CNET Buzz Report: How to get a $149 HP TouchPad

via Molly Woods of CNET.com

The HP TouchPad is back from the dead (again) with a hot new price ... and a catch. Plus, Facebook is crawling with children, and the Internet is changing the world (again).

B&N launching Nook Tablet for $249 on November 16th, and we've got the dirty details -- Engadget

B&N launching Nook Tablet for $249 on November 16th, and we've got the dirty details -- Engadget

"Sitting down? Good. Come November 16th, Amazon's Kindle Fire will have company. We've wrapped our paws around a stash of documents confirming the impending launch of the first bona fide tablet in the Nook line, and lo and behold, the Nook Tablet will end up being a dead-ringer for the Nook Color that already exists.

What we're looking at is a 7-inch VividView IPS color touchpanel with a 1024 x 600 screen resolution (that's 169 pixels per inch), a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP4 processor, 1GB of RAM, dimensions of 8.1- x 5- x 0.48-inches, 16GB of inbuilt storage, a microSD expansion slot, roughly eight hours of battery life with WiFi switched off (that sinks to four hours with videos playing back), 802.11b/g/n WiFi and support for a smorgasbord of file formats including ePUB, PDF, XLS, DOC, PPT, TXT, DOCM, Flash, JPG, MP3, MP4 and AAC."

Amazon starts offering Kindle e-books via subscription

Technolog - Amazon starts offering Kindle e-books via subscription

"Amazon.com is rolling out a new “Kindle Owners’ Lending Library” — a virtual book-borrowing service for its Kindle devices. Not for Kindle apps on other devices, but only for Amazon’s own Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablet.

It’s a no-extra-charge addition to the company’s existing Amazon Prime subscription service, adding digital-book lending to streaming video and free shipping as a benefit of the $79/year subscription.

Amazon says the available library for lending consists of more than 5,000 titles, including more than 100 current and former New York Times bestsellers."

'via Blog this'

Gadget Accessory Style Tips

Courtesy of pop17 on YouTube

Do you want the inside scoop on the newest must-have gadget accessories? From Kate Spade iPhone cases to Dolce & Gabbana laptop bags, Sarah and Rebekah Austin have got you covered! Don't you want your gadgets to have a little style? Well check out these tips and you'll soon have the most wanted accessories around!

Google ready to roll out revamped Gmail service

By Jeremy C. Owens via MercuryNews.com

Google announced a new look and updated features Tuesday for Gmail, its popular web-based email offering.

The most obvious change for Gmail users will be the appearance of the inbox in "Conversation" view, which will include the email sender or recipient's profile picture beside the email if available. It will also have a more stripped-down appearance, Google User Experience Designer Jason Cornwell announced in a blog post Tuesday morning.

The search function within Gmail will offer more options, with advanced filtering features available from the standard drop-down box at the top of the inbox. The left panel of the inbox, which includes contacts available for instant-messaging, will be more customizable for users, Cornwell said.

Gmail's appearance will also change, but offer customizable design elements as well. Users will be able to vary the spacing on the page depending on what device they are using, allowing for a better view on the variety of mobile devices users now access the service. Google has also introduced new themes to the service, which add backgrounds and affiliated icons, with a series of high-reolution photos from istockphoto.

The changes will appear "soon," Cornwell said, but users can voluntarily switch to the new look later this week, when they will see a link offering the chance to "Switch to the new look" at the bottom right of their inbox screen.

Review: Roku 2 Streaming Player

via SoldierKnowsBest on YouTube

The Roku 2 Streaming Player looks like a terrific source of Internet content to stream to your TV via a very small, compact box. SoldierKnowsBest does a great video review of the steaming player.

Redbox Raises Rental Prices

via MarketingTrendsNews on YouTube

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Boy, I'm not sure this is such GREAT timing for a price increase, especially after that horrible backlash from the Netflix pricing snafu! Well, we shall see...

Redbox's DVD rental kiosks have grown in popularity lately, attracting customers fed up with Netflix's video subscription service.

Now Redbox is risking its own customer backlash by raising prices, the same move that triggered Netflix's recent loss of 800,000 U.S. subscribers.

Yesterday, Redbox announced a 20 percent price increase, making the rental rate $1.20 per day, instead of the current $1 daily rate.

Redbox prices will remained unchanged for Blu-ray discs at $1.50 per day and video games at $2 per day.

Amazon unveils four new Kindles

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Genius Turns iPad Into Amazing Halloween Magic

When master magician Simon Pierro gets his hands on an iPad, watch out. Now he’s created a special Halloween edition of his unique iPad magic, blending his special brand of prestidigitation with carefully constructed digital wizardry.

Simon tells us he spent 10 weeks putting together this Halloween iPad act, and “it was a hell of a lot of work,” he says. “Luckily my iOS programmer Masashi Beheim again joined the project. It took him more than 100 hours of programming this time, being as fanatical about details as I am,” he added.

Simon wasn’t satisfied with a rehash of his brilliant “Preview of iOS 5” we featured here on Mashable last summer. He says, “So I came up with the idea to tell a story about a killer and together with my magic colleague Thomas Fraps we decided to take the clown as the usual suspect.”

The result? Another entertaining — and this time scary — masterpiece.

How To Buy The Best Camcorder - Digital Camcorder Buying Tips

via Howdini on YouTube

Who knew there were so many camcorders to choose from? The wide variety of sizes, formats and prices can make the choice really tough. Professional photographer Nigel Barker helps navigate all the bells and whistles so you can find a camcorder that's right for your lifestyle and needs.

