G-Technology kicks out USB 3.0 G-Drives for Macs, keeps your Retina MacBook Pro well-fed

If you've just picked up a MacBook Pro with Retina display or a 2012-era MacBook Air, you may be jonesing for a matching external hard drive to take advantage of that much-awaited USB 3.0 support. G-Technology has you covered -- and how. Updated versions of the laptop-oriented G-Drive Mini, Mobile and Slim (you're looking at the Mobile up top) all roll in the higher peak speeds and progressively trade raw speed as well as 1TB capacities for sleekness, while the twin-drive, 1.5TB G-RAID Mini will tax that 5Gbps bandwidth without becoming too ungainly. Not taking your external storage on the road? The single-disk G-Drive now climbs to 4TB in addition to jumping on the USB 3.0 bandwagon, and the dual-drive G-RAID will serve up as much as 8TB at the newly brisk speeds. All but the G-Drive Slim support FireWire to ease those jitters over transitioning from old to new, although they won't all arrive at the same time. Most of the G-Drive and G-RAID gear will be showing up in August at prices between $110 and $810, but the two Mini-labelled drives could be a bit late to the party with a less defined summer target. You can get the full scoop after the break.

G-TECHNOLOGY™ LAUNCHES NEW USB 3.0 EXTERNAL STORAGE SOLUTIONS

G-Technology Delivers Sleek, High-Quality, High-Performance Mobile and Desktop External Storage Solutions with USB 3.0 Connectivity for the New Apple® MacBook Pro® and MacBook Air®

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 25, 2012– G-Technology today announced a new line of portable and desktop USB 3.0 storage solutions for a broad range ofusers from consumers to audio/video professionals. Given the brand's strength in the content creation and Apple Mac® community, G-Technology is well positioned to move the Mac industry forward in leveraging high-capacity, high-performance USB 3.0 drives across a variety of customer segments, all while delivering one of the industry's most respected external storage platforms with proven quality, reliability and performance.

Today, new kinds of devices and media formats require considerably more interface bandwidth and higher transfer rates to move, store and edit data quickly. Backward compatible with USB 2.0, G-Technology's USB 3.0 drives deliver speeds 10 times faster than USB 2.0 and six times faster than FireWire 800. This means that users can now transfer two full-length movies from a G-Technology USB 3.0 drive to a computer in minutes.

(Come visit G-Technology in New York City at the Gdgt event, June 25 from 7-10 pm ET at The Altman Building; and at CE Week, Hitachi GST Booth #61, June 27-28 at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building.)

G-Technology Mobile Family

G-DRIVE™ slim: Ideal for any laptop user, theG-DRIVE slim is the ultra-slim, ultra-stylish portable solution. Featuring a high-performance USB 3.0 interface and a thin design, the G-DRIVE slim is the Mac user's sleekest answer to superior data storage. Its slender, lightweight aluminium case packs up to 500GB of storage for photos, videos, music and more. The drive is also USB 3.0 bus-powered, eliminating the need to carry an external AC power supply. The 500GB G-DRIVE slim will have a MSRP of $109.99.

G-DRIVE mobile and G-DRIVE mobile USB 3.0: The G-DRIVE mobile features versatile USB 3.0, FireWire 800 and FireWire 400 interfaces, and delivers exceptional throughput performance–making it the perfect storage option for portable use. The G-DRIVE mobile USB 3.0 offers simple USB 3.0 only. Both drives are offered 1TB, 750GB and 500GB capacities, and are USB bus-powered. The 1TB G-DRIVE mobile will have an MSRP of $189.99. The 1TB G-DRIVE mobile USB 3.0 will have an MSRP of $159.99.

G-DRIVE mini: The G-DRIVE® mini is the perfect storage solution forthose who demand the highest performance possible from their mobile storagedevice. Featuring a 2.5-inch 7,200 RPM hard drive, the G-DRIVE mini is the high-performance solution designed specially with the content creator in mind. The all-aluminum enclosure protects valuable data from the bumps and bruises encountered on the road, and the system is USB 3.0 or FireWire bus-powered for easy storage on the go. The drive features high-speed USB 3.0 and FireWire, and has a built-in heat sink to silently dissipate heat. The G-DRIVE mini will be available in 750GB ($169.99 MSRP) and 500GB ($159.99 MSRP).

