BlockBuster app shows no love for rooted Android
phones

post from Ubergizmo on 25 May 2011 11:54:53 PM. © Ubergizmo

Rooted Android users seem to be receiving the short end of the stick a lot recently. On Sunday we reported that users with rooted Android phones won’t be able to rent movies from the Android Market. Now it looks like another app has decided to follow in the Android Market’s footsteps: Blockbuster. The new Blockbuster app that was released this week, gives rooted Android users a warning when they run the app:

Widevine Error
TamperDetected: Device detected as rooted.
This device will not be able to download or playback Widevine encrypted content.

In case you didn’t know, rooting is the process of liberating an Android device to grant its users Superuser permission that allows them to access and modify files they normally wouldn’t be able to. It is one of the main benefits of the Android platform ? customizability to your heart’s content.

What’s even more surprising is that Widevine is owned by Google. Now who would’ve thought? First on its own market, and now on the Blockbuster app. Is Google really trying to crack down on rooted users? Whatever happened to Android being open for users to muck around with?

BlockBuster app shows no love for rooted Android phones, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : HTC Thunderbolt Review, iPad 2 Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/blockbuster-app-rooted-android/

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Refund Timer lets you know when its time to
refund your Android apps

post from Ubergizmo on 25 May 2011 11:42:37 PM. © Ubergizmo

Refund Timer One of the major changes made to the Android Market this year has been the refund-window. Previously when users got to try apps from the Android Market, they got a 24 hour period to test it out. If they didn’t like it, they could uninstall the app for a full refund. But that window has been shortened to just 15 minutes much to the chagrin of most people. After all, was 15 minutes enough for you to make sure an app runs on your phone without a hitch, and it actually gives you all the features you want? 15 minutes can go by pretty quickly if you’re spending it trying to figure out how come an app isn’t working properly on your phone.

Refund Timer lets you know when it’s time to refund your Android apps, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Atrix Review, HTC Thunderbolt Review,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/refund-timer/

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BlackBerry Torch 2 spotted in the wild

post from Ubergizmo on 25 May 2011 11:33:16 PM. © Ubergizmo

BlackBerry Torch 2

The folks at Techno Buffalo seem to be getting quite a lot of reliable leaks lately. First it was the upcoming Droid X2, and now they’ve gotten their hands on another sequel ? this time it’s of the BlackBerry variety. Some images of the BlackBerry Torch 2 have shown up and they’ve been kind enough to share it with the world. Although the pictures aren’t exactly top quality, they’re good enough to see what the phone will look like. The metallic battery cover is a nice touch, which helps the BlackBerry device stand out from the pack.

BlackBerry Torch 2 spotted in the wild, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Droid Incredible 2 Review, Nintendo 3DS Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/blackberry-torch-2-spotted-in-the-wild/

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T-Mobile G2X: shortage due to lack of stock

post from Ubergizmo on 25 May 2011 11:24:55 PM. © Ubergizmo

LG G2x

Earlier this week there have been reports about the T-Mobile G2X being out of stock in a lot of locations, and people have attributed the shortage to T-Mobile pulling the phone off shelves due to defects and problems. Unsatisfied with the rumors, the folks at BGR decided to reach out to T-Mobile for a comment on the whole issue, and now the air has been cleared.

According to the carrier, they haven’t been removing the phone from the shelves of retail outlets. In fact it is quite the contrary; here is what they had to say:

The T-Mobile G2x with Google has been a highly popular device with both customers and employees since its launch last month, and high demand has resulted in inventory constraints, which we are working with LG to address.

It looks like the phone has been more popular than people thought it would be. So the onus is now on LG to restock outlets with the G2X. I guess if you’ve been pining to get one for yourself, you might have to wait for a while if you can’t find any G2X phones for sale in your vicinity.

T-Mobile G2X: shortage due to lack of stock, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Nintendo 3DS Review, Galaxy Tab 8.9 Preview,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/t-mobile-g2x-shortage/

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Gingerbread arriving on Droid X this Friday

post from Ubergizmo on 25 May 2011 11:13:33 PM. © Ubergizmo

Gingerbread

Earlier today we wrote about the Droid X receiving the Gingerbread update real soon, well it turns out that the real soon is just a couple of days away. According to an official Verizon announcement, the Droid X Gingerbread update will be released on May 27 ? the same day as the Droid X2 (which unfortunately launches with Android 2.2 Froyo).

Here’s what Albert Aydin of Verizon had to say:

Verizon Wireless will begin pushing Android 2.3, Gingerbread, to the DROID X by Motorola on Friday. Enhancements include a download manager app, a refreshed user interface, app grouping and more. Customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/droidxsupport for more information about the update.

