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Our full review of the Motorola Backflip should be up in a few days, but a few words of wisdom in the mean time: Don’t buy it. Between its crazy form-factor and the hidden trackpad tucked on the back of the display, everything we took as merits at face value have devolved into novelties.
Worst of all, it seems AT&T has taken a page from their time with the iPhone that no one wanted them to take. Like the iPhone — but unlike any other Android handset we’ve seen — the Motorola Backflip can’t install applications from any sources beyond the official, on-handset application store.

By default, all Android handsets are soft-limited to installing applications solely from Google’s Android Market. If a user tries to install an app through the browser with a brand new handset, they’ll get an error message telling them that they’ll need to flip a switch in the configuration screen before they can download from “Unknown Sources”. Alas, this switch is no where to be found on the Backflip.

While it can be said that Android’s less-restrictive market should make this a non-issue, it doesn’t. Certain applications, like the paid-version of Junefabric’s PDANet tethering application, can only be installed through the browser. Other times, developers will want to release their applications in beta form to a limited number of users outside of the market — something which, as it stands, Backflip owners will be unable to partake in.
What do you think? Knowing that AT&T is trying their damnedest to play gatekeeper on Android, would you still buy a Backflip?
[Thanks John R.!]

CrunchBase Information

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Android

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Information provided by CrunchBase

[via MobileCrunch]

When Apple launched the iPhone in China in October last year, the handset came without Wi-Fi capabilities in order to comply with local regulations.

Five months on, China Unicom, Apple’s carrier partner in the country has announced that the company is working with Apple to launch Wi-Fi enabled iPhones in the Chinese market.

This follows easing of regulations placed earlier by the Chinese Government that restricted Wi-Fi access from handsets and instead encouraged the use of a homegrown wireless standard called WAPI. This had forced Apple to launch a China-specific model of the iPhone that came without the usual Wi-Fi feature.

Announcing the launch of Wi-Fi enabled handsets, China Unicom chairman Chang Xiaobing said that his company was contemplating a process to compensate the existing customers of iPhone who may not have access to the Wi-Fi feature by allowing these users a greater use of Unicom’s 3G network. Chang did not elaborate on the possible timeline for the launch of Wi-Fi enabled handsets though.

Additional 3G for existing customers seems to be a very viable option considering that the carrier has set its focus on building its 3G capacity this year. Chang had said:

“This year our overall investment will clearly decrease from last year’s level. But 3G development remains our investment priority for 2010. We will absolutely not slow the pace of 3G development.”

With the introduction of Wi-Fi, China Unicom may expect to see a revival in iPhone sales that had failed to pick up during the launch owing to a variety of factors including the high cost of the handset – typically in the $730-$1020 range, cheaper knockoffs available from the gray market and also high cost for 3G access that users had to do with in the absence of Wi-Fi.

What do you think? Is a revival likely or do you think China Unicom will need to subsidize iPhones to improve sales?

[via WSJ]

You may have seen the “Sausage Finger” iPhone photos making the rounds early last month. I could have sworn we posted it but I can’t seem to find it. Anyhoo, it was a photo of two guys on a South Korean subway car using little sausages to manipulate their iPhones while wearing gloves. Everyone had a chuckle and then we all moved on—UNTIL NOW!
You can get your very own “iPhone Sausage Screen Stylus” for 99 cents, plus around five bucks for shipping. The product is “not for consumption” but is compatible with all versions of the iPhone and, therefore, the iPod Touch as well.
You could also pick up some sausages at your local grocery store every week to avoid the shipping charges and the whole “not for consumption” rule.
iPhone Sausage Screen Stylus [CaseCrown.com via OhGizmo!]