G-RAID™ mini: The G-RAID mini is the perfect companion for video and still shooters or editors working on location. Out of the box, G-RAID mini is set up in RAID 0 (performance mode), with its two 7,200 RPM drives working together for the performance needed to edit the most popular compressed HD formats. Using the included software utility, the G-RAID mini can be configured in RAID 1 (protected mode), giving users peace of mind that digital video or images are protected while on the road. G-RAID mini can be FireWire bus powered. The G-RAID mini will be available in 1.5TB ($359.99 MSRP) and 1TB ($259.99 MSRP).

G-Technology Desktop Family

G-RAID:Leveraging two 7,200 RPM drives, the G-RAID drive is a blazing-fast, dual-drive RAID 0 storage solution with capacities up to 8TB,with USB 3.0 and FireWire 400/800 interfaces. Ideal for professional content creators, it supports simultaneous playback of multiple layers of HDV, DVCPRO HD, XDCAM HD and ProRes 422 HQ with the leading video editing applications including Final Cut Pro™, Adobe® Premiere® and many more. Its soft-touch On/Off switch and thermo-regulated "smart" fan keeps the G-RAID drive reliable, cool and quiet in the editing suite. The 8TB G-RAID drive will have an MSRP of $809.99.

G-DRIVE: The G-DRIVE is a professional-strength external hard drive in a single-drive desktop solution. With capacities now up to 4TB and multiple interface options (USB 3.0 and FireWire 400/800), the G-DRIVE is the perfect high-performance solution for storage intensive applications including A/V editing, digital photography, music libraries, and high-speed data backup. The G-DRIVE solution features fast 7,200 RPM drives and a fan-less cooling system for a quiet operation. The 4TB G-DRIVE solution will have an MSRP of $359.99.

Availability

The G-Technology G-DRIVE slim and G-DRIVE mobile external drive family will be available in Apple Stores in July. The G-DRIVE and G-RAID solutions will be available in August 2012. The G-DRIVE mini and G-RAID mini solutions will be available in Q3 2012.

"In a digital world, there's one common thread among all of us – storage. It's ubiquitous, and it's growing rapidly as we continue to purchase, create, download and save content daily," said Mike Williams, vice president and general manager, HGST Branded Business. "Perfectly timed and aligned with Apple's new USB 3.0 offerings, our new USB 3.0 drives support our strong following of Mac and creative professionals who require reliable, high-performance, high-capacity storage."

All G-Technology drives are formatted for Mac® OS X systems right out of the box and are Time Machine® ready so backing up important documents, music, digital video and photos isquick and easy. A simple initialization is required to prepare the drives for use with Windows® systems.

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UK 2012 Olympics Super Hi-Vision tickets are available, grab a seat for some Ultra HDTV

By Richard Lawler posted Jun 24th 2012 11:51AM

If you're a UK resident, missed out a ticket to the London 2012 Olympics and find the extensive home and mobile coverage to be lacking in pixels have no fear -- free tickets are available for Super Hi-Vision screenings at three locations. While certain days and times are already fully booked, you can still get one of the first public glimpses of NHK's 8K Ultra HDTV technology at the BBC Radio Theatre, BBC Scotland (Glasgow) and the National Media Musuem in Bradford (other viewing locations are in Japan and Washington D.C.) Before the games get started, the Radio Theater is screening a London Prepares promo from July 23rd to the 28th. During the games (July 28th - August 12th) all will have highlights of the previous day's action from the Aquatic Centre, Olympic Stadium, Velodrome, and Basketball Arena plus clips of the Opening Ceremony. The lone live feed is scheduled for Sunday July 29th, from the Aquatics Centre. Sure, you could be paying a fortune for scalped passes to be in the house when Usain Bolt, Ryan Lochte or Michael Phelps are doing their thing, or you could be enjoying 33MP video and 22.2 channel surround sound in one of the custom setups TechRadar previewed in March. Your choice.

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Virgin Media revamps mobile tariffs with Premiere plan, tells Three UK and T-Mobile to keep up

Virgin Media challenges mobile operators to keep up

Incredible value with unlimited data from just £21
Insurance and backup service included
Combating bill shock with alerts and 'My Account' app

Virgin Media today unveiled an incredible range of mobile tariffs that will set a new standard in unbeatable value which will challenge the rest of the industry to keep up. The star of the show is the hero 'Premiere' tariff which combines all-you-can-eat data, unlimited texts, unlimited calls to UK landlines and 2,500 anytime minutes.

