Yes it is a run for the acquisition these days for the two big Giants of the tech world — Google and Apple. Both of a lot of great ideas and they both lack the patience and the opportunity to  sit down and develop on those ideas. So what they lack in time and resources, they make up in strategic acquisitions. This is not really a new practice in the business world but it is exciting to see how these two companies are thinking regarding their own and the industry’s future through these acquisitions, some of which can be very telling. This time, we talk about Google and their acquisition of ‘BumpTop Computers’.

BumpTop is a really neat concept and it reminded me of Microsoft’s ‘Surface’ concept. But it is essentially a virtual representation of all your data in a way that looks closer to real life — a virtual desk with objects that behave just like objects in real life. The interface is purely touch based and has multiple gestures to do things. Look at the video below to get an idea of exactly what I am talking about.

So as you can see by now, the BumpTop is really working on very complex gestures and touch-based features which have so far been identified only with Apple and their products. Apple has of course long since acquired a company called Fingerworks that used to make fantastic gesture based systems. It is said that Apple’s advanced gestures and touch systems are thanks to the inputs from this brilliant team of engineers.

Coming back to Google, it seems like they are making a similar move with BumpTop here. Only, it is far more apparent now what they intend to do with BumpTop than it was when Apple acquired their touch and gesture team. The popular opinion on the market is that this will be ported to the Android and improve the user experience there.

There is in fact a lot of opportunity to improve touch and gestures on the Android. It is pretty good as it is now but to keep up with Apple, Google cannot always resort to copy/pasting major features from Apple. They sometimes have to innovate on their own as well. And BumpTop will definitely help them up the ante on the touch game. BumpTop’s innovative system with really complex gestures that work really well can do wonders for Android.

But then there’s another area where the BumpTop can really shine. As you can see in the video, the BumpTop is not really meant for  a small screen. In fact, the two handed gestures that you see in the video will be really hard to use on small screens. On the smaller screen, there really is only so much you can do before you run out of space to maneuver.

So instead, this new acquisition of Google might be working on something else. They have be working on improving a tablet that Google is quietly building in the background. There’s obviously no doubt that Google simply cannot miss the tablet bus. Everyone’s already on board or has their ticket in the making. Google is the only one who have been really quiet on that front. It is quite possible that the BumpTop team will work with Google’s favorite — HTC, to make a great tablet experience a reality for Google.

The tablet and the touch screen mobile phone are definitely going to be big parts of the future in gadgets and hence Google working on improving the experience on one or both should not come as a surprise to anyone really.

There’s also another angle to this — this also one of the most prominent hardware oriented that Google has made in recent times. Even though what BlumpTop is selling is essentially software but it only makes sense when used with the right hardware. Google can’t exactly make web applications out of what BumpTop has to offer to them.

Hence, here is a clear signal that Google is heavily leaning towards the hardware side of things. Perhaps they have finally realized that people actually go to bed with their hardware (pardon the pun/s) and they form real bonds with those lifeless pieces. Google may have become a verb but as soon as the PC is switched off and the mobile phone is used to make calls and listen to music, Google seizes to be on users’ minds. But with hardware products, companies like Apple can become parts of lifestyles, identities and personal lives of people. Just like it is hard to deny the fact that vinyls are still the sexiest way to release music and feel the most real of all mediums that have so far been invented for music distribution.

With BumpTop, Google can actually make something so appealing and personal that it might upset Apple HQ just by how nice it is to use. But that is still a possibility. That is one department where Apple simply cannot be beat. BumpTop is definitely very gifted and innovative but integrating that into a coherent experience that sits well with Google’s existing work is not going to be an easy matter.

Thus, we should not be expecting to see BumpTop’s influences before the next major Android release. And if BumpTop is actually working with the Chrome OS team, then it is going to be another story altogether.

People have already asked Google how touch-friendly Chrome OS is going to be and Google has not been very clear in their answer. They just said that they are looking at it. It seems like they know that touch is important to any modern OS (mobile or otherwise) but they have no idea how to integrate it. So they likely still working on it. The worrying part is that we haven’t heard about Chrome OS all that much lately and the release that was promised for later this year might get delayed. But then if we get a great Chrome OS based tablet where nothing is on the device expect that hardware and the minimal OS with basic native storage — we’d definitely be surprised and in a very nice way.

