The number of Apps available for Googles Android is expected to reach 140,000 within the next couple of weeks as the market place becomes increasingly competitive. While still lagging behind the number of apps available for the unlocked iPhone4 by an estimated hundred thousand Android is increasingly becoming a respectable alternative for those attracted by the variety of third-party software available for the iPhone.

However when comparing the two markets the quality of Android apps are often brought into question. This is because unlike Apple, who review and check every App that they allow to be sold or downloaded, Android apps are subject to very little quality control. This means that many apps are malicious or in some cases just useless.

An example of malicious software is the recent news in the headlines that many third-party apps were transmitting users GPS location and phone number to advertising servers which many people have seen as a severe breach of privacy.

However this isn't always the case. One successful and safe Android app is the Geolocation based Foursquare which has just released version 2.0 to Unlocked Motorola Milestone Android users. Foursquare utilises the GPS function on phones to allow users to 'check in' to physical locations so they can show friends where they have been.

As this shows, the Android app market still has a lot to offer but users may have to be more aware and perhaps tech savy if they are to avoid installing malicious content. It is worth noting however that Google dismiss this criticism citing that “Not only must each Android app get users' permission to access sensitive information, but developers must also go through billing background checks to confirm their real identities, and we will disable any apps that are found to be malicious.”

It has just been announced that over the last several years Verizon have been billing millions of customers for data usage in unfair circumstances. It appears that these were customers without data plans whose phones contained software that occasionally connected to the internet without the users consent. Often this was caused by customers accidentally hitting the 'internet button' on a cell phone and then immediately closing the window.

Without a data plan in place, this resulted in minor charges for the customers involved eventually building up over time to several dollars per customer. Verizon have announced that most customers affected by this will be receiving $2-$6 credited to their accounts or else if they are no longer with Verizon they will be sent checks in the mail.

Whilst for individual users the amount refunded isn't all that significant, given that Verizon have said this could affect up to 15million customers it appears that this will end up costing them quite a large sum of money once this is over.

In a press release explaining this situation Verizon said that: “Verizon Wireless values our customer relationships and we always want to do the right thing for our customers.”

However according to the New York Times, Verizon have known about this issue for quite some time and it would appear they are only issuing the refunds after hundreds of complaints and significant pressure being applied from the FCC. To quote the FCC Enforcement Chief Michele Ellison, “ questions remain as to why it took Verizon two years to reimburse its customers and why greater disclosure and other corrective actions did not come much, much sooner”

In light of this condemnation, for some cell phone users  the unexpected dollars credited to their account might be a pleasant surprise, for others however this will only add to Verizon's poor reputation when it comes to looking after their customers.

The CEO of News Corp. Mr. Rupert Murdoch stated that he would like to introduce the digital content of newspaper to the Apple iPhone, Android, and the Apple iPad in a different and attractive way. The launching date has not been declared yet. But it’s been told that the Managing Editor of The New York Post will be in charge of this new strategy.

Murdoch is hopeful that the adolescents will love this new idea of presenting the news and it will be a huge success for them.

This new application, which will have the free access, will be far better than the present iPad application of Wall Street journal. Though some of the newspaper companies found it troublesome, but it’s true that this is the best possible way to convince those people who are apparently new.

There are some other news companies like USA Today and the New York Times who have the same Unlocked iPhone4 and iPad applications and now News Corp. joins the queue. But it is to be noted that this apps apparently cause no good to these companies.

So these newspaper companies are now looking for some brighter applications as the journal, New York Times, already came with a new application through which publishers are enabled to open an application without putting their money. The NY times will profit from the license fees which they will get from it.

But it is not going to be that easy for the News Corp. as the existing specimens are not exactly what is required to support its bigger overhead. So the News Corp. needs to find out a solution and let’s watch how they find it!

SMS2130 is the new product launched in the upcoming Latin American cell phone TV market by Siano Mobile Silicon, the much talked about cell phone TV receiver chip maker. The chip supports the ISDB-T technology, this technology is also known as ISDB-T “1-Seg.”

The chip suits the exact needs of the of the market of that region as it introduces new optimization levels in cost and performance

Though the SMS2130 will initially launch in Brazil, but soon it will be available in the other Latin American countries including Chile and Argentina.

Until now nearly 40 cities in Brazil enjoy mobile TV, which covers a population of 70 million or more. Currently the services are available free of cost. There are plans of introducing more advance interactive services from 2011.

