Skip to Content

Listen to the Joystiq Podcast (because your ears can't read)
AOL Tech

Nokia Ovi crash results in three weeks of lost user data

by Nilay Patel, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 3:07PM


There's definite risks to hosting all your personal data in the cloud, and users of Nokia's Contacts on Ovi service just got a taste of the dark side: a database crash yesterday erased all data entered since January 23rd, when the service superceded Nokia Chat. That means contacts and images simply disappeared from people's phones overnight with no recourse, which should give pause to all of us relying on third parties to manage and maintain our data. On the other hand, Ovi users now get to relive the past few weeks all over again, so maybe there's a silver lining in there for someone after all.

[Via Unwired View]

RIM selling gobs of BlackBerrys, profits just so-so

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 2:09PM


Just under a week ago, we found that RIM had sold its 50 millionth BlackBerry, and while that's all fine and dandy, Wall Street only cares about what you've done for it lately. Thus, traders were none too pleased to hear Research In Motion suggest that its fourth fiscal quarter earnings would come in at the low-end of expectations despite anticipating a higher-than-forecast number of new subscribers. So, what's it all mean? In simple terms, it appears that RIM's making less off of each phone sold, with Todd Coupland of CIBC Capital Markets surmising that the firm may simply be selling more of its lower-priced devices. And honestly, that makes perfect sense given the economy. Still, we can think of much, much darker places for RIM to be in than this, and these days, just coming out in the black is a victory.

[Via Wall Street Journal]

HTC Dream coming to Spain via Telefonica, gets a facelift

by Chris Ziegler, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 1:46PM Breaking News


This appears to have roughly the same guts as the G1 we already know and love, but Telefonica's version of the first Android handset -- like Optus' -- will get a name change to Dream. This one will also look just a little bit different, getting a more sculpted chin, but we don't believe this to be a totally unique device -- you can see the original model's design DNA shining through above the beltline. It'll be available for between €0 and €199 depending on your current subscriber status and the plan you choose, though we don't have a release date just yet.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Gallery: HTC Dream coming to Spain via Telefonica, gets a facelift

First decent Windows Mobile 6.5 screenshots leak out

by Nilay Patel, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 1:38PM


They're still not as intriguing as those early leaks we got, but the first non-crappy Windows Mobile 6.5 shots hit today, and we're glad to see that terrifying bird wallpaper isn't hardcoded into the OS as we'd feared. Okay, we kid, but everything does look much nicer with antialiasing enabled, and there are some shots showing new curved tabs and new horizontal scrollbars. Welcome cosmetic changes, sure, but it's still incremental stuff -- we'll see if Microsoft has anything besides the honeycomb and My Phone in store for us at MWC. Two more at the read link.

Nokia N97 designer interview accidentally outs two new Nokia sets?

by Sean Cooper, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 1:12PM


Sure, the pic looks a wee bit dodgy, but regardless it shows what looks to be two Nokia sets we've not seen before. Both of these ape the N97 -- which explains how this vid has been circulating since the 29 of January -- but the set on the right has had its d-pad moved to the right side of the keyboard and the buttons on the face seem absent. The handset on the left differs as it looks -- arguably -- thinner than the N97 and the front lip is sporting what appear to be a mini USB port and headset adapters. GSMArena has pointed out a couple sets from Nokia's leaked roadmap that could fit the bill. The Ivalo (left) has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 32GB ROM, AGPS, a 5 megapixel camera, WiFi, and rounds out with TV-out and Bluetooth. The Madeleine, if that's what it is, has a side sliding keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM Radio,GPS, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. Hopefully the truth is waiting for us in Barcelona, but feel free to peek at the video after the break to keep your spirits up 'til then.

[Via GSMArena]

Continue reading Nokia N97 designer interview accidentally outs two new Nokia sets?

Verizon's Touch Diamond, Versa, Intrigue, and Pearl 8230 take a family photo

by Chris Ziegler, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 12:27PM


Aww, isn't that cute? Everyone got together for one last picture before graduation -- that magical time everyone goes their separate ways to retail shelves across the country where they'll be picked up by subscribers and adopted into loving families of their own. Here we've got four hotties that are due on Verizon in the next few months: the Touch Diamond and Versa, both of which we expect by mid-March, the Nokia 7205 Intrigue, which we've expected for over a frigging year now, and the BlackBerry Pearl 8230, which will launch when it damn well feels like it. Nothing particularly amazing about this shot, but we've got to say, the Intrigue looks absolutely stellar -- assuming it actually comes off this good in the flesh.

Samsung to show off LTE chipset at MWC

by Laura June, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 11:52AM

We've known Samsung was working on an LTE chipset for quite a while now, but word's come down from on high that we'll get to see it on show at MWC (which is now just days away). There's no word on which handset we're going to see with the new chipset, but we hear that, among other things, Samsung's going to show its GPP LTE Rel-8 standard-based video-on-demand (VOD) and Internet telephony service using the aforementioned LTE chip-adapted phone and data card, plus it's set to unveil its Mobile WiMAX Ubicell, which uses femtocell connections for use at home or in the office. Barcelona, here we come!

