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Add additional TouchPad app launcher tabs (homebrew) Although you can rearrange your apps/icons across the launcher tabs on your TouchPad with some simple press-and-hold action, you are locked in to the four pre-defined launcher tabs of Apps, Downloads, Favorites and Settings without the ability to even change those names. If you find yourself wanting to separate your apps among more than just those four pages, there is some simple homebrew magic in Preware that will add two more pages to the Launcher: a Games and Homebrew tab, just before Settings To install these additional tabs, just open up Preware and do a search for "Add Launcher Tabs" or find it in Available Other - Linux Application - Utilities. Once installed, this will not add an icon to your launcher like most applications, but rather just give you those extra launcher pages. Unfortunately, you still can't rearrange or rename these, but at least you have 2 more tabs available. When you go to rearrage your apps after you install this package, you will also notice when the TouchPad is in landscape mode that the "DONE" button is no longer visible. You can either rotate the TouchPad to portrait mode to press Done, or just tap anywhere on the screen between or to the sides of an icon to exit "edit" mode. These launcher pages will be saved to your webOS Profile as long as you have your backup turned on. Therefore, even if you webOS Doctor or erase your TouchPad, the pages will be restored correctly. If you want to remove the pages, just open up Preware and uninstall the package and all the icons on those new launcher pages will be reverted to the "DOWNLOADS" tab. If you want to experiment on your own with adding, rearranging or renaming the launcher tabs, you can check out this WebOS Internals Wiki page with some more information. But proceed at your own risk. In fact, you may want to backup your launcher setting using Save/Restore before tinkering, in case you mess something up and need to revert back to your original launcher pages. Peter Chou: HTC won't 'destroy brand image' by releasing super-low-end phones HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou has reaffirmed the company's commitment to focus on higher-end devices in 2012, saying it wouldn't "destroy" its brand image by releasing "cheap, cheap phones" in order to increase product shipments. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the HTC boss added, "We insist on using better materials to make better products that offer premium experience. Many consumers like that." In the past six months, HTC has refocused its efforts on "hero" products at every level, including the HTC One series at the high end, and phones like the Droid Incredible 4G LTE in the mid-range market. So it's important to recognize what Peter Chou is referring to when he talks about "cheap, cheap phones." Devices like the recently-launched Desire C and One V may be low-end and inexpensive by Western standards, but there's a whole other ecosystem of super low-end phones coming to market in China and developing countries. In China, HTC offers phones around the 2000 yuan level, while the likes of Motorola are pushing for even cheaper 1000 yuan devices. At this price point, Chou says, "we won't have good products." Whatever the case, this more or less confirms that HTC doesn't intend to release phones that are any cheaper than current budget offerings like the Desire C, and that design and build quality remain priorities for the manufacturer (though that's long been clear to anyone who's used HTC's phones.) In the fiercely competitive smartphone market of 2012, HTC will be hoping its focus on mid-level and above devices will set it apart from its competition. Source: The Wall Street Journal Siri isn't just a Google killer, it's a potential gold mine Last year, after Apple announced Siri, I wrote about it's long term, potentially game-changing business implications for Apple. Specifically, how Siri wasn't a voice control system, but a powerful, Pixar-coated way For Apple to both intermediate and starve their biggest rival, Google, and gain the most valuable data in modern business -- customer insight. Official My Xbox Live app released on Android, reminds us it isn't Smartglass Been hankering after some mobile Xbox Live action like your iOS and Windows Phone buddies? Hanker no more, today the official My Xbox Live application has made its debut on Android.  We heard rumors way back in January that Microsoft were potentially readying themselves to bring Android into the Xbox Live party, after a suspiciously suggestive job advertisement was spotted. Seems there was something behind it, and that Microsoft employed that someone with Android development experience to create what we see today. There's more than just a whiff of the Metro UI about it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, we're not all about looks around here, what about the nuts and bolts of it.  My Xbox Live for Android promises a pretty respectible feature set:  View, manage, and message friends View and compare your achievement progress with friends Read and Edit your full LIVE profile (name, bio, motto) See your 3-D Avatar and customize it while on-the-go Access your recent activity and manage your Beacons Stay connected to the Xbox LIVE community via Spotlight Coming out of E3 there's actually plenty of reasons to be excited about Microsoft bringing cool new stuff to Android, including, of course, the forthcoming Xbox Smartglass. Just in case you were confused though, there's a little paragraph that comes with this just to clarify things:  No, this is not Xbox SmartGlass that we unveiled last week at E3. This is a milestone update to the My Xbox LIVE app on iOS and the first release of the app on Android. Yes, we do intend to bring Xbox SmartGlass to several platforms over time, but have no details to share right now. So, if you're one of the legions of Xbox Live gamers, head on over to the Google Play store now and pick yourself up a copy.  Download: My Xbox Live Source: Major Nelson BlackBerry Comes to You - BlackBerry World & Jam EMEA 2013 dates announced When you attend a big BlackBerry event such as BlackBerry World 2012, there is normally signage all over the place promoting the next big BlackBerry event. That didn't happen this year though. There was no signage to be found for when BlackBerry World 2013 would be held. Because of that small detail, many folks alluded that maybe RIM didn't have a date because they were uncertain if there would be a BlackBerry World 2013. That logic of course, couldn't be any further from the truth. Truth is, RIM will not only be hosting BlackBerry World 2013 but they'll be more in your face and in more places in the coming months than ever before. Have a look below to see all the upcoming events including BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Jam and BlackBerry Innovation Forum. Is your area listed? Will you be looking to attend any of the events? If so, sound off in the comments. read more CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Comes to You - BlackBerry World & Jam EMEA 2013 dates announced Apple applies for .Apple top-level domain Apple is looking to secure their trademark in the world of top-level domains, along with many other mobile giants like Sony, Samsung and HTC. There were a grand total of 1,930 applicants for new URL suffixes to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Update: Amazon jumped the gun; Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 not yet up for preorder Update: Samsung just pinged us to say that Amazon put this page up in error, and that the Note 10.1 isn't yet available for preorder. And, sure enough, the page has been killed. (Samsung also points out the errors that many of you spotted in the specs as another clue that Amazon wasn't quite ready for this one to go live.) The good news is that Sammy's now well aware of how excited you all are for the Note 10.1, so there's that. Original post follows. Pop quiz: What's 10.1 inches in diagonal, looks like a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 but acts like a Galaxy Note? Oh, and it's available for preorder at Amazon U.S. If you answered the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, you'd be correct. And for bonus points, you'd know that it's up for preorder for $549.99. Amazon says it'll ship in 3 to 5 weeks, but it wouldn't surprise us if that's just a ballpark and it shifts either way. In the meantime, be sure to check out our hands-on from Mobile World Congress back in February to see what you're getting yourself into. Preorder the Galaxy Note 10.1 at Amazon; via Unwired View read more Nokia advertisements surface highlighting the Lumia 610 It looks like Nokia in the UK are all set to start a new TV marketing campaign in the very near future as the above Lumia 610 commercial popped up on their YouTube channel a short while ago. While the Lumia 610 may not be the 'daddy' of Windows Phones it does offer pretty good value for money and sits at a price point where it can compete with many low end Android and BlackBerry Smartphones. Vodafone currently is offering the Lumia 610 for £150 on Pay As You Go.  All of which isn't bad when considering that along with the typical Windows Phone features you also get Nokia Maps for local searches and also Nokia Drive which eliminates the need for a separate sat nav system. Now we just need to see when the new advert airs. Will Nokia pay the big bucks and go for prime time at the weekend? ASUS Transformer Prime sees a minor update, brings face unlock ASUS is pushing a minor OTA update to Transformer Prime users, which brings the promised face unlock feature as well as a few bug fixes. According to ASUS' Facebook page, the update brings the system to ICS 9.4.2.28, and includes the following changes: GPS dongle fix and local notification Ethernet UI support to set Ethernet connect policy when screen off Add system bar lock settings for showing/hiding system info Enable face unlock feature Support Bluetooth HDP Third party app upgrades Other bug fixes We're hearing from users on both sides of the pond that the OTA is ready and waiting for them when they check, but if you're the unlucky sort like I am and never get OTA's on time, you can grab the files directly from ASUS here.  