Porno Studio Vivid Entertainment Demands HTC Vivid Name Change

If you are familiar with adult films, you might recognize the name Vivid Entertainment. This company has issued a cease and desist letter to smartphone maker HTC in what might be one of the strangest trademark infringement accusations I have ever seen.

Apparently, Vivid Entertainment thinks that HTC’s use of the name Vivid on one of its recent LTE packing smartphones will cause brand confusion. I don’t think anyone is going to confuse a smartphone with a porn studio.

Vivid Entertainment is telling HTC to change the name or it will sue. HTC is investigating the claims and won’t comment until the investigation is done. I can’t see this claim holding up in court, what do you think?

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Jurassic Park Game Lands On the iPad 2 (Video)

Telltale Games has released their latest title, although this one is exclusive to the iPad 2, and it is based on the popular Jurassic Park movie trilogy, this is the first game out of three Jurassic Park games that will be launched on the iPad 2, Jurassic Park: the Game 1 HD.

The story begins during the last half of the first Jurassic Park film, where the island’s security systems have failed and the dinosaurs now roam free. When Nedry fails to deliver the stolen dinosaur embryos, his contact Miles ventures into the dark jungle with Nima, a professional smuggler. Elsewhere, park veterinarian Gerry tours Jurassic Park with his daughter Jess in what he thinks is a safe area of the island.

 

The Jurassic Park Game 1 HD is available fro the iPad 2 from iTunes for $6.99.

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Readability iOS Apps Arriving Soon

Today Readability has announced that its new iOS applications are currently in the process of being approved by Apple and should be landing in the Apple App Store very soon. Readability offers a similar service to Instapaper. Allowing you to view clean uncluttered layouts of your favourite articles and save them for reading at a later date.

Readability has been around for some time and is already supported by dozens of popular desktop and mobile apps including Reeder RSS reader, Twitter clients Echofon, Ubersoscial and Tweetbot to name just a few.

Readability explains:

With this release, Readability is available at no cost. Sign-up and you’ll have your own profile and reading list in no time. Both Readability accounts and our companion apps will always be completely free, but we also offer a premium experience for users who want additional features and an easy way to support their favorite writers and publishers.

You can now signup for to be notified when the new iOS apps land in the Apple App Store on the Readability website.

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Nook Tablet Limits Internal Storage To 1GB For Non Barnes & Noble Purchased Content

The new Barnes & Noble Nook tablet comes with 16GB of built in storage, which is twice as much as the new Amazon Kindle Fire, something which Barnes & Noble has been pointing out since the Nook Tablet was announced.

And whilst it may come with 16GB of built in storage, it would appear that you can only store content which hasn’t been purchased from Barnes & Noble on 1GB of that space, the rest is reserved for B&N content.

This was discovered by Sacha Segan, who posted the details on Twitter, and the guys over at Engadget have confirmed this is the case, we wonder how long it will be before Barnes & Noble releases an update to fix this issue, or whether they intend to keep things as they are, you can still store additional content on a microSD card, as it comes with a microSD card slot.

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New Battery Technology With 10 Times Longer Batteries In The Works

Researchers at the Northwestern University are working on a new battery technology that could see major improvements in battery life for smartphones, tablets and other devices.

The new batteries would be able to hold a charge up to 10 time greater than existing mobile phone and tablet devices and it would also be able to recharge up to 10 times faster than existing batteries.

The researchers combined two chemical engineering approaches to address two major battery limitations — energy capacity and charge rate — in one fell swoop. In addition to better batteries for cellphones and iPods, the technology could pave the way for more efficient, smaller batteries for electric cars.

According to the researchers we could possibly see these new higher capacity batteries in devices and gadgets within the next three to five years.

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Google Signs Last Minute Deals With Record Companies For Google Music

Google is expected to announce its new Google Music Store, at a special event being held later today, and it would appear that Google may have managed to get the record companies to agree deals with them at the last minute.

According to a recent report by the WSJ, Google has signed deals with Sony Music Entertainment, EMI and Universal Music Group, which would see the Google Music Store launch with a wide range of music.

Google is expected to sell individual songs for around $1.00 from its Music Store, and the service is also expected to come with some sort of integration with Google+ that will let you share you music with your friends, although there are no details as yet on exactly how this will work.

We should have some more details later today when the Google Music Store is officially announced.

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Amazon Kinde Fire vs iPad 2 (Video)

Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet, which runs Google’s Android OS went on sale yesterday, and whilst the $199 Kindle Fire isn’t designed to be a direct competitor for Apple’s massively popular iPad, it will be interesting to see how the two devices compare.

The guys over at the iDownloadBlog put together the following video which compares on number of things on the two devices, which include web browsing, boot up times and Netflix streaming.

 

As you can see from the video the iPad isfaster during the boot up, although the Kindle Fire does almost manage to keep up with the iPad for web browsing, and Netflix seems to load faster on the Kindle Fire than it does on the iPad 2, you can find out more details over at the iDownloadBlog.