Motorola DROID RAZR Hands-On

via PhoneDog on YouTube

The RAZR name is coming back, and it's coming back strong! Aaron gets some hands-on time with the Motorola DROID RAZR, an impressive 4G LTE device that's coming to Verizon Wireless in November. It packs a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced qHD display, 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording capabilities, an HD front-facing camera, 1,800 mAh battery, and Android 2.3.5 with Motorola's custom UI. As if being the thinnest 4G LTE device (7.1mm thin) wasn't enough, it's an absolutely gorgeous device, with metal accents, water-resistant coating, and a KEVLAR-coated back. It'll be available for pre-order on October 27th and available in retail stores sometime in November for $299.99 with a two-year contract.

New Android Smartphones Arrive to AT&T's Portfolio

via ShareATT on YouTube



New Android devices are coming to AT&T. These include, the Motorola ATRIX 2, Samsung DoubleTime, Samsung Captivate Glide, Pantech Pocket and AT&T Avail. Learn about the features offered by each new of these new Android mobile devices.

Samsung Galaxy Note review -- Engadget

Samsung Galaxy Note review -- Engadget: "Remember the display on your first mobile phone? If you've been chatting on the go for as long as we have, it was probably barely big enough to fit a complete telephone number -- let alone a contact name or text message. And your first smartphone? Even displaying scaled-down, WAP versions of web pages was asking a lot. Now, those mobile devices we couldn't live without have screens that are much, much larger. Sometimes, though, we secretly wish they were even bigger still."

Winfrey looks to the Web to energize her network - Yahoo! News

Winfrey looks to the Web to energize her network - Yahoo! News: "After 25 years on TV, Oprah Winfrey says she's having the time of her life on the Web.

The 57-year-old mogul is connecting with viewers through her weekly webcasts, and she says it's "the most fun I've had ever."

Winfrey's live webcast discussions about her new show, "Oprah's Lifeclass," have been so popular, they've been added to the lineup on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

"Lifeclass" premiered earlier this month and features Winfrey sharing her favorite interviews and insights from her long-running talk show. On Fridays, she discusses "Lifeclass" lessons during an hour-long webcast with a live audience, and invites viewers to comment or ask questions in person or through Facebook, Twitter and Skype."

Bye, bye $99 TouchPad: HP says tablet officially out of stock | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

Bye, bye $99 TouchPad: HP says tablet officially out of stock | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News:

Hewlett-Packard sent out notices today that it is officially out of TouchPads, meaning there will be no more shipments of those popular $99 tablets.

The notice says, "As you signed up for updates on the HP TouchPad, we wanted you to know that we are officially out of stock. Some retailers will have some stock available, but our online inventory is depleted."

The only other avenue for getting a TouchPad is Best Buy. The retailer announced today that it will offer a 32 GB HP TouchPad for $149.99 with purchase of an HP or Compaq Laptop, Desktop or All-in-One computer.

The official demise of the TouchPad coincides with a report Friday pointing to the end of TouchPad production. Citing sources, Asia-based Digitimes said TouchPad manufacturer Inventec had laid off 400 employees because it "has to stop production of Hewlett-Packard's...WebOS tablet PCs, and also expects no new orders for other devices."

Chromebooks on Amazon.com

Amazon.com: Chromebooks

Checkout the selection of available Chromebooks on Amazon.com.

Kindle Fire - Full Color 7" Multi-Touch Display with Wi-Fi - More than a Tablet

Kindle Fire - Full Color 7" Multi-Touch Display with Wi-Fi - More than a Tablet:

$199.00 Free Super Saver Shipping Details
Pre-order now to reserve your place in line

Our all-new Kindle Fire will be released on November 15, 2011. Orders are prioritized on a first come, first served basis.

Ships from and sold by Amazon Digital Services. U.S. only.

Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon's revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser
18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books
Thousands of popular apps and games
Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk
Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content
Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle
Fast, powerful dual-core processor
Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows

Digital Life - Four fun Halloween photo effects

Digital Life - Four fun Halloween photo effects

By Suzanne Kantra, Techlicious.com

Between the kids’ costumes, jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating, there are a lot of photo moments to capture. To get great photos in these difficult lighting situations, though, you’ll have to do a little more than just point and shoot. So check out our tips for taking your photos up a notch. And we’ll give you ideas for special effects that will make an already spooky holiday even spookier.

Photographing jack-o-lanterns

Great jack-o-lantern shots capture both the glow coming from the pumpkin and the textures of the pumpkin’s skin and surrounding objects in low light.
Take this shot at twilight (about 20 minutes after the sun goes down) when the glow from your pumpkin will produce about the same amount of light as the sky. With the exposure for everything the same, your camera will easily capture details in the entire shot.

If you miss this window, put your camera in HDR mode (High Dynamic Range) mode (Cameras we recommend, like the $200 Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS have this). In HDR mode, the camera takes an overexposed shot to capture the pumpkin skin detail and an underexposed shot for the candle’s glow and then merges them together without your intervention. If your camera doesn’t have an HDR mode, you can merge photos of different exposures together using Adobe Photoshop Elements’ Photomerge Exposure editing mode.
Be sure you can’t see the flame of the candle when taking your shots. It will appear too bright as a spot in your picture. And use a tripod and set the camera’s self-timer to avoid the brief shake that inevitably occurs when you press down on the shutter button.

