I think most of us are in agreement that wireless contracts suck. If you want a reasonably priced Android smartphone and it doesn’t have to be the fastest, but you don’t want a contract Cricket Wireless has a new one for you. Cricket has announced that it will be the exclusive provider for the ZTE Score.

The Score is an entry level Android device with a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen that runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The smartphone has a 600MHz processor, accelerometer, a virtual keyboard, 3.2MP camera and WiFi. The camera can record video and the phone works on 3G networks.

The phone also supports the Muve Music unlimited music service Cricket offers and a lot more. It can access the Android market as well. The phone will sell for $129.99 and will be available in Best Buy locations around the country.

Not much of a backstory for this odd pic. Apparently someone at reddit posted it up, claiming his dad received the statue for a 20 year stint at Nintendo. Pretty sweet. Did the dad get a raise too? Unknown. But it sure is a fine way to appreciate employees, giving them free swag and all.

If our eyesight doesn’t fail us, engraved on the base is "Thank You For 20 years…” can’t make out the rest though it must be glowing gratitude. There’s also a tiny plaque below it.

The recipient of this impressive Super Mario statuette is allegedly a senior manager at Nintendo and joined the gaming giant in 1991. Now that’s a career, ladies and gentlemen.

Maybe it would also be sensible to give out statuettes when firing people so that the sting isn’t so cold and impersonal. Oh wait, sounds like a terrible idea. Our bad.

Source ... Read more »

The other day we heard that the new Pantech Breakout was coming to Verizon Wireless in the US, and it looks like it is now available from Verizon for $99 when you sign up to a new two year agreement.

The Pantech Breakout features a 4 inch multi-touch touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, it comes with Android Gingerbread 2.3 and also features a single core 1GHz processor.

Other specifications on the Pantech Breakout include a rear 5 megapixel camer and a front facing VGA camera, plus 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and can be used as a mobile hotspot for up to 10 WiFi enabled devices, and it feature Bluetooth 3.0 and comes with an 8GB microSD card.

Source Engadget

Sony Ericsson recently announced the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, which we had a brief hands on with earlier in the month, and now it looks like the Xperia Arc S is headed to mobile operator Three in the UK.

Three has listed the Xperia Arc S on their coming soon section of their site, with a launch date of October, and it will come with Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 and features a 4.2 inch multi-touch touchscreen display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels.

Other specifications on the Xperia Arc S include a single core 1.4GHzs processor, and an 8GB microSD card, plus an 8.1 megapixel camera which feature Sony’s Exmor R C ... Read more »

A new trailer released on the Xbox Marketplace website today has revealed that a new demo of the highly anticipated racing game Forza Motorsport 4 will be arriving on October 3rd.

Forza Motorsport 4 is a racing video game currently in development by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox

360. It will be the fourth instalment in the Forza Motorsport series. You can view the new Forza 4 –

Making of the Bernese Alps trailer in full HD after the jump, which reveals the new demo’s arrival date.

Unfortunately no demo details are revealed in the new trailer but it does show a little of how much work

has gone into creating the new game and s ... Read more »

HTC announced the new HTC Rhyme the other day and they have just released a promo video for th Rhyme, which gives us a good look at HTC’s latest Android smartphone.

The HTC Rhyme comes with a 3.7 inch multi-touch touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480

pixels, it will come with Android Gingerbread and HTC’s Sense 3.5 UI.

The HTC Rhyme also comes with HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, and a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and an

LED flash, and will also come with a range of exclusive accessories.

The HTC Rhyme will go on sale with Verizon in the US next week and with O2 here in the UK next month.

Source ... Read more »

It looks like HTC Had teamed up with Dropbox, according to a recent report by Pocket Lint, HTC will be offering owners of its latest Android smartphones like the new HTC Rhyme, will get an extra 3GB of Dropbox storage on top of the existing 2GB of free storage already offered by Dropbox.

This will give HTC customers who purchase a new HTC device a total of 5GB of Dropbox storage for free, and it looks like it will be expanded to all HTC devices running the HTC Sense 3.5.

