Motorola EX225 Facebook phone is at the FCC

Well what do you know, that Motorola-made Facebook phone (EX225) is at the FCC and will most likely be launched in the near future. We don’t have all the details, but we do know few things: it will come with a 2.4-inch most likely QVGA screen, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, QWERTY keyboard and some camera on the back (we don’t know the megapixel count, though). From what we’ve understood, it may not be an Android smartphone, but rather a Brew MP-runnin’ feature phone. In that sense, Moto’s baby doesn’t compete directly with the HTC ChaCha, but is definitely on the same turf…
And that’s about all we have at the moment. We’ll definitely be watching for this whole “Facebook phone” space and let you know as soon as we hear something new (like which of the top carriers will get to offer such a product). Stay tuned in the meantime, k?

AT&T now offering HTC HD7S for a single penny

It’s not that often to see carriers slashing the prices of their phones. Quite the contrary, usually it’s the third-party retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Wirefly that try to compete by cutting their margins to get customers on board. In that sense, today’s deal is an exception with AT&T offering the HTC HD7S for a single penny. Needless to say, you’re still required to put your signature on a two-year contract, but let’s face it – that’s something you would have to do anyway.
At the moment I’m writing this, the HD7S is still running the original version of the Windows Phone. The Mango update (Windows Phone 7.5) is scheduled to be released around the middle of October when you will (assuming you take advantage of this deal) get all the additional features.
So what do you say? Are willing to grab a Windows Phone for a single cent? If so, make sure act fast as this offer ends on October 11th.

AT&T sells over 200,000 Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders in 12 hours

Critics who said that the public might have less of a demand for the Apple iPhone 4S due to its relatively minor upgrades might be quieted, as AT&T has announced that it sold over 200,000 pre-orders for the smartphone in a mere 12 hours since the option went live for customers. The other U.S. carriers selling the iPhone, Sprint and Verizon Wireless, have not announced exact numbers of pre-orders, but a quick check on their availability online shows many options delayed or even sold out.
Apple's own website lists a 1 to 2 week wait for each model from all three carriers. AT&T's website says that ship times for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions are in the 14 to 21 day range, while Verizon Wireless says each model will ship on October 21, a week after the phone becomes available in stores. Those who are itching to get their pre-order in and want the phone next week might have the best luck with Sprint, though they will have to opt for the higher capacity models. Sprint says the 16GB version is sold out completely and is no longer taking pre-orders for it. The 32GB and 64GB are still listed with an October 14 ship date, so orders placed for those might be fulfilled next week. The 16GB model sells for $199 with a new two-year contract, while the 32GB and 64GB versions cost $299 and $399 respectively.
Following Apple's announcement of the iPhone 4S, many critics said that demand for the popular smartphone would wane because the exterior design is the same as the 15-month old iPhone 4. That apparently isn't the case, as can be seen from the high demand for pre-orders of the iPhone 4S. Apple's sales record for the iPhone was set last June for the iPhone 4 launch, and stands at 1.7 million units in three days. At the pace that the iPhone 4S is selling, there is a good chance that Apple could see a new sales record with the new model when it hits stores on October 14.

T-Mobile pairs up with Cozi to offer shared calendars to families

T-Mobile has announced a new calendar application for various smartphone platforms that allows families to easily share their schedules with one another. Powered by Cozi, MobileLife Family Organizer (MLFO) offers calendars and to-do lists that can be synced with a variety of platforms.
The MLFO is a customized version of Cozi's existing calendar sharing software for T-Mobile. It offers a shared online calendar for the whole family, complete with color codes for each family member. Reminders can be sent to family members right from the MLFO homepage over SMS or email. There are Grocery Shopping Lists and To-Do Lists built-in to the system, as well as a Family Journal feature to record memories and share pictures. The calendar can be synced with Microsoft Outlook, and there is a Family Message Board where members can broadcast messages to one or more persons.
The MLFO is available as apps for Android, iOS, and BlackBerry smartphones, and comes pre-loaded on the BlackBerry Bold 9900. the T-Mobile myTouch, and the T-Mobile myTouch Q. T-Mobile customers can head to www.tmobile.com/calendar for more information.

Apple is reporting that Steve Jobs passed away today. The co-founder of Apple and the guiding mind behind the Mac, iPod and iTunes, Pixar and Apple Retail, iPhone and iPad, Jobs was 56 years old, and is survived by his family, friends, colleagues, and an industry he helped innovate and inspire.

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct 05, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.
Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.
His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Apple has posted a page containing the following message:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com

Steve Jobs’ family has issued the following statement:

Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

Tim Cook has sent out the following email to Apple employees:

Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Tim

We have no words, other than to express our deepest gratitude for everything he gave us, and our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Should you get an iphone 4S

hould you upgrade from whatever you have now to an iPhone 4S? The answer to that depends entirely on what exactly you have now, or whether any of the features of iPhone 4S are compelling enough to makes it worth upgrading regardless of what you have now.
Read on for the full breakdown.

