Now Amazon's in the frame to buy webOS

It's now pretty clear that the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet we saw launched through the week is just a placeholder for Amazon's grander slate ambitions, and we're expecting bigger and better from the online retail colossus in the months to come.
But now VentureBeat has given things a new twist by suggesting part of those ambitions may involve snapping up webOS and reworking it for its own needs.

In case you've forgotten, webOS is that much-loved mobile OS running on board the HP Pre3 and TouchPad – loved so much in fact that no-one seems willing to be able to make it work.
Palm developed it, then just about went bust. HP was next to step in, buying out Palm and webOS and promising to change the world. But a couple of months ago it decided to call it quits having not made nearly the impact it had been hoping for. HP hasn't actually confirmed it wants to sell webOS, but enough rumours have been swirling about to assume it's all but a certainty.
A few names have been mentioned in connection with throwing the platform a lifeline, including Samsung, HTC and even Facebook. Now we have Amazon too, it seems.
“A well-placed source tells us that HP is currently looking to rid itself of Palm as soon as possible, and that Amazon is the closest to finalizing the deal, among a handful of contenders,” VentureBeat says.
We should also add that in response HP dished up the usual “we don't comment on rumours” soundbite, while Amazon hasn't responded at all yet.
So we're still in pure rumour territory here, but we'll keep an eye out for new developments.

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Bharti Airtel taps China’s ZTE to begin 4G roll-out in India

It may not be long until Indian mobile users have 4G technology at their fingers as Bharti Airtel’s plan to deploy wireless broadband advances.
Bharti, India’s largest operator, has asked Chinese telcom equipment giant ZTE to begin phase one of its 4G network roll-out initially in the Kolkata region only, according to a report from Economics Times in India.
The report cites an official source which explains that, though ZTE will handle the first implementation, it is not guaranteed any other slices of $300 million valued roll-out Bharti has planned. Instead ZTE will face stiff competition – notably from fellow Chinese rival Huawei – to bring 4G to the three other regions Bharti won following last year’s auction.
Though there is no timeline or date specified for the work, it is widely believed that 4G wireless broadband will be available in India from early next year.
Though Bharti declined to respond to Economic Times, ZTE did confirm that it was starting initial work on the roll-out, while the paper also claims high level meetings have “formalised” ZTE’s initial role in proceedings.
Given that 3G mobile technology only arrived in India last year, the news that 4G is on its way is likely to be well received by many in the country. However, issues remain around mobile operator capacity while 3G-compatible smartphone ownership is low, let alone LTE-device ownership.
There is no doubt, however, that wireless Internet has huge potential in India.
India has emerged as a key market for technology and Internet companies keen to tap the country’s vast potential, with Facebook and Google just two of the many to have set up country offices in the past two years. However fixed-line Internet penetration is very low, reaching less than ten percent of its 1.2 billion population, sapping India’s potential to become a true online giant.
Infrastructure is a key issues with many in rural areas unable to access fixed-line Internet. For these people, wireless technology provides new possibilities for connectivity whilst catering to the millions for whom mobile will be their main Internet access point.
It is early days for India’s 4G network and it will be interesting to observe ZTE and Bharti working on the initial roll-out.

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New HTC Hub Has Lots of Mango Features (Video)

The HTC Hub for Windows Phone 7 has just been updated for phones that have the new Windows Phone 7.5 Mango upgrade installed. The update brings a lot of new features to the app. Originally, it was kind of useless and many people probably unpinned it from the start screen right away or even uninstalled it all together. This new version has an updated two-column live tile, but also a much quicker and cleaner user interface. The extremely long animated transitions have been removed, and the weather displays have been completely redesigned with more attractive weather animations. Tapping and holding on any of the cities that you've added for monitoring the weather will let you pin any of them to your start screen.

There's also a stocks screen where you can add whichever stocks you want to follow, but again you can tap and hold on any stock ticker name and pin those to the start screen as well. Then there's a news panel where you can add any number of pre-set news feeds that HTC has added. From there you can either pin individual news feeds to your start screen or pin the entire news section of the HTC Hub.