Availability wise… a few customers are already enabled to get sample chips and Siano stated that they are already engaged in developing electronic products with some of their customers. They are making electronic products including cell phones using the new chip, SMS2130.

It is worth mentioning that SMS2130 is the first of its kind in a totally new product family for the Latin American market. Though Latin America is an unpredictable place with an even more unpredictable market, if Siano can sell their product well it should result in them making a huge profit. Siano-based products have been selling in high volumes in Brazil for a few months now under the leading cell phone operators such as Vivo, Claro and TIM so it can be presumed that their new brand will also prosper. But we have to wait to find out how the story unfolds.

To let you know about the latest news regarding the Sprint’s Samsung Unlocked ( Epic 4G), you must be delighted to hear the fact that this brand new model from Samsung is available if you preorder it!

The model, which costs 249USD, will arrive on 31^st August and surely it’s going to rock! If you are keen to have the Samsung Epic 4G in your hand, you must preorder it to be sure of getting it on the very first day it hits the shop.

There are several reasons why you must have a Samsung Epic 4G. It has a magnificent screen which is of 4 inch and you are bound to get hypnotized by this. Though being a part of the Unlocked Galaxy S, Samsung Epic 4G is different from the for some of its extraordinary traits. It is evident from the name that it is accessible with an accelerated speed to the data network of the next-generation. You may have noticed that EVO 4G has this same orientation and it is lightning fast.

The Android device of the Sprint Samsung Epic 4G has the keypad with the QWERTY formation. It helps you to read and write messages with ease.  There’s a camera at the front side of the Epic which, with the help of applications such as Fring, makes video calls just like the Unlocked Apple iPhone 4 does. It also includes a Hummingbird processor of 1GHz along with GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a 5-megapixel camera.

Now the question is, will the Epic be able to fight with the other super phones? We are all impressed by the Apple iPhone 4; the Droid from Motorola has its own fan following, the line up from HTC is surely going to rock. So keep your eyes open to have a look at the Shootout of Super phones, and be aware of the Epic story!

Vlingo, the maker of a popular Voice command application for a number of cell phone platforms, responded to the launch of Google’s Voice Actions application, this was done by offering Vlingo’s Android application free of cost. Vlingo stated in its blog that its Voice command application is better than the Google version in many respect and also offers similar functionality. In order to compete with the application by Google, Vlingo has now started to offer the Android version free of cost so that it is easier for the user to compare the features of the products.

Vlingo states that their product has advantages over the one from Google. Vlingo hints, Google has a constraint because it has to promote its services and other content while being a separate developer, Vlingo can take the best of Google and the other services and mix them up.

Vlingo’s Voice command application does provide some features that that cannot be found in Google’s Voice Actions. These features include Safe Reader, this application reads incoming email messages and texts. Vlingo is available on many platforms like Unlocked Blackberry phone and the iPhone and also on more than one version of Android. Though Google’s voice actions may be attractive for Android, the only Android version in which it is available is 2.2.

So… a few questions appear before us. Will Android users choose Vlingo over voice actions now that Vlingo is available free of cost? How will everybody take Vlingo’s move to offer such a huge discount and make its app free? It does speak a lot when a company actually tries to compete rather than bad mouth its opponent.

San Francisco is the city where most of the people have the Apple’s unlocked iPhone4. But now it is becoming challenging for the aesthetics based cellular antennas mainly because of the new proposal which is placed at the Planning Commission.

S.F. Examiner stated that the newly proposed rules and regulations will ban the utility poles which are new and used only for antennas. According to the rules and regulations, you can install mini antennas but cell phone manufacturers will have to get permission before they fix any equipment on public property.

San Francisco already has many complaints regarding the network coverage of the Apple iPhone and it seems that this proposal won’t help much to improve it! Though AT&T, who sees after the network coverage, did whatever they could to provide a better coverage but the government in San Francisco didn’t give an approval.

We don’t want San Francisco to lose its beauty due to the wild run of the cell phone manufacturers. But there must be a solution to solve the coverage problem without destroying the beauty of the city. It is so easy to make a statement that AT&T is not doing anything which they must do to improve the Apple iPhone coverage. But boy who said they haven’t done anything yet? It would be better to recommend a solution rather than criticizing them with all your energy.

If you do want a better technology for your Apple iPhone4 unlocked handset then do give a call to your local agent and ask him to install new towers and for that you need to get some time out of your busy schedule.

