Personal communications

Apple serves notice: Don't rip off the iPhone

Like most people who paid attention to Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, Apple noticed the Palm Pre.

In response to a question from a financial analyst about Palm's new smartphone and its multitouch interface, Apple COO Tim Cook, without addressing the Pre directly, made sure that everyone on Apple's quarterly earnings call Wednesday knew how Apple feels about intellectual property.

"We will not stand for having our IP ripped off," Cook declared, perhaps firing a shot across the bow of Palm and executive chairman Jon Rubinstein, a former Apple employee. To be clear, Cook did … Read more

IBM to buy Chinese e-mail company assets

Correction, January 21, 9:14 a.m. PDT: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the scope of IBM's acquisition. IBM is acquiring only certain assets of Outblaze.

Computing giant IBM has announced its intention to acquire assets from a Chinese e-mail and messaging company.

Hong Kong-based firm Outblaze sells hosted multilingual e-mail and messaging services for other service providers, telecommunications companies, and corporations to operate under their own brands.

Outblaze intellectual assets, including code and staff, will become part of IBM Lotus' Bluehouse project, IBM's online-business and social-networking and collaboration service, IBM announced on Thursday. Bluehouse … Read more

iGoogle optimization discontinued for iPhone

Without warning, Google has quietly removed the iGoogle Web site formatted for the iPhone. The iPhone-formatted version of iGoogle now redirects users to the generic Google Web site formatted for mobile devices.

The version of the page that was unique to the iPhone, optimized for the Mobile Safari browser, and offered sections that were expandable or collapsible, used to display custom gadgets.

Despite the iGoogle move, the search giant appears to still be developing its Google applications for Apple's smartphone, including enhancements for voice searches, Google Earth exploration, and Google Maps directions and Street View.

You can see a … Read more

Android phone Agora delayed indefinitely

Australia's first smartphone to run on Google's Android, the Kogan Agora Pro, has been delayed indefinitely, with its distributor citing its low-resolution display as the reason for not shipping the handset in its current form.

"It now seems certain (that) the current Agora specifications will limit its compatibility or interoperability in the near future," Kogan founder Ruslan Kogan said in a statement.

"Since the design of the Agora, the Android community has been growing quickly," Kogan said. "I now believe that in order to access all (that) the Android platform has to offer, … Read more

Refreshed: Windows Live Search for Mobile

On Tuesday, Microsoft released version 4.0 of Windows Live Search Mobile, its downloadable search and map app for Windows Mobile 5 and 6, which the company demoed last week at CES.

With this release, Microsoft is finally starting to catch up to other free clients doing mobile voice and text search on other platforms--Google Mobile App, Yahoo Go, and Vlingo among them.

Taking a page from Google's book, perhaps, the new Locate Me feature in Windows Live Search Mobile can work on non-GPS phones to zero in on your approximate location. If that fails, you can easily … Read more

Report: Telstra eyes new HTC Android phone

HTC, the company that made the G1 phone for T-Mobile, reportedly is working on a new Android-based touch-screen phone for Australian carrier Telstra.

The gadget-focused Smarthouse writes Monday it heard that word from a senior Telstra executive at the just-ended Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas:

The new touch phone has been developed using a combination of the Google Android operating system and Linux based software written by HTC. The screen is believed to be bigger than current offerings from HTC.

Meanwhile, our colleagues at ZDNet Australia report that Telstra--and other Australian phone companies--aren't showing much interest in what'… Read more

Palm's WebOS app strategy needs more details

Palm's new WebOS passed its first test: it looks good. But will the device attract legions of developers?

Just hours after Palm showed off its new operating system running on the Palm Pre, details are still rolling in about the unit and its software. One important factor that will have to be addressed is application development and distribution. Palm has confirmed plans to administer some sort of central store for application downloads. But there still is scarce information about how that will actually work.

Palm's Stephane Maes said that Palm will not attempt to approve every single application … Read more

3DVU announces Way2Go 3D mobile mapping

For the hopelessly turned around, 3DVU announced Way2Go at CES this week, a mobile app and online mapping service that will let you put personalized 3D routes on your mobile phone.

Subscribers to the new Way2Go service will be able to create up to 30 3D aerial picture routes online, which they'll then be able to access from their cell phones through a downloadable viewer. GPS tracking and verbal and written directions will also be there to keep you on course.

In addition to using routes to get from point A to point B, the service lets you forward … Read more

Answers to burning Palm Pre questions

Updated 6:20 p.m. PT, to note that the Pre does have the technical ability to act as a modem for a laptop.

LAS VEGAS--As the device with the most mystery attached to it, there were plenty of questions left after Palm introduced its Pre on Thursday. I had a chance to sit down with Palm vice president Stephane Maes to get some (but not all) of the answers to my burning questions.

Palm isn't answering the big question--how much will it cost--but Maes did say "we obviously know what all the prices are of the products … Read more