Samsung new No. 1 smartphone vendor, over Apple

Technolog - Report: Samsung new No. 1 smartphone vendor, over Apple

By Athima Chansanchai via MSNBC.com

In the third quarter of 2011, Samsung was the king of the smartphone world, with one report showing the domination of the manufacturer overtaking Apple's global reign.

While smartphone sales in the U.S. dipped for the first time during the same duration, the rest of the world was busy snapping up the devices. According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, "Global smartphone shipments grew 44 percent annually to reach a record 117 million units in the third quarter of 2011. Samsung overtook Apple to claim top spot as the world’s number one smartphone vendor." The company shipped 28 million smartphones and gained 24 percent of the market.

Shoebox app turns phones into photo scanners

By Athima Chansanchai via MSNBC.com



A new app released by a "memory sharing" site makes converting photo prints to digital a little easier by turning an iPhone into a mobile photo scanner.

Shoebox, the first app released by 1000memories, gives iPhone users the ability to scan and share large collections of photos and documents on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on 1000memories.

While it seems like it's impossible there was ever a time when cameras weren't digital, many of us have ample evidence there was such a thing as film and photo prints. Albums — and shoeboxes, as the video below shows — bursting with dusty images remind us that we used to spend time sitting down and reliving those moments with others, rather than solo clicking and commenting.

Windows Phone gets window of opportunity

via MSNBC.com

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Samsung MV800 Pocket Camera with Flip Screen

via GeekBeat.TV



Cali Lewis gives you a glimpse at Samsung's upcoming MV800 pocket camera, a dynamic new camera with a flip up screen for self portraits. I kinda like this little camera, especially the ability to take some awesome self-portraits!

Nokia Lumia 800 Hands On - Windows Phone 7

Via TechnoBuffalo



Nokia Lumina 800 Hands On - Windows Phone 7

We've heard the rumors, seen the leaks, and now it's official -- Nokia's 'Sea Ray' handset is finally a reality. Officially called the Nokia Lumia 800, the handset shares the same form-factor as the oh-so-sexy Nokia N9, while adding Windows Phone under the hood.

Nokia Lumia 800 Hands-On

Nokia Windows Phones are finally here! Aaron from PhoneDog gets some hands-on time with the Lumia 800, Nokia's flagship Windows device. Featuring a 1.4 GHz Snapdragon CPU, 3.7-inch AMOLED display with Clear Black Technology, 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, Nokia Maps, and Nokia Music. It'll cost approximately €420 prior to carrier subsidies, and will launch in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and The Netherlands in November.

Nokia wouldn't confirm whether the Lumia 800 would be coming to the United States, but they did confirm that the first devices won't roll out until 2012. It's a beautiful device and a great start for Nokia's journey with Microsoft, but is it worth waiting for, especially considering the hot Android devices coming out over the holiday season?

Battlefield 3 leaps over the competition

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Amazon Kindle Fire looks like a WINNER!

Amazon Kindle Press Conference - September 28, 2011, New York City

Why Amazon Is Happy to Burn Money on the Kindle Fire

By Peter Kafka via AllThingsD

Yet another big-name Internet stock got punished for missing Wall Street’s expectations yesterday. This time it was Amazon, which reported lower operating margins for Q3 and — presumably more worrisome — the possibility of an operating loss in Q4.

But Amazon isn’t Netflix, which has to convince investors and consumers that its business isn’t fundamentally broken. Jeff Bezos and company have a much easier story to sell: Profits are down because they’re spending money on expansion.

A lot of the money is going into Amazon’s old business, CFO Thomas Szkutak explained on yesterday’s conference call — the company is building out dozens of new distribution centers to help it ship all the physical stuff its customers still order. And a lot of the money is going into its new digital business — in particular, the new Kindle Fire.

Google Releases Chrome 15 and Web Store Redesign

by Lauren Indvik via Mashable.com



Google has released version 15 of its Chrome web browser, bringing the usual round of bug fixes and security improvements, as well as a redesign of its Chrome Web Store and tab pages.

Now when you open a new tab, you’ll be able to navigate quickly between web apps and your most-visited sites by clicking the arrows that come up on both sides of the browser window. You can also drag and drop your apps to rearrange them, or drag them to the bottom righthand corner to remove them, as illustrated in the video above.

The Chrome Web Store also now sports a more visual interface designed for better navigation and discovery of apps and extensions. Users can click on apps to pull up descriptions, screenshots, videos and reviews organized into separate tabs. Reviews are also now linked to the Google+ profile of each reviewer. For more details, check out Google’s blog post.

Nokia Lumia 800 Could Be the Best Windows Phone Yet

by Christina Warren, courtesy of Mashable.com

Nokia Lumia 800, the company’s flagship Windows Phone device, has been officially launched at the Nokia World conference in London today.

However, I had a chance to spend a little bit of time with the Lumia 800 prior to the launch. Not enough time to write a review–I can’t speak to the call quality or battery life — but I can say that it felt great in my hand, had a gorgeous screen and a truly winning form factor.



If any company matches Apple when it comes to industrial design for their mobile phones, it’s Nokia. Nokia might not have the same panache or flair for crafting beautiful looking devices, but the company certainly thinks about every little detail.

I’ve been told that Nokia really goes the extra mile when it comes to crafting its handsets. The polycarbonate shells for phones aren’t simply sprayed with paint on the exterior. The whole of the material is dyed so that if scratched, the phone maintains its color. Nokia even tests various lotions creams against the materials it uses to make sure that the exterior of its devices won’t stain.

