Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Rumors this morning suggest T-Mobile was hoping to spring a fresh white G1 phone for the holidays.  The word is there is a problem with the white paint causing the delay.  The Android phone was launched only in basic black.

Website TMO suggests the white paint is chipping.  Thankfully, the faulty paint was caught by T-Mobile but the delay will push an intro until after Thanksgiving.  This could push the hot phone’s sales downward as Black Friday brings out the masses in a buying mood.

The tipster originally said the white should be in stores by October 22.  We’ve pushed well past that date and now we hear after Thanksgiving.  Surely few are waiting for the white if they desire the G1, but T-Mobile has to wonder how this will hurt them this holiday season.

I like the white option.  And hey, without the iPhone’s cracks, it could be a better deal.

Source: [IntoMobile]

• Who’s On Crack in tech: 11.21.08 edition
• iPhone is number 1 in mobile ads
• Google’s Lively ain’t lookin’ so lively now

This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Can you hear the drum beating for Black Friday?  It is getting nuts in here! Here is what caught my eye this week:

Join me as I call out these guys for totally suspicious acts:

• Gadget makers
• Classmates.com
• Bloggers that leak good stuff
• Korean dictionaries.  Yes, I am serious about that one.

Follow the link to hear more.  It is almost guaranteed to brighten your Friday.  Almost.

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PhoneFusion announced yesterday that their Fusion Voicemail + is coming to the Android platform that will allow users to view their voicemails and listen to them in any order they choose.  This was a big selling point of the original iPhone and now it is coming to the Android platform.

Currently, PhoneFusion offers this software for free to Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Linux, Palm and Symbian phones via their downloaded application.  PhoneFusion announced the addition of the Android to their compatible platforms at the Under the Radar: Mobility event.  The company says the application will be available before the end of this year.

Find out more about this app.  Click more to follow.

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  This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

Follow to see me call out:

• LG and its ridiculously square phone
• AT&T thinks Android is on crack
• Sprint thinks we want to watch football (American) on our phones.
• Moto wants to be on crack
• and our own Natesh who finds more than his share of obscure gadgetry

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In the video after the break, you’ll see Intel CEO Paul Otellini demoing an unnamed mobile internet device.  This time, Intel shows a device that is 100% touchscreen and has GPS, a camera and connectivity on board.  Watching the video, the first thing that came to my mind is Google phone OS Android.

That is because the demo was about the MID smart camera.  Using the camera, the device is able to translate Chinese very quickly and is able to add relevant YouTube videos, web pages and more all based on your GPS position and what the camera identifies.  The concept is you get all the information you desire, when you need it, where you need it.

Hit the jump to see the video and what this MID can do for you.

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Sections: Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation, Web, Google

Ever since Google Android was first officially released, one question asked by many was which cell phone carrier would use it in their phones.  With the release of T-Mobile’s G1, we knew T-Mobile liked Android and gave it a shot.  From that, another question was developed, which other carriers would follow suit to T-Mobile.  At the Web 2.0 Summit, Ralph de La Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, was asked about Android being used in AT&T phones. 

Unfortunately for AT&T enthusiasts, AT&T will not be incorporating Google Android into their cell phones anytime soon.  He wants to see Google Android evolve more before they think about using it in their phones.  He also adds that they are looking at it as a possible new platform.  Lastly, he adds that he wants to see Google Android take on more non-Google Apps. 

From what I can infer, I think AT&T will be using Google Android at some point, but not in the immediate future.  Looks like AT&T is just waiting for Android to mature a bit before fully adopting the platform.

Read [SFGate]

• Who’s On Crack in tech: 11.21.08 edition
• HTC Touch Pro now available with Alltel
• Google’s Lively ain’t lookin’ so lively now

Sections: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Web, Google

If you are looking around for some great, new cell phones you may want to consider checking out what T-Mobile has to offer this holiday season.  A few notable deals T-Mobile has going on are the availability of the new MOTOZINE ZN5, the T-Mobile Cameo, the Samsung Behold, the Samsung Gravity, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, the T-Mobile G1 (as expected), and they are even offering free plane tickets to any destination within the United States. 

Keep reading to find out more.

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Sections: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Gadgets / Other, Household, Imaging, Accessories, Web, Google

Is your G1’s 3G connection just a bit too slow for you?  7.2 Mbps moving at seemingly dial-up speeds?  T-Mobile has you covered—in at least 2 years, maybe more.  T-Mobile has announced that it will be skipping HSPA+ to go straight to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE).  In the meantime, T-Mobile will upgrade the software to go up to 14.4 Mbps.

Okay, 4G LTE sounds impressive.  That’s 1 more G than the iPhone has, but that doesn’t mean anything unless you know what it can do.  According to a Sepember article from Reuters, when T-Mobile tested the network in a moving car on a German highway, it was able to get 170 Mbps for downloads and 50 Mbps for uploads.  To put that into perspective, the fastest I can get out of my FiOS line is 20 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload.  Needless to say, that’s quite an upgrade.  Continued after the break.

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SMobile is putting out some software to protect your G1 called VirusGuard.  Android is a very open OS and plenty of people have thought about how to keep it secure.  While Google has a kill switch for apps, that doesn’t stop you from downloading and running malware.  This new application aims to protect Android from malware, spyware and viruses.

VirusGuard only costs $4.99 and you can get it through Handango.com.  Will you need something like this?  Android is built on Linux, but that doesn’t stop people from creating malware apps to make a mess of everything. 

I am curious about what kind of resources VirusGuard will require to run.  A background app monitoring everything that is going on could be a resource hog.  I’m sure many of us have had our bad Norton Anti-Virus experiences.  If you decide to pick up VirusGuard, let us know in the comments.

Read: [SMobilePress Release]
Buy the app: [Handango Link]

• Google’s Lively ain’t lookin’ so lively now
• Are you secure? Here’s a “Top 5” list of free security software downloads
• Who’s On Crack in tech: 11.21.08 edition

Sections: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Security, Web, Google

People often try to “tether” their Internet capable devices to their PCs or laptops in order to get Internet on them on the go.  Many tried with the iPhone, but weren’t very successful.  When the T-Mobile G1 first was announced, one of the main questions was if the G1 could support tethering.  Back when it was announced, not many people thought they could tether their G1.  However, some people began posting in the TmoNewsForums on how to tether your G1 over USB.  Continued after the break.

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