To make the most of the largest 3G network in the UK* as well as the hottest smartphones of the summer, Virgin Media has created some of the most competitive tariffs on the market designed to be simple, affordable and flexible, with amped up benefits for loyal Virgin Media** customers

'Premiere' starts at an incredible £21 per month for Virgin Media** customers as the company looks to help people to stay connected on the go and whilst making the most of the benefits and savings to be had from taking a mobile with their existing Virgin Media services.

The new tariffs include options for every mobile phone user with prices starting from as little as £18 per month for the new 'Starter' tariff, or £13 per month for Virgin Media customers. Not only do Virgin Media customers enjoy reduced costs, saving £5 per month on each tariff, but they also benefit from unlimited calls and texts to other Virgin Mobiles.

Jamie Heywood, director of mobile at Virgin Media said: "When we launched over ten years ago as the worlds first mobile company of its type, we revolutionised the market, and this is another such landmark. As people look for the best value, we're rewarding loyalty with some amazing tariffs with unlimited offerings that our customers can enjoy without worrying about hidden extras, as well as helping to combat bill shock."

In a pioneering move, all the new tariffs will include insurance*** for no extra cost for the length of the contract for new and existing Virgin Media customers. It follows a recent study by Virgin Media that found a staggering proportion of Brits (72 per cent) don't have insurance for their mobiles, despite 70 per cent also admitting to breaking or losing up to seven phones in the last decade – often within the typical 24 month contract period****.

Smartphones can cost as much as £500 and often contain invaluable data such as contacts, texts, emails and photos, so losing one can be a costly and incredibly frustrating experience. The new insurance service (worth £7.99 per month) provides 24 hour guaranteed handset replacement in the UK if it goes missing or is stolen***** and includes Mobile Rescue which will automatically back-up all contacts as well as lock and locate the handset remotely.

Heywood added: "An overwhelming number of consumers don't believe that mobile insurance is necessary and won't consider taking insurance through their mobile provider because it's too expensive. For too long mobile providers have failed to offer insurance that represents value for money. We were astounded to find so many people were prepared to gamble when it came to protecting their handsets, which is why we are now the only provider to offer inclusive insurance as standard for our loyal customers at no extra cost."

The new range of pay monthly tariffs are subject to 24 month****** contracts and in order to help ensure they have the perfect tariff for their needs, Virgin Media will automatically text customers when they are nearing the limits of their allowances (where applicable) to help ensure manageable costs. Virgin Media's smartphones also come preloaded with the 'My Account' app so customers can keep track of how much they've used of their monthly allowance, and if needed, customers have the flexibility to move up or down the tariffs at any point in their contract without penalty.

For customers already with their own data-hungry smartphones Virgin Media is also launching a new range of flexible 'SIM Only' tariffs. The 'SIM Only' tariffs work on a rolling monthly basis with 'Premiere' starting at £20 for cable and national customers who will benefit from unlimited data, text, calls to other Virgin Mobiles and UK landlines.

Virgin Media customers will also be able to take advantage of free WiFi access at up to 120 London Underground stations.

For more information on Virgin Media's products and services, head to www.virginmedia.com

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Refresh Roundup: week of June 18th, 2012

