usa

iPod Touch converter set to reach U.S. this week

The Peel, a third-party device that apparently can transform an Apple iPod Touch into a phone, will arrive in the U.S. this week ready for demonstrations to potential retail partners.

The Peel's U.S. distributor, GoSolarUSA, has set up an agreement with China-based device creator Yosion Technology to make it available in the U.S. The device is already being sold in China. Under the agreement, GoSolarUSA will work with Yosion to file a patent and distribute the "Apple Peel 520" in the United States.

Created by two Chinese brothers who formed Yosion, the Peel wraps … Read more

Phone converter for iPod Touch targets U.S. market

The U.S. company marketing the Apple Peel, a device that can turn an iPod Touch into an iPhone, is now looking to peel off a slice of the lucrative U.S. market.

GoSolarUSA announced a deal Tuesday with the Peel's Chinese developer Yosion to bring the device to the United States retail market. Under the agreement, GoSolarUSA (GSLO) said it will work with Yosion to develop the "Apple Peel 520," file for a patent, and then distribute it in the U.S.

The company added that its Chinese representative has received models of the Peel that … Read more

Samsung Intercept: Virgin Mobile's Android first

It wasn't long ago we saw the Samsung Intercept hop into Sprint's lineup, and now it's set to do it again with Virgin Mobile. While an entry-level Android device, the smartphone will make a more notable splash as a prepaid handset with Virgin Mobile for the simple reason that the Intercept is the carrier's first Android phone.

We found the Samsung Intercept for Sprint to be a decent Android entrant, running 2.1, which is pleasing to the eye and hand. It has a 3.2-inch WQVGA display, and measures 4.43 inches long by 2.… Read more

AMD drops the ATI brand

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded: AMD drops the ATI brand as it evolves the CPU and GPU. Apple rumors suggest a radically redesigned and smaller iPod nano without a clickwheel. USA Today restructures itself for emerging mobile platforms. YouTube may get movie rentals as Google tries to negotiate a deal.

USA Today gets makeover for mobile world

USA Today, the nation's second largest newspaper, announced this week a major restructuring effort designed to address a drop in advertising and circulation and bring it up to speed in today's new world of smartphones and tablets.

In a slide show presented to employees on Thursday, the once-innovative news-gathering organization said it would "focus less on print...and more on producing content for all platforms," the Associated Press reported.

"We have to go where the audience is," USA Today Editor John Hillkirk told the AP. "If people are hitting the iPad like crazy, … Read more

Sprint CEO sees 'logic' in merger with T-Mobile

A future technology shift at Sprint Nextel could pave the way toward a merger between the third-and fourth-largest U.S. wireless companies, the Financial Times suggests in an article published Tuesday.

According to the FT report, Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse told the news agency that he sees "logic" in a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile USA, if the two companies were using the same 4G technology. He declined to comment further on merger talks. And Deutsche Telekom CEO René Obermannhas ruled out any "multibillion" euro deals this year. Deutsche Telekom owns T-Mobile USA.

Sprint … Read more

T-Mobile USA expands fast 3G network

T-Mobile USA on Wednesday announced 25 new cities that will get its fastest 3G wireless service using a technology called HSPA+.

Some of the new markets getting the speedier technology include Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans. T-Mobile has already deployed the technology in nine other metropolitan areas, including New York, Las Vegas, and Philadelphia.

T-Mobile claims the souped-up 3G technology can deliver speeds comparable to 4G wireless networks. The new HSPA+ offers theoretical download speeds of 21Mbps. Actual speeds are around 5Mbps to 8Mbps downloads with peak rates of about 10Mbps or higher, a company representative … Read more

World Cup: England vs. U.S. re-enacted in Lego

Many around the world were deeply moved by Saturday's World Cup encounter between England and the United States. While many Americans feared their team might be outclassed, perhaps they weren't fully aware that the England team flatters to deceive more often than a telemarketer.

The game, which finished 1-1, was highlighted by one of the most glorious English goalkeeping errors (enacted by the latest English net custodian, Robert Green), in a veritable pantheon of glorious English goalkeeping errors.

Should you have missed the game, or merely found the experience unbearable, some very enterprising Legoists would like you to enjoy a more, well, playful version.

I thank the Guardian for bringing us all closer to these highlights (there were really only a couple), performed by little Fussball men in Lego World.

The movement of England captain Steven Gerrard is beautifully realized. The joy of his teammates is captured in a manner entirely appropriate to stiff upper lips.

And when America's Clint Dempsey wanders forward and shoots with all the strength of ginger ale and Green allows the ball to bounce off his hands and into the goal, it is an exhibition of vast poignancy. … Read more

CoPilot Live for iPhone now $5, gets free updates

What began as a $35 its life as app is now costs $5. ALK Technologies has announced CoPilot Live USA, one of many--and sometimes confusing--versions of its CoPilot navigation app for iPhone that distinguishes itself with its $4.99 introductory price tag.

For your crisp digital fin*, you get voice guided GPS turn-by-turn navigation, street-level 3D and 2D maps of the United States stored locally on your iPhone, access to the free ALK MapSure service that provides monthly map improvement updates downloaded directly to the iPhone, and a completely new updated map of USA every quarter of the year, through … Read more