Google apps lack multi-touch on the Nexus One. No AT&T 3G

Patents are a necessary evil. They help protect certain rights of individuals and ideas from being stolen and such, but all too often in this day and age they are abused and used solely to hamper innovation and hold back the market. Case in point: the lack of multi-touch on native apps on Android devices. I’m sure most of you know by now that the Nexus One will be neutered just like all other Android devices — save for our lucky European friends overseas. The hardware and software are more than capable, it’s simply a matter of the Goog’s not implementing it into their own stuff. There are ways around it however. Various 3rd party apps such as the Dolphin browser have multi-touch (read: iPhone-esque zooming) support.

Unfortunately, it appears that the mere threat of a lawsuit from Apple has got Google scared to the point of not even bothering. It’s a sad realization. Why should one company control the market in such a way? If another company builds their own multi-touch software from scratch, that should be the end of any IP infringement case. Such is the broken world we live in. For now, owners of multi-touchless devices will have to rely on custom ROM’s and manufacturer aided software such as that from HTC.

Is the Nexus One’s lack of native multi-touch a knock against an otherwise flawless phone or could you honestly care less?

One more thing, 3G support is T-Mobile only. An odd thing considering it has hardware support for AT&T 3G. The lack of multitouch isn’t a deal breaker. Lack of 3G — you bet. Why oh why does this happen? AT&T’s Android game was finally looking up. You know, because that disappointment that’s coming to AT&T as “the first Android phone” is a poor attempt to say the least. Anyone get knocked twice?

[Image Source

T-Mo brings 3G cheer to a few more towns before years end.

T-Mobile’s rollout of 3G continues at break neck pace, blanketing even more swaths of land with 3G goodness. The fine inhabitants of Louisville, Kentucky | Redding, California and Vineland, New Jersey are now free to surf the mobile web much faster than previous GPRS/EDGE coverage allowed. Just think of all the things you can now do with all of that extra speed pumping through the local airwaves. Light it up guys and gals!

IntoMobile > @TMobile_USA

The Notion Ink tablet: Best looking Android tablet yet?

What’s your take on tablet computers? I’m not head over heels for them per say as I either want a beast of a laptop or a beast of a phone. Tablets are in that gray/middle area that are just “meh” for me. But I’m but one man. Of all the tablets I’ve seen so far, the one pictured above set to drop compliments of Notion Ink is the closest I’ve come to actually wanting a tablet yet. The physical design is slick. HD 1080p video playback is a go as is A-GPS and a 3.0 megapixel camera. For storage purposes, 16GB and 32GB SSD’s aim to reduce noise, power consumption and space with options for easily expandable storage via SD cards as well.

Finally, that big display front and center will weigh in at 10.1″ and feature (as mentioned) 1080p playback and take up 6.3 x 9.8 x 0.6 inches of real state. Of course, connectivity for a tablet is essential. At least on paper anyway, Notion Ink’s tablet looks impressive with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100). Overall not a bad showing. But we’ll have to wait a few more weeks until CES to *hopefully* hear more.

Slashgear

2-year old falls in pool. Mom calls 911, sends a tweet. Followers rake her over the coals.

Would you consider yourself sympathetic and caring or would you label yourself a tad differently? Differently as in cynical and less compassionate? Think about that as you read this.

A story running in Florida Today about a socially apt mother and the tragedy that has befallen her. Sometime between @military_mom‘s tweet at 5:22pm and 5:38pm, her 2-year old son fell into the pool. Authorities identified her phone call to 911 at 5:38pm. At 6:11pm the woman — Shellie Ross — updated her Twitter page stating:

‘Please pray like never before, my 2 yr old fell in the pool.”

Shortly thereafter, a follow up tweet confirmed what many likely feared — her son had died.

It’s sad in indeed. Though even sadder are the responses she has been receiving. Many of her followers tweeted back that it was the mothers fault the child was dead as well as calling her out for being so socially addicted. I find such things extremely short sighted. Shellie claims it “was only two seconds” that she turned her back. People will always criticize and judge when they’re not the ones in the extreme circumstances and tough positions. Furthermore, several followers even called out her usage of social networking at all, criticizing her even tweeting during the ordeal.

Personally, if she called 911 what more can she do? A lot of people don’t know CPR or other live saving techniques that are critical in those first few seconds and minutes following a drowning and whatnot. It’s times like these where people need to chill out and stop rushing to conclusions. A child died in unfortunate circumstances. Stop jumping down the mother’s throat.

Cnet

Internet/Web apps to take over the mobile sphere in the long run…

Smartphones and app stores are the current crack for geeks alike. Back in 2007 however, Apple tried to set a very different precedent by abandoning the traditional native app model and focusing on web apps. That attempt ultimately failed as end users wanted the features native apps provided and weren’t too fond of web apps’ meager functionality. As the mobile web and mobile browser constantly evolve, would a web app/browser combo once again have a chance at unseating native apps?

“Yes” says Mozilla. Speaking on behalf of excitement for their upcoming Fennec (Mobile Firefox) browser, Jay Sullivan, vice president of mobile at Mozilla stated that the improvements to the mobile web in the coming years will completely redefine the lines previously drawn between native and web apps. With Fennec, claims Jay Sullivan, we’ll see improvements in javascript performance that will supposedly be so great that it will reinvigorate the web app scene.

The idea of native apps dying off isn’t really that far fetched and in fact going to happen at some point or another. Just as many other products and services have moved into a digital/online format, so will apps. Just think, instead of spending time and money developing 1, 2, 3, or more different apps for different platforms, now a software developer can create one, maybe two different versions for any number of platforms.

The scalability and possibilities are really endless. Again, it’s just a matter of time before native apps and app stores become a thing of the past. How long do you think it will take?

Slashdot > PC Pro

Verizon and Bing sitting in a tree, No G. o. o. g. l. e….

Wireless carriers form partnerships and deals with various 3rd parties all of the time. For sake of the next 35 seconds of your life, we’re going to focus on the software side of things. If you happen to have a BlackBerry running on Verizon, fire up the ‘ol BB Browser running the latest firmware and take a look in the search box. Chances are you’ll see “Bing” in grayed out incognito colors. RIM going Bing only is one possibility. Though so is a Verizon/Microsoft search deal as well. Whichever the case, having to manually select Google or Yahoo as an alternate search provider each time you were doing a search would be enough of a pain. Too bad there isn’t any option to even switch to a new search engine. Not one. Nadda. Not that anyone uses the BB Browser for any hardcore mobile browsing escapades anyway….

BGR

Those unencrypted drones? Whoops, we meant pretty much the entire US military air fleet.

Not more than 8-10 hours ago we highlighted a developing story concerning the US Military’s use of unencrypted feeds on unmanned drones. Wouldn’t you know it, the situation is a bit hairier and scarier than that. Unfortunately for us, the US has built the satellite technology used in the current crop of unencrypted drones to all corners of the militaries various aircraft. Oh god. And now a quote from Wired after conversation between them and US Military officials:

Since then, nearly every airplane in the American fleet – from F-16 and F/A-18 fighters to A-10 attack planes to Harrier jump jets to B-1B bombers has been outfitted with equipment that lets them transmit to ROVERs. Thousands of ROVER terminals have been distributed to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq…

Hmm, big oversight don’t you think? The fact that our entire fleet of aircraft is now easily circumvented with a satellite dish and some software costing us 1/2 an Xbox 360 game is slightly unsettling. Now I’m curious how they plan on fixing this problem. Will they have to rebuild nearly every aircraft and tool using the flawed technology or is it as simple as a software/protocol change? Let’s hope for the former shall we…

Wired