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Sharp Announces 7 Inch WiMax Android Honeycomb Tablet For Japan

We heard a while back that Sharp has decided to kill off two of its Android tablets, and now the company has launched a new Android tablet which is headed for Japan, the Sharp Galapagos EB-A71GJ-B.

This new Sharp Galapagos tablet features a 7 inch touchscreen display and it comes with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, processing is provided by a dual Core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and it also comes with 1gB of RAM.

Others specifications include 8GB of built in storage, a rear facing 5 megapixel camera and a front facing 2 megapixel camera, it will go on sale in Japan shortly for around 58,900 YEN which works out at about $765.

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Boxee Box Confirms Live TV Dongle

Further to the discovery of the Live TV code within an unreleased Boxee 1.5 software update Boxee has now confirmed that a new Boxee Live Tv dongle is soon to be released that will provide users with access to live over-the-air broadcast TV via the Boxee Box.

The new dongle is being manufactured by Hauppauge and will come complete with an antenna capable of receiving free HD TV signals. Boxee’s software will also support the device with a dedicated EPG for live TV.

Boxee Box users will also be able to use the  social features, including the features that allows you to inform others what you’re watching at any given time. Boxee explains:

“Cable companies keep telling the press and investors that ‘cord cutting’ is not real, and that if it exists then it’s limited to people who can no longer afford cable. We are sure they are conducting objective and unbiased research, but we are meeting more and more ‘cord never getters’ and ‘cord cutters’ every day. They are more than just people tightening their belts in tough economic times, these are people who have left cable TV behind because it does not fit their lifestyle. They are part of a changing culture, with a changing expectation of how they watch the shows they love… The only time they tune into a channel is to watch something live.”

The new Boxee Live Tv Dongle will be shipping in January 2012 for $49. More information on the new Boxee Live TV dongle can be found over on the GigaOm website who also discovered the Live TV within the unreleased Boxee 1.5 software update.

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Spotify Lands In Austria, Belgium And Switzerland, But Loses ST Holdings Content

Spotify has this week arrived in three new European countries Austria, Belgium And Switzerland which now pushes it total to 12, 11 countries in Europe together with the US. All the new countries will receive the same service that  includes on-demand streaming of over 15 million tracks, to both your computer and your mobile devices.

Unfortunately though for Spotify and other services such as Napster, Simfy and Rdio Dance music distribution, manufacture and management company ST Holdings has announced it will withdrawn all of the content from the subscriptions services.

Out of the ST Holdings 238 labels distributes, only four requested that they remain on the streaming services. ST Holdings explains:

“As a distributor we have to do what is best for our labels,” -”The majority of which do not want their music on such services because of the poor revenues and the detrimental affect on sales. Add to that, the feeling that their music looses it’s specialness by its exploitation as a low value/free commodity.”

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E Ink Display Touch Lens, Phosphor World Time Sport Watch Unveiled

Phosphor has unveiled their new World Time Sport Watch which has no buttons but lets you change modes by simply swiping your finger across the screen. Its equipped with a E Ink display that is just 9.3 mm thick and allows you to select from 24 time zones for one display mode, while optionally displaying a second time zone simultaneously.

The Phosphor World Time Sport dual time zone display can either simply display the time of day or both the date and time, and is available in three colours : black, white and orange and also includes a flexible silicone band and durable, water-resistant plastic case.

Phosphor World Time Sport Watch is now available to pre-order for an introductory offer price of just $80, regularly $99.

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Google Voice For Android Gets Updated

Google has updated its Google Voice for Android app, and the latest version adds in some new features, which include support for group texting, which means you can now send one text to multiple people at the same time.

Google has also added in support for offline voicemails, which means you will still be able to access your voicemail even when you don’t have a data connection, and the last update is an improved text message notification.

You can find out more details about the latest version of Google Voice for Android over at the Android Market.

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Verbatim Second Generation Pocket Bluetooth Keyboard Launched

f you are looking for a pocket sized Bluetooth keyboard to help you type out those extended emails or documents, you might be interested to know that Verbatim have rolled out a new version of their Verbatim Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard this week.

The new version of the Wireless Keyboard sports a more compact design to previous models and can now be paired with up to 6 devices at the same time. Its also fitted with quiet soft-touch keys and the built-in media console allows you play, pause and control your digital music.

The new generation keyboard is now compatible with iPad, iPad 2, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom and other Android tablet devices with both Bluetooth connectivity and HID keyboard support. Ron Hanafin, Verbatim Product Manager, Accessories & Peripherals explains:

“With Verbatim’s latest wireless mobile keyboard, it is quick and easy to compose e-mail and other documents with your Bluetooth-enabled tablet or iPhone on the go,” “Whether using an iPad or Android tablet, this thin-profile keyboard provides maximum portability and functionality.”