We've heard that this update is rootable if you're into that sort of thing, but just in case I'm going to recommend that you run rootkeeper prior to updating just in case. Of course if you're not running stock software you won't be able to flash the update at all and will need to wait for updates from the folks who built your ROM. If you hit any snags, or need a bit of help, be sure to holler in the forums. Source: ASUS on Facebook (1), (2) Xbox Live Companion app updated for iOS, released for Android, holds tight for Windows Phone Microsoft has updated the Xbox Live Companion app for iOS and released a version for the Android system. While there was no movement on the Windows Phone version, the iOS update may be a good indicator on what might be in store. The Xbox Live Companion update for iOS takes that app to version 1.5 and adds the following features for the iPhone or iPad. Discover fresh content from the iPhone Connect to and control content on your Xbox console from the iPhone Authentication improvements for the iPad Retina display support for the iPad The Android version of the Xbox Live Companion is limited to: View, manage, and message friends View Xbox achievement progress View and edit your LIVE profile Edit your avatar Stay connected to the Xbox Live community via Spotlight Access recent activity and manage beacons While it's nice to see Microsoft continuing to improve iOS and Android users connectivity with their Xbox console it would have been nice to have seen the Windows Phone app given a little attention. Then again, SmartGlass will eventually become available and may make the companion app obsolete. Source: Major Nelson Rugged QX Medium Horizontal Pouch for iPhone 4S only $14.95 [Daily deal] For today only, the iMore iPhone Accessory Store has theRugged QX Medium Horizontal Pouch for iPhone 4Son sale for only $14.95! That's a huge 50% off! Get yours before they're gone! Huawei's Ascend P1 gets priced in Europe If you're after a nicely balanced mid-to-high-end smartphone running the latest version of Android, you could do a lot worse than the Huawei Ascend P1. As we noted in our recent review of the device, Huawei's upped its game significantly with its latest phone for international markets. And with a release due in the next couple of months, pre-order prices are starting to appear across European retailers. Ascend P1 prices at Amazon Germany and Unieuro Italy are set around the €450 mark (~£365, ~$565), placing it alongside HTC's One S in terms of unsubsidized prices (though these are, as always, subject to change in the run up to release). That makes sense considering the Ascend P1 comes close to that phone in terms of raw hardware specs, and it's clear the P1 is going to mark the start of Huawei's big play for the higher-end smartphone market. We'll be interested to see which European carriers the manufacturer's able to recruit to its cause this summer. For more on the Huawei Ascend P1, check out our full review. Source: Amazon Germany; via: UnwiredView Texas Hold'Em King Live from Magmic arrives for the BlackBerry PlayBook During BlackBerry World 2012, we saw Magmic hit the stage to demo Texas Hold'em King Live on the BlackBerry PlayBook. At the time, that version wasn't exactly ready for a full on release but now it's ready to be put through its paces and as such, Magmic has released it into BlackBerry App World as a beta. Much like the BlackBerry version, Texas Hold'em King Live has a full range of features built into it that will keep the poker action going: Free To Play In Game Chat 2.0 Automatic Table Selection Over 30 Stylish Avatars Free Content Updates  If you've played Texas Hold'em King Live on your BlackBerry and are also a PlayBook owner, the choice is obvious -- you'll need to check it out. If you're new to Texas Hold'em King Live, give it a go and let Magmic know what you think. It's available now in BlackBerry App World; just hit the link below to get started. Note: App World is having issues right now, if you don't see a download button you can refresh App World by swiping up and inward from the bottom-left corner of the bezel to bring up the keyboard. Then, type in RST. A prompt will show telling you the cache has been cleared, and you should be able to download it at that point. If not, you'll just have to wait a bit longer for App World to populate correctly. Download THK Live for the BlackBerry PlayBook CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Texas Hold'Em King Live from Magmic arrives for the BlackBerry PlayBook Updated HTC OpenSense SDK available with new APIs HTC has released a brand new version of its OpenSense SDK (software development kit), featuring the new APIs that were announced at Mobile World Congress a few months back.  These new programming hooks allow third-party apps to better integrate with Sense 4.0 features like the lock screen and Beats Audio sound enhancements. (Update: the MediaLink HD API is still yet to come, HTC tells us.) HTC says its intention is to allow app developers to add Sense-specific features with a minimal amount of time and effort. And to that end, it's included some sample code showing how devs can simply implement a check to see what the sound enhancer is doing, and act accordingly. The manufacturer's also added more code in its HTCDev.com Developer Center, so app makers shouldn't have to look far to get to grips with other APIs. Devs can find the updated SDK and sample code over at the source link. We look forward to seeing what they can cook up using HTC's new development tools. Source: HTC Blog Do you use a car kit/mount for your BlackBerry?    All this talk about maps the last few days got me thinking a bit, and I'm curious just how many of you actually use a BlackBerry car kit in your vehicle. I've never been one to take advantage of my BlackBerry while driving for maps, however at times I'll use it as my media player on the road. I never really found the need for a car dock of any kind as my console does the job well enough.  I'm sure there are plenty of you that use your device on the road in some way, shape or form. Some of you may use a car dock/mount while others just toss their device on the seat or in a cup holder. Let us know in the poll above if you do or don't use a car mount, then tell us your setup in the comments. Don't have a car kit? Be sure to check out the great selection of car kits, mounts and docks at ShopCrackBerry.com!  CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Do you use a car kit/mount for your BlackBerry? Windows Phone App Review: Tile Master Tile Master is a utility app for your Windows Phone that has the capability of creating fourteen live tiles. The tiles can be pinned to your Windows Phone Start Screen or to a virtual start screen within the app. Tile Master will let you create tiles that will: Access to connection settings (WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth, airplane mode) Website tile to go to specific sites Note tile To-Do tile Flashlight tile Wake-on LAN tile to let you wake up a computer remotely Quote tile to let you pin a quote of the day Picasa tile to access the Picasa Featured album Search Marketplace tile Search Web tile Dialer tile Email tile to send a pre-defined email SMS tile to send a pre-defined SMS message The app is designed with one page for the virtual start screen and the tile creation screen. You're tile selection runs along the bottom of the creation screen. Just tap on the tile you want to create and an easy to use creation template will appear. You'll have the choice to pin the tile to either the virtual screen or your Windows Phone Start Screen. In viewing the virtual screen, you can tap/hold to unpin or re-arrange the tiles. Additionally, you can toggle between viewing the virtual screen and a display of tiles pinned to your Start Screen (the tile button in the upper right corner). The nice thing with this option is that you can unpin tiles from your Start Screen within the Tile Master app. All in all, Tile Master isn't too shabby. If you're looking for a tile creation app, it's worth a try. There is a free trail version for Tile Master that is limited to creating connection settings and website tiles. The full version will run you $.99. You can find Tile Master here at the Windows Phone Marketplace. Adonit Jot Pro stylus review The Adonit Jot Pro  is possibly the most unique stylus we have come across. If you are looking for a way to take notes and capture your handwriting on your Android phone or tablet - look no further. The Adonit Jot Pro is unlike any other stylus on the market today. What makes the Jot Pro unique is that it uses a thin clear disk instead of a typical stylus nib on the end. The clear disk rotates to provide an ideal writing angle –always giving you maximum contact on the screen. The Jot Pro more closely resembles writing with a ballpoint pen than any other stylus. It takes some getting used to, but it is a unique and unparalleled experience. Read on for our full Adonit Jot Pro stylus review! read more Phil Schiller comments on App Store discoverability In a recent interview at WWDC, Apple's VP of Marketing Phil Schiller commented on criticism that it's hard to get noticed in the App Store. "The opportunity is the best it has ever been for software developers... Every other day you hear about another app going off the charts. You can still get discovered and get a hit overnight." Check out the world at night from space It's Wallpaper Wednesday! Keep reading to see what awesome wallpapers we have for you this week. It's Wednesday again so you know what that means ... wallpapers! This week I've picked a bunch of fun ones that I'll be keeping in my rotation for a while. They are kind of all over the place but all look great on their respective device. Our galleries rely on your submissions, so send in all you can to keep them going strong. Maybe one of yours will show up here next week.  If you're not registered already you'll need to do so in order to download from the gallery (don't worry, it's free!). Keep reading for a random sampling of my picks for the week! read more CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Check out the world at night from space ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #83: OtterBox Commuter for Rezound, Galaxy Nexus Snap-On Cover w/ Holster & more Today's ShopAndroid.com Daily Giveaway will feature the OtterBox Commuter Case for HTC Rezound, Qmadix Snap-On Cover w/ Holster for Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Folio Case for XOOM, and the Mobi Crystal Case for AT&T Galaxy S II. Get your chance to win the item of your choice by leaving a comment below stating which accessory you'd like for your Android device.  One lucky winner will be chosen and announced next week. OtterBox Commuter Series Case for HTC Rezound The OtterBox Commuter Case features three layers of protection for your HTC Rezound.  