KISS60 enables Flash Lite screensavers on Symbian S60 3rd devices!

Ever wanted to have an animated screensaver on your Nokia smartphone (or any other Symbian S60 3rd edition based device)? Well, now you can thanks to KISS60, the application which “enables users to collect, manage, share and enjoy” Adobe Flash Lite screensavers on their S60 smartphones.

KISS60 is work of Finland-based mobile design and development company, Kuneri, and has been created using the company’s KuneriLite Rapid Application Development toolkit for Adobe Flash Lite. It (KISS60) has an easy to use interface, allowing users to seamlessly create their own screensaver collections, download new screensavers and share them using SMS or Bluetooth. The application is in public beta, and you can grab it free of charge from here.

via pdasnews

3 launches new Skype mobile phone

Mobile phone provider 3 has launched a new handset that will allow users to make free calls over the internet via telephony service Skype. Users will also be able to use Skype's instant messaging service, 3 said. But while people using Skype on their computers are able to make cheap global calls to any phone number, this will not be possible via the new 3 handset. Skype has about 246 million registered users worldwide and is one of the firms reshaping the global phone industry.
To date, mobile phone companies have been unwilling to let users freely access Skype via their handsets for fear that it would hurt their business. While it is possible to access Skype from a number of handsets, this has involved downloading third-party software, something that has put off the majority of users.

The Skype-phone will be the first instance of a phone operator launching a mass market device that is designed to allow free calling over the internet from a mobile, 3 said. "It takes an innovative operator... to challenge traditional thinking and offer the kind of product other operators are still shying away from," said Skype's acting chief executive, Michael van Swaaij. "It's is now truly mobile. Skype has now taken a giant step forward in the mobile arena. And chief executive of 3 UK, Kevin Russell, said the firm wanted to make mobile internet more accessible. "Services need to be simple to access and affordable," he said. "Mobile has the potential to massively increase access to internet calling."

The service, launching on 2 November, will be accessed by a button on the handset. As well as the UK, the 3 Skype-phone will be launched in countries including Australia, Denmark, Italy and Hong Kong. Pay as you go customers will have to top up their account with at least 10P each month to qualify for the free Skype-to-Skype calls, 3 said.

via pdasnews

Dumb iPhone Commercial Of The Week

So now the iPhone helps a pilot bust his plane out of a 3-hour tarmac delay by enabling him to surf to Weather.com? That’s the preposterous story line of Apple’s latest commercial, which was inescapable on Sunday whether you were watching football during the day on FOX and CBS, or game seven of the American League Championship Season in the evening.

At least for new “fatty” iPod Nanos, Apple took the soft sell approach, enlisting the charming Feist ditty 1234 in a meta-music-video.

No such luck with the latest iPhone commercial. This one has some guy who’s supposed to be a pilot, telling us his iPhone got him to a weather report which said the storm was breaking, so he “called the tower,” and within a half hour, he was on his way.

Even if that scenario were believable, who is it aimed at? The subgroup of the potential iPhone buying public who has commercial aviation licenses? I much preferred the original iPhone ads, which pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes by grossing inflating the Web-surfing speed of the EDGE network, and let it at that.

Here’s the iPhone “Fly Me” commercial, courtesy of YouTube:

What’s next? Steve Jobs friend Larry Ellison enlisting the iPhone to help him steer around a squall during the America’s Cup?

via InformationWeek

WiMAX is 3G!

Call it a major victory for WiMAX as a technology and industry. For the first time, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has approved a non-cellular telecommunications technology as part of the union’s 3G standards.

The decision, made at the ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector’s (ITU-R) general meeting in Geneva , Switzerland, means operators with 3G spectrum in the 2.5 GHz bands globally can use WiMAX to build out a network. Although each country’s regulators ultimately decide, the ITU decision usually has a strong influence.

“This is a very special and unique milestone for WiMAX technology,” Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum, said in a statement. “This is the first time that a new air interface has been added to the IMT-2000 set of standards since the original technologies were selected nearly a decade ago. WiMAX technology currently has the potential to reach 2.7 billion people. And today’s announcement expands the reach to a significantly larger global population.”

IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications-2000) was approved in 1999 with five cellular standards, including W-CDMA, cdma2000, TD-CDMA, EDGE, and DECT. It essentially meant that one of those technologies had to be used in 3G spectrum. WiMAX, which the ITU calls ODDAM TDD WMAN, had been locked out until the ITU-R decision. A working group approved WiMAX in June.

The ITU’s approval likely won’t resolve the debate over which is the best technology to use in the 2.57 GHz -2.69 GHz spectrum bands. The GSM community has plans to use orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) in its future, with a proposed standard called Long Term Evolution (LTE). The GSM Association had opposed the inclusion of WiMAX in IMT-2000.

