As you may have noticed, things have been a bit quiet around these parts for the last day or so.
Don’t worry: we’re still here. Well, not here — over there. We’ve moved.
As announced last week, MobileCrunch is now a part of TechCrunch.com, and can be found at TechCrunch.com/Mobile. This domain will soon automatically forward you there, though we’re holding off until more of our content has transitioned over.
Thanks to everyone who has read MobileCrunch at its original home over the past few years — we honestly couldn’t do it without you. See you on the other side!
It’s been a good year or so since Apple and HTC were originally duking it out in the court room over Android patent infringements. The case has gone rather quiet since its original filing, until today when the ITC posted a new complaint filed by Apple against HTC. This time, the Cupertino-based company hopes to block imports of “personal electronic devices” made by HTC.
This little designware project would be amazing if it were real. Essentially it’s a double case for the iPhone that adds a D-pad, buttons, and more hand-room to the standard iPhone. It doesn’t exist (and probably never will) but it’s pretty darn cool-looking could actually work if someone made it.
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We have mixed feelings about dual-screen devices. The dual-screen Kyocera Echo landed rather flatly, despite its unique form-factor, and though we’re excited to see Sony’s folding S2 tablet up close, we’re still hesitant about all those hinges and springs. But Microsoft seems to be flirting with the idea of it, filing a patent that describes a dual-screen device (possibly a smartphone) with one display that can be detached.
Absolutely not, but it’s a nice try. MICGadget found this ridonkulous “dual camera” iPhone featuring two cameras for hot 3D action. Will there ever be a 3D iPhone? Who the heck knows, but I assure you whatever this monstrosity is it’s not the iPhone 5.
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Omar Khan, the Samsung CTO who was responsible for the rise of the GalTab and other Android-powered smartphones, is moving to Citibank to handle that company’s global digital banking initiatives. He will be replaced by Nick Dicarlo and Gavin Kim in “product and service spokesperson responsibilities for Samsung Mobile.”
Clearly this whole hardware thing didn’t work out for him.
If you’re a proud owner of the HTC Droid Incredible 2, get ready: your weekend just got a bit sweeter.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread is on its way by means of an OTA update, and should bring with it all the goodies of Gingerbread, and then some. The file is 116MB, and according to Verizon, the process should take about 20-30 minutes of your time.
Listen up, hackers. This one’s for you.
Motorola’s Droid 3 is finally out and about in all of its tech spec glory, but one thing’s missing: an unlocked bootloader. That’s right, Motorola’s gone and done it again, locking Droid 3 owners in an Android cage, just like Atrix owners, Droid 2 owners, and the list goes on.
A bit over 3 years ago, I applied for an internship at CrunchGear on a whim. I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into.
As luck had it, the powers that be liked my style. I wasn’t even too sure I’d hear back regarding the intern position, so imagine my surprise when they countered with a proper, paying job offer. “MobileCrunch needs a new editor,” they said. “See what you can do with it.”
In those 3 years, MobileCrunch has evolved from a fledgling side project into an integral part of TechCrunch as a whole. Our pageviews have rocketed month after month (we’re pulling in half a day now what we were pulling in a month back then), our readership has grown to the nth degree, and we’ve had a blast at every step along the way.
It’s with excitement, then, that I confirm our next step: Read The Rest
Everybody wants a 4G-capable phone. That’s a given. The only issue is that, like all new technology, they cost a pretty penny, especially from good ol’ Big Red. As in, way more than we’re used to seeing on any smartphone (most high-end handsets cost around $200).
Luckily, Target has stepped in to alleviate some of the cost on at least two 4G LTE-capable phones, offering the LG Revolution and the Samsung Droid Charge online for way below what Verizon’s asking.
Oh, the many woes of being an early adopter in the Beta software world. The software might crash, causing you to lose all your work! It may have gaping security issues, leaving an entry way for malicious misdoers! It may start your stuff on fire! Wait, what?
According to developer Gus Pinto (who sum ups his life in under 140 characters as “Pioneering Mac Desktop Virtualization. iOS, Mac & Android Development”), that last bit is exactly what happened to his iPhone 4 running a Developer Beta build of iOS 5.
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Remember the Motorola Titanium? No? Don’t worry: it’s been over two months since Sprint announced it. That’s, like, a million years in the gadget world.
We’ve finally got some idea when it’s coming, and how much it’ll cost you.
LG has thrown in the towel, as it were, on its original goal to sell 30 million smartphones in 2011.
After having delayed the worldwide launch of it’s beastly Optimus 3D smartphone, and losing its smartphone boss to Apple’s South Korean unit, LG hasn’t exactly been thriving. The new goal for 2011 is 24 million smartphone units sold, and overall handset shipments falling between the 114 to 150 million marks.
Happy weekend, everyone! Yes, I know there’s still an entire unending work day ahead of us, but Gameloft is looking to start the transition into weekend mode sooner rather than later.
Thus, we have Gameloft’s crazy “Three4Free” giveaway, where the publisher will give away one Andriod HD+ title for free during a two-hour window each day of this weekend.
Meego, once a highly anticipated OS intended to go head to head with iOS and Android, now finds itself on just one phone, and although it hasn’t been said outright, it seems unlikely there will be many more — if any at all. Still, those of you rocking MeeGo’s only host, the Nokia N9 are “not to worry.” OS updates and hardware support are still on the table.