So it looks like the devices that will support the service at the moment are the new HTC Sensation Xe and the HTC Rhyme, we expect to hear about more devices with the 5GB dropbox service when they are announced at the HTC event on the 6th of October.

Source Pocket Lint

The Samsung Galaxy W is expected to go on sale in the UK later this month, with a number of different mobile carriers, and now it looks like the SIM free version of the Galaxy W has gone up for pre-order at Amazon for £269.99.

The Samsung Galaxy W comes with Android Gingerbread 2.3, processing is provided by a single core 1.4GHz processor and there is also a 3.7 inch Super LCD Display.

Other features on the Samsung Galaxy W include 4GB of storage plus a microSD card slot which can take up to 32GB cards and a 5 megapixel camera which can shoot HD video in 720p.

Source Mobile Whack, Amazon

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update is scheduled to be launched next month, and now it looks like the update will bring a new feature to the Xperia Play which has yet to be announced by Sony Ericsson.

The Xperia Play in its current form is capable of recording video at a 800 x 480 resolution, but now it would appear that Android 2.3.4 will add the ability to record HD video in 720p.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update is scheduled to be launched next month, and now it looks like the update will bring a new feature to the Xperia Play which has yet to be announced by Sony Ericsson.

The Xperia Play in its current form is capable of recording video at a 800 x 480 resolution, but now it would appear that Android 2.3.4 will add the ability to record HD video in 720p.

The guys over at the ... Read more »

Earlier today we saw Windows 8 running on a USB drive, and now we have another Windows 8 video, this time the Windows 8 developer preview has been installed on the HTC Shift.

Have a look at the video of it in action below, we are wondering if this is the oldest device so far that Windows 8 has been installed on, considering the HTC Shift was launched back in 2007.

Earlier today we saw Windows 8 running on a USB drive, and now we have another Windows 8 video, this time the Windows 8 developer preview has been installed on the HTC Shift.

Have a look at the video of it in action below, we are wondering if this is the oldest device so far that Windows 8 has been installed on, considering the HTC Shift was launched back in 2007.

You can find out more information about how Windows 8 was installed on the HTC Shift over at ... Read more »

If you create a lot of SMS messages on your Android mobile device and would like to delete then but need to keep backup copies. An Android application called SMS to Text might be able to help you sort them out.

The neat little SMS to Text  app allows you to transfer all your SMS messages into a text file which can then be downloaded and stored somewhere safe. Once installed you can set the application to filter saved SMS messages by contact, date, incoming or outgoing phone number for easy export and archiving.

SMS to Text is available now to download from the Android Market for free and should help you sort those SMS once and for all without having to sacrifice any to the waste basket.

Today Cyanide have released a new official launch trailer for its new Game of Thrones – Genesis PC game which is set to launch next week. The Game of Thrones title is an adaptation of the bestseller series "A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin which has also been made into a TV series.

The new PC game allows players to engage in battles to shape the Kingdom of Westeros, but not only through military conquest, as Genesis also gives you the option to use cunning diplomacy or brutal economic tactics to win.

"Plunge into the heart of the continent of Westeros for a minute, while a Targaryen king is preparing to battle the Houses seeking to claim his Iron Throne. From the kingdom of Dorne in the South, to Winterfell and the famous Wall in the North, many will be the people he will have to subject to his rule. Military conquests, treachery, or diplomac ... Read more »

The HTC Radar was announced recently, and it is HTC’s latest Windows Phone 7 smartphone and will come with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, and now it looks like it is headed to T-Mobile.

The guys over at TMO news have got their hands on some photos of the new HTC Radar for T-Mobile, which you can see below, the HTC Radar features a 3.8 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, processing is provided by a single core 1GHz processor and it comes with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of storage.

Other specifications on the HTC Radar include a 5 megapixel camera with an F2.2 lens, LED flash and a BSI sensor, on the front there is a VGA camera for video chat, and it comes with 3G, GPRS, EDGE and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and a 1520 mAh battery.

