Motorola DROID X 2 coming to Verizon on May 19th, in stores on the 26th

The original rumored launch date for the Motorola DROID X 2 was today, May 12th, but it seems like stores have just now started to receivedummy units. It now seems like the first 1GHz dual-core Verizon smartphone will be launched via Direct Fulfillment on May 19th, which could mean an on-line release that day, and with it being avaliable in-stores the following week on May 26th.

The leaked documents state that the Motorola DROID X 2 will deliver a26% sharper screen with qHD 960x540 resolution and will have dual-layer anti-reflective coating, 1080p mirror mode when using the HDMI output to a HDTV, and the 8MP camera will shoot 44% faster thanks to continuous auto focus - though video recording is still at 720p.

Missing is any mention of the price, or if the DROID X 2 will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, though most have speculated it will be under $199 on-contract and that Gingerbread will be included - as the original DROID X is about to receive its over the air update to Android 2.3.

Samsung's new AMOLED display is seamless, can be folded

A while back ago, we showed you some of the ways that Samsung was working on its AMOLED displays to make them able to twist and turn. But besides this research into more flexible displays, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology has developed a seamless display that allows you to fold the screen in half without a crease. This could allow for future production of a phone with a huge display that the user unfolds to use. When done using the display, the user simply folds up the AMOLED screen. This will allow the Korean based manufacturer to produce a phone with a large sized screen, but with small measurements.

The seamless display is made from two AMOLED panels, a glass cover, silicone rubber and a modular case. Even when folded 100,000 times, the brightness at the center of the display where the two panels meet, decreased by an amount too small to be noticed by the human eye. 

Don't expect to see this technology on a Samsung handset soon. The company says it will take about two years to be used on a new phone as the process needs to be perfected.

Apple iPhone continues to be the smartphone of choice for enterprise users

A new survey released this week by Intermedia found that of all the ActiveSync-based smartphones in the enterprise, the leader with 61% of the market is the Apple iPhone. With 17% of the enterprise market, the Android OS is next followed by a conglomeration of Windows Phone 7, Symbian and webOS. All of those are lumped together into a category labels as "other" which controls 22% of the market.

As recently as last month, the Apple iPhone had 64% of new ActiveSync activations while Android devices started picking up momentum with a 33% share.

The tablet market is even more concentrated with the Apple iPad holding a 99.8% share of enterprise users among tablets with ActiveSync functionality. Intermedia said it has seen a huge jump in iPad usage for enterprise in March and April.

Apple's mobile products continue to gain acceptance in the boardroom. During its last earnings call, the Cupertino based firm said that 88% of the Fortune 500 (that is 440 companies) are testing or using the iPhone while 75% are using the iPad. Apple COO Tim Cook has said that as more companies start making iOS devices available to its employees to use, they start buying Macs for the corporation.

SEVEN Networks launches Ping, social networking Android app for carriers

SEVEN Networks is bringing its Ping service to the Android community. The application/service is primarily made for mobile operators which will be able to offer it to their customers.

Here’s what’s so special about Ping (from the press release):

“Ping’s user interface shifts the focus from applications to people helping them easily find relevant conversations. Ping also includes SEVEN’s first text chat functionality, a carrier-deployable service that is integrated with other forms of messaging, and gives wireless carriers an opportunity to participate in a hot market now dominated by start-ups and social networking companies.”

According to SEVEN, the main innovation of Ping’s UI is a contact carousel that automatically organizes messages by contact, while at the same time allowing users to view, read and send messages across various services, including Facebook, email, IM, SMS, MMS and voicemail. Touching the icon brings up the message, while holding on the button launches the app for that service.

In addition to the Ping for carriers solution, SEVEN will also make a version of the app available on the Android Market that features access to SEVEN Chat, SMS, voice mail, Facebook Chat and Gtalk.

How jailbroken iPhone users can avoid being caught tethering by AT&T

We know that there are those of you out there who would rather not have to payAT&T an extra $20 per month for tethering when you're already paying upwards of $45 per month for a data plan. The trouble is that AT&T isn't really a fan of people avoiding their rules and fees, and the carrier has been cracking down on unauthorized tethering by jailbroken iPhone users. AT&T has been sending e-mails and SMS messages to customers asking them to stop the unauthorized tethering or else they would be charged.