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Deal: AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II on sale for at Amazon Wireless for $150

Order AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II at Amazon Wireless for $149.99

AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II has just become available for sale and if you are looking to save some money, you may want to check out Amazon Wireless. They are currently offering the SGS2 for $149.99 on new accounts and upgrades, you do have to sign a two-year contract though. Here are the specs of this phone as described on their site:

• Android 2.3.4
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor (Samsung Exynos) speeds up everything–from playing games to watching shows to opening files from work
• 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus multi-touch display (480 x 800 pixels, 16 million color depth)
• 1024 MB of RAM
• 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, smile detection, geo-tagging, zero shutter lag, and multiple scene modes
• 2-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chats and self portraits.
• 16 GB internal memory

If you are like me, anyone else and want to save money when getting the Galaxy S II, we suggest that you pay the Amazon Wireless a visit, they also offer free 2-day shipping and 30-day returns. We included the link to the sale below!
Order AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II at Amazon Wireless for $149.99

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List of top 10 Android Apps for Small Business

I hаvе tо аdmіt, I'd addicted tо mу сell рhonе. I dереnd оn іt fоr a numbеr оf buѕіnеѕs аnd рerѕоnаl thingѕ ѕuсh аѕ: mаkіng рhоne callѕ, ассeѕѕіng my еmаіl, wrіting emailѕ, kеeріng track of aрроіntmentѕ, using іt аs аn alаrm clоck-and mоѕt importаntlу for plaуing "Angrу Birdѕ". (just kіdding)

I'vе hаd mу HTC Inсrеdiblе Andrоіd Basеd OS Phоne for аbоut а yeаr now, and I totallу hеаrt іt. There's juѕt ѕо much thаt уоu саn do wіth it аnd a tоn оf аррlісatіоnѕ thаt can bе dоwnlоaded frоm thе Andrоid market thаt саn bе uѕеd for businеѕs rеlated tаѕkѕ.

One of my реrѕоnal fаvоrіtе apрs that I uѕe оn my рhоne tо соnneсt tо thе іnternеt from mу laрtoр PC іѕ PDANet bу Junе Fаbriсѕ. This nеаt lіttlе tооl allоws you tо ѕurf thе Intеrnet -vіа your andrоіd phоnе (Nо, I'm not kіdding). Bеѕt оf аll, уоu оnlу hаvе tо рaу а оne-tіmе fее tо uѕe thе prоgram. Simply dоwnload the аpplісаtіоn tо уоur Andrоid phоne and instаll іt ontо уоur рс, рlug іn your USB саblе (one end frоm thе phоne thе оthеr tо your PC) and Vоіla...you're cоnnectеd tо thе Intеrnеt. PDANеt is реrfect fоr thе trаvеlіng buѕіnеsѕ реrѕon-or whoevеr nеeds tо havе aссеsѕ tо thе internet when there іѕ no соnnесtiоn аvaіlаblе.

#10. Weаtherbug - Staу uр to date with thе latеѕt weаthеr соndіtіоnѕ lоcаlly оr whеrеvеr yоu are plаnnіng tо trаvel to for buѕinеѕs

#9. WоrdPreѕѕ - Keеp yоur blog оr Websіtе uрdаted wіth thіѕ niftу toоl

#8. Expenѕer - Can be used tо ѕtаy оn toр of your busіnеsѕ еxреnѕeѕ аnd budgеt

#7. Fіnd My Cаr - Trоuble fіnding уоur саr aftеr рarkіng аt a biz cоnferenсe? Thiѕ арp wіll hеlр уоu fіnd уоur waу

#6. Tweеtdесk - Intеgrаte аll оf уour ѕосіаl netwоrking mеdіа usіng thіѕ Aрp; Post ѕtatus updаteѕ аnd оther infоrmatіоn usіng а singlе dаѕhboаrd

#5. Skyре Mobіlе - Stаy іn tоuсh wіth friеndѕ, buѕіneѕѕ соllеaguеѕ, еmploуееs аnd оtherѕ wіth thіѕ mоbіle vidеo and vоicе арр

#4. Drор Box - Grеat aрр fоr еdіting, ѕhаring or vіеwіng buѕineѕѕ dоcumеntѕ аnd оthеr fіlеs аnуwhеrе аnd anуtіme уоu nеed thеm

#3. Gооglе Maps Nаvіgatіon - Hаvе an aрpоіntment ѕсhеduled wіth а сlіеnt аnd nеed dіrеctіonѕ? Google Mарs to the rеsсue.... Goоglе Mаps Nаvigаtіon іѕ аn intеrnеt-conneсtеd GPS navigаtion ѕуѕtem with voiсe guіdance, turn bу turn directіоnѕ and mоrе. Whаt'ѕ еvеn mоre awеѕomе abоut thiѕ аррliсatiоn іs thаt аftеr уou arrіvе аt your dеѕtіnatіоn it will bе shown in Gооglе Street View.

#2. Gоogle Voіcе - Pеrfесt Aрр for buѕіnеѕs оwnеrѕ wаnting tо keep trасk оf phоnе сalls effісіеntly and wіth thе usе оf onе numbеr..inѕteаd of multiplе рhоnеs

#1. PDANеt - I cаnnоt bеgіn tо tеll you hоw usеful PDANеt іs...еsресіаlly fоr а ѕmall buѕіnеss usеr оn thе gо. The PdаNet Android Tеthеrіng apр iѕ Awеsоmе! With thiѕ арр you саn tаkе аdvаntаgе of 3G or Wifі Internеt сonnесtіon ѕреedѕ tо power your PC.