[read]

This is a project about a man trying and succeeding in his attempt to run the OS X 10.3 version on Nokia’s latest flasgship smartphone device — the N900. Someone should tell people like this that some things are better left alone even if they are possible practically. It is technically possible to each a chocolate chip cookie with hot mustard and cough syrup, doesn’t mean I will do it. Then again, some companies seem to share this philosophy when making new products — because it is possible to make a laptop that is powered by a 300MHz and runs on a semblance of an OS.

However, this was a personal project and seems like the guy had fun, so hats off to his patience. This is the first ever documented attempt and a successful one at that, to boot a full OS X off a smartphone. But if you really want to test your patience, why don’t you try networking Windows Vista with FreeBSD? Or watch a tortoise complete a 100 meter dash? It does make for a fun time lapse video though… of the franken-thing booting up. Yes, it needs heavy editing to show the thing booting up within a tolerable time frame. Know why? ‘Cause it takes 2 whole hours to boot up!

Enjoy the video on the other side.

Like I said, somethings are just better left alone. This guy is Finnish (hence Nokia?) and is called Tony Nikkanen. Well Tony, I must take pointers from you some day. I am known to be a very patient man but got bored waiting for my Pentium III machine to boot into Ubuntu Gutsy.

[read]

The Android has begun its world domination. Either that or it has hit the perfect combination between everything and every manufacturer is currently looking to make a good deal out of it. After all, if you give hardware makers a great piece of software for free, you are sure to hit the right spot in businessmen.

Get over to the other side and get in on the latest in the Android.

Huawei $200 Android Phone

It looks like Huawei has officially jumped into the Android multiplicity bandwagon. What I mean is that they are officially making more Android phone. After making one for T-Mobile, they are now apparently making a $200 Android phone. This phone is currently being aimed at the Spanish market but then it might not take too long a time to make its way to the US and the rest of the Europe.

The Huawei set is currently suspected to be heading for Spanish carrier Teléophonica. However, Movistar has been named as a contender as well. The manufacturer has confirmed that phone exists and it will be launched mid-December to ensure that everything is set up for sale before the year ends.

With so many players entering the field, things are going to become tougher for those who are not very well known in the market. This is especially true for those companie who have been in the background up until now. HTC has made a successful transition from faceless OEM to a known face in the market. So we will see if Huawei can do the same. Read more about it at gHacks.net.

The gPhone Strikes Again

London Times ran a story some days back where Ashok Kumar (Northeast Securities), speculates on the Google phone. Yes, it appanrently does exist but there is more to it than that.

According to Ashok, this is going to be one of the most advanced smartphones till date. The processor is apparently going to be twice as fast as the Apple iPhone, which puts it squarely into the Snapdragon category. He sort of says it anyway when he mentions that the phone is likely being built by HTC and will use a chip from Qualcomm. Snapdragon is Qualcomm’s current superstar mobile processor that clocks at 1GHz. Yes, it is verry nice.

However, the manufacturer claim clashes with Techcrunch’s claim, where Arrington is positive about it NOT being HTC and it being some Korean company. We shall see who’s right pretty soon because this thing seems like it is fit to burst forth any moment now.

NO, you are not going to get it for Christmas. So go get the iPhone or the Droid and quench your smartphone thirst. [read]

Comangi WebStation MID

Here’s yet another Android running MID for you to enjoy reading about. That’s because no one is sure about how good or terrible the thing will be. This is from a company called Comangi and it is called the WebStation.

It has a 7inch screen and is said to have a screen resolution of 800×480. This is of course the current sweet spot for such devices. The touchscreen will be made out of glass, which is not necessarily a good thing. Connectivity-wise it looks like a smartphone minus the phone. It has Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, MicroSD card slot, a 2MP front facing camera and also a 3MP webcam. The bad part? It runs Android 1.5. Of couse, nothing but phones can run the standard Android install and Android 2.0 is far too new for these products that have been in the making for quite some time now.

The product was currently up for early registration at the company website. People got a kind of coupon code that you will be able to exchange when it comes out. Sadly, the promotion expired on the 26^th.