A clear protective film covers your screen preventing scratches, a durable silicone mid-layer help absorb impact, and finally the one-piece custom molded polycarbonate shell that brings it all together encasing the entire device-- making it an excellent option for the outdoor user. read more Listen to the Greatest Android Podcast in the World on Stitcher Attention, people of the Internet! You already listed to the Greatest Android Podcast in the World. We know you do, because thousands and thousands of you download it every week. But we're also aware that more than a few of you are into Stitcher as your podcatcher. And that's awesome. Stitcher's an interesting podcatcher because it's compatible with the Chevy MyLink system. (Yes, that's the same one we demoed at GM's test facility last summer.) And, in fact, so many of you are listening to the show on Stitcher that we're already No. 35 on the new Sticher List for all things technology. (That's right above "Transistors of Yesteryear" and right above "Arduino and Me," for those of you counting at home.) So if you're in the market for a new podcatcher, take a look at Stitcher and let's see how high we can get the show to go. Download links are below. Download: Stitcher for Android; Android Central Podcast on Stitcher BlackBerry PlayBook hacked to run iOS apps, including ours A clever dev has managed to shoehorn full-blown iOS apps onto the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Such App Store titles as Tiny Tower, Super Monkey Ball, TomTom Navigation, Sushi Cat, iFart, Frogger, Galcon, Sketchbook, and a few others. Oh, and the iMore app, of course. This has been made possible through a kind of iOS player that a developer has managed to get to work on Windows too. ZAGGsparq Contest Winners! If you're a registered member here at Android Central then you know our forums always have a contest happening. And if you're not registered, well -- now is as good a time as any. This week's winners are as posted after the break, and if you were chosen watch your email as we'll be following up during the week. Stay tuned for more upcoming contests folks. Congrats to the winners! read more Speech app pulled from App Store that gave 4 year old a voice for the first time The speech recognition app Speak For Yourself for iPad has given 4 year old Maya Nieder a voice of her own for the first time. Due to a lawsuit concerning several patents, the app has been pulled from the App Store. Her parents worry if the app is removed remotely they may lose their new found communication channel with their daughter. Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones updated to version 3.1.0.13 in the BlackBerry Beta Zone Twitter for BlackBerry has also recevied a small update today in the BlackBerry Beta Zone. Version 3.1.0.13 is sporting various fixes including a duplicate reply fix and image correction. It's not a huge update, but we all love fixes, right? If you're a Beta Zone member you can login now to download, and if you aren't yet a member you can sign up for free to have access to some fun goodies. Drop a comment and let us know how this version is working for you. Check out more in the BlackBerry Beta Zone  CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones updated to version 3.1.0.13 in the BlackBerry Beta Zone Retina MacBook Pro torn down, shows little upgradeability The Retina display-packing MacBook Pro that was announced at WWDC has been meticulously disassembled, as you might expect, everything is glued or soldered in place, including RAM, battery packs, and the display. DC Comics [Android App Review] If you’re a comic fan and you use an Android device, you’re definitely going to want to check out the DC Comics app. Now of course if you’re a Marvel-only guy/girl, this probably won’t be the app for you. But if you’re a fan of Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, or any of the other characters from DC’s universe, I’d highly recommend this app. The home screen displays three tabs up top that allow you to navigate through the app. The My Comics tab allows you to view all of the comics that you’ve purchased, see those that have been recently downloaded or viewed, and filtered by series and creator. The Featured tab is much like the featured apps in the Play Store; it displays a variety of titles, both free and paid, from different superheroes. In addition to the featured material, you can see the comics that were just added or narrow them down to free-only. The final tab, Store, allows you purchase any of the comics within the app. You can search for a particular title, browse by series, genre, creator, publisher, most popular or storyline and also browse the free section. One thing that I like about the app is that when you are ready to purchase a comic, the transaction is handled through the Play Store, so you don’t have to give your credit card to the app. When you purchase a comic, it will download it straight to your device so that you can start reading. If you want to ensure that your space is sufficient, you can go into the settings, where there is an option to manage storage. That is the only place in the app where you can delete a comic from your device. I wish it was easier to delete content, maybe in a future update. This is a great app if you’re a comic fan and obviously if you are favorable to the DC universe. It allows you to purchase and view comics right from your Android device. With The Dark Knight Rises hitting theaters in about a month, this is a good time to get acquainted with the source materials that Christopher Nolan has drawn from. DC Comics is a free app from the Google Play Store. We've got download links and screenshots after the break. read more Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones updated to version 3.1.0.16 in the BlackBerry Beta Zone Facebook for BlackBerry has once again been updated in the BlackBerry Beta Zone, this time to version 3.1.0.16. The updates are a plenty and include fixes for various bugs in the app. Things are coming along nicely, so if you're a Beta Zone member (you have no excuse not to be) head over and check for your download. Be sure to drop a comment here and let us know how the new version is working for you! More in the BlackBerry Beta Zone CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones updated to version 3.1.0.16 in the BlackBerry Beta Zone Ping might get killed off in the next version of iTunes Ping, Apple's ill-fated music social network, may be seeing its end of life in September with the next major release of iTunes. Amazon Kindle app updated for better tablet support Android's Amazon Kindle app got a nice little update today, bringing a couple of welcome improvements to tablets. Here's the full changelog: Tablet users: customize your reading experience with new margin and line spacing controls. Tablet users: see two pages side-by-side in landscape mode. Fixed a bug that required some users to re-register when returning to the app. Several bug fixes. It's been a little while since I've used the Amazon App on a tablet that's not the Kindle Fire. We really didn't have proper side-by-side pages, eh? Well, it's fixed now. get your download on. Download: Amazon Kindle for Android Deal of the Day: Save 43% on iSkin Vibes for BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 Today Only: Buy the iSkin Vibes for BlackBerry Curve 9350, Curve 9360 and Curve 9370 and save $13.04. The iSkin Vibes case for BlackBerry Curve 9350, Curve 9360, or Curve 9370 features a flexible design that makes for easy installation, yet it effectively protects and looks good while doing it. The BlackBerry Curve 9350, Curve 9360, or Curve 9370 Vibes cases are made with second generation soft TPU polmers and feature iSkin-exclusive MICROBAN antimicrobial product protection. Item also available in Canada store List Price: $29.99 Today Only: $16.95 Learn More and Buy Now June 13, 2012   CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Deal of the Day: Save 43% on iSkin Vibes for BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 Magellan Compass for Blackberry PlayBook updated with some new features It was only earlier this week that we published the details of an ace new application for the BlackBerry PlayBook called Magellan Compass. I managed to speak with the developer yesterday, who was a very nice chap, and he informed me that the app had actually been updated to version 3.1.0 since our announcement post. The update includes better search options, easier directions for destinations and regional map caching. Having used the application myself I have now found a new love! I am pretty sure more updates will follow in due course. Features: Map Quest data provider Open Street Maps data provider Easy navigation to accelerate panning and easy finger zooming Multiple types of GPS heads up display Multiple map types including maps, satellite, and hybrid Automatic map caching for off-line usage Real-time traffic for the U.S. Real-time traffic incidents for the U.K. Real-time weather radar overlay for the U.S. Along with radar animation. User-defined Points-Of-Interest markers associated with bookmarks Directions and guidance system More information and download of Magellan Compass CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Magellan Compass for Blackberry PlayBook updated with some new features Rebtel brings free, high-quality VoIP calling to Android tablets If you're looking for VoIP services, there is a few options out there and one of those options is Rebtel. Previously having built their Android app only for phones, Rebtel today announced they'll be rolling out v2.0 of their free calling app that will now support tablets in addition to smartphones and as such they've ensured to pack it full of features: Optimized Tablet Experience - Inspired by Rebtel 2.0 for Android smartphones, the new Android tablet app features optimized high-resolution graphics and takes full advantage of the larger tablet screen real estate to give the user an immersive Rebtel experience. Free Rebtel to Rebtel Calls - Rebtel 2.0 for Android tablets incorporates free calling between users running any one of Rebtel’s apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android smartphones, PC, or starting today, Android tablets. Calls are seamlessly connected using Wi-Fi or 3G (applicable to 3G-enabled Android tablets only). Low-Cost Calls to Any Phone - Users of the Rebtel Android tablet app are not limited to our free Rebtel to Rebtel calls. Browse through your native tablet address book, select any contact with a number and get talking at rates up to 98 percent lower than an average carrier, and up to 60 percent lower than current Skype Out rates. Native Address Book Integration - No more syncing issues that mess up your address book. Rebtel for Android tablets seamlessly integrates with the regular native Android address book, providing