AT&T actually has a very simple way to track down unauthorized tethering byiPhone users, because most tethering options use the same method as the official tethering, which routes your Internet traffic through an alternate APN (AT&T access point/router). This alternate APN is designed specifically to identify traffic as tethered, so AT&T can keep track of data usage and billing. Since many jailbreakers use the stock iPhone options for tethering, this makes it very easy for AT&T to track unauthorized usage and contact those in violation of their policies. 

Luckily, one of the oldest and most popular apps in the Cydia app store for jailbroken iPhones is PdaNet from the good folks at June Fabrics. PdaNet has been around for the iPhone since the early days of jailbreaking (well before Apple offered a proprietary option), so the app has had plenty of time to mature and gain features. Right now, PdaNet for iPhone is on version 5.01, and best of all offers an option to hide usage from AT&T.

Of course, you'll need a jailbroken iPhone to take advantage of the app. Be warned that there are always risks associated with jailbreaking, so be sure you know what you're doing.

PdaNet is also available for Android, BlackBerry, and other mobile platforms.

Android May Land in Cars Soon

Google's Android software may soon appear in cars, broadening the platform's growing significance as it joins the race to create more and more connected vehicles.

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Myriad, a mobile technology company and Android developer, has been talking with the auto industry about bringing Android to cars. The company developed a version of Android, called "Alien Dalvik," to run on non-Android devices, allowing the Google platform to run on any car.

Myriad hasn't disclosed which automakers, or specific vehicles, may add Android, but if this happens, users could soon see Android powering more than just their phones. Drivers will be able to use Google's interactive maps, guides and other apps, while car makers will be able to install Alien Dalvik right out of the box, without a need to customize the platform.

Google would reach beyond computers and mobile devices, making it an even more powerful platform.

"By extending the Android platform powered by Myriad Alien Dalvik to automotive manufacturers, we are opening up market opportunities to reach entirely new audiences," said Benoit Schillings, Myriad's chief technology officer.

Since its debut three years ago, Android now runs on over half of mobile devices shipped in the U.S., making it the fastest-growing and most popular mobile operating system. Google's Android Market, in tandem, has grown to over 200,000 apps, a number that will only increase as more developers join the app-building tide.

Now that its mobile platform owns significant market share, Google is expanding Android's reach even farther. The company recently demonstrated a "smart-home" platform, called Android@Home, which allows people to turn on lights and stereos remotely using smartphones.

Google plans to debut "smart" appliances, like light fixtures, later this year, propelling the Internet giant to the forefront of smart-home technology. Cars would be a logical outgrowth.

But should Myriad introduce Android to the auto market, Google will need to compete with others who have been there first.

For instance, OnStar, which has been in GM cars for years, and Microsoft's Sync have been in some Ford vehicles, while Intel's chips are making their way into BMWs.

With more people demanding smart-cars, and even smart-homes, Google is poised to make inroads from Myriad's talks with automakers, giving it an even more dominant platform beyond smartphones.

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New photos of BlackBerry Monza available, different buttons on the front showed

A new photo shows that the BlackBerry 9860 Touch Monza (a.k.a. Monaco), one of the most leaked upcoming phones by RIM, has different buttons on the front than the ones we have already seen thanks to a previous leak.

It's yet unknown whether the handset will launch with the buttons showed in the pic below or with the ones we have seen before this leak.

Rumors claim this phone will be released with a 3.7-inch WVGA display (if true, it will be the biggest screen on a BlackBerry handset), 5MP camera capable of HD 720p video recording and the latest BlackBerry OS 7.0 (the second image kind of proves it), while a mighty 1.2GHz processor is said to power the phone. 