The product looks like it is all set to launch within the promised time-frame of mid-December. The product does look increasingly good on paper. So we just have to wait to see if it is really worth the excitement.

Comangi has also launched a beta marketplace for their product, because it will obviously not support the apps found at the Android Marketplace. [read]

LG’s Third Android Phone Found Lurking On The Internet

Some Android afficionados have found an interesting piece of code hanging around on the Internet. It seems like the first LG Android phone ever leaked still exists somewhere deep within LG labs where it is getting ready to be set loose on the world.

Not that there’s much to set loose. This phone seems like the smaller version the other two Android phones that LG has released so far. Yes, LG has just released a second Android phone. It is called the GW880 or Amundsen and it is currently flying towards China where it will be part of China Mobile’s OPhone line up.

The rumored phone is called the GT540 and it is neither like the EVE nor like the Amundsen in anyway. It is running Android 1.5, has a 3inch screen with low 320×480 resolution. The phone was discovered through a User Agen Profile that this phone has been broadcasting. [read]

Shenzhen Preparing Multiple Android Phones For 2010 Onslaught

According to a ce.cn report, dug up by Shanzhai.com, multiple companies in the Shenzhen region in China are preparing for a complete onslaught of Android phones come next year.

They have apparently been preparing quietly while the rest of the world goes crazy over one Android super phone after another. In their bid to succeed, they have been hiring Android experts from big companies like Samsung. Looks like they are pretty serious about this entire thing. Hopefully, their Android phones will be better than the clones that they have been producing so far. [read]

China Mobile Starts Selling Dell Smartphone

Dell has finally taken the leap with their first smartphone. The Dell Mini 3i Android phone has started selling in China through China Mobile, the same company who are selling the latest LG Android smarpthone the Amundsen. With rival China Unicom selling the iPhone, we will have to see who receives the most love from the people of China.

AT&T has a plethora of smart phones in the market aimed at various types of users. While its 3G web access service is quite popular among the users, it could not find many takers for its mobile TV service. Besides, not all smart phone support this feature. Samsung Eternity, released in the previous year was among the few handsets that supported it. To revive the service AT&T has launched the new Samsung Mythic, a powerful multimedia phone that supports mobile TV. Priced at $199, the Mythic offers the right blend of features and performance.

Appearance wise the Mythic is similar to the other touch screen phones of Samsung and also feature’s Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. Its glossy shell has nice color combination and solid build quality. The Touch screen of the Mythic sports an impressive 360×640 resolution with 262k color support. Like most of the Samsung phones, it produces rich and vivid colors that look sharp as well. The home screens can be customized with widgets. In fact, the amount of customization the Mythic offers, will please even the most finicky users.

The virtual keyboard of this model is easy to use and the response is good. It also provides support for handwriting recognition. The haptic response of the Touch Screen is useful for messaging and dialling numbers. The level of the feedback can also be adjusted. To cater to the need of the audiophiles Samsung has provided a 3.5mm earphone jack with this model. While the Mythic offers a wide range of multimedia features, its USP is the mobile TV support. The users can avail the MediaFLOW network of Qualcomm to watch TV on its touch screen. This service can be availed for just $10 per month.

On the imaging front, the Mythic offers a 3.2 MP camera with flash. It has auto-focus and white balance settings for shooting in various light conditions. The camera takes sharp and clear pictures. However, the video recording is not that impressive and it has fewer settings. Video can be shot either at a stretch or for MMS. The Mythic can access the streaming video service of AT&T known as AT&T Mobile Video. This is not the same as the mobile TV service.

The web browser used in the Mythic is based on the core of Opera Mobile. It is a quad band phone and offers decent call quality. The speakers used in the Mythic are good for conversation in Speaker phone mode but in terms of music playback they are average. Hence, for a better music listening experience one needs to use a headset. This would not be a problem as the set offers stereo Bluetooth as well as 3.5 mm jack. The 3G performance is an area where the Mythic excels. It loads media rich pages fast and does not slow down while downloading content either. However, video streaming can be a little sluggish. The mobile TV response is fast as it does not rely on 3G network. The picture quality is decent though it can not be compared to that of HD video.

