“One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics.”

Of course, he followed that up by slamming OS X’s general stability, noting that Vista’s core technology — on which Win7 is built — is “far more stable than the current Mac platform.” We know we’re opening up a giant can here, but… um, thoughts?

[Via AppleInsider]

Rudy scoffs at the idea he borrowed from the Hackintosh scene. “The first thing you have to do is unlearn everything you’ve read online about how to make this work,” Rudy says, “because it’s all wrong.”

Really? Because we think there’s a very large, very active hacking community out there that would disagree with you, Rudy.

P.S.- A full list of every other mistake in this piece after the break.

[Thanks, Chris]

It’s basically a ritual now: Fresh feature debuts on new Android phone; hack-happy G1 owners see new feature, develop seething jealousy; said owners work tirelessly to steal new feature. Last week, Google Maps Navigation hit the Droid. Today, the G1.

Google Maps Navigation will be part of Android 2.0, and Android 2.0 is expected to come to most—if not all—Android handsets on the market eventually, so given how complicated this hack is (fairly!), and that it requires a rooted phone, it’d be prudent for most folks to just wait this out. That said, there’s no saying how long it’ll be until Eclair seeds out to older handsets, and there’s no guarantee that the G1—and old fart in its little corner of the universe—will ever get it. Anyhow, here’s what you need to do, from XDA:

Download here

Make sure you have CyanogenMod 4.2.3.1, by the way.

1) Unzip zip to desktop
2) Run Part 1.bat
3) When prompted to press any key, do so; the phone will reboot
4) When your phone is running again, run Part 2.bat
5) When prompted to press any key, the installation process is done.
6) Make sure GPS is enabled
7) Open Maps and press OK
Press Menu
9) Press Directions
10) Enter an end point
11) Click Go
12) Just under “Show on map”, click Navigate.
13) When prompted to install the voice codec, do so.

And there you have it: Free, not terrible turn-by-turn navigation for your G1, without Android 2.0. Early reports say it runs well; let us know how it goes for you in the comments.

Once installed, users can browse newspapers and magazines from around the world available from PressDisplay.com, the world’s biggest online newspaper kiosk. Download the publication, and read it offline whenever you want. You can zoom and pan around the document, access on-demand audio, navigate each publication via jump links, and much more.

Alex Kroogman, CEO of NewspaperDirect commented on the new apps:

“While other news applications offer limited website access or a reduced version of the publisher’s content, PressReader delivers the publication in its original layout with all of the content from its print edition, including advertising… As the mobile and handheld market evolves, we plan to offer PressReader on additional, new smartphones, e-readers or tablets, as they are announced. This includes the highly anticipated Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) tablet.”

Oooooh, Apple Tablet you say, huh? Interesting

You can pick up the PressReader app for free right now in BlackBerry App World and the Apple App Store (iTunes link).

[Via: PitchEngine]

If you check out the details on the ‘Pureness’, you’ll notice key features such as Bluetooth, an FM tuner, Exchange ActiveSync compatibility, and a very cool transparent scratch-resistant monochrome 1.8″ TFT display. Of course, all of the standard apps come preloaded as well, including your alarm clock, calculator, calendar, yadda yadda, you know the deal.

For those looking for a stylish new candybar, the Xperia Pureness could be the one. I’ll keep an eye open for availability and pricing when it becomes available.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) recently spent an excessive amount of money to produce a 4 minute video showcasing what they think the connected world of 2015 will look like. The first narrative focuses on a French businessman who recently relocated to San Francisco. Apparently he is antisocial because the “closest thing to a boy’s night out” is sitting in front of a television screen, watching a football match, while having a video call with 3 of his friends across the pond. After 2 bottles of wine at home, alone, I bet one of them drops their pants and moons everyone in the room. The next character in this cell shaded investor relations pornography feature film is Maria, a student with an obvious lisp attending her final year at the University of Barcelona, and she is in a club with her friends … but she can’t remember their names. What the hell kind of friend are you Maria? Her boyfriend is based in London, so they have to resort to cyber sex in their “online apartment” using a projected keyboard and display to feel connected.