Gingerbread arriving on Droid X this Friday, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Review, Dell Streak 7 Review,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/gingerbread-droid-x-friday/

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Sprint and Motorola invites the media to a
special luncheon event

post from Ubergizmo on 25 May 2011 10:29:52 PM. © Ubergizmo

Sprint Motorola event

Sprint and Motorola have started to send out invitations to a special event hosted by Dan Hesse (CEO of Sprint) and Sanjay Jha (Chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility) in two weeks time, on Thursday 9^th. There’s no hint of what to expect on the invitation, but speculation points to new Sprint-Motorola devices like the recently rumored Atrix 4G that was said to appear on Sprint or it could be another 4G Motorola phone we haven’t heard of before. Other possible devices could be the Motorola Titanium and Motorola XPRT but since they’ve already been revealed it’s not much of a big deal.

Do you have any idea what Motorola/Sprint will be announcing at this luncheon event? It’s only two weeks away, so hold your horses. We can expect to find out more before them soon enough.

Sprint and Motorola invites the media to a special luncheon event, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Motorola Xoom Review, HTC Thunderbolt Review,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/sprint-motorola-special-luncheon-event/

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Pioneer AppRadio: In-Dash iPhone Apps

post from Ubergizmo on 25 May 2011 09:53:51 PM. © Ubergizmo

Pioneer-AppRadio Earlier today Pioneer has showed us the Pioneer AppRadio, an in-dash device that integrates the iPhone 4 to your car in a way that no other solution does. AppRadio is basically a multi-touch display that is designed to be mounted and completely integrated to your car. You can view it as a peripheral for the iPhone 4, where the apps are displayed. In order to run on the AppRadio, iPhone apps have to be modified to be rendered on a secondary screen. This is usually a simple step that many developers could probably do in a couple of days. The iPhone 4 connects to AppRadio via a standard Apple 30-pin connector.

Pioneer AppRadio: In-Dash iPhone Apps, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Galaxy Tab 10.1 Review, Droid Incredible 2 Review,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/pioneer-appradio/

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Windows to release a web-based Marketplace with
Mango update

Windows Marketplace

Just like Google did with the Honeycomb update a few months ago, Microsoft will be launching the web-based version of the Windows Marketplace when it releases its Windows Phone 7 Mango update later this year. This will let you browse and buy apps straight from your browser without having to launch the Zune desktop client. The apps will be delivered to your phone via SMS or email ? a minor inconvenience compared to hooking up your phone and syncing it with Zune.

The web-based app store will be a feature that will be a great blessing for people running Linux or Mac operating systems and Windows users who don’t want to use the Zune desktop software. Windows Marketplace will also keep track of your app download history, just in case you lose your phone or format your device, you can easily reinstall all the apps you lost. And as expected, you can’t be sure there will be plenty of Bing integration.

Windows to release a web-based Marketplace with Mango update, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Blackberry Playbook Review, Droid Incredible 2 Review,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/windows-web-based-marketplace-mango/

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Verizon announces LG Revolution for tomorrow

LG’s debut Android handset for Verizon’s 4G LTE network is finally making its way into our hands. Starting tomorrow, users will be able to enjoy Verizon’s LTE network on a phone other than a HTC or Samsung device. The LG Revolution has been talked about for awhile, and has the attention of the crowd mainly due to it being the first Android handset to launch with Netflix. (But because there are now so many ways to get around the Netflix app protection it doesn’t matter as much).

The specs of the LG Revolution are: a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, a 4.3″ 480 x 800 display, Android 2.2 (no word of Gingerbread but then you can expect the XDA folks to cook up something), 5megapixel rear camera with flash, 1.3megapixel front facing camera, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and of course Verizon LTE connectivity. It will come preloaded with Bing in addition to Netflix, and it will also ship with a 16GB microSD card installed. A built-in HDMI output will also let you playback all your videos and let you enjoy your favorite Android games on your HDTV.

The LG Revolution will be available from Verizon retail outlets and its online store tomorrow, for $249.99 with a 2-year contract. Let’s see how this phone’s battery life holds out compared to the previous two Verizon LTE phones. Anyone picking up this Android phone tomorrow?

Verizon announces LG Revolution for tomorrow, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Review, Atrix Review,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/verizon-announces-lg-revolution-for-tomorrow/

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Leica V-LUX 30: Cute, High-End Compact

Leica V-Lux-30 Leica has made a name for itself in the “photography enthusiast” circles, but many users still think of it as being “for pros” (or simply “too expensive”). The Leica V-Lux 30 has been designed to change this perception, at least a little. Instead of having an array of physical controls, it features a touch-screen that should be less intimidating to the novice. And although it does have a fair number of manual controls, the V-Lux 30 automatic mode should be able to handle most situations.