[via CrunchGear]

We have written repeatedly that Windows itself is one of the main reasons why touchscreen computers have never caught the general public’s attention. The interface just wasn’t designed for finger input. Like it or not, that’s the truth. Windows was designed to be used with a mouse, and to a lesser extent, a pen or stylus.
That’s fine. Windows 7 works great. I’m writing this on a Win7 machine. But I hate Windows on my tablet computers for the aforementioned reason. It’s also the reason I’m very apprehensive of the upcoming onslaught of slate computers. I’m afraid that wonderful hardware will be passed up in favor of the disappointing iPad because of the interface. But Adobe gave me hope today in its demo of Flash and Air on the HP slate device.
The first minute or so of the demo is Adobe’s Flash Product Marketing manager talking about this and that. The real fun comes at the 1:30 mark. That’s when we get a glimpse of what appears to be an HP app manager that has clearly been designed for a touch interface. The buttons are large, uses stars to mark favorites programs or Internet shortcuts, and seems responsive enough. It’s probably safe to say that it’s an Adobe product seeing as it makes an appearance in this demo.

Even the browser seems to have been made over for the touch interface, which seems to be a custom build of Firefox. Of course it has all the multi-touch goodies like pinch zooming and two-finger scrolling, but it also feels different, too. That’s just as important as using standard Firefox or Chrome on a touchscreen is a drag without a bunch of plug-ins. And of course, Flash is fully functional, which is a clear shot across Apple’s bow.
You notice a few times throughout the demo that there are a couple of different user notifications to compensate for web’s smaller buttons and higher-resolution interface. There appears to be a small water ripple effect at 1:42 when the user hits the play button for the online video and then a dramatically larger one at the end of the Photoshop.com demo at 3:45 when he presses and holds. These effects are not shown during the HP Home demo or NYT Air app lending to the thought that they’re a browser-only effect, designed to assist browsing.

Now Adobe wouldn’t show off Windows in its demo. This was strictly an Adobe demo, but that’s fine. It answered a lot of questions about HP’s upcoming slate device. First, a full version of Windows is very much present, which is awesome. None of us wants a watered-down OS — except for iPad buyers, of course. But the demo also shows that there will be a versatile, touch-friendly interface for most tasks and multi-touch capabilities to exploit all the potential uses.
Hopefully HP, Dell and all the other mainstream tablet makers are on the same page with Adobe. They have the ability to stand up to the monstrosity that is the Apple App Store if they agree to slate standards, which will allow app developers to code one version of the their program and not worry about various screen resolutions and hardware variations.
Devin adds: This is an improvement on the smaller tablet we saw at CES. It’s about iPad-sized, which is to say a little smaller than a sheet of paper. I’m guessing an 8″ screen is what they’re working with there, though who knows what the final hardware will be. I still think that shrinking Windows is a bad start for a tablet device, as much so as puffing up the iPhone in the case of the iPad. The only device that may actually hit with a truly tablet-only OS seems to be the Courier, and that’s why I’m genuinely excited about it. The slate race does appear to be hotting up, though, and that’s a good thing.

[via CrunchGear]

Short Version: A bit of a twist on traditional induction chargers, Case-mate’s “Hug Wireless Charging Pad and Case” attempts to offset its $100 price tag by adhering to the Wireless Power Consortium’s universal charging standard, which promises interoperability with other charging pads and devices that are developed using the same technology.

Full Review: One of the larger barriers to adopting new technology is the relatively high price tag pitted against the uncertainty of whether or not that technology will become widespread enough to spawn future devices. What’s the sense in dropping $100 on an induction charger for your iPhone if there’s a possibility you’ll switch to a different phone in the future?
Case-mate makes the plunge a bit less frightening by basing its “Hug” system upon an open wireless charging standard, the Wireless Power Consortium’s eCoupled technology (the same technology used in Palm’s “Touchstone” chargers for the Pre and Pixi lines). This theoretically means that you’d be able to charge your phone on any wireless charging surface based on the same standard—Case-mate offers a bedside table, Starbuck’s coffee table, and airplanes as examples. We’ll have to see how this eventually plays out in real life, but you get the idea.
It also means that you’ll be able to use the included charging pad to juice up any other devices that use the same standard—a different model phone with an eCoupled-enabled case, for instance. So while $100 may seem a bit steep, you’re investing in what the WPC and Case-mate hopes becomes a widespread standard. You may have to buy different cases and/or battery covers for different devices in the future, but that charging pad should be the last one you ever need to purchase (in theory).

