Browser battle: WinPhone 7 (early build), Android 2.2, and iOS 4.0.1

I have to admit, as Windows Phone 7 launch draws nearer, I find myself getting more and more excited. Part of it is the love I have for new, shiny gadgets. The other part is eager to see how well Microsoft managed to make Windows Phone 7. So far, we’ve seen plenty of promising features and hands on accounts. But the little things that we encounter day in and day out also play a big part in the success and/or failure of a platform. So today, we’re looking at the browser, Mobile IE, in Windows Phone 7.

Mind you, this is an pre-release build on hardware that probably won’t ever see the light of day. With that said, any negative performance issues cropping up now *should* hopefully be taken care of by the time launch day hits. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, hop inside to see Android, iOS, and WP7 square off in a mobile browser speed test…

Best band camp ever: The Flamethrowing Trombone.

If you happen to know Jonathon Crawford, cherish those moments when you are with him. He’s a freaking genius. When life hands you bananas, make a flamethrowing trombone out of them. In all reality, it’s nothing too fancy — a few odds and ends including a typical trombone, propane tank, barbeque ignition system, and temperature sensor. When assembled together, however, the Flame throwing trombone of hell is born. I promise you, whichever school incorporates this into half time shows will be the school in the news. Hands down. Can you top it? Hop inside for the video showing the paint melting, fire alarming flame throwing trombone…

Nokia n9 specs leaked! 1GHz Snapdragon, 64GB internal storage, and 4″ OLED

How about some hard specs to back up those Nokia n9 images we saw last week? The Nokia N9 certainly tickles my fancy — sliding qwerty and all — but it’s the whole package that really makes or breaks a phone these days. With that said…

The Specs

• 1GHz Snapdragon processor

• 512MB Memory

• 1GB of system storage

• 64GB of internal storage

• 4″ OLED display

• 720p video recording

• WiFi b/g/n | GPS | Bluetooth 2.1+

• Powered by MeeGo

Whataya think? Yay or nay? I’m certainly intrigued by the MeeGo, 64GB of internal storage, and snappy 1GHz processor. Could Nokia be on the brink of recovery?

MusicSkins give away!

Hey you. Yeah, you with the iPhone 4! Apple knows how to make a stylish product. I’ll give them that. But sometimes you want that extra flare that sets you apart from others. Skins do just that. If you get a quality skin, they’re easy to apply, protect your device from lesser scratches, and don’t leave any residue when removed. WIth that said, MusicSkins was kind enough to give me a Jersey Shore iPhone 4 skin to give to you, my dear gadget-crazed readers. They’re a pretty cool outfit as I got a chance to talk to a few of them at CES 2010.

So if you’ve got an iPhone 4 and can’t get enough of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore, you know what to do — drop a line below.

Update: No it’s not… UMALite sort of kinda brings UMA to Android.

Check out the Moto Charm’s new T-Mobile flyer and skim through the short list of mentionable features. All are pretty standard affair these days except one — UMALite. If you recall, UMA was a pretty big deal a couple years back when it debuted. For those who don’t know, UMA gave T-Mobile users the ability to perform cellular functions — Sending/receiving texts and calls — over WiFi networks as well as seamless hand-offs back and forth across the wireless technologies. It was awesome. And then Android came to be without UMA support. Ever sense then, it hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention. Thus far, for whatever reason(s), UMA has not been updated to work on Android — that is, until now.

UMALite is one the Moto Charm. It shouldn’t be too surprising though, as it’s been rumored to be making an Android debut for some time now. Is this that magical handset that brings it all together? Kind of. UMALite isn’t detailed specifically on the flyer. I’ve sent out an email to T-Mobile for clarification. But, if I had to throw in my two cents, I’d say it’s a stripped down UMA (hence the lite) that only supports VoIP-like qualities. This time around, don’t expect to see text messages sent over UMA-based technology.

If that’s how it turns out to be, it’ll certainly be a bummer. If they’ve managed to get voice traffic to work over UMA, what’s stopping SMS/MMS? Still, something is better than nothing. And I know that there’s been plenty of times (regardless of carrier) where I’ve been out of network coverage and had access to a WiFi signal. It’s times like those where UMA shines. Stay tuned…

Update

T-Mo dropped me a line a little bit ago to let me know that “UMA is not a feature of the Motorola Charm. Either UMALite is something completely different or CS and marketing don’t talk. I’m going to side with the latter and chalk this discrepancy up to poor communication. Still, that doesn’t answer the question of exactly what UMALite is.

Update 2

Looks like UMA won’t make it afterall. The Charm is now live on T-Mo’s site void of any UMA verbiage. Maybe next time…

Stupid: Philly requiring $300 “business license” to set up shop.

One of the great things about a free market system is that you are free to make money in whatever way you want. Granted, some business models and occupations aren’t entirely legal. Nevertheless, putting dollars in our bank accounts is largely unhindered by government means — that is, if you don’t live in Philly.

Bloggers big and small have a new $300 Business License staring them in the face. The issue is highlighted by one Marilyn Bess and her Green Living blog. The city of Philadelphia has labeled Marilyn’s blog, MS Philly Organic, a money maker, and have deemed her $50 profit over the last two years as reason enough for the $300 license. Obviously, Marilyn’s blog is not a business. Marylin herself doesn’t accept it to be either. But that doesn’t matter. Regardless of how small the profit, the city wants in.

The city of Philadelphia is acting out in a ridiculous manner. Basically, it’s nothing more than that infectious feeling of entitlement seeping into every pore of cash strapped governments. But the real kicker is that governments big and small will screw over the little guy all day and long into the night with tax after tax, yet the office holding officials continue issuing themselves pay raises year after year. Broken? Yup. Stupid? You bet. Yet another example of the clear lack of common sense within government.

Match made in heaven: iPad-powered Keg.

I’ve seen some clever iPad-powered contraptions in the short time span the Apple tablet has been alive, but nothing is as beautiful as this match made in heaven: an iPad-powered Keg.

Created by Jeff Micklos, the iPad and it’s accompanying “KegMate” iPad app allow you to tap into the details of every pour, temperature, info about the beer on tap, and even who had what and and what time thanks to an array of various sensors and arduino contorller. Talk about all around awesomeness. Hop inside for a video showing off the iPad-powered, beer flavored good time…