At Beet.tv executive summit Walt Mossberg talked about video over Internet and the poor state of Internet access in US. While discussing streaming video on mobile devices Mossberg stated that an iPhone with 3G will be available within 60 days. Mossberg also talked about Apple TV and Amazon Video on Tivo, said that even though both products are nice, but their appeal is limited because of broadband speeds. He went on and said that DSL service by Verizon shouldn’t be considered broadband. Walt mentions about the iPhone at about 6:50 in the video.

Lenovo is one of the first companies to show a concept based on Intel’s Upcoming Atom processor. As the U8 is a Mobile Internet Device it will have plethora of wireless connections including 3G and EDGE. According to the video on Intel’s website the concept device has a 4.8” touch screen, optical mouse built into the red button near screen, GPS, Camera and flash memory. On the software side the device will have finance software, email, calendar, notes and multimedia applications for photo, music and video. There is no information available about the operating system and cell phone capabilities of the device. You can watch the introductory video of the IdeaPad U8 on Intel’s website.

Apple has give iPhone Firmware 2.0 beta along with iPhone SDK to the developers who have signed up for iPhone Developer Program and the firmware has been leaked online also. Developers have been exploring the new version of iPhone firmware and have found code that suggests new set of features for the device. One of the new features is playing of the YouTube video directly in the browser. Apple has also improved Bluetooth support and it appears that they will add Bluetooth GPS and A2DP support to the iPhone when the firmware is released. The other possible feature is printing directly from the iPhone as a new printers folder has appeared in the OS Library. Though this doesn’t mean that Apple will add printer support in firmware 2.0, but it’s a definite indication of where the things are heading. Apple has already confirmed that VoIP will be support on the WiFi network and the third party developer Jajah has announced that it will ship its VoIP solution after the firmware 2.0 is released in June.
[Via 9to5Mac]

AT&T and Verizon were the two big winners in FCC’s 700MHz auction and both have said that they will use the spectrum for 4G network. AT&T held a conference call regarding the 700MHz spectrum and confirmed that it will use the Long Term Evolution (LTE) on the 700MHz spectrum for 4G cellular network. The B-block that AT&T has acquired during auction would allow it to cover 87% of US market and would give it control over its network and applications as the frequency block can be used as a closed system. AT&T will introduce the 4G network after the analogue television signals goes offline in 2009. Verizon the other big winner in that auction has also announced that it will use the spectrum for 4G Cellular network. Like AT&T, Verizon will also use Long Term Evolution technology (LTE) for its network. The block of spectrum that Verizon has won has open access to any hardware and software on the future network, preventing it from excluding competitive services. Verizon will initially roll out 4G network in late 2009 and increase its coverage in 2010. As both AT&T and Verizon are using LTE on the 700MHz band, their networks can be interoperable allowing users to roam freely between network.

Microsoft has previously said that it aims to launch the next version of Windows in 2010, but company’s co-founder Bill Gates said in a seminar today that he expects Windows 7 to appear sometime in 2009. Bill Gates further added that the new OS would focus on improved integration with cell phones and handhelds, advanced support for touch and multi-touch inputs and the latest technology in wireless and networking. It is also believed that Windows 7 will represent a major code break from previous versions of the OS resulting in implementation of a backwards compatibility layer (legacy layer) to support applications that ran on previous version of Windows. The legacy layer will be similar to the Classic layer used by Apple to support old applications in Mac OS X. Microsoft will create a application interface that will be called whenever a legacy program is launched. The new operating system will use a modular approach where new functionality can be added to the core OS just by installing a module. Microsoft has not officially give any details about Windows 7 but the information leaked online are definitely interesting.