Finally we have some Indian guy who downloads films to his device, projects them onto a wall so he and his family can watch them, and he sends reports of his fishing trip to a University in America who then deposits money in his Nokia bank account. The video ends with a whole bunch of buzz words flashing on the screen in a seemingly random way that resembles what we all saw in 1999’s hit film “The Matrix”. We can only hope that by 2015 Nokia finally manages to get kinetic scrolling to work without looking jerky, and the Ovi Store to resemble the iPhone App Store of today.

[Via: Nokia Conversations]

Read the headline? It’s not just the “Moto Droid thing” only – the good ol’ G1 can also be used for turn-by-turn navigation provided by Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps, thanks to the ever active XDA development community. Of course, we’re not talking about the official ROM update, but something that requires a little effort, yet delivers great benefits.

We’re hearing once the process of upgrading/hacking the G1 is completed, Google Maps Navigation runs smoothly giving us hope if HTC does nothing about it, Google will. Are you reading this folks? Please make sure your old customers aren’t forgotten.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

The technology behind the SMS notification relies on the advanced rocket sensors which will soon have the ability to calculate the projectile’s exact trajectory. Once the predicted impact zone is identified, all mobile phones in the area will receive a text message with a warning. Moreover, the system will be designed to additionally warn people by making the phones vibrate, produce a sound, and/or flash. I’m guessing some software modification is required for this to work, but I’ve no doubts Israeli army has all the resources needed to pull this out. Hopefully, they’ll never need to use such a system.

[Via: textually]

While the tech-loving world continues to debate the merits of the Droid following its launch on Friday, it’s pretty safe to say that the Android platform has seen a pretty hefty influx of users as of late. In the past two weeks alone, we’ve seen the aforementioned Droid, it’s cheaper, younger sibling, the Droid Eris, and the Sprint Moment all hit the shelves; if any of them sold even reasonably well, there’s a lot of new folk cracking open the Android Market for the first time right now.

Whether you’re an iPhone convert, an ex-Nokian, or just a stranger to smartphones as a whole, the Android Market can be a pretty daunting place. While Android might not have quite as many apps as the leading competition, it still has a bit over 10,000 – and that’s a hell of a lot for any newcomer to weed through.

For the sake of these nascent newbies, we’ve thrown together a list of a handful of apps we think are worth checking out right off the bat. Got a favorite of your own? Throw it into the comments below.

In no particular order:

Twidroid
What is it?: Twitter Client
Price: Free; “Pro” version available for around €3.39 (around $5)
Description: We’re seeing more and more Twitter clients hit the Android Market as of late, but Twidroid still seems to be the crowd favorite. The free version offers up all the basics (Tweeting, mentions, DM, search, image uploading, etc.), while the Pro version adds video, multi-accounts, and theming support.

Qik/Ustream/Bambuser/etc.
What is it? Video Streaming
Price: Free
Description: The plethora of video streaming applications on Android serves as a fantastic example of the strengths of Android’s open market. While such video streaming clients have been floating around in Apple’s moderation queue for over a year now (and are still only available on jailbroken iPhones), they were made available on Android almost immediately after launch. There are a ton of options available here – I’d recommend starting with Qik or Ustream.

Flyscreen
What is it? Lockscreen replacement
Price: Free
Description: You see that lockscreen each and every time you pull your phone out of your pocket – might as well put it to use, right? Flyscreen replaces the default lockscreen with a user-customizable canvas for widgets, with everything from Twitter to TMZ. It’s a wee bit buggy on the Droid, primarily because of its high resolution – but the Flyscreen guys have already confirmed that an update is on the way.