By Zachary Lutz posted Jun 24th 2012 8:58PM

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

HTC Rezound: There's nothing to download quite yet, but HTC released the support documents for its Ice Cream Sandwich update of the Rezound this week. In addition to the new OS, the refresh will bring new versions of the V Cast Media Manager and the Caller Name ID app, and is said to resolve time zone issues with the clock widget. Overall stability is also said to be improved, along with data connectivity and mobile hotspot operations. [Droid Life]Samsung Galaxy S II LTE: Android 4.0 is now available via Samsung Kies for Rogers subscribers in Canada. Naturally, you'll need a PC to complete the installation. [Android Central]ASUS Transformer Pad TF300: Update version 9.4.3.3.30 is now available for this tablet from ASUS, which is said to boost the stability of the Chrome browser and fix a bug that'd occasionally caused WiFi to disconnect. Changes are also in store for the camera app, which will bring more colorful pictures, better white balance and refined continuous auto-focus. [Talk Android]Toshiba Thrive: A bit of disappointing news on this front, as Toshiba has announced that its Android 4.0 update for the 7-inch and 10-inch Thrive tablets has been delayed until the early fall timeframe. [Phandroid]Archos G9: Both the 80 and 101 G9 tablets from Archos are now eligible for software update 4.0.7, which brings improved graphics performance and fixes to WiFi connectivity. Additionally, a bug has been squashed that'd caused no audio within video capture applications. [Android Police]HTC Droid Incredible: Still firmly clutching the OG Incredible for Verizon Wireless? Then fire up the ol' updater, because a new software refresh enables you to record and send visual voice mail to up to 10 recipients while viewing all parties in a list. Tweaks have also been made to Bluetooth Car connectivity -- no word on what's changed -- and the update also resolves an issue that'd prevented purchased ringtones from being saved to the phone. [Droid Life]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

ASUS Transformer Pad TF300: If the latest official update hasn't sufficiently tempted you, then you might be glad to know that official nightly builds of CyanogenMod 9 are now available for this tablet. [Android Police]Samsung Galaxy S III: Are you one of the lucky few currently holding Samsung's flagship phone for AT&T or Sprint? First off, congratulations. Second, be glad to know that both devices have now been rooted. Interestingly enough, it's also said that the required Sprint method also works to root the T-Mobile version of this handset. [Talk Android]

Other platforms

Nokia Lumia 900, 800 and 710: Nokia announced via its Twitter account this week that each of these smartphones will receive an update to include "WiFi tethering, flip-to-silence and more." [@Nokia US (Twitter)]Nokia Lumia 710: Rogers had made software build 8773 of Windows Phone, more commonly known as Tango, available for users of the Lumia 710. [Thanks, Gurpreet] [WPCentral]Nokia 808 PureView: The first update has arrived for Nokia's flagship cameraphone. Don't expect anything revolutionary, though -- it's said to bring greater reliability and a scroll bar to the Contacts app. [All About Symbian]LG Optimus 7: Microsoft's Tango update is now available for this Windows Phone from Telus, which brings improved stability and the ability to add multiple pictures and video attachments to an MMS message. [Mobile Syrup]

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Lovefilm, Fox UK deal brings more TV shows next month, movie exclusives in 2013

AMAZON'S LOVEFiLM SIGNS TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTENT DEAL

LONDON--June 25, 2012--LOVEFiLM, an Amazon Company, and Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution have today announced a major multi-year content deal giving LOVEFiLM members streaming access to recent and forthcoming movies and TV series.

LOVEFiLM members will have instant, exclusive on-demand access to what is known as the second pay television window of Twentieth Century Fox film content.

The film deal commences with titles theatrically released in the UK in 2011, which will be made available to subscribers to the LOVEFiLM service as early as March 2013.

The deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution will also give LOVEFiLM members access to movies and TV series from the studio's library of much-loved titles, and will add to LOVEFiLM's already extensive TV catalogue. TV titles from Twentieth Century Fox's television library, available from July 2012, will include early seasons of motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy and all seasons of 24, Prison Break, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.

LOVEFiLM members will be able to enjoy these, and a huge range of other titles, on-demand as part of their subscription via the LOVEFiLM Instant service – available on the PC, Mac or via Sony Playstation®3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Apple iPad® and a growing number of Internet-connected TV sets and Blu-ray players.

This is the latest in a long line of content deals announced by LOVEFiLM in the past 12 months, including agreements with Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, NBC Universal, Entertainment One, STUDIOCANAL, Disney, ABC, BBC and ITV.

Amazon's LOVEFiLM will continue to rent Twentieth Century Fox titles on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-Ray 3D via its LOVEFiLM By Post service.

Jim Buckle, MD of LOVEFiLM, said: "It feels great to announce another major studio deal for LOVEFiLM. Twentieth Century Fox is one of the world's leading studios, known across the globe for creating fantastic, iconic content. This partnership will give LOVEFiLM members access to the studio's huge range of recent movies and the opportunity to revisit some of the best American TV series produced in recent years."