This precision and attention to detail was made clear in a recent video showing off how the N9 is made. The N9, Nokia’s first and last MeeGo phone, was unveiled in June. Although doomed from the start because of Nokia’s decision to partner with Microsoft and focus on creating Windows Phone devices, the device is beautiful.

Fortunately, all of that hard work and engineering hasn’t gone to waste. The new Lumia 800 takes the N9 design, adds a dedicated camera button and replaces MeeGo with Mango (Windows Phone 7.5).

IGN Reviews: Battlefield 3 (PC) Game Review

It's finally been released! My son has been waiting patiently for today's release of the awesome Battlefield 3 PC Game! Here's a review from IGN.

REVIEW: Droid Bionic by Motorola

My son, Cameron, is up for an upgrade to his longtime Verizon Droid phone. He's eying the newest, most powerful Droid Bionic from Motorola. He hesitated for a bit when the iPhone 4S hysteria hit, but this very thorough review by phandroid gives some solid support to moving up to this powerful, awesome Android phone. With a SUPERFAST dual-core processor and I believe it uses Android's Gingerbread OS, this is a phone that definitely takes it up a notch! What do YOU think? Target Mobile has a terrific $219 upgrade price for this phone (not too bad).

Microsoft and Samsung Try To Make Bill Gates's Tablet Dreams Come True

Microsoft And Samsung Try To Make Bill Gates's Tablet Dreams Come True
http://www.fastcompany.com/1778859/how-samsung-microsofts-innovation-could-make-bill-gates-tablet-dreams-come-true

HTC Titan hands-on and first look

Courtesy of MobileBurn.com

The HTC Titan smartphone is one of two new Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) devices that HTC have unveiled today in various locations across Europe. The Titan features a huge 4.7-inch WVGA resolution display and an 8 megapixel camera with a 28mm lens and f2.2 aperture for wide angle and low light photography. It can also capture 720p HD video, and has a speedy 1.5GHz processor and 16GB of built-in storage, as well as Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, and DLNA support.



NerdBoyTV NOTE: I'm really rooting for Windows Phone 7 (Mango) and THIS is a beeeeeeeeeeautiful phone. If T-Mobile carries it, I'm gonna go for it!

HTC TITAN - Unlike anything you've ever held before

No more squinting at small screens for you. With a massive 4.7" screen and an ultra-slim 9.9mm unibody contoured design, the HTC TITAN feels great in your hand. It's unlike anything you've ever held before.

HTC Radar Hands On

 Courtesy of PocketNow.com

The HTC Radar is anoher wave-two phone from HTC and it will come out with two differences compared to the HTC Trophy: Windows Phone Mango out-of-the-box and a better camera with improved low-light sensitivity. The other specs are just wave-one but the color is also a ligher one.

HTC Radar and Titan Get Released, Microsoft Prepares for Mango Sad Nokia Rumors

Courtesy of PocketNow.com

Watch this week's Windows Phone View as we wrap up all this week's good and bad inside the world of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform.

Motorola DROID Bionic Hands-On

Courtesy of PhoneDog

Aaron takes a first hands-on look at the Motorola DROID Bionic, the next Android phone in Verizon's "DROID" lineup. It's a high-end, feature packed device, with a 1 GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 4G LTE connectivity, 4.3-inch display, Android 2.2, 8-megapixel camera, and front-facing camera. It's one of many next-generation Android devices.

This phone is available at Verizon beginning 9/8.

NerdBoyTV #115 - Review of Mugen Power Battery for HTC Thunderbolt

In Episode #115 of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee reviews the Mugen Power extended life battery for the HTC Thunderbolt smartphone. The battery easily stays charged from 12–20 hours! AWESOME!

For other batteries, go to: http://www.mugen-power-batteries.com.



Mugen Power is the worldwide leading brand of high performance batteries for portable electronic devices. Mugen Power means Performance and Quality.

Mugen Power batteries have better performance (higher capacity) and reliability (longevity & safety) than other brands. The superior performance improves run time, often doubling that provided by the original brand replacement. The superior quality results in longer battery life and better protection of the powered device.

CLICK to see the Mugen Power Battery for the HTC Thunderbolt.

NerdBoyTV #114: Sebastien Savard - Cirque du Soleil

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee interviews Sebastien Savard, a violinist with Cirque du Soleil, who discusses his Fiverr gig & teachihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifng music online with http://FiddleAndPiano.com.



http://www.myspace.com/sebastiensavard

10 Iconic Steve Jobs Moments (VIDEOS)

By Christina Warren, Mashable.com

The career of one of America’s most innovative businessmen has been more than just a string of moments, but these 10 peeks at Steve Jobs’s formidable presence will remind you of why his resignation is such a momentous event.

From his cocky early days launching Macintosh, to his triumphant return to the company, to his jeans-and-black-shirt days of the iPod, iPhone and iPad — he kept keynote attendees and employees alike on the edge of their seats until his last “one more thing.”

CLICK to see videos.

Is the H-P Touchpad good to buy at ANY price?

NerdBoyTV NOTE: When HP dropped the price of its now defunct Touchpad down to $99, many rushed out to get it. But, some don't even think it's worth it at THAT price. I found the comment below on a Yahoo! reply to a WSJ article. Thought it so eloquently stated why it WAS a terrific buy.

For those of you saying this is a waste of money @ $99...