Head on over to ... Read more »

We have already seen a number of cloned Chinese iPhone’s and Android devices, and now Samsung’s latest smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II has been cloned it China, and it even comes with Android Gingerbread 2.3.

The HDC A9100 S2 also comes with similar specifications to the original Samsung Galaxy S II, which

include a 4.3 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, although it comes with a

... Read more »

On Monday, Google announced its new NFC based mobile payment system, Google Wallet, which will be available on the Sprint Nexus S 4G smartphone initially, with the update to the device being released as an over the air update.

The update was expected to have rolled out to all Nexus S 4G devices by the end of yesterday, but now it would appear that the update has been delayed and it wont be rolled out until tomorrow.

According to the guys over at Computer World, Google have confirmed to them that the Google Wallet update for the Nexus S 4G should be rolled out to all devices by the end of tomorrow, Friday the 23rd of September.

Source Computer World

We have already seen some photos of the new HTC Ruby or HTC Amaze, and now we get a look at our first leaked press photo of the HTC Ruby, which gives us a better look at the device.

What we know so far about the HTC Ruby is that it will feature a 4.3 inch qHD display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels, plus a dual core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM.

Other rumored specifications include 16GB of built in storage, along with a microSD card slot, plus an 8 megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, and it is expected to come with Android Gingerbread plus HTC Sense 3.5 custom UI.

No details on when it will go on sale, but we suspect we will hear more information about it at HTC’s European press event on the 6th of October.

Source Pocket Now

Yesterday we heard that Apple may announce the new iPhone 5 on the 4th of October, we have also heard rumors over the past few months that Apple will launch a new cheaper version of the iPhone 4 which is rumored to be the iPhone 4S.

Now according to Apple board member, and former US Vice President, Al Gore, who was speaking at a recent conference, Apple will have new ‘iPhones’ coming next month.

Not to mention the new iPhones coming out next month.’ Then he quickly added ‘That was a plug.’”

Of course he could have just been talking about the various rumors we have all heard that Apple is going to launch two new iPhone models, but considering he is on Apple’s board there could be more too it.

Source The N ... Read more »

We have been hearing rumors that Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5, Mango would be launching shortly, and now we have some official word from Microsoft, and Windows Phone Mango will be coming in the next week or 2.

Microsoft has posted an updated on their Windows Phone Blog, and have said that they will also update their ‘Where’s My Phone Update’, to let us know when Mango will be rolled out worldwide.

So there we have it, within the next week or two is the official word from Microsoft, as soon as we get some more information on a specific date we will let you guys know.

Source Gizmodo

Handroid? That’s the problem with marketing these days, it’s so contrived. Really, Handroid? Awful. But the machine itself—woah! No wonder Arnie down south is rocking his best me gusta face at the sight of it. Kidding! That’s a famous scene from T2. Seriously, the Handroid itself has an eerie similarity to the robot prostheses from the classic movie.

Actually the Handroid from ITK, a tech firm that specializes in robotic tools, is more an attachment than a prostheses. This means that the $6,500 Handroid they’re currently hyping is meant for job sites like construction or engineering. Not sure if it’s modular enough to have attachments, like laser fingers or a rocket launcher. We’ll stop speculating now.

The Handroid is a remote controlled (via glove) limb that can work like a precision tool and accomplish challenging tasks. Can it replace a real hand? ITK are working hard at ... Read more »

According to a Dr. James Law, Astroboy iCub should carry the Olympic torch in 2012. Not all the way, but participate in the process. Of course all he really did was submit the iCub’s candidacy. There’s no way of telling if a robot can participate in such a high profile event.

Oh yes, iCub? It’s a metallic toddler designed to learn from its environment the way a baby does. To be honest, it scares us. it’s those eyes. That face. Chucky???

Dr. Law (cool name) is a computer science professor over at Aberystwyrth and he thinks making a robot participate in the torch ceremony honors a certain Alan Turing. In doing so, it should serve to inspire generations of nerds scientists and engineers to come. Wait, Alan Turing? Sound familiar?

He’s the WW2 codebreaker and computer science whiz who created the algorithms from which programming language is based. He’s been featured before ... Read more »