After Making the smart phone market ecstatic with its much anticipated Pre, Palm has released a scaled down version named Pixi. It is being marketed by Cellular service operator Sprint. As of now, Sprint is offering the Palm Pixi for $100 post a $100 discount for two year agreement. However, the buyers looking for a better deal can search in the sites like Amazon and get it for around $50 less. Compared with the Pre, the Pixi is less feature rich, and that is what that straws the device’s main drawback.

It is evident that both Sprint and Palm has adopted a different marketing strategy for the Pixi, compared to its heavyweight sibling,Pre. Palm has opted for a low key advertising campaign and launch for the Pixi. The Pixi does not have a slider keyboard but offers a conventional QWERTY one. However, it looks quite elegant with its candy bar form factor. The keys are small but easy to use.

It is the second smart phone from Palm to feature the WebOS. It is quite evident that Palm has made this model for the budget conscious buyers who want to own a smart phone. Its 2 MP camera takes decent pictures but the flash is not of much use. The lack of WiFi is likely to offend some users. The Pixi will be loved by the users who like messaging a lot. However, those looking for a fully capable smart phone would have to look somewhere else. The Pixi was earlier said to be launched in September but its debut got delayed.

Every Saturday is that day of the week when we update you on all the important Apple news that has taken place over the week. Get over to the other side for your piece of the delicious Saturday Apple Pie from Otaku Gadgets.

Pen-based Ink Recognition Patent Fuels New Tablet Rumors

Apple had filed for a patent in July 2009 where it describes a pen-based computer application that works in between the pen input and the device so that the pen input is more accurately interpreted. The patent refers to tablet computers a lot and this has officially gotten the rumor mill cranking out tablet speculations again. [read]

Apple’s New Store Is Ginormous, Opens Today

Apple has gone all big and grand with their latest store on the 67^th in Broadway and they say that this will be the norm from now on. It is hard to describe the place without writing full paragraphs, so you have to check out the press pictures or go there yourself. [view]

Apple Shares Store Statistics

Did you know that the latest Apple store had 10,000 applicants vying to work there? And did you know that Apple earns $4,300 per square foot of retail space and $26 million in sales per Apple Store? Apple certainly wants the world to know how great they are doing. [read]

Apple Makes More Money Than Nokia

Apple has made more money selling smartphones than the phone giant Nokia, this last quarter (Q3 ‘09). The difference between the two is about $0.5 billion. [read]

Apple Grows In The Global Smartphone Market

Apple has grabbed more market share this quarter and now holds 17.1% of the entire global smartphone market. For a two and a half year old phone, that is not half bad. [read]

Apple’s miniDisplayPort Now VESA Standard

The miniDisplayPort by Apple has long been an odd one out in the video industry. But now it gets two thumbs up from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), which has made it a part of their official DisplayPort specifications (versions 1.1 and 1.2). [read]

OS X 10.6.2 Update Kills Atom Hackintoshes, Fix On The Way

It has been confirmed multiple times that the latest Mac OS update takes away Atom bits and kills Atom-based hackintosh netbooks. The hackers are already busy on a fix, which should be available soon. [read]

Safari 4.0.4 Update Fixes Security And Other Things

Safari was updated to 4.0.4 this week and it fixes a critical security problem and sets other things right as well. [read]

Macworld Will Not Have Steve Jobs, Kevin Smith Invited Instead

Steve Jobs will not be speaking at the upcoming Macworld. So the organizers have invited Kevin Smith to speak at the event. [read]

iTunes Preview On Your Browser

Now you can preview iTunes links on your browser when you click on one online. The feature is called iTunes Preview and it is live right now. [read]

iTunes Gets Lots Of HD Content

Apple has been putting a lot of HD content on the iTunes store and this time they have gotten it right. These HD movies have generated a lot of excitement and they are likely to sell very well, making Apple yet more profits from digital content sales. [read]

Apple Store iPod Touch Based Checkout Device Spied On

Apple has shifted to using an iPod Touch-based on the spot checkout system for their Stores. They used to use a Microsoft solution prior to the switch. Pockelint has some spy shots for us and it looks… about as interesting as a barcode scanning iPod Touch can get. [read]