Here is why you are wrong:

1. It is still a tablet with WiFi and a really good OS. For $99, the ability to browse, stream and essentially either increase productivity or make entertainment easier is a no-brainer. It's cheaper than any netbook or laptop you will ever get.

2. HP will stop making devices with WebOs. The likelihood of licensing to 3rd parties remains up in the air. However, the WebOS development unit from Palm still exists and will continue to provide application updates on a limited basis which is enough to support a $99 device.

3. WebOS has a die-hard base. When all of the touchpad units sell out, it will only be a reason for them to make OS and application updates...which brings me to my next point.

4. WebOS is open source. As a former WebOS owner (I'm likely switching to Android now as far as phone service is concerned), it is invaluable to have an open source platform. It allows the user to make changes at the root level, so those changes run natively. If you've heard "There's an App for that" when talking about an iPhone, that is because most functions to not run natively so they need to be initiated via an App launch.

One of the first things I did when I got my Pre Plus from Verizon almost 2 years ago was to Overclock the processor via a kernel modification available for free from a developer. It was documented meticulously and tested more than most Apps in the Apple AppStore.

The result... a 1GHZ processor (up from 500mhz) with improved battery life. Which is why I, like most WebOS fans, was able to keep an essentially outdated phone for so long and out perform most devices until the most recent releases. Not to mention that WebOS is just plain faster.

Lastly, I would like to make the point that it will be hard to kill an OS that is actually good. If WebOS was useless, featureless and contained no innovations it would die, it would never have had a following and would never have made it past Palm's lab. But the truth is, as far as mobile OS's are concerned, that it is an amazing departure from what most people using mobile OS's are used to. It's intuitive to multi-task, it actually runs applications in the background when minimized, the card stacking and management system is genius and the open source nature and ability to customize natively is unmatched.

WebOS will return in some form or another and, to say the least, is worth $99 in the Touchpad form factor.

Just my 2 cents...

CNET Apple Byte: Want a projector in your iPhone? Yes, Please.

Courtesy of CNET-TV

We'll show you all new iOS 5 Beta features, Apple patents show us exactly what they're thinking and Brian falls in love with the new MacBook Air.

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Brian Tong is hecka crazy! LOL Funny episode!

SHOW #113: Cheap Car Key Replacement with iKeyless.com

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee shows you a quick, easy, inexpensive way to get around the high price of a car dealer's replacement key (some running close to $400!!!). Go to http://iKeyless.com.

Apple now No. 1 smartphone vendor by volume

By Tarmo Virki, Reuters

Apple and Samsung Electronics ended struggling Nokia's 15-year reign at the top of the smartphone sales rankings in the second quarter, researchers said on Friday.

"Apple overtook Nokia and Samsung to become the world’s No. 1 smartphone vendor by volume for the first time in history," said Neil Mawston, analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Nokia has dominated the smartphone market ever since its 1996 launch of the Communicator model, but competition from its two nearest rivals and a slump in its own sales sent it straight from first to third place in the three months to June as growth in the sector starts to slow.

Apple sold a record 20.3 million iPhones in the quarter despite the fact that its iPhone 4 model is now more than a year old. Usually success of smartphone models does not last so long.

Apple unveiled its sales last week, but on Friday analysts also estimated Samsung sold 19 million smartphones in the quarter, well ahead of Nokia's 16.7 million as it was able to benefit from booming demand with smartphones using Google's Android software.

"Samsung's Galaxy portfolio has proven popular, especially the high-tier S2 Android model," said Mawston.

Strategy Analytics estimated smartphone market volume grew 76 percent from a year ago in the second quarter. ABI Research was somewhat more cautious estimating market grew 62 percent.

The Best Android Phones

By Wendy Sheehan Donnell, PC Magazine

It's hard to believe that it's been just three years since Google's open-source Android mobile operating system hit the scene. When the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, was released, the mobile landscape looked very different. Most people carried simple handsets that focused on making calls. If you were lucky, you could listen to music or play games on your mobile phone.

Back then, you didn't have to have a smartphone that ran thousands of apps to let you, in the palm of your hand, do many of the things your computer could do. Apps weren't even a thing yet. Apple had only released the iPhone 3G and launched its groundbreaking App Store a couple of months earlier.

It was the introduction of Android that helped propel the app-based smartphone to what it is today. The thing Android offered, which Apple's iPhone couldn't, was choice. Since it was an open-source platform, several hardware manufacturers could use the OS on their handsets, and a variety of wireless carriers could offer those phones—and they did.

A year after Android was released, in the U.S. there was a single Apple iPhone on a single carrier, but there were eight different Android handsets with varying form factors available on three of the four major carriers. Today, you can find a variety of Android phones on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. Even the little guys like Cricket and Virgin Mobile offer Android options. According to Comscore, Android enjoys 33 percent of the U.S. smartphone market today.

That's a lot of phones to choose from. To come up with our list, we've chosen two winners for each of the four major carriers, one for each of four smaller carriers, and, if you're contract-phobic, the best unlocked handset. If you've settled on Android as your mobile platform, these phones are your best bets—for now, that is. At this rate of growth, we can assure you that there's another great 'Droid right around the corner.

Samsung Galaxy S II Review by MobileBurn.com

Courtesy of MobileBurn.com

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the second generation of Samsung's massively popular Galaxy S flagship smartphone line. It features a large 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, and HSPA+ 21Mbps download speeds. We tested a UK model in this video, but AT&T will be releasing a similar device with a larger 4.5-inch screen called the Infuse soon. More info, click MobileBurn.com.

