Microsoft shutting down My Phone service

This pretty much means Microsoft is cutting support for WinMo for good, but no one suspected this to come so early just under a year after the release of WinPhone 7.

Microsoft is shutting down it's famous My Phone service for WinMo platform. From August 7, online synchronizing between WinMo 6.x phones and My Phone services will cease to exist.

Also with a pinch of salt, from October 6th, 2011 My Phone website will no longer be available.

It's definitely not easy for any company to support two different operating systems, but abandoning the services of their old platform so soon is news to all of us.

Hit the source link below read the full article at Microsoft's site.

SOURCE: Microsoft

Samsung 10.1" tab pre-order available now, ships June 17th.

Samsung's new Android Tablet 10.1 available for pre-order at tigerdirect, BestBuy. Pre-orders are live now and it will ship on June 17th. Following are it's features:

• Android 3.1 Honeycomb
• Nvidia Dual-core Tegra 2 processor
• 10.1" widescreen
• Reolution 1280x800 WXGA
• 1 GB memory
• Adobe Flash ready
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Google movies and music ready to go
• 16GB or 32 GB options available
• 0.34" thin and 1.25lbs light

If you want to pre-order your's just click the source link below.

Source: Tigerdirect, BestBuy

My Review of Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm NIKKOR VR Lens - Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A.

Originally submitted at Adorama

Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm NIKKOR VR Lens - Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A.

Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm NIKKOR VR Lens - Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A.

Awesome entry level dSLR

By Fahd from Columbus, OH on 5/29/2011

 

5out of 5

Which of the following features do you use on your digital camera?: HD Video recording, Night shooting mode, Low-light shooting, Interchangeable lenses, Manual focus, Image stabilization, High-speed shooting

What do you do with your digital images?: Display on television, Save to disk, Email to friends and family, Upload to online photo sharing sites, Use in personal blogs, web sites, and social media sites

Picture Quality (e.g. clarity, sharpness, color): 10

Ease of Operation: 10

Shutter Speed/Lag Time: 10

Variety of features (e.g. zoom, image stabilization, low light): 10

Durability/reliability (e.g. damage resistance, battery life and sturdiness): 10

Overall Experience: 10

How likely are you to recommend your digital camera to your friends, family, co-workers, etc.: Definitely will

Pros: Easy To Use, Fast / Accurate Auto-Focus, Good Image Quality

Best Uses: Landscape/Scenery, Family Photos, Video

Describe Yourself: Photo Enthusiast

Was this a gift?: Yes

After reading a lot of reviews for entry level dSLR camera i finally decided to get the D3100 for my wife's graduation. This was the first time i was purchasing a dSLR and i am amazed. I couldn't have asked for something better. My wife wants to learn photography as a hobby and always wanted to get a nice camera and it doesn't get any better than this.
If anyone wants to take the dive in the world of SLR cameras for the first, they won't be disappointed at all.

(legalese)

Nokia Astound gets run over by a 4 ton bus and survives (video)

Nokia has really increased the bar in terms of durability of their phones and this is evident in their video of Nokia Astound getting run over by a 4 ton bus. Yes you read it right, a 4 ton bus and they have done this not only once but twice with the same phone in the same video.

The Astound features a 360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches screen made of Gorilla Glass.

Other features of Nokia Astound are as follows:

360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches screen, 680 MHz ARM 11 processor, Broadcom BCM2727 GPU, Symbian 3.1 OS, 350MB internal memory, 250 MB RAM, 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash, front facing VGA camera, Video Recording: 720p@25fps, video stabilization, GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 2100

Seeing is believing so check out the video for yourself.

BlackBerry Playbook available for pre-order

Tablets are a new dimension into computing, staying connected online and are somewhere between a PC and a smartphone. RIM recently announced the release date of their highly anticipated tablet, the Blackberry Playbook. It has some pretty impressive specification and the hands-on reviews seen online are also good, it seems to be right up there with the iPad and the Motorola Xoom. BestBuy and OfficeMax are already taking pre-orders for the Playbook which will be officially released on April 19th.

Following is a spec. sheet of the Playbook:

• 7" 1024x600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
• 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
• Support for high resolution video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)
• 1080p HDMI output
• Dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
• 1 GB RAM memory
• Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
• GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
• Stereo speakers and stereo microphones
• Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR support

How well does the Playbook sell in comparison the the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, iPad 1 and 2 is something we cannot speculate at this time. But it's obvious with the release of Playbook and the imminent release of Samsung 8.9 inch and 10.1 inch tabs and the LG slate that the tablet war is just getting started. If you're interested in pre-ordering the Playbook, just hit the source link below:

Source: Blackberry, BestBuy

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play available for pre-order

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is available for pre-order at mobilecityonline. The price is set at $699.99 for the unlocked imported European version. The time of arrival is not yet available.

Interestingly, in the description there are two variations of 3G bands mentioned. On having HSDPA 850/1900/2100/800 (which is compatible with AT&T 3G bands in the U.S.) and the other having HSDPA 900/2100.

Source: Mobilecityonline

Photo: GSMArena

Concept cell phone for Windows Phone 7

SchultzeWORKS designstudio have released a state-of-the-art concept phone design for Windows Phone 7 called "Triple Flip". We believe it's a great design.

