BlackBerry 9100 Pearl dropping on Fido May 4th?

With all the full-QWERTY love RIM has been dishing out the last few quarters, Suretype users may feel like they’re getting ignored and getting left out in the cold to whither and die. Nothing could be further from the truth though as images of a revamped Pearl of sorts currently plotting along with the 9100 moniker have been spotted several times. So far, any real useful info such as price or release date have been MIA. But a new screenshot of a Fido inventory system has good news coming on relatively swift wings. If all goes according to plan, Fido customers could see a revamped Pearl/9100 drop on May 4th.

Those of you still managing to hobble along on 81xx hardware have reinforcements/relief coming soon. If you’re made it this far, another 5-6 weeks isn’t going to kill you. Excited?

CrackBerry > MobileSyrup

OS X 10.6.3 released. Start yer downloads!

And just like that folks…

We’ve seen 10.6.3 updates getting pushed to devs what seems like for months now with no official release. Whatever the holdup was appears to be fixed now as 10.6.3 is finally readily available for the masses to consume. The updates are fairly robust and include a shmorgusboard of bug fixes and performance enhancements. If you’re the type that lives and dies by the version number, it’s in your best interest to get a leg up on it pretty quick. Get the download and report back to us how it goes for you — good or bad.

• Full list of 10.6.3 updates

9to5Mac

Google to put the stop sticks on Android fragmentation, to begin releasing system apps and components via Android Market.

Engadget got a nice little tip whilst visiting the CITA events this past week. For Android users, dealing with fragmentation across different carriers and manufacturers can be infuriating. It’s a legitimate concern really. ‘Till this day, you can still find Android 1.5 or 1.6 being rolled out on “new” phones. It’s a slap in the consumers’ face though, and quite honestly, disgusting that carriers and manufacturers alike can’t get their ducks in a row. But Google apparently has a fix.

In the upcoming versions of Android — “Froyo” and “Gingerbread” — Google will be slowing down on the go-go-go release schedule they’ve been following and instead focus more heavily on apps and features. This means things like the Gmail app or even the newer multi-touch browser will now be unshackled from big ROM updates and instead be made available through the Android Market. Obviously, this is of huge benefit to end users. Gone are the countless days (and for DROID users on Verizon — weeks) of waiting for OTA updates. Now end users can pick and choose what “core” services and components to install.

This will effectively make “obsolete” Android OS’s a thing of the past. Fragmentation, see ya later. I can only hope that this rumor that was slipped “off the record” does in fact pan out as downloading core Android OS features a-la-carte and on demand is pretty awesome to think about.

Any Android users feeling a bit more relieved on the state of Android fragmentation in the world today? Now let’s just hope Google get’s this little gem in motion, like pronto!

Engadget

[Image Source]

USB 3.0 external drive enclosure by Century turns any 2.5″ hard drive/SSD into a “Super Speed” drive on the cheap.

I’m not exactly a “pack rat” per say. But if you stopped by my house and took a peek inside my desk drawers, you’d final all kinds of miscellaneous computer parts, cords, and adapters. I’ve amassed quite the collection. Naturally, upgrading a computer here and there will result in a few extra hard drives. In the case of upgrading laptop hard drives more than is usual, I have a couple collecting dust. Why not put them to good use?

Normally when I want something off of a hard drive that’s not hooked up, I just swap drives in and out of my external enclosure as needed. But the new USB 3.0 compatible 2.5″ external hard drive enclosure by Century has me thinking it’s about time to pick up another enclosure. Instantly taking any 2.5″ drive you may have and turning it into a USB 3.0 “Super Speed” drive sure is tempting. Not to mention, the case itself is only $48 USD, so it’s relatively cheap too. Kind of like a “freebie” if you’re having trouble justifying dropping nearly 50 bones on the enclosure.

The enclosure isn’t shipping until April 12th, but online outlets will gladly take your money now. And just in case you were concerned, USB 2.0 is supported as a safe fall back option. Readying the wallet?

[Product Page: GeekStuff4U]

Technabob >

The dev community fixing what AT&T destroyed: Moto Backflip rooted!