Apple Threat Real For Nintendo

Nintendo might claim that Apple is no competition for them but the truth is that Apple is becoming more of a competition each day. Ars Technica points out why. [read]

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iPhone News:

Harmless iPhone Worm Followed By A Malicious One

Jailbroken iPhones have been hit again with a malicious exploit that compromises the phone in the same way as the last (rickrolling) worm did. But this new one silently steals private data instead of changing your wallpaper. [read]

iPhone Possibly Coming To  Verizon Only

According to analysts, worldmode iPhones are quite the impossibility for next year. However, it seems like they are bringing the iPhone to Verizon and it will probably be Verizon-only in the US. [read]

App Store Approval Process Improves

Apple introduced a new status tracking system that tracks submitted apps through the approval process. It thus simplifies one small part of the entire thing. [read]

iPhone Apps Give You Better Bang Per Buck

If you want more value for money, you should go to the App Store instead of its competition. This is what analysts have to say after comparing various mobile platforms on a dollar per dollar basis. [read]

Orange UK Sells Over 30,000 iPhones On First Day, Tri-Carrier Battle Begins

Even though the latest iPhones have been available for a long time now in the UK, Orange UK made huge opening day sales with more than 30,000 iPhone flying off the shelves. Orange is now one of the three carriers selling the iPhone in the UK. [read]

Vimeo Plays Better With The iPhone (And Android)

Vimeo has recently upgraded its website to work better with mobile platforms and the focus is on the iPhone and the Android. [read]

Cool (And Dangerous) iPhone Car Hack

This video teaches you how to drive a car solely through your iPhone. Talk about a massive hack. [read]

iPhone Dev Quits And Blames Apple For It

Famous developer Joe Hewitt, the one who created the Facebook app for the iPhone, has declared that he is quitting the platform. He has clearly stated that he took this decision because of Apple’s policies. [read]

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Best iPhone Accessories And Apps From This Week:

HD Radio For iPhone

Next time someone tells you that youe iPod Touch does not have HD radio, you can retort by saying that there’s an app for that! Yes, now you can turn your iPod Touch into an HD Radio with a free app and an external HD radio tuner. [read]

Sparkz Projector iPhone Dock

If you want an expensive way to project your iPhone movies through a pico projector, this should be right up your alley. [read]

GPS For iPod Touch

The iPod Touch had been a favorite amongst consumers ever since it was first launched. It is the phone-less iPhone that lets everyone access the app store without the hassles of the iPhone. But the Touch misses out on geolocation because it has no GPS. Now that can be fixed with the Dual XGPS300 add on gadget for the iPod Touch. The app for it comes for free but is locked to the device. [read]

8x Optical Zoom For The iPhone

If you want to take long distance shots with your iPhone, you have to check out this iPhone accessory. It is a case + zoom lens + mini-tripod + holder set that allows your iPhone to have an 8x optical zoom lens attached to it! [read]

AirSharing Turns Your iPhone Into A Mass Storage Device

This new app called AirSharing lets you wirelessly mount your iPhone as a network drive and then lets you drag and drop files on to it. This is something that has been sorely missing from the iPhone. [read]

Taptu Gets Real Time Support

The mobile search app from Taptu wil soon have real time search features now that the company has tied up with real-time search engine OneRiot. Coolness to follow on an iPhone near you. [read]

Livestreamer Procaster

If you want to videocast live to iPhone users, you no longer need to have Apple’s approval and you can do it for free. All thanks to Livcstreamer’s Procaster solution. Watch the video for detials. [read]

Awaken Goes 1.2

Awaken has been a beloved app on the Mac and its iPhone version has been well received too. The iPhone app has now progressed to version 1.2 and now has new features that are both fun and useful. [read]

Sky Mobile TV Comes To iPhone

Now UK iPhone users can watch the English Premiere League and other such sporting events on their phone, thanks to the Sky TV iPhone app. It is currently WiFi Only due to O2’s network policy. [read]

Commodore 64 Emulator Is Back

After going on and off the app store and getting mired in controversy, the commodore 64 emulator app is back. It no longer emulates the programming bit but it does do the thing that makes it a really fun app to have for nostalgic techies. It lets you play the classic Commodore 64 games. Comes with 14 classic games, including the famous International Karate. [read]