a clear view of which contacts are available to call for free, and which contacts can be reached at very affordable rates. Low-Cost SMS - Prefer texting over talking? Send low-cost international text messages to friends in more than 196 countries with an average cost savings of up to 60 percent when compared to your regular carrier. If you want to ensure your friend can reply without being charged, tick the Collect Reply box and include a link in your message that lets your friend reply via a mobile web page while you pick up the tab. I've not used Rebtel in the past but do use Skype a lot so I'm going to give this one a full go to see how it works out in comparison, if you're looking for a solution as well this may be it. If you're looking for more info, you'll find it below for your browsing pleasure along with a download link. read more Deal of the Day: Body Glove Flex Snap-On Case for Samsung Infuse 4G The June 13 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Body Glove Snap-On Case for Samsung Infuse 4G. This case features a durable hard shell wrapped in a textured glove material that's easy to grip and protects your Samsung Infuse 4G  from scratches. This case allows for access to all controls along with the charging port. The Body Glove Flex Snap-On Case is available for just $12.95, 57% off the normal price today only. Grab yours while supplies last! Entry-level Sony Xperia Tipo announced Hot on the heels of the Xperia Miro, which emerged on Facebook last night, Sony Mobile has announced the Xperia Tipo, a new entry-level smartphone running Android 4.0 on a 3.2-inch screen. Like the Miro, the Xperia Tipo rocks an 800MHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, and comes in four colors -- black, white, red and blue. Other notable features listed by Sony include a 3.2MP camera, 1500mAh battery "with more than 24 hours of usage time." In terms of internal storage, you've got 2.5GB media space and 766MB for apps. That's way, way less than we'd like, but at least it's expandable via a microSD card slot. So it's a decidedly low-end smartphone, though it should be interesting to see at which price point this device emerges. Sony's already done a pretty good job with its slightly-more-expensive budget offering, the Xperia U. If the Tipo can push things closer to the £100 mark, it might be worth a look. Both Xperia Miro and Xperia Tipo are due for launch in Europe sometime in the third quarter of the year. Full presser's after the break. read more bMagnified for BlackBerry Smartphones bMagnified is a great new application from mappau OG which is ideal for people with impaired vision. It isn't just a camera app but as the title suggests, the application acts as a magnifying glass allowing users to not only read small print via their BlackBerry, but also take snap shots for a later date. In addition you can use bMagnified as a extra tool when taking macro photographs so it serves dual purposes. Although the app is compatible with all BlackBerry smartphones I have one concern after testing and that is that you really need a BlackBerry with an auto-focus camera. I tried it first on my Bold 9900 with not much luck, however on the Torch 9810 it was perfect. In addition I have spoken with the developer today and he is working towards support for BlackBerry 10 so the app will be fantastic on all future BlackBerry handsets. Good news! Priced at $0.99 the app is a real bargain if your vision gives you problems reading print. More information/Download bMagnified CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. bMagnified for BlackBerry Smartphones Windows Phone Xbox Live Review: Civilization Revolution The Windows Phone Xbox Live lineup has long lacked strategy titles. Last year saw the release of Fusion: Sentient, which turned out to be more of a sophisticated boredom simulator than an actual game. Thankfully, 2K Games’ very first Windows Phone release is not just any strategy game. No, it’s part of the illustrious Civilization series: Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution. From humble origins The overall goal of Civilization Revolution (or Civ Rev as I’ll now call it to be cool) is to steer a tiny settlement from the year 4,000 B.C. into modern times and beyond. There will also be multiple NPC civilizations that yours can deal with in a variety of ways. There are actually four different ways to win the game, allowing for a variety of play styles: Domination: Capture all of the other civilizations' capital cities and hold them for one full round. Culture: Gain a total of 20 great persons, wonders, and/or converted cities in any combination, and then build the United Nations wonder. Economic: Acquire 20,000 gold and then build the World Bank wonder. Technological: Research all technologies necessary to build and launch a spaceship, and finally be the first to reach Alpha Centauri. read more ...I'm a WP7! getting a face lift and name change Changes are coming to the popular Windows Phone app ...I'm a WP7!. Changes that will give the app a name change and a few design changes. For those not familiar ...I'm a WP7! is a popular Windows Phone app that lets you locate Windows Phone users in your area, interact with them, share tips and tricks, have access to daily and weekly wallpapers, tap into custom ringtones and tons more. ... I'm a WP7! has grown so much since it's launch in April of 2011 that a core group of users have put together the "Uber Outsiders Guide for Noobs" to help guide everyone through the ...I'm a WP7! environment. With Windows Phones moving to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 right around the corner, the developer has decided to change the name to better capture the nature and intent of the app. The version 3.12 update has been submitted to Microsoft for certification and will give ...I'm a WP7! a new name and slightly new look. With the update, ...I'm a WP7! will become Outsider for Windows Phone. Why the "Outsider"? Since the app is heavily “unrecognized” by Microsoft and the Windows Phone Team, the term “Outsider” has been chosen in direct contrast to “Insider”. The app's concept and features won't change (well... the features will continue to grow), it's just the name. Look for the update to be pushed out in about a week and if you haven't checked out ...I'm a WP7!, it's followers number over 300,000 and span 189 countries. It is a free app that you can grab here at the Windows Phone Marketplace. Oh...and you can find the "Uber Outsiders Guide for Noobs" here on Skydrive. It's a OneNote document and is a work in progress. Pre-order the Acer Iconia A700 tablet today - 1080p, Tegra 3, 32GB for $450 Acer has announced that the Iconia Tab A700 will be available for pre-order today online and at "national electronics retailers" across the US. The 10-incher comes in two models, black or silver, both checking in with 32GB of storage. In addition, this is one of the first devices we've seen to officially support 64GB microSD cards (many others will, but don't "officially" support them) for a grand total of 96GB of storage. You'll likely be using that storage for a video or two, as the A700 is sporting a 1080p display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 800:1 contrast ratio and a 178 degree viewing angle. Underneath, NVIDIA's Tegra 3 and 1GB of RAM should deliver the content very well. We had a look at the A700 back at Mobile World Congress, and were rather impressed with both the screen and how thin and portable the tablet felt. If you've been waiting for the 1080p tablets to come, you might want to have a look at this one. In the meantime, we've got a slew of images and the press release after the break. read more Swiftkey gets the XKCD treatment Swiftkey -- the Android Central 2011 Editor's Choice for third-party keyboard -- today has received an honor most of us can only dream of, having been immortalized as an XKCD comic by the genius Randall Munroe. The comic actually centers on the Swiftkey 3 beta, the shining feature of which is the ability to type without worrying about hitting that pesky space bar. The prediction engine takes care of that for you, going as far as completing sentences that you never started in the first place. And, as you can see, hilarity ensues. Swiftkey's also asking what your default sentence is. Just hit the middle of the three prediction keys and see what you get. You'll need to actually be using Swiftkey, of course. (And if you're just getting started, expect to see "I am a beautiful person." You can share your result here. Source: XKCD; download the Swiftkey 3 beta Samsung TecTiles brings new rewritable NFC tags solution Looks like it's time for NFC tags to hit the big time. Samsung tonight announced TecTiles, its own rewritable NFC tag solution.  For those of you new to the game, NFC stands for "Near Field Communication" -- think of it as very short-range wireless data transfers where you literally tap your phone against something to initiate the transfer. NFC tags are little stickers that, when touched by an NFC-enabled device, can then cause an action to happen.  We got the opportunity to give them a spin last week in New York City and, guess what -- they're rewritable NFC tags. But they're going to be pretty darn handy. read more Three UK launch new EU data roaming deal Following on from fellow UK carriers O2 and Vodafone, Three UK has pulled the wraps off their own EU data roaming deal, known as the Euro Internet Pass. Todays announcement is huge news for Three customers, and is made possible by the recent EU legislations on mobile roaming.  