Verbatim’s second generation Bluetooth Wireless Mobile Keyboard is now available at RadioShack, Amazon, Airport Wireless, B&H Photo, CDW and Fry’s Electronics for just $79.99.

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Amazon Kindle Fire Gets Rooted

arlier we heard that Amazon had released the source code for the Kindle Fire, and now it would appear that someone has already managed to root Amazon’s first Android tablet.

According to one of the guys from the XDA Developers, he was able to root the Kindle Fire using SuperOneClick 2.2, which means it will be easy to install custom ROMs on the new Kindle Fire tablet.

So I was messing around with different one clicks since I got ADB going on my kindle fire and I was able to Successfully use SuperOneClick 2.2 to root my kindle fire!

You can find out more information over at the XDA Developers forum.

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Touchscreen Intel Windows 8 Ultrabooks Coming In 2012

t looks like Intel has some big plans for its Ultrabook platform in 2012, according to Intel’s CEO Paul Otellini we can expect to see touchscreen Ultrabooks which will run Microsoft’s touchscreen friendly Windows 8 OS launching next year.

“Starting with Windows 8, you have a mainstream operating system incorporating touch. Our view is that in the ultrabook lines, touch is a pretty critical enabler. When users see that new Windows interface, they’re going to want to touch it. If the screen does nothing, you have disappointed [the] consumer,”.

Intel are also looking to keep the cost of touchscreen based ultrabooks low, and Otellini said that they are expecting the devices to retail for around $699 and $799.

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Samsung Galaxy S Plus review: Enter the Snapdragon

Introduction

Someone has just finished off a six-pack of energy drinks. The Samsung Galaxy S plus is nearly identical to the original Galaxy S, save for the different chipset, which packs a faster 1.4GHz processor.

Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus official photos
Samsung's bespoke Hummingbird chipset has been swapped out for Qualcomm MSM8255T Snapdragon. The "T" means it's a faster version of the vanilla MSM8255 chipset found in a good deal of Android phones. With a clock speed of 1.4GHz, it could be up to 40% faster. We'll see how they measure up though, as they have slightly different architectures.
Qualcomm's chipset comes with Adreno 205 graphics instead of the custom PowerVR SGX540 in the original Galaxy S. We expect a slight difference in graphics performance too. Also, the new battery can hold up to 10% of extra juice, for a total of 1650 mAh.
Other than that however, you can't tell the Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy S Plus apart - not even with a caliper and scales. Here's a summary of what the S Plus has to offer, complete with a feeling of deja vu.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support
• 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution, PenTile matrix
• Super slim at 9.9mm
• Android OS v2.3.3 with TouchWiz 3.0 UI customization
• 1.4GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255T chipset
• 512 MB of RAM
• 8GB internal storage, microSD slot (up to 32GB cards)
• 5 MP autofocus camera with face, smile and blink detection
• 720p HD video recording at 30fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g and n support
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Great audio quality
• FM radio with RDS
• 1650 mAh Li-Ion battery
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Document editor and file manager come preinstalled
• Secondary video-call camera
• Swype predictive text input
• Full Flash support for the web browser

Main disadvantages

• No flash for the camera
• No dedicated camera key
• Fingerprint prone plastics
• Virtually unchanged year-old design
• Adreno 205 GPU is weaker than PowerVR SGX540 in the original

We were quite pleased with the original Galaxy S, but the bar has been raised beyond reach by the new super flagship, the Galaxy S II. The Galaxy S Plus is a new and improved edition but one that will hardly make a big splash.
It's still a phone that can make a solid impression though. The 4" SuperAMOLED screen with WVGA resolution is a great performer to this day and at 9.9mm of thickness, the S Plus is a proud member of the sub-centimeter club.
We've already seen the Samsung Galaxy S Plus in action. An early premarket sample, running at just 1.2GHz, showed promising results as an alternative to dual-cores this year. If you're curious, you can check out the article here, but we'll be running the benchmarks and other tests anew anyway, so you may just read on as well.

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Nokia 900 appears on a promo video, looks the part

We just stumbled upon some footage of a yet unannounced Nokia Windows Phone smartphone. The device that appeared on a promo video created by a Nokia developer is believed to be the Nokia 900 Ace, which leaked right before this year's Nokia World, but didn't make an official appearance at the event itself.

The smartphone bears some resemblance to the Symbian-running Nokia 700, but features a much larger screen. According to some speculations, based on comparing the icons sized in this video and in the similar Nokia Lumia 800 promo clip, the WP device you are seeing here has a screen diagonal of at least 4 inches.

Of course, this could turn out to be just a reference picture and not an actual device, so don't get too excited just yet. However, it would certainly make sense for Nokia to have another interesting WP smartphone to launch at the start of next year. The Lumia couple is certainly nice, but it won't be able to take the company out of the swamp it has put itself into alone.

Update: The video just went private, which suggests that what we saw most probably was the real deal.

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