Details about the upcoming GeForce 9M notebook graphics card line-up have been leaked in the latest beta version of ForceWare graphics drivers.  The GeForce 9M line will replace majority of 8M graphics cards in notebooks. According to the leaked details NVIDIA will release mid-range 9600M GS and GT cards, which might replace the 8600M parts. The high-end will have 9700M for moderately portable laptops and 9800M for desktop replacement notebooks. The budget notebooks will get 9200M, 9300M and 9400M models. The 9M series will use smaller 65 nanometer manufacturing process resulting in higher clock speeds and increased performance without increasing the power requirements and heat output. We will see most of these graphics cards in early second half of 2008.

iPod Observer has posted an image that they believe is the new 3G iPhone. The new 3G iPhone will sport a redesigned glossy black back replacing the aluminum and black plastic (to cover the antenna) used in present iPhones. It looks like the glossy black back might improve the holdability of the iPhone because the present generation of iPhones tends to slip very easily from the hand. As iPod Observer points out, rumors are just rumors until Steve Jobs pulls a new iPhone out of his pocket.

The Dev Team was working for past 4 weeks to develop the Mac Pwnage tool that would let user load any firmware on their iPhone, including patched firmware not signed by Apple – that would allow custom software distributions. Additionally it could lead to totally new OSs (like Linux or Android) being ported over to iPhone hardware. The tool can also be used to unlock the iPhone for use with your choice of wireless carrier. The installation of the Pwnage tool is not a one-click process, but it’s not that hard also. So if you want to free your iPhone or get more information about the tool visit iPhone Dev website. Right now Pwnage tool is available for Mac only, but the team is working on a Windows version also that will be released soon.

For past few days’ shortage of iPhones at Apple’s retail stores have started series of rumors like the new 3G iPhones is coming early, Apple has manufacturing problem and the demand is exceeding the supply. Till now Apple has not officially commented about the iPhone storage. New York Times Saul Hansell had sent an email to Apple asking about the iPhone shortage and the related rumors. He got a call from Steve Dowling from Apple. “ We are working to replenish iPhone supplies as quickly as we can,” he said. “Our stores continue to receive shipments almost every day.” Saul tried to get more information but Mr. Dowling said “I’ll leave it at my statement.” So in short Apple actually didn’t give any information about why there is a shortage of iPhones. Steve Jobs has said in past that Apple is working on the 3G iPhone and will release it this year, but as always Apple will not provide any details about the release date or specs of the upcoming 3G iPhone.

Comcast today announced that it would be the first cable internet service provider in the US to offer Internet access at 50 megabits per second, using the new DOCSIS 3.0 standard for cable internet service. Comcast will be rolling out the service in only two cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Comcast has already said that it will expand the network to about 20% of US cities and may increase speeds up to 100Mbps by the end of 2008. The increase in Internet speed will come at the expense of few analog stations and compression added to HD channels to make room for DOCSIS 3. The service bonds multiple cable channels together to offer increased speeds resulting in consummation of more bandwidth than earlier single channel Internet service. The DOCSIS 3.0 is very important for cable industry to compete against Verizon’s FIOS as Verizon is already offering speeds up to 30Mbps and increasing that to 100Mbps on fiber network won’t be a big challenge. The upload speeds for the new service will be just 5Mbps that is third of what FIOS (15Mbps) is offering. Comcast considers this service in luxury tier and hence charge $150/month that is around same as Verizon’s charge ($139) for its 30Mbps FIOS service.

Sony today launched a AVCHD based Handycam TG1 that is less then 5” tall, 2.5” deep and weighs only 10 ounces but is still capable of recording video in HD resolution. Sony says that it is the smallest HD camcorder, even smaller then Sanyo’s Xacti line of camcorders. The TG1 records on Memory Stick Pro Duo cards and has a 2.7” touchscreen. The camcorder can take 4-megapixel photos and has a 10X optical zoom. Sony is using the BIONZ processor that is normally reserved for its higher end cameras. The camera has an automatic dynamic range compensation feature that reduces the likelihood of blown highlights or overly dark shadows. The TG1 ships with a 4GB high speed Memory Stick Pro Duo, so that the user gets enough memory to start recording immediately. The handycam TG1 will be available in May for $900.

