Google to put digital books on Android

Google Editions
Smartphones as eReaders are effectively changing the way we consume media, educate ourselves and build up our personal knowledge base. Google’s (GOOG) been animate about transferring as much printed content to the digital realm for a decade now, and the Android is helping to take things to a new level. Google Editions is an upcoming browser-based, digital bookstore, perfect for large screen Android phones and tablets. Similar to other eReader libraries and stores, you’ll have a central account for accessing purchases and downloads, with outlets on your PC, MacBook, and Android devices. Google Editions is expected to launch in the coming weeks.

App ratings go live
Ratings are becoming a big part of mobile apps, as they grow too numerous to track on an individual scale. Google’s answer to Apple’s (AAPL) stricter app policies is a self-imposed ratings system, marking apps for mature, teen and wider audiences. Announced last week, the new ratings system went live for developers yesterday, ushering in a compromise that really puts the pressure on Apple to streamline its app regulations.

Music apps sync the beat
An industry already familiar with audience ratings is music, which is picking up steam on the Android Market lately. A series of releases, and even a price hike for Grooveshark’s VIP service, indicates significant growth in this area. Winamp has updated its Android and desktop apps to support wireless syncing, while doubleTwist’s new AirSync feature offers a similar function.
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iPhone, Android neck-and-neck as ‘most desired’ smartphone in U.S.A

Looks like the days of RIM ruling the U.S. smartphone roost are drawing to a close: A new survey finds that the iPhone has pulled even with BlackBerry among current smartphone owners. When it comes to which smartphone OS is the "most desirable," though, it's iPhone vs. Android, not iPhone vs. BlackBerry.
Just a couple of months ago, the researchers at Nielsen found that BlackBerry was still the U.S. smartphone king with 31 percent of the market; the iPhone was nipping at RIM's heels with 28 percent and Android was in third place — with a bullet — at 19 percent.
But the iPhone platform managed to snap a 27.9 percent share in Nielsen's latest survey, compared with BlackBerry's 27.4 percent share.

Android continues to gain ground. Its smartphone market share climbed to 22.7 percent — up a couple of points from Nielsen's figures in August, and up an eye-popping 14 percentage points since January. Rounding out the list is Windows Mobile at 14 percent (a figure that doesn't include Windows Phone 7 devices, which had yet to be released at the time of the latest Nielsen survey), the Symbian OS (think Nokia) at 3.4 percent, Linux at 3.3 percent, and Palm with a slender 1.3 percent.Beyond taking a reading on how the major smartphone platforms are faring with current users, Nielsen also asked handheld owners a second question: Which smartphone OS is at the top of your wish list?

The overall winner of "most desired OS" among "likely" smartphone upgraders — by a whisker — was the iPhone, with 30 percent of the vote. Android had 28 percent, BlackBerry 13 percent (bad news for RIM), Windows Mobile 6 percent, "other" 4 percent, and "not sure" a healthy 19 percent.Narrow the range of answers to just smartphone owners, though, and the results change, with the iPhone getting bumped up to 38 percent, while Android held steady at 28 percent. The BlackBerry OS got a 2-point boost among current smartphone users, to 15 percent.

On the other hand, it turns out most "feature phone" (i.e., non-smartphone) owners would prefer trading up to an Android phone, with 28 percent of feature-phone users saying they'd like to go the Android way, versus 25 percent for the iPhone and 25 percent for "not sure."Filter the results by age, and we find that the younger you get, the more you want an iPhone or an Android handset, with 35.9 percent and 32 percent of those ages 18 to 25 wanting an iPhone or an Android device, respectively. Those figures steadily shrink with age, and by the time we get to those 55 or older, only 26.4 percent "most desire" an iPhone, or 20.3 percent for Android.

The most popular smartphone OS choice for those 55 and up is "not sure" at 27.8 percent, versus just 12.2 percent for those between 18 and 24.There's also a gender divide when it comes to the "most desired" smartphone OS: Women prefer the iPhone (30.9 percent) to Android (22.8 percent), whereas more men are pining for an Android device (32.6 percent) than an iPhone (28.6 percent).

So, which smartphone do you own right now — and which smartphone OS do you most wish you were using?

Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Verizon to launch 4G data network, USB modems on December 5th

Verizon Wireless has finally coughed up some details about its upcoming, long-anticipated 4G network, with the carrier naming the first 38 cities — from New York and Miami to San Francisco and Los Angeles — to get speedy LTE coverage, starting Sunday.
A total of 110 million North American users — or a third of the U.S. — will be bathed in Verizon 4G coverage when the network goes live December 5, with Verizon execs promising that it will expand its 4G footprint to encompass its current, much larger 3G coverage area by 2013.
Expect data speeds up to 10 times faster than on Verizon's current 3G network, CTO Tony Melone promised during a conference call Wednesday. Downlink speeds between 5 and 12MBps should be "the norm," along with upload speeds in the 2-5MBps range, and latency rates that are about half as long as those on Verizon's existing 3G network, Melone said.
Among the cities on the list: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas,  Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix,  Seattle, and Washington, D.C. (You can check out a map of the entire list of cities right here.)
Verizon also has a pair of new, 4G-ready USB modems ready to go: the LG VL600 and the Pantech UML290. Both will cost $99 after a $50 rebate and with two-year contracts, with the LG modem available on launch day, while the Pantech device will arrive "very soon" afterward.
And what about other modems, or the first 4G LTE smartphones and tablets? We'll have to wait a little longer for those, according to Verizon's Melone, who added that more devices — including smartphones, hopefully — will be revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and launched by the middle of next year. (No mention was made of a 4G iPhone, incidentally.)
So, what are we talking in terms of 4G data plans? At launch, expect a pair of options: a $50-a-month plan capped at 5GB of data (which is $10/month cheaper than Verizon's equivalent 3G broadband plan), or $80 a month for 10GB, with both plans including an overage fee of $10 per extra GB.
Verizon 4G users will be able to check their data use with Verizon's desktop modem client, and they can also get text alerts warning them when they've used 50 percent, 75 percent, 90 percent, and finally 100 percent of their monthly data allotments.
Verizon will be the latest of the big U.S. wireless carriers to go the 4G way with its data network. Sprint already has about 68 cities covered with its own 4G network, which is based on WiMax technology rather than the LTE standard.
Meanwhile, T-Mobile has 80 major U.S. markets covered by HSPA+, an enhancement to 3G technology that the carrier has gone ahead and labeled as 4G. AT&T also has a large HSPA+ network, and it's planning on launching its own LTE-based network next year.
Of course, what constitutes a "true" 4G network is a matter of debate. The International Telecommunications Union has stated that nothing less than 100Mbps download speeds for mobile devices would be required for any network to claim the 4G moniker. That means that none of the big four U.S. carriers actually has a 4G network yet — or at least, not in the eyes of the ITU.
No matter, though, says Verizon's Melone, who calls the carrier's new "4G" network a "real, generational step up," adding that "whether we call it 4G or something else is irrelevant." Well, OK then.
So, will you be signing up for Verizon's new 4G LTE network come Sunday, or are you going with another network — or will you simply wait until 4G coverage is available in more cities?
Correction: The headline for this post originally read that Verizon's 4G network would go live on Dec. 8; in fact, it's set to launch Sunday, Dec. 5. Apologies for the goof.

Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

WikiLeaks site kicked off Amazon's servers

Amazon forced WikiLeaks to stop using the U.S. company's computers to distribute embarrassing State Department communications and other documents, WikiLeaks said Wednesday.
The ouster came after congressional staff questioned Amazon about its relationship with WikiLeaks, said Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut.
WikiLeaks confirmed it hours after The Associated Press reported that Amazon's servers had stopped hosting WikiLeaks' site. The site was unavailable for several hours before it moved back to its previous Swedish host, Bahnhof AB.
WikiLeaks released a trove of sensitive diplomatic documents on Sunday. Just before the release, its website came under an Internet-based attack that made it unavailable for hours at a time.
WikiLeaks reacted by moving the website from computers in Sweden to those of Amazon Web Services. Amazon has vast banks of computers that can be rented on a self-service basis to meet surges in traffic.
But that move exposed WikiLeaks to legal and political pressure.
"WikiLeaks servers at Amazon ousted. Free speech the land of the free--fine our $ are now spent to employ people in Europe," the organization said Wednesday in a posting on the Twitter messaging service.
"If Amazon are so uncomfortable with the first amendment, they should get out of the business of selling books," WikiLeaks said in another tweet.
Seattle-based Amazon.com would not comment on its relationship with WikiLeaks.
"The company's decision to cut off WikiLeaks now is the right decision and should set the standard for other companies WikiLeaks is using to distribute its illegally seized material," Lieberman said in a statement. He added that he would have further questions for Amazon about the affair.
As an organization, WikiLeaks has no firm geographic base, but founder Julian Assange sought to establish residency in Sweden to take advantage of laws protecting those who funnel information to the media. However, authorities rejected his application for a residency permit.
Swedish police are now seeking to arrest Australian-born Assange based on allegations of sexual assault stemming from his stay in the country. Assange has denied the charges.
Swedish police issued an international arrest warrant on Wednesday, though they haven't filed formal charges. Assange's whereabouts are unknown.
Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us