So, what exactly is on offer? Your data, only in Europe, put simply. There is no tethering included, so even if you're on the almighty One Plan, you will not be able to take advantage of your tethering capabilities when abroad. Other than this, you have unlimited access to data for just £5 per day. There are some exceptions to valid countries, for example Norway and Switzerland aren't included. In contrast, in countries that aren't supported or if you haven't activated your pass, data is charged at £1.28 per MB. If however, you're heading to one of the countries below, you're in luck: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (incl. Azores & Madeira), Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (incl. Balearic & Canary Islands), Sweden, Vatican City, Monaco. Not supported is: Aland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey), Croatia, Cyprus (North), Faroe Islands, French Guiana, Georgia, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Isle of Man, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Martinique, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Reunion, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Turkey, Netherlands Antilles and the Rest of the World. Activating your pass is incredibly simple too, with nothing to do back in the UK before you leave. Upon activating your phone in one of the supported countries, Three will send you a text message containing a link within. Clicking the link takes you to purchasing information, and from there you're all set until Midnight UK time that day. It can also be obtained by visiting http://mobile.three.co.uk/europass on your phone. Source: Three UK Xbox Live - Final Fantasy secret Achievements and Achievement Guide Final Fantasy is finally available, and we’ve already provided some beginner tips and resources to help players get started. Even advanced players will need help with the game’s Achievements, though. Why? They’re all secret, meaning players can’t view them in-game or through Xbox Live prior to earning them. This led many to speculate that the Achievements would all be story-related. As it turns out, that did not prove to be the case. We know this because Achievement hunter-extraordinaire Zebrasqual managed to uncover Final Fantasy’s full Achievement list. Windows Phone Central then broke those Achievements down into categories for your convenience. Not only that, we’ve got tips and resources for the more challenging ones that will set you on the right track. It won't be easy though, so prepare for a lengthy journey! read more The big list of iOS 6 features At WWDC, Apple proclaimed iOS 6 would introduce over 200 new features when released this fall, and that what we saw yesterday was just a small sampling. We've got plenty of posts going over the big features, but there are also a handful of slides that were positively riddled with features that they just didn't have time to go over. Additionally, there were lots of smaller features that either just got a passing mention, were folded into some of the talk about OS X, or weren't referenced at all. That said, let's tear apart the keynote address (which was recently made available in HD on iTunes, by the way) and pick out every teeny tiny iOS 6 feature we can. We're going to keep a running tally here, and update it as more information becomes available, so check back often! Supposed leaked screenshots of Windows Phone 8 Apollo appear, show off Skype and Lenses Is this Windows Phone 8? We think so... With less than week before Microsoft is expected to show off Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco, some leaked (and terrible looking) screenshots have appeared on the site Nokia Innovation. The shots supposedly show off integrated Skype, including an incoming video call as well as a data usage app. You may also note the mention of "RCSe" near the bottom which stands for "Rich communication suite", an important feature coming to WP8. The next screen shot shows the camera app with a new button. Nokia Innovation does not know what that lower button is but we can tell you that it's for the "Lenses" function, which will most likely be revealed next week. In fact, the only reason we're giving these sceenshots some credibility is the fact that Lenses button is 100% accurate. The rest we cannot vouch for but it does jive with what we've learned and seen ourselves. The data usage app (called "Data Smart" officially) was also confirmed by Joe Belfiore back in February in the leaked video for OEMs which detailed Apollo (yes, we've seen the video and can vouch for everything said in it). According to Nokia Innovation "the first bar shows how much data you have left, the second shows how many days remaining on your data plan, and it seems you can even adjust your data plan based  on the data report ". Such integration is part of the customization that carriers and OEMs/Microsoft will bring to Windows Phone 8 this fall. This "data control" is a big focus in Windows Phone 8 which when combined with the data compression for web browsing will allow users to better monitor their data usage. In fact, data compression in IE10 should reduced data usage by up to 30% on top of speeding up browsing in general. Finally, what is supposedly Nokia Drive 3.0 is also shown with updated traffic report and re-routing. That's the standalone app though and not part of Windows Phone 8. Source: Nokia Innovation Official CNN app now available for all Windows Phones "This is CNN...on all Windows Phones" Well look at that, it looks like Nokia's 90 day exclusive on the official CNN app has finally expired--certainly a rare sight to see. The CNN app, which was developed in conjunction with Nokia and announced back at CES 2012, embraces the Metro design with unique features like the iReporter function for reporting news on your own. For many on Windows Phones, the stranglehold on "exclusive" apps by Nokia was a thorn in the side--well, at least for those without a Nokia Lumia. But now you can download the exact same app with push notifications and local news to your non-Nokia device, resulting in what we imagine to be a loud cheer. The CNN app ranks up there with the USA Today app as far as elegance and functionality. It's great to see it displayed on other Windows Phones for all.  Pick up the official CNN app for Windows Phone here in the Marketplace. Thanks, Scott H., for the tip! At last, Final Fantasy appears on the Windows Phone Marketplace Final Fantasy, one of the most-anticipated Windows Phone games ever, is now on the Marketplace! Why so popular? First off, it’s the only straight-up RPG (or JRPG) in the mobile Xbox Live library. Besides, while the Final Fantasy series is extremely popular the world over, Final Fantasy (part I) is only the third entry for Microsoft platforms, the first two being Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 on Xbox 360 (if we count the online-only XI, that makes a total of four). Windows Phone gamers finally have a chance to experience the series’ origin. While the first Final Fantasy initially appeared on the 8-bit NES system, the mobile version is based on 2007’s enhanced Playstation Portable remake. Players will assemble a party of four warriors from a pool of iconic classes and then set out to save the world from the surprisingly unhelpful Elemental Fiends. Overworld and underworld navigation utilizes a funky-looking virtual pad for movement while the battles are more tap-focused. Mainstay RPG elements like grinding for experience and money to purchase new equipment and a huge danger-filled world to explore promise hours of entertainment. When we revealed the first screenshots of the Windows Phone version, we were slightly disappointed that the game still runs in the same aspect ratio as the iPhone game it was ported from as opposed to the wider ratio of the PSP and Windows Phone screens. The screen remains off-center, a seemingly odd decision – until you notice the clock occupying the black space. Tap that area and the phone’s battery life, wireless, and cellular signals appear as well. Considering the length and addictive nature of Final Fantasy, having instant access to the time and your phone’s battery life is actually quite useful. Strategy Since many of you are new to this installment of Final Fantasy, we’ve got a few tips to get you started. The first decision you make upon starting a new game, that of which character classes to take along, is very important as you’re stuck with those for the rest of the game. Choose poorly and you’ll face a much greater challenge. The default selection (Fighter, Thief, White Mage, Black Mage) is actually one of the best parties to go with. At any rate, you absolutely must have a single White Mage or Red mage on hand to heal the rest of the party. Saving is another important area to wrap your head around. Whenever you exit to the title screen, press the Home button, etcetera, that creates a temporary save file. To start back where you left off, simply pick Resume from the title screen. The file is temporary though, as resuming, choosing to Continue a permanent file, or starting a New Game will overwrite it. To create permanent saves, simply enter the menu by tapping the names of your party in the lower-right corner of the screen while outside of battle. Then choose the Save option at the bottom of the screen. (Thanks to Cadwr for the correction!) For more Final Fantasy tips, check out the following resources: StrategyWiki – An excellent place to learn about character classes and much more GameFAQs - Provides several detailed walkthroughs Windows Phone Central's Final Fantasy Achievement Guide Now that you're prepared... Final Fantasy costs $6.99 and there is a free trial. It clocks in at a whopping 91 MB. If you love RPGs, don’t wait for a sale. Head over here to the Marketplace and start adventuring! Tentacles makes for a gooey Xbox Live Deal of the Week once again Repeat Deal of the Weeks are all the rage lately, and what better game to put on sale again than the graphically impressive and challenging Tentacles from Press Play? Just like back in December, Tentacles is on sale again. But the price is actually lower this time thanks to a recent price drop, making this the best deal yet. Tentacles is the tale of a Japanese fetish gone awry. Wait, wrong tentacles! Actually, the game stars Lemmy, a small tentacled creature who ends up inside the body of his mad scientist creator. Unique touch controls allow Lemmy to move one tentacle at a time, navigating dangerous levels and eating eyeballs for health. With 40 levels (plus optional PDLC levels), beautiful 3D graphics and 2D story sequences, and an atmospheric soundtrack, Tentacles could be a game you’ll fall in love with. One caveat though… As mentioned in our review, the difficulty ramps up in later levels (say 20 and on), leading to bouts of frustration. Depending on your patience and constitution, your experience could be different. Tentacles is on sale for $1.99 for one week only. Get it here on the Marketplace. What is a Windows Phone VIP? Very Important People. That is what VIP means to everyone, but what is a Windows Phone VIP Ambassador? Microsoft created a training website called Expertzone, where Retail Sales Professionals could log in and take training courses on selling Microsoft products. In 2010, Microsoft created the Windows Phone VIP program and BIll Bush was at the helm building a new Windows Phone community. The program has grown to over 13,000 VIP's and nearly 100 Windows Phone Ambassadors. Retail sales professionals can join  this exclusive site to get first hand knowledge, special events, contests, and fellow windows phone users to bond with. With a small amount of users of Windows Phone, there was an even smaller amount of sales associates that actually knew anything about the OS. With the Expertzone site, new employee's train to learn about  key features and talk to real windows phone users for advice on problems they were having, how to demo properly, and enter some really cool exclusive contests. The whole point of the program is to reward those individuals who really love windows phones by giving them more knowledge, exclusive meetups, rewards like t-shirts, pins, and phones. Their community is growing strong and keeps growing. Microsoft is now upgrading the program to Windows Phone Advisors, where a current WP VIP's can refer other associates who want to become an Advisor. The role of a Windows Phone Advisor is being the go-to guy/girl for Windows Phone at their work. They are the "experts" because of their knowledge and have gone above and beyond to represent Windows Phone. They also train their fellow sales associates on windows phone and customers.   