Creating Social Memories Book from Facebook Posts

In Episode #112 of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee interviews the developers of Social Memories, a service that converts Facebook wall postings, photos, and stats into a graphically-designed hardbound coffee table book.

http://facebook.com/socialmemories

Facebook launches video chat

via CNET's First Look

If you haven't tried Skype on Facebook yet, you may wanna take it for a spin soon. This looks pretty nice.

Review: Google all the time on the Chromebook - Yahoo! News

Review: Google all the time on the Chromebook - Yahoo! News

New laptops running Google's Chrome operating system offer a new approach in portable computing: Games, productivity tools and anything else you might need are handled by distant computers connected to the Internet.

With this method, you don't store data on a hard drive inside the computer. That streamlines things, at the cost of having stronger, standalone applications that normally handle these tasks. But the trade-off might be worth it for the more casual consumers of online content.

Google already has a good variety of online services that will be key to any success for the set of laptops known as Chromebook. There's Gmail for messages, Google Plus for sharing photos and links and Google Docs for word processing, spreadsheets and other common tasks. Other companies also make free programs, which run through Google's Chrome browser.

Windows Phone 7 Mango beats iPhone iOS!

I really DO wanna give Windows Phone 7 a chance. I think their interface is intriguing. Watch this head-to-head speed test.

NerdBoyTV "Hot Off The Press" – Animated iPad Book, Netflix, MySpace

NOTE: Here's some tech-related stories we thought you might be interested in. Enjoy.

By John Pavlus, FastCompany.com

E-books are already a fraught subject for many readers, writers, publishers and designers, but children's e-books are even more so. Is it rotting their minds? Is it as good as good ol' paper? Is it too interactive for their own good? Obviously there are no practical answers to such questions, but at least one children's e-book/app/thingie (what do we call these things, again?) is doing it very, very right. It's called "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," and it's like a well-written bedtime story and an immersive animated movie at once -- without being "too much" of either.



READ article on FastCompany.com.

By Tecca | Today in Tech

Apparently all good things, or at least all good prices, must come to an end. Gone are the days of getting both unlimited DVDs and unlimited streaming video from Netflix for one low price; the company has just announced a new pricing scheme that separates DVDs from streaming video, and charges full price for both. Subscribers can now choose unlimited streaming video for $7.99 a month, or unlimited DVDs (one at a time) also for $7.99 a month. If you want both, you'll have to pay $15.98 each month for the privilege.

READ article on Yahoo! News.

by Stan Schroeder, Mashable.com

MySpace’s new owners, Specific Media, and Justin Timberlake — who has an ownership stake in the company — are considering plans for the site that include a possible talent show.

“Whether it becomes a talent competition or something like that, those are things that we will still flesh out,” said Timberlake’s manager Johnny Wright in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“We definitely want to bring the industry back to MySpace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there,” Wright added.

READ article on Mashable.com.

An Ex-Pixar Designer Creates Astounding Kids' Book On iPad

By John Pavlus, FastCompany.com

E-books are already a fraught subject for many readers, writers, publishers and designers, but children's e-books are even more so. Is it rotting their minds? Is it as good as good ol' paper? Is it too interactive for their own good? Obviously there are no practical answers to such questions, but at least one children's e-book/app/thingie (what do we call these things, again?) is doing it very, very right. It's called "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," and it's like a well-written bedtime story and an immersive animated movie at once -- without being "too much" of either.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Part of why the book works so well is its top-shelf creative pedigree: author William Joyce is also an accomplished illustrator and animator who's published New Yorker covers, won a bunch of Emmys, created character designs for some of Pixar's first animated classics, and worked on many others for Dreamworks and Disney. With his cohorts at Moonbot Studios, he created an interactive book-app around the story and a standalone animated film -- so you can experience "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" however you like.

READ article on FastCompany.com.

Wanted: A Sexier Wristband For iPod Nano, By Incase

By James Gaddy, FastCompany.com

Gadget accessories maker Incase has been on a roll this year, from capsule collections with A.P.C. and Andy Warhol to its upcoming expansion into headphones later this year. But now the Apple loyalists have a new accessories obsession to hold them over until then: the Flex Wristband, the best attachment for the iPod Nano that we’ve seen since Scott Wilson’s feel-good story on Kickstarter last year.

Thankfully, the folks at Incase have kept the two best parts of Wilson’s model: The Flex Wristband employs an open-sided design that leaves the headphone port and connector exposed, so you can recharge or sync the Nano up without removing it from the wristband; and it also uses an easy snap-in locking hold that prevents scratches.

But that’s where the similarities end. Incase’s model classes up the joint a bit with a flexible, expandable, one-size-fits-all steel band that offers up a more professional, dignified approach while keeping the playfulness intact: it’s business and party in the front. And the matte finish in both silver and black is understated enough to go with just about anything.

READ article on FastCompany.com.

The Top 10 Places People Lose Their Smartphones

BY AUSTIN CARR OF fASTCOMPANY.COM

"Can you call my phone?"

How many times have you been asked this question in the last year? Losing your phone, whether between your couch cushions or (like most Apple employees) at a bar, is a common headache. But finding your phone is another story, one that usually requires a bit of serendipity or the kindheartedness of a good Samaritan.

Today, mobile-security startup Lookout, which specializes in Android smartphone protection, released an infographic on the lost-phone phenomenon--namely, the 10 worst places to lose your phone, and the top U.S. cities for smartphone loss or theft.