Hands-on: Sony Ericsson XPERIA Mini and Mini Pro – Small phone, big punch

Alongside all the whiz-bang tech coming out of Google I/O 2011, Sony Ericsson came to the developer-focused conference to show off their new, pint-sized Android smartphones – the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Mini and XPERIA Mini Pro. In an age where smartphone displays seem to be getting bigger and bigger (and pushing the limits of pocketability), the new XPERIA Mini and Mini Pro are decidedly bucking that trend. With 3-inch displays and form-factors that literally allow you to put the power of a high-end smartphone in the palm of your hand, the new line of small XPERIA phones packs a big punch into a tiny package.

The Mini and Mini Pro are designed to be extremely pocketable without compromising the kind of performance that savvy smartphone users are used to these days. The Mini rocks a slate-style form-factor, while the Mini Pro is basically the same phone with an added front-facing camera and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Both phones feature a 3-inch (320×480) capacitive touchscreen that thankfully supports multitouch inputs and makes use of Sony’s Bravia Reality Engine. The miniature smartphone duo also sports a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor to keep things running smoothly, a 5-megapixel camera (with LED flash) that’s capable of recording 720p HD video, a hot-swappable microSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and runs the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS skinned with Sony Ericsson’s custom UX layer.

We’re happy to say that Sony Ericsson has decided to de-couple the Timescape and Mediascape apps from the user interface. Whereas the Xperia X10 suffered from performance issues related to the always-on Timescape and Mediascape apps, the new Mini and Mini Pro performed admirably. The new UI is designed to be used by a single thumb, and places apps in “hot corners” of the homescreen (up to four apps per corner). When you tap the corner, the hot corner expands and allows you to scroll through and choose your app-destiny. The virtual keyboard is almost unusable for extending typing sessions, but gets the job done for short text-input tasks. The Mini Pro’s QWERTY keyboard makes a huge difference in usability, and we’d likely choose the Mini Pro over the Mini for this reason alone.

As for in-hand feel, there’s really nothing quite like the Mini or Mini Pro (save for maybe the HP Veer). Both phones fit in the palm of the hand – heck, those of you with big hands might be able to close your fist around the Mini. That’s really small. And, because the devices are so small, they feel solid. We’ll stop short of saying that it feels like a premium product, but it sure did leave a good impression.

As for performance, the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS combined with a snappy Snapdragon processor endow the Mini and Mini Pro with the guts to go head-to-head with other higher-end smartphones on market today.

We’re looking for both of these pieces of hardware to go live in Q3 2011. Price is not yet known.

Facebook Uses Dirty Tricks on Google

Facebook's plot to smear Google has backfired, as the two companies compete in a tit-for-tat fight in several lucrative industries.

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The Palo Alto, Calif.-based social networking giant admitted to hiring Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm, to develop a smear campaign against Google, citing major privacy concerns by the popular search engine. The agency planted negative stories about Google, fearing Google may be developing a social-networking site of its own.

Burson-Marsteller approached security blogger Christoper Sogholan in hopes that he would investigate Google's privacy policy and reveal holes of Google "cataloging and broadcasting every minute of every day of user information without their permission." But Sogholan refused, saying there was little evidence to support their claim.

He later posted his e-mail correspondence, revealing the PR company's plans.

According to a Facebook spokesperson, the company was concerned of Google's privacy policies, as well as Google's attempts to use its data for a social-networking service of its own.

Ironically, in the past, Facebook received criticism for failing to inform users of privacy policy changes and making profiles public.

Facebook's smear campaign may be the most embarrassing example yet of an escalating rivalry between the two tech giants. It comes as Google prepares to bolster its own social network service, dubbed "Google Circles."

So far, Google has made few inroads into social networking, aside from "Google Buzz," which failed to generate any buzz at all. Social media has been a weak spot for Google, even though it boasts the world's largest search engine. But Google plans to address this weakness with Circles, encroaching on Facebook's home territory.

Their rivalry extends beyond social networking. Whereas Microsoft was long seen as a competitive threat to Google, Facebook is the new target, after becoming the Internet's fastest growing site. Both companies are introducing new services at breakneck speed, creating whole platforms of mobile and Internet experience to rival one another.