10 Million Free iPhone Ringtones From Myxer

Want 10 million free ringtones? Myxer has it in one place for all the iPhone users. Available through a standalone site or a podcast. [read]

The smart phone market is going through tremendous excitement and development in the last quarter of 2009. The android mania has hit the majority of Cellphone makers. The Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris are already making waves in the USA. Samsung, which is the second largest mobile maker in the world has also unveiled its latest smart phones to join the Android bandwagon. The latest Android model unveiled by Samsung is Behold II. Samsung has tied up with T-Mobile for selling this phone and its estimated price is $230 including a two year contract.

Even with the T-mobile exclusive contract, the Behold II is pricier than both iPhone 3Gs and the recently released Motorola Droid. Its USP is its stunning AMOLED display and feature rich 5 MP camera. The Behold II is quite different from its predecessor Behold that was released last year on T-Mobile. Those who love stylish gadgets and want to flaunt them will like the Behold II. Its mystic Brown color scheme and slightly curved corners give it a chic appeal that will be loved by the young generation.

Undoubtedly the main attraction of the Behold II is its awesome AMOLED display. Everything from video to images look great on the 3.2 inch Touchscreen that has a 240 x 400 resolution. The color reproduction is unbeatable and so is the sharpness. However, the capacitive touch screen requires the user to tap a bit firmly on the screen. The Behold II’s 200MB internal memory is augmented by its support for external memory cards. It supports up to 16GB of external memory. Since the AMOLED display does not need a back-light, it results in improved battery life.
The sound quality of the Behold II is reasonably good. The haptic feedback of the virtual keyboard is nice. Samsung has tweaked the Core Android 1.5 OS used in the phone with its own TouchWiz interface. However, TouchWiz gels well with Android than Windows Mobile. Therefore, the users have the freedom of customizing the screen with their choice of widgets.

Along the top of its screen there is a notification drawer. This is a nice addition as the users can get the alert when they receive an email or instant message. The Behold II’s Cube 3D visualization scheme is quite appealing but it can also get a tad confusing for the novice users.

The browser in the phone is quite good and except for media rich pages the overall browsing experience is fast and smooth. However, its only drawback is that it lacks support for Flash and hence flash based sites will not show up correctly. The Behold II offers extensive email and data synchronization feature with support for Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo Mail.

If a person wants a feature rich camera phone he can buy Behold Ii without any hesitation. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional quality pictures both indoors and outdoors. The LED flash and Auto-focus makes shooting a pleasant experience in various light conditions. Overall, this is a great multimedia phone running on Android though there are similar phones available at lower price point.

The past few years have been quite troublesome for US based mobile giant Motorola. After tasting success with its stylish MotoRazr series of mobiles the company failed to develop a worthy successor. Meanwhile the world was overtaken by the iPhone and Touch screen mania. However, the company has changed strategy and it is all set to reclaim its place in the industry with its futuristic Android based smart phones. Apart from its Droid, which is being marketed as an iPhone Competitor, Motorola is also pinning its hope on Cliq, a phone meant for social networking addicted and technology loving consumers.

A few days back leading US cellular Service provider T-Mobile launched the Motorola Cliq with a range of promotional events. It can be purchased in the T-Mobile website and retail stores in USA. The Cliq is among the first few Android based phones available in the market, its competitors being the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and HTC Hero. Its design is pleasing though not as sleek as that of Phone. The slider mechanism used for the Qwerty keypad is smooth. The device does give a solid feel without losing portability.

The Touch screen of Cliq with a resolution of 480×320 and support for 262k colors look awesome. The device has customizable home screens and the users can add widgets and shortcuts on the screen as per their convenience. The standard touch screen phone features like accelerometer and proximity sensors in the Cliq are very refined and they work as advertised. The responsiveness of the screen is very good, if not the best in its class. Apart from the virtual controls that show upon its screen, the phone has got three hardware buttons.