According to Lookout's data, the No. 1 city for cellphone loss, based on the percentage of its population, is Miami. No doubt that season of the Jersey Shore factored into the outcome. (Who could've possibly been sober in the MIA during the weeks the MVP were present?) New York City comes in second, followed by Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Philly, Dallas, and Chicago are all in the bottom half.

As for the top 10 worst places to lose your phone, based on chance of recovery, a restaurant or bar isn't such a horrible place, coming in at No. 9 (chance of recovery is fairly high, at 80% to 95%). The car roof comes in at No. 8, with a 25% to 75% chance of recovery. Unsurprisingly, public transit makes up a big part of the top 10. Airport security, buses and subways, airplanes, taxis--all these areas are prime spots to lose your phone.

The worst location to have your phone go missing is the swimming pool, which has a 50% to 75% chance of recovery--but your sopping-wet phone, even if retrieved, has less than a 5% chance of ever working again.

READ article on FastCompany.com.

Netflix raises plan prices, splits DVD and streaming options

By Tecca | Today in Tech

Apparently all good things, or at least all good prices, must come to an end. Gone are the days of getting both unlimited DVDs and unlimited streaming video from Netflix for one low price; the company has just announced a new pricing scheme that separates DVDs from streaming video, and charges full price for both. Subscribers can now choose unlimited streaming video for $7.99 a month, or unlimited DVDs (one at a time) also for $7.99 a month. If you want both, you'll have to pay $15.98 each month for the privilege.

There was a time when if you wanted to watch a movie, you actually had to go to a theater to do it. Then came home video, and eventually, Netflix removed the need to leave your house to rent movies to watch. Then came Netflix streaming, and fans of instant gratification rejoiced. As subscribers quickly realized the convenience of streaming video, Netflix introduced a streaming-only subscription option. For a while, fans of both streaming video and DVDs had it great — newer movies on DVD, older features to watch on streaming video whenever they wanted, and all for a pretty good price. Now, not so much.

READ article on Yahoo! News.

Justin Timberlake Considers Turning MySpace into a Talent Show

by Stan Schroeder, Mashable.com

MySpace’s new owners, Specific Media, and Justin Timberlake — who has an ownership stake in the company — are considering plans for the site that include a possible talent show.

“Whether it becomes a talent competition or something like that, those are things that we will still flesh out,” said Timberlake’s manager Johnny Wright in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“We definitely want to bring the industry back to MySpace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there,” Wright added.

Timberlake and the new management have said they plan to steer the site’s focus in the direction of music and entertainment. MySpace may have been bleeding traffic in the last two years, but it’s still a very popular site for bands and musicians, and Specific Media obviously plans to capitalize on this.

READ article on Mashable.com.

Google’s +1 Button Already More Widespread Than Twitter’s Tweet Button

by Todd Wasserman, Mashable.com

Google’s +1 buttons have only been out for about a month, but they’re already more common than the tweet button on major web destinations.

BrightEdge, an enterprise SEO platform provider, analyzed the 10,000 largest sites on the web and found a 33% surge in placement for Google’s +1 button during the past few weeks. The company foundthat +1 buttons are now on 4.4% of those sites, up from 3.6% in June. Meanwhile, Twitter’s plug-ins are displayed on 3.4% of the sites.

Both Google and Twitter trail far behind Facebook, whose plug-ins, most notably its “Like” button, are on about 20% of the sites’ front pages. Note: Although the chart below lists Twitter’s plug-in as a “Twitter Share,” BrightEdge CEO Jim Yu says it refers to the Twitter tweet button.

READ article on Mashable.com.

Warning: 10 Reasons You Could Get Hooked on WiMax Internet

By Melissa Delaney of WirelessInternetReviews.com

Yes. Heed the warning. Simply reading the following information could be enough to get you hooked before you even experience it first hand. This is the data access you have dreamed of and hoped for.

1. Higher Speeds – 6 Mbps for residential use and 4 Mbps for mobile users is what they are predicting for the initial WiMax speeds and those will increase as the Wimax ‘cells’ decrease in size. Highspeed connections for everyone with a few miles of the transmitter.
2. Increased Data Capabilities – More efficient, faster, high quality delivery of data means that high level data content like video streaming, gaming, etc. will flow unhampered for all the users of the WiMax system.
3. Higher Quality – The small cell concept of the WiMax internet service allows for much higher quality data delivery on a consistent basis for its subscribers. Watching movies and television on your computer devices will be better than ever.
4. Lower Prices – The cost of delivering internet service through the WiMax system is expected to be significantly lower due to lower equipment cost and competition between equipment providers for the widespread installation of cells.
5. Wireless Access – Wireless access to the internet from anywhere in your home or business. A great convenience for all consumers. No need to choose between cable or DSL or satellite.
6. Rural Access – Rural users will now have an affordable means of accessing the internet at high speeds in locations where that was not economically feasible previously.
7. Expanded Access – Many areas that previously had limited access to the internet, especially at high speeds will be able to gain that access through WiMax.
8. NLOS Service – No Line Of Sight Service is one of the reasons that WiMax is able to provide the kind of wireless access to the internet described here. Cellphones will lose signal when they lose their ‘line of sight’ to cell towers. This has very little impact on WiMax.
9. Community Wide – WiMax is designed to provide community wide internet service. This would mean improved internet service for the entire community, schools, libraries, businesses, non-profits and individuals.
10. Quick Expansion – Reduced costs will also mean greater profitability for the ISP’s delivering the service. Greater profitabilities will mean faster expansion of the services to communities.

