Does Apple have your best interest in mind, or is it just making another savvy competitive move with its latest decree? Apple has told developers no more location-based ads on iPhone apps are allowed, although "beneficial" location-based info is still OK. Apple may be trying to protect iPhone users from ads or... planning its own next strategic move.

Read More at NewsFactor

WirelessWeek: The rollout of 4G networks could dramatically change the market dynamics for the industry’s major operators. Spectrum, devices, timing and execution are all part of the equation.

Read More at WirelessWeek

DigiTimes: Pegatron Technology has reportedly landed a contract to undertake OEM production of the next-generation iPhone scheduled for launch later in the year, joining Foxconn Electronics which manufactures current iPhones for Apple, according to industry sources. In addition, Pegatron has also landed handset orders from various telecom carriers, the sources added.

Read More at DigiTimes

MGN: This could be the "Worldwide" iPhone UMTS/CDMA.. umm?

(SBSH says:) Turn your BlackBerry into a powerful time management system. Enjoy innovative and compelling tools far beyond the default BlackBerry tools that will help you manage your busy schedule. Advanced calendar views, dedicated tasks manager, powerful recurring items engine, category coloring and icons and much more!


SBSH Calendar Highlights

* Daily View - Today's events in one screen. Joint display for appointments and tasks. Status and category icons, status colors and much more!

* Weekly View - Full week worth with vertical bars style display. Providing graphical representation of your busy vs. free hours of the week

* Monthly View - Entire month in a single screen! Daily timelines, category icons, status colors and Quick View pane to preview each day activities

* Tasks Manager - Robust Task manager packed as part of SBSH Calendar. Powerful task management tools for professional task management!

* Category Colors and Icons - Assign icons and colors to categories. Icons and colors you assign are then used with Calendar's different views to enhance your agenda graphical representation

* BlackBerry Tailored - Assign icons and colors to categories. Icons and colors you assign are then used with Calendar's different views to enhance your agenda graphical representation

SBSH Calendar 1.0 for BlackBerry offers lots of additional exciting new features we couldn't list with this newsletter. We invite you to Click here and read more about the new SBSH Calendar 1.0 for BlackBerry release.

Yes, for me a CDMA carrier like Sprint or Verizon getting the iPhone is bigger than the iPad news. CDMA coverage in the US is much better than GSM (see the commercials) and with the superior bandwidth on either Sprint or Verizon the hog iPhone would be in heaven. Come on Jobs, give us the announcement we really want, something other than AT&T.

I am a big fan of the Apple iTouch. It is easy to mange music, read a Kindle book, play games and occasionally surf the net or check emails. It is great to use on flights due to the compact size. The new iPad looks a little ridiculous to me, kind of like a giant iTouch. Can I use it privately on a flight with the 178 degree view angle? I am doubting that I have a use for the product except for the bigger screen size - just like using a netbook. But is that compelling enough to dump my ASUS 1000H netbook for business travel? The netbook - dashed by Jobs yesterday seems to have capabilities for traveling business users that the iPad lacks, e.g., video conferencing, real keyboard, multiple choices of OS etc. I can't see replacing my iTouch with the iPad because I still need to carry my netbook for work and I like the way an iTouch slips into a pocket. The iPad may be another Apple flop like the Lisa, Pippin etc. However, there may be enough of the Apple loyal who feel they finally have a netbookish device from Apple.

Magical & Revolutionary Device at an Unbelievable Price
SAN FRANCISCO—January 27, 2010—Apple® today introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more. iPad’s responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch™ display lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds— thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad, and will run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store. iPad will be available in late March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499.

“iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”

iPad features 12 next-generation Multi-Touch applications. Every app works in both portrait and landscape, automatically animating between views as the user rotates iPad in any direction. The precise Multi-Touch interface makes surfing the web on iPad an entirely new experience, dramatically more interactive and intimate than on a computer. Reading and sending email is fun and easy on iPad’s large screen and almost full-size “soft” keyboard. Import photos from a Mac®, PC or digital camera, see them organized as albums, and enjoy and share them using iPad’s elegant slideshows. Watch movies, TV shows and YouTube, all in HD or flip through pages of an e-book you downloaded from Apple’s new iBookstore while listening to your music collection.

iPad runs almost all of the over 140,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®. The iTunes® Store gives you access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 11 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 8,000 films including over 2,000 in stunning high definition video. Apple also announced the new iBooks app for iPad, which includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. The iBookstore will feature books from major and independent publishers.