Gina Brogi, EVP of Worldwide Pay Television and Subscription Video on Demand for Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution added: "We are delighted to be partnered with LOVEFiLM on this new window for Fox films in the UK. This film and series agreement enables us to give UK fans yet another avenue to enjoy the great stories and characters they have come to know and love from our studio."

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ASUS' high-end Transformer Pad TF700 is coming to the US next month for $499 and up

The last time we heard from ASUS, the company was on a tear at Computex, unveiling Windows 8 device after Windows 8 device. Looking back, it seems quaint that its mobile lineup was so recently dominated by Android tablets -- and that the Transformer series was once regarded as unique for having detachable keyboard docks. But this week, at least, it's back to Android for ASUS: the company just announced that the Transformer Pad Infinity announced back at Mobile World Congress is finally going on sale here in the US. It's expected to hit shelves the week of July 16th, starting at $499 for the 32GB model and $599 for the 64GB version. Like other Transformer tabs, the accompanying dock will sell separately for $149.

We've got a rundown of the full specs after the break, and as it turns out, we've also been testing one for the past week. So once you're done browsing those official press shots, head on over to our full review for benchmarks, impressions and many, many more photos.

Need us to jog your memory after all these months? Well, remember that ASUS launched multiple Transformer tablets at MWC, but the Infinity (aka TF700) was the higher-end of the two, with a 10-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS display that's coated in Gorilla Glass and rated at 600 nits of brightness. In an unusual move, ASUS used different chips in the WiFi-only and LTE-enabled versions. The WiFi models announced today have a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC inside, but if the 4G version ever comes to your corner of the world, it'll have a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor instead. Either way, the best silicon NVIDIA and Qualcomm have to offer at the moment.

Some good news for folks thinking of trading in their six-month-old Primes: the older TF201 dock is fully compatible with the TF700, so you won't need to drop a hundred and fifty bucks on a fresh keyboard. Which makes sense, given how similar the dimensions are: the Infinity weighs 1.31 pounds and measures .33 inches thick, compared with 1.28 pounds / .32 inches thick for the Prime.

As for performance, the TF700 has 1GB of DDR3 RAM and 25Wh battery, rated for about eight and a half hours of juice. (The dock has a 19.5Wh battery that promises to add an extra five hours or so of runtime.) All told, that sounds similar to what you'll get from the lower-end Transformer Pad TF300 -- which is to say, the battery life will be long, but not quite as epic as what you'd get from the original Prime. Rounding things out, the TF700 features Bluetooth 3.0 (compared with 2.1 in the Prime), an 8-megapixel, f/2.2 rear camera and a 2-megapixel webcam up front. As with other Transformer tablets, this ships with Ice Cream Sandwich and comes with 8GB of free lifetime cloud storage.

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PSA: Sony Xperia Ion lands in US today, yours starting at $50 with two-years of commitment

xperia™ ion, SONY'S FiRST 4g lte sMArtphone with HD All Around IS NOW in stores and available exclusivEly with AT&T FOR $99.99

WHAT: The Sony Xperia™ ion, exclusively for AT&T, is now available for $99.99 with a new two-year agreement at AT&T, Sony and Best Buy retail and online stores.

It provides stunning HD viewing with a 4.6-inch HD Reality display and the ability to effortlessly connect, share and control HD content from your phone across multiple screens through HDMI output.

Xperia ion packs a 12-megapixel Fast Capture camera and quick launch feature with a dedicated camera button. It goes from standby to first camera shot in 1.5 seconds and from shot-to-shot in less than a second.

Sony Entertainment Network gives AT&T customers who buy the Xperia ion a 30 day free trial of Music Unlimited's premium service with a catalog of millions of songs. Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited which brings access to the latest Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows from all major studios to rent or buy are available for download from the Google Play store.

Customers who buy the Xperia ion through Best Buy will receive a deluxe version of Maroon 5's new album Overexposed pre-loaded on their phone.

Xperia ion is complemented by SmartTags*, which let you store device function preferences for different locations and situations – such as turning on GPS and Bluetooth in the car simultaneously with just one tap.