Are you hooked yet? You should be. When will it be coming to you? I can’t answer that question, but keep your eyes open for more in the news in the not too distant future.

CLICK to see original article on WirelessInternetReviews.com

Creating Social Memories Book from Facebook Posts

In Episode #112 of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee interviews the developers of Social Memories, a service that converts Facebook wall postings, photos, and stats into a graphically-designed hardbound coffee table book.

http://facebook.com/socialmemories

myTouch 4G vs iPhone 4 - Browser Speed Test

via WireFly.com

This is a browser speed test that compares the T-Mobile myTouch 4G with the Apple iPhone 4. For the best prices on the myTouch 4G, visit WireFly.com.

Geek Dad Ken Denmead on Press:Here

via Press:Here

Wired’s Geek Dad blogger encourages fathers to embrace their inner dork.

Spotlight on MyTouch 4G, Google+, and Harry Potter

Google invites NerdBoyTV to try Google+
Just got my invite from Google to tryout their possible "Facebook killer," Google+. This CNET video reviews some of the key highlights. You may want to sign-up to try it, too.



NerdBoyTV Smartphone Spotlight: MyTouch 4G
Because my longtime T-Mobile contract is coming to an end (and my teens have abandoned them for Verizon), I've been offered a pretty tempting offer to keep Brandon's service with the speedy MyTouch 4G. What do YOU think?



The Final Harry Potter Movie Coming!
If you haven't purchased your tickets for the 7/15 midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, you better hurry. I just bought mine yesterday and now the show is SOLD OUT. The movie trailer looks AWESOME!

First Look at Google's Facebook killer, Google+

Rafe Needleman looks into Google's latest social experiment, Google+, and how it's better—and worse—than Facebook.

Microsoft Demonstrates Office 365 Collaboration

via InformationWeek

Office 365's online services let teams of workers share and edit documents, schedule meetings, and collaborate in real time.

NewsCorp Unloads MySpace at Huge Loss

News Corp. has sold struggling social networking site MySpace for $35 million. The deal values MySpace at a fraction of what News Corp. paid for the site six years ago. (June 29)

Use Old Computer for Web Browsing w/ Google Chrome

In Episode #111 of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee describes how to salvage that old dual core desktop computer running (God forbid) Windows Vista and transform it into a sleek web-browsing speedster using Google Chrome.

5 tech products that just won't die

5 tech products that just won't die

By Suzanne Kantra, Techlicious.com

Recently, I wrote a story about which tech products will be dead in five years. Boy, was I surprised by the response! Who knew that people could be so passionate about DVD backups?

But it’s that passion for the status quo that keeps some technologies going long past the end of their useful lives. And there are other products that just won’t die because, no matter how inefficient or clunky they may be, nothing else has come along that’s better (or at least better at a reasonable price).

Five, in particular, should have gone the way of the dodo long ago, yet continue to hang on and, in some cases, even flourish.

iPhone threatens Android rule

iPhone threatens Android rule

By Athima Chansanchai

As the iPhone starts to proliferate on other carriers after being released from AT&T's exclusive hold, it threatens to encroach upon the once-comfy rule Android phones have enjoyed in the smartphone market.

One analyst, Needham & Co.'s Charlie Wolf, says that a recent decline of Android's market share in the U.S. — from 52.4 percent to 49.5 percent in first quarter of 2011 — signals the beginning of the end of the Google mobile operating system's unrivaled ascent to the top of the smartphone heap.

GigaOM's Ryan Kim quoted from Needham's note, which points to a possible surge in iPhone 5 sales once the new model arrives this fall on Verizon.

In a report released in May, the addition of the iPhone to the Verizon network accounted for a boost in sales for Apple (16.9 million iPhones sold to fanboys and girls in 90 countries, doubling its sales from the same time last year), but Android held onto the No.1 spot at 36 percent of the market share worldwide.

In just a few short years, we've seen Android — with its prolific installment on so many models over so many carriers — shoot by leaps and bounds over other systems, until finally it surpassed Symbian for the No.1 spot during the first quarter of 2011.

But faster than a medieval coup — the king is dead, long live the king — it looks like Apple's iOS may be poised to hoist iPhones over the palace walls with big gains in the first quarter of 2011 (29.5 percent, up from 17.2 percent in the previous quarter), and with the iOs bumping up from 19 percent to 28 percent (thanks to CNN Money's Philip Elmer-DeWitt for providing more snippets from Needham's note).

More reason to think that Apple may very well overtake Google: cheaper iPhones? That's what GigaOM's Kim writes, and that would make for some interesting jousts since Android phones have historically been more accessible to the more cost-conscious consumer.

Still sliding: Nokia and Research in Motion (which recently started issuing pink slips), which bolsters the reality that the smartphone wars are really between Apple and Google at this point.

REVIEW: Samsung Infuse 4G (AT&T)

CNET Senior Editor Bonnie Cha reviews the new Samsung Infuse 4G available now just south of $300 on AT&T. Looks like a beast of a phone with super Amoled touchscreen and 4.5-inch display. Oh, and did I mention it's with 4G speed? I think Bonnie said it ships with Android 2.2.1 OS and has an 8-megapixel camera (nice). Check it out...I want it ;-)

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Android 3.1

I want this...really, I do!

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Is Google's web-only ChromeBook worth it?

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