Nesoid
What is it? NES emulator
Price: $1.99, Lite version available
Description: It’s an NES emulator, and it works damn well – do we really need to say anything else? For obvious legal reasons, you’ll need to provide your own ROMs – but once that’s out of the way, it’ll handle just about any popular NES game you can throw at it. We’ve heard mixed reports as to how well this (primarily the Lite version) is working on Android 2.0, but I’m not seeing any issues with the paid version.

Meridian
What is it? Media player
Price: Free
Description: As we mentioned in our Smartphone Showdown, media playback (especially video) on the Android platform is rather lacking. We’ve yet to find any third-party applications that really pull it off well, but the Meridian player is about the best we’ve seen so far. It’ll play back MP3, OGG, MP4, and 3GPP files, and offers up basic playlist and gesture support. It’s pretty dang ugly, but it gets the job done.

Flixster:
What is it? Movie times/trailers/DVD info aggregator
Price: Free
Description: Flixster does one thing, and it does it well: Movies. It keeps you up to date on everything new in the movie world, be it for the box office or the rental store, complete with movie times (by way of GPS), community-driven user reviews, and trailers. Flixster is one of the most well-designed applications I’ve seen on the Android platform, and is one of very few I find myself using regularly.

Barcode Reader:
What is it? Its.. a barcode reader.
Price: Free
Description: Barcode reader is pretty much an Android must-have at this point. Lets say you’re perusing a book store and stumble across a book you’re interested in reading – but is it really worth what the nearest big chain book store wants for it? Scan the tag on the back into Barcode Reader, which will pass the details into Google Product Search for a price comparison. At worst, you’ll find out that you’re getting a deal; at best, you’ll save a ton. I’ve saved a few hundred bucks overall by way of Barcode-based comparison shopping.

TED
What is it? Tons of amazing content, crammed into one app.
Price: Free
Description: This one serves as our reader’s choice app, so to speak. I reached out to my Twitter posse for some insight on their favorite apps, and the TED application was a resoundingly popular result. The Android TED application brings together a huge number of lectures from the annual Technology, Entertainment, Design conference, with talks from the likes of Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Larry Page, and more. Next time you’ve got 10-15 minutes free, why not spend it gettin’ some smarts?

3Banana
What is it? Notes syncing
Price: Free
Description: Sign up for a free account, then punch your credentials into both the Android client and your browser. Bam, note syncing! It’s not a substitute for a full-fledged file syncing service like Dropbox, but 3banana is a drop-dead easy way to keep your notes/images synced between your Android handset and your computer.

Power Manager
What is it? Battery life assistant
Price: $0.99, Lite version available
Description: While it’s getting better over time, the Android platform isn’t exactly known for its killer battery efficiency. Android allows users to run apps in the background – and a running application gobbles up battery, whether it’s visible or not. Power manager helps to improve your device’s battery life through profiles. Running on the battery? Dim the screen. Battery down below 30%? Kill the WiFi and the Bluetooth. The free version comes with 4 profiles (Battery powered, low battery, A/C powered, USB powered), while the 99 cent pro version allows you to build you own.

Know any apps that Android users ought to check out on day one?

Google already knows too much about me, yet Google Latitude’s Location History and Location Alerts features are still creepy. But they’re useful, because together they learn your usual hangouts and know when you don’t need notifications of who’s nearby.

The Location History feature does just what you think it would by allowing you to view your previous Latitude locations. And the Location Alerts are little notifications when a friend is nearby and spare you from constantly checking Latitude. Since it’d be pretty annoying to get a notification that your boss is in fact in his office every time you go to work, you can use both features together and let Latitude learn your frequently visited places. It’ll keep track of patterns and skip sending unneeded alerts. Creepy, yet oh-so-useful. [Google Mobile Blog]