Upgrading from an iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, or iPhone 3GS

If you’re currently using an original iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPhone 3GS than your contract has likely expired and you can get an iPhone 4S at full, subsidize price. You can also get an iPhone 4S on Verizon or Sprint in the US, which wasn’t an option for any of the pre-iPhone 4S models.
The improvements to iPhone 4S for iPhone 3GS owners are significant. For iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G owners, they’re stratospheric. Retina display, a much better camera that shoots HD video, silky smooth multitasking, incredible gaming power, FaceTime video calling, Siri voice control — the list goes on and on.
Also, you get to keep your apps, you maintain easy access to any iTunes music, TV shows, and movies you might have bought, and your cables stay compatible.
iPhone 4S is almost a no-brainer update from those early iPhone models.

Upgrading from an iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S

If you’re currently rocking an Phone 4, the answer isn’t as easy. You’re probably still on contract with the carrier, so you may not be able to get the fully subsidized price unless you qualify for an early upgrade or you lean on them and their retention departments. There’s also not a huge difference in functionality — more speed, a better camera, Siri voice control, availability on Sprint, and world-phone CDMA roaming being the major differentiators.

• If you’re a hardcore gamer or productivity maven whose tolerance for lag is less than zero, the 2x speed and 7x gaming power might tempt you to upgrade.
• If you’re a photo and video enthusiast who really wants the “best camera”, that 8mp, F2.4, 1080p lens might tempt you to upgrade.
• If you want the future now, now, now, or you’re visually impaired, the artificially intelligent, natural language interface Siri promises might tempt you to upgrade.
• If you need Verizon or Sprint at home but have to travel a lot, the ability to roam on international GSM networks might tempt you to upgrade.

iPhone 4S is not a compelling upgrade for most iPhone 4 owners unless you really want or need a specific new feature.

Upgrading from Android, BlackBerry, webOS, or Windows Phone to iPhone 4S

If your current phone of choice runs Android, Windows Phone, or webOS or is a BlackBerry, here’s where it gets tricky. If you’re not on contract, it’s easier. If you are, you need to weigh the pros and cons and see if the features you get outweigh the penalties you’ll have to pay.

• iPhone isn’t as customizable as Android unless you Jailbreak it (think root), and that’s not always possible at first when a new device comes out.
• iPhone doesn’t have BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), so if that’s what your friends use you’ll be out of touch — and out of luck. iMessage will let you talk with other iOS users in an SMS/MMS type way, and there are cross-platform apps, but none of them are BBM.
• iPhone has the slickest UI and best UX in the business, but it isn’t as simple or elegant as the new Metro UI on Windows Phone, or have as good a multitasking metaphor and aggregation system as webOS. It does more (for now) but taste and preference are subjective.
• iPhone only comes in one style and screen size. 3.5-inch slab. No sliders, no flips, no hardware keyboards of any kind, and no option for 4 to 5.5-inches.
• No Adobe Flash video. (That could be a pro or con depending on how you feel about it.)
• No LTE, WiMax, or HSPA+ 21 or 41 mbps options for faster internet.

That said, you get the most powerful web browser on mobile, the biggest app ecosystem, the least carrier-controlled experience (no crapware, no feature lockouts, no random casing changes) and a product that invented the “just works” cliché.
If you’ve only been using another platform because you were waiting for the 2011 iPhone on your choice of carrier — go get it.
If you like your current platform but are curious or considering the jump to iPhone 4S, wait until you can try one at the store and really get a feel for it.

Upgrading from a feature phone to iPhone 4S.

Yes. Do it now.
(If you’re really hard up for up-front cash, consider a $99 iPhone 4 or free iPhone 3GS, but if you can scrape together the $199+ for an iPhone 4S, considering the contract will cost you ~$2000+ over two years, it’s not really much of a savings.)

Mobile Phone Information :Windows Phone OS takes 3rd place in the smartphone race

Windows Phone 7 (WP7) was launched earlier this year with Microsoft convinced it would be an overnight success.  This immediate success was not the case but thankfully, after some development, plenty of marketing and of course some updates and tweaks, Windows phone has now firmly

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Windows Phone 7 (WP7) was launched earlier this year with Microsoft convinced it would be an overnight success.  This immediate success was not the case but thankfully, after some development, plenty of marketing and of course some updates and tweaks, Windows phone has now firmly wrestled itself into the top 3 smartphone OS.  The Windows marketplace is now home to more than 30,000 applications, a figure that has taken them nearly 10 months to reach and has now taken 3rd place in the smartphone battle for the most popular operating system.