As a charging solution, the Hug system is surprisingly nimble. I was able to take my iPhone 3GS from near zero percent battery to 100% in two hours. That’s pretty good considering early induction charging systems have operated at a much slower trickle. The first one I reviewed, almost a year ago now, took overnight. That system was for Wii remotes, too, which aren’t quite as important as having an adequately charged cell phone.

The system is comprised of the charging pad and a protective iPhone case, which Case-mate describes as “slim.” We can go back and forth all day about using slim as an adjective but I can tell you that the case added some noticeable bulk to my phone. It doesn’t feel like it’d be super protective, either. It’s made of two plastic pieces that snap together; the backing of the larger main piece feels somewhat solid but the sides of both pieces are pretty bendy. I definitely wouldn’t want to drop my phone, and let’s remember that there’s induction technology built into the case that probably shouldn’t be bumped around too violently.

The fattest part of the case measures about 0.8 inches thick, versus an unprotected iPhone at less than half an inch thick. It’s still pocketable, though it definitely feels lumpier.

Charging time, as I said earlier, is a respectable two hours for full recuperation of an iPhone 3GS battery. I noticed a very faint, quickly repeating ticking sound as my phone was recharging and every time I’d put the case down on the pad my battery indicator would spike a few percentage points for some reason. Not a big deal either way, but it’s there.
Conclusion:
So would I carry my phone around in this case all day long? Maybe not presently, but I’d definitely do it if all these magic charging surfaces start popping up everywhere. Absolutely. It beats lugging around cables or spare emergency batteries for sure. If the WPC really wants this standard to take off, it should give the charging pads away for next to nothing for a while. For $5 to $10 apiece, I’d put them all over my house and in my car.
For now, it’s still a bit too early to tell. The Hug is a nice example of how well the technology actually works, though, and if it reaches more widespread adoption, you may find yourself pricing out induction cases and covers for all your commonly-used gadgets. If you’re intrigued by induction charging and you’re ready to take the plunge, the Hug ought to be a safe bet provided you don’t mind the $100 price tag and the bit of extra bulk it adds.

Hug – Wireless Charging Pad & Case [Case-mate.com]

[via CrunchGear]

Need a DIY gift for the phone programmer who has everything? Consider getting him or her some Android pillows. These pillows show the eventual move toward the iPhone OS – more fluff.
[via Technabob]

On the Official Nokia Blog, they are showing off a game on the N900. This game doesn’t have amazing graphics, in-depth storyline, or fancy multiplayer gameplay. But it does do something a little unique on a phone; it allows the user to use the front facing camera to detect their face motion to control the character on-screen.
The game is called Burger Face and the objective of the game is to grab falling hamburgers and dodge falling knives. The unique controls though allow you to control your on screen avatar by moving your head left or right.
Kinda cool consider it would seem the major consoles are moving toward this technology as well (Google Project Natal for the Xbox 360). The only issue is how ridiculous you look shaking your head around at the airport, screaming, “Eat the burger!”
Video of the game in action below:

Source

Remember Infinidock – a nifty tool for jailbroken iPhone users that enables horizontal scrolling on the iPhone dock?

Now chpwn, the developer of Infinidock and other jailbreak iPhone apps  like ProSwitcher has released another useful application that will enable vertical scrolling on your iPhone.

Inspired by the vertical scrolling functionality on Android handsets like the Nexus One, InfiniBoard allows users to vertically scroll through their SpringBoard icons. The application integrates with the built-in horizontal scrolling functionality thus providing a two-dimensional navigation feature on your SpringBoard.

However, there are a few issues waiting to be resolved. Though the InfiniBoard application includes support to OverBoard; an application that brings Mac’s Exposé feature to the iPhone, the icons are currently hidden and are expected to show up only after a new update is released for OverBoard. Also, users who have Categories app installed may notice that vertical scrolling does not work inside a particular folder. These are expected to be fixed in the next few days.

InfiniBoard is available from the BigBoss repo on Cydia for $1.99.