f you know that your personal happiness lies somewhere in the Verizon / Android abyss but neither the Droid nor the Droid Eris are hitting the spot, you might consider trying something completely out of left field. How “left field” are we talking here? Well, for starters, odds are good that you’ve never heard of a company called Saygus, and its shiny new QWERTY slider, the VPhone, won’t be offered directly from Verizon — it’s a product of the carrier’s Open Development initiative. Sure enough, that handset we spied a few days back is real, and the specs are all panning out: 624MHz PXA310 XScale core, 512MB of Flash on board coupled with 256MB of RAM, 3.5-inch capacitive WVGA touchscreen, WiFi, a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, front-facing VGA camera and — of course — EV-DO Rev. A support. The current incarnation is running Android 1.6, but it should be running 2.0 by the time of its launch next year, along with getting some Google-certification to let it run the Google apps. Saygus’ real thrust here is apparently two-way video calling (good thing they picked Verizon, huh?), though they aren’t showing it off just yet. Otherwise it’s pretty much stock Android, and when asked if they swiped something from HTC Sense UI, Saygus said those buttons and the extra home screens are actually a standard part of Android’s open source repository. The hardware itself is rather chubby, but it leaves room for an oversized QWERTY keyboard that could very well solve your Droid woes. No word on price or a firm release date.

Hello there, HD2. To be honest, it’s a bit soon in our relationship to be seeing all your inner workings — not that we mind. The folks on the xda-developers forums have done the duty of tearing down HTC’s impressively skinned Windows Mobile 6.5 device. Not much to glean from the snapshots, but if you do harbor some strange technologically-inclined curiosity and would never consider ripping up the phone yourself, hit up the read link for more pictures.

[Via Pocketnow]

Super Mario Bros. Wii doesn’t come out here in North America for another five days, but, for whatever reason, it comes out in Australia in two days! That explains why you can find the world’s first review (nearest I can tell) on IGN Australia. The Web site gave the game a 9.2 (I swear, these decimal point reviews are 100 percent absurd), but I think it’s safe to conclude that the game is, indeed, fun, which is really all you can ask for.

As is customary from my “oh here’s a review!” posts, I’ll merely highlight the nut graph, which is the wrong phrase to use here but whatever, but I’ll also encourage you to read the whole thing. It’s only two pages (you’ll recall that IGN’s GTA IV review was seven pages long) so get to it.

Whether or not this is the best Mario game to date is purely a matter of personal tastes; it’s certainly the most humble on outward appearances. The red game case – a bold and loud statement of fun – is the first indicator that there’s something special under the hood in this one. Still sorting the men from the boys after 20 years, Mario and Luigi’s new adventure is not important because it’s the continuation of a franchise we know and love – rather, it’s because New Super Mario Bros. Wii demonstrates one more time why Nintendo are masters of the all-ages gaming market; relevant and refreshing but at all times reverent and above all, incredible fun.

I can only add that I played the game for, oh, 15 minutes about a month ago, and it struck like Smash Bros does: it’s fun on its own merits, yes, but the more people you play with, the better.

Our favorite live video-broadcasting service just upped the ante last night. Qik has gone ahead and introduced not only support for Android 2.0 and the Motorola DROID, but the capability to stream 720×480 video live right from the handset. Because the camera supports that resolution, dummies. We’ve taken it out for a spin and have been pretty blown away by the video quality and also the updated interface and UI. If you want to download the DROID-specific version, you’ll need to shoot an email over to Qik

Our eyes popped a few weeks back when we first learned about the powerful Motorola Droid and the potential it has with its amazing camera. We set out to enhance our Android client to not just have the basic Droid and Android 2.0 support – but also showcase the power of the device. Today we are really excited to announce that no only can you download the Qik client from the Android Marketplace that supports Droid, but also request early beta access to a high-res Qik client for Droid that can capture videos in DVD resolution.

Share your experiences in DVD resolution

With this device we are raising the bar on quality – yet again! Qik for Droid can now capture of DVD resolution (720×480) video – first ever by any live mobile video provider. If you are interested in giving this beta version a try send an email to droidbeta@qik.com

Droid and Android 2.0 support

We have reworked our UI to support Droid’s amazing new high resolution screen.