Yesterday Microsoft launched their latest update for smartphone OS - the Windows Mobile 6.1. Windows Mobile 6.1 will be available to mobile phone partners in the 3rd quarter of 2008, with the first Windows Mobile phones using the update to be available by the end of 2008. Like most mobile phone hardware and software makers, Microsoft won’t admit that this latest update is inspired by iPhone. The list of new features though, is a definite indication of the motivation provided by the iPhone. We can divide the new features in Windows Mobile 6.1 into five groups. The first group is Ease of Use, Windows Mobile is not known for its user friendliness and Microsoft is trying to change that with the 6.1 update. They have added a Getting Started Center and Sliding Panel Home Screen for easy access to setup process, notifications and most used features. The XPERIA panels on the Sony’s upcoming XPERIA phone that looks like a direct rip off from iPhone is a good example of the ease of use group. The second group is Mobile Messaging; the features added are Threaded Text Messaging and Easy E-mail Setup. The threaded text messaging is same as the SMS on an iPhone or any online chat program. The Easy E-mail setup is aiming to be as easy as Mail account setup on the iPhone where you just provide the name, E-mail address and password to setup your E-mail account on phone. You don’t have to worry about incoming or outgoing mail servers, server port and SSL settings. The third set of features are related to web browser and it’s a fact that iPhone is the king of mobile web browsing. Like the iPhone Microsoft has added Page Overview and Zoom Support to mobile Internet Explorer, which is based on last generation Internet Explorer 6. The fourth group is multimedia, where Microsoft has added H.264 support, easy access to music stored on the device, play pause from home screen and viewing photos stored on device directly from home screen. Well, here again, Microsoft is following Apple’s lead, iPod on the iPhone is the best multimedia application ever done on a mobile phone. The last group is Platform Management where Microsoft rules. Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 will allow IT professionals to set and control policies in a single environment. Apple will be implementing these features in June with iPhone Update 2.0 but Apple will be using the help of Microsoft’s Active Directory and Exchange server. So the ultimate question - How does Windows Mobile 6.1 compare with the iPhone. In my opinion, Windows Mobile 6.1 is playing catch-up for most of the features implemented in iPhone last year. It’s true that iPhone also lacks few features like the copy/paste function and voice-activated dialing but it does have one thing that places the iPhone light-years ahead of its competition – it’s great user interface.

Kabateck Brown Kellner, LLP has filed a suit against Apple in San Jose. According to the suit Apple is deceiving consumers by concealing that the new 20” iMac monitors are inferior to the previous generation’s and those of the new 24” iMac. Apple told consumers that both the 20” and 24” iMacs displayed “millions of colors at all resolutions.” The new 24” iMacs display 16,777,216 colors on 8-bit, in-plane switching screens, as did the previous generation of 20” iMacs. But the new 20” iMacs feature 6-bit twisted nematic film LCD screens that are least expensive and displays 98% fewer colors (262,144).  The new 20” iMac screen have a narrower viewing angle, less color depth, less color accuracy and are more susceptible to washout across the screen. “Apple is squeezing more profits for itself by using cheap screens and its customers are unwittingly paying the price,” Kabateck said. The in-plane switching screens are definitely better then twisted nematic film screens and they do cost more. If Apple is using twisted nematic film screens in the new 20” iMac the color reproduction and accuracy will be inferior then the old 20” iMac and the new 24” iMac.  You can read the complete article here.

The new Blackberry 9000 that RIM will release by the end summer will come with a 624MHz ARM processor, which will be the fastest processor ever used in a Blackberry phone. The phone will use 3G and WiFi for communication resulting in faster load time for web pages. The battery life on the new phone is bad according to the information leaked, if you are using WiFi for browsing the web it lasts for around two hours only. The Talk time is just around four hours and the testers are reporting many battery issues. The phone will come with GPS and 480 X 320 screen. It is believed that the phone will have just 256MB of onboard storage and support microSD card. The one thing I was hoping from the new Blackberry phone was more onboard storage, it’s a smartphone at least give it 4GB of storage.