Apple also introduced a new version of iWork® for iPad, the first desktop-class productivity suite designed specifically for Multi-Touch. With Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers® you can create beautifully formatted documents, stunning presentations with animations and transitions, and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. The three apps will be available separately through the App Store for $9.99 each.

Read More at Apple

It appears that it slipped out in a interview that the iSlate tablet device will run the iPhone OS and may cost around $800+. $499. Is there a market for a device between a netbook and a smartphone? If anyone can pull it off it will be Apple. Apple announces the new device at 10:00AM PST.

WirelessWeek: The rumors continue to grow in the final days before an Apple press event scheduled for next week in San Francisco. While it seems almost a given that the company will unveil a tablet device of sort, many speculate that the event could include a few more surprises –say, for instance, an iPhone 4.0 update and possibly an iPhone 4G for Verizon Wireless.

Apple recently sent out e-mail invites for a high-profile media event to be held Jan. 27 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. The cryptic e-mail invites sent to journalists read: "Come See Our Latest Creation."

Read More at WirelessWeek

DigiTimes:Having shipped a WiMAX handset to Russia-based WiMAX operator Yota, HTC is reportedly to begin shipping another WiMAX-enabled smartphone to US-based Sprint Nextel in the first half of 2010, according to industry sources. In addition, HTC will also offer a WiMAX handset to Taiwan-based WiMAX operator Global Mobile in this summer.

Read More at DigiTimes

San Diego, CA--January 12, 2010--PocketMac, the originators of several groundbreaking smartphone software tools, announces a new service that helps smartphone users save their digital life. Until now, when a smartphone was dropped in the toilet or was otherwise damaged, users' data was presumed to be lost forever.

However, PocketMac's new service, RecoverMySmartphone.com, recovers that data from damaged smartphones and clones it to new ones.
This saves countless hours reconstructing this information.
Specifically, the service will rescue the following types of data from smartphones:

(*) Contacts
(*) Photos
(*) Calendars
(*) Text Messages
(*) Email Messages
(*) Music
(*) Software
(*) Notes
(*) And More...

Damaged smartphones are a much larger problem that is generally assumed. According to Gizmodo, 855,000 mobile phones are dropped in the toilet every year in the UK alone. That's one and a half percent of their population that either accidentally flushes or otherwise damages their phone. Additionally, Gizmodo says, 58,500 UK phones are damaged by dogs every year. And that's not to mention the 116,000 phones damaged in the laundry.

The numbers grow even bigger when you consider that the United States has a population 5 times greater than the UK. This translates to over 4,275,000 US phones damaged in the toilet, 292,500 US phones damaged by dogs and 580,000 phones damaged in the laundry. This is what prompted PocketMac to create this new service.

"We've spent over 8 years and 32,000 man-hours dissecting smartphones to see how they work," said Tim Goggin, VP Of Sales & Marketing. "We're now applying that wealth of knowledge to salvage the data from users' smartphones. Before RecoverMySmartphone.com, every time a phone was dropped into water or smashed in some accident, the data was likely lost forever."

This service works very simply. Users with broken or malfunctioning phones ship their devices to RecoverMySmartphone's lab.
As long as the device powers up, within 5-7 business days, the user's phone and recovered data will be shipped back to them. Optionally, RecoverMySmartphone's lab can clone the data to a new phone. Over 500 makes and models of phone are supported.

Goggin continued, "Most of us don't have even one phone number memorized anymore. RecoverMySmartphone.com rescues your life from your damaged phone."