KEY FEATURES:

· 4.6" (measured diagonally) 720p HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine for unbeatable HD viewing

· HD imaging excellence from Sony: 12MP camera with Exmor R™ for Mobile camera sensor, 1080p HD video recording on primary camera, 720p HD front-facing chat camera

· Easy multi-screen connectivity with HDMI and DLNA®

· 1.5Ghz dual core processor

· 16GB internal memory with microSD™ expansion slot supports up to 32GB

· PlayStatio® Certified for high quality mobile gaming

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY:

· The Xperia™ ion will be available for $99.99 with a new two-year agreement starting today in-store and online at AT&T, Sony and Best Buy.

*SmartTags sold separately.

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Amazon Studios adds first four original shows to its 'development slate'

By James Trew posted Jun 24th 2012 6:58AM

Back in May, Amazon put a call out for budding screenwriters to submit their ideas for an original comedy or children's series. Now, four of the submissions have been marked up on the Amazon Series Development Slate, with more being added to a "consider" list. The chosen projects comprise three comedies, and one preschooler's show. By getting the Amazonian thumbs-up, the ideas receive $10,000 to extend the initial option, assistance to develop the script, and potentially a pilot episode. So, we might not be seeing them on our screens / displays just yet, but we're sure we're not the only ones paying close attention.

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Google's Turing doodle celebrates his genius, reminds us how dumb we are (video)

This week sees many corners of the globe celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing. A man whose contribution to the worlds of tech and gadgets is immeasurable -- a sentiment not lost on Google. Today, geeks and norms worldwide will be waking up to possibly the most complex doodle to date. Can you set the machine and spell out "Google"? If you can, you'll be sent off to lots more information about the man himself. This isn't the only thing Mountain View's done to keep his legacy alive, having previously helped Bletchley Park raise funds to purchase (and display) Turing's papers, and more recently helping curators at London's Science Museum with its Codebreaker - Alan Turing's Life and Legacy exhibition. If you haven't already, head to Google.com and pop your logic hat on, and if you get stuck, head past the break for a helpful video.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of June 18th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned of the first market outside of China for ZTE's new Grand X smartphone, and received news that both the Sony Xperia U and Xperia P will arrive in Australia. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of June 18th, 2012.

ZTE Grand X escapes China, arrives first in Istanbul

This week brought the introduction of the Grand X and Grand X LTE Android 4.0 smartphones from ZTE, which were first announced for availability within China at this year's Mobile Asia Expo. First previewed at Mobile World Congress as the Mimosa X, the phone's first market outside of China has been revealed, and it'll come to none other than Turkey during the second half of 2012. This version packs a Tegra 2 SoC from NVIDIA, along with a 4.3-inch qHD screen, a 5-megapixel camera and a VGA front-facing shooter. [ZTE PR]

AT&T brings 4G LTE to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

Slowly but surely, AT&T continues to make progress with its LTE network deployment, and the latest city to receive this true 4G connectivity is none other than Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, which is located southwest of Nashville. [AT&T PR]

Sony Xperia U and Xperia P come to Australia

Good news for Aussies this week, as both the Sony Xperia U and Xperia P smartphones have been announced for availability in Australia. The Xperia P -- which contains a dual-core 1GHz CPU, a 4-inch qHD screen and Android 2.3 -- is set for arrival at Telstra, and will be available free with all plans of $49 or more per month. Meanwhile, the Xperia U -- which features a dual-core 1GHz CPU, a 3.5-inch FWVGA display and Android 2.3 -- is available now from Crazy Johns, and can be had for free with all plans of $15 or more per month. [Unwired View]

Skype 1.2 debuts for Windows Phone

Updated for Windows Phone this week, version 1.2 of Skype brings integration with the phone's contact list, the ability to edit phone numbers before dialing and a number of bug fixes. [Skype Garage]

Nokia Maps receives update to version 2.1

This is a minor tweak, to be sure, but version 2.1 of Nokia Maps is now available, which is said to resolve issues regarding the uploads of favorite places photos. [WMPoweruser]

Progress continues to bring Android app compatibility to Nokia N9

MeeGo Harmattan OS is no doubt an elegant and intuitive platform, but with a rather limited app selection, Nokia's had a bit of a rough go when making a case for the N9 smartphone. That may change, however, as the crew at OpenMobile are continuing in their efforts to bring ACL (App Compatibility Layer) to Nokia's former flagship smartphone. To see the latest in developments from OpenMobile, be sure to check the related video. [My Nokia Blog]

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