According to SchultzeWORKS designstudio, they focused on user experience, from mobile video to gaming to solar re-charging mainly in designing this phone.

Head to the link below to checkout the awesome design in detail.

Source: SchultzeWORKS

Editorial: AT&T and T-Mobile's merger from manufacturers and consumers perspective

According to AT&T the the acquisition of T-Mobile will bring together the building block of the new world and will be in public interest. How will it affect the hardware manufacturers and customers?

From manufacturer's point of view as things stand right now, the likes of HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG etc. all have the option to negotiate terms with T-Mobile and AT&T before releasing a new phone. After the merger AT&T will have such a huge market share and monopoly in the GSM market that they will be able to dictate their terms, handpick the type and the number of smartphones they release in a calender year and will most definitely have the upper hand in any kind of negotiations with the manufacturers.

From consumer point of view, right now there are a lot of options available as far as phones and plans are concerned. T-Mobile is known for cheaper plans, and both of them have great phones available in their lineup. What pricing structure will be in affect after the merger? Since AT&T's market share will dramatically increase, will they lower the price on their phones and plans? Or will it be the other way around? It's anyone's guess.

For now the matter is in DOJ and FCC's hand. It will take about a year from it's approval for the transition to take place. Only then will we know for certain how it is affecting the consumers and hardware manufactures.

For further reading AT&T + T-Mobile

Windows Phone Marketplace reaches 10,000 apps milestone

According to ZDNet, Windows Phone Marketplace has reached 10,000 apps milestone. What is interesting to note is that Windows Phone has reached this milestone faster than Google's Android and Apple's iOS platform. This is good news for Microsoft who have been on the receiving edge by critics regarding their update policy for their new operating system. How will WP7 perform in the long run against the Android or iOS is anyone's guess, but for now this is one milestone under Microsoft's belt.

Source: ZDNet

HTC EVO 3D - First Look

HTC Evo 3D for Sprint has a new teaser commercial which mainly focuses on it's 3D capabilities. It's interesting to see that HTC hasn't advertised the Dual-core processor in this video. Maybe they will follow this commercial with a series of other commercial as well. For now sit back, relax and enjoy the awesome video.

IMDB app updated for iOS to ver. 2.1

IMDB app for iOS has been updated to version 2.1 with the following new features:

• Watchlist: Create and maintain a Watchlist, where you can track movies and TV shows that interest you.
• Better Showtimes listings: Search for movie theaters based on distance from your location.
• Purchase Movie tickets: Currently supported in the US, UK, Canada and Spain
• Magical Search: Get search results as you type.
• Ratings History: View all the movies and TV shows you have rated on IMDb.
• AirPlay: Stream trailers from your iPhone and iPad app to your Apple TV.
• Entertainment News: Read more news about movies, TV shows and celebrities

Go get the app head over to the IMDB website or Apple app store

ATT selling HTC surround for $0.01

HTC surround which is part of the first wave of WP7 devices to hit U.S. is being sold by AT&T for $0.01 on a 2-yr. contract. Usually such subsidized pricing is offered by third party seller.

After the news of AT&T acquiring T-Mobile, customers wanting a WP7 device do not have many options because if AT&T is successful in the acquisition, than most T-Mobile devices might stop running HSPA+ as AT&T will be using the 1700MHZ spectrum for their LTE and T-Mobile devices might only be left running on EDGE.

Then again at this point all this is speculation as the deal has not been approved yet. In any case HTC Surround is a good WP7 device and at $0.01, it doesn’t get any cheaper.

Source: AT&T

Sprint and HTC go one better with HTC Evo 3D

Less than a year ago Sprint and HTC released a revolutionary phone called Evo 4G. It was the closest competitor to the iPhone 3GS and according to many better than the iPhone itself.

This year at CTIA Sprint and HTC announced Evo 3D which looks very similar to the Evo 4G at first glance. It’s the first HTC phone to shoot and display 3D content, packs a more powerful processor, better resolution, HDMI-out, Two 5 megapixel cameras on the back capable of capturing 3D video and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, all of this in a very similar chassis to the original HTC Evo 4G.

This seems to be the second 3D capable phone we have come across along with the LG Thrill 4G. It would be nice to see how these phones go head-to-head when they are released by Sprint and AT&T.

Source:Sprint

AT&T purchases T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom

Wow. Everyone has been speculating that Sprint will be purchasing T-Mobile but who would have thought that AT&T would be able to pull off such a coup and that also so discreetly.

It is being reported that AT&T will pay Deutsche Telekom $ 39 Billion USD for the purchase which includes $25 Billion cash $14 Billion in AT&T shares giving Deutsche Telecom 8% stake in AT&T company shares. The whole process will take 12 months to be completed.

If the deal goes though AT&T will become the GSM monopoly in U.S. According to AT&T, they will be able to expand their LTE Deployment to an Additional 46.5 Million Americans, Including in Rural, Smaller Communities, for a Total of 294 Million or 95% of the U.S. Population.

If the deals doesn't get regulatory approval than AT&T will have to pay T-Mobile $3 Billion USD and transfer some AWS spectrum.