Sharing gets more personal with improved Speed Sharing Ribbon
The Qik Speed Sharing Ribbon(TM) makes it easy to share what you are seeing with your friends. You can create shortcuts to select contacts from your phone and place them in the Speed Sharing Ribbon so that the next time you Qik you can share your Qiks with them with just a tap on the screen. You can even record your Qiks as private and share them privately just by selecting a person from the Speed Sharing Ribbon. Also, you can setup your sharing preferences for your favorite social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube right from the phone and have them appear on the Speed Sharing Ribbon enabling you to share your Qiks with ease.

So, equip your new Droid device with Qik by downloading it from the Android Marketplace and let us know what you think by sending an email to android@qik.com.

Nokia smartphone loyalists that feel S60 is a bit long in the tooth and are looking for something new should be all smiles today, as earlier Nokia announced that the Maemo 5-powered N900 smartphone has begun shipping out after a series of delays. To officially retail for around 500€ ($749 USD), the N900 has been spotted on various US-based websites for well under $600. And that’s a darn good deal, too, because you’re not going to find many phones at that price that offer up the following:

• Maemo 5 OS
• 3.5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) resistive touchscreen display
• 110.9 × 59.8 × 18mm, 181g
• Portrait-orientation sliding QWERTY
• Mozilla-based browser, full Adobe Flash support
• ARM cortex A8 processor
• 32GB internal memory
• 5.0 MP Carl Zeiss camera with dual-LED flash, auto-focus and sliding cover
• MicroSDHC support up to 16GB
• FM transmitter
• Quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA 900/1700/2100, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP
• GPS
• 1320 mAh battery

One word of caution: as it currently stands, the N900 will not play nice with the new SIMs from 3 in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Austria, although a software update to resolve this comparability issue is due out before the end of the year

Verizon is stepping into that breech by releasing these clever commercials touting its network over AT&Ts. But, as Mr. Fireball notes, Verizon is talking about the invisible stuff here and ignoring its top-rated Droid. It seems that they’ve been on the “coverage” kick for so long that they can’t get off it it, resulting in comparisons that, at least for early adopters, are usually ignored.

Verizon has a great phone right now. They should play to that strength. Here are two more clever commercials for your viewing pleasure.

via AOL

The implications of this deal are exciting. Google has purchased, in cash, the internet VoIP company Gizmo5 for a cool $30 million. The deal brings a true SIP/VoIP provider into the Google fold — the potential to merge the acquired technology with Google Voice and/or Google Talk is staring us right in the face. Last month there were rumors that perhaps Skype, due to legal issues with its own VoIP technology, might purchase Gizmo5 as a backup plan of sorts. However, that deal went south after Skype’s creators settled with eBay over future licensing of the core technology behind the popular service. So what do you think? Will Gizmo5 go the way of Orkut and fade into the internet oblivion? We’re hoping it will be more like GrandCentral…built into something we all love and the wireless service providers hate!

Here at the BlackBerry Developer Conference, Loopt have announced a major update to their free BlackBerry app. The Loopt application is a location based services app that connects relevant people and placing while constantly running in the background.

Today we got a demo of Loopt by Sam Altman, CEO of Loopt, to show off the latest features as RIM announce their latest location services. The app now offers dynamically-generated, relevant local content about places and events from some of the best sources on the Web to help users meet up with nearby friends, explore new places to grab food, and find local events happening now. Feature highlights include:

•Discover the best places and events, including those rated highly by your friends on Pulse.
•See where your friends are on maps – view their latest updates listed in real-time and comment on them.
•Check-in to instantly share your updates with friends – easily update Facebook and Twitter with your photos and places in one Loopt check-in.
•Browse and rate local places and events – peruse detailed information from Zagat, Citysearch, and the Loopt community.
•Save money through special offers from nearby retailers with local coupons.
Loopt is available for free for the BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Bold 9000, and the BlackBerry Tour on App World.