WiMAX, although it uses OFDMA, in its current form is a TDD (time division duplex) technology that separates signals by time slots. W-CDMA is a FDD (frequency division duplex) technology that separates signals by frequency. Engineers and companies argue over which is best.

Intel Vice President Sriram Viswanathan, who also is general manager of Intel’s WiMAX business unit, says the ITU’s decision means operators in emerging countries like India and Brazil that already have 2.5 GHz spectrum can use WiMAX for their network buildouts.

It also means that WiMAX could be used for the so-called IMT-2000 Extension Band allocations in some developed European countries later this year or next year. And it also makes WiMAX a possible inclusion in the ITU’s 4G (IMT-Advanced) decisions expected in 2009.

Ironically, the ITU decision also labels WiMAX as a 3G technology although Sprint Nextel is calling it 4G for its planned network launch this year and next.

via wirelessweek

Apple to Release Unlocked iPhone in France

Apple is releasing an unlocked version of the iPhone that will allow users to run it on various cellular networks. But you have to live in France to get it.

Under a just-announced deal, the European mobile carrier Orange will be the exclusive source for the iPhone in the French market. The unlocked phone is concession to a French law that forbids companies to bundle a cell phone to a specific mobile operator.

According to a report in the International Herald Tribune, Orange will offer both a locked version for its French net for about $560 and an unlocked version for a higher, but undisclosed price. Both are expected to be unveiled in November.

Apple recently signed exclusive deals, similar to the one with U.S.-based AT&T, with Britain’s O2, the wireless division of Spain’s Telefonica, and with Germany’s T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.

According to the Tribune report, Orange wouldn’t say whether it had agreed to give Apple a share of the service revenues generated by iPhone users. This is one of the most striking features of Apple’s move into the mobile phone market. The Tribune quoted a Nortel executive on how revolutionary this change is: ‘For operators, having an handset maker suddenly demand a slice of their revenues is like being asked to change your religion,’ said Gerry Collins, the director of strategic marketing at Nortel Networks, a Canadian company that makes wireless phone networks. “This is really a significant change for the industry.

From the outset, Apple’s decision has come under concerted attack by hackers trying to unlock the phone’s SIM card, thereby allowing the phone to run on a network other than AT&T. Apple has made a just-as-concerted counter-attack to undo those hacks.

via PCWorld

Nokia N810 gets official!

Stay in touch and on the right track with the new pocket-sized Nokia N810 Internet Tablet

Nokia today introduced the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, signifying a new phase in portable internet communication. You have ability to connect this pocket-sized device to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot or over your Bluetooth mobile phone. The Nokia N810 allows you to make internet calls; check your Google Mail or Facebook Account; watch the latest videos on YouTube or update your blog using the device’s slide-out keyboard along with its stunning touch screen. Its built-in maps and satellite navigation helps you to find your way. It is expected to start shipping mid November with an estimated retail price of 479 USD (excluding local taxes).

Bringing you closer to communities
Whether you are at home, in the park or in a coffee shop, with the Nokia N810 you will never be far away. With the ability to check emails, read the latest gossip online or IM to your friends, share your moods on your favorite social sites; call via Skype, or get closer by the Gizmo video chat - with the integrated VGA camera - you’ll never be far away from those you want to keep in contact with..

Keeping you on the right track
You may feel lost without it, but with the Nokia N810, you’ll never lose your way. The Nokia N810 has an integrated GPS receiver which allows you to pinpoint your position and find a wide variety of points-of-interests using the pre-loaded maps. Upgrade to Wayfinder’s voice-guided navigation for turn-by-turn directions and explore the world on foot or in the car.

Never be bored again
Whether you’re traveling on the trip of a lifetime or on your daily commute to work, the Nokia N810 is the perfect traveling companion. No Wi-Fi connection on your journey? No need, the Nokia N810 offers up to 45 hours of music playback and memory to store up to 7,500 songs on an optional 10GB memory card*. Its large (4.13″), sharp (800×480 resolution) wide screen makes for a magical experience right in the palm of your hand.
“The Nokia N810 packs the power of a traditional computer into a pocket-sized format. Its open standard technology accelerates the convergence of multiple functionalities and services into a single device”, said Ari Virtanen, Vice President, Convergence Products, Multimedia, Nokia. “Our new Nokia N810 offers users a true Web 2.0 experience in a compact, stylish, yet affordable package - it connects people to what matters to them.”
The Nokia N810 is powered by maemo Linux based OS2008, updatable also on the Nokia N800, the previous internet tablet generation hardware. The Nokia N810 features a highly customizable user interface and contains various novelties such as a Mozilla based browser with Ajax and Adobe flash 9, Bluetooth headset support as well as enhanced video and audio features. The refreshed Video Gizmo, Skype and Rhapsody highlight some most popular downloads available while Boingo Wireless, Earthlink and The Cloud enable Wi-Fi connectivity, across thousands of different locations globally.
Today, Forum Nokia also announced the launch of maemo platform support services for software developers and companies around the world via forum.nokia.com. Currently, Forum Nokia has more than 3.4 million registered users, developing leading mobile applications on Symbian Series 40 and Series 60 platforms. This professional support service complements the developer offering with maemo.org, an open source community sponsored by Nokia.
*Capacity based on 3:45 per song and 128 kbps MP3 encoding.