The exterior of the phone has ring silencer, volume rocker and a small micro USB port. For audiophiles there is a standard 3.5 mm headset jack. It means the users can plug in the headset of their choice. The Cliq has a decent 5 MP camera that takes good pictures in daylight or well lit places. But the lack of a flash on a device of this stature is quite unusual. The physical keypad of Cliq is way better than many Qwerty keypads seen in the rival phones. It is ergonomic and roomier.

The most anticipated and widely advertised feature of the Cliq is MotoBlur. It is Motorola’s solution for integrating e-mail service and social networking services in one intuitive interface. It is somewhat similar to the Synergy feature of Palm Pre. Setting up and customizing the MotoBlur is not complicated. Owing to this feature one can use Cliq without signing in his Gmail account. Apart from merging the contact list from various web service providers MotoBlur gets the profile images fast. The user also gets updates on his contacts with time.

The Cliq also features GPS which is becoming a sort of mandatory feature in the high end phones. One quirk with the Cliq is that it allows saving Android applications only in the inbuilt memory of the handset and not in the memory card. Web browsing on the Cliq is a pleasant experience with smooth scrolling in web pages and seamless link selection. The call quality of the Cliq is quite good with almost no distortion. Its speakerphone is quite loud and audible in noisy environments. With a cleverly customized OS and a set of useful features for web users, the Cliq may emerge as the most happening Smartphone based on Android.

Here at Otaku Gadgets, we are pretty grateful about the new trend in cell phones. With the iPhone and Android fighting it out and the others squatting on the sidelines, you have to admit that this is an interesting time to be using and buying cell phones in. However, in the face of all that improvement in the mobile OS arena, Microsoft is still lagging behind. If Steve Ballmer can publicly wish that they could skip 6.5 and go straight on to Windows Mobile 7, I think I am justified in saying that we feel something similar.

But that is only a passing thought before we dive in to the madness of it all. BlackBerry is struggling to catch up it seems and Palm is probably resting after the Pre and App Catalogue updates. Get to the other side for this week’s round up.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 Coming to AT&T And T-Mobile

BlackBerry is bringing back the classic feel with the Bold 9700. It has the QWERTY keypad that BlackBerry addicts have come to rely on and love. The Bold has been a long time coming and it marks RIM’s attempt to profit from a ‘traditional’ BlackBerry Phone after the Storm failed to impress much.

This 3G and WiFi enabled GSM phone will reach US soils soon where it will be on offer from both AT&T and T-Mobile.

If you have used the Curve, think of this as the Curve with a couple of new features. [read]

Sony Ericsson Susan Leaks, Another Android Phone?

Another week, another fresh wave of leaked news and photos. This time it is a classic candybar-style phone from Sony Ericsson, code named Susan. Why they chose that name, I would not want to or try to guess. The intriguing part is the UI of the phone. It seems like it is running Android under that hood.

This was concluded from the way the icons are located at the bottom of the screen but the status icons above the text are in the wrong order. But then again, OEMs can easily tweak Android’s UI to their heart’s content. Thus, it remains a mystery till more information is had.

Looks like the rumor mill is running out of big things to come up with. This one’s actually a pretty boring phone when compared to the XPERIA X3, HTC Dragon or the Droid – all recently leaked Android phones. [read]

Phone Charging Fuel Cells For Real!

“Allow me to welcome you to the future. Would you like a fuel pack for your fuel-cell phone charger?”

You folks might remember that I had posted about fuel cells in my CEATEC round up some time back. Well, turns out that Toshiba has actually gone ahead and manufactured some of them. Only 3,000 of them in fact and they will be up for sale sometime soon. The device is called Dynario and they take methanol to charge your phone up. [read]

SIM-Free HTC HD2 On PreOrder on Amazon UK

The HTC HD2 is due to be released on November 20^th this year in the UK but Amazon UK already has it on pre-order. Pre-order customers are to get a free Bluetooth headset with the HD2, same for the Touch2 and the Tattoo.

The price tag for this sleek new WinMo phone is a hefty £560 (SIM-free) but it is worth it for the people who really don’t to be tied to a contract. It has the gorgeous sense UI from HTC that hides the clunky Windows Mobile 6.5 UI and replaces it with a smooth and attractive UI.