According to a dedicated WP7 tracking site, around 51% of available apps are free, while the average price for a paid app comes in at just under £1.  So with WP7 taking 3rd place in the great smartphone battle, this is how the running currently looks:-

1st Apple iOS
2nd Android
3rd Windows Phone 7

Windows phone 7 is not in the top spot but they are ahead of BlackBerry and Nokia’s Symbian OS, which have been around a lot longer than Microsoft’s WP7.  However, now is certainly not the time for WP7 to get settled, now BlackBerry have released their latest BlackBerry 7 OS and Nokia have Symbian Anna round the corner – the competition has only just begun!

I was poking around the iTunes AppStore this week and took a $.99 chance on a recently launched game from FDG Entertainment called Parachute Panic.

This fun casual game requires you to successfully land a host of parachutists into passing boats while trying to avoid obstacles such as helicopters, U.F.O´s, sharks and thunder clouds.

The game play is reminiscent of the vintage Nintendo Game & Watch handheld parachute game that I used to love to play back in the early 80's.

The game has very cool hand drawn graphics, smooth animations, catchy music and awesome sound effects. The game has been getting good reviews in the App Store and I have to agree - it is very well done and lots of fun.

Check out a video of the game here.

The only slightly negative comment I will make is that this game is not easy. It takes a little while to get used to the controls and even after mastering the techniques, the action picks up fast and furious. My 7 year old lost interest pretty quickly as it was too hard, but personally, I love the game, and for a buck it's well worth it. Click here to get it now.

Cheaper iPhone Coming Soon?

Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference kicks off Monday and according to Financial Times, Apple plans to introduce a cheaper version of its popular iPhone as soon as Monday, in a move that could dramatically increase the company’s share of the smart phone market.

Analysts said that the company is likely to introduce either a $149 phone or a $99 phone, down from the current low end of $199.

Citing a firm survey of consumers, Morgan Stanley analyst Kathryn Huberty said that a $50 price cut could increase demand for the phone by 50% and a $100 cut by 100%.

Apple sells about 11% of the world’s smart phones, trailing Nokia at 41% and Research in Motion (Blackberry) at 20%, according to Gartner figures from the first quarter.

Walt Mossberg does a great review of the Palm Pre today. If you're considering the device or just curious, you should read it here.

Couple highlights:

"But on June 6, Apple will get a powerful competitor in this category. It's a beautiful, innovative and versatile hand-held computer that's fully in the iPhone's class. It's called the Pre, and it comes from Palm, the company that pioneered the hand-held computer in the 1990s. I've been testing the Pre for a couple of weeks, and I like it a lot, despite some important drawbacks that will have to be remedied."

"All in all, I believe the Pre is a smart, sophisticated product that will have particular appeal for those who want a physical keyboard. It is thoughtfully designed, works well and could give the iPhone and BlackBerry strong competition -- but only if it fixes its app store and can attract third-party developers."

Billing Revolution Says Mobile Shopping About to Explode

Americans are gradually warming up to the idea of buying things via their mobile phones, particularly young adults and men, found a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for the mobile credit card security firm Billing Revolution.

Harris surveyed 2,029 adults from April 29 to May 1; 1,883 of those surveyed were cell phone owners (93%). Close to half (45%) said they think that shopping via cell phones is “somewhat safe,” though just over a quarter (26%) feel that mobile shopping is completely safe.

Regardless, fewer than half of those surveyed (46%) said they would be willing to shop using their cell phones even if safety was not an issue. But attitudes vary based on age and sex, according to Harris. As with many emerging technology-driven habits, younger adults appear more willing to embrace change; 59% of the 18-34 crowd feels that mobile shopping is somewhat safe, versus just 34% of adults over 55. Also, half of men find the concept of cell phone shopping somewhat safe versus 39% of women.

The relative youth, as well as the male-skewing nature of the potential mobile shopping audience seems to influence the sort of purchases respondents indicated they would be willing to make. Harris found that entertainment is likely to emerge as a key mobile commerce category, as willing mobile shoppers said they would be most interested in purchases such as movie tickets, music, mobile video and games.

Officials at Billing Revolution said the survey results ndicated that mobile shopping is poised for growth in the near term, as more and more Americans purchase sophisticated smart phones like Apple’s iPhone and spend more time accessing the Internet via these devices. “There’s clearly a large U.S. population of consumers open to the idea of making purchases via their cell phones,” said Andy Kleitsch, CEO Billing Revolution. “With consumers getting more comfortable navigating the Web from mobile phones, mobile commerce is poised for explosive growth, and consumers are very much leading the charge in this direction.”

5000 Android Apps

Google's Android Market now offers more than 4,900 applications for smartphones powered by the Android mobile operating system, according to the web services giant's vice president of engineering Vic Gundotra.

Speaking Wednesday at Google's annual I/O developer event in San Francisco, Gundotra said Android users have downloaded an average of more than 40 applications per user, adding that Android smartphones are now second in the U.S. in mobile web browsing, behind Apple's iPhone.

5000 apps is a pretty good number. We (Movaya) are about to launch our first premium app in the Android Market next week so we'll see how that goes.