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For anyone who can’t imagine life without Swype, prepare yourself, as the gesture based keyboard just got better in the form of a new beta. The improved build boasts the following new enhancements: Nuance’s award winning Dragon Dictation Expanded Language Downloads (50 plus) Improved Advanced Language Modeling Automatic Updates Users simply have to hit the Dragon Flame key and speak. This version of Swype + Dragon Dictation currently supports English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, but will be expanded to support additional languages in 2012. Check out the demo video above or download the latest Swype build here. Source

If you are a die hard BlackBerry user and have just been waiting for Research In Motion (RIM) to provide some cheerful news, then this might bring a smile to your face. Spotify, the popular music streaming service, is now available for GSM-based BlackBerry smartphones including the Bold 9780, Bold 9700, Curve 9300, Bold 9000, and Curve 8520. BlackBerry users can scoop up the app for free, but be prepared to cough up a $10/month Spotify Premium subscription to take advantage of the mobile streaming fun. Owners of RIM’s token tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, can now finally get a taste of the addictive Angry Birds game that has had millions of

Thanks to jailbreaking hacker Conrad Kramer, iOS 5 users now have the option to use a hidden panorama mode within the iOS 5 camera app. According to Kramer (AKA Conradev), he set the “EnableFirebreak” key to “Yes” within an iOS preference file, and the hidden panorama setting was unveiled. In other related news, fellow hacker Grant Paul’s Firebreak tweak just hit the Cydia storefront today, which also allows for full panoramic shots. Once installed on a jailbroken iphone, the Firebreak tweak enables users to take full panoramic shots directly from the iOS interface. Apple has not released any details surrounding future plans to release the panorama mode to the public.  Source

Nokia N9 users can now take advantage of a new software update that takes the device and user experience to a new level. Dubbed the PR1.1 update, the downloadable package offers a host of new features. Primarily the update offers refined music controls on the lock screen which is great for users who rely on their device heavily to play music. Additional PR1.1 update features include new status indicators on the standby screen, NFC tag support, Swype’s popular keyboard, multitasking, noise cancellation, and faster syncing of Mail for Exchange. Nokia N9 users will also be able to take full advantage of the camera

Just when we were all getting used to the idea of a blazing fast 4G world, researchers at Rice University have been working diligently on the possibility of something bigger and better. What could possibly be better than 4G speeds? Full-duplex communication that’s what. Rice’s new “full-duplex” technology allows wireless devices like cell phones and electronic tablets to both “talk” and “listen” to wireless cell towers on the same frequency — something that requires two frequencies today. So what does that mean exactly? Essentially by the time carriers get around to rolling out their 4.5 networks, engineers could possibly have doubled the

After a few obscure teaser videos and much anticipation, the Sony Tablet S is now up for pre-order. The sleek looking tablet has a confirmed shipping date of September 16th on both Sony and Amazon’s website. Best Buy and Future Shop in Canada both have a slightly longer shipping date of September 23rd. The 16GB model is priced at $499.99, while the 32GB model is priced at $599.99. Highlighted features include a 9.4″ touch screen, Wi-Fi connectivity, universal IR remote, Sony Entertainment Network with Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited and games for PlayStation certified devices. Unfortunately, anyone still waiting around for the

Even though  Deutsche Telekom released a statement sharing AT&T’s disappointment in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit today, the company could actually fare well if the merger falls through. This seeming quite possible now that the DOJ has moved to break up the controversial acquisition. If in fact the $39-billion deal crumbles, AT&T will have to actually pay T-Mobile’s German parent company, Deutsche Telekom a staggering $3 billion in cash as part of the termination requirement. To make matters worse, AT&T will also have to serve up airwaves and a roaming agreement that could total in additional billions. Ironic that in AT&T’s path to become the world’s largest carrier

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) delivered quite the blow today by filing an antitrust lawsuit in an attempt to block the pending AT&T and T-Mobile acquisition. Shortly after news of the DOJ lawsuit, AT&T issued an official statement in response filled with overall disappointment. Not to be left unheard, Deutsche Telekom has also released their official response. The short statement reads below, On August 31, 2011, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) informed Deutsche Telekom that it will file a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking a permanent injunction blocking the proposed stock purchase agreement

Beginning September 9th, Sprint will begin enforcing a $350 early termination fee (ETF) to its subscribers. The ETF will effect all smartphone, tablet, laptop, and netbook users. According to a Sprint spokesperson, the $350 fee will be pro-rated depending on how many months the user has left in their current contract. Why the sudden change in policy? Considering the $350 ETF is the same fee that Verizon and AT&T charge, it’s looking as though Sprint wants to play in the big carrier league by charging the same. The increase from their current $200 ETF is an obvious statement to everyone

As Google continues to consolidate its services in 2011, it shut down a number of projects under its umbrella including Google Labs. Under the supervision of Google Labs was the popular Google App Inventor for Android. The program allowed non-developers to quickly prototype mobile app ideas using web-based graphical programming tools.  After Google Labs was shut down  Google has since open sourced the code for the App Inventor. This led to the App Inventor finding a new and exciting home with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Reportedly, Google will be sending seed funds to the MIT Media Lab to continue on with

It was a mere ten days ago that HP announced they were liquidating their discontinued TouchPad tablet at the shocking low price of $99. News of the fire-sale pushed hundreds of consumers to run out and snatch up as many of the bargain slabs as they could. The buying frenzy resulted in sold out retailers in just a matter of days. In the time since the liquidation, the TouchPad’s reputation has reached the same infamy that the Tickle Me Elmo doll did back in 1996 (who could forget that). Consumers and tech junkies alike want more of the now famous TouchPad, and they’re making

Apple has just launched its iTunes Match service for iOS developers. Announced back in June as a complementary service to the iCloud, iTunes Match enables users to put their existing collection of ripped CDs in the cloud. This is accomplished by scanning the music library and matching songs to the versions Apple already has (a DRM-free 256kbps AAC file), rather than uploading everything. The process Apple claims only takes “minutes,” not “weeks”. Uploading will still occur when there is not a match found for a specific song. Anyone with an iOS developer account can access the service now alongside iTunes 10.5 beta 6.1. The iTunes Match service

HTC’s unreleased Sense 3.5 UI shows off its improvements in a leaked video obtained by Chinese tech site XDA.cn. The revamped UI is widely expected to be unveiled alongside HTC’s upcoming Android smartphones, the HTC Bliss and the HTC Vigor. Sense 3.5 appears to provide some much needed improvement to the UI. Enhancements include new animations, a new side mounted dock, and a tweaked unlock mechanism. HTC’s Sense overlay is a fantastic option for Android providers and we’re happy to see HTC making a concrete upgrade in the upcoming version. Source

So, you bought a HP TouchPad and now you’re admittedly a little bit worried? Understandable as webOS is now extinct. Thankfully the reliable hacker community has your back. It’s no surprise to hear the Cyanogen Mod team is hard at work already trying to bring Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) to the TouchPad slab. The port is still in its early infancy stage, but is showing signs of hope for TouchPad owners everywhere. Currently the port only boots up and unlocks with the help of ADB, and the touchpad itself is not working yet. Here’s what Cyanogen Mod had to say about their

Samsung is aiming at taking a bigger hold of the mobile messaging market with their new service ChatON. Expected to be unveiled at this week’s IFA, the service will enable users to text message, group chat, image and video share. The best part is the app is not only going to be available on Samsung’s Bada platform, but Android, iOS, and even Blackberry’s OS. The app is speculated to be available in two versions: a basic one for feature handsets and an upgraded version designed for smartphones. The upgraded version will have a feature which allows users to comment on each other’s