This program is something special because they are getting dedicated, passionate fans of Windows Phones who sell them excited about Windows Phone. Knowing you belong to a larger community where you can talk to about the various devices and have the other people completely understand what you are talking about is a great feeling. Microsoft understands they are the low-man on the totem pole,and this program gives them an amazing opportunity to get direct feedback from the people who sell their phones. They get insight to what customers are saying, what they like, don't like, have trouble with, etc... and they have time to react to their thoughts. Maybe that is why Windows Phone 8 might be taking longer, they are listening and changing things for the better! If you sell phones, go check out Expertzone, and join the VIP Advisor program! Help spread the Windows Phone love! Samsung Galaxy S III will launch on time, Apple's push for early injunction hearing denied Apple won't be able to hold back the Galaxy S III tide in the US, as their request for an early injunction hearing against Samsung's latest has been denied by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose. Because her calendar was so full she had no time to hear the case before the June 21 Galaxy S III launch, effectively dashing Apple's hopes to keep it out of your hands. This does not affect the trial itself, which will go on as planned -- just not when Apple wants it to. This is a big deal to both sides. The Galaxy S III is expected to sell well, and many users will be under a new two-year agreement when Apple releases their next model sometime later this year. According to analyst Dan Levine (read the source link), postponing the launch of the Galaxy S III was a major part of Apple's strategy in the battle for smartphone dominance, and we have to agree. Once users get the new Galaxy S III in their hands, they may not want to look at any other phone for a while.  Source: Reuters Sony announces the Xperia Miro Sony's countdown timer has reached zero (a good week or so ahead of the original date), and the manufacturer has announced its new mid-range, social-focused smartphone, and the Xperia Miro. Unveiled initially on Sony Mobile's Facebook page, the Xperia Miro takes some design cues from the Xperia Sola. It's a sleek-looking 3.5-inch device with a 5MP camera, and that's about all Sony's saying on hardware for the time being. On the software side you've got Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, backed up by Sony's UXP NXT software. Based on the promo video that Sony's just published, there's been some expansion of the company's "Facebook Inside Xperia" initiative, bringing even closer integration between the phone and the social network (and it also explains the Facebook-centric promo campaign, we guess). The Xperia Miro looks to be a Europe-only device for now, and there's no word on US availability just yet. As you'll see from our image above, the Miro is a colorful beast, coming in silver, black, pink and gold. If you want to see more, we've got a few extra pictures after the break, along with Sony's announcement video. read more Ice Cream Sandwich wins Gold Prize for best platform experience at Parsons' 2012 UX Awards Matias Duarte and team have reason to be proud this evening, as Ice Cream Sandwich has won the Gold Prize for best platform experience at Parson's School of Design's annual user experience awards show. We all demand a beautiful and functional interface on our smartphones, and Android really stepped up with Ice Cream Sandwich. As Durate's first real work with Google, it implements all the good from previous versions along with good looks and effects that make it stand out.  The video you see above was the clip reel shown to the audience, which really does embody the eye for design and simplicity that went into Ice Cream Sandwich. Congrats, Matias and team on an award well deserved! Source: +Matias Duarte. More: Android developers on Youtube Are you ready to Party Your Apps Off? So there's a little event coming up in a couple of weeks in San Francisco. It's called Google IO, and if you somehow haven't heard of it, it's Google's yearly app developer conference. Lookout Mobile Security is hosting their annual "Party Your Apps Off" event at a top secret location in downtown San Francisco on the night before Google IO begins, June 26. Last year's party was amazing with free food, unlimited drinks, tons of Android giveaways, and of course awesome people to mingle with. This year is going to be even better, because on top of the free food, drinks, and incredible giveaways, the Lookout team will have some passes to the exclusive Ninja Party at DefCon in July to hand out, as well as a photobooth, one of the city's best Food Trucks, and more! You never know, you might even run into Phil or one of the other Android Central guys at the party! Lookout has provided us with 20 passes to the Party Your Apps Off event to pass on to you guys. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling us why you should be chosen, we'll pick winners Sunday night and announce them on Monday. The lucky winners will receive two passes to the party (so you can take a friend, yay!) but that's it. This is not a pass to the conference, and it doesn't come with a hotel room or transportation. If chosen you are responsible for all of those things so keep that in mind. You don't have to be attending Google I/O to attend the party, but you do have to be in San Francisco on June 26th. Also, the party is 21 and older only, so take that into consideration. That's it. Let us know in the comments why we should pick you!  Facebook app and People Hub connection not playing nice We have received a number of tips that the Windows Phone Facebook app and People Hub integration are not working. There are reports of the Facebook app not loading, passwords not being accepted and status updates not refreshing.  So far hard resets, deleting the account and re-installing, and tinkering with Windows Live permissions have been tried with no success. Manually syncing the Facebook account in the Windows Phone settings also fails to correct the issue. While we would like to give you a reason for the problems but we are experiencing the same issues and have not heard of a cause. Some have suggested it may be an API issue with Facebook.  On my end, I've been watching the load screen for the Facebook app pass the four dots across the screen for the past five minutes.  And the last Facebook updates in the Peoples Hub was from last night. If you feel like venting, feel free to join the Windows Phone Central Forums discussion here or sound off in the comments. Just remember as you express your frustrations that this is a family friendly site. Should a solution or reason for this problem come about, we'll be sure to pass it on. Thanks, everyone, for the tips! Quick Shift updated, adds free version and new game modes to the mix Quick Shift is a puzzle game for your Windows Phone that was recently updated to bring two new game modes to the table. There is also a free, ad-supported version now available. Quick Shift presents you with a five by five grid of numbered tiles. You have to find numbered straights that run vertically or horizontally. You earn points by collecting the straights and each round has a target score that must be met before you can advance to the next level. Rows and columns can be shifted to line up the straights. The game is played in timed rounds with the challenge coming with a secondary timer that will shift the tiles around every eleven seconds. Key features include: 90 levels of play In-game achievements Game statistics Local leaderboard filtered by each game mode Live tile support The new games modes are unlocked as you complete the first game mode.  You have the original numbers mode and now there is an alphabet mode (create letter straights) and a mix mode that combines numbers and letters.  As you progress through the levels, the game gets a little more challenging by adding more numbers and letters into the mix.  For example, with the numbers mode you start out working with one through five but more numbers come into play the further you advance. All in all, Quick Shift is a nice game for your Windows Phone that not only challenges your powers of observation but speed skills as well. You can find the free, ad-supported version of Quick Shift here and the ad-free version ($.99)  the Windows Phone Marketplace.                       