Beyond social networking, Facebook has introduced a revamped version of its messaging system to compete against Google Mail. In response, Google blocked a Facebook feature that allows users to automatically import Gmail contact data to Facebook.

Facebook relies on such imported e-mail services to help users find new friends.

In retaliation, Google launched "+1", its answer to Facebook's "like" button.

With both companies growing and branching out into all kinds of services ranging from messaging to local "daily deals," the growing rivalry doesn't look to let up any time soon. The stakes are too high: Facebook's advertisement revenue is forecasted to overtake business from Google and make it the world's largest online advertising display.

For the top stories in mobile, follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Using Facebook to Stop Neighborhood Crime

HomeElephant is like Facebook plus CrimeWatch, combining neighborhood social networking with the ability to report suspicious activity into what could be a worldwide communication-changing tool.

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Although it functions through Facebook, HomeElephant doubles as an app for Apple and Android mobile devices, making it even easier for people to broadcast reports about their neighborhoods on the go. From announcing a backyard barbecue, to alerting fellow residents about criminal activity, HomeElephant lets local residents see and share the latest events with ease on a secure platform.

Once the app is activated, users register on Facebook and begin adding others, with their approval. in the My Neighborhood list and start posting on local happenings, even organizing an events calendar.

For most city-dwellers who don’t know the other tenants in their apartment buildings, this app could open up a whole new world of social interaction. Of course, it’s not that physically difficult to knock on the door down the hall, but in many cases, this type of one-on-one interaction may be intimidating, or even inadvisable. By facilitating reliable communication, HomeElephant may help break the ice among otherwise shy neighbors and provide group activites to get to know each other.

It’s only in beta, but HomeElephant has managed to reach 2,400 neighborhoods in 38 countries around the world, including India and Australia, since its creation three weeks ago.

With such a robust growth rate, plus the app’s potential to organize local populations, it may also soon find equal use in formally organizing groups as a neighborhood message board. Twitter and Facebook played such an important part in organizing protesters and proving a platform for them to share ideas in extraordinary times, and this new app can work in a similar fashion in ordinary times, making it even easier for people living near each other to gather quickly for communal events.

For the top stories in mobile, follow us on Facebook or Twitter

Netflix Comes to More Android Phones

Netflix now streams TV and movies on five more Android smartphones, as the online movie giant struggles to integrate with Google's diverse and somewhat fragmented mobile platform.

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Users can watch streamed movies and TV shows on four HTC phones -- theIncredible Evo 4G, Nexus One, G2 -- along with the Samsung Nexus S.

The app is free, but Netflix service costs $8 per month. An iPhone version has been around for months, but Netflix had troubles with Android, citing trouble with fragmentation.

"Because the platform has evolved so rapidly, there are some significant challenges associated with developing a streaming video application for this ecosystem," said Roma De of Netflix's product team. "One of these challenges is the lack of standard streaming playback features that the Netflix application can use to gain broad penetration across all available Android phones."

It will take time for Netflix to roll out an equal number of apps, as the company must painstakingly tests each app for compatibility with Android's nine versions.

Google's mobile operating system is open -- not limited to one manufacturer like Apple -- and Android phones come in various shapes and sizes with different chips and screens, requiring developers to test their apps for several platforms running on a multitude of devices.

Netflix' difficulties with Android are nothing new, and a recent survey by Baird Research found that over half of developers consider fragmentation a "huge" or "meaningful" issue. These problems could discourage developers from creating new apps, pushing them to rival platforms from Apple and Microsoft.

Apple still leads the app market at some 300,000 apps and churning out almost $3 billion in profits this year, which should keep it attractive to developers. IOS has the advantage of working across all of Apple's products, making developers' jobs easy.

Netflix has had apps for iPhones and iPads for some time.

But as Android gains market share with apps, programmers can't ignore Google's mobile platform, even if it means tediously testing each device before marketing an app.

At its developer conference this week Google addressed these concerns, appeasing programmers by launching a program to create common Android accessories. This step should help with accessory compatibility at least, though it does not solve the multiple OS version problem.