[Via Samsung Central]

Samsung's Ultra Touch S8300 handled ahead of MWC

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 11:33AM


Oh, brother. Really, Samsung? Are we seriously going to have to juggle completely unrelated names based on geographic location yet again? Unless our deductive reasoning skills are just utterly shot, Sammy's Ultra Touch S8300 -- which got official earlier this week -- will be known as the Tocco Ultra Edition in some corners of the globe. Nomenclature aside, what we're really here to discuss is just how striking this piece is, and if you're in disbelief, we'd invite you to give the read link a visit. Pocket-lint was able to score a pre-production sample over in the UK ahead of its "debut" at Mobile World Congress, and you know you don't want to miss that.

Mysterious DirecTV iPhone app appears, imaginations run wild

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 10:52AM Breaking News


You can already control your VUDU queue, home automation system and Netflix account with your iPhone, so really, why not your DirecTV set-top-box? As recent commercials have shown, the satcaster is pretty big on remote scheduling, and while this mysterious DirecTV iPhone app doesn't yet have a public purpose, it doesn't take much thought to conjure up a good guess. Word on the street is that this limited beta hasn't officially opened up for testers yet, but the image above shows otherwise. A staggeringly great Q4, an iPhone app on the horizon -- man, life's good at DirecTV. [Warning: Free subscription required for read link]

[Thanks, Anonymous]

ASUS Eee Phone on track for "later this year"

by Thomas Ricker, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 9:51AM


Not a lot to go on here, but PC World is quoting an "ASUS representative" who says that the Eee Phone will be announced later this year. Unlike the Garmin-ASUS offerings, the Eee Phone would be a low-cost consumer jobbie as previously confirmed by ASUS' chairman, Jonney Shih. As such, we expect it to have a massive bezel, a cheap, over-sized plastic case and some kind of open-source OS that consumers can't resist. Hey ASUS, you got lucky with the Eee PC, don't push it.

Novatel Wireless announces Ovation MC995D HSPA modem

by Sean Cooper, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 9:12AM


The Novatel Wireless MC995D is blue, it swivels, offers 7.2 Mbps down and 5.76 Mbps upload speeds, yeah, sign us up. Novatel's Ovation MC995D USB modem launched today building on the goodies we've seen in the past, offering a speed boost, and switching out the standard design with some minor tweeks. Featuring support for up to 32GB of removable microSD memory, multiple frequency (sadly, no specifics here) HSPA / GPRS / EDGE connectivity, and built in installation software for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Look for it at a carrier near you sometime in Q2 of this year.

Verizon Wireless adopts Alltel's My Circle as 'Friends & Family'

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 8:32AM Breaking News


It was the number one concern of about-to-be-swallowed Alltel customers going into this merger deal, and now it's finally time for those individuals to breathe a huge sigh of relief. In a prime example of great decision making, the suits at Big Red have decided to not only allow ex-Alltel subscribers to keep their My Circle plans, but it's bringing the circle to "current and future customers [read: both VZW and Alltel] as a flexible way to control wireless spending." The news was shot out this morning in a message to employees (posted in full after the break), though there's no word on when Verizon Wireless customers can look forward to enjoying 5, 10 or 20 numbers of free calling each month. So, AT&T -- now that you're cornered between myFaves and My Circle, what's the reaction going to be?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Verizon Wireless adopts Alltel's My Circle as 'Friends & Family'

Qualcomm brings Near Field Communication to more mobile chipsets

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 8:29AM

As stellar as things like contactless payments are, short-range communications applications have generally struggled to gain adoption (Bluetooth notwithstanding). Qualcomm's hoping to change all that with its announcement that certain new products in its portfolio will arrive with NFC capabilities baked right in. The outfit's goal here is to "accelerate the commercial availability of mobile handsets featuring the short-range technology," but unfortunately, it has yet to publicly gloat about signing any partner deals with its Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipsets. We'll be keeping a close eye out at Mobile World Congress for any NFC inclusions, but honestly, we don't have a great deal of hope that any North American handsets will be in the bunch -- if there's a bunch at all.

TeleNav launches GPS navigation for the G1

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 8:00AM Breaking News

They finally, really did it. Have you been lugging around that G1 and a GPS unit, grunting disdainfully every time you have to bust the latter out? Well it looks like TeleNav has heard your cries of disgust. The company is officially launching its turn-by-turn GPS navigation for the Android-powered device come February 24th. The software will feature full color 3D graphics, speech recognition, one-click rerouting, and traffic alerts, as well as weather updates, gas prices, and restaurant reviews (the PR claims over 10 million business and services). The service will launch with a 30-day free trial, after which it'll run you $9.99 a month. While we can't say we're too stoked on the price, it's still not too terrible of a fee to pay to actually put that GPS chip to use (and save some room in your glove compartment). Convergence: we're almost there.

Pantech gets official with wind-recognizing Sky IM-S410K mobile

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 7:44AM


We had no reason to believe that this thing wasn't actually coming, but now Pantech has gone and erased any lingering doubt. The Sky IM-S410 / IM-S410K is being hailed as the first cellphone in the "wind-recognizing" category, which may actually be useful in places unlike Chicago. It checks in at 11 millimeters thin and sports a microphone that can detect when you're deliberately pushing air through it; once you blow, the phone can then change images on the screen, as if to move through a gallery of photos or play games. Outside of that, Pantech also threw in a DMB TV tuner and an e-dictionary, and you'll even get to pick between white, black and red hues. Good luck not getting the stink-eye from fellow subway mates when huffing and puffing on your handset while within close proximity to other Earthlings, though.

[Via AkihabaraNews]
More AOL Tech




Weblogs, Inc. Network

AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Joystiq Xbox
Autoblog
Big Download
Fanhouse NFL Blog