via PdasNews

Samsung SGH-i560 GPS-smartphone introduced at Symbian Smartphone Show

Samsung has announced a new smartphone SGH-i560 powered by S60 3rd Edition at Symbian Smartphone Show in London. Samsung SGH-i560 works in GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz and UMTS/HSDPA 2100 MHz networks. The smartphone holds a GPS-receiver. In addition it comes with a 2.4” 262K colors QVGA display with mirror surface, a 3.2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth (A2DP) interface. The i560 carries 150 MB of memory onboard expandable with microSD cards. The device measures 130×51x16 mm.The shipments of Samsung SGH-i560 are set for the end of this year. I’d remind you that the company had announced the release of the GPS-smartphone late in September, and now it is preparing another navigation-enabled device – the SGH-i780 communicator based on Windows Mobile 6 Professional.

via PdasNews

StyleTap CrossPlatform Brings Thousands of Mobile Applications to Symbian

StyleTap Inc. today announced StyleTap CrossPlatform for Symbian OS which will allow over 20,000 existing applications to run on current and future Symbian smartphones.StyleTap CrossPlatform for Symbian OS brings the largest library of smartphone applications to the largest community of smartphone users, with over 145m Symbian smartphones shipped to date, to over 250 major network operators worldwide.StyleTap CrossPlatform is compatible with most applications written for Palm OS® devices, and enables them to now run on Symbian smartphones. This gives consumers unprecedented freedom to choose the smartphone that meets their needs without losing their investment in mobile applications and accumulated data.
StyleTap CrossPlatform also gives application developers a compelling solution which can help leverage their existing mobile assets to target more devices. Instead of their applications running on a set proportion of mobile devices because they cannot afford to re-engineer their applications for each new device brought to market, StyleTap CrossPlatform offers developers access to millions more potential customers with no re-engineering required.
“By enabling thousands more mobile applications to be used by millions more users, StyleTap CrossPlatform creates enormous value for consumers, application developers and smartphone vendors,” said Gregory Sokoloff, CEO of StyleTap Inc., “By bringing StyleTap CrossPlatform to Symbian OS, the global market-leading smartphone OS, we are fulfilling our commitment to support the smartphone industry to the fullest possible extent.”
StyleTap CrossPlatform for Symbian OS is the newest member of the StyleTap CrossPlatform family of products which will continue to grow to include additional smartphone operating systems. StyleTap is demonstrating CrossPlatform at the Symbian Smartphone Show in London, and expects to ship the product in the first quarter of 2008. Pricing has not yet been finalized. StyleTap CrossPlatform will support Symbian smartphones based on UIQ 3 and S60 3rd Edition. Companies or individuals interested in receiving information about the release of StyleTap CrossPlatform for Symbian should visit http://www.styletap.com/ and subscribe to the StyleTap blog.
“Symbian OS has established itself as the leading OS for smartphones in the world today,” said David Wood, EVP of Research, Symbian Ltd., “As smartphones play an ever increasing role in people’s lives, application software will grow more and more important. We welcome the rich library of applications that StyleTap brings to the Symbian ecosystem and encourage their developers to take advantage of the Symbian marketplace.”
“StyleTap CrossPlatform will bring great value to users of mobile phones based on UIQ. They will now be able to access an extensive set of new applications for their UIQ phones from Sony Ericsson and Motorola. We are very pleased to see this innovation come to market”, said Elisabet Melin, VP Marketing, UIQ Technology AB.
About StyleTap Inc.
StyleTap Inc. is a privately-held Canadian software company founded in 2000 whose mission is to provide the essential software ingredient that enables mobile applications to run on any smartphone. StyleTap Inc. is the developer of StyleTap CrossPlatform for Symbian and StyleTap CrossPlatform for Windows Mobile which are robust, high performance software platforms that enable Symbian OS and Windows Mobile devices to run thousands of software applications that are also compatible with Palm OS devices. StyleTap continues to expand the capabilities of its existing products and extend its unique technology to run on additional devices and operating systems.

via PdasNews

Sony Ericsson announces K630 camera phone

Sony Ericsson has announced the K630, a stylish camera phone providing music, email and broadband speed data transfers with HSDPA.

