Smartphones

LG Ally details leak ahead of press event

LG is set to host an event on Tuesday evening in New York to reveal all the details about its first Android device for the U.S. market, the LG Ally. However, the Boy Genius Report got a jump-start when it posted a handful of presentation screen shots this morning, which pretty much gives us everything we need to know about the phone.

Looking through the specs, we find that the Ally has hardware that closely resembles the Motorola Devour. Both handsets are powered by 600MHz processors and have 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM. However, there are some subtle differences … Read more

Updated Bing app brings free voice navigation to Windows phones

Following in the footsteps of Nokia and Google, Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it is bringing free, voice-guided navigation to its Windows phones via an update to its Bing application.

Starting today, Windows 6.x phone owners (a list of compatible devices is below) can check for an update on their smartphone or point their mobile browser to m.bing.com to get the new features. Once you've downloaded the new version, simply launch the app and you should see a new Navigate button, which will calculate your route and provide audio prompts (powered by Microsoft's Tellme voice … Read more

Opera Mobile 10 now on Nokia phone, tablets--sort of

What do you get when you take a bunch of mobile browser developers and give them free run of the lab? A preview build of Opera's Mobile 10 browser running on the Nokia N900 and N800/N810 Internet Tablet.

Opera Mobile 10 for Nokia's open-source Maemo platform sprang to life as a hobbyist's thrill in the Opera Labs and is now being released, along with a laundry list of caveats, for intrepid testers. Opera stresses that this is no official Opera build. As such, it hasn't been put through the QA paces, and is one experiment … Read more

New details emerge on unique Motorola handset

New details have emerged concerning a handset we previously reported as being codenamed the Motorola Twist. According to Italian blog HDBlog.it, the phone will end up bearing the name of Motorola Flipout when it arrives in June.

With nothing officially announced from the handset maker, we only have rumors to work off for now. Hardware is said to include a 3.1-megapixel camera, a 2.8-inch touch display, and a QWERTY keyboard that flips out from behind the screen. The processor is listed as 700MHz with memory coming in at 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM. In terms of software, … Read more

U.S. Cellular reveals second Android phone

In late April, U.S. Cellular took to its Facebook page to announce the upcoming availability of the HTC Desire and teased a second Android device that would soon be joining its lineup. Now, we've finally learned the identity of that mystery handset: the Samsung R880, aka Samsung Acclaim.

Actually, the Acclaim remains a bit of a mystery as the carrier only posted a few details about the smartphone. We know that it features a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, and it will run Android 2.1. Images of the Acclaim were not posted, but … Read more

AT&T Palm Pre Plus available May 16 for $150

Announced back at CTIA Spring 2010, AT&T finally revealed via its Facebook page that the Palm Pre Plus will be available starting May 16 for $149.99 with a two-year contract and after a mail-in rebate.

In addition, the carrier said that for a limited time it will throw in a Touchstone charging dock for free for any customers who purchases the smartphone in one of its retail stores. No word, however, on the pricing or availability of the Palm Pixi Plus.

The 404 577: Where we will not quack at the principal (podcast)

Leave it to Wilson to make the rest of us look bad on Mother's Day. While we were all scrambling to make it to Duane Reade before closing time on Saturday, Wilson had already ordered a Fed Ex truck to deliver all the presents to his Mother down in Florida. We hope the rest of you had a fun weekend, but don't forget that just because Mother's Day is over doesn't mean that you're off the hook for the rest of the year; keep up the love!

President Barack Obama gave a commencement speech at Hampton University over the weekend where he warned the graduates about the dangers of a "24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content...some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter."

We were in complete agreement with everything Obama was saying...until he openly admitted to not knowing how to use an Apple iPod/iPad, an XBox, or a Playstation. It's no surprise that our Commander-in-Chief has bigger issues to worry about than dead pixels, but if a 99-year-old Grandma can pinch and pull her way around an iPad, what's Obama's excuse?

Don't forget to don your lead underwear the next time you get in line for a body scan at the airport. Rolando Negrin, a 44 year old attendant with the TSA learned that lesson the hard way when he threatened a colleague with a police baton after the bully allegedly made fun of his exposed genitalia during a routine training session at a Miami Airport.

The lesson began with Negin showing a group of trainees how to use the full body scanner, but the session soon turned into a roast when his colleagues started poking fun at the smaller-than-average size of his junk. In the bully's defense, it's completely possible that the first joke was made to relieve the tension of seeing his boss in his birthday suit, and Negin shouldn't have gotten so pissed- I'm sure they keep the air condition on pretty high during Spring and Summer.

Check out the full episode by clicking on the player below. You can also subscribe to our iTunes feed in audio and video form, and don't forget to e-mail at the404(at)cnet(dot)com or leave a voicemail on 1-866-404-CNET to share your thoughts with us!

EPISODE 577 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

HTC Evo 4G gets FCC approval

Over the past couple of weeks, we've started to see increasing signs that the Sprint HTC Evo 4G might be heading toward an imminent release. There is talk of the Shack taking Evo 4G preorders later this month; Sprint has an Evo 4G event planned for Wednesday; and now, the Android superphone has received the FCC's blessing to go out into the world and spread the good word about 4G.

The FCC documents don't reveal any surprises, but, hey, at least we now know it's been cleared to head to Sprint stores and other retail outlets. … Read more

The 404 576: Where milk was a bad choice (podcast)

The air conditioner in the studio where we record the show might be broken, but we're sweating it out this morning to bring you this Friday's episode of The 404 Podcast.

Yesterday, we talked to Jasmine France about her new Tech Dos and Don'ts column on the MP3 Insider blog and we all left the show convinced there's an online dating Web site out there for everyone's interests, no matter how niche...and we were right!

There's a new e-Harmony-style dating Web site called Cupidtino marketed specifically for Apple fanboys and girls to meet up and share a love for all things Apple...and hopefully each other! The site is still in beta and set to launch next month; everyone's invited, but with a catch--the only way you can access the site is through Safari and iPhone/iPad apps! Apologies in advance for Wilson's silence during this segment--that profile ain't gonna write itself.

Google already occupies a big part of everyone's past and present lives on the Internet, but the company is now setting its sights on predicting the future. It is heavily investing in a company called Recorded Future, a Web application that gathers data from financial markets, geopolitical news, industry changes, public figures, technology news, and others to create a rough sketch of the future.

If it works, Google stands to gain valuable insight into the ever-changing tech industry, but we tend to agree with sites like Mashable, which predicts the app will have the "same level of accuracy...as a weather report. Google Weather, anyone?

The second half of the show is all about predicting the immediate future of the podcast, which is pretty easy when you've been doing it everyday for three years. We have a special treat from today's e-mails from the public from listener Jack W., who sent us a video of his high school's annual lightsaber battle!

Only slightly less nerdy than LARPing, over 400 kids gather every year in the quad at Brophy College Prepatory to bang their light-up sticks together in celebration of their commitment to a movie that came out 20 years before their birth. Happy fighting, kids!

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to call us up at 1-866-404-CNET over the weekend and leave a voice mail. If it's good, we'll be happy to play it on the show!

EPISODE 576 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

HTC Evo 4G preorders to start in May?

Anticipation is building as a handful of leaks recently have all but confirmed that HTC will release its Evo 4 in June.

AndroidCentral posted literature appears to be for The Shack sales representatives. From what we can tell, these documents are part of a planned four-week ramp up designed to educate employees on the handset's features. If we count this as week one, then the previously rumored June 6 launch falls right into place.

Another image that made its way around a couple of blogs this week shows the handset as being available for preorder from The Shack in … Read more