Amy Eichelberg

With Apple’s release of iOS 5 beta 2 on Friday evening, many developers are wondering what tweaks have been made. Developer feedback so far has been positive regarding wireless sync for itunes, in addition to the slightly updated lock screen notifications.  This still leaves us wondering about all of the other adjustments and fixes included in the new build.  Rest assured, we’ve included the full change log for developers and inquiring minds alike. “Notes and Known Issues: The following issues relate to using the 5.0 SDK to develop code. Accounts When creating an iCloud account you can use any Apple ID provided it is a full […]

According to an Apple internal memo leaked to 9to5Mac, Apple stores now have the limited capability of unlocking AT&T iPhones. This is different than the unlocked models Apple started selling on June 14th being that Apple can now unlock the AT&T version of the iPhone. Essentially, if an Apple store is running low on the GSM SKUs of the iPhone 4 they can retrieve an AT&T SKU, and at checkout the system will offer the option to unlock the device. Providing the consumer is paying the full $650 for the 16GB or $750 for the 32GB and the specific store does not have any GSM

It’s a good day for Palm Pre 2 owners as the webOS 2.1 update is finally available. The update should hold owners over until the Palm Pre 3 hits the states. In the mean time, we rounded up the update highlights: User has access to clock, photos, and agenda apps while on a HP Touchstone charging dock Voice activated dialing via “Voice Dial” app Bluetooth keyboard support Backup includes call history, text messages, (not multimedia messages), and instant messages Email fixes for correctly named music file attachments and correctly seperated multiple replies Thumbnail images appear correctly in wallpapers album Task search term can begin with a

Motorola announced in April that consumers would have to wait a little while longer for the DROID Bionic and promised a summer launch. Now that summer is here we’ve yet to hear of an exact launch date. The good news is Motorola confirmed the summer launch timeline through a tweet recently. Motorola’s Mobility division stated this on their official Twitter account,  “Hang tight, DROID Bionic is coming and slated for summer release. Our team is working on some new updates.” It’s not clear what the new updates entail, but we do know the device appears to sport a  redesign of Motorola’s MOTOBLUR  interface.

If there were an award for the ‘worst kept secret’ the Motorola Droid 3 would certainly win. The lucrative device is now rumored to be hitting shelves at Best Buy on July 14th after leaked inventory information hit the web today via Droid Attic. The screenshot shows the Droid 3 is expected to arrive in Best Buy on July 13th prompting a July 14th launch. After all of the device leaks in recent weeks, we’re anticipating the Gingerbread infused Droid 3 to pack a dual-core OMAP 4430 processor, a rear-facing 8 megapixel camera, video at 1080p, and a five row QWERTY keyboard. Don’t

If you’re like us, then you love your cell phone and all things electronics. You are also probably always looking ahead to get your hands on the latest and greatest. So what happens to the old faithful once you’ve purchased your new device? We can’t help but wonder how many of them end up retired in the bottom of a sock drawer or worse, at the bottom of a landfill. Seeing as we’re all for getting your hands on the newest device, we were equally relieved to discover 5 eco-friendly ways to recycle your old devices. Besides, recycling your old phone makes it that much easier to justify buying a

New legislature has approached the U.S. House of Representatives that could change the transparency of wireless carriers nationwide. Appropriately titled, the “Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act” the bill would demand all carriers to be absolutely clear on minimum data speeds, network reliability, accessible coverage, and the specific technology being utilized. The bill’s sponsor, California Rep. Anna Eshoo stated, “There’s no standard definition of 4G mobile service, giving customers vastly different speeds depending on the carrier and location.” The CTIA, a trade group who represents large wireless carriers is against the legislature. Jot Carpenter, CTIA’s vice president of government affairs, said in a statement, “The legislature ignores the fact

It’s good to be a developer these days now that mobile device manufacturers seem to be playing nice in the sandbox. XDA developer forum noticed in the latest Atrix update meant for Hong Kong and Taiwan devices, the  bootloader appears to be unlockable by using the traditional command “fastboot oem unlock” Hints that the bootloader could be unlocked were spotted by a developer in recent Motorola support threads. This prompted the developer to poke around in the ascii and hex of several recent (Hong Kong and Taiwan versions) Atrix bootloaders. The poking around paid off with this discovery: $ strings CG42.img | grep INFO …

The HTC ChaCha received small changes in preparation for its AT&T summer arrival. Coined as the “Facebook phone” the device was first introduced with the HTC Salsa at Mobile World Congress. Leaked photos displayed the device with some minor changes since it was first unveiled in February. The Facebook icon has been updated and the keyboard buttons have been slightly tweaked. More importantly, HTC’s website confirms the ChaCha will boast a 800MHz processor versus the original 600MHz processor. The HTC ChaCha’s pricing or exact AT&T launch date have yet to be confirmed. Source

Prepare to get more out of your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Even though this is not the Honeycomb operating source code most have been waiting for, Samsung has released the source code to the kernel. Recently manufacturers have started to release device source codes to foster an easier road for developers. Samsung may have released the kernel source with the hope that developers will choose the Galaxy Tab when creating apps for Honeycomb. Now that the kernel source code has been released we can look forward to developers creating overclocked kernels and hopefully some fun tweaks for the Android tablet.  You can find more information

Most Motorola Xoom users have probably noticed the microSD card slot that has been unusable until now, if you live outside of the US that is. As part of the tablet’s Android 3.1 update, the microSD will become activated during the roll out happening now. The update was announced on the Motorola Europe Facebook page, and should cover all of Europe in the coming weeks. Motorola specifies the firmware update is for non-US Xoom users only. This leaves us wondering why we are still waiting for the microSD support here in the states. If you’re interested in enabling the microSD on your own, visit

Starting June 26th, AT&T customers now have the option of signing up for the $50 GoPhone unlimited plan. The plan covers unlimited talk, text, and web for $50. The plan does not require a contract, and users can also text Canada, Mexico, and 100 additional countries.  Existing and new GoPhone users can take advantage of the new pricing. Customers interested in smartphones can choose unlimited talk and text for $50 and select one of three data package options from $5 to $25. Judy Cavalieri, vice president of Voice and Prepaid Products stated in the official press release,  “GoPhone provides customers a unique

Cutbacks at Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion have already been set into motion. A local newspaper, the Waterloo Region Record reported layoffs have indeed started at Research In Motion (BlackBerry). The exact number of employees facing unemployment has yet to be confirmed. Layoffs seemed inevitable as the world witnessed recent RIM troubles stemming from delayed device launches, missed market expectations, and investors jumping ship. Meanwhile, shares of RIM stock have plummeted 25% since news of their reported low earnings last week, and are down 50% for the entire year. We hate to hear of anyone losing their jobs in today’s economic climate. Our

Yesterday we reported  on the ever growing rumor that Verizon is headed over to tiered data plans starting in July. As this news is not so fantastic for new customers, it looks as though existing Verizon users may be safe, for a little while at least. According to the leaked screenshot, existing customers may be able to keep their current pricing and data plan when renewing or upgrading as long as they are locked in prior to 7/7. However, new lines will require the new data pricing. Keep that in mind if you plan on adding a new line after July 7th,

Droid Life received an internal letter from a Verizon regional VP, confirming speculation that a new data plan structure is coming in the upcoming weeks. As stated in the letter, “Coming soon, Verizon Wireless will move from our existing pricing format to a structure designed to allow customers to choose the right data solution that best aligns with their needs.” While the letter did not outline specific costs of the new data plans, sources close to Droid Life have a strong inclination that they will be set up as tiered data plans. The tiers are speculated to be broken down as follows: 2GB – $30/month 5GB – $50/month