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Swann DVR4-2600 kit is 4 cameras and 500GB worth of remotely-accessible home security overkill
We've seen IP cams before, inexpensive ones like the DCS-930L from D-Link that get the job done with no frills, rather fancier ones like the Logitech Alert system that offer a premium feel -- at a premium cost. But nothing quite like this. It's the Swann DVR4-2600, a system that comes with four separate cameras, each offering a "high resolution" VGA that are about 10 years past a time when VGA could reasonably be called "high resolution." They do, at least, offer 65 feet worth of night vision and all-weather functionality. There's also a 500GB DVR included that can be connected directly to a TV or accessed remotely from a plethora of mobile apps covering everything from Android and iOS to Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian. You can get e-mails whenever your prisoners guests move and, the pièce de résistance, the kit includes four theft deterrent stickers. If those don't keep the crooks away, maybe the rottweiler* will. Full details in the PR below. %Gallery-116998% *Rottweiler not included.
HTC CEO Peter Chou on Microsoft / Nokia partnership: 'it'll make the ecosystem stronger'
Here's a nugget to chew on as you roll out of bed this morning. During "The Power of Applications" keynote today at Mobile World Congress, HTC CEO Peter Chou was just asked what his take was on the Microsoft / Nokia partnership. Of course, we've heard before that the company loves Android and WP7 equally, and it was certainly onboard from the get-to with the launch of the 7 Mozart, but it's not often that one handset manufacturer comments on another. Contrary to popular belief, Peter seemed fairly positive on the deal, though he made sure to focus more on the software side rather than touching on Elop's decision making skills. Here's the quote in full: "They're doing what they have to do. It won't be easy, but they're doing what they have to do. We are very committed to Windows Mobile, and we are one of their lead partners for Windows Phone 7. So we are positive, because this combination will surely make that ecosystem stronger. As a strong player [in this ecosystem], HTC will be a beneficiary from [their decision]." In other words, HTC's pumped that WP7 now has more backing, which will in turn (hopefully) make its own Windows Phone 7 devices more marketable, attractive and desirable as the ecosystem grows stronger. Talk about looking on the bright side of things.
Microsoft shuffling execs to better compete with Apple
Microsoft is reportedly shuffling around its upper brass to better compete against Apple and Google. The company is removing long-serving executives from their positions and promoting senior engineers from areas within the company that are struggling. This move is in response to pressure from Microsoft's Board of Directors, which is looking for the company to move away from the stagnant corporate culture of old and introduce new talent into its executive leadership. The mobile phone division is one group that may benefit from these changes. Though Windows Phone was launched with much fanfare in October 2010, the mobile platform has failed to take off. Microsoft confirmed that it has sold two million licenses for its mobile OS, but this figure represents the number of handsets manufacturers intend to build, not the amount that have landed in the hands of consumers. Quarterly sales figures for the end of 2010 also show that Windows Phone is trailing Android, iOS, BlackBerry and even the aging Windows Mobile. [Via Electronista]
Connecting your Mac to the internet in Egypt
The political unrest in Egypt and its internet blackout is all the buzz today in international matters. Several TUAW readers have written in asking if we had any advice for Mac users in Egypt to gain access to the internet. The secret in a blacked-out country apparently lies in using cell phones for dial-up networking. You'll find an excellent write-up for Windows users over at Manalaa.net. The write-up offers step-by-step how-to as well as a list of dial-up provider numbers based in the US and France. For Mac users, accessing dial-up internet is a little more challenging. As far as we can Google, dial-up internet is not available on the iPhone. TUAW contacted MyWi developer Mario Ciabarra, who said that the technology was theoretically possible, but he was unaware of any product, jailbreak or otherwise, that currently offered that service. Instead, he recommended using a Windows Mobile phone and integrating that with a Macintosh. We've previously covered dial-up here on TUAW. Former TUAW contributor (now at Macworld) David Chartier posted about Windows Mobile Bluetooth-based dial-up internet back in 2006. The how-to article he originally wrote about is still available over at Mobility Today, although it is a little shy on general details. To summarize, you need to set up your Network System Preferences to allow PPP connections and tweak that connection for the provider's details. Unfortunately, we do not have any further brand recommendation or connection details. So from here, we turn to the TUAW braintrust, i.e., you, our readers. If you are familiar with particular brands, models and how-to, please jump into the comments with specific advice. Image Source: Arbor Networks
