Motorola Droid 3 Is Rooted

XDA Forums member djrbliss, otherwise known as Dan Rosenberg, has reportedly found a simple exploit to open root access on the Motorola DROID 3 Using ADB shell, a few files are easily manipulated granting super user permissions. While the exploit remains unconfirmed, instructions can be found at Rosenberg’s site (source link below).

The process could have implications for the unreleased Motorola DROID BIONIC a phone running on the same Android 2.3.4 build as the Droid 3. Root access could realistically be attainable out of the box for the highly anticipated superphone.
[via Dan Rosenberg, XDA | Thanks to all who sent this in!]

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iPhone and iPad competitors could benefit from Jobs’s resignation

Apple’s iPhone and iPad competitors could benefit with Steve Jobs out as CEO of Apple. “It’s going to give competitors a bit more of a lease of life to go out and compete harder,” Nomura International Plc. technology analyst Richard Windsor told Bloomberg, which noted that Sony and Nokia’s stock prices jumped after Jobs’ announcement. “It’s been thought about, talked about endlessly for the past several years that Tim Cook would probably take over so while you get an initial knee-jerk reaction on the downside, we would probably expect that not to last very long.” Apple will also need to maintain the momentum and market lead that Steve Jobs created as CEO. “If the new management team doesn’t sustain the level of innovation that Steve Jobs spearheaded, it’s going to be an opportunity for the competition in the long term,” Korea Investment Management Co. fund manager Lee Young Seog said. “Still, because of Tim Cook’s competence and the system at Apple, the competitive landscape isn’t likely to change anytime soon.” Steve Jobs announced his resignation from his CEO post on Wednesday and he will be replaced by Tim Cook, who has effectively been running the company while Jobs has been on leave. “Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it,” Jobs said in his resignation letter on Wednesday.
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Amazon Leaks Names for Kindle Air, Wave, Earth, Water, Scribe

So we’re thinking either the Wave and the Water are still in contention for the aquatic-based tablet of the future and/or they’ve decided to add a pen tool to the product instead of setting it aflame. Air, Water, Earth, Fire, and… Heart… are the basic elements as far as ancient storytelling goes, and if Kindle’s collection of domain names continues as it has been, the likelihood of what we’re assuming will be an another Android-based Kindle named after these earthly basics increases day by day. As you’ll note over on our sister site SlashGear, we’ve been following this collection for a short while now. Kindle time approaching?

As you may also have been following along with the non-Kindle-named epic tale of the oncoming Amazon tablet. Of course we now assume these are one in the same, but you never know. What we’re seeing in the most recent rumors is at least one 9-inch tablet with an IPS LCD display, no camera, and a price set to compete with any and all contenders. One e-reader to rule them all?
As far as these domain names go, each of them appears to have been registered for in the past few months, and at least a couple of them were scooped up from previous owners once they just happened to have been dropped inside a month of one another. What this tells us is several possible things: one, Amazon is simply picking up every conceivable name having to do with their already owned Kindle line. Two, they were the people who owned these names before and just recently dropped ownership so they could officially rule them from the central Amazon point.
KindleEarth.com and KindleWater.com are the most recent, KindleAir.com, KindleWave.com, and KindleScribe.com were also all registered for within the past several months. All of them have been confirmed to be owned by Amazon. Fusible knocked out a method for confirming ownership of the Earth and Water domain names, the rest you can do a simple WhoIs search with and find that they’re all owned by Amazon quite simply.
Concept rendering above from TechFever.
[via SlashGear]

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Judge keeps Samsung tablet ban in place until September 9 in Germany

Apple has been hammering Samsung hard in Europe with allegations that Samsung has copied its products like the iPad and iPhone. Apple brought the case before the ITC and the ITC has banned the sale of some products across all of Europe. Popular devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S II are banned for instance. The Samsung Galaxy tablets are banned still in Germany.