Pentile, Kernels, ROM's and Verizon's new data plans [From the Forums] Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums, there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below. HTC EVO 4G LTE - Text messages - phone numbers not fully linked to call HTC One X Forums - Weird bug: screen loses drag sensitivity sometimes? HTC Rezound Forums - Make addresses open with maps? Samsung Galaxy S III Forums - Thoughts on the pentile screen? Galaxy Nexus Forums - Let's talk Kernel, ROMs, etc. If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today. Games, platform exclusives, clever in-app purchases, delightful animations, and other lessons from the 2012 Apple Design Awards he 2012 Apple Design Awards were interesting because of the fantastic apps that got the exposure and recognition of an ADA. They were also interesting in what they revealed about Apple priorities and predilections when it came to the award selections. Android A to Z: Multitasking Multitasking is a word you'll hear a lot around here and at other places on the Internet that talk about smartphones or other tech. It doesn't mean what it used to, back when dinosaurs with long beards first dreamed up computers, but it still makes a very big difference for some folks and can be the deciding factor when picking a smartphone operating system. Let's have a look and see what the fuss is all about, and how it relates to Android. A long time ago, in a laboratory far, far away, some Jedi masters decided that computers should do more than one thing at a time. They really already were doing plenty of things behind the scenes, but to the user it was a case of entering a command, and waiting for it to finish. Using threads and schedulers, and probably a little magic and a lot of luck, engineers were able to work up an operating system that could run more than one user command at a time, and multitasking was born. When you switch to a new VT (virtual terminal) on a Unix box with no GUI, you're multitasking. When you have more than one window open on your Windows or Mac or other computer that does have a GUI, you're multitasking. You're doing more than one thing at a time, and the computer is running more than one user task at a time. You can now read Android Central while your completely legal torrents are downloading in the background. On a smartphone, multitasking is a bit different. We don't have the luxury of a 20-inch monitor, so showing more than one "thing" running at a time isn't a big deal. Samsung is testing the waters and trying it with the Galaxy S III with the Pop-Up Play feature, but for the most part whatever we're doing takes the whole screen to do it. We also don't have tons of RAM and video memory available and have to watch the power usage. This means smartphone multitasking has to be a bit, well, smarter.  Smartphones have been multitasking for a long time. All the mobile operating systems do it a bit differently -- some suspending all other apps in the background, some saving the state and closing the app itself, and others just letting everything run. The way Android does it is to let threads and processes run depending on their priority. If you're using Google Play Music, the processes that make the sound come out of the speaker have a high enough priority to stay running when you switch away from the app. Not all of it is running in the background, but enough of it is to keep the tunes playing. Other apps can be killed if they aren't being used, and some apps get "frozen" (for lack of a better word) and restore themselves when brought back to the foreground. What's important, and prioritized, is decided when the application is written and compiled so the end user doesn't have to worry about it. It's not perfect, but it follows the very strong multitasking model from Linux and tweaks it for Android. It's all open-source, so manufacturers and ROM builders can (and have) tweaked things to allocate memory the way they want it allocated. Sometimes the tweaks are great, sometimes not so much.  In the end, remember the next time you open an app and start up where you left off that you're seeing multitasking at work.  Check out the complete Android Dictionary read more Songkick [Android App Review] Apps that genuinely fit into your life are always the best. There are those that you genuinely cannot function without, and those which fill a void you never knew you had until it was filled. With the release of Songkick today, a void I never realised I had, has now been filled. Filled to the point I just found out that Lostprophets -- who I happen to adore -- are playing in my home town this November. A good end to the day for sure.  read more SGP Kuel H12 stylus review The SGP Kuel H12 is a great alternative to using your finger for everything from navigating and activating your icons to playing a game of Draw Something.   The beautiful screen on the new Android phones calls out to be touched. But maybe not by your fingers. We have all found, at one time or another, that touching the screen leaves fingerprints and grime on the screen. We have also found that our fingers are fat and clumsy when it comes to painting and writing. So, we need something with a capacitive end or nib to touch the screen in a far more precise way to really take advantage of some of the newer apps. Enter the SGP Kuel H12 stylus. It's got the look and feel of a pen, minus all the messy ink. For this review, we're going to use apps like Sketchbook Mobile, Note Everything and Handwrite to judge the overall qualities of the stylus. Read on for our full H12 stylus review! read more St. Louis Windows Phone Development Workshop with Nokia (Reminder) Here's a quick reminder for the June 22, 2012 St. Louis Windows Phone Development Workshop. Nokia Developer Ambassador Rich Dunbar will be leading the workshop. If you're interested in developing for Windows Phone, it sounds like a great opportunity to network with other developers and get some help building your app. The workshop will run from 5:30 p.m. until around 9:00 p.m. and will be held at the Microsoft Offices in St. Louis. The goal of the workshop is to help developers get started on their first Windows Phone app. Nokia will be sponsoring the event and will provide pizza and beverages.  No guarantees but Nokia may also provide a few door prizes as well.  Attendees will need to bring their own laptop and have the necessary development tools installed. You can find a full list of the tools that you'll need here in the Windows Phone Central Forums discussion. Registration is required (so enough pizza is ordered) for the workshop and you can find that easy process here at GroupSpaces. Windows Phone App Review: Countdown Tiles Need a reminder on how many days it is until your vacation? retirement? the start of College Football season? There's a Windows Phone app for that. Countdown Tiles gives you the ability to create live tiles that will countdown the days until events. The app is laid out simple with pages that list your timers, access the settings and view the "about" information. Settings cover turning on/off live tile auto updates and turning off an app reminder. According to the reminder setting description, live tiles will stop working after 14 days if you don't access the app. When turned on, you will receive a reminder to open Countdown Tiles to keep the live tiles working. To create a countdown tile, just tap on the "+" button on the Countdowns page. You can create a tile titles (e.g. Days until Vacation), set the expiration date, and add an image that will take up the bottom half of the tile. Once created, the tile will be added to the Countdowns page where you can pin it to the Start Screen, edit it, or delete the tile all together. For the most part, Countdown Tiles is a decent app for your Windows Phone. There are a couple of downsides though. First, there's the 14 day requirement to access the app or the live tile will stop working. I'm not sure if this is a quirk with Windows Phone or a way to make sure the app is used. I can see this being a pain but the reminder does help prevent you from forgetting to keep the live tile working. Second, the timer only reflects days until the event. It would be more interesting if the tile displayed day, hours, and minutes until the event. Or at least give you the option to choose how precise you want the timer to be. Regardless, if you're looking for a simple way to create countdown tiles to remind you how close (or far away) an event is, Countdown Tiles is worth a try. Countdown Tiles is a free app for your Windows Phone and you can find it here at the Windows Phone Marketplace. Contest: Take Lloyd on an adventure and win 1 of 4 Samsung Galaxy S IIIs! Lloyd likes to travel, and with summer upon us he is itching to break out and see the world. Last year he jumped in your suitcases and pockets and traveled to all sorts of fun places, our favorite being the Googleplex in California, his birthplace if you will. So we think it's time to help curb Lloyd's craving for adventure in far off places, and at the same time give you guys a chance to win the brand spanking new Samsung Galaxy S III. But wait… we're not giving away just one of these, we're giving away FOUR of them! That's right, four Samsung Galaxy S IIIs are on the line one for each of the major carriers releasing the phone in the coming weeks. (That'd be Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile). So how do you enter? It's easy. Maybe too easy. Download Lloyd from this link, then print him out and put him on a stick or something. Do not just Photoshop him into a picture. Take a picture with yourself and Lloyd. No, not just Lloyd. We want to see you, too. If you're not in the picture, you're not in the running. If you submit a picture of yourself in a Lloyd T-shirt, we'll accept that, too. Buying a shirt's not a requirement for this contest, though. E-mail your shots in. Use the subject line "SGS3 Contest". You may email us more than one picture, but this is a contest, so make sure you send in the best of the best. We'll accept entries through June 27. That gives you a little over two weeks to get your shots in. We'll pick our favorites, or we'll put it up to the group for a vote if we get a lot of great entries, which I'm betting we will. Remember, we're giving you a phone -- you're on your own for service. The winners will get to choose which SGSIII they want and we'll ship it out after the contest ends. The contest is open internationally, however please note the carrier choices. It's on you to pick which model will work in your country and take care of any unlocking that may be required. We are also not responsible for any customs duties/fees that may arise. So that's it. Grab Lloyd and head out into the wild. Show him a good time. Then win a Samsung Galaxy S III. Epic.  