GameBoy Advance Phone caught in the wild (by the guy who built it)
Perhaps if there was some sort of Brundlefly-style gadget mix-up five years ago, the outcome would look like this: an HTC Hermes jammed inside a GameBoy Advance housing. This prototype, presented by Windows Phone Hacker, features some fun changes that make it feel more like your beloved handheld gaming console, and less like your dated Windows Mobile Pocket PC, including a startup GIF animation of the original GameBoy Advance boot screen, custom software that keeps the OS in landscape mode, and custom notifications and ringtones from the Mario games. Also included is PocketGBA emulator for playing GameBoy Advance ROMs on the phone itself. Of course, this is just the beginning of the project: we look forward to seeing a version where the buttons work! In the meantime, check out the thing in action after the break. [Thanks, Juan]
Just got a Windows Phone 7 handset? The best apps, accessories, and tips
Ah, so you've just been given a Windows Phone 7 handset. If that's what you'd been begging for all this time, then many congratulations; but if not, don't hit eBay just yet -- sure, WP7's range of apps is comparatively limited with its recent 5,000 milestone, but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? Even at its infancy, WP7 has proven to be a nice alternative choice if you want to stand out from the rest of the smartphone crowd, and don't forget its two powerful weapons: Zune and Xbox Live integration. Until WP7 gets its major upgrade early next year, our holiday guide should keep you and your new phone going for a little longer. Go ahead and read on.
AT&T, Verizon, RIM get serious about security for mobile devices
As commonplace as smartphones have become, it's about time that carriers and manufacturers start getting serious about mobile security (and no, we don't mean iPhone tethers). According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Verizon is currently working with Lookout, a San Francisco-based company known for remote backup and geolocation apps for BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Mobile devices, while RIM has recently announced a little something called BlackBerry Protect, which promises to lock or even wipe a misplaced phone, pinpoint the thing on a map, and make regularly-scheduled wireless backups. By far the most ambitious plans in the article, however, belong to AT&T, which -- aside from recent deals with MobileIron and McAfee -- is currently opening a new mobile security lab in New York City. From here, the company will research malware, worms, viruses, and other threats as they develop in the mobile sphere. "Everyone is realizing that this is an uncontrolled environment," said AT&T chief security officer Edward G. Amoroso. "We don't want to have the same problems that we had with PCs."
HTC Hub update helps save us from our Windows Phone 7 phones
Remember the Windows Phone 7 ads, the ones that promised to "save us from our phones" by giving us more "glance and go" information? For the most part, these phones haven't delivered on that promise due to the relative dearth of apps taking advantage of Microsoft's live tile concept. That changes a bit today thanks to an update to the HTC Hub app that ships with every Windows Phone 7 device manufactured by HTC. Now, instead of a generic double-wide icon, the HTC Hub presents you with the current weather condition and temperature and the forecasted highs and lows. As such, you'll never have to click through and be subjected to HTC's overwrought animations that feel so out of place on Microsoft's more demure user interface. More please.
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore live from D: Dive Into Mobile
We're about to hear from Microsoft's Joe Belfiore at the D: Dive Into Mobile event -- stay tuned, there's no telling what could happen! (copy paste copy paste copy paste copy paste...)
ComScore: Android keeps chugging, BlackBerry falters, world awaits Windows Phone 7's numbers
Compared to last month's report, it's more or less business as usual in ComScore's latest smartphone market share numbers for the three-month period ending in October, but there are a few interesting points worth calling out. Most notably, RIM's decline seems to have accelerated -- they've lost a claimed 3.5 percent of the US market in the latest period compared to 2.8 percent prior, which means they're now down to 35.8 percent. Of course, that's still more than enough to keep them comfortably in first place, but it's a situation they're going to want to reverse sooner or later -- hopefully with TAT's help. Meanwhile, Apple's tacked on a slightly larger slice of the pie, but they're still holding fairly steady; Google, meanwhile, continues its stratospheric rise, tacking on another 2.1 percent since last month's numbers to hit 23.5 percent -- nipping on Apple's heels, we'd say. The most intriguing story, though, would have to be Microsoft: they're lower than before at just 9.7 percent of the market, but these figures don't include Windows Phone 7 yet -- and clearly, no one's buying WinMo 6.5 gear at this point. Should start to get interesting in the next month or two on that front.