Verizon + CDMA iPhone + 4G LTE Rumor

Like I reported this Monday, Verizon is apparently both attacking the iPhone and testing out the next generation (CDMA apaprently) of the device on it the 4G LTE network. Things are obviously quite hush-hush but do take this with a nice and big pinch of salt. It is still unverified. [read]

Google Coming Up With Its Own Android Phone?

There is word from a blogger that Google is going to come up with their own line of branded phones running the Android OS. With most major phone makers and others like Dell and Acer already walking the Android way, Google has a pretty big roster right now. Apprently they are going to have over 50 Android phones pretty soon (so said folks at Google), which is much larger than what they have now.

So why does Google want their own phones? Maybe they couldn’t resist the urge to show the world exactly how good an Android phone can be and decided to take matters in their own hands. Eric Schmidt probably took a leaf out of Steve Jobs’ journal and is now busy overlooking the device.

Apprently, there is a Chrome OS netbook in the works too. [read]

The Droid Onslaught Continues, It’s “Fast, Scary Fast”

More Droid marketing material is on display at BGR and this time they are taking the Terminator/generic man vs. machine armageddon movie approach. The droid is being portrayed as this red glowing eye and they manage to make it sound quite threatening and powerful. I wonder if they are thinking of frightening us into buying one? Well, I won’t put anything past those crazy ad agencies. Sometimes they are brilliant but plenty of times they are just plain weird! [read]

The HiPhone F320: Just For Laughs

You know those knock offs of famous phones that you get to see when a phone is in high demand. Remember all the iPhone knock offs? Well, this time such a company has gone too far and made something that looks like they got one of those round dial-bearing phones to mate with an iPod Nano and produce this aberration. Have a few laughs. [read]

Motorola Calgary Is the Uglier Droid

Motorola has gone ahead and made the ugly version of the Droid. So they put all the good ideas into Droid and all the rejects in to Calgary. It’s this clunky and tire looking device that Verizon is getting and is also an Android phone. At what point Motorola thought it a good idea I don’t know. May be Verizon wanted a cheaper Droid and Motorola let them have it. [read]

Acer’s neoTouch Reviewed And Hated

Remember the Acer neoTouch? Well, it looks like Acer’s n00b status in the phone market is showing all the ugly signs on its non-Android neoTouch phone. For a company that has no consumer software experience, making a great smartphone is pretty hard work. They should’ve just stuck to making Android phones. Phone Arena has reviewed the set what they have written is not pretty.

Bottomline – do yourself a favor and stay away from this phone. Period. [read]

Video Of Rejected Windows Marketplace Apps Mocks iPhone Apps

Microsoft used to make fun of Apple at the fact that Mac OS X hardly has the number of applications that Windows has. Now that Apple has 75,000 plus apps in their App store and Microsoft has about a 100 in their Windows Mobile Marketplace, the tables have turned decisively.

But that didn’t stop them from making a video that mocks Apple for, get this, having so many apps! They are basically saying that they allow only the serious ones. Yeah right Microsoft. [read]

Rumors are on the buzz that the newly introduced Windows Mobile powered Omnia 2 which was supposed to be released at the mid of this month has again been halted due to some reason or the other. According to the sources, Samsung’s Omnia 2 will now see its dawn probably on the 1st of November. Although the release date of Omnia 2 hasn’t been confirmed as of yet, but sources have cited that the actual date can be postponed till the 1st of November.

The specifications of the phone are still to be disclosed as of yet, but several rumors suggest that the phone can well be powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 although the feature can later be upgraded to a Windows Mobile 6.5 one. The mobile phone which comprises of a AMOLED display screen, powerful multi media, mobile office and other exquisite features have already been billed as one of the most coveted phones that is to be launched this year. The 3.7 inch AMOLED screen display is a treat for the eye, providing a brighter and contrasted crystal clear vision. Other than usual features such as digital clock, calendar, FM radio etc., Omnia 2 also comprises of multi-media applications which will surely enthrall the users.

Although the phone was previously slated to be launched at the mid of this month, but a recent article that was released on the website Phone Arena suggested that the release of the phone will be postponed till November 1. Omnia 2, a joint venture of the mobile manufacturing honcho Samsung and Verizon service provider will surely enthrall the users with its simple yet subtle features. For more information regarding the news please click here