The phone comes with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync preloaded, which allows a computer’s inbox to be mirrored on the phone’s display. This means that urgent emails can be answered while on the move.

A Media Manager function allows media, such as music or videos, to be transferred between the phone and a computer by simply dragging and dropping.

Quick access to often-used websites is provided with just one click, via animated widgets displayed on the phone’s desktop.

The K630 features a 2.0 megapixel camera for stills and moving images. The phone makes sharing photos easy, via MMS, email or postcard. They can also be uploaded to an online gallery, or blogsite.

With its HSDPA functionality, the phone can download a full-length music track in around 14 seconds.

A 256MB Memory Stick Micro (M2) is including for storing up to 3600 full-length tracks. A dedicated music key on the phone makes it easy to navigate tracks.

The K630 comes in two colours – Havana Gold and Quick Black. It weighs just 97 grams and measures 103 x 47 x 15.5 mm.

The Sony Ericsson K630 will be available in selected markets this year.

via Camera-Core

Viruses, Trojans and Remote Snooping: Hackers Release Their Own iPhone SDK

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced Wednesday that his company will release a software-development kit for the iPhone in February, to allow programmers to produce third-party applications for the device. But hackers have already come up with their own software-development kit. It allows them to deliver any code they want to the iPhone, including viruses, Trojan horses and the ability to snoop on audio and video.

Developer H.D. Moore has added support for iPhone attacks to the Metasploit Framework. Metasploit is an open source hacking tool used by computer-security administrators and black hats alike to create security applications and exploits.

Moore posted sample exploits and detailed instructions this week on how to write and deliver code that can take complete control of an iPhone.

The move takes hackers one step closer to being able to remotely and surreptitiously take control of an iPhone and turn it into a surveillance device.

But it also makes it easier for white hats to develop and install custom software for their own iPhones.

Moore’s tool and exploits take advantage of a vulnerability in the TIFF image-rendering library that’s used by the iPhone’s browser, mail and music software.

It’s the same vulnerability that has allowed numerous Apple customers to unlock and customize their iPhones. But Moore’s Metasploit Framework does much more, giving hackers remote shell access to iPhones that will allow them to run any code on the device.

“All you have to do is get somebody to open a TIFF image with an exploit in it ,and you’ve owned the phone,” says Rik Farrow, a security consultant and corporate speaker who delivered a security talk to Apple employees last year.

Attackers could conceivably write code to hijack the contacts in an iPhone address book, access the list of received and sent calls and messages, turn the phone into a listening device, track the user’s location, or instruct the phone to snap photos of the user’s surroundings — including any companions who may be in view of the camera lens.

Moore wrote on his blog that the iPhone is more vulnerable than other phones, because every application on the phone runs as “root.” That means a bug in the calculator application, for example, could lead to full access privileges on the device.

Simply patching the TIFF vulnerability in the iPhone won’t solve Apple’s problem. The Metasploit Framework allows hackers to easily mix and match exploits and payloads. That means hackers can develop code for the iPhone independent of any particular security hole, then deliver by means of whatever vulnerability in the phones is known and still unpatched at the time.

Jobs said in his announcement that the company is moving slowly on releasing the official SDK because it wants to provide broad access to developers, while also protecting users from hackers and others who might have ill designs on cracking the phones. That suggests the company recognizes it made a blunder by allowing full system privileges for every application.

“Apple is savvy enough to realize that this is really terrible,” says Farrow. “And it’s going to take them until February to actually be able to release the SDK, because they’re going to have to do basic things to the cellphone operating system itself to make it secure. So we’re not just talking about a software-development kit, we’re talking about fixing something that has major flaws in the security of it as it exists.”

But Moore and Farrow say to fix the problem, the company will need to do more, such as create precise rules in the system to limit what a malicious application can do on the phone.


“From what I’ve seen of the design of the phone, it doesn’t look like an easy task,” Moore says.

So why didn’t Apple do this before releasing the phone?

“Apple wants to sell really fancy, glitzy appliances that have great consumer appeal,” Farrow says. “And security has never been one of those things that has great consumer appeal. So Apple is totally correct to ship out an insecure product, because people snap them up. But at the same time I’m sure that there were engineers at Apple saying, ‘This is totally insane. We are going to get so hammered for this.’”

“There are some very clue-ful people there. But my impression is that they have to work very hard to make security a priority.”

Apple did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

via Wired