Keepin' it real fake: Verizon-branded Droid X ditches Android for Windows Mobile 6.5 (video)
No matter how many we see, we never cease to be amazed by some of the KIRFs out there. Take this Droid X, for instance, which doesn't even bother with a name like "Motorolo Foid X," and even goes so far as to include some legitimate-looking Verizon branding to back up its nearly spot-on appearance. The real kicker, however, is that the KIRFers behind the device have decided to ditch Android in favor of Windows Mobile 6.5 for reasons unknown to us. Don't believe us? Check it out in action in the video after the break, and look for the device itself to set you back around $244.
Nielsen: Android makes huge gains in US smartphone marketshare, RIM takes a backseat, Apple leads in desirability
Nielsen's just released a report finding that 29.7 percent of mobile users in the United States now own a smartphone. Of that 29.7 percent (which you can see in the pie chart above), 27.9 percent of them have iPhones, 27.4 percent are BlackBerry users, and 22.7 percent have an Android device. Windows Mobile, Symbian, Linux and Palm are left to divide up the remaining chunk -- about 22 percent -- of the market. That's a massive shift from the beginning of the year, when the iPhone boasted 28 percent of the market, BlackBerry had 35 percent, and Windows Mobile about 19 percent. The biggest winner in this story is Android, which has gone from 9 percent of the smartphone-owning market at the beginning of the year, to 22.7 percent of the market today. The story looks a bit different, however, when people are asked about what kind of smartphone they would like to own next. In that case, Apple and Google are the big winners, with 30 percent of 'likely' smartphone upgraders' reporting they'd like an iPhone, while 28 percent said they want an Android device, and only 13 percent reporting that they're interested in a BlackBerry device. The picture looks very much the same with current smartphone owners, as well. As far as gender goes, the percentages are very similar when asked what smartphone is desired next, except that more men report wanting an Android device, while more women -- about 12 percent more -- say they simply don't know what they want next. Hit up the source link for charts on all this knowledge.
Windows Phone 7 Marketplace hits 3,000 apps and games, attracts 15,000 developers
It's staggering to think how much things have changed in the cellphone industry over the last few years. Where vendors once measured success largely in terms of units shifted, future success is now measured by the number of apps, games, and devs attracted to each opposing platform in a burgeoning smartphone marketplace. Just last week, Nokia announced that it had lured in some 400,000 new developers over the last year. Now Microsoft is touting a rather meager (by comparison) 15,000 Windows Phone developers "signaling their intent to bring exciting content to Windows Phone." Enough implied manpower to push well beyond the 3,000 apps and games expected to be populating the Windows Marketplace by the end of this week. Of course, objectively measuring a developers intent to develop on a platform is difficult. And really, platform potential is not the primary thing driving the purchasing decision of most consumers -- not with so many viable handsets available today. Still, it's good to see such optimism coupled with the fact that the vast majority of people around the world -- gasp! -- don't use smartphones. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
TerreStar Genus now available to anyone who wants one for just $1,150
Just how much is the promise of anywhere, anytime cellphone reception worth to you? If you answered "one thousand, one hundred and fifty dollars," well... your time has finally come. After initially launching through business channels alone for $800, TerreStar's unique GSM / HSPA Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone for AT&T with satellite connectivity is now available to consumers from all walks of life, as long as you've got $1,149.99 lying around. The Genus features Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, a 2 megapixel camera, and pretty much every other amenity you'd expect form a WinMo 6.5 smartphone with circa-2008 hardware specs, with the obvious exception that it can be used anywhere you can see TerreStar's satellite pretty much anywhere in North America. Of course, we'd be a little hesitant about buying a four-figure phone that operates on a bankrupt service, but if you need coverage in the boondocks, your options are pretty limited. Follow the break for TerreStar's demo video and full press release.