Developer gets iOS apps running on BlackBerry, for real (we asked for more evidence and got it) This past Saturday a thread popped up in the CrackBerry Forums by new member businesscat2000, titled iOS Apps running on PlayBook! The thread linked to this video on youtube, which runs through a demo of iOS apps running on the BlackBerry PlayBook via an iOS player of sorts, including Super Monkey Ball, Tiny Tower, Tom Tom, Sushi Cat, iFart (of course) and more. This video also linked to another youtube video, showing the iOS Player running in a Windows environment. It took less than an hour for businesscat2000 to claim responsbility for the videos and being the brains behind this extremely interesting development project of sorts. In the forums, the community responded with both shock and awe and a little disbelief, to which the developer explained his approach: read more CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Developer gets iOS apps running on BlackBerry, for real (we asked for more evidence and got it) App Review: BallZ HD Some games are good time sinks, taking up hours upon hours of time. Others are good for a few minutes here or there when you've got just a few minutes. And a few bright games fall into both camps, good for the quick round or whiling away the hours you should be spending working. We've come across a new game in the App Catalog with the unassuming (and admittedly vague) title of BallZ HD. When the description said it was good for everything from the original Pre and Pixi to the big-screen TouchPad, well, we couldn't help but take a look. read more What iOS 6 means for gaming Gaming got a bit of a spotlight at yesterday's WWDC keynote, and though Apple spent just as much of the show talking about Mac as it did iOS, there are a lot of big implications for mobile. Sony Xperia Go and Samsung Galaxy Beam headed to the UK in July The latest update to the Carphone Warehouse's "coming soon" page brings news of the UK launch window for two new Android phones from Sony and Samsung. The Galaxy Beam, Sammy's pico projector-equipped phone, and the Xperia Go, Sony's waterproof and dust-resistant 3.5-incher, are both expected on British shores from July. The Xperia Go is the follow-up to last year's Xperia Active, with IP67-rated water resistance, a dual-core 1GHz CPU and Android 2.3 Gingerbread, upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich later in the year. Meanwhile, Samsung brings to market the first smartphone with a pico projector in the Galaxy Beam, along with a similar 1GHz dual-core chip and Gingerbread-based software. Prices for the beam are expected to start at around £350-370. Source: Carphone Warehouse LG Optimus Vu non-unboxing unboxing You've gotta hand it to LG. The Korean manufacturer knows how to package a smartphone, at least when U.S. carriers aren't involved.  Here we have the LG Optimus Vu. It's the crazy 5-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio half-phone/half-tablet mutant we first got our hands on at Mobile World Congress back in February in Barcelona. Now we've got it in our hot little hands, and we can easily say we've never seen a smartphone -- or tablet, or even the Samsung Galaxy Note -- packaged quite this way. And this isn't the first time LG's gone all creative on us -- you'll probably remember the excellent book that came along with the Optimus Black. So kudos to LG for making our usual boring job of opening up a smartphone box and proving that there's a charger and maybe a set of earbuds inside just a little more fun. And we'll have plenty more on the Optimus Vu coming right up. BlackBerry theme roundup - June 12, 2012 Welcome to another edition of our theme roundup my fellow theme addicts. I hope you all had a great weekend! Now it's time to get back to work and I have some great themes to show you in the roundup this week. Be sure to click on the jump and check them out. If you developed a theme you want to share or see featured in the contest or discovered a really great one out there by all means shoot it on over to us! Submit your tips and suggestions to themeroundup[at]crackberry.com for consideration. I hope you enjoy this week's picks so be sure to click on the jump to check them out. read more CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry theme roundup - June 12, 2012 MPACaseMaker packs a BlackBerry PlayBook, scanner, printer and more into a portable case We've seen the BlackBerry Police Cruiser and all of its awesome BlackBerry PlayBook powered goodies time and time again, and now Mobile Innovations President Gary Bauer is hitting the road with a portable version of the same gadgets. The MPACaseMaker is a 20lb Pelican hard-case that incorporates all of the tech found in the cruiser and makes it available to other services as well. Bauer says it can be used by "any type of work truck" - EMS, fire, ambulances, municipal vehicles and many more. Included in the case is a PlayBook, keyboard, drivers license scanner, magstripe scanner, printer and power supply. The entire package runs around $2500, which is a pretty good deal since you can easily move the case from place to place and one vehicle to another. Check out the video above for more and be sure to hit the forums for some discussion. Dicuss more in the CrackBerry forums CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. MPACaseMaker packs a BlackBerry PlayBook, scanner, printer and more into a portable case Jay Freeman (Saurik) at Indie Dev Lab 2012 - Cydia founder speaks! We're live at Jay Freeman (Saurik)'s talk at Indie Dev Lab 2012. We'll update with highlight as they happen! Has Apple improved upon social network integration with iOS 6? Last month, I wrote about the challenges of truly integrating your social networks, especially Facebook, into your iPhone or iPad. During the keynote at yesterday’s kick off to WWDC, Facebook was once again brought to center stage. Qmadix Xtreme Protective Case for iPhone 4S only $16.95 [Daily deal] For today only, the iMore iPhone Accessory Store has the Qmadix Xtreme Protective Case for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on sale for only $16.95! That's a huge 52% off! Get yours before they're gone! Navigate from point A to point B with Magellan Compass for the BlackBerry PlayBook The native mapping application on the BlackBerry PlayBook may be lacking some essential features, and while we all know that's changing, other developers are stepping in to fill that void. o2 interactive has developed one feature-packed map application that also allows for turn-by-turn navigation. One of the biggest selling features in the app is the ability to store up to 2GB of mapping data right on your PlayBook, making this application handy for any cross-border drives where data roaming would typically be an issue. Features: Map Quest data provider Open Street Maps data provider Easy navigation to accelerate panning and easy finger zooming Multiple types of GPS heads up display Multiple map types including maps, satellite, and hybrid Automatic map caching for off-line usage Real-time traffic for the U.S. Real-time traffic incidents for the U.K. Real-time weather radar overlay for the U.S. Along with radar animation. User-defined Points-Of-Interest markers associated with bookmarks Directions and guidance system I’ve been using the navigation side of the application for the past two weeks and I must say, it’s pretty rock solid. With the application recalculating your route within seconds of making a wrong turn, you’ll never be too far off from your path. Coming this week I will be traveling to Waterloo to have a visit at RIM HQ and I’ll be using Magellan Compass on my 3-hour drive there. Magellan Compass for the BlackBerry PlayBook can be found in BlackBerry App World for the reasonable price of $5.99. While there are a few features I would like to have, I’m glad that we’re seeing apps like this come to the PlayBook. I’m curious as to which features the CrackBerry Nation would like to see brought to this application so sound off in the comments below.  Purchase Magellan Compass for the BlackBerry PlayBook CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Navigate from point A to point B with Magellan Compass for the BlackBerry PlayBook Amazon launches Cloud Player for iPhone and iPod touch Amazon's Cloud Player launched last year with iPhone compatibility conspicuously absent, but as of today, the iOS app has found its way to the smaller screen, giving users the ability to access their music stored in the cloud. BlackBerry Jam Asia locations and Montreal registration now open Update #2: Registration for Jakarta is now closed.  Update: Looks like registration for Bangalore has now closed.  The BlackBerry 10 Jam Word Tour is already underway with four cities already completed and one taking place in Paris today. I am pretty sure developers in other cities are itching to register for these events. For those who are planning to attend Asia Pacific cities, registration has just opened, excluding Sydney. Montreal registration also opened sometime yesterday and if it's anything like Toronto better get registering now before it gets sold out. Remember Toronto sold out within 24 hours. So, if you're looking to attend any of the above mentioned cities get registerting now. Remember, only developers are eligible for a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device, however non-developers can attend. Also, taking a closer look at the agenda for Montreal it looks like a third session has been added to the event - Enterprise Track. So, if you're into the Enterprise side of BlackBerry smartphones, including migrating from Java to BlackBerry 10 and WebWorks.  July 11 â€" Montreal, QC, Canada â€" Register Now 2 July â€" Bangalore, India â€" Register Now 4 July â€" Delhi, India â€" Register Now 6 July â€" Beijing, China â€" Register Now 9 July â€" Singapore â€" Register Now 10 July â€" Jakarta, Indonesia â€" Register Now We'd also love to hear from those who have already attended these events. Join in the discussion in the forums. Join in the forum discussions CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Jam Asia locations and Montreal registration now open What do you think about iOS 6? [Poll] Is it a great iOS update, or the greatest iOS update? Or did Apple miss the board entirely? iOS 5 was massive and gave us a ton of previously missing features. Did iOS 6 do the same? Did it need to? Apple kicks off back-to-school promo - get iTunes gift cards for buying iPad or Mac Apple made a few new initiatives yesterday on the sly amid the WWDC day one insanity, including a new iPad case, but they also started a back-to-school promotion that goes from now until September 21. Apple iOS 6 and BlackBerry 10 to use same maps partner TomTom One of the big inclusions in Apple's iOS 6 software announced yesterday is an entirely revamped Maps application. No longer will Apple be using Google Maps, but instead running their own application that includes plenty of new features including turn-by-turn directions. Digging a little deeper, it appears that Apple has partnered with none other than TomTom who will supply the mapping and traffic data for the application. TomTom seems to be winning out all around - back in May they announced a partnership with RIM and their plans to bring new mapping features to the BlackBerry 10 platform. iOS 6 is only available to developers as a beta until the fall, so it will be interesting to see which mapping application wins out when both officially release later this year. In the past we've really only had Google Maps or BlackBerry Maps to work with -- do you think TomTom will win you over and be awesome on BlackBerry 10? Hit up the forums and let us know your thoughts! Discuss more in the CrackBerry forums CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Apple iOS 6 and BlackBerry 10 to use same maps partner TomTom RSS URL: http://www.mobilenations.com/rss/mb.xml

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