RIM today announced at their BlackBerry Developers Conference in San Francisco that the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) OS will soon support OpenGL ES for 3D graphics acceleration.
The arrival of 3D graphics support should finally bring the BlackBerry platform out of the dark ages, where BrickBreaker and other 2D games reigned supreme. RIM and EA Mobile took to the BBDC keynote stage to show off the still-in-development “Need For Speed: Shift” 3D game, giving the world a glimpse of what’s to come. The game looked impressive, to say the least, so we figured a hands-on video was in order.

We sat down with EA Mobile and gave the game a solid once-over. Before we continue, we should mention again that Need For Speed: Shift is still in early stage development, and what you see below is actually the first ever playable version of the game. As such, there weren’t too many cars to pick from, and the game had only a single playable track. Still, the accelerometer-based controls were easy to use – they were responsive but not twitchy (like a lot of racing games on the iPhone). In-game audio was impressive and really gave the game a more polished feel than the two weeks worth of development time would have suggested.

EA Mobile promises to have Need for Speed: Shift polished off by the time it hits the BlackBerry App World. By that time the game should support more computer rivals (AI enemies), a drift-turn feature to slide around corners and player-points to upgrade your ride. Check out the video below!

Smartmouth let me know that created a download page where you can easily find the right files to install Hebrew fonts on your device. The best part is that you do not need to reinstall your OS to get Hebrew fonts since this installs like an application. Smartmouth set it up that you can even add some of the read only fonts OTA but if you want to be able to write with the fonts you will need to do this using the desktop install files on the same page.

Check it out at www.cheservices.com/blackberry/

Right now this method supports:

OTA Hebrew Read Only & Menus:
o BlackBerry Storm, 83XX Curve Series, 88XX Series, 82XX Pearl Flip Series, Bold 90XX Series, & 7290

Desktop Manager Hebrew Read & Write support:
o BlackBerry 8900 Curve, 83XX Curve Series, 88XX Series, 82XX Pearl Flip Series, Bold 90XX Series

“עברית“  if you can read that then you can already read Hebrew.

9630 (TOUR) click here for OTA link for read only Hebrew

9630 (TOUR) click here for OTA link for read/Write full Hebrew

83XX & 88XX & 81XX USERS CLICK HERE FOR READ ONLY  HEBREW

Curve Users click here for OTA link for read/Write full Hebrew  (OS 4.3 and up)

Blackberry BOLD 90XX USERS CLICK HERE FOR READ/Menus HEBREW

Bold Users click here for OTA link for read/Write full Hebrew

STORM USERS CLICK HERE FOR READ ONLY AND MENUS IN HEBREW

(there is no official release for writing Hebrew on the storm)

Blackberry FLIP 82xx USERS CLICK HERE FOR READ/Menu  HEBREW

(Suretype models can not type Hebrew)

Blackberry 7290 USERS CLICK HERE to install HEBREW Font

8900 Users….to only read Hebrew, click here for OTA Install

Jewish Calendar can be found at

(Ozshene Kalendar for BlackBerry)

 www.tichnut.de/blackberry

Typing Hebrew for the storm new Beta!!!! (beta=try at your own risk)

http://www.berryreview.com/2009/07/22/hot-9530-storm-os-5-0-0-140-found-online/

Or google for 4.7.0.114 storm

^^^^^^^^

HEBREW for the Storm

THESE NEXT FEW FILES ARE FOR PC INSTALLS. DOWNLOAD TO YOUR PC, CONNECT YOUR BB AND RUN THE BATCH FILE.

Download to your PC zip file to install READ/WRITE for the 83xx and 88xx series phones (OS 4.5 only)

Download to your PC zip file to install READ/menu support for the 82xx flip phones

Download to your PC zip file to install READ/WRITE for the BOLD series (9000) phones

Download to your PC zip file to install READ/WRITE for the Javelin series (8900) phones

Download to you PC this zip file. Extract and run the Batch to install full READ and Write for the TOUR (9630)