German courts have kept the ban on the sale of the tablets inside the country in place until at least September 9. That means that Samsung will miss showing its tablets off at IFA kicking off next week. Samsung had previously asked for a decision ahead of the IFA show. The judge has said that there were overarching similarities between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad.
If the judge issues a ruling on September 9, it could go either way. There is no indication of if the judge is leaning towards siding with Apple or with Samsung. Samsung could be forced to pay damages and licensing fees to Apple if it loses the court case in Germany. A loss could also open Samsung up to suits in other countries as well.
[via Reuters]

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Qik Premium Goes Live in the Android Market

As of today, Qik’s premium video streaming service is now available to all Android users. Qik Premium picks up on the free versions live video chat services and adds in features including the ability to download and save video, desktop sync via Qik Desktop, HD and 3D video, the ability to send and receive video mail, and a priority customer support channel.
But all of these great features will cost you. After an initial 30 day free period Qik Premium’s services will cost you $4.99 per month. You can find the updated app in the Android Market now.
Android Market Link: Qik

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XDA China Gives Us Our First Look at HTC Sense 3.5

Yesterday XDA.cn provided us with images of the upcoming HTC Bliss for Verizon, and today they have gone a step further by providing some screen grabs of the new HTC Sense 3.5 build that will ship on the new handset. While much of what will be different in the new version of Sense remains a mystery, it is being reported that it will be capable of running on older devices. Provisions built into Sense 3.0 made a hefty order of running the custom Android UI on devices without the specs to handle it. From the images we can see some updated Sense widgets, new homescreen buttons for the app tray and dialer, and the app launching unlock screen. So far the changes have us pretty interested in this new take on Sense, how about you?
[via DroidLife]

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Video Preview of the Sony Ericisson Xperia Android 2.3.4 Update

Shortly after announcing that the entire 2011 lineup of Sony Ericsson Xperia device will receive an update to Android 2.3.4 sometime in October, the Sony Ericsson Product Blog has released a video preview of some of the new features we can expect. The 3D sweep panorama feature looks pretty intriguing and the update will introduce native screen captures. Check out the video for a better look.
[via SE]

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Android 2.2.1 System Dump From HP TouchPad Now Available

The HP TouchPad has become quite a hot topic in the Android community as of late, thanks to its ultra-low price tag and superb hardware specs. Several dev teams have already stepped forward to announce plans to port Android to the device, while at least two devices have already been sold with developer builds of Android intact right out of the box.
One of the lucky owners of said Android-ified TouchPads, jiwanish, has been so kind as to provide a full system dump to RootzWiki, allowing devs to make some real progress on the Android TouchPad front. The build is Android 2.2.1, and is most definitely a test version from the Qualcomm Innovation Center, as it shows the logo upon bootup.

We should start to see some major advancements on the port at this point, especially considering the $2100 bounty that's on the line for whoever can provide a working port.

To download the system dump, head over to RootzWiki!

[Thanks, Nico!]

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New Apple CEO Tim Cook in leaked internal email: ‘Apple is not going to change’

Following Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’s resignation from his role as CEO, newly appointed chief executive Tim Cook has delivered his first message to Apple employees en masse. In a purported internal email obtained by Ars Technica, Cook stated that he is looking forward to the new challenges he will face as “CEO of the most innovative company in the world.” Cook also praises Jobs for having been an incredible leader and mentor, and assures Apple workers that the company will not change. ”I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change,” Cook wrote to his 45,000 employees. “I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.” Cook’s full email to Apple employees follows below.

Team:
I am looking forward to the amazing opportunity of serving as CEO of the most innovative company in the world. Joining Apple was the best decision I’ve ever made and it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to work for Apple and Steve for over 13 years. I share Steve’s optimism for Apple’s bright future.
Steve has been an incredible leader and mentor to me, as well as to the entire executive team and our amazing employees. We are really looking forward to Steve’s ongoing guidance and inspiration as our Chairman.
I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.
I love Apple and I am looking forward to diving into my new role. All of the incredible support from the Board, the executive team and many of you has been inspiring. I am confident our best years lie ahead of us and that together we will continue to make Apple the magical place that it is.
Tim

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