Windows Phone 7 hitting Verizon stores 'this holiday season,' according to Microsoft tweet (update)
Looks like Microsoft took Big Red's challenge and decided to respond in kind, as the official Windows Phone Twitter feed claims that Windows Phone 7 devices are finally headed to Verizon. They'll allegedly arrive this holiday season, a good bit earlier than we were told, but we doubt you're exactly dismayed to get your hands on CDMA WP7 phones ahead of schedule. You know how we hate to mince words, but "devices" does suggest more than one phone, and those of you warily eying your local retailer's selection of Christmas lights could even argue that "this holiday season" has already begun. So when, exactly, will we get these handsets... and which ones? Update: The original entry hasn't been pulled, but there's a brand-new tweet now, reading "Verizon is a valued partner and we look forward to seeing Windows Phone 7 devices in their stores in 2011," which doesn't quite refute the idea of seeing devices in time for Yuletide too. Needless to say, we've pinged Verizon and hope to clear up this matter soon. [Thanks, Jay and Jonathan D.]
Verizon happy to offer Windows Phone 7 devices 'as soon as Microsoft has 'em ready'
Yes, Verizon's calling them "Windows 7 mobile devices," but the underlying message is clear -- Verizon's tossing the Windows Phone 7 CDMA ball squarely into Microsoft's court. There are no CDMA-ready smartphones running Microsoft's latest mobile operating system (save the late-blooming HTC 7 Pro for Sprint) and Verizon doesn't intend to take any of the blame for that. You're up, Microsoft. Time for a three-point basket. P.S. We suppose this could also be a coy reference to CDMA-ready Windows 7 tablets. [Thanks, Daniel R.]
Trimble enhances its Nomad 900 series rugged computers, takes WinMo further into the field
Windows Phone 7 may be the talk of the town, but good 'ol Windows Mobile is still gettin' 'er done in industrial devices around the country, gadgets like the Trimble Nomad 900 series. These rugged and suitably yellow handhelds are now even better at finding their way through the wilderness with improved GPS circuitry to decrease the time it takes to pull coordinates from the heavenly bodies above. Also new is a 5 megapixel camera with flash, paired with the same 806MHz processor, and 3.5-inch VGA display, 128MB of RAM, and 6GB of flash storage. Not enough for you? CompactFlash expansion is on offer, and you know how cheap CF cards are these days.
Google Search App bungs Bing on Windows Phone 7 Marketplace
Bing not meeting your needs? Don't fret, Google just pushed its Google Search app for Windows Phone 7 live in Marketplace. A move the mirrors the Bing app availability on the Android Market. The Google Search app utilizes your location to provide local search results and features suggestions as your type and a search history to quickly repeat any previous queries. While there's no way to reassign Google Search to the dedicated search "button" on WP7 devices, you could always pin the app to the Start screen. Unfortunately, we're still not seeing it populated in the UK Marketplace (search for "Google Search") but that should be remedied anytime now.
Windows Phone 7 now on sale in the US
Check it Microsofties, it's time to get back into the game. While some phones have already launched in Europe and beyond, today is the first day that you can put down cash in the US for a Windows Phone 7 device all your own. The Microsoft online Store just loosed the HTC HD7 (T-Mobile), HTC Surround (AT&T), and Samsung Focus (AT&T). Rumor has it that the 4.1-inch Dell Venue Pro (T-Mobile) will be out on shelves at Microsoft retail locations today as well. So why not use that extra hour of wakefulness that Apple provided to think it over? Update: Prices drop to as low as $149.99 at Dell Mobility (which still doesn't list its own Venue Pro) and $99 at Amazon Wireless when purchased with new service plans. The LG Quantum is up for pre-order too with Amazon claiming an 8 to 9 business day delivery. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LG giving away ten free Windows Phone 7 apps every two months
Windows Phone 7 launched with a dizzying variety of handsets. On closer inspection though, all nine WP7 devices hitting retail space in 2010 feature the same processor and display resolution. So outside of a few notable hardware variations, software is going to be a big differentiator for consumers. That's why LG has teamed up with Microsoft to offer a revolving portfolio of free, so-called "quality" apps to owners of LG Windows Phone 7 handsets. Ten free apps valued at more than $30 will be given away every 60 days via the LG Application Store -- that's 60 apps per year. These are in addition to the free apps already developed exclusively for LG handset owners like the PlayTo media streaming app we fawned over during our Optimus 7 review. Keep it up LG and your mobile handset division might finally pull itself out of the ditch. See the first ten apps listed after the break.