The five Android phones run on Android 2.2 and 2.3. Netflix is promising more in compatible software in the coming months.

For the top stories in mobile, follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

New photos of BlackBerry Monza available, different buttons on the front showed

A new photo shows that the BlackBerry 9860 Touch Monza (a.k.a. Monaco), one of the most leaked upcoming phones by RIM, has different buttons on the front than the ones we have already seen thanks to a previous leak.

It's yet unknown whether the handset will launch with the buttons showed in the pic below or with the ones we have seen before this leak.

Rumors claim this phone will be released with a 3.7-inch WVGA display (if true, it will be the biggest screen on a BlackBerry handset), 5MP camera capable of HD 720p video recording and the latest BlackBerry OS 7.0 (the second image kind of proves it), while a mighty 1.2GHz processor is said to power the phone. 

New photos of BlackBerry Monza available, different buttons on the front showed

A new photo shows that the BlackBerry 9860 Touch Monza (a.k.a. Monaco), one of the most leaked upcoming phones by RIM, has different buttons on the front than the ones we have already seen thanks to a previous leak.

It's yet unknown whether the handset will launch with the buttons showed in the pic below or with the ones we have seen before this leak.

Rumors claim this phone will be released with a 3.7-inch WVGA display (if true, it will be the biggest screen on a BlackBerry handset), 5MP camera capable of HD 720p video recording and the latest BlackBerry OS 7.0 (the second image kind of proves it), while a mighty 1.2GHz processor is said to power the phone. 

Google announces Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Honeycomb 3.1, promises timely updates

After bragging about 100 million activations hit in 2011, and Android Market reaching 4.5 billion downloads to date, at Moscone Center in San Francisco Google announced the newest version of Android - Ice Cream Sandwich.

It's not just bringing over the good stuff like the holographic UI and richer widgets from Android Honeycomb, the tablet version, but adding a few new features of its own.

Speaking of Honeycomb, it is getting updated to 3.1 as of this moment, and users of the Motorola XOOM on Verizon can get the update right now. It adds USB host support to Android, for hooking up tens of peripherals like cameras, keyboards and game controllers directly to your Android tablet. Some of the other new features are cosmetic - the widgets can now be customized to stretch vertically or horizontally any way the developers like. Some include new apps, like Movie Studio for video editing, new Movies and Books apps, for renting said media, and a faster browser with new Quick Controls settings. Not to mention that Honeycomb is heading to Google TV as well, if that ever takes off.

Ice Cream Sandwich, in its turn, was just called Google's "most ambitious release to date", and the aim is for it to power tablets, convertible tablets, and, of course, phones. Google will be ramping up its efforts developing the application framework, to avoid fragmentation. Mike Claron from the Android Engineering Team said that Google wants one OS that runs on everything.

To demonstrate the "depth and breadth" of the new APIs, a GPU-based OpenGL demo was made of tracking a human face, and distorting the perspective in real time. And we mean distorting - the app could recognize the place of the nose and eyes, for instance, and played around with the perspective in pretty frivolous ways.

The practical approach to this API was when a camera app was shown, that automatically focuses on the face of the person that is talking at the moment, and it worked pretty neat and fluid.

The biggest news for us, however, was that Google sat down with cell phone manufacturers, carriers and other members of the Open Handset Alliance, and is coming up with strict system how soon after the release of a new Android version handsets will be updated, and for how long will they be supported with new versions. In the case of the abovementioned manufacturers their phones will be included in the timely updates project for at least 18 months after initial launch, provided that the hardware can handle the new versions. Android Ice Cream Sandwich (notice that no numbered version was mentioned), will be hitting smartphones and tablets some time in Q4 of this year.

Yes, this group includes Samsung and Sony Ericsson, to answer your most burning question, but HTC, LG, Motorola, Vodafone, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile are also onboard, hopefully putting an end to the mess that Android updates have become. At the end, each of the attendees were promised to receive the insanely thin, and yet-unreleased Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which will be getting its Android 3.1 Honeycomb update very soon, said Google's Hugo Barra, flashing the audience with one of said tablets.