[via ModMyi]

Applications like ProSwitcher and Multifl0w have offered jailbroken iPhone users the ability to multitask between applications. However, if you have to toggle between just two iPhone apps, here is an application that will make the process much simpler.

LastApp is an application that is dubbed as the “Alt+Tab” for the iPhone – It helps you to toggle between the last two iPhone apps running on your iPhone with simple gestures.

Available via the BigBoss repository on Cydia, this free iPhone app lets you choose from a variety of slide, shake and tap gestures that you may employ to automatically toggle between the last two iPhone applications running on your iPhone. Additionally, if you have Backgrounder installed on your jailbroken iPhone, you can then opt to automatically move the current application to background on toggling.

It needs to be noted that LastApp does not “resume” your app. Instead, it merely restarts the previously launched application. The LastApp application works via Activator – another application for jailbroken iPhones that enables iPhone apps to be launched with simple gestures and taps. In case, you don’t have Activator installed on your iPhone already, this shall be automatically installed along with LastApp.

Undoubtedly, LastApp simplifies the ability to toggle between two applications. However, we wonder if toggling between more than two iPhone applications would be more useful. Do check out the jailbreak app and let us know what you think.

[via ModMyi]

After removing iPhone apps with sexual content and banning Wi-Fi stumbler iPhone applications, it looks like the iPhone App review team is cracking down on “cookie-cutter” applications. “Cookie-cutter” applications are iPhone apps that are built using app generators. App generator provide users with tools to make an iPhone app, even if they don’t have any programming experience.

Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch who spoke to many developers reports: Apple doesn’t appear to be opposed to ‘app generators’ and templates per se, but in the last month or so it has started cracking down on basic applications that are little more than RSS feeds or glorified business cards. In short, Apple doesn’t want people using native applications for things that a basic web app could accomplish. For some of these services that’s bad news, because that’s exactly the sort of application they produce; any new applications they submit are going to get rejected. But all hope isn’t lost for them, provided they can make their apps more useful. It looks like Apple is working with the developers to address their concerns instead of removing such iPhone apps from the App Store like they did for iPhone apps with sexual content. They also seem to be working with app generators. For example: Appmakr, that helps developers build iPhone apps is apparently making changes to their service based on suggestions from Apple. They plan to bring the following features to iPhone apps built using their tools:

• In-app purchases
• Instant notifications
• Offline access
• Landscape viewing modes

According to Eric Litman, CEO of Medialets: This is the ongoing balance point between encouraging innovation and growth on one side and wanting to tightly control user experience on the other. Apple wants iPhone apps to be superior to Web experiences because they are extremely sticky and drive people specifically to buy the iPhone over competing smartphone platforms. Apps that are too simple or largely indistinguishable from the Web, other apps or particularly other apps on other platforms send the message to end users that the iPhone app ecosystem might not be particularly special. Now the challenge for Apple is that the app building platforms are extremely attractive to a wide swath of the market that would otherwise be reluctant to bear the cost and complexity of developing an app from scratch. We have already seen apps from personal bloggers up to major media brands using some of these platforms, and many of the folks in that spectrum have content Apple would certainly want in the App Store. Interestingly, some of those same developers also have fully custom-built apps in the App Store, too. So what are the platforms to do about the recent crackdown from Apple? There’s really only one choice if they want to continue to exist on the iPhone: invest in building out considerably more flexibility into their platforms to allow each app to differ from the others they build. Integrate more features and take the time to nail the design and UI elements to be representative of what Apple wants to see in every app. For better or worse, Apple will be looking more closely at apps from the platforms than from individual developers. AppLoop, the first startup to announce and iPhone-specific app builder, is already gone. Others will almost certainly follow. I think this is a good move by Apple. It doesn’t make sense for users to pay money for iPhone apps (even if it is $0.99), which essentially show content from an RSS feed that can be read for free using iPhone’s Safari browser. Let’s hope it results in higher quality iPhone apps and reduces the clutter in the App Store, which already has more than 160,000 iPhone apps. What do you think about Apple’s crackdown on such “cookie-cutter” applications?

[via TechCrunch]