at an unnamed AT&T store.

Yubz Releases Gold Retro Handset for Apple iPhone

Nerd Grind — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:51:15 +0000

Yubz Talk Mobile has released a gold retro-looking handset for Apple iPhones. The handset connects to the stereo/microphone jack of the iPhone. The exterior is fake gold so it won’t break the bank. Don’t worry, if you don’t want to remind people of King Midas, there are also white and black versions available. The handset sells for $50.

Google Fixes Android Jailbreak with RC30 Update

Nerd Grind — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:12:26 +0000

Google, fresh on the heels of Android’s recent RC29 update, has already slipped out another update. The RC30 update exists to help fix a recent jailbreaking issue with the Android device. The company says they are "currently working with our partners to push the fix out and updating the open source code base to reflect these changes."

According to the company, the update should be in everybody’s hands within the next three or four days. Google offers no word on if the update includes any other functions.

Research Finds Samsung has Taken Over Number One Cellphone Spot Over Motorola

Nerd Grind — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:44:20 +0000

According to research by Strategy Analytics, Samsung is now the leading cellphone vendor in the US. The company’s ascension to the top spot has pushed Motorola into second place. During last quarter, Samsung managed to push it’s sales up 6.2 percent over the previous years results to 47.4 million handsets.

Motorola’s market share fell from 32.7 percent last year to just 21.1 percent this year. Sources indicate this is due to the lack of an Android-type phone until late next year, therefore the company has nothing to compete with the iPhones and the G1s of the world. Sorry Moto.

NerdGrind - How-to Computer Help - Tutorials - Tech and Gadget News » handset

Coder Develops App to Enable Multi-Touch in G1

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BlackBerry Storm Rousing Success – Retailers Report Massive Sellouts

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BlackBerry Storm Launches Today – Buy it Via Verizon Stores

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Google Offers Free iPhone App – Advanced Voice Recognition

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SquareTrade Releases Study on iPhone – Blackberry – Palm Treo Malfunctions

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Apple Bests RIM and Becomes #2 Smartphone Seller in World

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AT&T Releases Quickfire a Couple of Days Early

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