To get rid of the problem, you’ll have to be active. Show your responsibility, stop being lazy, pay heed to the complicated situation where you are in and bring out a solution.

Dr. Ataken Peker, the founder of Liquidmetal Technologies said that in the making and design of Apple’s new wireless antennas Liquidmetal’s shapeless metal alloys might be used. Dr. Ataken Peker pointed out at an interview which was held by Cult of Mac, that the properties which Liquidmetal hold, makes it a very useful material for an antenna. This can be a reason behind Apple’s signing of a broad licensing agreement with the company.

Commonly illustrated as metallic glass, the different alloys that go into the making Liquidmetal provides great strength at minimum weights, utmost durability or wear resistance, and the softening temperature being low, it is easier to mould it into designs and shapes that are complex in nature. Liquidmetal is already being used in various consumer products such as sports equipments especially skis, golf clubs etc. jewellery, and also in electronic equipments where it appears in USB thumb drive casings, MP3 players, and cell phones. The wireless modem, Verizon USB727, which is famous for its excellent reception capability uses Liquidmetal technology in its antenna. Moreover, Apple also uses the same technology in the newly launched Magic Trackpad.

Apple may not be eyeing for Liquidmetal to be solely used in the making of the simple antenna, it may as well be used in the seamless, complex casings of products such as iPod, unlocked  iPhone4 and the iPad. Moreover this technology can also be used to make novel casings that receive radio signals. The Bezel Antenna that is used in iPhone 4 can be replaced by an outer casing that receives signals thus making the whole casing itself an antenna. Liquidmetal has properties that allow it to be bended without fatigue or erosion of any sort so it can also be used to make one piece foldable devices too.

The question that features the most on almost everyone’s lips is incredibly a simple “Where Are You?” Despite the fact that in many cases the answer to that would be a simple one, there are several situations where you may not know how to describe a perfectly new location to your friend. Many a times, sending detailed information about where you are to a bunch of people who ask you that question around the same time can be irritating even. It has been ages and we’ve hardly paid any heed to this irritating exercise of dissipating your whereabouts up until recently where the geo-positioning cellphone application, echoecho was conceived. This wonderful application automatically lets people know where you are using the in-built geo positioning feature in your cell  phone.

This wonderful application has had several updates since its release in the mobile software market. The app has now released version 1.7 recently and one new feature has caught the eye tremendously. The release features an auto reply option in itself. This feature works on the simple idea that when people request for the location of a person using this application, a request will be sent to the corresponding entity’s mobile phone. The application will now check the settings that the consumer has put into the application and instead of asking for permission will send details of the person’s location using the information that the user must pre-set about which of their address book contacts should be allowed to draw information from their phone about their location.

This feature is switched OFF by default. However, it is an immensely useful app and can be very advantageous for users. The only problem is the lack of publicity for this software. If this issue about spreading the word on this application is resolved, this wonderfully conceived application has the potential to set the phone apps market abuzz. Until then we look forward to enjoy more releases with more impressive features from echoecho.

Fotopedia Heritage, the new app for iPad and iPhone users, now offers access to over a few thousand works by photographers who are a part of the Fotopedia community bringing together more than 20.000 photos locating close to 3.000 places of interest throughout World Heritage locations. Fotopedia is now officially a collaborative encyclopedia of photographs from all over the world. Fotopedia Heritage was developed by a team headed by Jean-Marie Hullot, who is the former CTO of American computer company NeXT and has been a part of Apple's application release division.

According to Fotopedia, as this incredible app was coded, the entire Fotopedia community placed and screened the photos carefully in order to ensure a high level of relevance and immaculate quality. Fotopedia CEO Jean-Marie Hullot also says that their much awaited application has now reinvent the whole coffee table photo-book experience as the app merges the whole concept of a limitless number of photos with equally vast and needless to say, relevant information.

Fotopedia Heritage allows iOS platform device owners to navigate through content easily, with the help of tags, and at the same time learn about every place they search for by going through rich descriptions provided by UNESCO and complemented by Wikipedia.

Initial test on the unlocked iPhone4 confirm this app is bug free despite the small glitch that displays information on this app on a small part of the iPhone screen. However this app was intended to be more appropriately for the iPad in the first place. Users also have the added benefit of a proper and interactive map service on this very map. TripAdvisor has provided travel information for all the World Heritage Location anyone may find interest in, for a trip.

The only issue with this app is that it requires either iOS 3.1.3 or a later version to function fully. Otherwise it is compatible with all iOS devices.