Verizon goes after Sprint's 'most dependable 3G network' ad claim
Switched On: Chrome's shine could blind Android
Kindle firmware update promises 85 percent battery boost, native PDF reader
HP's Obsidian becomes iPAQ Glisten, officially comes to AT&T
Sony Ericsson already working on second version of Xperia Pureness, possibly Xperia Pureness 2?

We're not quite sure what sort of black magic it's worked to make it happen, but it looks like Amazon is really taking the art of firmware updates to a new level with the latest upgrade for the Kindle. Not only does it finally add native PDF support (which would have gotten folks rightly excited on its own), but it promises to boost battery life by a full 85 percent. That translates to about seven days of use with the wireless on, and is apparently the result of a six month firmware improvement and testing program -- can we get these folks working on other devices? Naturally, the latest firmware will be shipping on all new Kindles right away (just not the DX, it seems), and it will be pushed as a free update to existing Kindle 2s via Whispernet, although there's no ETA on that just yet.

Rumors of magazine publishers striking a deal to make their content available for digital devices -- even a certain tablet -- have been around for quite a while now, but it looks like something may finally be close to really happening. As The New York Observer reports, Time Inc. exec John Squires has been taking the lead on the initiative (and is apparently set to become interim head of the new company), which would see rival publishers including Time, Condé Nast and Hearst join together to make over 50 magazines available in digital form, and for a variety of devices. Details are otherwise a bit light, as you might expect, but one source familiar with the situation reportedly says "it's very close and more imminent than it's been," while others familiar with the plans say they "compare to iTunes," and that you'll be able to buy "new and distinct iterations" of magazines like of The New Yorker or Time -- and even actual print editions, for that matter.



Correspondences from Team Engadget out into the Twitterverse.



The amount of CO2 the Kindle could save by replacing three books a month
The Kindle can produce a potential savings of 1,074 kg of CO2 if it replaces three books a month for four years, or a whopping 26,098 kg of CO2 if the Kindle DX is used to its fullest capacity.

Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the editors at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields, because they're required.