The service supports salvaging the data from the following smartphones and PDAs:

(*) BlackBerrys
(*) Handspring PDAs
(*) iPhones
(*) iPods
(*) Motorola Phones
(*) Nokia
(*) Palm Phones & PDAs
(*) Panasonic Phones & PDAs
(*) Sendo Phones
(*) Siemens Phones
(*) Sony Ericsson Phones
(*) Windows Mobile Phones
(*) And More Phones Added Everyday…

While certain consultants can charge as much as $1900 for this type of data recovery, RecoverMySmartphone.com’s rates are structured to be more reasonable:

Simple data recovery is a flat, introductory rate of $199.97 while cloning data from a broken device to a new one is a flat rate of $249.97. Return shipment is included in the cost of the service.
Rush service can be added for $50.00 flat.

Recovered data can be used on either a Windows-based PC or Macintosh.

A YouTube video preview of how RecoverMySmartphone.com works can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGN-CTRSp2Y

More information about both products can be found at:
http://www.RecoverMySmartphone.com/ and http://twitter.com/pocketmac

Smartphones, Netbooks Poised for Strong Growth
Las Vegas, NV, January 7, 2010 – The consumer electronics (CE) industry will generate more than $165 billion in U.S. shipment revenues this year, a slight increase from 2009, according to the semi-annual industry forecast released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro announced the forecast in his opening remarks at the 2010 International CES®, the world's largest consumer technology trade show.

“2009 is a year none of us wish to repeat and now we look forward to 2010. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it is the bright light of innovation,” said Shapiro. “We are seeing more innovation at this show than at any show in our history. There are a record number of new exhibitors, more than 330, among the 2,500 companies showcasing the next generation of technology.”

The CE industry will see positive revenue growth in 2010 after a revenue decline in 2009. Total industry shipment revenues fell an estimated 7.8 percent in 2009 although unit volume increased nearly ten percent for the year as consumers bought electronics at a value, limiting industry revenues. As the economy begins its slow recovery from the recession, the CE industry will lead the way as popular product categories are poised for growth in 2010.

The wireless handset category is expected to have a strong 2010, becoming the primary revenue driver for the industry. Smartphones continue to lead the way, generating nearly $17 billion in shipment revenue and more than 52 million unit sales in 2010. Smartphones comprise more than 30 percent of total wireless phone shipments, with that number increasing in the years ahead.

Sales of computers are also expected to be a bright spot in 2010 as the category continues to be driven by the popularity of netbooks. Netbook sales more than doubled in 2009 as the computer category showed stronger sales than previous forecasts predicted. In 2010, more than 30 million notebooks will be sold, generating more than $14 billion in revenue.

“Smartphones and netbooks are primed for strong growth as consumers continue to seek efficient, portable devices,” said Steve Koenig, CEA's director of industry analysis. “With more consumers seeking content anywhere, anytime, the demand for products facilitating these experiences will drive purchases going forward.”

Blu-ray players will continue to grow after a strong 2009. Blu-ray unit sales rose 155 percent in 2009 with more than seven million units being sold, generating more than $1 billion in revenue. The trend will continue in 2010, with unit sales projected to top 11.5 million and revenues to increase to $1.4 billion.

The television market has been one of the primary revenue drivers the past several years as consumers made the transition to high-definition, flat-panel sets. Unit sales will climb to more than 37 million in 2010 but price drops will cause display revenue to decline slightly to $22 billion. Innovation in TV displays, such as 3D, Internet connectivity and OLED technology, will continue to grow and help maintain revenue in the display category. CEA projects sales of more than 4 million 3D television sets in 2010.

The U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast 2005-2010 (January 2010) is published twice a year, in January and July. It was designed and formulated by CEA, the most comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry. Please cite any information to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. The complete report is available free to CEA member companies. Non-members may purchase the study for $2,000 at mycea.CE.org.

About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $165 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.

That cell phone radiation pinging through your head may not be all bad. BBC reports: After all the concern over possible damage to health from using mobile phones, scientists have found a potential benefit from radiation. Their work has been carried out on mice, but it suggests mobiles might protect against Alzheimer's.

Florida scientists found that phone radiation actually protected the memories of mice programmed to get Alzheimer's disease.

Read More at BBC

Google is selling the Nexus One directly to the public either "unlocked" for any GSM carrier or locked with a plan from T-mobile. Just follow this link to pick one up: http://www.google.com/phone specs are here: http://www.google.com/phone/static/en_US-n...tech_specs.html