Leave it to AT&T to take a decent to awesome device on paper and completely gut the thing, rendering it useless and a piece of garbage. Yes, I’m ranting about the Motorola Backflip once again. But for good reason. The hardware is pretty unique in the design department. And for AT&T users, it’s their first taste of Android and Moto BLUR. They only deserve the best. Instead they got a plastic paperweight that isn’t worth the plastic it’s made out of. But the developer community has come through yet again.

Attention all: The Motorola Backflip has been rooted! Installable 3rd party apps outside of Android Market — check. Fully tweakable UI — check. Removing those god awful crap apps AT&T relentlessly crams down our throats — check, check. Well, almost. This current state of affairs for Moto Backflip rooting is an early one at that. Essentially, it’s not quite ready for mass adoption yet. At this point it’s pretty basic and is more intended as a “foot in the door”. So, devs interested in really making the Backflip useful, Larry Wheeler of “MyJanky” has kindly provided the means to do so.

The only downside so far is that because of the crippled nature of the device from the get-go, the actual “community” following that makes other Android models so alive and well in the dev scene hasn’t quite organized for the Backflip yet. But it’s a start. Hey, the tough part has been accomplished. Now it’s up to the vibrant Android community to put together some sweet actual bootable ROMs.

I’m sure once the news reaches AT&T, they’ll be super excited on the open development. Haha, just kidding.

• Moto Backflip rooting info [MyJanky]

Ubergizmo > AndroidSpinn

Better late than never: Zune HD 64 appears, disappears just as quickly. Google cache prevails yet again. [Update: Pricing and release date info]

Update: Hot of the press — Looks like the Zune HD 64 will retail for $350 and become available April 12th. Current 16GB and 32GB models will also see some lovin’ in the form of a $20 price drop. Interest piqued? (Engadget)

Whether or not you were left with a slightly bitter taste in your mouth back when Microsoft announced the Zune HD 16 and 32GB mp3 players, dropping the ball for audio aficionados in not offering a higher capacity 64GB option, it doesn’t matter anymore. At least it soon won’t matter. A slip up last night left a “64GB” link appearing nicely below the current 16 and 32GB Zune HD choices on the Zune HD webpage. Obviously Microsoft has a nice little bun in the oven, albeit grossly past it’s due date.

The link is now gone, but Google cache has left it’s presence in the modern world alive and well. Hopefully M get’s this thing out the door fairly quick as they’re already months behind schedule in the high capacity flash media player department. Having a 64GB Zune HD might be just the ticket to swaying a few potential iPod buyers in their direction. Does a 64GB Zune HD sound interesting to you? If it’s priced right (read: less than the 64GB iPod Touch’s $399) I’d be more than happy to give one a home. And the waiting game begins…

Daily Tech > Engadget

Windows Phone 7 UI for Windows

If you’re the type that quickly and easily gets tired of the at times boring, and “normal” drab that ships as the Windows 7 UI, Rainmeter has something for you — A Windows Phone 7 complete UI skin for Windows on the desktop. The skin is quite complete with over 30 different panels to interact with, giving the normal desktop Windows a complete overhaul. How well will a mostly finger-based UI handle your standard keyboard and mouse? That I will answer for you after a few days with this skin.

If Windows Phone 7 isn’t quite your cup of tea, the Rainmeter platform has a handful of other quality skins that are just as robust and stunning. For someone such as myself who constantly likes change and to keep things fresh, the level of detail and customization offered by Rainmeter is pretty sweet. Seeing as how Rainmeter isn’t particularly new, does anyone — new or old — have any insight/helpful hints regarding skinning with Rainmeter?

**Update: After a few minutes using Rainmeter, it’s evident that it’s not a “full” theming solution per say (WindowsBlinds), but none the less is still robust. And, if used in addition to a few other theming programs and widgets can offer that full UI overhaul you may be seeking. One negative in particular I’ve noticed is that my CPU is pegged at 50-60% while Rainmeter is running. Not quite sure why, but I’ll continue playing around with it. Share your experiences…

Overclock > Rainmeter