About the Author : Rohitesh Naik, a Freelance writer and a Internet Marketer who presently writes about the Upcoming Verizon Phones. It includes all the the news and updates about New Verizon Phones.

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Panasonic LUMIX Phone 101P pairs a powerful camera with Android 2.3 Gingerbread

This week, Japanese carrier Softbank unveiled a number of smartphones that it will be carrying in the near future, and the Panasonic LUMIX Phone 101P is one of the them. The LUMIX Phone 101P borrows heavily from Panasonic's experience with its LUMIX line of digital cameras, and pairs some powerful optics with Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
If you were to imagine a pocket-sized point-and-shoot digital camera with an Android smartphone grafted onto the back of it, that is pretty much the LUMIX Phone 101P in a nutshell. The front of the phone features a 4-inch, qHD (540 x 960 pixel) touchscreen and the usual menu, home, and back buttons for Android. The phone is powered by a dual-core, 1GHz TI OMAP processor, and it includes support for Japanese digital TV service.
Looking at the camera side of things, we find a 13.2 megapixel CMOS LUMIX sensor with Panasonic's "Mobile Venus Engine" for image processing. The camera is autofocus and appears to sport a xenon flash unit. Unfortunately, Softbank has not provided details about the LUMIX Phone 101P's video recording abilities, but we would be very surprised if some sort of HD recording wasn't included. The phone is waterproof and it manages to keep trim dimensions despite its powerful shooting abilities. The 101P measures 123mm x 64mm x 9.8mm (4.84in x 2.52in x 0.39in) and weighs 128g (4.5oz).
Softbank will be offering the Panasonic LUMIX Phone 101P in November. Exact pricing has yet to be announced, and there is no word of plans to bring the phone to global markets. Q4CTHNYTGCK9 [via TechCrunch]

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Beautiful Widgets is FREE from GetJar

Beautiful Widgets has to be my outright favorite Android application of all time. I’ve installed this as the first purchase on so many friends phones and tablets I can’t even keep count. It has been in the top paid, most downloaded, and editors choice lists for the Android market for the last year, at least. I don’t know how many times on blogs, forums, and here at Android Community readers have said “What’s that clock widget, or weather widget?” It is Beautiful Widgets, and right now it is FREE.

The popular 3rd party application site GetJar has this extremely popular and iconic Android application for FREE, normally priced at $2.99. I don’t know how long the deal will last, but I highly recommend you hurry over and give it a download if you haven’t already. This clock and weather widget has the most options by far to give your handset a unique look.

For those unfamiliar, the screenshot above shows just a fraction of the many many different options, colors, styles, and themes you can set using Beautiful Widgets. From 5 day forecast, clock and weather widgets big and small, battery widgets, and everything else you can possibly imagine — they have it. Or for those wanting a more simple look you can keep it calm just like the image below.

I could talk about the many options from Beautiful Widgets for an hour but instead I’ll just urge you all to give it a try because it’s the best choice around. I even replace the HTC Sense UI clock and widgets with Beautiful Widgets because they are just that awesome. I’m not sure what else to say other than you wont be disappointed (especially when it’s free), so head over to GetJar and get Beautiful Widgets for free.

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HTC Desire S Android 2.3.5, Sense 3.0 Update Rolls-Out: Report

The HTC Desire S was launched at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and shipped with Gingerbread 2.3.3 out of the box. An over-the-air update is reportedly rolling-out, bumping the version to Gingerbread 2.3.5

Devices reported to receive the update reside in the U.K. and have generic stock ROMs. The new version of the operating system also brings the new HTC Sense to the phone, in its version 3.0 iteration. As with every ROM update that is happening over the air, this one is rolling out in stages too. Let us know if you've got the refresh (and where you live, operator, etc.)


Source: XDA Developers

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Samsung Rolls Out Galaxy S II Android 2.3.5 Update

When we plugged in our unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II to the PC this morning, an update to the KIES software was available to download. After installing the refresh, we were notified of the existence of a software update for the phone itself. It is described as an update that will improve the performance of the phone but for version number connaisseurs it is PDA:KI3 / PHONE:KI3 / CSC:KI3 (XEO). After updating the Samsung Galaxy S II now runs Google's Android Gingerbread 2.3.5 (instead of 2.3.4) and the ROM appears to be the same KI3 which was recently leaked. Among the changes you'll also see that TouchWiz Android was updated in order to respect Apple copyrights regarding the scrolling. Before the update, when you were in Settings and scrolled (or any other list), reaching the top or the bottom of the list would bounce the list a little. Now the item on the top or bottom is highlighted in color when reaching the end of the list.

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